Been A While

It has been a while since my last post. A lot has happened over the last month or so. School is more challenging than I had hoped. I am enjoying all the new knowledge, it is just a different ball of wax I am dealing with.

In December of 2008 my Granny was diagnosed with terminal cancer. She celebrated her 90th birthday this past August. Andi and I visited her over New Years and had a very nice visit with her. I knew at that time, it would be the last time I would hear, "I Love You...Be Good." These words were always the last words my Granny would tell her grandkids after a visit. On March 4th, 2009 Granny went to be with Jesus. I will miss my Granny dearly, but I know I will see her again someday! I Love You Granny!

Mary Gililland, Age: 90 Died: Wednesday, March 04, 2009 in Claude, TX

Services were held Saturday, March 7, 2009.

Rev. Charles L. “Chuck” Gililland and Rev. Don Prather officiated.

Mary Elizabeth Prather was born August 8, 1918 in Hollis, OK to Price and Lela Mae (McClure) Prather. The family moved to Lazbuddie, TX in the early 1930’s and Mary graduated from Lazbuddie High School in 1936. On November 26, 1936, she married Otto V. Gililland in Clovis, NM. Mary and Otto lived in Dimmit, TX, Eldorado, OK, Hereford, TX, Floydada, TX, Dumas, TX and Dalhart, TX during their marriage. Mary retired from C.R. Anthony, Co. after 25+ years. Mary was an avid reader and enjoyed playing 42 with friends at 55 Plus Club in Dalhart until she moved to Amarillo in 2006. Her pride and joy were her 5 grandchildren and 6 great grandchildren. She was a member of Central United Methodist Church in Dalhart, TX and after her move to Amarillo became a member of Saint Stephen United Methodist Church.

She was preceded in death by her husband in 1979, a baby son in 1942, her parents, four brothers, and one sister.

Survivors include a daughter Necia Trapp and husband Van of Amarillo, TX a son Darrell J. Gililland and wife Becky of White Deer, TX ~ 5 grandchildren: Jennifer Sawyer and husband Larry of Amherst, TX, Scott Trapp and wife Catherine of San Antonio, TX, Darrell J. Gililland, Jr. and wife Andrea of Abilene, TX, Cassandra Gililland of Proctorville, OH, Charles L. “Chuck” Gililland and wife Melissa of Ozark, AR.: 6 great grandchildren: Kateland Sawyer of San Angelo, TX, Jarrod and Ashton Sawyer of Amherst, TX, John and Jordan Trapp of San Antonio, TX Abby Gililland of Ozark, AR: Two Sisters-in-law Helen Cowart of DeKalb, TX and Jean Prather of Burleson, TX and several nieces and nephews.

Valentines

This year for Valentines I surprised Andi with a trip to Buffalo Gap, Texas, USA. We stayed at a good friends ranch. It was rustic and we finally got the wood burning stove going to warm the whole house on Saturday. It was so relaxing and peaceful. I remember thinking, is this really only 20 mins from Abilene?

This ranch is extremely unique. He bought it off of a guy who had lived there for years and years. The previous owner must have been a little on the eccentric side. He had done so much work to the area, well groomed hiking trails, humorous trail markers, a make believe "boot hill", sand volleyball court, "lovers leap" that over looked the creek bed with a manikin buried head first in the creek bed with legs and boots up... Seriously, everywhere we went we found something new and odd.

Friday night I cooked fajitas and we watched Fireproof. Saturday we slept in and it was FREEZING!! So I put on my stocking cap, sweats, and jacket to cook breakfast... started wood burning stove! We went into Buffalo Gap for antiquing, then back to the ranch for a nap. It was great sleeping by the fire. Awaking from our nap, we went for a little hike around the area. We had such a good time. Saturday night for dinner I cooked out ribeye's and we had a awesome baked potato!!

Spending this weekend with Andi was awesome. We needed a time to relax and get away from school, work, and life. Didn't have a computer, phone wouldn't work, and it was just the stars at night! What a great way to spend the weekend!

