Tag Archives: Brazil vs. Cameroon 1994

World Cup Fever Hodgepodge

Ole Ole Ole, it’s time for World Cup and for Wednesday Hodgepodge! Thank you, Joyce.

1. June 17th, 1994 was the day of the infamous O.J. Simpson car chase. What were you doing in 1994? I’m guessing somebody is going to tell me they weren’t born yet but that’s part of the fun of the Hodgepodge. Lots of generations are represented here. 

In June of 1994 we traveled to Southern California to stay with family and take in all we could of the World Cup. I’m sure we were on the same freeways O.J. was on during our time in L.A., the Santa Ana freeway and the 405!  I know we watched it on TV.

Back to the more important reason we were in the greater LA area. Our boys and I found the USA World cup training center and met some of the players. Then we found the hotel the team was staying in and our sons worked hard to get signatures on the team poster our oldest son bought. They managed to get every signature of the people in the poster except for one trainer/coach who wasn’t in Southern California.

If I remember correctly Josh got a 3 or 4 game package deal and Dan got 1. The prices were very reasonable compared to today.

2. What’s your favorite summer salad that isn’t the traditional tossed green lettuce kind of salad? 
Click below to see the recipe.
Do you like fresh fruit in a salad (other than in a fruit salad of course)?
I enjoy strawberries or pears in a green salad with the right dressing and cheese to compliment and roasted walnuts or shaved almonds…
3. Is chivalry dead? Should it be? 
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No and no. It is always a pleasure to enjoy chivalry or witness it.
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4. Would you rather spend a week of your summer vacation in Hawaii or Alaska?
I’ll say Hawaii because there are fewer bugs.
Have you ever been to either?
We have been to Hawaii but not Alaska.
Are they two places you really would like to see?
No
How do you feel about ‘Hawaiian pizza’ aka pineapple on a pizza?
Nyet, No, Nine
Have you ever eaten Baked Alaska?
I think I have but I couldn’t tell you where or when.
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 5. World Cup play is happening now…are you interested?
Very interested. And for the record I’m interested in soccer all the time not just for World Cup.
Watching any matches?
I’ve watched them all to one degree or another. Some I’ve watched every minute others I watched parts of .
Did you or your children play soccer/futbol?
All three of our children played. Our sons played for their school varsity teams and on traveling teams, too. Our sons also worked as referees for our community leagues and for indoor games, too.
And now, our Grands are playing soccer.

There are eleven US cities hosting matches-

–Atlanta, Boston, Dallas, Houston, Kansas City, Los Angeles, Miami, New York with the stadium in NJ, Philadelphia, San Francisco, and Seattle
 along with  three cities in Mexico (Guadalajara, Mexico City and Monterrey)
and two in Canada (Toronto and Vancouver)-

You get free tickets to one of these matches. Which city do you choose? Tell us why. 

Seattle, because it would be the easiest stadium for us to reach.

Our son and daughter-in-love are attending the USA v. Australia game this Friday in Seattle!

6. Insert your own random thought here. 

Dan’s ticket that he purchased from his soccer coach was for a game in Stanford. Dan and I traveled from the LA area up to Stanford for the game. The game was on June 24, 1994. And yes, we traveled those same freeways O.J. did. 🙂

I’m behind and the way things are going it will be a while for me to get my mojo back.

I hope to get around to see y’all.

Life is Blooming Hodgepodge

It is once again time for Wednesday Hodgepodge with thanks to Joyce From This Side of the Pond. 

1.  How would you define ‘the good life’? 

“But when the goodness and loving kindness of God our Savior appeared, he saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to his own mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit, whom he poured out on us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior, so that being justified by his grace we might become heirs according to the hope of eternal life.” Titus 3:4-7

2.  What’s the most used app on your phone (and are you proud of that)? 

(WhatsApp) It is the app we use with the Mennonite Girls and also with our immediate family. It is easier to send videos and photos with this app than with text messages.

I’m proud of myself when I figure out how to use any app!!

3. ‘Every rose has it’s thorn’, ‘everything’s coming up roses’, ‘looking through rose-colored glasses’, ‘it’s no bed of roses’ or ‘stop and smell the roses’…which rose idiom best relates to something in your life currently. Explain. 

