Matching Tracksuits

the girl

Lit Circles

Monday 29 April 2024

Kids are ending the year with lit circles, which gives them a lot of independence and an opportunity to show themselves (and others) how well they can handle such responsibilities. Unlike the rest of the year, for this work I allowed them to choose their own groups. Several of the Latino students decided to work together. Their English ability is a wide spectrum: one boy has just moved to America and speaks no English at all; another boy just moved to America and speaks intermediate-level English. One girl has been living in the States for a number of years but still has some difficulties with English.

I told them to do their best to stick to English, to help each other out as they’re working. They’ve been doing just that.

These kids have a very special place in my world right now: I know, to a slight degree, the struggles they’re going through. I often remind them about how much they’ve improved this year, and I tell them how proud I am of them and more importantly, how proud they should be of themselves.

“And just between us, teachers aren’t supposed to have favorites, but I so enjoy working with you guys,” I told them. “You’re not my favorite, because I’m not supposed to have them, but you’re close,” I added, with a wink.

“We know,” one of the girls laughed.

Changes Waiting

Monday 22 April 2024

Though it’s hard to comprehend how we’ve reached this moment so quickly, the Girl is just shy of six feet tall and wrapping up her junior year of high school, and the Boy has crossed the five-foot barrier and will soon be twelve. The changes coming are enormous: L will be making final decisions about college over the summer, and the Boy will soon have a full-blown, empty-leg, teenage boy appetite.

We got a hint of that this evening.

After eating a full meal, he came back downstairs hunting for food no more than five minutes later.

“I’m still hungry,” he declared. So he got a piece of yesterday’s leftover pizza out and warmed it up.

Clover smelled it, sensed a treat, and followed him into Papa’s room (it will always be “Papa’s room”), and sat down like the best behaved pup in the world.

Uneventful Day

Friday 19 April 2024

So I post a silly picture from our last tournament trip: back to the hotel late, eating anything we can find…

Louisville 2024 Day 1

Saturday 13 April 2024

There’s more to the story than these pictures, but it’s a fairly succinct vision of the first 8 hours of the day…

We made it to a Buc-ee’s — one of L’s favorite places. Why? It’s a big gas station, nothing more. Still, she gets some kind of silly joy out of it, and they are relatively rare in our part of the country (none near us in Greenville), so we stopped.

Part of the reason we stopped was the charm of the visit; part of it was the passenger-side rear tire, which had a slow leak.

Which led to me spending the first couple of hours in Louisville getting it fixed…

The girls went undefeated again in pool play, so it was a successful day. Pictures on the camera, though — no computer about…

Playful Monday

Monday 8 April 2024

It used to be something we did fairly frequently in the spring: all four of us would go outside and do something together: swings, trampoline, badminton, or just a walk. I guess we all took it for granted, but soon enough, schedules shifted, kids grew up, calendars filled up, and these evening family times disappeared.

But we still have the net up from Easter; and we still have two kids who enjoy badminton. So all four of us were out playing, though never at the same time — that schedule thing again.

First I took on the Boy. He’s getting so much better, but he flubs some that should have been fairly easy. No pictures of that one.

Then K came out and played with the Boy. I snapped a couple of pictures, but not many — not even one of K playing.

Then the Boy went inside while K and I played a bit. We’re down to two working rackets, so options were limited.

Finally, the Girl returned home from getting crickets for her Australian Tree Frog — I don’t know that we have a single picture of her, but L has had her since eighth grade.

She plays with the Boy for a while, but then I suggest I take the Boy’s part and the Boy take the camera.

And so I promptly have fun while making a bit of a fool of myself. L wins at everything — it’s time we face it.

K, for her part, was inside, studying.

When will the stars align again for such a day?

Sand

Saturday 6 April 2024

The Girl and the son of our dearest Polish friends — two kids who always argued when younger — played in a short sand volleyball tournament. L had just finished up a track meet, winning the high jump and placing second in the javelin, so she was a bit tired, I thought.

“No, I’m fine,” she insisted.

