Volume 124 Issue 83
Thursday, January 26, 2012
kansan.com
COMPLEMENTARY
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"The last thing I envisioned while growing up was being a bridesmaid at my mother's wedding. Again. And Again. And again."
I stood to the right side of my mother, shivering from the cold. My black and pink tanktop dress hit my knees and my high heels would have shown brave toes had they not been buried in the snow. My mom was getting married in Lake Tahoe, Nevada, and we were standing outside, rubbing bare shoulders with the cold.
To say that I was annoyed standing shin-deep in snow is a gross understatement. The fact that this was just another one of my mother's marriages could have added to the frustration because, let's be honest, the last thing I envisioned while growing up was being a bridesmaid at my mother's wedding. Again. And Again. And again.
At any of these weddings I would have probably been scolded for having a glass of wine but chugging an entire bottle was exactly what I wanted to do when I saw my mom's sealing kiss with my different stepdads.
The reasons for the multiple marriages are extensive, but allow me to state the obvious: my mom is beautiful. She doesn't wear makeup, and at a year shy from 50, she doesn't look a day past 35. She's charming. She picks things up quick. For instance, after my father (a complete jock and her first husband) and she got divorced, she quickly became engaged to a Texan where she complemented that relationship with Southern food and a dusty old pair of cowboy boots that she had since high school.
They never officially got married, and after they broke off the engagement, she packed up our childhood home and headed for California. My oldest brother and sister moved with her, but my other sister and I stayed in Sterling with my father because we thought California was full of dirty hippies.
Not long after her stint in California (about nine years) was she divorced and moving back to Kansas. She settled in Hutchinson, but it didn't take long before she was engaged, yet again, to my current stepdad who owned a farm in the middle-of-nowhere America. Do I even need to tell you that she learned how to break a horse within a few months? Or how the chickens eat out of her hands and the garden will produce sweet potatoes just by her looking at it?
There she met an Italian man who loved fine dining, so she became an expert on wine and Italian dishes in about 24 hours. Seriously. She's brilliant with
At first I didn't exactly understand why my mom had so many relationships. I was a child, and the sanctity of marriage came far down the list of my priorities. But when I got into college and the phone calls regarding her new relationships became the hot topic, I began to take a long look at how these marriages had affected me. So I began the unwinding of my mother at the place that made the most sense; in Chili's over chips, guacamole and beers with my father, her first and longest husband.
My dad and my mom stayed married for 18 years after dating all four years of high school. My dad was quarterback of the football team and my mom was the prettiest girl in school. You know, that
bull crap. My dad's cool. I mean that. My dad can probably beat you at beer pong and throw a football farther than you and figure out what's wrong with your car, later fixing it with his eyes closed. He had his legs stretched out in the booth so his frame was forming an L-shape in the restaurant when I asked him what the hell was up with my mom. His response went a little something like this, "Well, Bre-anna, I have no idea."
First off, I do not think my mother is a bad person. I don't think my mother is a crazy person. In fact, all I know is that I am thankful for watching her go through these marriages and engagements so that I can learn through them. I used to wear my mom's red high heels when I was little. I used to play in her fingernail polish and look at her romance novels' covers in utter confusion/amazement. Like every girl, I wanted to be just like her, but I know that I will not copycat her when it comes to (continually) tying the knot.
Brilliant. Not only did she have us all mixed up, but the one man she'd been with for a majority of her life was just as clueless as their kids. Even though my dad's advice was just as cheap as the beer he drinks, I finally started to come to some conclusions myself.
The way these relationships affected me as a child was anything but healthy. Since my stepfathers' families were quickly moving in and out of my life, I became desensitized to permanent goodbyes. I got really good at ridding myself of past step-siblings or stepdads. It took me until college to really feel the impact of missing the people that I had once shared a home with. With time I have learned the correct way to address a close relationship that requires a permanent goodbye.
