What does "Rock Chalk" Even Mean?

Rooooock Chaaaaalk Jaaaaayhaaaawk, K.....U.....

Rooooock Chaaaaalk Jaaaaayhaaaawk, K.....U.....

Rock Chalk Jayhawk, KU

Rock Chalk Jayhawk,KU

Rock Chalk Jayhawk KU!

Everyone's heard it...the eerie {incredible!} Rock Chalk Chant that Jayhawk fans initiate in the final two minutes of a game when it's clear that KU will win. It'll give you goosebumps every time!

If you cannot see the audio controls, your browser does not support the audio element.  {Especially likely on mobile devices}

It's one of the most well-known chants in college sports, but lots of people wonder what it even means. I decided that today, the opening day of the 2016 NCAA tournament for my beloved Jayhawks, was as good a day as any to give a little background on the famous Rock Chalk Chant.

There really isn't a formal meaning/definition for "Rock Chalk, Jayhawk!" beyond it being the battle cry for the University of Kansas. However, there is a story/rationale behind the phrase. The original cheer was "Rah Rah Jayhawk, KU." It's important to understand that the KU campus is built on a limestone ridge {Mount Oread}, and limestone is commonly referred to as "chalk rock." Given that the university is literally built on "chalk rock" {and both words rhyme with Jayhawk}, these words were transposed to replace the "rahs" in the original version, resulting in the current Rock Chalk Chant!

It's more than just a chant though...it's a universal way to connect with other Jayhawks. Living in Texas, I get super excited when I see anyone with any type of KU emblem and always give them a "Rock Chalk!" as I pass by. My friends and coworkers used to always ask "Do you know him/her?" but they soon came to realize that the exchange of the "Rock Chalk" expression is just a signal of camaraderie among Jayhawk fans worldwide.

Here's to hoping we'll hear the sweet sound of the Rock Chalk Chant all the way through April. #RockChalkInHouston #Final4

Rock Chalk, friends...ROCK CHALK!

TGIF

A few random thoughts for this fabulous Friday...

One: Kansas Day

It's been a minute or two since I've lived in Kansas, but Kansas will always be "home." Today just happens to be the birthday of my home state...so Happy 155th Birthday, Kansas! 

Two: KU versus Kentucky

Speaking of Kansas, my beloved Jayhawks take on the Kentucky Wildcats tomorrow at Allen Fieldhouse in Lawrence. Given that it's a battle between the top-two most-winning teams in all of college basketball, it's sure to be game worth watching...but I'm certain my Jayhawks are going to come out on top!  #RockChalk

Three:  This Lil' Man...

What? Did you really think I was going to have an entire blog post without including this tiny human that brings a smile to my face even in my crankiest moments? Hope he brings a smile to your face too...

We've started eating some solid foods, and he LOVES LOVES LOVES everything we've given him {sweet potatoes, carrots, avocado}.  Plus, with him wearing his Jayhawk bib, this photo just fit perfectly into this Kansas-themed post!  :)

Have a great weekend, friends!

Get the {NCAA Basketball} Party Started

Today marks the beginning of the best time of the year: March Madness! Have you filled out your bracket yet? Everyone on the planet is betting on Kentucky to win it all this year.  While I think it might take a miracle for them to get beat, I do believe in miracles! Even more than that, I believe in my Jayhawks! Soooo...here's to cheering on the Kansas Jayhawks all the way to Indianapolis on April 6! ROCK CHALK!

Longest active streak...

Good things start in Omaha...

Speaking of miracles {and since it's Throwback Thursday}, let's just remember "Mario's Miracle" back in 2008...

Let's Go Jayhawks!

For the Love of Friday

Happy Friday, Friends! 

One: NCAA Basketball Preseason Rankings

My beloved Kansas Jayhawks are ranked No. 5 in the USA Today preseason men's basketball coach's poll. The Jayhawks have three home games before traveling to Indianapolis to face the No. 1 Kentucky Wildcats in the Champions Classic on November 18. Rock Chalk! 

via

Two: Rock 'n' Roll Denver Marathon

I'm sending well wishes and positive vibes to Kelli, my sister-in-law, as she runs her first full marathon tomorrow in Denver. She's worked so hard and been so dedicated in her training. I have no doubt that she is well-prepared to conquer 26.2 miles...but I know she's a little nervous {if nothing else, just from the thought of losing all of her toenails!}. I'm so proud of her...and very excited for her to accomplish this HUGE goal!

