Trip to Spokane

It's been a busy (and kind of sick) Christmas season, so in spite of my good intentions to blog frequently as sort of a gift to my parents for the holidays, I'm a little behind the times.  Perhaps I can catch up a bit during the next few days.

I had the opportunity to visit my brother and his family in Spokane recently.  We had wanted to get my side of the family together for Thanksgiving, but because of schedule constraints, we just couldn't pull it off.  So, I threatened to visit Evan and Darla in December when I had a string of days off instead.  Happily, they actually acted excited to have me come.  I was pleased to make it work because I always enjoy going to their house.

I didn't get to see my brother much because he had a string of call and post-call days during the short time I was there, but I was more than happy to spend time with Darla and the kids anyway.  My sister-in-law Darla is a wonderful hostess and always has a list of fun things we can see and do.  I feel super comfortable around her and just enjoy the relaxed, accepting atmosphere in their home.  It was fun to be there.

It was especially enjoyable to be around my sweet nieces.  I MISS the little ones!!  Seriously, it was fun to just hang out and watch their imaginations work.  Maren and Chloe could not be more different personality-wise, but they get along famously well.  It is super entertaining to listen to what they have going on, and I loved when they let me participate as well.  My first night there I got to read with Maren and then snuggle for a few minutes before she drifted off to sleep.  Since I haven't had little kids for a while, I thought that was heaven.

It was also really fun to watch the little girls in their gymnastics classes.  (It seems not that long ago that I was watching my own little girls in their various classes!)  Maren is an especially good little gymnast, and I was actually a little in awe of what she could do.  Since I can't even touch my toes without bending my knees, the fact that she could drop down into the splits was pretty amazing to me.  Chloe's class was remarkably well-controlled by a great teacher, and it was cute to see the little three-year-olds all following their teacher around as a human train.  Fun stuff.

Darla almost convinced me to try skiing again, but it was a bit cold the day we thought about going.  She did get me to a minor league hockey game, and it was a total blast.  The Spokane Chiefs seriously dominated their opponents and scored like five goals in the first period and nine overall.  Man, if all hockey games were that riddled with goals, I think I'd attend a little more often.  It was exciting.  Maren went with me and Darla, and she is a TRUE fan!  I'll have to admit that I was actually kind of hoping for a fight to break out.  We didn't get one until the very end of the game, and it was a pretty lame one at that.  

Another fun activity we did was to go to the lobby of the Davenport Hotel and look at the Christmas trees and decorations.  The Davenport is a really old hotel that has been beautifully restored into a rather magnificent building.  The lobby had a gorgeous, huge Christmas tree, and upstairs there were some really pretty decorated trees that you could enter to win in a raffle.  If I had lived in the area, I definitely would have purchased some tickets to try and win the golf tree.  (The trees were decorated with prizes as well as traditional ornaments and such.)  It really helped to get me into the Christmas spirit.

 
Besides seeing Harry Potter, shopping, eating out--Darla and I got a little carried away on the sushi, but man, it was good!--we went and painted ceramics.  That may have been the most enjoyable activity of all.  The little girls were remarkably well-behaved and focused on their projects.  I liked it so much, in fact, that I'm going to take the whole family tomorrow here in Boise.  Mike is a little reluctant ("Are you sure you don't want to just go with the girls?"), but it's going to be fun.

Yes, we have the ENTIRE family here right now, and all I can say is that it feels like heaven.  To have all my chicks in the nest at once is the greatest Christmas present I could have ever gotten.  Awesome, awesome, awesome!!

Thanksgiving with Grandma and Grandpa

What a great Thanksgiving weekend we had!  Rachel finally made it home from school via a last-minute flight, with a ticket purchased by her dad when he woke up on Tuesday morning and knew FOR SURE that he didn't want his baby girl driving on the icy roads.  She got to get on the plane, sit on the tarmac for a while, get off the plane, get back on the plane, wait some more, and generally endure the pitfalls of winter travel.  Her flight landed about four and a half hours late, but we were thrilled to have her home safely.  The boys especially enjoyed having one of their big sisters around.

