Maya Moore: Winning

Maya Moore has won 22 league or world championships in the past 14 years, including at least one every year except her freshman year at Connecticut. This does not include conference championships, which would bring the total to 35 or 36. Her record in high school and college was 275-7. Add in her WNBA, Olympic, and world championships and her record is 528-78. When in Atlanta Maya attends Passion City Church.

04 state champions

05 state champions

06 state champions, FIBA Americas U18 champs

07 high school national champs, FIBA U19 world champs

08 final four

09 NCAA champions, world games gold medal

10 NCAA champions, FIBA champions

11 final four, WNBA champion

12 Olympic gold, EuroLegue champs, Liga champs (Spain)

13 WNBA champion, Chinese champions

14 WNBA runner-up, FIBA champs, Chinese champs

15 WNBA champion, Chinese champions

16 WNBA runner-up, Olympic gold medal

17 WNBA champion

I saw where the SC women are playing at Miss State, and the game is a sellout. My old roomie Tom Leuze goes to a lot of Louisville Cardinals women’s games – I think he is a season ticket holder. The lone Gamecock fan in Jefferson is going to SC basketball games in Colombia now.

About work: I’m far from the best at managing my career. Never been one to hop from job to job. I’ve probably missed out on several great opportunities over the years. At this point it would be tough to change jobs and get a huge salary increase. Even if I did my “rock solid” job security would take a hit. Showing up for work every day is half the battle.

This spring MC is making money cleaning houses. Will has mowed lawns and parked cars. Matthew empties the trash cans at Whole Foods (and earned more than Ceil did last year). Anna still gets babysitting work. Her summer job is without air conditioning. Stuart has worked in a restaurant and at a car wash. Sarah worked retail. Lori works at Chickfila. I’ve worked fast food mopping floors, in a warehouse, and the graveyard shift at a convenience store. Even now I give up evenings to pick up cash attending focus groups. I shop at thrift stores and sell what I find on eBay. I could do more, and should.    

You’ll be happy to know that I “won” another sweepstakes. When the movie Murder on the Orient Express came out a few months ago, Godiva Chocolates ran a contest. I entered because the grand prize was a trip to San Francisco. I won a second prize: a Murder on the Orient Express paperback plus chocolates delivered once a month for a year - the chocolate of the month club. I wasn’t too excited but mentioned it to Ceil. Yesterday the first chocolates came – pretty fancy. Got Ceil excited. Every month it will be something different.  

I am still poking along on my diet. Another new low today. Gotta step it up but the surgery is gonna set me back next month. I was going to open the chocolates but C stopped me. Not sure what we’ll do with them. I said we could eat one piece per day. There are cookies and chips in the house since Christmas, that have gone uneaten. So far only one fast food stop for breakfast – but not biscuits. This weekend I’ll be batching it. There are plenty of leftovers to get me through. Better to eat several smaller meals to keep fueling your body to burn calories and keep your blood sugar up. C gets on me for skipping potatoes and rice and noodles and bagels, but that allows me to sometimes eat things I like that are usually off limits. Friday we’re going out for lunch. I have to order a salad.

Monday: I was packing up last night to go home but then got peppered with several late questions, so I didn’t leave work until after 6:30. Tough to see on the way home. Finally made it to the library to renew my card. C baked breaded chicken and cooked spinach and squash. M was at work. Watched more Gilmore Girls but almost fell asleep.

Tuesday night I left work at six. Got home and turned on some news. Ceil cooked a mixture of sausage, rice, beans, and onions for dinner. The Middle was a rerun so we watched Gilmore Girls. Headed to JFBC after work tonight.

Next Monday the daughter of Ceil’s matron of honor Dawn will be in town. She’s staying in the Cumberland area so we’ll take her out to dinner in The Battery, perhaps El Felix.  

Last year when I was in Macon for my mom’s surgery I sent a message to an old high school friend about meeting up. Five minutes later he called, and we had a nice chat. He said to let him know the next time I was in town and we’d meet up at Nu-Way for a hot dog. I’ve texted him twice since then, but no response. Now I can be a hermit and not want to get out of the house, and its easy to be suspicious of someone you haven’t seen in 40 years. He doesn’t know it, but I’m not selling anything. I’m no big city slicker, college boy, or religious fanatic - just the same gooberhead he knew in high school (except I weigh more and have grey hair). Drove a newer car back then than I do now. How is that?

Years ago my parents started attending a strong Southern Baptist church on the other side of Macon. It wasn’t in a good neighborhood but the preacher was dynamic. The church had been located there for years, but the preacher moved the church to thriving north Macon, where lots of younger families live. The church started off well, but after the preacher stepped down his replacement seems to be driving people away. The church is a shadow of its former self.

Just five miles down the road Ingleside Baptist has become a very dynamic church. Ingleside has been around for years (my Cub Scout pack met there) but only recently has exploded in growth. A couple of years ago my parents started attending a small church pastored by the preacher from the first church. This church is considering downgrading their Wednesday night meals as well. Church members arrange the dinners, as they have no staff.

JFBC only occasionally has a decision hymn at the end of the contemporary service in the gym. Not sure but they may have it in the traditional services. To join JF you have to take a class that informs new members of the doctoral position of the church, and what is expected of members (involvement). On a smaller level, our SS teacher (a staff member) is working to mold our class into a self-supporting community group. JFBC does have a ton of staff members. JFBC is BIG on mission trips. Not sure if they send out as many as North Point, but it’s a bunch. Most of the youth choir tours are to places they can serve as well as sing. The adult choir will occasionally take a trip. They recently went to Europe.

I’ve seen ads for those new diet Coke flavors but I haven’t seen one in a store.

Mary Frances Hurt had been in the hospital and was rehabbing when she fell and broke her hip. On Super Bowl weekend Mary and David are relocating daughter Margaret to Baltimore for an internship. Haley is loving life in Napa.