November 2020

            November feels like forever ago as we are halfway to Christmas in December as I write this, but it was very exciting with a championship for Allison’s 4^th grade team along with a quiet Thanksgiving at home.   

 

            Allison’s team won 4 games on consecutive days to win the 4^th grade city championship.  To say she and her friends were excited is an understatement, but the pictures help display that. They had lost one game all year and got to play the team they lost to in the semi-finals of the tournament.  They won the semi-final game 11-7 and the final game 15-13.  Both games were against teams that were very well coached and had some very good players, but our defense was pretty solid and kept them away from the basket.  Needless to say, the other coach and I were ready for a break after a very busy season and then 4 straight tournament games.   

 

            Thanksgiving weekend was very low-key.  We enjoyed some steaks on Thanksgiving and traded one to the Sniadecki’s for some turkey for the girls who wanted the traditional meal. We decorated for Christmas over the weekend and finished up our fall yard clean-up.   

 

            Our school went eLearning on 11/23 but that wasn’t an issue for Sarah who was home for about a week before that since she had to quarantine after sitting next to another student at school who tested positive.  The girls have been doing well and we all have our separate desks in the house.  This round of eLearning is much better with a firm schedule and the classes are live for most of the day, which makes it easier to schedule our work meetings.  We are currently home until January, but are waiting to see what day we hope to go back.   

              

Sarah’s Things of the Month  

            Sarah had another game in her Cathedral league before they cancelled the season due to COVID.  In her 2^nd game, the other team had a really good player that I had Sarah guarding every time she was in.  On they way home, she was crying because the “really good tall girl kept guarding her and daddy made me guard her.”  I never thought I had to explain that the reason I did that was because she was playing the best defense, so we had to have a talk about that.  Because her Cathedral league was cancelled, we signed her up for basketball lessons at IBA to work on some dribbling, passing and shooting skills. Also, Sarah was very excited because she went to the eye doctor this month and it was decided that she needed glasses when looking at things far away.  Finally, Sarah got to participate in her First Reconciliation with Fr. Todd this month.  She came out with a big smile and I can only wonder what she confessed.   

 

Allison’s Thing of the Month  

             Allison is currently signed up for playing another basketball league with her friends and that will be coached by 2 other parents.  She is getting ready and excited about her hopeful volleyball season starting in December.  Also, since we signed Sarah up for basketball lessons at IBA, we did the same for Allison since they are at the same times.    

 

A few more items from this month: 

• Mom gave us an early Christmas present.  She gave us a Solo Stove for some outdoor fires.  It is great and we have already used it several times with neighbors, family & friends, trying to be outside and stay safe.   
• Frank, Jan, Chris and Beth stopped by on Frank’s birthday and we say outside and shared some laughs.  It was good to see Frank and Jan before they were off to warmer weather for the winter.  
• Deb has picked up a new skill on her girl’s nights out where she has been making a lot of crafts.  Anything from designing t-shirts to pillows or engraving on cups and mugs, it really is impressive what she and her friends have been able to design and create.   
• On one of those girl’s nights, I invited Brandon, Lawton and Tom over for some pizza, beer and euchre.  The girls went to bed and had a hard time sleeping because they said we were too loud, which isn’t surprising.  
• We went to Binkley’s for a birthday party for Michelle Foutz.  It was good to catch up with everyone there and be out of the house.  Deb and I went to Lucianas for dinner before as we thought it was going to be warmer than it was so we sat outside, but ate quickly as it got colder as the sun went down!   
• We enjoyed one last neighborhood happy hour before the weather got colder.  The Sipes invited everyone over to sit outside and enjoy a warmer Friday evening in November.   
  
  

October 2020

October was pretty busy with a lot of basketball, a little cross-country and tennis along with a trip to Florida.

  We went to Sanibel for Fall Break and it was a good opportunity to take a trip and make things seem as normal as possible.

 

            We flew out on Saturday, Oct 17^th to Florida and that went pretty well with the small exception that we avoided all restaurants in the airport and didn’t take any snacks or drinks on the plane.  After going to the grocery store, we arrived at our condo and went straight to the beach.  Our trip had 4 very different types of days at the beach before we flew home on Thursday.  First day was sunny and awesome, until the tide came in and brought in hundreds of jelly fish.  I can’t understate how many jelly fish we saw.  Needless to say, we stayed on the beach and eventually retreated to the pool.  The second day was rainy all day, but we did have a few breaks to go look for some shells and see a nice sunset.  The third day was cloudy but warm, so we enjoyed a fun day at the beach after seeing only a few jelly fish. The fourth day was very windy, but dry so we stayed at the beach most of the day.  We went out to eat 2 times, taught the girls how to play shuffleboard, had fun playing games at the pool and beach along with enjoying the evenings in our condo on our deck.   

