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Orlando 4

Wednesday 22 June 2022 | 0 Comments

Our first experience with nationals is now over. The Girl's team finished 124th place out of 200+ teams. That's not great, but it's not terrible.

It represents the end of a strange volleyball season, one of several ups and downs, thrills and disappointments. The Girl improved a lot, both in her sense of court real estate (knowing and moving around the area of the court in a smart, effective manner) and ball handling.

The end of this year brings a bit of sadness with it, as do all endings. In this case, it's due to the fact that it's very unlikely these girls will play together again. Everyone will be going their separate ways from here. Since they don't go to high school together, they'll probably be opponents if they're on the volleyball court again.

So the third year of L's club play is officially behind us, and what lies ahead? The Girl has big hopes, big dreams. She wants to come back to nationals and win it -- or at least place in the top ten. She wants to play college ball, using her academic success with her academic skill to work her way through college.

In the end, though, the true friendships, whether among players or their families, will always last.

Orlando 3

Tuesday 21 June 2022 | 0 Comments

Another day, more games, more frustration. It's tough watching the girls not doing their best, but there's something admirable in their effort, no doubt.

Orlando 2

Monday 20 June 2022 | 0 Comments

Day 2 in Orlando didn't go quite as well as day 1. We have two more days, but the girls have a bit of a hole to dig about out of tomorrow. The girls are capable of it. It's really just more of a question of will, perhaps. Or maybe there's more going on.

Orlando 1

Sunday 19 June 2022 | 0 Comments

Today was a mixed bag for the girls in their first days at nationals. They lost two and won one, but they should really be able to compete with a lot of the teams here. They didn't get their butts kicked: instead, they got outplayed a little and kicked their own butts with silly errors that gave their opponents too many free gifts.

The Girl got some really big hits, and she got at least one monster hit that shot like a bullet to the back corner, the sound of the contact still echoing when the ball hit the court. It was a great hit.

The Boy discovered the joys of riding up an escalator and back down and back up and back down and back up and back down.

Spartanburg Tournament Day 2

Sunday 15 May 2022 | 0 Comments

Yesterday was tough; today was a little better. At least they won a set. "Look at this way," said a friend, "it can only get better."

Losing builds character, but I think we've built enough character this week.

10

Saturday 14 May 2022 | 0 Comments

The Boy -- 10 years old today. A decade of the Boy. Double digits.

In the morning, we had his breakfast of choice: bacon, eggs, and cinnamon rolls. Healthy choices. In the evening, dinner too was his choice: crab legs and shrimp.

After cheese cake and ice cream, he and I went to the local guitar store to spend all his present money in one shot:

A third guitar -- a bass.

The Girl and I spent the afternoon at a tournament only half an hour away -- quite a change.

She'd probably rather not talk about that, though. Let's just say it didn't go as well as the team was hoping.

Previous Years

Happy Mess Day

Second Time Around

Third Party

Celebration Day

Birthday

Fifth Birthday Party

Sports and Ice Cream

Seventh Birthday

Day 60: Eighth Birthday

Nine

Caving and Volleyball

Sunday 24 April 2022 | 0 Comments

The Boy and I went on a one-of-a-kind Scouting adventure this weekend: we spent the evening rambling around an enormous cave system, then spent the night in said cave.

We all met in the parking lot around six, gear in hand, all excited, with the adults (well, speaking for myself anyway) a little anxious about how all the details might work out.

Our first stop -- our camp location. It was an enormous room, with a relatively high ceiling and a length probably five times or more its width.

After we dropped off our belongings, it was time to explore. We had what's called a wild tour, which mean we got to go to places most tourists don't see and crawl through passages and openings that left us covered in clay and dirt.

Finally, it was bedtime. It was then that the fun began: the echoing snores; the footfalls that reverberated throughout the cave as people plodded to the bathroom; and a whole host of mysterious noises.