2012

Sunday, January 6th, 2013

I am going to make this short today... I have a lot of updates that I have added today, but they are all 2012 related. I will be updating the site again very shortly with some of 2013's activities, so I am not going to add a lot of commentary today. In the meantime, check out the Current Events page for all of the "New" or "Update!" icons for all of the new pictures!

Tuesday, December 11th, 2012

Christmas is rapidly approaching, and last minute plans are taking place in our household. 2012 has been a busy year for all of us, as we have attended over 130 sporting events (games) for the kids, not to mention countless practices (easily over 200 between all four kids). All this on top of school activities, recitals, and so many other things that I can barely wrap my head around it all. Thank goodness I have such an amazing wife, who has been able to take care of everything on her own while I have been stuck on second shift for the past 6 months... with no immediate end in sight, unfortunately.

We have been blessed to do many wonderful things this past year aside from the kids sporting activities, including going to some amazing automotive events (the NAIAS auto show, the Woodward Dream Cruise, and Back to the Bricks chief among them), we have gone sledding as a family, attended the Sportsfest together, we spent the day together at Camp Tamarack, and we spent a day wandering downtown Ann Arbor together. We went camping as a family more than once, and we made the 5-mile walk across the Mackinac Bridge together. We had boys nights out at the Pistons game and the Red Wings games this year while the girls spent some quality time together as well. We spent time with good friends at the Fourth of July parade, playing in the sand at the Warren Dunes, and watching the nighttime Jinglefest parade. We went to Cedar Point, ran races, and volunteered for good causes. Just an amazing 12 months with 5 of the most amazing people I know. Thank you all... I love you.

With that out of the way, time to move on to the updates for this week. It starts with Samantha's final indoor soccer game of 2012, another loss for her La Forza team. You can get a game recap and pictures by clicking on Samantha's Soccer on the Current Events page. With all of the troubles her team has experienced this year, Tara & I are exploring options for her for next summer. We won't yank her from the team midway through the year, as tempting as that is. She has attended a few practices for another local team, and there is already a noticeable difference in both her play and in the way the two teams operate - a positive difference. As much as we like La Forza, it may be time to move on.

The next addition is from Tyler's Cage basketball team. They played in, and lost, their final three regular season games of the "regular season" before next weekends playoffs get underway. Go to Tyler's Basketball on the Current Events page for pictures and game recaps. It is always a struggle for this team, as none of the players are really dedicated to basketball full time as some of the other teams are. Needless to say it is a good opportunity for them to get some conditioning and experience before tryouts begin just after the new year. Here is hoping the best for Tyler, that his hard work pays off and he makes the team!

I have also added two sets of pictures from Jayden's birthday celebrations, as our baby turned six this past week! She will be having a big party with all of her family and friends on the 16th, but in the meantime she got a chance to celebrate with her classmates at school and her family at home on the night of her birthday. On the Current Events page, click on Jayden's Birthday to see the photos.

The final addition this week is the schedule for Drew's hockey Jamboree at the Polar Palace in Lapeer on Saturday, December 15th. Feel free to join us if you are in the area! The schedule can be found on the Current Events page by clicking on Drew's Hockey.

Tuesday, December 4th, 2012

Well, as much as I enjoyed the long Thanksgiving weekend, we are now in a stretch of 4+ weeks of nothing but work (except weekends, of course). I sure got used to all those days off - every month should be that way!

We had a busy weekend this last Saturday and Sunday. We had major conflict Saturday morning, as Tyler, Samantha, and Drew all had activities going at the same time. We had to split up and get help from my parents to make it all work, but somehow we managed. Later in the day we joined up with a couple of our close family friends for a nighttime parade and dinner. Sunday was another busy day, as we had another basketball game to attend, some errands to complete, and some Christmas decorating to do.

Because of the activities we had, I have a few updates to share with you. First up is Tyler's three basketball games, which you can see by clicking on the Tyler's Basketball link on the Current Events page. His team went 1-2 in their games, but all three were good, close games. I also have Samantha's most recent soccer game added this week. You can find it by going to the Current Events page and clicking on Samantha's Soccer. Her team suffered another blowout loss, as most of the girls seemed to be a bit disinterested today. I don't have anything to add for Drew's hockey, as his was a practice and not a game. His Jamboree is coming up in a couple of weeks, so be sure to check back for that though! The final addition this week is of our time at the Fenton Jinglefest with friends. We saw a parade and fireworks, which you can see for yourself by clicking on the Christmas link on the Current Events page.

Tuesday, November 27th, 2012

I cannot begin to describe how great and refreshing it was for all six of us to have a long holiday weekend. Just the break from work and school is enough to rejuvenate us - almost to the point where we don't mind coming back... almost! We had a great Thanksgiving with both of our extended families before Tara & I headed out to do some Black Friday shopping (starting on Thursday, of course). Friday was kind of a down day after not sleeping at all Thursday night. Saturday was packed full of activities, including soccer and a birthday party. Sunday was productive, as we managed to find the perfect Christmas tree for our living room and set up one of the artificial trees in the den (something I've wanted to put in the big arched window since we owned the house - now that the room is no longer used as a bedroom, I finally get to do it!). Unfortunately for Tara & I the bliss came to an end on Monday, as it was time to head back to work. The kids got an extra reprieve however, as they didn't have school that day. Lucky buggers!

I have two updates today, the first of which is from Sam's soccer game on Saturday. Go to the Current Events page and click on Samantha's Soccer for pictures from her team's most recent game. The other update is from our tree searching expedition. You can click on Christmas on the Current Events page for those pictures.

Tuesday, November 20th, 2012

It is amazing how quickly everything you know can change. Like that one particular moment when you realize that your family thinks that you are a fuck-up (pardon my language, but since nobody ever really reads this I figured I could let one slide). One simple little comment can be enough to push someone back into a place that they have worked so hard to get out of, and it can never be taken back. Of course, sometimes life sucks that way, and we must push on and persevere.

I really am not in the mood to give a long write-up about what is new to the site today, so head on over to the Current Events page to find all of the new additions.

Wednesday, November 14th, 2012

I'm going to keep my update short again today...

I have four updates to the site, all sports related. First up was Samantha's fourth indoor soccer game of the season on Saturday. Taking place at the same time was Drew's fourth game session at hockey. Tyler's basketball team played in their first game of the season later that day, and had their second game on Sunday. All of the pictures and game recaps can be seen by going to the Current Events page and looking for the Update! icons.

Wednesday, November 7th, 2012

Short and sweet today... One new update, related to Samantha's most recent indoor soccer game. For all of the highlights and pictures, click on Samantha's Soccer on the Current Events page.