   

            Another dad and I have been coaching Allison’s team this year and this is our 3^rd season coaching this group of girls.  They are a very talented team and have only lost one game, but their competitiveness and personalities have really pushed both of us coaches at times.  I have to adjust my expectations and remember we are dealing with 4^th graders.  We have 10 girls which makes it really challenging to keep everyone engaged during practice and it is difficult to divide up playing time.  I think we have done a good job, but it is just in my personality to continue to find things I could do better or maybe second-guess some decisions.  Allison has gotten much better this year and has been the point guard when she is in the game.  Her dribbling has improved and her awareness of the court has gotten better as the year has gone along.  

 

            Halloween was a little different this year, but it was expected.  We didn’t have our normal pizza party for our neighborhood, but we did have some neighbors we play with and go to our school over to our house to have some pizza.  All candy was distributed with distance and the girls enjoyed running around filling up their bags.  Everyone had a good time and I’m glad we were able to keep up that tradition.    

              

Sarah’s Things of the Month  

            Sarah and 15 of her classmates signed up for a basketball league at Cathedral.  We divided them into 2 teams of 8 and Sarah had improved her basketball skills a lot since last year. She is a lot more aggressive, going for rebounds and playing very good defense.  Sarah also enjoyed an evening at the zoo with her brownie troop.  We also had Sarah’s PT conference this month and she received some very good grades and comments from her teacher.  Sarah is still playing tennis at IRC and seems to be enjoying it, but likes it more when she has her friends from school in her class!   

 

Allison’s Thing of the Month  

             Cross-country ended this year with Allison’s 34 Girls team winning the city championship.  The girls in her grade ran very well and enjoyed getting a trophy for their school.  We had Allison’s PT conference his month and she is receiving some very good grades and behaves well, with the occasional speaking out or talking with friends during class.  

 

A few more items from this month: 

• Beth and I have continued to get together when we can, depending on both of our schedules.  
• We got a chance to see Frank, Jan, Chelsea and Chris a few times throughout the month.  It was good to see them before they were traveling again.   
• I met up with Adam and Kevin from my Hurco days for a few beers one evening.  It was good to catch up with them and see what has been going.   
• While Sarah was at the zoo with Debbie, Allison and I went out to eat at La Piedad.  She decided to order a taco with a side of fries, which caused the waiter to laugh but she got what she wanted.   
• Debbie went over to Diane’s house for a girl’s night before we went on our trip to Florida.   
• We had one of our favorite sitters and her fiancé over for dinner in late October.  They surprised the girls and asked them to be flower girls in their wedding in 2022.  The girls were pretty excited and my only comment was that they may not be as cute as they are now in 2 years.  
  
  
  
  
  

September 2020

September 2020 

            You can tell we have some sort of normalcy in our lives as I’m once again halfway into October and just now sitting down to write this for September.  Between kickball, tennis, cross-country and basketball, we usually have to have one of the girls at a practice or game just about every day of the week.   

 

            The girls have continued to be physically in school for the entire month of September and it would seem that the protocols and efforts of the teachers & administrators are working to keep the kids safe.  Their first trimester grades were very good, but we are starting to see a little bit of struggle from them on some math problems.  It is OK to struggle a little bit and we are trying to work with them as they did miss being in school for the last 2 months of the year so they are spending some time catching up.   

 

            In regards to the activities, kickball ended shortly after Labor Day and Allison switched right into basketball.  I’m coaching that team along with Tony Bultinck.  We coached this group of girls last year in another league, so we are hoping to continue to get better.  Both girls have continued to run cross-country, having fun at practices along with enjoying the meets on Saturdays.  They both have improved this year and set new personal records.  Finally, Sarah has continued playing tennis on Tuesdays with some of her friends at the IRC.   

 

Sarah’s Things of the Month  

            Sarah is now officially a “Brownie” after being a “Daisy” the last 2 years.  She enjoys doing her scouting activities with her friends.    

 

Allison’s Thing of the Month  

             Allison got some new lenses this month at her eye appointment.  She can see much better and we expect her vision to continue to adjust as she gets older.  Allison’s class lead mass and Allison was asked to do a reading. She did a great job. 

 

A few more items from this month: 

• Beth and I have continued to get together when we can. It hasn’t been as often as it was during the summer months, but we have a good time whenever we can find the time.   
• I went to Jeremy’s house to help him remove his deck during the Colts vs. Vikings game.  We made some good progress, had some beers and watched the game.   
• Mom came into town for a visit and came over to watch the Colts game and had dinner.  We sat outside and enjoyed the fall afternoon.   
• Chris, Mark, Beth and Mom came over for the opening night of NFL football.  We put the TV outside and enjoyed catching up.   
• We dressed up in our best 80’s outfits and when to a 40^thbirthday party for Diane Steffey.  The weather was awesome outside and it was great to see everyone. 
• We have continued to have few neighborhood happy hours on Fridays after school is out.  The kids love to end the week playing while the adults enjoy a few drinks and completing another week.   
• Gareth, Brian, John and I were able to get an evening on the calendar so we could have a few beers at Brian’s.  We sat out back around a fire and talked about how everyone was doing since we hadn’t seen each other since June.   
  Cross country pics below credit goes to our talented friend Kent Campbell!