December

It's beginning to feel a lot like Christmas....the weather is finally "winter-y" and the stores are packed. However, if I hear "I saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus" one more time, I am going to become an angry elf.

The kids began their holiday with their annual movie trip to see Star Wars. This has become their Christmas Tradition and there are plans to keep the tradition going even after their married. It was suggested no spouses would be allowed...I suggested that rule be dropped because spouses are family, no excluding. There are certain advantages to having a lot of birthdays and wisdom is one of them. I could see the writing on the wall for hurt feelings so let's just avoid that situation.

Here is some documentation of the Christmas Kickoff Movie Event.

Elf has yet to be fired up but I'm sure that is just around the corner.

Star Wars Tradition. Take 3? Or is it 4? I can't keep up with sequels and prequels

Lauren, Hannah and Greg served at our Church's Giving Hope. M and I were supposed to be in Pittsburgh so we didn't sign up. Just as well since there wasn't much Matthew could do with his clavicle out of commission. I caught up on things which had fallen behind with the holidays.

Life

How Matthew is spending his time healing....lots of PS4 online with his friends

Hockey Update

Hannah added House League and is playing Center (a new position for her). And here she is:

For Matthew's Travel, I added Livestream and this is how I watched when he got hurt on Friday.

Yes, I was watching the game on the computer at this link:

https://livestream.com/accounts/21755584/events/7958819/videos/166687103

November

November is my favorite month, Thanksgiving my favorite holiday, hockey my favorite sport (since my kids play it) and so this was a really fun month.

Lauren made most of the Thanksgiving meal and we were able to decorate the house for Christmas...at the time, we thought this would be the only weekend to get it done. Of course, this changed with all the free time we were given with Matthew's injury (See post below). Not only are our weekends free but so are Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday nights. No more drives to Nashville for practice. I am not quite sure how we will handle having everyone at the dinner table together. 

It's Broken

December is here, the holidays are approaching, hockey was gearing up for a busy winter and then boom...my season is all cleared up with free time.

This weekend was the much anticipated NHL West Youth Cup in Anaheim, CA. We were all excited to go and take a swing by Disneyland where I first met Mickey. Then...a small hiccup. Hannah couldn't go because of school so I stayed home since it didn't seem right to leave her. Suddenly, Anaheim was a Boys' Weekend and we had a quiet weekend at home for the Girls.

And then...the weekend took another hiccup when a huge Phoenix Coyote checked Matthew...I was so proud of my boy, he got up from the check and then...he went back down. His clavicle was broken and his weekend was over. My trooper was tough and went to the other games the boys played in and cheered them on. The ER doc thinks 4-6 weeks but we will take him to the Ortohopedic as soon as I can get him in for a better prognosis. He's tough and I think our biggest challenge will be keeping him in the amazing physical condition he is in while he heals. I am so thankful it wasn't a concussion and it's his right shoulder. Matthew usually plays left defense and is always looking for a way to get out of his handwriting and since he writes right, shoots left, if he is going to get hurt, I'll take it. (He was playing right defense and it's not his usual position so there shouldn't be too many hits to his right shoulder when he returns to playing.)

On the bright side of this derailed weekend, Hannah went ice skating with her beau at the outdoor rink so I got a picture of her by the tree before she left. The Girls spent some time at Church preparing for the upcoming Giving Hope event.

Life is funny, you make plans but they can change in a second...so we will be canceling the Mother/Son trip to Pittsburgh in two weeks and pop some corn and watch some Netflix...maybe take a walk...

