20 questions...

This brought back memories or e-mail forwards or myspace surveys, but I stole it from Bethany Joy Galeotti and she makes everything more sophisticated so I feel better about it!

1 Were you named after anyone? nope... absolutely an original

2 Do you like your own handwriting? sometimes

3 What would your superpower be if you could choose one? healer

4 Are you an optimist or pessimist? I want you to think I'm an optimist.. fake it til you make it right?!

5 What do you collect? sports memorabilia... specifically Tennessee or USWNT

6 What movie would your friends be surprised that you like? I think I'm pretty predictable but maybe seven pounds?

7 What are your favorite smells? fresh cut grass and my mom cooking sausage

8 Coffee or Tea? neither

9 Wine or Beer?depends on the occasion

10 What is the best thing you've ever eaten? (Where?) xangos at scrub oaks

11 Mac or PC? I would love to say PC but the iphone is starting to turn me towards mac

12 What are you listening to right now?adele, lifehouse and sidewalk prophets... how's that for a mix

13 What career would you pursue in another life? pro soccer player

14 What sound or noise do you love? music, rain

15 What sound or noise do you hate? repetitive anything... clicking pen, shaking, squeaking

16 Mountains or Beach? beach fo sho

17 Cook or Bake? bake

18 Do you go to restaurants and movies by yourself? nope but I could if I had to

19 What is your favorite fairy tale or childhood story? polar express

20 What would you tell the 13 year old you? relax

growing up...

I've decided one of the most important lessons you learn growing up is how to deal with conflict, specifically conflict in relationships. It seems our instinct is to walk (or sometimes run) away. Someone is annoying us or has made us mad or is just not holding our attention anymore and so we would prefer to just get out of the situation. Sometimes we get ourselves in too deep and can't figure out how to get out so we just tiptoe away hoping no one will notice.

I would like to think that as we grow up we might learn how to better handle situations. I think in most situations people deserve honesty, and by that I don't mean hurtful honesty - check your intentions. If your roommate is driving you crazy, talk to them. If your coach sucks, talk to them. If your boyfriend or girlfriend is boring you, talk to them. If we're all grown ups, we should be able to handle a conversation. I tend to encourage people to ask questions rather than pull out your list of 100 reasons why you suck. I'm not so naive to think talking always fixes things, but I feel like it gives the other person an opportunity to change or at the very least understand where you're coming from before you run away.

Let's be grown ups.

pat summitt...

I have been a Tennessee fan for as long as I can remember. I credit so many people in my life for fostering a love for women's sports including Tennessee women's basketball. I obviously grew up post-Title IX and I feel fortunate to have been empowered by so many female athletes in my 29 years. I vividly remember Tennessee's "Cinderella Season" in 1996-97 and I quickly loved everything about head coach Pat Summitt. During college I did an internship with the Washington Freedom of the now defunct Women's United Soccer Association (WUSA) and one of my supervisors had attended Tennessee. After graduation I took a job with the WUSA, but when it fell apart I started looking at graduate schools more seriously.

I spend a lot of time educating college students on grad school partially because I had no idea what I was doing and didn't feel like I had a lot of direction. I didn't have a clue about graduate assistantships or how to go about getting one but I knew I liked Tennessee and I knew someone who went there and she turned out okay. I also knew as a student I would have free tickets to all of the women's basketball games. The friends I made at Tennessee were through our shared love for sports. One of my classmates was the manager for the women's soccer team and she shared her women's basketball tickets with me. I took a sport psychology class and convinced my partner to do our project on Pat Summitt. I went to tons of practices and just tried to soak up everything Pat Summitt said and did. I knew if I was only going to have a chance to live in Knoxville for a year, I had to make the most of it.

I still love Tennessee women's basketball and I'm still inspired by Pat Summitt. In 37 seasons at the helm she has built the Lady Vols from the ground up. That's not to take away from her assistants or the hundreds of players who have come through the program but it is hard to deny the influence Pat Summitt has had on Tennessee basketball, women's basketball and women's sports.

Summitt announced this week she has been diagnosed with early-onset dementia. I cried. Some people will think that's crazy... to cry over someone who really has no idea who I am. But when you have grown up watching someone make a difference... and when you have seen the effects of dementia... it's heartbreaking. My grandmother struggled with dementia for at least the last five years of her life. My family chose to laugh about it to keep from crying. Dementia is such a cruel disease... it tries to steal everything that is good about a person... everything that makes a person who they are.

I take comfort in knowing Summitt has been and always will be a fighter. I refuse to let dementia steal the monumental difference she has made for the people in her life and the people she has never met. I am grateful for the attention she will bring to the disease in hopes someone will find a cure. And I will be routing for the Tennessee Lady Vols more than ever.

Summitt's friend Sally Jenkin's piece for the Washington Post

ESPN.com coverage