It was our year to participate with the Young side of the family for Thanksgiving, and that is always a joy.  This holiday has been the big gathering for Mike's dad's family for years, and over time it has gotten bigger and bigger.  We've always held it at a church since I've been a member of the family (23+ years), and while this year's gathering was a "little small,"  we had so much fun getting caught up with aunts, uncles, cousins, siblings, nieces, nephews, and especially Mike's grandparents.  Here is a picture of the 70 or so of us who gathered for food, family, and fun: 

It's always a treat to associate with Mike's side of the family.  I feel completely included and accepted.  I also feel inspired to be better and do better.  The Youngs are the type of people who love and serve quietly and do so much to make the world a better place.  I want to be more like them.

I am especially inspired (even amazed!) by Mike's grandparents.  Grandpa Young is two months away from turning 98--yes, 98!--and is still as sharp as they come.  He is fun to talk to and has a memory that amazes me.  Grandma is five years younger, and although she also has a few physical struggles, she is sharper at her age than most 75-year-olds.  Wow!  I didn't get the greatest picture of either Grandma or Grandpa, but I wanted to include photos for Mom and Dad Young.  Pretty well-preserved, don't you think?

Black Friday

The day after Thanksgiving, we headed up to Portland.  We got to the city in time to check into our hotel and watch the BSU-Nevada game.  Unfortunately, we drove around for an hour and a half trying to actually find the hotel, so we missed the first quarter and a half of the football game.  It probably would have been better to miss the last quarter and a half. (My family has been hanging around me for far too long, and my poor sense of direction must have rubbed off on them.  It was kind of humorous to welcome them to my world for a time.)

Poor Kyle Brotzman!  Poor Broncos!  It's hard to see a great season not have the exclamation point added to it because of the missed field goals, but Chris Peterson has been his typical classy self in not blaming Brotzman for the loss but rather sharing the responsibility among all the team members and the coaching staff.  I still think the Broncos are a great team, and I will cheer for them in their final two games this season.  I feel for Kyle Brotzman, however.  It must feel awful to let himself and everyone else down. 

Cross It Off the Bucket List

Our purpose in going to Portland was actually to watch Duke play the University of Oregon in basketball at The Rose Garden.  No, I was not standing in Cameron Stadium, jumping up and down like a maniac with the other Duke fans, but yes, I was actually watching the Dukies play IN PERSON!  It truly felt surreal.

Our trip was arranged only about a week before when Adam heard that Duke was playing in Portland the Saturday after Thanksgiving.  He said, "That's only one state over!"  Before I knew what had happened, Mike had gone online and purchased tickets. We checked with Rachel to make sure she could endure that much travelling on her time off, and when she enthusiastically agreed, we made hotel arrangements.  We were set! 

I'll just say that seeing my favorite team in person did not disappoint.  We got to the arena early and watched them warm up, and seeing them go through their pregame drills was awe-inspiring.  Seriously, I don't think they missed one lay-up, and every drill they did was purposeful and precise.  The players were focused and united, and I was reminded once again of why I adore my Blue Devils.  I love a well-coached team.  Yes, I know that lots of people love to hate Coach K, but you can't deny that his kids can flat out play.  I hated Bobby Knight when he was at Indiana--my dad and husband are Purdue grads, after all--but I could still admire how fundamentally sound and well-coached his players were.  Coach Krzyzewski does the same thing at Duke. . . without throwing chairs or choking his players.

The game was awesome--a thirty-point blowout by Duke, complete with thirty points from Oregon native Kyle Singler--but my favorite moments came after the game.  Several of the Oregon fans left before the game had ended, so we meandered our way down from the nosebleed section to the spot right by the tunnel where the Duke players and coachers would be leaving the floor.  With our good positioning, Adam was able to high-five almost every Duke player--including Kyle Singler--and I also got to swat three players' hands.

I was most elated when Coach K walked by within about four feet of where I was standing.  It was all I could do not to jump out and ask for his autograph.  Pretty cool!  I was aiming my camera to get a picture, then realized that I actually would prefer to see him in person, so I dropped the lens.  Here is the picture I got of him from far away:

I'm not a spontaneous person, but I'll have to say that this trip was one of the most enjoyable things I've ever done.  We did have some icy roads and actually had to spend the night at Hotel Ghetto in Baker City, Oregon on our way home since the road had closed, but I would do it all again in a heartbeat.  Go, Blue Devils!! 

Random News

Now that soccer and cross country have ended, I seem to be a little less sure of what to write about.  Life does seem a little less hectic than it did when we were trying to fit in two or three soccer games and a cross country meet (along with everything else) per week.  However, I think I've also gotten a little lax in keeping the grandparents updated on our lives.  I'm going to try to do better.