Chicago Weekend

Chicago was a rough weekend. First, I've got to say I hate flying. I used to love it. It was an event. People got dressed up, people met you at the gate at the airport, there was food served, not great food but it broke up the monotony of the flight...and I am pretty sure there was more room in the seats..Now you're squished together, stressed from the duress of getting through the security check...packing is a nightmare, trying to make sure your liquids and toothpaste meet TSA requirements...flights are canceled and the now packed to bulging flights have no empty seat when your flight is canceled...vouchers are being announced because they overbooked the flight and you pray you're not the person asked to not fly because no one wants the voucher, they just want to get home. When your flight is canceled, you better hope you have money to pay for a room because if it is weather related you have two choices...pay for a room or sleep in the terminal. Oh, and when your flight is canceled and you have a checked baggage, like say a hockey bag, you hope and pray you end up in the same place...oh, and checking bags used to be free...now it costs an arm and a leg, especially if your bag weighs more than the limit...This used to be included in flying...it was assumed that a person flying required more than can fit in a 22 inch carry on bag. Now, if one was flying to a tropical island a 22 inch carry on would be no problem but in most societies one needs more than a thong or bikini...especially if the temperature is below 80 degrees or you are going to spend a significant amount of time in an ice rink...for the entire weekend. Sweaters, sweatshirts, and pants take up a bit of room.

Second, who knew I would be considered a dinosaur just for remembering that flying used to actually be a pleasurable experience.

Can you tell my flight to Chicago did not go down in my diary as a an event to remember? I should have known when TSA found the pocket knife that I had searched for more times than I can remember it was going to be all down hill from there. Oh, and the small water bottle from a hockey practice last week was still in my backpack....yeah, it just went downhill from there.

On the bright side, I am blessed with a wonderful friend who drove up to Nashville to retrieve my family when we couldn't get a flight to Hunstville for days and didn't flinch when American called to say they didn't send our bags to Huntsville like they originally told us but Nashville...after we had already left the Airport. I should probably do something nice for her...like give her my kidney if she ever needs it...

Ready for Takeoff

Checking out a payphone in a cell phone world

Lost

They say a picture is worth a thousand words and I believe it's true. Share your memory pictures pop up on Facebook and I remember things I have forgotten...however, life has become busy, the camera has been replaced by the phone, I have a love/hate relationship with sharing photos on Social Media, printed photos have become a rarity....and I am afraid my blog will go the way of VHS and my kids are not going to have any photos of their teenage years.

Every photo is getting stored to cyberspace but nothing is getting printed to put in their hands. I have enough time to plug my phone in the computer, upload, and then it is off to other things. I sit here with my hair wet, sheets that need to be washed, errands to be run, and I realize that I still have not put the annual photo album for the Grandmas...from last year. This year's annual photo album will be due and I haven't completed...it sits there on Shutterfly half completed.

I hope my children will give me grace when they wonder what happened to their teen years on film or should I say pixel? I hope they remember I was driving them from here to there putting thousands of miles on my car...in one year...or my blog will not be put in the tombs with Kodak and Polaroid.

Memories

A few hockey pictures stolen from parents who can actually take pictures. (You know the ones who aren't using their phone, have an actual camera that captures the image before it moves out of the screen losing the moment? Yeah, those ones.)

Henry

Meet my walking friend, Henry. He's a little skittish and tends to fly off whenever I get close...but he is beautiful. I always look forward to finding him waiting for me when I walk. He makes the day just a wee bit brighter and reminds me of the Creator.

Life Lessons

Ever read something that just spoke to your heart, your soul, down to the marrow of your bone? I just had that happen. It started with Romans 12:9-12, I was doing my daily writing of the Word...the verses captured me. I read on through verse 21 and realized this is how I want to live, this is how I want my kids to live, if I could teach them anything, this would be it:

9 Don’t just pretend to love others. Really love them. Hate what is wrong. Hold tightly to what is good. 10 Love each other with genuine affection,[e] and take delight in honoring each other. 11 Never be lazy, but work hard and serve the Lord enthusiastically.[f] 12 Rejoice in our confident hope. Be patient in trouble, and keep on praying. 13 When God’s people are in need, be ready to help them. Always be eager to practice hospitality.

14 Bless those who persecute you. Don’t curse them; pray that God will bless them. 15 Be happy with those who are happy, and weep with those who weep. 16 Live in harmony with each other. Don’t be too proud to enjoy the company of ordinary people. And don’t think you know it all!