Friday, November 2nd, 2012

So, I was recently contacted by a large local company who had some interest in me for a position. I have talked to them a couple of times now, including a phone interview, and so far things look at least a little promising. No telling where this will lead, but just knowing I've made it this far is pretty exciting. Keep your fingers crossed for me!

Now, on to the updates. As you may have noticed, Halloween recently took place. I only knew this based on the dramatic increase of candy wrappers all over the house. Kidding! Anyway, I have two sets of pictures from this years Halloween activities, all of which can be seen by going to the Current Events page and clicking on Halloween, of course.

I have also added a set of pictures from Samantha's La Forza soccer team's second indoor game of the fall, which ended in a 3-3 draw. Go to Samantha's Soccer on the Current Events page and follow the Update! icons until you see the New Game 2 icon.

I have also started a new section for Tyler's basketball exploits. He and some of his classmates are participating in a fall warm-up session of games at the Cage Fieldhouse in preparation for the 8th grade tryouts at school. I really don't have any information at this time, except that he is playing. Once I get a schedule, I will share it with everyone here!

Monday, October 29th, 2012

Despite being on this terrible shift for nearly four months now I don't think that it is getting any easier for me... if anything it is getting harder. I don't get to see Tara or the kids for more than a few minutes five days a week, and on the weekends we are so busy with the kids sports and trying to keep up with the house updates and everything else under the sun that we don't get to spend the time together that we would like as a family then either. It is a vicious, never ending cycle that I don't think that I can take much longer.

Enough of my feelings, it is time to move on to the stuff that matters! The updates! I have one update and two additions to the site to share with you this week. First, the update. Tyler and his 8th grade football team played their final game of the season last week, and for most of the kids it couldn't have come soon enough. Despite starting out the year on a positive note, things quickly went south the rest of the year. Like the previous four games the boys lost this one too. Once again I was unable to attend, so I'd like to thank my mom for the pictures and Tara for the game description. Go to Tyler's Football on the Current Events page to see the information about this game.

There are two new additions this week as well. The first one of them is the addition of Samantha's Fall indoor soccer season. They started the first of their 8 games already, suffering a 4-0 loss. Sam played one half in goal, letting one shot past her on a breakaway. For more information on their first game and to see the entire schedule, go to Samantha's Soccer on the Current Events page and follow the "Updated" and "New" icons.

The other new addition to the site was a hockey jamboree that Drew and his Lapeer teammates played in on October 27th. He was scheduled to play four games but wound up playing six as one of the other teams needed an extra player. His team struggled mightily, but Drew had a lot of fun, even getting to play goaltender for two games! Go to Drew's Hockey on the Current Events page for more information about all of his games!

Monday, October 22nd, 2012

I am going to try to keep this short today, as my time to update things is running short today. I cannot be 100% sure that I will get the site updated again before Halloween, so I am going to take a moment to wish everyone a Happy Halloween and safe Trick-or-Treating!

I have three updates to share this time around. The first of those updates is the addition of Tyler's fifth football game of the season, and the first and only one that I got to see in person this year. While the outcome didn't come out the way we all wanted, it was great to get a chance to see him play in person regardless. You can see my pictures and read about the game by going to Tyler's Football on the Current Events page.

The next addition is a group of pictures from Jayden's first ever field trip, to Mitchell Farms on Friday, October 19th. Both Tara & I went along with her as chaperones, which was great as none of us get to spend much time together during the week any more. Go to Jayden's Field Trip on the Current Events page for more.

The final addition to the site is from the final game of the season for Samantha's La Forza soccer team. While the season didn't go exactly as we had hoped, Sam still showed lots of progress from last season. I am not sure where to pin the blame for the rough season - she has 8 new teammates and a new coach this year - but there is definitely a different vibe around the team than there was last year. Regardless of the outcome, Tara & I are proud of all the hard work that Sam has put in this season. To see more from this game, go to the Current Events page and click on Samantha's Soccer.

Monday, October 15th, 2012

Not a lot of time once again today, so I will only say that I have three things added to the site today. Check out the latest from Tyler's football, Drew's hockey, and Samantha's soccer by going to the Current Events page and looking for the Update! symbol.

Monday, October 8th, 2012

My spare time to update the site today is winding down, to I will make this short and sweet...

The first of my two updates to the site today is from Samantha's soccer game this past Saturday. After their first victory of the season the prior weekend the girls came out flat this weekend, losing their third game of the year. You can read more about the game and see a bunch of pictures by going to Samantha's Soccer on the Current Events page.

The second update is of my final Ambassador Program vehicle of the year, a 2012 Chevrolet Cruze. This was a small car that both Tara & I enjoyed driving, and the fill-ups were easy on the wallet! You can read my thoughts on the car and see some of the photos by going to the Current Events page and clicking on Ambassador Program.

Thursday, October 4th, 2012

I would like to take a moment to thank the woman that I love for 15 wonderful years of marriage. Tara - you have given me so many blessings throughout the years, and opened my eyes to what it meant to truly be happy. There isn't enough that I can say or do to properly thank you, but I want you to know that I will never stop trying. I love you more now than I ever have, and I am looking for to many more years together. Always. Forever. Completely.

OK, enough of the mushy stuff, on to the website stuff. I have two additions this week, which are once again sporting related. First up, Samantha's soccer team played their fifth game of the season, and finally broke through in the win column after they successfully rallied from 2 goals down to win their game 3-2. You can read more about their victory and see the pictures by clicking on Samantha's Soccer on the Current Events page.

The second update is for Tyler's third football game of the season. There isn't a positive spin to this story, however, as they lost their second game in a row, this time by a score of 22-0. There are a few pictures for you to view by going to the Current Events page and clicking on Tyler's Football.

Thursday, September 27th, 2012

Another week brings another round of updates, if for no other reason than I just don't want to fall even further behind!

Let's see... I have three different updates to share this week, two of which involves the kids sports. First, Samantha's soccer team played in their fourth game of the season this past Saturday. While they had been showing signs of progress in their previous three games, today's action proved to be a setback. The girls didn't seem as aggressive during this game as they had in the past, and their defense took a back seat. Needless to say it wasn't pretty, as reflected by the 7-3 score. You can read more about the action see pictures by clicking on Samantha's Soccer on the Current Events page. The other sports related update is courtesy of Tyler and his 8th grade football team. While Tyler didn't see the playing time that he would like, he did get on the field a few times. Unfortunately, despite keeping the score close throughout most of the game, they wound up losing their first game of the year to even their record at 1-1. You can find out more about the game and see some pictures of Tyler in action by going to the Current Events page and clicking on Tyler's Football.

