Lessons For My Daughter

When you start college...

It's August, which only means one thing (okay, two if you count the beginning of the college football season). School is right around the corner and many young girls are packing their bags to begin the wild ride that is college. One day, you'll be packed and nervously excited, awaiting the beginning of amazing expedition. Thinking back to my four years are Florida State University, it's hard to say what I loved most and hold as my deepest regret. But last night, when my roommate asked me for some advice she can share with her cousin, it got me thinking about some of the best takeaways unearthed outside the classroom.

1. Low maintenance friends of high quality are the best friends. The amount of push and pull that happens within the span of four years can be daunting. The pressures of deciding a career path, pursuing goals and embracing the mistakes that turns into lessons are best managed with a group of friends that just get you — no make-up, no fuss, no inhibitions. Find them. Trust in them. Grow with them. Finding the right people who will frame your memories without cluttering the picture is a true treasure and a gem to be kept forever.

2. Study abroad. Study abroad for a semester, for the summer or for the whole year. Live, grow and learn in a new country with different smells, different languages and different people. There is a lot of stretching, leaning and yearning in college and in your early twenties. Do it in a different country and collect stories of places far from home. I'll miss you, but I know the growing you'll do abroad will open and fill your eyes with spark to better see the world and live your passion.

3. Go out on a school night. Alright, this one I advise with some reservation, but I will say, it's okay to go out on a school night. You're young, so do it now while you're body can still rally the next day. When you have an exam the next day, it's probably best to stay in (though it isn't completely off the table). I trust your judgement and trust me, you'll always be surprised by the people you meet and the relationships that form on those random school nights out.

4. Go beyond the college town. Drive two hours west to go camping. You've flown halfway around the world to surround yourself with the unfamiliar and continue to do that in any way possible. It probably won't be the same. It won't have the same kind of sparkle, but it'll open your eyes to something beyond the every day. Tell yourself you're going to do this and then do it.

5. Live for now, but work for tomorrow. Live and study. It's a balance. It's a give and take, a push and pull that will take a little while to fully grasp. But learn how to do everything you want to do and everything you have to do early. There will be sacrifices, but at the end of your four years in college, if properly done, you'll have a great future to look forward to and great friends to share it with as you reminisce on great memories.

Sincerely,

Cybill

Winners & Losers

In life, especially in the game of football, there are always winners and losers, but last night and today, the Florida State University Seminoles are winners!

Did y'all watch that game?! I hope you did, because it was one heck of a game. The lows were definitely present, with Florida State trailing for most of the first half and going into halftime behind. But the high at the end was absolutely amazing and I'm still riding it.

With less than two minutes left in the game, Florida State scored the touchdown to put us on top leaving 13 seconds left. However, I still wasn't able to breath easy and I don't think Gabby could breath at all. Gabby is probably going to hate me for sharing that picture of her, sorry Gabs! But back to the game, I know the score can change and I've seen Auburn do it with one second on the clock. I'll hand it to those Tigers, they never gave up the fight, but as the clock winded down, as cheers rang throughout Tallahassee (and any/every where there was a Seminole), we claimed our victory. It felt good. It felt really good and I'm so happy!

Is it possible to fully describe this kind of happiness? I don't think so, but it's AWESOME! I mean, it was a great game, that's for sure, but it was definitely made better with the win. I would have hated to walk away from that without the victory and I am in no way envious of any Auburn fan. (Sorry I'm not sorry.)

The text messages exchange between friends following the victory made the sweet moment even sweeter. Yes, we weren't together, it was just me and my friend Gabby, but we celebrated, because it didn't matter. It didn't matter, because WE WON! Yeah, you shouldn't count on me forgetting that fact EVER nor should you expect me to not to mention it...at least for a couple of weeks. (Again, sorry I'm not sorry.)

I must also point out that this is could very well be the first big presence of kefi. I know I've mentioned how this year is the year of kefi, the year of triumphs and if this win isn't a sign of the celebrations to come, I don't know what is!

Just in case you missed a second of the game, or like me, you want to bask in the glory of victory,

Happy Tuesday, everyone!

Sincerely,

Cybill 

Feels Like Christmas

If you woke up this morning feeling a sense of excitement that can only be compared to the feeling you get Christmas morning, odds are you're a Florida State Seminole (or an Auburn Tiger), because today's game day!

The long awaited day is finally here and I don't know what to do with myself until kickoff. I enjoyed some ESPN coverage of the game with my morning coffee, but that just got me more excited, and that mixed with the caffeine, has me more wired than necessary. I'll totally take it though, because this is a big day for Seminoles everywhere! Man, I really wish I were in Pasadena...

You can probably concluded that I'm really excited about tonight's game. However, that's not all. I'm just excited! Genuinely excited, but for no particular reason. Part of me thinks it's because I'm channeling Kefi (I'm really all about the kefi), but I don't know if that's just it. Something's different and God, the universe, the push and pulls of the world are definitely working toward something, for something...and for something big. (Okay, I'll stop being all Pocahontas. You probably think I'm officially crazy.)

Anyways, seeing as this blog post doesn't seem at all focused — aside from my excitement for tonight's game —I'll leave you to your Monday/Game day. Hopefully, I'll be back basking in the glory of a victory, as it is a year of victories! GO NOLES!

Oh yes, the happiest of birthday shout outs to Mr. Famous Jameis! Kick ass and take names tonight!

Sincerely,

Cybill 

Playing for Payton

In light of the recent allegations against Florida State quarterback and Heisman Trophy front runner, Jameis Winston, coupled with the mess between Miami Dolphins offensive linemen Richie Incognito and Jonathan Martin, it's easy to find yourself rolling your eyes and sighing.