17 Never pay back evil with more evil. Do things in such a way that everyone can see you are honorable. 18 Do all that you can to live in peace with everyone.

19 Dear friends, never take revenge. Leave that to the righteous anger of God. For the Scriptures say,

“I will take revenge;
    I will pay them back,”[g]
    says the Lord.

20 Instead,

“If your enemies are hungry, feed them.
    If they are thirsty, give them something to drink.
In doing this, you will heap
    burning coals of shame on their heads.”[h]

21 Don’t let evil conquer you, but conquer evil by doing good.

My "Aha" Moment

Snoring. The hardest part to marriage besides finances is snoring. My husband could snore like crazy...and the more stressed he was the louder he snored. We went on a trip and in a hotel room, there aren't a lot of escape routes so I put a pillow over my ears and held it there making sure my arm laid over my head as a final line of defense. (And before you suggest ear plugs, I had those in too.)

 By the time we returned home, my right shoulder was in a lot of pain. My doctor suggested a massage and a chiropractor. Done. Hasn't helped. It's been 3 or 4 years since this happened and now Greg has a CPAP, lost a LOT of weight and doesn't really snore (humility lesson here, the kids say I am now the snoring one...in my defense, they have snored since the day they were born).  I digress...My shoulder really hurts now. (Another humility lesson, I used to scoff at the suggestions made to modify yoga poses if you have shoulder pain...I am the Queen of modification these days).

I went Sports Med, saw a specialist and ended up with a cortisone shot for my tendinitis, bursitis, and arthritis. Arthritis? Moi? Can't be! I'm not old. (I also was prescribed with an anti-inflammatory and my shoulder feels great, thank you!)

Walking through the kitchen yesterday and my ankles clicked with each step. And then I had it, the "Aha" moment...THIS is what getting old feels like.

Forgotten

Searching through my drawers yesterday I found a really pretty date book for 2010. "Huh, what's this?" Flipped through it and found the front half empty and the back with random quotes and things I wrote about what was going on in our life..It took me a few minutes but "OH YEAH!!!" popped in my head. I had remembered the forgotten book.

An acquaintance told me I should publish my Facebook entries because she thought them terribly amusing. Huh. Who knew? Someone who wasn't that close to me actually appreciated my wit. I didn't think they were THAT amusing.

However, my kids might like them or maybe not. I pondered whether they would be interested in my ramblings on their early life or my thoughts as their parent or a person who actually had a personality unrelated to a parent.

My conclusion? Probably not until they are parents or past middle age will they be interested in anything I wrote. After pondering whether the internet would even be around by that point or become something archaic like Word Processors and typewriters, I started a date book entering my posts working backwards for the year...I never finished. The best laid plans go awry in my hands.

So kids, if you ever look at this (my blog aka the next best thing to a scrapbook) and you're going though my things and find an empty looking date book, dig through it a little deeper. It might amuse you. Oh! And I never did find what I was looking for!

The Weekend

Yellow is finding its way into the leaves making for a beautiful drive as I do my 3-4 times a week drive to Nashville and hockey is kicking into high gear. Matthew was in St Louis this weekend and Hannah was in Nashville. Matthew's team is being introduced to the high speed of AAA and Hannah's team for the most part is making the transition from House League to Travel League. Hannah's team fared better this weekend of the two.

Hannah also seems to have her own little fan club, another team from Huntsville was playing after her game and the players were all standing by the glass cheering her on. It was sweet. One of the hard decisions about leaving figure skating was not being around the girls she skated with...The hockey director pitched she would lose 10 friends but have 100 new friends and he was right. Of course, being a cute girl among a throng of boys doesn't hurt.


Other side notes, Hannah was asked for her phone number by one of the players on the other team. He asked in front of his friends putting her in the position of being kind or humiliating the poor little guy. First thing she did after the game was let the boyfriend know before he heard it from one of her teammates.


