MJZiggy
05-02-2006, 10:55 PM
Being a new father and returning to the Motherland
05/01/06
Today was a golfing day. I played with Aaron Rogers and my brother who plays for the Chargers. I got beat, I won’t lie. But, I had at least seven good shots. They always say it should be quality not quantity you judge by right? Well, it wasn’t reflected in my score! It was a lot of fun though.
It was a nice little escape with the boys. My wife and I had a third son in January. So, I have been busy – the kids keep me so busy. It is like going from man to man coverage with two babies to zone coverage on three. Rashid, Ali, and Jedi are bundles of energy but obviously bundles of joy too.
In January, I went to Nigeria where my parents are from. We went to Nigeria and got to see all of our uncles and aunties and cousins. I even saw my Grandmother for the first time with my brother. It was an intense moment for all of us; my dad hadn’t seen her in 37 years since he departed. He has Parkinson’s disease so it was a challenge for him. He had some anxiety because his homeland had changed so much in just short of 4 decades. I have been aiming to get out there for a while, but it finally happened. It gives you a lot of perspective to see and understand how these people live. It reminds you how blessed you are.
I have been working out with a new strength coach. He is making me bigger and faster, and I am working harder than ever. I will be prepared mentally and physically when preseason rolls around. Leadership is important to your success. We have a new coaching staff truly committed to winning. They have us doing a lot of new things, switching it up. The off-season work out has been awesome. There were more people working out in Green Bay more than any other time. The Packers bunch has a lot of chemistry. We have formed a lot of friendships. We have Brett Favre back again and some great looking new guys for the offense, so we are gearing up for a great season.
Last season, my numbers weren’t where I wanted to be, even though I posted my career high in tackles. I had no double digit stats. It was a tough season, and we never had the other team on the ropes, but gave it everything I got. I can say that I am proud of myself because I think that when I fell down I got right back up. Coach Sherman said to the team that we have to win the race mentality before coming in first literally. You can prepare the horse for battle, but victory begins with the Lord- any outcome I trust in God’s hands. I will just leave my very best on the field every chance I’ve got.
The most exciting news I have is that I’ve started a small bible study group on the team. It includes Aaron Rogers, Sam Gottle, me and my wife, and Maverick and Judy of the Crown ministry. The emphasis is teaching us how to learn about the biblical principles about finance – there are (you can count them!) 2,350 verses about it. The goal is to teach you how to manage your money ethically and from an enlightened perspective. “YourÃ¢à ‚¬Â money is not yours because everything belongs to God. The idea is that we are not owners- we are managers. We are truly just money holders or stewards of wealth. So how we allocate our fortune is very important.
We work a lot with budgeting, having a spending plan – a lot of people in debt. It is hard to serve God wholeheartedly when you are in debt to man. In so many cases, everything is borrowed; the group strives to get people out of financial debt: www.crown.org. I plan on being a part of the ministry when I’m done with football. Although they usually work with people in debt, they work with my group on how to manage your finances effectively and how to resist reactive spending or guilt giving. When you dole out money, it should be with due diligence that we find out where it is going. You feel guilty because you have been given so much, you tend to want to just give it away. We have a two hour commitment to homework each week for which we memorize a verse and a practical application. It helps ingrain the philosophies and demonstrate faith. I still remember many of the verses verbatim.
Aside from this, I have been training my dogs. Nala, who is named after the cub in one of my favorite Disney flicks, the Lion King, is going on eight. She runs routes and plays football. We play with the Frisbee, but she is versatile as a player. I’ve had her as running back, wide receiver, a whole bunch of positions.
We just adopted a mutt (Pitbull/Stafford terrier mix) originally named Champ. He was Sidney Donald Driver’s dog, and after a few transfers, she wound up with us. She is a Lapsa Apsa, and a quick learner. Or maybe it’s that I’m a good teacher! I consider myself something of a “dog whisperer,†I’m the pack leader. I could see myself pose-football training dogs or rehabilitating them. Check me out in a few years in Best in Show. But really, for now I am just focused and rearing to play ball.