Good Luck, Kelli!

This precious little guy {and his daddy} will be cheering for his momma along the way...

Nais, 10 months
Photo by Jolies Images

Three: Napa Valley Recommendations???

I mentioned earlier this week that we're going to Napa in a few weeks to celebrate our first anniversary. SO.EXCITED...but a little overwhelmed by the seemingly infinite number of wineries and restaurants to choose from. Do you have a favorite? Any and all recommendations are welcome! Please and thank you! 

Four: Kansas City Royals

I can't say I'm much of a baseball fan...but I'll hop on the wagon to cheer for the Kansas City Royals. It's pretty exciting that they're headed to the World Series for the first time since 1985! I even found this little gem in my closet...

#BeRoyal

Five: Blog Love

• Healing Heels

, by Aimee @ Aimlessly Elegant. Aimee shares the story  of two friends who are raising funds to create a line of "kick-ass shoes for women battling cancer."

Say something. Please for the sake of all that is holy, say something, by Amber @ Mr. Thomas and Me. Amber is an incredible writer...I'm a big of all of her posts. This particular post totally changed my perspective on the song "Say Something" {A Great Big World/Christina Aguilera}.

Have a great weekend!

Today I'm participating in lots of Fabulous Friday link-ups: 

"Oh, Hey Friday!" {hosted by The Farmer's Wife and September FARM} 
"5 on Friday" {hosted by A.Liz Adventures, North Carolina Charm, The Good Life, and Hello! Happiness}

"Friday Favorites" {hosted by All the Joys}

"Friday Favorites" {hosted by Meet at the Barre}

"Friday Favorites" {hosted by Momfessionals} 

Thanks so much to all of these ladies for hosting fun Friday link-ups!

Dirt

Song lyrics tend to be my preferred method for relating to the world. I've said it before and I'll say it again, I truly believe there's a song lyric that describes any and every situation you could ever find yourself in. I heard Florida Georgia Line's new song, Dirt, the other day on my way to work, and all I could think of was "home"....good 'ole Medicine Lodge, Kansas, red dirt and all.

"It's that elm shade, red rust clay you grew up on That plowed up ground that your dad damned his luck on That post-game party field you circled up on And when it rains you get stuck on"
As with all the previous Florida Georgia Line songs, I'm sure this one will be played 24/7 on the radio until I get tired of it, but for now I'm love love loving it!

Jayhawk Basketball: {More Than} A Decade of Dominance

Last night, with a win over the Oklahoma Sooners, my beloved Kansas Jayhawks clinched {at least} a share of the Big 12 regular season men's basketball conference title for the TENTH.YEAR.IN.A.ROW! 

Take a moment to wrap your head around that: a true decade of dominance!

In my unbiased opinion, "Decade of Dominance" might be the understatement of the century. Kansas has been amongst the top-tier dominating programs in college basketball since...well, pretty much FOR-EV-ER. These statistics¹ {as of February 25, 2014} are proof:

• All-time win-loss record is 2,123-818 (W-L%: 0.722)
• Kansas is 2^nd (behind Kentucky) for # of all-time wins.
• 57 Conference Titles
• Kansas leads all Division I schools for # of regular season conference titles.
• 42 Tournament Appearances
• Kansas is 4^th (behind Kentucky, UCLA and North Carolina) for # of NCAA tournament appearances.
• 14 Final Fours
• Kansas is 5^th (behind UCLA, North Carolina, Kentucky and Duke) for # of Final Four appearances.
• 3 National Championships {excludes Helms National Championships won in 1921-22 & 1922-23 seasons}
• Kansas is 6^th (behind UCLA, Kentucky, North Carolina, Indiana and Duke) for # of National Championships.