Where have I been?!

Well it has been a couple of weeks since my last post. Life is back into full swing of things. Andi is hard at work completing her masters degree (December 2009!!!), and I am in week three of my doctorate (December 2012).

While continuing our normal daily jobs (teacher/athletic trainer) we also make time at church. Needless to say we are a couple of busy peeps. One thing that we make a priority of is spending time with each other.

Please keep us in your prayers as we continue the wild and crazy adventure of our life together!

Back to the Grind Stone

Well it was back to the "real world" and the old grind stone this week. A new year and a new spring semester.

Andi and I spent last weekend in a "tour of Texas" if you will. Started off headed to Little Elm, Tx (north of DFW) to see two of my best friends, and he newest addition to your little clan friends/family. Rusty and his wife Tonja had a little baby girl three weeks ago and it was so good to see the newest member. She is precious. Steve (Rusty's brother) was in from South Carolina, it was the first time since our wedding that we had seen him. We all were together and it was great!

Andi and I then stayed the night with one of her best friends and her husband, then it was off to College Station! WHOOOP! I got my student ID and completed some other odds and ends, not to mention picked up my Fightn' Texas Aggie Class of 2012 T-Shirt! WHOOOP!

From College Station we went to Katy, where I had a workshop. It was great visiting old friends and meeting new peopled. Andi and I even braved the chilly January wind and cold to enjoy the outdoor hot tub. It was very relaxing! That evening we went to a one man play with another close friend and her "friend". Slept in on Sunday and off to Church where I got to meet some of Andi's old friends from A&M and Breakaway.

This week went by fast. I had an orientation web conference with my Cohort and professors yesterday. Must say that I am excited and bit overwhelmed at this point. Definitely looking forward to seeing how this all works out.

Will write something more profound and thought provoking next week!

New Year 2009

I know, I know... it has been since June 2008 since I last even thought about blogging. It is amazing how you start out to be dedicated to the millions of readers out there, and find out, that you just can't handle the pressure. Well I have decided to at least try and blog once a week or at the very least bi-monthly.

So what has taken place in the last seven months?!

June - To start off, Andi and I celebrated our second wedding anniversary with a trip to St. Louis and a surprise train trip to Chicago! We arrived in St. Louis four days early and I had told Andi that we were going to take in all the sites. For my loyal readers that may not know, I lived in St. Louis for two years. Our plane arrived five hours before our SURPRISE train ride. We rented our car for the week and I took Andi out to west county where I used to live and work. We had lunch at the St. Louis Bread Co. and it was AMAZING!! We would eat there a few other times as well. I showed her the sights of Missouri Baptist University, my first place of employment and it was so nice to see many of the things I had began and implemented eight years ago were still being utilized. It made me feel like I had actually left my mark. We then drove by my old apartment in Chesterfield, followed by a drive by of the house I lived in for a few months located in "the Hill" district - the Italian area of St. Louis. By this time, we had been up since 5:00 AM. Andi was getting tired and I told her we were on our way to the hotel for an afternoon nap. Well I exited and took the amtrak exit. Having never been to St. Louis, Andi had no clue. Little did I know the train station was under remodeling and we were being redirected to a make shift station under the freeway and on dirt roads. Andi was confused at this point and even said, "do you know where you are going?". We pulled up and I said, "yes... we are taking the train to Chicago for the weekend!" She was so excited. "Does Simone know?" "Yes". So my anniversary present to Andi was a weekend trip to our favorite city Chicago, where one of her best friends lives. It was great times and we really enjoy seeing the Halpins in Chicago. What a great city. The train ride, well it was good, but not what we had expected. It was supposed to have been a five hour ride that turned into eight, and then the return trip was on a chartered bus due to track work. Needless to say, we may not be taking a train for quite a while.

St. Louis was memorable. We celebrated our second anniversary with dinner at the top of the Milenium Hotel - it was a 360 degree restraunt that allowed us to take in the beautiful skyline and Gateway Arch. After dinner I summoned horse drawn carriage and we made our way back to our hotel through the city streets. It was so wonderful having Andi with me in St. Louis.