As we live in an age of overpaid athletes, student-athlete-celebrity hybrids, public pre-Madonna tantrums it comes at no surprise when scandal stands as the leading story. But for anyone who believes in the the spirit of sports, specifically Florida State football, you know there's more to it than National Championships, Heisman Trophies and what's considered ESPN newsworthy. There's the reason guys play the game and so many people cheer for them, there's the inspiration they invoke in others and others invoke in them, and there's the story of Payton Poulin.

I share the video and story in hopes to deviate from the negative and focus on the positive reasons to play. With everything bad that can and do go on in our day-to-day, maybe leading stories should start focusing on sparking smiles instead of sighs.

I hope y'all have a great weekend! Go Noles!

Sincerely,

Cybill 

College Football: A Love Affair

No, thank YOU, Stanford. | November 7, 2013

As someone who is emotionally invested in Florida State Football, I quickly learned the messy love affair that is college football.

Last night, a number of Seminole fans (myself included) huddled around televisions to cheer on the Stanford Cardinals as they played the Oregon Ducks. The Nole Nation was invested in this game, as a Stanford victory was a step closer to a BCS National Championship game between Alabama and Florida State. That investment and that support from Nole Nation was obvious scrolling through my Facebook newsfeed with so many Seminoles going as CardiNoles that evening, but it also lead me to wonder, How many times have I hoped a team would fall short one evening only to cheer for them later in the season?

In retrospect, I can't count the number of games I've watched when I found myself glancing at another screen (or channel) to check on another game. However, I do recall moments during FSU home games when they'd update the crowd with scores from other games going on around the country. In those moments, the crowd would hoot and holler when outcomes were in our favor and of course, whenever the Gators were falling behind.

Now, I'm not going to go into the complexity of college football, the rankings -- AP Poll, Coaches Poll, BCS -- and how a team's record, coupled with their conference determines who and when they play. However, I will say it's the reason for the love affair, it's the reason you cheer for other teams and it's probably the reason it's so much fun.

There's a certain level of friendly rivalry and camaraderie within college football. I will go ahead and admit, while I'll cheer for an ACC team whenever they play out of our conference, I won't cheer for them when they play Florida State, but I believe it's that small link that ties college fans together. No matter where you are in the season and whom you may be playing that evening, it won't always be a lose-hate relationship and it may very well be the only accepted love affair.

I hope y'all have a great weekend and may your football team(s) take home a victory. Go Noles!

Sincerely,

Cybill

{Photo Credit}

The Company You Keep

As the saying goes, "You can pick your friends, but you can't pick your family." I don't discredit whomever may have coined the term and the number of people who quoted it, but to certain extent, you can pick your family. 

It's the first wedding, but definitely not the last party. | September 14, 2013

Now, I'm not talking about your biological family, but I am talking about the friends that become your family. Specifically, the friends you carry with throughout your life, the friends that grow with you and grow up with you.

I found that special group of people in college. In those four to five years we spent "figuring things out" and enjoying some new found freedom, we learned lessons and they weren't always in a classroom. Some of us learned how to mend a broken heart, others learned how to mend wounded knees and some of us learned the art of getting through a north Florida "winter." Then there is the invaluable lesson of the company we kept and the special place they'll have in our heart forever. Together we formed bonds, created memories and laughed with (and at times at) each other, piecing together what forever will be our college years.

For all you twenty-somethings out there, I'm sure you're picking up what I'm putting down. You're probably thinking of your group of friends, your go-tos, your ride or die, your family away from home. Maybe you've known this group since you were kids in elementary school or, like me, they are a group of individuals you didn't have the pleasure of meeting until college. However, you can't imagine your future with out them.

FSU Graduation | April 2012

They've impacted you. You've learned with them and from them. You've laughed, you've cried and hopefully, you've cried because your were laughing so much. Along with your family (your real family), they're people you picture surrounding you during the big moments in your future: marriage, kids, job promotions, cross-country moves...

Finding this group and weeding out the ones that don't stick can cause some heart ache and some drama. At times you may wonder if everyone is stuck in the high school, teenage, drama-driven mentality.  It's work and it's hard work, but it's great work. It's holding someone's hand through a crowded bar so you don't loose each other. It's picking up your roommate from the gym so she doesn't have to walk home dazed, because she didn't eat before she worked out. It's the "text me when you get there so I know you're safe" yell down the hall. It's the effort, it's the laughs and it's the love...and it's what makes them your family.

Kallie Lamb's 21st Birthday | September 2011

You're going to but heads, you're going to disagree, you're going to call each other out on chewing too loud they can't hear the television (true story by the way), but you're going to know there's no malice behind it. You're going to know is from a sacred place in their heart, a place that you and you alone can fill.  
Just as you have carved out your own nook they'll carve out their own cranny. They'll build bookshelves and line those shelves with snapshots of some of your greatest memories. Those snapshots will bookend rows of novels filled with great adventures and a dynamic ensemble. 
You want to know the best part? You'll be part of those stories. 
Then, months or years down whichever road you've all traveled, you'll find yourself sitting quietly and reaching for something nestled on a bookshelf. The memories will fill you and a smile will find its way below your nose and above your chin. You'll remember where you were and the moments that made you laugh, but most importantly, you'll remember with whom you shared those moments and who was laughing next to you. You'll pause and be grateful that it's the company you'll have moving forward, because it's the best kind of company to keep. 
Sincerely,   Cybill