The final addition is sports related as well, in a way, but not specifically to any of the kids. With the NHL on lockout, the teams need to do something to keep fans interested. The Detroit Red Wings opened up Joe Louis Arena for several open skating sessions. Tara was able to secure us a spot on the ice, so on Tuesday, September 25th, we took Drew and some friends to Detroit for our once in a lifetime opportunity to skate on the same rink that the professionals use. You can see a bunch of pictures by going to Joe Louis Skate on the Current Events page.

Thursday, September 20th, 2012

I am going to make this short and sweet today, since I just updated the site two days ago. You can check on the recent updates by going to the Update List page.

This time around I have added a story detailing Tyler's first football game of the year, although there are no pictures available for this particular game. Hopefully future games will have some to accompany the article, but no guarantees! You can read about his game by going to the Current Events page and then clicking on Tyler's Football.

I have also added two new wallpaper photos for you to enjoy. As you would imagine, they can be found on the Wallpapers page!

As is always the case, if it has been quite some time since your last visit to our site, please click on the Update List page. This is a listing of all of the updates that have been made this year in chronological order, allowing you to easily find anything you may have missed since your last visit. As always, please enjoy the site and come back often. Thanks for visiting!

Tuesday, September 18th, 2012

Things aren't getting any easier around the house, as more and more activities seem to get added to our plate and I am still not able to be there to help. All we can do is rely on family and friends, and try to make the best of it. I want to take a moment in advance to thank anyone and everyone who is able to help us out over the coming months as I hope and pray that there is a possibility that I get back on day shift soon! Thanks!

I have added four things to the site this time around, three of which are sets of photos and one of which is an addition to a camping page. Let's look at them one by one...

First up, I have added 18 new wallpapers to the site, all of which come from our extended Labor Day weekend visit to the St. Ignace area. Feel free to check them out and use them on your desktop if you are interested!

The next addition to the site is for Samantha's soccer team, and there are actually two of them this time around. First, Sam ran in a 5K race with several members of her team (and other La Forza teams as well). Second, her team played their third game of the season on Sunday, another draw, this time by a 3-3 score. You can both of these additions by going to the Current Events page and clicking on Samantha's Soccer.

The last picture addition to the site is also from last Sunday, and it involves our walk around the Ann Arbor/University of Michigan campus area. All of the kids seemed to enjoy this quiet time, and you can see what we did for yourself by clicking on Ann Arbor on the Current Events page.

Finally, I have added the journal from our camping trip in St. Ignace over Labor Day. It has taken me more time than I had planned, but almost everything does nowadays anyway! Go to Camping on the Current Events page to read about our activities.

Wednesday, September 13th, 2012

We are quickly zeroing in on three months since I have been on second shift, and I have to admit it hasn't gotten one bit easier. I feel like I die a little bit inside each and every time I have to drag myself in here. Well, I do have to admit that I was feeling that way a little bit already on day shift, but second shift has vastly accelerated my demise. I so need a new job, but from what I am seeing and the feedback I am getting I would have much better luck if I pursue my engineering degree (which I abandoned to get my BBA). I guess I really have no choice but to at least look into that and see where it leads me. I guess the only bit of good news I have to share work-wise is that I am the next person to get bumped back to days (unless a long time second shifter decides that they want to go to first shift for some reason - most of them won't, as they like the 5% shift premium far too much). Of course that may take until mid-December to happen, but at least I'd be guaranteed a merry Christmas if that was the case. Now that I've got the bitching off my chest, on to more important things...

I have a few updates to share with you today, the first of which involves Samantha's La Forza soccer team. Since my last update many moons ago her team has played in six games. While they have struggled at times, with a 1-4-1 record to date, they are showing signs of progress. This a new team, and I am not sure how many of the girls played competitive soccer before this year, so it will take some time for them to gel together. They played in the Powerade Invitational tournament to start the year, and went 1-3 there. They have also played two league games, and while they lost one and tied one, the combined score of the two games is 3-2, so it isn't as though they are far away from pulling out a victory. To see the pictures for these games, click on Samantha's Soccer on the Current Events page.

As we like to do before school starts, we took our almost annual camping trip to the St. Ignace area. We have been doing this trip since 2003, with a year or two missed here and there. Last year may have been our last miss, however! Once again we stayed at the St. Ignace KOA, and did the usual assortment of activities. I have added hundreds of pictures for you to see, and I will be adding the journal of our trip once I get it finalized. To see the pictures for now, go to Camping on the Current Events page and then click on St. Ignace.

The day after our camping trip ended school began for Tyler, Samantha, Drew, and this year, Jayden. They all managed to get up on time and make it to school without issue - although I doubt it will stay that way for the whole school year! You can see pictures of the kids before school (and of Jay in class) by clicking on First Day of School on the Current Events page.

The final addition for today is Tyler's football game schedule and pictures from his teams first scrimmage. He is playing second string on offense at this time at tight end, and on defense he is at defensive end (not sure if he is second or third string here). He seems a bit undersized to me to be playing on the defensive line, but I am not the coach... so what do I know? You can see the pictures and get the schedule by going to Tyler's Football on the Current Events page.

Until next time...

Wednesday, August 22nd, 2012

In less than two weeks, the kids will be back in school. While I am excited for them to be going back, I will also start to miss them dearly. As most of you are aware, I am on second shift. For me that means I don't get home until after midnight, and thus far I have had a difficult time getting to bed before 2:00am regularly. That means I will be getting some short nights of sleep if I want to see the kids at all during the school week (at least Tuesday through Friday). Thank goodness for weekends, when I will get a chance to spend some quality time with them... at least I hope to be able to make up for lost time that way.

I have a few updates from this past weekend to share with you. The vast majority of the updates all come from Saturday, August 18th, as that is classic car-lovers paradise day in this area, as both the Woodward Dream Cruise and the Back to the Bricks event take place. Dad, Drew, and I made it down to Woodward in the morning to enjoy that show, and then the entire family took some time looking at the cars parked on Saginaw Street in downtown Flint in the afternoon. You can see some of my favorite pictures from these two events by clicking on the Current Events page and looking for the Woodward Dream Cruise and the Back to the Bricks links. I have also added a wallpaper from the Back to the Bricks show to the Wallpapers page.

In the morning on that same day Tyler and Samantha volunteered to serve the circus crew that was in town for the day. Mom helps out with the library, and this is the second year that Tyler has helped out. Samantha decided to give it a shot this year as well. You can see a few of the pictures of them doing the dishes by clicking on Circus Helpers on the Current Events page.

