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.