Youth…

Region Runners-Up

Sunday 24 March 2024

The Girl’s club team finished out their regional tournament run going 7-1. They only lost one game — the last one.

We’re still so proud of our girls’ accomplishment — second in regionals!

New Record

Saturday 23 March 2024

The Girl had a track meet today.

She’s only doing high jump hand javelin this year, so there was less running from event to event and more waiting.

She ended up taking g second in the javelin but with a distance that was a school record.

She won high jump but with a jump significantly lower than her personal best (which is also a school record).

Friday

Friday 22 March 2024

Tournament and family game night.

Tournament Day 2

Sunday 17 March 2024

wasn’t as success as day one. They lost their first game out in three sets. Since it’s bracket play, that put them immediately in the consolation bracket…

And the only picture from today: a 20+ year old picture from Slovakia on New Year’s Day.

Tournament Day 1

Saturday 16 March 2024

We had our first of two tournaments during this spring break week today — at least, the pool play was today. Our girls are the number 4 ranked team in the tournament, and they were the highest-ranked team in their pool. They faced off first with a team from Myrtle Beach and dispatched them quickly: 25-12, 25-9. The Myrtle Beach team, ranked 18th in the tournament, just didn’t seem like they had their act together at all.

After a short break, they faced their second opponent, a team called Xcell, ranked 22. Our girls finished them off in straight sets as well. During the next break, the Myrtle Beach team played the second-highest-ranked team in our pool, a team from just north of Charlotte. They lost the first set 17-25 but won the second set 25-22. They dropped the third set 13-15, and I found myself thinking that if a team we beat 25-12, 25-9 took a set from the team from Charlotte, we shouldn’t have too much trouble with them.

After another game, our girls faced off against them, the two undefeated teams in the pool. The first set was close for the first ten points each or so, but then our girls started pulling away and ended up winning 25-19.

The second set, our girls started falling apart a little, and then a lot. Soon, they were down 6-13. K was watching a stream of the game from home, and she went to the laundry room to do some work. Our girls decided to get some work done as well and went on a 10-1 run. From that amazing 16-14 comeback, they just kept plowing ahead, winning in the end 25-20. That means from 6-13 to the final 25-20 result, our girls went on a 19-7 run.

So they were the only undefeated team in the pool. They’ll start tomorrow in the early afternoon.

And the shocker: I decided not to take a camera today and simply enjoy the moments.

Small lake (that I never noticed) behind the complex
Mystery building with mystery chairs near the tournament complex

Spring Sunday

Sunday 10 March 2024

Today was such lovely weather that we knew we had to head to our favorite park for a walk. The plan was to head out after lunch. It would just be K, E, and I because L was out all day, working and completing various obligations.

It’s just the three of us more and more often, which is understandable: the Girl is about to finish her junior year of high school, and she’s increasingly independent. She’s always been independent, but with a car, a job, and social life, K and I sometimes worry that she might be a little too independent.

Just before lunch, though, plans changed: E’s close friend invited him over for the afternoon.

“So I guess it’s just the two of us,” K said.

We’re used to that, in theory, but we’ve been a four of us for so long that it’s a distant memory more than anything else.

A distant memory that’s becoming an ever-nearing future.

After the walk, K and I spend some time in the yard. She trimmed the roses and hedges; I mowed the lawn for the first time this year.

All in all, a perfect little Sunday.

Orlando Return

Monday 4 March 2024

The girls spent the weekend in Orlando at the — guess! You’ll never guess — Sunshine Qualifier volleyball tournament, and K was sending me pictures the whole time, but I neglected to post them here.

“This might be the last time you’re here,” L told K when K was talking about all the food options there, “so enjoy it!”

Last time K is there? Well, I am taking her to Nationals in Orlando in June, but what about next year?

Truth be told, this might very well be the last club season for us. If L doesn’t get a volleyball-based scholarship, there will be very little motivation to spend the time and money next year. Does this mean she’s giving up on her dream? Not really—academic scholarships have always been more likely (the girl is ranked 11 in a class of 400+ students) and she’s never experienced anything other than success in school. I think her lowest grade of high school is a 94 or 95.