For the Record. . .

I had a birthday a little more than three weeks ago.  I turned 44.  Mike insisted on putting 44 candles on my cake.  I think he was sure this was going to be the year I couldn't blow out all the candles. I would like it recorded for posterity's sake, however, that I did indeed extinguish all 44 candles with a single breath.  Mike failed in this same bid starting when he was about 35.  I think he just wants to prove I have more hot air than he does.  I (and many others) could have told him that.

Halloween. . . on a Lesser Scale

I'll have to admit that we've gotten more and more lame as our nest empties out.  We aren't nearly as pumped up about the holidays as we used to be, but the boys still manage to have fun in spite of their stodgy parents.  They carved some cool pumpkins this year, and we had enough candy left over from trick or treaters that it was almost like they had gone trick or treating themselves.

I can't remember why Matt was wearing a headband that night, but I think he looks pretty stylish, don't you?  (I love that both of my boys are kind of goofballs.  I really do.)

Matt Goes to Sadie's

Matt went to Sadie's a couple of weeks ago.  There is a big group of guys and gals that he runs with, and inevitably, they end up mixing and matching for dances.  This time Matt went with Morgan, and they had a great time.  One of the favorite activities of the day was paintballing.  Seriously, the pictures they got were hilarious.  Maybe some of them will actually end up in the military someday?  From the looks of this picture, I kind of hope not.  They look pretty tough, but they are all just the nicest guys.  Oh, the guy next to Matt does play on the O-line and is getting some looks from Division I schools.  Maybe he could scare the enemy. . .

Besides paintballing, they enjoyed dinner at Texas Roadhouse, some fun at Wahooz, the dance, and probably some other fun activities that I'm forgetting.  (These all-day dates wear me out just watching them.)  I'm glad he had fun.  Morgan is a cute girl.

Cross Country Off-Season



Adam tried out for the freshman basketball team.  Adam likes basketball, but it certainly isn't his best sport.  Much to my surprise, I will admit, Adam made the hoops squad.  It completely wrecked a trip he had planned to Utah, but I think he will enjoy the experience nonetheless.  I suspect it will also be good for him to have to work hard in practice and support his teammates who are playing more.  That may help him be a better runner and be a better leader on the cross country team.

We did run into one problem.  He had to buy shorts and a jersey to practice in.  He got the smallest size they offered, and let's just say that it's a good thing that baggy shorts and shirts are in style.  It's also a good thing that his shorts have a drawstring.  His basketball shoes do fit, but I didn't make him put them on for this picture.  Preseason practices, as I recall, include LOTS of running, so he probably should just keep his running shoes on.  I'll be interested to see how this 5'2", 85-pound guard does in a high school basketball game.  It's not the size of the dog in the fight but rather the size of the fight in the dog, right? 

We are also being entertained by BSU football and Duke basketball right now.  I'll blog more about that soon.  I will just say this:  I'm finally going to get to see the Blue Devils play in person.  How cool is that?

Better Late Than Never

I'm woefully slow in posting about the state soccer tournament and the district cross country meet.  However, since this blog acts a little bit like a family journal, I thought I'd throw in a few paragraphs and pictures to record the events.  Better late than never, right?

Win Some, Lose Some:  Part Two

The Centennial Patriots won the boys' state soccer championship last year, and oh, how we were hoping for a repeat performance in 2010.  Despite losing some key players from last year's squad, the team was playing pretty good soccer as they headed to Idaho Falls for the tournament.  Unlike years past, the teams from this part of the state were very evenly matched, so it was really anyone's tournament.

Centennial opened up the tournament against Coeur d'Alene.  This was hopefully going to be the easiest of the three games.  The teams from up north are usually pretty good but not nearly as deep or as experienced as the teams from the Treasure Valley.  The Patriots scored first, and it seemed like the game was headed the way it had been predicted to go.  Then Coeur d'Alene scored.  Okay.  Then they scored again.  Not okay.  We were down 2-1 at the break.

Coach Reynolds must have lit some kind of fire under them during halftime because the boys came out and scored three times (fairly quickly) to put the game away, 4-2.  Big relief.  We have the first game out of the way, and things are looking good.  Just win two more games, and the Patriots repeat as state champions.  This is going to be so cool.  The weather was even amazingly temperate for Idaho Falls in late October,  a nice, welcome surprise.