When I settle down, I want it to be for good. I don't want a trial-run. In my eyes, that's what dating is for, and throughout that dating time, you pick out what you know you are and aren't looking for until you find someone that will be compatible with you in many aspects. If it takes me until I'm 49 to find someone that I get along with darn near perfectly, then so be it. But I can assure you that I will not be on my fourth husband by the time half my life is over. Who knows, I may just be a bachelorette for the rest of my life and adopt.
A problem area on defense for the Jayhawks is defending the perimeter, particularly the three-point line. Led by Chris Babb, Chris Allen, Scott Christopherson and Tyrus McGee, Iowa State leads the Big 12 in three-point field goals. White is also capable of knocking down three-pointers. This season, the Jayhawks have struggled with blocking three-point shots. Big 12 opponents have shot 122 three-point shots against the Jayhawks, which is the most in the conference.
The Cyclones are hungry to prove they belong amongst the Big 12's elite as well as in the NCAA Tournament field, so the Jayhawks should be prepared for the challenge.
For a team that has very thin depth and must count on their starters both offensively and defensively, the Jayhawks have little room for error.
Edited by Amanda Gage
ETHAN PADWAY
epadway@kansan.com
twitter.com/UDK B12Fball
Senior quarterback Dayne Crist's career at Notre Dame was underwhelming considering he
was a second ranked high school quarterback on rivals. com.
By transferring to Kansas,
Crist gets a chance to start over and wib
Crist
over and will
be reunited with the coach who recruited him to Notre Dame, Charlie Weis.
"To walk in the door and have a guy who carries himself the way Dayne does is good for everyone on the team." Weis said. "Plus, he's a resource for these guys to know who I am."
Crist was a five-star recruit,
according to rivals.com, and committed to Notre Dame and Weis his junior year of high school. Weis would only be around two years with Crist before he was fired in 2009.
After redshirting a year and serving as Jimmy Clausen's backup in 2009, Crist became the starter for the Fighting Irish in 2010. He started nine games and threw for 2033 yards, 15 touchdowns and seven interceptions before a ruptured left patella tendon ended his season.
"I feel so much more comfortable doing the things Coach Weis asks me to do," Crist said. "That's why I committed to him the first time at Notre Dame."
In 2011, Crist won the starting job but was benched after completing seven of 15 pass attempts in the first half of the season opener.
"I don't think you can look at anything that has happened with
It is the same NCAA rule that allowed quarterback Russell Wilson to play immediately for Wisconsin last season, where he led them a berth in the Rose Bowl.
Dayne Crist in the past two years," Weis said. "As far as I am concerning, it's null and void. I knew what I had two years ago when I left there, and I'm fired up to have him now."
At Kansas, Crist is able to play immediately because he still had one year of eligibility when he graduated from Notre Dame.
Crist's narrowed his decision to Wisconsin and Kansas before choosing Kansas. Weis's relationship with Crist was a factor in his decision.
"When I started thinking about leaving and taking my fifth year elsewhere, he was the first person I called," Crist said. "He was always supportive first and never gave biased answers."
motivated guy," sophomore quarterback jake Heaps said. "He's a great worker and a great teammate, so he's going to be huge for this program in moving it forward."
"Kansas fans should be really excited because Dayne Crist is a
Edited by Tanvi Nimkar
He really had my best interest in mind at all times."
Crist will only be able to play at Kansas for one season, but he hopes his effect can last longer than that. The football program will try to recover from a stretch where it has lost 26 of its last 29 games, including its last 12 conference games.
CRIST STATS
Hometown: Canoga Park, Calif.
High School: Notre Dame H.S. (Sherman Oaks, Calif.)
Height: 6'4"
Weight: 235 lbs
YEAR COMP. ATT. PCT YARDS TD INT
2009 10 20 50.0 130 1 1
2010 174 294 59.2 2033 15 7
2011 15 24 62.5 164 0 1
CAREER 199 330 60.3 2327 16 9