July had us back and forth to San Antonio to work on the lake house some more. Andi continued work on her masters degree and we made our annual pilgrimage to White Deer for the annual Rodeo and Kick-Back day. I designed a new t-shirt to sell this year, but didn't sell out like the year before. In fact - WE STILL HAVE SHIRTS FOR SALE!!

August was hot and rainy. We started back in with football and we practiced everywhere in Abilene except at HSU due to the rain. August seemed like a blur.

September was all football.

October was all football...wait...mix in some basketball now and then. Did something I never thought I would do!

November was football...now basketball... oh and my birthday! My birthday will always be bittersweet. It will mark the anniversary of Andi's mom's passing. Andi is such a loving wife and planned a great party for me this year. We went to Double Dave's Pizza with our closet A-Town friends and we had a blast. Had a horrible experience doing something I never thought I would do. Thanksgiving was great with my Mom, Dad, and Granddad all coming to A-Town for the week. We even took in the NW Missouri State Quarter-Final Game against ACU. The BEARCATS WON!!!

December was basketball. The Bearcats lost a FOURTH straight National Championship in the last few minutes of the game. And I did something I had never done before...I GOT ACCEPTED TO TEXAS A&M UNIVERSITY!!!! WHOOP! That's right, I am an official Fightn' Texas Aggie!

This past summer I visited with a good friend of mine at HSU who is also an Aggie. He told me to keep my eyes posted on the TAMU website as they were about to start a new degree program. In July he sends me a copy of an informational e-mail he received from the Department Chair of Teaching, Learning, and Culture, in the e-mail it was revealed that A&M would be starting a 100% online Executive Ed.D. program in Curriculum and Instruction. I replied to the academic advisor and asked to be placed on the prospective student list. I have wanted to obtain a degree from Texas A&M every since I was in the third grade. As a Senior in High School, when I wasn't given the opportunity to be an athletic training student at A&M, I didn't pursue admission. Graduate school didn't offer any athletic training opportunities either. So know here I am pursuing a professional goal of obtaining a terminal degree and it is at Texas A&M!!! I am really excited about this degree and the opportunities it will provide me. I believe this will give me the knowledge and expertise to become a better university level instructor as well as the opportunities to research and develop curriculum and instructional strategies as they apply to athletic training education.

Needless to say, Andi and I are very excited about this opportunity! It will be very difficult and I know challenging but I am very excited to get started. It will take four years and our cohort will meet once a year in July on campus in College Station. All of this culminating with graduation in December 2012.

Now 2009.... Like I said, I am going to try and blog once a week, or at least bi-monthly. Will keep you up on all the ins and outs of our crazy wonderful life as we togehter "Merely Meander" through life, serving our God and living for His will in our lives. Happy New Year - and Gig'Em!

OE Camp - Recap

Outdoor Education Camp 2008 - Been There, Done That, Got the T-Shirt (literally!). Camp was fun this year. It had its moments of excitement, drama, and of course laughter. During the second week I was extremely blessed. It was evident that God is working in the life of so many people and I was grateful to have had been blessed to be a small part in the lives of these college students. I even met and made a new best friend. See our video below!! Enjoy!

OE Camp Week 2 - Day 3

Shooting at clay targets is so much more enjoyable than shooting a pelet gun at paper. It was exciting to see how the students who had never shot before were super happy when they succeeded. It was a great day on the range with many of good laughs. I am continually amazed at the students. Just when you think they will not ever grasp a concept, BOOM!, they get it and the light from the light bulb is amazing.

On a funnier note, we (camp staff) played a practical joke on our graduate students and interns. It was AWESOME!!! We staged a fake arrow through the leg, complete with blood curtling screaming from the young lady, tears and hysteria. Everyone did a fabulous job with the mock incident. People were helping from without any hesitation. I was particularly impressed with a couple of the football guys who did far beyond the call of duty. They were extremely upset when they found out it was a joke. In essence, this camp is about developing leaders, and this drill is a way to see how people will react. Everyone, and I do mean, everyone showed tremendous character and stedfastness to help. Two and half more days!!!