Mike left for Boise after Thursday's game because Adam had the district cross country race on Friday.  Karen was going to meet me at Friday's game, so while I felt torn that I wasn't going to be at Adam's race, at least I had company for the semi-final match against Mountain View.  Karen showed her loyalties by keeping her Mountain View gear at home and even finding maroon to wear (wish I had gotten a picture).

I texted Matt early Friday morning to see if he was psyched for the big game.  (I was staying in Rexburg with my brother-in-law and his family.)  He texted me back that he had spent the majority of the night throwing up.  Uh-oh.  Not okay.  My mind started racing, and I wondered if we could actually get him ready to play since hadn't been sick for several hours by the time I got in touch with him.  I found an urgent care facility in Idaho Falls that could administer IV fluids, and off I sped to pick him up.

To be truthful, when I met him at the hotel, I didn't feel terribly hopeful.  He looked both flushed and drawn, as well as incredibly tired.  However, this is state, boys!  You have to be dead or dying not to play.  So, we got him some IV fluids and some trusty sublingual Zofran, and we headed back to the hotel so that he could stretch with the team.  He even managed a smile while the IV was infusing, so I was hoping he could play at least part of the game.

At least I wasn't kept in suspense.  After warmups, Matt texted me from the bench:  "I'm not playing."  Coach's choice.  Okay.  I spent a lot of money to see if we could make it happen, but it wasn't meant to be.  I felt pretty disappointed for Karen that she had driven two plus hours to watch her brother play, but we settled in for the game anyway.  At least I had good company, and I still felt invested in the team.  I was ready to cheer my guts out.  Unfortunately, the weather had turned more southeast Idaho-ish, and it was a bit nippy and windy, though not as bad as it would be on Saturday.

Mountain View scored first after an extremely questionable call in the box for a penalty kick.  Not okay.  I was pretty ticked about it, but Karen was even more enraged.  Seriously, she hasn't watched enough soccer to know that junk like that happens more frequently it should.  Fortunately, Matt's team was able to tie it up about two minutes before the end of regulation.  I was super stoked, but Karen was even more pumped up.  I was glad to see that familial ties are stronger than school ones.

The state games that were tied at the end of regulation play went to "golden goal."  That means that the first team to score in overtime wins.  If at the end of two overtimes, neither team has scored, then it moves to a shootout.  I couldn't possibly handle another shootout after the district games, so I was beyond elated when Centennial scored the golden goal to win.  Karen and I jumped around and cheered and screamed like crazed fans.  It was super exciting.

Mike and Adam arrived to meet up with me and Karen before Saturday's game, so Matt had a respectable cheering section.  The championship match was a rematch of last year's game versus Borah.  They'd lost to them once in the regular season, but I was hoping the Patriots would use that for motivation.  It just wasn't meant to be this year.  Borah scored first, but Centennial managed to tie it up.  Unfortunately, they scored quite quickly again after our first goal.  The boys then worked like crazy to try and knot it up at 2, but the ball just never found the back of the net.  Borah scored one more throw-away goal at the very end of the game to win, 3-1.  The Lions played well to win it.  Hats off to them.

Matt played almost the whole championship game, taking just a short break in the second half to regroup a bit.  I actually thought he played one of his best games of the season, and I was proud of him for finding the strength to support his team when he didn't feel the greatest.  He played every minute of every game this season, except for the state semi-final game and the two or three minutes he had to sit out after his yellow card.  All in all, it was a very successful season, and Matt had a nice soccer career.  Seems hard to believe it's all over.  It has been a treat to watch him play over the years.

District XC

Unfortunately, I couldn't be two places at once, so I didn't get to see Adam run in the district cross country meet.  However, I did get to watch what Mike videotaped, and I got an excellent report from both Mike and Adam.  It wasn't nearly as cool as being there myself, but in light of the fact that Matt needed medical attention (and his mommy!) on Friday morning, I felt okay about missing the race.

Adam ran great.  He felt like he "left it all out on the course" and simply didn't have an ounce of energy left at the finish line.  Mike confirmed this when Karen and I called him to see how Adam had run.  He sounded completely out of breath, and when Karen asked him if he had run the race himself, he replied, "No, I've just been running around trying to find some Gatorade that I can get into Adam because he almost passed out at the end."  Okay.  Sounds like he gave it his all.