The final addition to the site is a set of pictures from Tyler's 13th birthday party, held with family on August 19th. He got everything he wanted this year, so he was quite pleased. You can see pictures of his special day by going to the Current Events page and clicking on Tyler's 13th Birthday.

Friday, August 17th, 2012

I wish I could say that I was at home celebrating Tyler's 13th birthday, but instead I am stuck inside the windowless walls of my place of employment. What I wouldn't give to have a job where employee's are respected and valued instead of treated as just another number, and where I could work the hours that I desire someplace where I can see the light of day. Well, at least I got to see him this morning before I came in to work... once school starts, I will have to get up at the crack of dawn (or predawn in the winter) to see him for a brief few minutes before he leaves for school, and that will be it for the day. Thank goodness there are weekends!

I have quite a few updates to share with you this time. I have added 14 new wallpapers to the website that you can use as you see fit, all of which you can find on the Wallpapers page. I have also added a new set of photos and a journal from our most recent overnight "camping trip" at Forester Park on August 11th and 12th. You can find these by clicking on the Camping link on the Current Events page, and then clicking on Deckerville II. The next addition is of several photos that Tara took while taking the kids to the car show in town. You can see these pictures by clicking on the Holly Car Show link, also on the Current Events page. Finally, Samantha's soccer team has released their schedule for the upcoming fall season, which you can see by clicking on Samantha's Soccer on the Current Events page.

Wednesday, August 8th, 2012

Man, this summer is flying by! It is hard to believe, but we have another birthday coming up in just over a week, as Tyler turns 13! And shortly after that, the dreaded time of year for the kids - the start of school. This is normally celebration time for Tara & I, but with me being on second shift this becomes a dreaded time of year for me as well... once school starts I will have to get up at the crack of dawn to see the kids for 15 minutes a day. Thank goodness for weekends!

Enough whining about work, on to the important stuff... updates! I have one major update to share this time around, and it involves our first camping trip of the year. I was really hoping this would be the year that we would get out more with the camper, but the home renovations have become a priority. This meant that our first trip was to Deckerville for the annual Homecoming extravaganza and I have added all of the pictures from our trip to the site for your enjoyment, in addition to my journal. Please click on the Current Events page and then on Camping for the pictures, and please don't hesitate to share with me your thoughts!

Tuesday, July 31st, 2012

Another week has gone by, so that must mean that it is time for another update! I have two to share with you this week, starting with the addition of 6 new wallpapers. I finally went back and sorted through some photos to see if I had any that were wallpaper-worthy, and these were the ones that I deemed appropriate. Feel free to check them out on the Wallpapers page!

I have also added four pages worth of photos from the 2012 edition of the Warrior Dash, which Tara, Tyler, and I competed in this past Saturday, on the 28th of July. This was the second dash for Tara & I, but it was Tyler's first. We all had a great time competing, and have already signed up to do it all over again next year, this time with Samantha at our side! You can see all of these photos by going to the Current Events page and then clicking on Warrior Dash.

Tuesday, July 24th, 2012

Well, the weeks aren't getting any easier. With me being on second shift Tara and I are limited in the time that we get to spend together, which is compounded by the work we having going on at the house and our busy schedule with the kids and other assorted activities.

We did manage to squeeze in a couple of fun things this past weekend, however, one of which was LONG overdue. First, we got up bright and early Saturday morning and headed to Warren Dunes State Park for a day of relaxing at the beach and hiking the dunes. This was great fun, and I have added four pages of pictures to be enjoyed to the site today. Go to the Current Events page and click on the Warren Dunes link to see our adventure.

Second, and this is the way late activity, was Samantha's 11th birthday party. Thank goodness she is such a wonderful, understanding, forgiving kid, because we were only 6 1/2 weeks late in making this happen for her. You can see the pictures from her special day by clicking on Samantha's 11th Birthday on the Current Events page.

Tuesday, July 17th, 2012

I have a couple of updates to share with everyone this time around...

First, I have added some pictures from our dinner at the Vinsetta Garage in Berkley on July 7th. It was a great meal in a great atmosphere, and you can experience it through us by visiting the Vinsetta Garage link on the Current events page.

The second and final addition this time around is a set of pictures from the latest vehicle I got to borrow through the use of the Ambassador Program at work. We had a Chevrolet Equinox LTZ for the weekend, and enjoyed this car small crossover very much. You can see it for yourself by clicking on Current Events and then on the Ambassador Program link.

Tuesday, July 10th, 2012

That's what I get for bragging about two updates in a week, the last of which was on June 23rd. Here it is, two and a half weeks later, and I am finally managing to post another update. This time I'll keep my mouth shut about when the next one will be coming!

I have a ton of updates and additions to the site and not a lot of time to discuss them, so I will just leave it up to you to discover what is new. I recommend that you visit the Update List page to see all of the updates since your last visit. If you have checked out the site recently, head straight to the Current Events page and look for all of the "New" and "Updated" icons in the website list. Most of all, enjoy the pictures!

Saturday, June 23rd, 2012

Well, what do you know...? Two updates in one week! If anything good has come out of my move to second shift (and really, nothing has), it is that I get some free time at work to keep the website updated. That, and my renewed focus on searching for a new job. That is all, though.

It has only been 5 days, but I have already missed four of Tyler's basketball games, two of Samantha's baseball games, Sam's soccer awards picnic, one of Drew's baseball games, and one of Jayden's baseball games. Next week things will get worse, as Tyler finishes out his season with four more basketball games and Sam's baseball team starts their playoffs. Oh well, the things we do to earn a living sometimes.

Let's move on to some more positive topics. I have three page updates to share with you this time around, and two completely new additions to the site.

As you may have already guessed, the updates all relate to the kids sports. As I already stated, Tyler has played in four games this week, two of which I had posted on Wednesday, and two more that I have added this time around. Although he lost both games, the team is starting to show signs of progress being made. To see the game summaries and pictures, click on the Tyler's Basketball link on the Current Events page.

Sam's soccer team held their annual awards picnic at Silver Lake Park in Fenton on Thursday evening, and although there were periods of rain everything went off without a hitch. Sam and her teammates were given their La Forza medals as well as their First Place trophies for winning their division with a 7-0-1 record. Congratulations to all of the girls! Tara was only able to take a couple of pictures of the festivities, but you can see them and Sam's awards by clicking on the Samantha's Soccer link on the Current Events page.

Sam's baseball team played their final regular season game of the year since my last update, and I have that for you today as well. Go to the Current Events page and click on Samantha's Baseball to see all of the details of this game.