OE Camp - Week 2 - Day 2

What a hot and humid day! Who says that it is an easy chore teaching riflery. "You're in the shade". Yea, well the shade is a tin roof and the sun still beats down on parts of the deck both in the morning and afternoon.



The shooters today were great! It must be the excellent instruction they are gaining!!! Tomorrow, it is the clay pigeons, everyone's favorite! I can't wait to spend all day shoot the shot guns.



I miss my beautiful wife so much that it is so difficult to fall asleep at night. I can't wait to see her this weekend!!! Just two more weeks till our vacation to St. Louis!!! WHOOP!

OE Camp - Week 2 - Day 1

Back in B-Wood for the final installment of OE Camp 2008. Last week was a great time and it was awesome to see how God really worked in my heart and the hearts of so many students. Even though this is an activity based camp, I try (as often as I can), to relate the daily devotionals to actual life experiences and to encourage these young men and women to live for Christ's glory and honor.

Today was a great day. It was hot and humid (well too humid for my liking). This week I am teaching riflery and sporting clays. It was a blast going through each session with the students and I have completely changed the way the course is taught to be more challenging and fun for them. We will only spend two days with the air rifles and then we will spend three full days shooting clay pigeons. It will most definately be a good time. I look forward to continue to grow daily as I prepare the devotions. It really is amazing how is working in my life right now. The only sad things that I feel in my heart is that I am away from my beautiful wife for another week. I have difficulty sleeping at night without her and I miss her dearly. I can't wait to see her again on Saturday! More to come tomorrow!!

OE Camp - Day 5

"It's Finally Friday!!!" One of the great George Jones songs. It started my day in the dorm, and then it was playing over the Ipod most of the afternoon. What a beautiful day! It was so wonderful outside and we had a great last day of camp. The last day brings with it the camp races in the afternoon. The race itself consists of kayaking, canoeing, and sailing. It is a relay that all teams participate. Sailing is always the most interesting. Today, one boat caused all four boats to crash and two flipped. It was AWESOME!! Good times!! The afternoon heat was unbearable and well, after a quick boat ride on the lake, I jumped into the pool, clothes and all!!! What a great way to finish off the day. The best part of today, happens tomorrow. T-minus 17 hours till I get to see my beautiful wife!!! :) I can't wait to be home for a couple of days!!!

OE Camp - Day 4

Thursday - Week 1: A day at the Cliffs.

Each Thursday of camp the rock climbing and kayaking class bus down to the Lake Brownwood Dam and spend their respective times going through the gamete of fun and excitement. I spend my time at the cliffs watching and belaying for climbers. It is a time that I enjoy and look most forward to each year. This year was no different, the only exception was that I didn't have to belay but twice. That was awesome! It was great because I didn't have to wear my harness all day long and be uncomfortable (if you know what I mean!). It was pretty uneventful and it was hot and windy. At least we had the wind!

Tonight is Koosh-Volley. Basically volleyball played with a Koosh ball and Koosh padle. It is a bunch of fun, but it doesn't start until 9:00 and there are like 20 teams. The finals usually happen around mid-night. Now I am a competitor and really hate loosing. However; if my team looses the first game in Koosh-Volley, well I am all the happier. It really is a fun game and fun times, but it is the end of the week, after a long, hot day, and everyone is dead tired. So, I just want a little bit of rest. I guess I am no spring chicken anymore. If we win our first game... I AM THERE FOR THE LONG HALL AND WILL BE UPSET IF WE DON'T WIN IT ALL!! :)

OE Camp - Day 3

Back at camp after a wonderful day in Abilene. The best part of yesterday was getting to spend a few hours with my beautiful wife. She cooked spaghetti and it was AMAZING! I loved every single minute with her and miss her dearly. Can't wait for the weekend!! :)

Today was the half way point for week one. This week in the devotionals I have been sharing with the campers the importance of relying on Christ daily. It has been incredibly refreshing for me personally as I prepare the 10 minuete devotions. The Lord is moving in my heart in ways I have never felt before. Please continue to pray for us this week.