His time for the final race of the year was 17:10.94.  He was the third varsity runner on his team, and unfortunately, the team didn't run fast enough to make it to state.  However, I think Adam had a wonderful season.  He had a goal to run varsity all season as a freshman, and he accomplished that.  I'm not sure what his race time goals were, but I know I was very pleasantly surprised when he beat 18 minutes his first race out.  He then went out and ran every race under 18 minutes and even threw in a sub-17-minute performance at the Kuna meet.  Nice work, son!

The real bummer was that his time would have gotten him to state last year as an individual runner--the top 26 individuals and all the members of the top six teams qualify for state--but there was just more competition this year.  He finished third among the freshman at district, so he's hoping for big things next year.  We shall see! 

(P.S.  The picture to the right is from the Gibb Floyd Invitational in Kuna.  Adam finished as the top freshman in that meet.  Pretty cool!)  

Soccer, Soccer, and More Soccer

As promised yesterday, I wanted to get the grandparents up-to-date on Matt's soccer season.  I am flabbergasted that it is nearly over, but I am also excited about the upcoming state tournament.  I will be pleasantly surprised if they repeat as state champions--all the teams seem so closely matched this year--but I know they will play hard and compete well.  It will simply be fun to cheer him on for a few more games.

Senior Night

About ten days ago it was senior night at Centennial.  This is a nice tradition where the boys are honored for their time in the program.  The coach says some laudatory things about them, and they are given a gift bag with a photo collage of them and a few other little goodies.  The parents are also asked to come up and be recognized, and the son presents his mom with a small bouquet of roses.  Very tasteful, not too over-the-top. 

What I didn't realize was how choked up I would get during the pregame festivities.  I have watched Matt play soccer for about twelve years now, and I can't believe that this season of his life is coming to an end.  I don't think he can either.  We were talking about it the other day, and he lamented, "Man, this is the last real soccer I'm ever going to play."  I told him it was still okay to play once the season was over, but he said, "But it won't be the same."  No, son, it won't, but do look back and enjoy what you've accomplished and the fun you've had.  (The above picture is of Danny and Sofia.  Matt has been friends with Danny since middle school.  Sofia is the star player on the girls' team and is a huge supporter of the boys team.  They are our superfans.)

When the seniors were posing together for a group shot, I realized how grateful I am that Matt has gotten to associate with these young men.  I've sat on the sidelines with some of the parents for years and literally watched our little boys grow into men.  They are a good group and have been great friends and teammates for Matt.  I will miss cheering for all of them.  Here they are:

From left to right, they are Chris, Matt, Marco, Aaron, Louis, Derek, Will, John, and Dylan.  Tyler had a sinus infection that night and wasn't there.  As you can see, they have a lot of seniors on this team, so they will be fighting hard in their last tournament together.

District Tournament--Win Some, Lose Some

The district tournament may have shaved about ten years off of my life.  Although Centennial entered the tourney as the number one seed, all of the games were nailbitingly close.  I seriously thought my heart would pound right out of my chest a few times.

They played Capital first.  Capital had kind of tough year, but Capital came to play that Saturday afternoon.  Our team was a little flat, and while we had many, many opportunities to score, we just couldn't seem to get the ball in the back of the net.  We did net one goal, but at the end of regulation, it was tied 1-1.  It was also tied 1-1 at the end of two overtime periods.  We're going to a shootout?!  Are you kidding me?!  

Luckily, our goalie, Marco, manned up and came through in the clutch.  (Aren't sports cliches great?)  Somehow, he managed to stop two of their four penalty shots--they didn't take the last one since Centennial had already made their first four--and the Patriots were victorious.  Wow!  Close game.  My nerves were frayed.

The next game was on Monday against Timberline.  They have a reasonably good team.  They have an AMAZING goalie.  He was on fire and made scintillating stop after scintillating stop.  Props to him because he was simply sensational.  We had a few great chances to score but just couldn't get the ball in the back of the net.  Fortunately, our defense (Matt included) was solid, and regulation ended in a scoreless tie.  Two more overtimes, no more goals.  Another shootout.  (Can this be good for my health?!)