I forgot a couple of additions to the site as I rushed to get things updated on Wednesday, so I went back and added them this time around. The first addition is a biggie - 128 pictures of Samantha's experience at Camp Tamarack on June 5th-7th. She was so excited to be able to celebrate her 11th birthday at camp this year! Unfortunately for her, with all that has been going on around home this year that has been her only celebration so far. I promise you, kiddo, that you will have your day! Anyway, back to the camp addition... I have added not only a bunch of pictures from our time at camp (I was a chaperone), but I have also added my journal as well. I am sure it is way more detail than many (or all) of you want to read, but it is there for your perusal if you so choose. All you have to do is go to the Current Events page and click on Camp Tamarack!

Finally, I have added some pictures of the brief amount of time that we spent at the End of Year Celebration at Samantha and Drew's school. This event fell on the same day as the ending of camp, and both Sam and Tyler had practices that night in different locations. We managed to work it out so that Tara could stay and enjoy the festivities with Drew and Jay, but she wasn't interested in keeping the camera and taking pictures for me! You can check out the photos that I took before leaving by clicking on End of Year Celebration on the Current Events page.

Oh, I almost forgot to mention three very important updates! Since they are all related, I will post them all together here. I finally got around to scanning the league pictures taken way back on opening day, May 5th! You can now go to Samantha's Baseball, Drew's Baseball, and Jayden's Baseball to see their official league photos!

Wednesday, June 20th, 2012

It just goes to show you that just when I say I am doing my best to keep the website up to date I take almost a full month to post another update! So much has been going on around our house that I just haven't had the time or energy to devote to it lately. One of the biggest reasons I have found the time now is that I have been bumped to second shift, which is the worst possible thing for me, Tara, and the kids. It does provide me with some time at work to do some things on my own, such as the website, but it also prevents me from helping out and attending all of the kids events that I would like to do. Oh well, no use crying over it (any more). There is nothing I can do about it, so I might as well try and make the best of it.

Speaking of making the best of it, Tara and I are hoping that this will truly motivate me to get out there and look for a better job. It may require some sacrifices by all of our family, but it certainly won't be worse than the sacrifice we are making now! Wish me luck!

Let's see... there are far too many updates and additions to the website this time around for me to list them all, so I will recommend that you take a visit to the Update List page to see what has been added since your last visit. In the meantime I will attempt to give a quick rundown of what's new.

First up, in no particular order, is the addition of Cage Bronchos to Tyler's Basketball page. Tyler was selected to play summer basketball with the ninth graders this summer, and I have added the schedule and some game summaries to his page.

Next up is the updates to Samantha's Soccer page. Her final three regular season soccer games (all wins) have all taken place since my last update. She has since tried out for next year, and has once again made the "white" team for her age group.

There are more baseball game updates than I can count on my fingers, so feel free to check out the baseball pages for Samantha, Drew, and Jayden.

I also have three new additions to the Current Events page. In chronological order, I have added pictures and a summary of the Trip to Cedar Point that Tyler, Sam, and I took back in March. I have also added a bunch of pictures from Drew's field day at school and some of Jayden's first ever dance recital.

I do have one more addition to make to the site, but that requires a bit more work on my part. Check back soon for that update!

Sunday, May 28th, 2012

I am doing my best to keep things updated here on the website, but it seems to have taken a serious back page right now. Between the work going on at home (new flooring, a new room in the basement, painting, etc) and all of the kids sports (baseball takes up five nights a week alone, and we still have soccer on top of that with basketball starting up soon), I don't really have much time for anything else. Needless to say I have finally taken a few hours to sit down and work on things before they really got out of hand!

I have a bunch of updates this time around. I am going to list the activities by age... oldest kid's activity first. That means that Samantha is up first, and I have two sets of updates for her. First, her baseball team has played three games since my last update, which they emerged from with a 2-1 record. You can see all of game photos by clicking on the Current Events page and clicking on Samantha's Baseball. Her other update involves her La Forza soccer team, as they played in their fifth "regular season" game of the year in addition to the Canton Cup tournament in Canton. While they didn't win the tournament championship, they might have been the best team in their bracket and probably should have won it all had it not been for a rain shortened game that was back and forth and involved a bit of sloppy play on our part. You can find all of the soccer information by clicking on Samantha's Soccer on the Current Events page. I have one new addition involving Sam too - about her school field day, which took place on May 25th at the Holly Middle School. You can see these photos by clicking on Samantha's Field Day on the Current Events page.

Also added to the site are three games involving Drew's baseball team. They too went 2-1 in their three games, losing a rain-out make-up game and winning their other two. Drew continues to play well both from the plate and in the field as his team shows great improvement from last season. For Drew's game pictures and recaps, go to the Current Events page and click on Drew's Baseball.

Last, but not least, is Jayden's baseball games. Her team played in two games of their own this past week, and Jayden is having a ball playing. She gets so excited when it is time for her games to get underway, as she looks forward to it all day long. You can see the pictures from her games by clicking on Jayden's Baseball on the Current Events page.

Thursday, May 17th, 2012

I'm keeping it short and sweet today... three updates to the site are now available to you. They include one of Samantha's baseball games and two each of Drew's and Jayden's games. Each of the updates can be found on the Current Events page by clicking on either the Samantha's Baseball, Drew's Baseball, or Jayden's Baseball links.

Sunday, May 13th, 2012

With all of the work that we have going on around our house (a bedroom addition, new flooring, paint, etc.) and being at the baseball fields five nights a week for games, I don't really have a ton of time to keep things updates the way I would like. I did manage to squeeze in an update late last week, but there are two new additions from late in the week that I want to get posted before I forget...

First up, Samantha's baseball team played their third game of the season on Friday, securing their second victory of the year. You can see pictures and read about the game by clicking on Samantha's Baseball on the Current Events page.

The second addition to the site is Drew's most recent hockey scrimmage. This was his opportunity to play goalie for the first time this season, and he liked it a lot! You can see pictures and read about his time on the ice by clicking on the Current Events page and then clicking on Drew's Hockey.

Thursday, May 10th, 2012

I am going to keep it short and sweet today... just too much going on and not enough time to do it all!

I have three new additions to the website today, all involving baseball. Samantha, Drew, and Jayden have all officially kicked off their 2012 baseball seasons! You can catch all of the latest photos and game updates by clicking on the appropriate link on the Current Events page.

I also have one update this time, and it involves Samantha's latest soccer victory. As always, you can find this information by going to the Current Events page and clicking on Samantha's Soccer.

Until next time...