Wednesday at camp is a great day. I spend all day at the climbing wall taking pictures of the campers as they scale the 30 foot wall. As I lay over the edge trying to get the best picture of each person I can, the backs of my leg are FRYING! I have done this every year for the past six and this year it had to be the hottest at the top! Yes, sweetie I did have sun screen on. Everyone did great on the wall. It is amazing to see these young adults face and conquere their fears. I was particularly amazed at the ladies this year. They did great.

The best thing I learned today was a new knot. Being an Eagle Scout myself, I love tying knots. I love learning new knots and how they can work for you in a camping situation. Today I learned the Apline Butterfly Knot. It was used back in the old days for a team of climbers to tie into one rope. It can be used today in a variety of ways, most notibly for hanging items in in a camp. I can't wait to utilize this knot in just about anything I can. It is my new favorite!!

OE Camp - Day 2

Day 1 was hot... Day 2 Hot... But, I am in Abilene today interviewing a candidate for our new Graduate Assistant position. What exciting times. The real jewel of the day is having dinner with my beautiful wife! This is the real reason I came home for a day!!! :)

Day 1 of camp was good. The only exciting thing to happen was I was apart of camp fun. We actually got 8 people in a canoe before it started to sink. It was a blast! The opening skits last night were very humorous. I am looking forward to tomorrow...all day on the climbing wall!!!

Outdoor Ed. Camp - Day 1

OE camp started today (actually yesterday), and it is already getting warm outside!! This is my 9-10th year to work this camp and I look forward to these two weeks each year. It is great to be here at the Texas 4-H Center at Lake Brownwood. I love the food, folks, and fun. This year I will get to teach Riflery during the second session. I have taught Rappelling before, but this will be my first adventure with teaching the guns!! This week is looking to be warm and dry. We all are excited to have great weather. I will keep you posted daily with the activities of the day!

Times of Remembrance

My beautiful bride is now a blogger and she is doing a great job with this new found hobby. I really get to see a brilliant side to her that is so refreshing to our marriage. I find that I love her more and more everyday.

Today she wrote of her mother. What a neat and wonderful woman she was. I really wish that we could have uploaded her digital story to show you all how wonderful she was and the impact that she had on so many people. We do miss her. It is these times of remembrance that we relish the good times.


Earlier one of my assistants called me to let me know they were putting her father into hospice care. He too suffers from kidney failure and other medical issues very similar to Andi's mom. Walking with my assistant during this time is like looking in a mirror from October and November of 2007. Andi and I know to well what this season of life is like. Our heart breaks for Dot and her family at this time. We must not lose sight of the Father during this time and minister to their needs, sharing Christ's eternal love and grace.

Champions

Who says winning a Texas State Team Championship has to be done by a team? What an amazing story! Rochelle High School Wins Class 1A Girls State Track Championship

Spring Cleaning....

So here it is, the last day of the 2007-2008 academic year. This day has been a long time coming!!! WHOOP!! My staff and I are way ahead of schedule from where we typically are this time of year. We have spent the day completely cleaning, organizing and inventorying the entire athletic training department. It is with great anticipation and excitement that we welcome this day, because if all goes well... we will have everything in its new home by next weekend and then all we have to do is order the new stuff and get that put away in June. Which means... July will be relaxing!!! Can I get a WHOOP!?!?

Gililland's Island

Well... it has happened... my Beautiful Wife is now a blogger... WOW!! You can check her out at Gililland's Island. Enjoy!!

The Man Card

OK, let's talk about the ever popular "Man Card". You know the one... the card that men of all ages get to punch when they do something manly. Manly things come in all sorts of shapes, sizes, voltages, watts, and of course power (most of the time dealing with explosions of some sort). Well I have been told on more than one occasion that I need have my "Man Card" taken away. The first of which was when a well respected man said it should be revoked because I didn't have the right tools to fix a water leak, the second was when my brother told me I didn't know how do something or other (can't really remember). And I am sure there have been others who have thought that I should never have my card reinstated. Nevertheless, lets talk about the "Man Card".

