PIctures Pictures Pictures

I finally sat down and looked at the last of the hockey pictures from February....posting some now.

What I do for Love

111 miles from doorstep to parking lot. 111 miles from parking lot to my garage. 3 times a week right now...perhaps 4 times a week starting in the Fall...not counting the travel...What am I talking about? Hockey, of course.

Matthew is doing a camp with the Jr Preds in Nashville. He really wants to play for the  Jr Preds this next hockey season. They play fast and they play hard, right up Matthew's alley. There is one big hurdle at the moment...The Jr Preds were only approved to play Tier 2 and not Tier 1. There is a little rule that if you play Tier 2, players have to be within 100 miles...Tier 1? They can come from anywhere. The Tier 2 status has been appealed and they are hoping for Tier 1. So, the question is for now...if it is not overturned...is the 100 miles by road or as the crow flies? We are 93 miles from the Ford Ice Center as the crow flies.

The parents want Matthew on the team so I think he would make it but here is hurdle number 2. I am 55 years old...that is a lot of driving. A lot. Dark rainy and sometimes icy nights driving home...The country is beautiful between here and the Rink but is it that pretty in the dead of winter when it will be dark coming and going?

Matthew has outgrown the other players his age. This year, I think he will be fine playing with a combined age team but next year, it just won't work...and what if by not playing with the Jr Preds this year, he won't be accepted next year?

The Coach here has presented his case for why Matthew should not play for the AAA team which draws from GA, TN, SC, and AL. We had already decided against that team as not quite the right fit. (Okay, so many moms let me know the '04 team has some behavior issues and the Coach was removed so AA hockey it is for us.) Now where?

Thursday

Good morning, Spring is here, the dogwoods are in full bloom and this...is a good thing...I started my 3 trips a week drive to Nashville for Matthew's hockey. The drive is so beautiful. I am thankful. It is a really long drive. We left right after he got home from school and got home just short of 11:15 p.m.

Matthew really wants to play with the Jr. Preds team. Judging by the first night of Camp, he would fit in well. However, if he plays with them, it would mean 4 trips a week to Nashville and travel. I am going to see how the next two months go before deciding. Their tryouts are the first weekend in June and I should have a better idea how I will feel about it then.

This morning, I am very tired after not sleeping well on Monday, the trip to Nashville, and serving at our Church's youth night. I am slacking and skipping my exercise class since I have a haircut appointment.

Tonight, back to Nashville. I will enjoy the dogwoods and redbuds. If Greg comes and drives...I'll try and take a few pictures. The scenery is breathtaking. Tennessee really is God's country.

Saturday

It is 1:00 on a Saturday afternoon and I have absolutely no idea what to do with myself...I am rarely home on a Saturday...what do people do at home on Saturdays these days?

Matthew and Greg are off launching the rocket Matthew designed for his school's Rocket Team.

Hannah is at the library with her group for a Science project.

Lauren is in Birmingham doing training for her mission trip to Peru in June.

I am at home...kind of lost. I will have to retrain myself on reading quietly on the weekend and watching old movies with a cup of tea...

Speaking of movies, Hannah and I went to see Beauty and the Beast this morning...for the second time.  The girl loves the movie and sings the soundtrack...most of the time she isn't sleeping.

A couple of pictures...one from last night's hockey game and one from this morning...