Monday, April 30th, 2012

So many of my new year's resolutions have already gone by the wayside... exercising regularly, for example! Another miss is the regular updates to the website that I promised myself. Our schedule has become so jam packed with activities and projects that the website has become a very low priority lately. Although I am sure that hardly anybody out there on the interweb has noticed, I hate falling so far behind.

I do have some exciting personal news to share this time around. I was recently contacted by the publisher of a magazine. Turns out that one of the photographs that I took in 2008 is going to be accompanying an article! All of the details were hashed out very quickly over the past day and a half, but I think I should receive my copies in a couple of weeks. It is primarily a magazine geared towards University of Michigan faculty and alumni apparently, but nonetheless I am honored and proud to know that someone besides myself thinks that I am capable of doing a good job with a camera in my hands. I will attempt to share more when I receive my issues!

On to the updates. Since it has been 15 days since I last posted an update, I have a lot of new additions to share with everyone. And now, in no particular order, the updates...

I was able to secure my second vehicle of the year through the Ambassador program at work. At Tara's request, I got a Buick LaCrosse for a week (in this case, Monday to Friday). We enjoyed this car (not as much as the Acadia Denali, though!), enough to convince Tara & I that a car might be the way to go for our next vehicle instead of a big family behemoth. You can read much more in the way of details and my thoughts about this car by clicking on the Ambassador Program link on the Current Events page.

I have several games worth of pictures added from Samantha's La Forza soccer team. They played and won two additional outdoor games this spring already, making them 3-0 to start the year. They also played a scrimmage against their fellow La Forza U11G team, the Blue Fire. Although they lost the scrimmage, they were down two players (one injury, one unable to attend). It was a close match, with each team pretty much controlling a half of action. You can see the pictures for all of the games by clicking on the Current Events page and then on Samantha's Soccer. The most recent pictures are on the Spring 2012 page.

Like Sam, I am behind on Drew's hockey page as well. I have added the pictures from two of his team's scrimmages, which take place each Saturday. He is playing at the Mite level this spring, which means that they play with real goalies. He is looking forward to his opportunity in net, with all the pads on. You can see his scrimmage pictures by going to the Current Events page and clicking on Drew's Hockey. His most recent pictures are on the Mites link on that page.

Finally, I have one more recurring addition to the site this year. Tara and I are finally getting around to doing some of the updates to our home that we have put off for far too long. Not that we have the time for it, but hey - we are gluttons for punishment! You can keep track of our handy work by clicking on Renovations on the Current Events page.

Whew! I think that is it. Enjoy!

Sunday, April 15th, 2012

It is often asked "Where does the time go?" I have the answer to that question, at least in regards to all of my time. Work, hockey practices, baseball practices (times three), soccer practices and games, dance lessons, and the list goes on and on from there. A week ago I thought that we were busy enough, but that was before baseball got underway. Now our schedule has conflicts galore, and that means that missed practices are going to be the norm more often than not on many nights. I'm really not quite sure how Tara & I are going to survive these next two months, except for the help of some great family and friends! Thanks in advance everybody!

I have several updates to the site this week. Going in chronological order, the first update is the addition of the Math & Science Night page. The Ann Arbor Hands-On Museum came to Samantha and Drew's school to present several experiments to the kids and their families. You can see several pictures from this evening activity by clicking on the Current Events page and then the Math & Science Night link.

Later in the week Samantha played in her final indoor soccer game of this season for her La Forza team. She played well, as did the rest of the team, as they won 6-1, clinching an 8-0 session and earning them the champions t-shirts. Her team also played their first outdoor game of the Spring season yesterday, and they had a come from behind 2-1 victory in that game as well. You can find descriptions and pictures of both games as well as pictures of the team in their championship shirts by clicking on Samantha's Soccer on the Current Events page.

There is one more addition to the site this week as well, as Tyler, Drew, and I attended the Detroit Pistons game on Friday, April 13th. Based on the way the team played, it was pretty obvious that it was a Friday the 13th! We had a lot of fun, even thought the team wasn't very impressive. You can see my thoughts on the game and pictures by clicking on the Current Events page and then the Detroit Pistons link.

Monday, April 9th, 2012

Our schedule is filling up once again as baseball and hockey get into full swing once again on top of soccer and school and everything else that we have going on in our lives. Because of this busy schedule, I am going to keep this short and sweet today. There is only one addition to the website this week, and it consists of our Easter pictures. You can find them by clicking on the Current Events page and then the Easter link.

Monday, April 2nd, 2012

I don't have much to add today, except for a quick description of the site updates for today. All three of the updates are related to Samantha's soccer team, which played three games on Saturday, March 31st. She played two games for her own team and the third game was for the other La Forza U11 team. Her team won both of their games while the Blue Fire team lost their game. You can see pictures and read more about the games by going to Samantha's Soccer on the Current Events page.

Sunday, March 25th, 2012

We have officially entered our "slow season". Drew's hockey lessons have been finished for a couple of weeks now (although there is a draft skate tomorrow night and games and practices will be starting up after Spring Break) and Tyler's basketball team is done for the year (although, like Drew, he will be starting basketball again, this time in the June time-frame for some summer league games with the high school coach). That only leaves Samantha's soccer activities (practice two nights a week right now, with indoor games on either Thursday's or Saturday's, with weekend outdoor games following that) and Jayden's dance classes (Monday nights) for us to contend with. Or, for me to contend with, as Tara is wrapping up the last half of her first semester back at school. She attends class three nights a week, and is doing excellent. It is amazing what a great job she has done thus far considering she still does so much at home to help out not only me, but also each of the kids!

I have one update and two additions to the website this week. I guess technically you could say two updates, but they are both related to Samantha's soccer team, so I am counting them as one (as you can find them in the same place). First, her team played in and won their fifth game of the season, keeping them undefeated and still dominant. Second, she played her first game with the more experienced of the two La Forza teams, the Blue Fire. She helped propel that team to only their second win of the season (versus 3 losses) with some aggressive play. You can find the link to both games by going to Current Events, clicking on Samantha's Soccer, and then Winter Indoor.

The two additions to the site are both related, so maybe I should have only said one addition? Anyway, I have added a new page to the Current Events page that contains a few sunset pictures that I took at Samantha's soccer practice this past week. Click on March 21st Sunset to see them. I have also added these photos to the Wallpapers page, giving me my first 2012 wallpapers to offer to you. Follow the directions on the Wallpapers page to use them yourself! Enjoy!

If it has been a while since you last visited our site, please click on the Update List page. This is a listing of all of the updates that have been made this year in chronological order, allowing you to easily find anything you may have missed since your last visit. As always, please enjoy the site and come back often. Thanks for visiting!

