Anyone Else Have Photos??

Okay, Family... I've started the ball rolling!!

Now I'm encouraging everyone to take the time and upload all your photos from Tortola!

I can't wait to see!!!

AZ

Re: california update

Nice stories. Keep up the good work. I'm finally retired from coaching this season. I'm enjoying watching from the sidelines. A little more stressful since I have no control over what happens on the field. Drew made varsity and was the starting sweeper. He has since been moved to outside fullback and is the first one off the bench. Hopefully as the season progresses he'll find his way to outside halfback where he belongs. At least he made varsity. His first real game is today at 3:45. I can't wait.

Lauren is trying out for her soccer team at school today, she's actually trying out for goalie and defense. So it looks like I'll be spending the fall at the soccer fields as usual.

We leave for Villanova this weekend for parent's weekend. Kaity seems to be doing OK. She had a date with an engineer last weekend and she said he was a nice guy. We'll see what develops.

Talk to you later. Ted

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california update

Well, summer is nearing an end, and that means the start of soccer season again! But... before we say goodbye to summer, I'd like to record a milestone for Grace and a summer poem by Daniel.

 

Grace and I went to the local pool last week and she declared that she wanted to do a flip off the board, having seen her brother do one a week earlier. So she went up to the board, walked to the end, bounced ever so slightly, jumped and did a 3/4 flip: ended up flat on her back and you could hear the smack from a good distance. She tried again... about 3 or 4 times with similar but not quite as painful results. Eventually, she had enough and we went into the 5' deep section of the pool. There, I launched her from my hands a few times until she got the hang of flipping off of my hands. Each time she did a flip off of my hands, she would break the surface and immediately sing out "Ding Ding!" Of course, I gave her a bit of upward and "flipping" momentum, but she got the sense of how fast she needed to go to be able to land on her feet. Then, we moved on to other games until Melanie and Daniel showed up from one of his soccer games. She immediately got out of the pool and declared she wanted to do a flip off the diving board. "This I gotta see" said Daniel.

 

So Grace walks slowly up to the end of the board and a small audience paused to see her try again (Her flips off of my hands got quite a few parents trying to do the same with their similar-aged kids). She walks to the end, bounces ever so slightly and flips: sticking it perfectly; landed right on her feet! It was pretty cool! Even Daniel was impressed - and supportive. She broke the surface and sang out "Ding Ding!"

 

SO... she's got that goin' for her, too... which is nice.

 

Other news: her soccer team, after today's battle against a team that had three of her classmates, is still undefeated. Grace scored a goal: kicked it through the goalie's legs at point blank range. In fact, 7 of the 11 girls have now scored goals in just two games. Looks to be a good season. This is my 10th season coaching (if you count Winter, Spring and Fall as 3 seasons, which i do because they're always different kids), but the first with Grace. So... I gave my 3-P's speech, as usual, at the beginning of the season: "There are three things you need to focus on: Passing, Positions, and Passion..." Now, the boys at this age would look at you kind of funny, and ask you what "Passion" means. After you tell them that it basically means you gotta want to win if you're gonna win, they nod their heads and say... yeah ok; obvious. The girls... also ask what passion means (I guess they don't teach that word in 1st grade). After you tell them, they look at you and say (I swear, 3 or 4 of them did say it) "Why do you want to win?" Well, as their record shows, we got past that, and they're havin' a blast.

 

Daniel's in a competitive traveling league, and his team is not faring as well. They tied today; so far they are 1-2-1 for the season. Could have won today, but had a goal called back for a dubious pushing call against the guy who scored during a breakaway. Daniel, playing halfback, almost cost his team the game as he dragged down an opponent who was on a breakaway with minutes to go. Even though it was clearly out of the 18 (it was in the semi-circle), they gave the other team a PK, which fortunately the good guys stopped. So, at the end of the day, maybe he saved his team from losing. (As Mick wrote in a recent post, the apple doesn't fall far from the tree!)

 

Finally, our boy has had one of his poems he wrote last spring published in Anthology of Poetry by Young Americans, 2006 Ed, Vol XCVIII, p 167. He submitted it following a suggestion by his 5th grade teacher . Reminding me of a long-ago summer evening in Chicago, here it is:

                       

                                       FIREFLIES

 

While I walk through tree and flush

I see a field while passing by

And then they rise with light of such

Like air it fills the entire sky.

And while I watch I'm struck by awe

By all the golden lights I saw.

 

And as sky is filled with light

They dance like stars with sudden vigor

As moon is down this summer night

I must watch and linger.

As fifty leagues are filled with them

Infinite specks rise rise from their den.

 

And as I lie back and and watch them all

From which all good things must be wrought

To think if all of them would fall

I pause and wonder in pensive thought.

And here our sure friend lies

In this giant world of fireflies.

 

Daniel J. Zdeblick Age: 11

 

Re: another test

melanie chose that book for our next book club book, so I guess we'll be reading it as well. Actually, melanie already finished and enoyed it; whe's recommending if for Daniel, but I don't know if he'll bite.

 

The current book club selection is about the Lewis and Clark expedition. I'm enjoying that one, but wouldn't call it one of my favorites.

mark

 

another test

I'm with you, Marianne. Tomorrow is "wear your watch on the other arm" day.  Keeps your brain young..right, Nick?

I'm wearing my pirate girl t-shirt with a demin jacket today and feeling quite caribbean. Thinking of all my pirate girl sisters today.

I'm recommending a book to read.  I just read The Omnivore's Dilema.  Fred gave me a quick review in Tortola.  I'm so glad that I read it!  Thanks, Fred. I enjoyed it for so many reasons.   Very well written.  It's about food!   It's about how our food gets to our table. What the hidden costs of what we eat are.  How we can make better decisions about what we eat.  Why we grow so much corn and how much oil is required to grow  it.  What free-range chickens are about...and is choosing organic always a better choice?  It's a really good read. It would be a good family read, if you're interested.

Thinking of all of you
in my head...
now.

Aunt Joy

Re-Location!!!

Hey Fam!

As a new resident of the state of Georgia, I've decided to compose this blog post in the font of 'georgia'....ok, it's a little weird, but that's me -- a little weird.

Well, it's official. I've left the nest. It comes with great reservation, but, as an almost-25-year-old, I had to face it. It was time. (Please check in with my parents, they may have differing opinions on the timing of it all). BUT I've got great friends/roommates to build a home with, and some very promising leads on jobs. It's all been a bit chaotic, but the dust will settle around me soon. At least the driving portion of my move is over!! Trust me: a 14.5 hour drive down I-75, alone, with a queen size mattress strapped onto the roof of the Jeep and boxes piled so high in the back that the rear view mirror was not an option as a navigation tool. My dad called it 'a milestone towards adulthood', but I was hoping maybe I could slip by that milestone!! It honestly wasn't SO bad, no traffic, only moderate rain. However, I did start to scare myself when I began having conversations WITH myself -- refering to me as "WE"!!! (ie. "We're so close", "We're gonna be there soon", "We should stop and get gas soon")

So, I have a new snail mail address. If anyone has tendency to send postcards or floral deliveries, I'd be happy to email it to you. Keep in touch, and plan to visit!!

Love you all,
AZ