Sidenote: I had all the above data in a neat little table, but I was afraid you might realize think I’m a total number-crunching nerd if I included it. My calculations are legit, I promise...and the data source is noted at the bottom of this post in case you don’t trust me. {I told you transparency is my middle name!}

Anyway, since I’ve clarified that I believe Jayhawk Basketball is actually better/stronger/more than this “Decade of Dominance” phrase indicates, we can now get back to the topic at hand:

Below are a few of the tweets and quotes from news articles that I came across after last night’s win:

• “Three of KU's ten straight Big 12 titles were won without a single returning starter from the prior year. Wow.” Tweet from ESPN's Jay Bilas
• “Only five teams in history have won ten straight league titles. UCLA, UConn, UNLV, and now, Kansas. Amazing accomplishment.” Tweet from ESPN's Jay Bilas
• “Since the Big 12 has existed (1997 season), KU has won (shared or outright) 14 of the 18 possible regular season men’s basketball titles.” Tweet from Kansas-Sports.com
• “The streak is long enough that Mario Chalmers wasn't here for the beginning of it, but now has his jersey hanging from the rafters.” The Kansas City Star
• “Bill Self has more conference titles than losses in Allen Fieldhouse.” The Kansas City Star

Let’s talk about Bill Self for a moment. You can’t have a conversation with my brother about Coach Self without the phrase “Class Act” being said. He represents the University of Kansas well, there’s no question about that. And it just so happens that he’s accomplished quite a lot during his tenure in Lawrence:

• John Wooden was only in Westwood for the first nine of the Bruin championships, which means Bill Self is the first coach from a major conference to win its regular season title for an entire decade.
• Big 12 Coach of the Year {four times}
• Sporting News National Coach of the Year {two times @ KU, once before}
• Naismith National Coach of the Year
• Adolph Rupp National Coach of the Year
• AP National Coach of the Year
• ESPN.com National Coach of the Year
• 17 players from Self’s recruiting classes have played in the NBA {15 drafted + Russell Robinson and Sherron Collins}

And he’s just a good guy {a real 'Class Act'}:

The main point of this post was to congratulate the Kansas Jayhawk men’s basketball team for TEN.CONSECUTIVE.YEARS of regular season conference titles. {Sorry for straying off on my statistical tangent!} It sure does make it easy to be a Jayhawk fan! ROCK CHALK!

¹ Data source: Sports-Reference.com

Nais' Dedication

The weekend before last {yes, I know I'm inexcusably behind in my blog posts}, I traveled to Kansas for the weekend.  My precious nephew, Nais, was dedicated at church that Sunday, and I'm so grateful I could be there to share in that special event in his life.  I could type a novel detailing all that took place while I was there, but let's be honest, pics of the lil man are way more fun...

It's a lot of work to be the center of attention!

Getting to be a lil fat toad!  Love him so much!

Aunt Lee Lee and the Mini Jayhawk

Lookin' sooooooo much like Daddy!

Not real sure what to think of the bumbo! Such a big guy!

Love watching Landon with his son...such a good daddy!

Family Pic for Nais' Dedication Sunday

Only the cutest lil snowflake EVER!

The Lukens side of the family at church for Nais' dedication
Leslie, Landon, Nais, Kelli, Ted, Vickie & Tracy

Kansas Day

I've lived in Texas for almost nine years now, and I was ecstatic when Ryan moved to Dallas in March of last year. We both truly love living in Texas. BUT...Kansas will always be "home."

There's one thing I learned in primary school that I'll never forget: January 29 = Kansas Day. {Kansas became the 34th state to enter the Union on January 29, 1861.} So...Happy Birthday to my fabulous home state...153 years strong!

Not a month goes by that I don't hear some line from The Wizard of Oz.  I truly believe Texans really think they are creative/unique/funny when they say, "You're not in Kansas anymore, Dorothy!" or ask me, "Where's Toto?" It used to make me C.R.A.Z.Y. when I'd get these comments day-in and day-out, but I've gotten used to it over time and have learned to just laugh along with the conversation.  However, there is one line from The Wizard of Oz  that does indeed ring true for me:

"There's no place like home!"

