Jealousy...

I want one thing all of the time. Its not sex or drugs. Its not money or reassurance. It is to be with that one person. Just to be. To sit and talk. To sit and do nothing. To sit in silence. That is all that I want. I want that one thing so bad.

Football and life starts this week. Thursday is UTC's home opener, I may go. Just not sure right now. Florida kicks it off on Saturday against the College of Charleston. I am excited. I have been a huge University of Florida fan for a long, long, time. I'm 26 and I can not remember ever pulling for another college program. I got a Danny Wuerffel jersey for Christmas when I was in 6th grade. A week later I used it to wipe tears off of my face as UF got demolished by what may have been the best college football team ever in the 1995 Nebraska Cornhuskers. A year later I was wearing it when Danny Wuerffel, Ike Hilliard, and Terry Jackson totally anhialated the former all girls school in Tallahasee. So yeah, I am a die hard. I hate bandwagon jumpers. The guys who go after whatever team is hot at the time. There used to be a guy who was the biggest UGA fan you would ever meet. He seemed like a pretty good guy. After Florida won the 2006 Championship he was a new guy he totally renounced his loyalty to Georgia. That aint right. You have to dance with the one who brought you.

Willis' List of Favorite Gators (no historical guys, ie Spurrier, Collinsworth, Carlos Alvarez, just guys that I watched and have seen, no currents either.)


1. Danny Wuerffel- QB 1995 and 1996 All-American First Team 96 Heisman winner
2. James Bates-LB- #44, Total and utter butt kicker. Wasnt the most athletic but had a motor that never stopped. Second team All-SEC
3. Chris Doering-WR
4. Todd Johnson-FS 2-time All-American
5. Rex Grossman-QB Despite his mediocraty in the NFL Rex was the best QB in the country in 01 and 02
6. Travis McGriff-WR The white kid with the crazy speed. Made the circus catch seem mundane.
7. Jevon Kearse- OLB The Freak. Before he was a sack master in the NFL he was killing SEC QBs.
8. Fred Taylor-FB played in a pass happy offense but always gained positive yardage.
9. Lawrence Wright-SS- All-American
10. Billy Latchko-FB/LB did it all for the Gators in the early 2000's. Was a former walk-on who was all heart.

Thats my list. I know I left guys off, I could do this all day. I just dont have time.

This summer so far...

So yeah. I know that it has been forever since I last wrote anything on here. I have not been doing a whole lot of writting anywheres to tell the truth. I have been busy working two jobs and trying to scrape and save every cent that I can. This summer has been pretty good. It has been one of the busiest of my life. All is going well. Climbing on an airplane a week from Thursday. I have never been on one, but theres a first time for everything. I miss my friends right now. Some are not too far away to hang out with, but others are either far away or are moving that way. Life changes. Nothing stays the same. That is one thing that I have learned during my 26 years of existance. You may think that you have everything figured out but then you don't. Sometimes its not good, sometimes it is. We get ourselves in a lot of situations, but sometimes God steps in and turns that just a little and tweaks things and the coming out is a whole lot better than the going in. I know that I am not perfect. I know that I have spent plenty of time running from God. I had a time when I pretty much hated God. I hated him for a place that me and my own actions had gotten me in. God never leaves us. We are the ones who walk away. No matter where we go he is there. Psalm 139 tells us this. This has been very rambling, sorry bout that. This is what has been on my heart. Im gonna keep goin...
So yeah having hate in your heart is a very bad thing. Hating people and just having a total disdain for them only eats you up. The other party doesnt care, they are probably moving on with their life and dont worry about you any more. Its better to move on and forget things and let it go. We have to learn to let go of things. We have to put things down and get rid of them. We cant treat this stuff like a backpack where we can take it off and put it on when we feel like it. Give it up to God. Our sins and transgressions are from as far as the east and west when we give them to God. Okay... Im out. Got to do work tomorrow. Peace, love and handgrenades.
Willis A.

That Guy

Yesterday the question came up over whether I am a 'redneck' or not. I guess that all depends on what your defenition of redneck is. I do not particularly know what I am. I am just me. Thats all I care to ever be. Will Bradley. The good guy, the guy who you can always count on. The guy who knows how to have a good time, but also knows when to shut his mouth and listen. I just want to live my life and do the best that I can. I want to serve my God the best that I can. I want to strive to do the best by His word and His plan for my life. That is all I want. That is all that I want to be.

Where I Belong...