Sunday, March 18th, 2012

Where does all the time seem to go? 30 hour days still wouldn't be long enough! Because of our incredibly busy schedule, I'm going to make this short and sweet today. First, I'm adding the "Happy Easter" because I am simply not sure that I will be able to update the site before then! Second... I have three sets of updates this time around - Tyler's middle school basketball team played in their final game of the year, Samantha's indoor soccer team played two games in one night, and Tara & I managed to take in two college hockey games on Saturday. You can find all of these additions on the Current Events page and looking for the "Update!" or "New" icons.

Monday, March 12th, 2012

Despite attempting to keep current on my updates, I have quickly managed to fall behind by a week and a half. So here I sit on a Monday evening, Tornado warnings swirling around outside the house, trying franticly to get caught up before the end of the week. Tyler's last basketball game of the season takes place on Wednesday the 14th, and Sam has two soccer games on Thursday the 15th. If I don't catch up now I might not ever catch up!

Tara & I also broke down and ordered new flooring for the house. We've had enough of this terrible looking carpet. With four kids and a dog, having white carpet may not have been the best possible choice. I guess it was here when we bought the house, and we did manage to get a good 10 years out of it, so no real complaints. Now to manage to find the time to install it with the baseball and soccer seasons in full swing soon.

I have three major updates this time around. One of the updates includes three that relate Tyler's basketball team, while another includes two of Samantha's indoor soccer games, and the final one involves our boys night out at the Red Wings hockey game. I'm not going to go into great detail here. Instead I will direct you to the Current Events page, where you can click on Tyler's Basketball, Samantha's Soccer, or Detroit Red Wings for all of the details In the meantime, enjoy!

Thursday, March 1st, 2012

It never ceases to amaze me how quickly time passes as I get older. It seems like just yesterday that we were home on Christmas break unwrapping presents, and now here it is and two months have already gone by. I guess that it what happens when you spend most of your day at work and on the road running to games and practices!

Since I updated the site just a couple of days ago, I don't have much to say today. I have added one set of pictures to the site this time around - Tyler's 9th basketball game. His team won their sixth game of the year in a close game. You can read more about it and see the pictures by clicking on Tyler's Basketball on the Current Events page.

Tuesday, February 28th, 2012

It has been a crazy busy start to the new year for our family, with all of the kids involved in various sporting activities (and multiple for some of the kids) and Tara going back to school at night. But there is finally a light at the end of the tunnel, as Samantha's basketball season has come to a close and Drew's hockey class will be finished on March 3rd (until the Spring session anyway). Tyler has a couple more weeks of basketball to play before his season comes to an end as well. Because of our hectic schedule I have started to fall behind with the website updates, and today was my day to try and get caught back up. I think (and hope!) that I have finally done so...

On to the updates! Going in chronological order, Tyler's basketball team has played two games since my last update. They were blown out in their game last Wednesday (the less said about that game the better) and won a tough battle yesterday. You can see all of his game photos by clicking on the Tyler's Basketball link on the Current Events page.

Last Thursday Samantha participated in the annual school musical show. She had a part as a guitar playing, snowman making kid in addition to her duties singing in the chorus. I managed to take a get a few decent pictures, which you can view by going to the Current Events page and then clicking on Samantha's Snow Show.

In between Tyler's games Drew had a hockey class that was spent playing games against themselves. This lesson was supposed to be replaced by a tournament, but that wound up getting canceled and this was how the missed games were made up to the kids. You can see these pictures by going to the Current Events page and then clicking on Drew's Hockey. The next addition to the site today is from Samantha's most recent basketball game. Unfortunately this game result was a loss, one that ended her season after one game in the playoffs. You can find the pictures from this game by clicking on Samantha's Basketball on the Current Events page. The final addition to the website is a set of pictures from our sledding trip to Toboggan Hill in Davison. We squeezed this trip in on Saturday, after Drew's hockey and Sam's basketball. While we escaped unscathed, not everyone who was there could say the same. We witnessed two people come away injured - one who rode to the ER in their own vehicle and another who required the use of an ambulance to get there. We were smart enough to stay away from the hill where these people got hurt and managed to have a good time ourselves, and you can see for yourself by clicking on the Toboggan Hill Sledding link on the Current Events page.

Sunday, February 19th, 2012

Although we are in the midst of a slow week game-wise for the kids (the last game was Tyler's, on the 15th, and he also has the next one on the 22nd), we aren't completely free of activities to share with everyone. Yesterday (Saturday, February 18th) we attended the third annual Sportsfest, which is hosted by 97.1 The Ticket, the Detroit sports radio station. We have been every year this event has been held, and the kids really enjoy it.

Since I don't have much to add here, I am going to keep my ramblings to a minimum. Click on Current Events and then Sportsfest to see four pages full of pictures from our afternoon spent enjoying all that the Detroit Tigers, Red Wings, Pistons, and Lions have to offer! I have also added the official league pictures for Samantha's Broncho Basketball team. You can see those by clicking on Samantha's Basketball on the Current Events page.

Thursday, February 16th, 2012

After a very hectic couple of weeks sports-wise, we are finally catching a small break. No games until the 22nd of February, and only a few practices to take up our time until then. That means that I won't have to make an update for a while, unless our plans for the weekend come to fruition.

This week I have added two games worth of pages to Tyler's Basketball on the Current Events page. His team played two nail-biters this week, winning the first one and losing the second. Unfortunately, the game that they won required a big comeback while the game that they lost featured a blown lead late in the game. I guess, all things considered, it wasn't too bad of a week. They are looking better and better for longer stretches of game time, so progress is being made.

Until next time...

Wednesday, February 12th, 2012

We really, really need to figure out a way to make these weekends last longer and the work weeks far, far shorter. C'mon lottery tickets!

I don't have a bunch of additions to add to the site this time around, as I have managed to keep things up to date much better so far this year than I have been able to do in the past. That means only one update from this past weekend, and that is of Samantha's basketball game. Her team played in their final regular season game of the year and won, moving them to 4-1 heading in to the playoffs in two weeks. No matter what happens then, it has already been a successful season for them. We are very proud of Sam's hard work this basketball season, and our fingers are crossed that things go well in the playoffs! To see her season thus far, click on Samantha's Basketball on the Current Events page.

I do have one other addition - and that is the schedule for Samantha's upcoming indoor soccer season. You can view the schedule by clicking on Samantha's Soccer on the Current Events page.

Wednesday, February 8th, 2012

Since I just added Samantha's most recent game a couple of days ago, I will keep my commentary brief today... I have a two part update today, both related to Tyler's 7th grade basketball team. Games 3 & 4 took place on back to back days, and both resulted in victories for the good guys. You can see some pictures and read my commentary by clicking on Tyler's Basketball on the Current Events page. Enjoy!