So they have a son and name him Jedi?
05/01/06
Today was a golfing day. I played with Aaron Rogers and my brother who plays for the Chargers. I got beat, I won’t lie. But, I had at least seven good shots. They always say it should be quality not quantity you judge by right? Well, it wasn’t reflected in my score! It was a lot of fun though.
It was a nice little escape with the boys. My wife and I had a third son in January. So, I have been busy – the kids keep me so busy. It is like going from man to man coverage with two babies to zone coverage on three. Rashid, Ali, and Jedi are bundles of energy but obviously bundles of joy too.
In January, I went to Nigeria where my parents are from. We went to Nigeria and got to see all of our uncles and aunties and cousins. I even saw my Grandmother for the first time with my brother. It was an intense moment for all of us; my dad hadn’t seen her in 37 years since he departed. He has Parkinson’s disease so it was a challenge for him. He had some anxiety because his homeland had changed so much in just short of 4 decades. I have been aiming to get out there for a while, but it finally happened. It gives you a lot of perspective to see and understand how these people live. It reminds you how blessed you are.
I have been working out with a new strength coach. He is making me bigger and faster, and I am working harder than ever. I will be prepared mentally and physically when preseason rolls around. Leadership is important to your success. We have a new coaching staff truly committed to winning. They have us doing a lot of new things, switching it up. The off-season work out has been awesome. There were more people working out in Green Bay more than any other time. The Packers bunch has a lot of chemistry. We have formed a lot of friendships. We have Brett Favre back again and some great looking new guys for the offense, so we are gearing up for a great season.
Last season, my numbers weren’t where I wanted to be, even though I posted my career high in tackles. I had no double digit stats. It was a tough season, and we never had the other team on the ropes, but gave it everything I got. I can say that I am proud of myself because I think that when I fell down I got right back up. Coach Sherman said to the team that we have to win the race mentality before coming in first literally. You can prepare the horse for battle, but victory begins with the Lord- any outcome I trust in God’s hands. I will just leave my very best on the field every chance I’ve got.
The most exciting news I have is that I’ve started a small bible study group on the team. It includes Aaron Rogers, Sam Gottle, me and my wife, and Maverick and Judy of the Crown ministry. The emphasis is teaching us how to learn about the biblical principles about finance – there are (you can count them!) 2,350 verses about it. The goal is to teach you how to manage your money ethically and from an enlightened perspective. “YourÃ¢à ‚¬Â money is not yours because everything belongs to God. The idea is that we are not owners- we are managers. We are truly just money holders or stewards of wealth. So how we allocate our fortune is very important.
We work a lot with budgeting, having a spending plan – a lot of people in debt. It is hard to serve God wholeheartedly when you are in debt to man. In so many cases, everything is borrowed; the group strives to get people out of financial debt: www.crown.org. I plan on being a part of the ministry when I’m done with football. Although they usually work with people in debt, they work with my group on how to manage your finances effectively and how to resist reactive spending or guilt giving. When you dole out money, it should be with due diligence that we find out where it is going. You feel guilty because you have been given so much, you tend to want to just give it away. We have a two hour commitment to homework each week for which we memorize a verse and a practical application. It helps ingrain the philosophies and demonstrate faith. I still remember many of the verses verbatim.
Aside from this, I have been training my dogs. Nala, who is named after the cub in one of my favorite Disney flicks, the Lion King, is going on eight. She runs routes and plays football. We play with the Frisbee, but she is versatile as a player. I’ve had her as running back, wide receiver, a whole bunch of positions.
We just adopted a mutt (Pitbull/Stafford terrier mix) originally named Champ. He was Sidney Donald Driver’s dog, and after a few transfers, she wound up with us. She is a Lapsa Apsa, and a quick learner. Or maybe it’s that I’m a good teacher! I consider myself something of a “dog whisperer,†I’m the pack leader. I could see myself pose-football training dogs or rehabilitating them. Check me out in a few years in Best in Show. But really, for now I am just focused and rearing to play ball.
So they have a son and name him Jedi?