It was in this game that I realized that in life you truly do win some and you lose some.  Centennial lost the shootout, 5-4, and Timberline was headed to the district championship game.  Bummer.  Centennial was relegated to the third place game against Eagle.

I know the team was exhausted, but I think the parents were all a little spent as well.  We had a hard time summoning much emotion when the game started last night.  Eagle jumped on us about eight minutes in and scored when the defense got uncharacteristically disorganized.  Super deflating.  No more scores the rest of the first half.

I'm sitting there at halftime wondering if the boys had it in them to actually pull this thing out.  I'm happy to report that they came out of their halftime chat--where Coach Reynolds told them, among other things, to be men--focused and fired up.  Eagle is a good team, so it took a while to break them down.  However, the Patriots managed to head one in off of a corner kick and knot the score.  I'm preparing myself for another shootout and wishing I had some Tums in my pocket.

I think the boys were looking forward to a shootout about as much as I was because they just continued to play with passion and patience.  Soccer truly can be a beautiful game.  They had many opportunities to score, and Eagle had a few of their own.  About three minutes before the end of regulation, Will made a beautiful pass to Louis in the box, and Louis calmly poked it in for the second goal.  The Centennial crowd went nuts. 

I was particularly pleased that it was Louis who scored.  It was his first goal of the season.  He tore his ACL in club soccer many months ago and has been rehabbing like crazy, trying to make it back for at least part of his senior season.  He's only been back a few games, but his courage and tenacity have been amazing.  He has looked like he wanted to cough up a lung on a few occasions, but he has continued to push himself like a madman.  It was a nice reward for so much hard work.  (And he also got the yellow jersey!)

So, there you have it.  Centennial is headed to the state tournament in Idaho Falls as the third seed from the district.  It is the same seed they had in last year's tourney.  Hopefully, that's a good omen.  It should be fun to watch.

 

P.S.  Special thanks to Will's dad, Rich, who takes such great soccer pictures and then makes his albums public so that we can all download his amazing shots.  I feel blessed!

ESPN's COLLEGE GAMEDAY

Adam is probably the biggest sports fans I know.  Seriously, he is close to being addicted to all things sports.  He loves Duke basketball and BSU football, and I believe that if there were no parental controls placed upon him, he may well have ESPN blaring every waking moment.  So, when he found out that ESPN was going to be broadcasting College GameDay from Boise a few weeks ago, he was beyond excited.  I cannot think of an adjective to accurately and completely describe his joy.  Although he had a big cross country meet (Bob Firman) the very same day, he KNEW he had to find a way to get there.  

Of course, he persuaded Mike to get up early with him on Saturday and make the trek down to the smurf turf, along with 13,000+ other Bronco fans, and they waited in line for a time until they were allowed to enter the stadium.  He wanted go up to the desk and start chatting with Lee Corso and Kirk Herbstreit, but security was understandably tight.  Mike said they actually couldn't hear a whole lot, but Adam just enjoyed watching how the whole thing was produced.  It's fun when your kids get to do something they never thought they'd have the opportunity to do, but it somehow works out.  (Matt also went with one of his soccer buddies, but he actually slept over at his friend's house the night before and left way early in the morning.)  Fun times!


Knock Knock, Who's There?

Mike went on a nine-day trip to India recently.  He left on a Friday morning, and by evening I was already feeling lonely.  Adam was in Cascade the night before a cross country race, and Matt went out for a few hours with friends.  He came back, and we were just chatting when we heard a little knock on the door.  It was close to 10:00 p.m., so we had no idea who it could be.  Matt went to the door, opened it, and I had the sheer joy of hearing Rachel's voice.  What?!

Rachel had this trip planned for a few weeks.  Even though Mike was going to be out of town, it was about the only time during her semester that she could sneak away for a couple of days.  Surprise, surprise, surprise!  Matt, Adam, and I didn't know about it, but Karen and Mike did.  Karen had texted me earlier, and when I revealed that I was already lonely, I guess she was giggling and looking forward to the surprise that awaited me.

It was fun to go up to Cascade the next morning for Adam's race and surprise him.  I wish I could have gotten a picture of Adam's face when he saw her.  Confusion.  Bewilderment.  Excitement.  Happiness.  Once he figured out that she wasn't a figment of his imagination, he was super stoked to have her there.  I enjoyed seeing the three of them together, goofing around like they always do.  It's always a gift to feel the nest fill up again just a little.  Having Rachel there also gave us one more person to cheer our guts out for Adam.