Recently there has been some discussion on men going to the theater, the ballet, or the symphony with their wives. It was not that they wanted to, it was that they were dragged into it one way or another. I find that funny. I guess (in my opinion), I have the GREATEST WIFE in the world. Just yesterday we went to the movies and saw a manly movie, her idea. She loved it!

I say all this because, Saturday I had to actually tell a well respected man to, be a man and go to the symphony with his wife. After much prodding from me and convincing him that it would be a good time and we could double date, he reluctantly agreed. Well, let me tell you this... he LOVED the experience and even spoke of wanting to do it again. Some men would say he needs to have his "Man Card" revoked. I say... PUNCH ANOTHER HOLE IN THE STINKING THING!!! IN FACT PUNCH TWO!!!!

It takes a real man to sacrifice and do things with his wife. It takes a real man to say I Love You to his wife everyday (multiple times a day). It takes a real man to say I Love You to his children every day (again multiple times a day). It takes a real man to say I Love You to his brothers in Christ. I could go on and on. I am so fortunate to be in the company of so many Godly men. They all exemplify to me what a real man is. In my opinion a real man is one who is well rounded. A man who is able to be a strong unmovable mountain with the guys, yet as calm as a clear stream of steadily flowing water with his wife and kids. A man who can listen to the call of the Lord and serve his wife's and children's needs, at the same time providing them with leadership, direction and protection.

"Husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her,"
Ephesians 5:25 (ESV)

So the next time you have a Brother tell you he went to the theater, ballet, symphony, antiquing, or if he did something that made his wife happy, instead of telling him to turn in his man card, give him the "Man's Service Star" to pin on his chest, and punch a hole in the "REAL MAN CARD".

Out on the Porch Playing Washers....

Growing up in Texas was the greatest adventure. I will be the first to admit, I am extremely biased to what I refer to as the "Homeland". Welling with Pride for the Lone-Star State is an understatement for me. To say I love Texas... well that too is an understatement.

After I graduated from HSU in 98 (10 years ago...really?!?), I moved to Missouri to pursue my career as an athletic trainer. During the four years I lived in Missouri I was amazed at how the people of Missouri didn't swell with Missourian pride. The "Show-Me-State" was just that... skeptical to everything. Literally everyone would say..."show-me". They are a, "see it to believe it" kind of people. Nevertheless I really enjoyed living in Missouri and relish the opportunity to visit as often as I can.

So back to TEXAS! I am a sucker for Texas Country Music. I love the sounds of Robert Earl Keen, Jerry Jeff Walker, Pat Green, Corey Morrow, Kevin Fowler, Roger Creager, Casey Donahew Band, Randy Rogers Band (his little brother plays FB for us), Gary P. Nunn, Lyle Lovett, Aaron Watson (Amarillo/Abilene Boy!), and a whole host of others. The Ipod is always playing at the Gililland house. One of my favorite songs by Pat green is "I Like Texas". In the live version of the song, there is an additional verse and story about him and his roommates out on the front porch playing washers. Every time I here the word "washers", I think of Pat Green saying..."We were out on the porch playing washers." He talks about stop and go burritos from Allsups (growing up in White Deer that was a breakfast, lunch, dinner specialty for all the high school kids).

And I finally get to my point. I LOVE GRILLING OUT, LISTENING TO TEXAS COUNTRY MUSIC AND PLAYING WASHERS!!!! So last night... my beautiful wife and I made Bison Burgers (we're trying to keep it healthy), listened to Texas Country Music and played washers. We had so much fun, just the two of us. It was relaxing, we talked, laughed and competed! Great memories! I love spending time with my wife. I hope this becomes a weekly occurrence throughout the summer; grilling, music, washers, and precious time with my wife!