I tried to watch Matthew on livestream.com, the first game the wifi kept disconnecting on their end and the second game had terrible audio but I know a good a whooping when I see it, audio or no audio. The Coach has his work cut out for him before the HUGE CCM Tournament in Nashville. Sadly, I will miss this Tournament.

I have a picture of my little darlin' making her first trip to the Sin Bin. It was a bad call more of a stick getting entangled not tripping...but funny none the less...

Benefits of livestream for the oldest sister is watching in bed with her best friend

New Team New Season

And we're off! Matthew has bumped his game up to AAA and is now playing for the Jr Preds...it's a bit of a drive for practice but it's a really good fit for him. I wasn't sure if we had made the right decision until this weekend. I am now convinced this was a good move for him. (I do enjoy the time in the car with him driving him to practice...they may all change when it starts getting dark before we leave and I just want to stay home for the rest of the evening. I am by nature a homebody). New team, new season, and now checking.

One of the player's parents do a livestream so if you want to watch the games from this past weekend or live in the future, you can sign up here: https://livestream.com/accounts/21755584

I hope I did that right, if not, go to livestream.com and follow account: NJP2004

I encourage you to watch/listen just for the commentary, it is hysterical! The dad doing the commentary is excellent. I would pay for this but it's free! Even better!

The first period of the first game was a bit rough for Matthew but he got his mojo back for the next two games. The third game was abysmal for the entire team, today's game they clicked and wow! Excellent. Huge win.

A few pictures for you....

This is It!

Today is the big day! Greg turns 55 and Matthew is playing in his first Jr Preds game. I am praying for the best, I am hoping I can post on Monday that we won all our games...but I did hear the FL teams are tough from one of our Hockey Board Members. The woman knows her hockey so I hope they're tough but we are tougher.

Hannah's hockey is progressing nicely, she has a natural talent and could probably play college hockey if she applied herself but she would rather read a book...and that is okay with me since she can't get injured with an academic scholarship.

Greg is working on his third Master's Degree. This one is for unmanned aircraft, he is staying up late most nights and I am not quite sure if this is the season to take this task on...he is getting job offers from his papers. One was for a place in MS and one in NV, both extremely interesting jobs but I am not sure he has met his children....they would not take kindly to moving. At all. To be honest, I have zero desire to pick up and move again, ever...once I lose my faculties, my children can put me in a Nursing Home...at that point, I won't even know I have been moved. But, until then, I'm not budging.

Speaking of things that fly in the air, Matthew's Rocket Team Coach asked if Matthew was still going to be on the team this school year. He wasn't going to have a team if Matthew was not on it. He will be and his rocket is already designed, it even has a name, Rocket Lobster (suggested by Hannah's boyfriend).

You are now all caught up on the two things that dominate our lives...sports and academics.

Eclipsed

The moon has covered the sun and many days have passed since I took these pictures...

The kids were released early from school (the school didn't want the liability of retina damage). It was a lot like celebrating New Year's lots of build up for a wee moment in time...but fun. Although I had to keep chasing two people off the couch to go watch.

Nothing really new in our lives, both kids are busy with hockey practice. Matthew has his first games this weekend. It is perfect timing. It is Greg's birthday. What better way to celebrate than watching M have his first AAA Jr Preds hockey game? I have a coupon for Magiannos dinner for four...I think the weekend is shaping up very nicely. I wonder if we can get a trip into McKays? This would be the Trifecta of life.

It's a girls' night with the boys off to Nashville. I am in pajamas enjoying the remnant rain of Harvey. I am not sure whether to watch my Netflix DVD or read a book. It's such a rarity that I am home on a Wednesday evening...it is like a great big present.

I love rain...although if I lived in Houston, I probably would panic at rain cloud in the future. It is odd how all these lives have been completely changed in a matter of days.

As you can see the boyfriend is still in the picture. (Get it? In the picture? Ha! I crack myself up!)