Adam ran well in his race.  No, he did not finish fourth.  Oh, wait.  He was fourth on his varsity team, so I guess four remains the lucky number.  He finished 11th overall and was thrilled to get a medal.  He called it a "legit medal" because it was won in a varsity race.  I called it "legit" because the race was cross country in its truest form--up and down mountains and in and out of the forest.  It was a TOUGH course.  He may kill me for posting this picture, but I think it shows just how hard he was working.

He has one more regular-season race on Thursday.  Then it's on to the district race the following Friday.  It would be super cool if Centennial could make it to state.

I have a little time tomorrow, so I'll get the grandparents updated on Matt's soccer season then.  Here's the teaser:  They will be going to state in about ten days, but all the parents will need that long to recover from their three district games.  I'm exhausted from the strain.  More tomorrow. . . 

Fourth at Firman

As promised earlier in the week, I'm back to blog.  Last weekend was very busy.  The Bob Firman XC Invitational was on Saturday, and it looked like it was going to be a very nice day for it.  I've been to Eagle Island State Park for many a cross country race (Bob Firman and Districts), and some years it has been pretty nasty.  One year I remember watching some races with Adam in a driving rainstorm.  We looked like drowned rats when it was finally over, but we sure had fun.  A very good memory.  

Saturday was nice, maybe too nice.  Adam ran in the freshman boys' race, and it didn't start until almost 4:00 p.m.  By the time they all lined up at the start, it was about 90 degrees.  Sweat was pouring off of me as I stood there and waited for the race to start.  I felt super bad for Adam since the varsity boys had run at about 10:00 a.m. when it was about 60 degrees, nearly perfect weather for a fall cross country race.  I think a big part of Adam was wishing that he had run with his teammates earlier in the day.

In spite of the heat, he ran well and finished fourth.  He was, surprisingly, a little disappointed with his placing.  He had been running anywhere from second to sixth in the race, and I think he was hoping that he could have a really strong kick and finish second.  (The kid from Caldwell was amazingly fast.  To be honest, it was kind of a race for second.)  However, Adam simply hasn't grown yet.  When I remind him of that, he tells me I am just making up excuses for him.  I call it an explanation, but he still doesn't buy it.  I'll just say this:  he is very easy to find in a race, and when I'm standing somewhere out on the course, I inevitably hear, "Man, who's the little guy?  He's amazing."  Anyway, maybe he'll get a growth spurt here sometime soon.

I was very proud of him and loved going to the awards ceremony afterwards.  They handed out medals to the top 10 and ribbons to places 11-20.  He got fourth in the middle school boys race last year, so maybe four is his lucky number.  He is our fourth child. . .

   
Next year he will probably run in the varsity race.  Finishing fourth in that race would be simply spectacular.

Centennial Homecoming

Matt had homecoming festivities over the weekend.  He was nominated for homecoming king and made it through the first vote to be named as one of ten boy finalists.  He asked me to escort him on to the football field at halftime of the varsity game when the homecoming king and queen would be announced.  I absolutely hate being the center of attention, but I would do pretty much anything for one of my kids, even if it means having to share a bit of a spotlight with them (although donating a kidney to one of them might be less uncomfortable.)

When we got to the appointed meeting place on the track by the football field, the student council advisor gave us instructions on how to line up and walk out onto the field.  She told everyone where the winners were to stand and that they would then be taken on a limo ride around the track.  The runners-up were also invited to hop into the limo.  Matt knew that he wasn't going to win--he'd heard some well-founded rumors that one of his friends had won the first round vote in a landslide--but when he heard the the runners-up got to ride in the limo, he said, "Man, that would be so awesome to ride in."

So, as we're walking out onto the field, I'm feeling a bit conflicted.  I would love to have Matt get runner-up because then he gets to take a sweet ride.  However, I would have to go with him.  So, I just decided to be in the moment and try to enjoy whatever happened.  It was fun to be on the arm of this handsome young man.  (I'm still trying to figure out when he grew up.)  Plus, he is always a gentleman and good to his old mom. 