So, on this day when kids across Kansas are learning about sunflowers {state flower}, meadowlarks {state bird}, buffalo {state animal}, box turtles {state reptile}, salamanders {state amphibian}, honeybees {state insect} and cottonwoods {state tree} while singing "Home on the Range" {state song}, I am reminded just how lucky I am to have grown up in Medicine Lodge, Kansas.

My beloved Jayhawks are hosting Iowa State tonight in Allen Fieldhouse...and I think a Jayhawk win would be a fabulous way to celebrate Kansas Day!  

ROCK CHALK!

Rock Chalk: Kansas Beats Baylor

A tinge of anxiety hits me every time my beloved Jayhawks play the Baylor Bears.  Not because I think Baylor is going to beat KU...definitely not the case...but because my mind flashes back to four years ago when I lost a bet associated with this game.  {Don't worry, my Jayhawks won the game...they just didn't quite cover the spread.}

A couple of guys I worked with at Moody's are Baylor alum, and they were always harassing me about my Jayhawk fanaticism (ROCK CHALK!).  They wanted to bet on the KU/Baylor game, but they didn't believe in their team quite like I believe in mine...so a win/lose bet was out of the question. Thus, I {somewhat hesitantly} bet that Kansas would not only win, but also cover the spread.  I'm not so great with bets when spreads are involved because, to me, a win is a win, right?!!? Wrong.  I think the spread for that particular game was 7. KU won by 6.  My Jayhawks won, but I still lost.

The deal: if I lost the bet I had to wear the exact same outfit to work two days in a row. This was a BIG DEAL for a girl who tries to not wear the same outfit twice in one season. I've definitely gotta give them credit for creativity in coming up with the betting stakes.  I followed through and paid my debt, thinking it wouldn't be that big of a deal for our small Dallas office to see me in the same attire two days in a row. Oh, but news travels fast! I'm pretty certain everyone in public finance at Moody's--from San Francisco to New York--knew of the bet I lost and the fashion consequences I suffered.  

All in good fun.  And it was fun(ny)!  {I can say that now...four years later!}

Anyway, knowing all that, I'm sure you can understand why the match-up between KU and Baylor tends to induce a bit of panic for me.  My Jayhawks came through last night with a big win over the Baylor Bears....ROCK CHALK JAYHAWK!  A few pics from the game below...

All photo credit goes to KUSports.com.

Embiid doesn't like those neon yellow uniforms in his space!

Fans react as Wayne Seldon dives into the crowd to save the ball...
This play made SportsCenter's Top 10 plays,
and one commentator noted it could be the Play of the Year!

Perry Ellis can fly!

Coach Self having a little chat with Andrew Wiggins.

Perry Ellis and Wayne Seldon with a little celebratory chest bump.

If you haven't seen the 26 Billion Pixel Interactive Photo of the crowd showcasing the "I am Crimson. I am Blue. We are Phog." scene from Saturday's game against Oklahoma State, click here to see it now. It's pretty cool to see the fans in color blocks of crimson and blue...and to be able to zoom in to see faces all the way at the top! Gotta love Allen Fieldhouse!

Jayhawk Style

The Jayhawks' alternate uniforms that will be worn
intermittently throughout the rest of this season
and the 2014-2015 season.

There are some pretty cool details associated with the alternate uniforms my beloved Jayhawks have worn the last couple of games.  The uniforms come in a cream color, CHALK {for Rock Chalk Jayhawk}, and a gray color, PHOG {as in Phog Allen Fieldhouse}.  The best part about these uniforms? Both versions include pinstripes that read:

Pay Heed.  The game you love began here.  Respect those who came before you.  Make their legacy your own.  Because destiny favors the dedicated.  And rings don't replace work.  In this game you don't get what you want.  You get what you earn.  We are Kansas.  Together we rise.  Rock Chalk Jayhawk!

I "re-grammed"this (or whatever it's called when you
re-post someone's Instagram picture) from @colouringku
last night after the game.

Andrew Wiggings wears the vintage look well....

I guarantee this isn't the last blog post you'll see about the Kansas Jayhawks!

ROCK CHALK!