‘everything’s coming up roses’ (or peonies)

It’s a busy and good time of year with so much happening all at the same time including flowers blooming on our property. We’ve had performances, visitors, events, meals in, meals out, preparations for a community garage sale this coming weekend. Life is blooming!!

4. How do you feel about floral flavorings in food or drink (rose, hibiscus, elderflower, lavender)? 

No, thank you. Elderflower has been acceptable in the past.

5. Over the course of your life what have you probably spent more time pondering than anything else? 

This is a tough one. It is not my habit to be introspective. I know I’ve laid awake at night pondering things but it has been a variety of things over the course of my life.

When I was young I remember pondering whether my parents would die and being sad about that prospect. They did die but not until they were in their 90’s so that was a waste of emotions.

In my teen years I probably pondered too much about myself and whether people or certain boys liked me. That was a waste of time and emotions, too.

I’ve spent a lot of time pondering what to make for dinner.

I’ve also spent a lot of time pondering what to do and see on any given trip we’ve enjoyed over the years.

In my older years, I’ve pondered how and why friends that I used to worship Christ with and who I’ve served Christ with have walked away in disobedience to His Word and how they have embraced the world and the ways and philosophy of this world.

Right now I’m pondering what else I should try to get rid of at the garage sale this Thursday/Friday/Saturday.

6. Insert your own random thought here. 

The 2026 World Cup begins tomorrow. I’m excited and have set our DVR to record many of the games. We were at the last World Cup in the USA in 1994. This Cup I’ll be watching from home. Josh and Laura will be attending the USA v. Australia game in Seattle a week from this Friday!

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Dan and I were able to attend the Brazil v. Cameroon game at Stanford in 1994.

We have great memories from the ’94 World Cup and I’ll share more on another day. In between games, I’ll be working on the new 2026 World Cup puzzle our Josh and Laura gifted me.

World Cup 2014 ~ Brazil

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With World Cup 2014 in progress right now in Brazil I decided to re-post our photos from the 1994 World Cup in the U.S.A. I published this post on June 17, 2010. The kids and I flew down to Southern California and stayed with my parents for the duration of World Cup. Josh was able to get a ticket package for the Rose Bowl venue and Dan was able to get 2 tickets for the Brazil vs. Cameroon game in San Jose at Stanford. Dan and I traveled to Stanford to see that very colorful game.

img028In 1994 our boys were 15 and 13. We found the U.S.A. training facility in Southern California and were able to see some of the team and practice and get an autograph.

img027Later during our time in Southern California we found out the hotel the team was staying at and we traveled there and hung out watching for players so Josh could get his Team poster autographed.

img029Our patience won out and we had a great time.

img031This is Alexi Lalas with Josh and Dan.

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Josh and Dan got every players signature on the team poster.  Lalas, Meola, Harkes, Dooley, Wagerle, Balboa, Ramos, Reyna, just to name a few. They also managed to get all the coaches signatures but one. The players were all friendly and willing to talk to the boys and sign autographs. What an exciting and fun experience for Josh and Dan and me!

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Dan and I drove to Clovis and spent the night with my cousin and then we drove to a train station to take a commuter train to Stanford for the Brazil vs. Cameroon game. We found a shop that had a Brazilian flag and bought it for the game. Brazil brings a  party atmosphere to soccer games that’s hard to beat and we had fun experiencing it.

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img023We finished off our time at 1994 World Cup with a game at the Rose Bowl where the final game would be played.

img035Participating in this historical event was thrilling for our family.

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Dear was finally able to fly down to Southern California and join us at the end of our trip. The whole family had a fun day at Disneyland with our extended family in Southern California, too.

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1994 was the first time the U.S.A. hosted World Cup. We were hoping the U.S.A. would be chosen for the 2018 World Cup or the 2022 but alas Russia and Qatar got the nod for those cups. Now we hear that there were some shady dealings in Qatar decision. The U.S.A. plays their first game on Monday against Ghana at 3 pm Pacific time. Our family room will be full of U.S.A. soccer fans!

USA-Panama3Go U.S.A.!

I’ll be adding my World Cup link to ABC Wednesday this week since we are at the letter W.