Anyway, I'll cut to the chase:  Matt did win runner-up, and we got to ride in the limo.  And, it really wasn't that bad.  I felt like an idiot climbing into the limo, but once we got in, I just enjoyed sitting in the lap of luxury.  It was a "tight ride," as the younger generation would call it.  I can see how famous people like to ride in limos.  It must be a nice escape from all the paparazzi and such.  Seriously, it was comfortable and quiet inside and so well-appointed.  It had lights on the ceiling, a TV, places where you could get a cold drink and snack.  It was pretty cool.

He got a different date for homecoming the next day.  They had fun paintballing at about noon, then went to dinner and the dance in the evening.  After the dance they went to Wings and did rockclimbing and other activities.  I'm including a picture of Matt with some of his friends.  He's the kid in the bright shirt in the front.  I suspect Matt may have already posted some other pictures on Facebook. 

Believe it or not, that was just part of our weekend.  I'll write more soon about ESPN's Game Day coming to Boise.  Mike and the boys totally had fun on the smurf turf with Kirk Herbstreit, Lee Corso, and company.  Go, Broncos!!!



Yellow Card, Yellow Jersey

It's been a few weeks since I posted.  I must be getting old and tired or something.  Or, maybe I'm just busy.  Let's just call it that, and I won't feel so lazy and vaguely guilty.  (My mom and dad are serving a mission in Bulgaria right now, and Mike's parents are in Mexico.  This  blog is mainly for them, so when I don't post regularly, I feel like I am neglecting them.)

I have a few things to post about, but I don't want this to get too long.  I'll hit a couple of high points tonight and hopefully get to the rest later in the week.  There.  Now I feel committed to actually follow through.

A couple of weeks ago after the Vallivue game, Matt arrived home with a yellow jersey.  I'd never seen it before.  He said it was a "player of the game" award that the team and coaches voted on.  Matt is usually pretty laidback about life, but I could tell that he was excited about this award.  He did play well in that game, and I guess his teammates and coaches thought so as well.  He got to keep it and wear it at practice until the next game when it was passed on to another player.  I forgot to ask if it got him special privileges at practice or anything.  Maybe it just makes you a marked man, kind of like the yellow jersey in the Tour de France.

A couple of games later, Matt's fortunes turned, and he was awarded a YELLOW card.  Oh my!  Now this caused some very good-natured ribbing from some of the parents who have watched Matt play club soccer for the last six or seven years.  Matt is known as "the good kid."  He has never played on Sunday, and he doesn't swear or do things he shouldn't (at least to my knowledge).  He even finds a way to attend church when he is away at tournaments.  So when he got a yellow card, we were all a little surprised.  I pulled the picture off of one of the other parents' shared albums.  The photographer captioned it, "Never say never."  His original caption was different, but his wife told him not to use it.  I won't share that one with you. 

Anyway, we were all a little surprised but amused as well.  I'll have to say that the call was a little suspect and aggressive on the referee's part, but he's the guy in charge.  Matt is kind of laughing in the picture because the ref actually had to run him down to card him.  He honestly didn't know he was being carded. 

In the very same game, Matt somehow scored a goal from his defensive position.  He was not far past midfield when he saw one of the forwards, Will, in the box.  He played an excellent ball towards the goal, and Will missed it.  However, Will did manage to distract the goalkeeper enough that the ball happened to go in without anyone touching it.  GOOOAAALLLLL!!!  That was even more amusing than the yellow card.

You Say Tomato; I Say "Finally!"

This year has been somewhat of a disappointment in the garden.  We had a very cool, wet spring, and all the plants had a hard time getting established.  We even had to replant some seeds and starts after a freeze.  Then we went on vacation, and it got super hot while we were gone.  The garden didn't get watered enough, was somewhat overtaken by weeds, and generally looked pretty sorry when we returned.

I'd almost written off a good harvest on anything.  We've gotten some beans, some peppers, some onions, and other things.  But my tomatoes were taking forever to grow and ripen.  We were low on home-canned tomatoes, so I was feeling pretty bummed.  Much to my surprise, I went out about ten days ago and started picking and digging through the vines.  Jackpot!  There is nothing so delicious as a fresh-from-the-garden tomato, and it's even more fun when we have enough to can.  I've had one more similar picking since then and have canned about thirty quarts of tomatoes.  There's still more out there, too.  Awesome!

I'll post more later in the week about cross country, soccer, and homecoming festivities.  Now, I'm going to go relax with my men on Sunday night--one of my favorite times of the week!