Yesterday I got back into Cleveland after a trying weekend to say the least. God is so good and amazing. He has been such a comfort to me over the past week. I am so thankful to my friends who have texted and called me with support and words of encouragement and mourning. I have said it before but I have the best core group of friends in the world. I have the best group of people surrounding me right now than I have ever had in my life up to this point. This is not saying that friends from the past were not good people or that they were bad friends. Im surrounded by a group of friends who are better over all. If that makes any sort of sense. These guys are blunt and cut to the core. They build me up when I need it and they knock me down when I get too tall for my own good. They have cried with me and they have danced with me. They listen to my hopes and fears and they offer their shoulders to cry on. They laugh at my stupid jokes and tell stupid jokes of their own when I need it. They are not perfect, nor have they ever claimed to be. They love me for who I am and for who I have the capacity to be. They walk to the post-office at 11:30 just because. I love them dearly for all of this and so much more. Peace, love, and hand grenades.
Willis A.

Holes shaped like love....

I have been trying to write this since last night. I have been sitting trying to put words down, but it has been hard. Yesterday evening at about 8:30 my mamaw closed her eyes to this world and opened them in the most beautiful place there is. My mamaw was the most precious person that I will ever have the privalege of knowing. The lady was under five feet tall but she was a giant. Next to my mom she has been the most influential woman in my life. My grandmother taught me to read my bible. She showed me the joy of sitting in silence and being with God. She was the most compassionate and kind person that I will ever know. She was a beautiful lady. Her family meant the most to her next to God. Last night I was sitting in the house thinking about my life with her. I was at Mamaw's house every day from the time I was born until the day I left home for college. She made the best fried chicken ever. I would put money on it. She made quilts. That was kind of her ministry. She would make quilts for children born into our church and for couples who were getting married. She was a woman who loved life and God and family. I know that this is short and I know that it does not do Mamaw justice. I just wanted to put something down so that everyone can see the woman who I knew and loved so much. Thank you guys for taking the time to read this.

My List

Last night Alyssa and I were talking and some how we got onto the conversation of what we love. We just started listing things out. This is my list. I have 25 things here and I could have went longer. The only rule was that this had to be things and not people. Here goes....

Things that I love, in no particular order. This list does not count people, just things.
1. Early morning drives when it feels like no one else exists except for you.
2. Old comfortable blue jeans. I have two pair.
3. The smell of rain.
4. Old cars
5. Good books
6. The unfiltered joy that is college baseball
7. Fishing with Dad
8. Friday nights in the fall
9. That little two week period in the early fall when the weather turns all cool and beautiful.
10. Opening day of baseball season.
11. Carhartt chore coats, I have three ranging from thread bare to brand new.
12. Bass Pro caps
13. The beautiful sight of a defensive lineman getting ear holed by a pulling guard
14. The smell of frying chicken at Mamaw’s house.
15. Mountain man beards
16. Rediscovering old music
17. Clint Eastwood cowboy movies
18. Mamaw’s quilts
19. I.B.C. Rootbeer in a bottle
20. The way girls smell good
21. Being so deep in the woods that no one except for yourself knows where you are.
22. That feeling I get every fall down deep in my soul that lets me know that it is football time.
23. Watching athletes and people in general who give their all knowing that they are going to come up short.
24. Pigeon Mountain, need I say more?
25. The sound of a train in the distance, wishing I could jump on.
26. The late night conversations with friends that truly love and care about me.

Banging My Head...

This weekend I was sitting around a fire with 11 of my best friends and I spilled my heart out. I have slowly come to grips with the reality that I do not know what I want to do after college. I am headed into my final year as a Histort Education major. I am almost finished and I can see the light at the end of this tunnel. The only problem with that is the light is a train. I have been doing this way too long to give up, and if I were to change my major my parents would kill me. I have to finish this. At this point in my life I really have no choice. Right now I have so much stuff on my mind and in my head. Maybe once I get into my student teaching I will regain the excitement that I had for teaching. Right now I am so thankful to have friends to discuss this with. They do not realize the help that they have been. This really has not been much of a post, but whatever I have put digital pen to paper. Good night S.E. Tennessee! Peace, love and hand grenades.

What I want to do

I want to run. I want to get away from everything that is surrounding me. I just want to go away and not have to worry about what anyone thinks. I want to pick up my pack and head out. I need time to clear my head. I want to figure things out. What do I do after this ride is over? Do I seek the one thing I want so much and risk giving up what I have? But then again, if I do leave I am missing parts of this ride that I am on here. I would risk losing this thing that I have built and am working on. It would be great to catch a ride to Blue Ridge or Suches and then be off. I could hit the A.T. and bring spring north with me. That is what I want to do. Its too cold right now, but i would do it if given the chance. Maybe I can do some time during spring break. Right now is just not a good time. There is a reason that I am here.