Wednesday, February 5th, 2012

Time for another quick update before another week gets underway. I'm going to make this quick... I have one update to add to the site this week, and that is the most recent victory for Samantha's basketball team. You can see the pictures by going to the Current Events page and clicking on Samantha's Basketball.

Wednesday, February 2nd, 2012

Just a quick addition to yesterday's update - I have added Game 2 to Tyler's Basketball page.

Tuesday, January 31st, 2012

Today is my one day during the week without a million activities scheduled, so I am doing my best to get the site updated before I fall way behind! I don't have a lot of information to provide this time around, so I will get right to the updates...

Samantha played in her third basketball game of the season on Saturday, January 28th. Her team was 2-0 heading into the game, and this game was a close battle throughout the entire contest. I won't give away the result here - you can see for yourself by clicking on Samantha's Basketball on the Current Events page.

Tyler's basketball team played their first game of the season on Monday, January 30th. Tara & I weren't too sure what to expect, starting a new school sport without any real prior experience, but things went pretty well. Of course, it is just one game, but we are hoping that they all end up with similar results! To see how this game went, click on Tyler's basketball on the Current Events page.

The final addition to the site this time around is the addition of the Ambassador Program page. This is the program through my work that lets me borrow a new GM vehicle to test drive for a weekend/week and to let others drive it as well, all with the hopes of selling more cars. We were able to borrow a 2012 GMC Acadia Denali for the weekend, and Tara & I loved it! You can see my review and some pictures by going to the Current Events page and clicking on Ambassador Program.

Thursday, January 26th, 2012

I made a promise to myself at the beginning of the year that I would do a better job of keeping the website up to date, but already I find myself falling behind. I don't suppose the 10 hour workdays (starting with with a 3:30am alarm) along with cooking dinner, running to dance, hockey, basketball, and soccer practices seemingly every evening plus the attempts to catch up on homework all before I get a chance to climb in bed has anything to do with that, though! With Tara in school now, the vast majority of this running falls squarely on my shoulders. It has only been two weeks so far, and it really isn't too bad... assuming the kids actually make the effort to be ready to go on time each night! Fat chance of that happening!

Let's see... I have two updates this time around, with more to follow after this coming weekend. The first event from this past weekend was Samantha's second basketball game of the year. Her team pulled out their second victory, so the season is off to a great start. You can read more about this game (and her previous game) by clicking on Samantha's Basketball on the Current Events page. The second update is a biggie! Drew celebrated his seventh birthday on Sunday with a bunch of his family and friends at Holly Lanes. This was his first big birthday party, so he was very excited about the entire experience.

Monday, January 16th, 2012

What a crazy weekend that was! Friday was a relatively calm night... Samantha had a hair appointment at 5:30pm, and Tyler went to spend some time at his friend Ryan's house for a while. Aside from the running around to get them to their appropriate places, it was a relaxing evening. Tyler brought Ryan home with him so that they could partake in our Saturday activities together.

We got up bright and early on Saturday morning to take a drive for our annual visit to the North American International Auto Show in Detroit. We spent a few hours wandering around the various displays from automakers all over the world - including one from right here in Holly! - before we decided to head out for a bite to eat. A quick People Mover ride to Greektown allowed us the opportunity to eat at one of our favorite pizza places, Pizzapapalis! After our ride back to Cobo on the People Mover, we headed out of Detroit with the destination being IKEA this time. Finally, after doing some shopping and some bedroom planning for the kids, we were on our way home.

Sunday wasn't busy from a standpoint of running all over the place, but we got a lot of chores done around the house. Tara turned into Ms. Suzy Homemaker, sewing curtains for the living room and our bedroom, as well as making new covers for a lot of throw pillows for our bed. Sam headed off to play at one of her friends house, while Tyler and & I went on a 2.9 mile run in the freezing cold. We also were busy making lasagna for dinner, doing laundry and dishes, and taking care of other miscellaneous chores. And I can't leave out having fun with the kids - whether it was playing video games with Tyler (and boy, do I suck at this Modern Warfare thing!), watching a movie with the kids at dinner, and just playing tickling and teasing all of them! Oh, and trying to get this update completed, of course!

I have two new additions to the website this time around. Up first is the pictures from our trip to the auto show. As I explained above, we packed in quite a bit of activity during our day long trip, which you can read further about by going to the NAIAS - Auto Show link on the Current Events page. The second addition doesn't include any pictures yet, but it will in early February. I have added the schedule for Tyler's latest basketball activity, as he officially has made his schools seventh grade basketball team! I must admit that Tara & I were both way more nervous for Tyler than we had ever been for anything that ever took place to ourselves during our lifetime! Regardless of how terrible our nerves were, we are both incredibly proud of him. He has worked hard for this, and being a good kid he really deserves this. For now you can check out his team's schedule by clicking on the Tyler's Basketball link on the Current Events page.

Tuesday, January 10th, 2012

It is still hard for me to grasp the fact that another whole year has already passed us by. I am proud to say that I have yet to date anything 2011, however (although I probably just jinxed myself on that one). With a new year comes new goals... exercise more, eat less, lose weight, keep the website updated. OK, most people probably don't have that last one on their list of New Years Resolutions. I do, as there were times last year when I found myself falling a few weeks behind with the updates, and then forgetting important details when I finally did find the time to get them done. So, I am going to try to make the time to complete the updates closer to the completion of the event. Try being the key word here.

I have two new additions for this early year update. Up first is the addition of Samantha's Basketball page. It will contain all of her basketball exploits for the 2012 year. For now it has the schedule, game recaps, and pictures of her Broncho Basketball season. If she chooses to play something else later in the year, it will be posted here as well.

The second update is the addition of Drew's Hockey. Like Sam's basketball page, this page will contain all of the information relating to Drew's hockey exploits for 2012. He started off with a game style scrimmage on January 9th, and those pictures are already posted to this page.

For both Sam and Drew's new pages (and all future additions to the site as well), you can either click on the Current Events page or the Update List page to see what is new since your last visit.

Sunday, January 1st, 2012

Welcome, 2012!

What an amazing year 2011 turned out to be for our family. There have been so many changes and exciting things happening that I cannot even begin to recount them all here. There have been so many sporting events and school activities and great outings with family & friends that I wouldn't even know where to start if I had the time to review them all. Let me start off with a recap of where things stand with each of us at the beginning of 2012...

For me, I am just getting into the groove of really getting to know my wife and kids once again. I had a rough few months in 2011, but I am headed in the right direction now. I don't have much going on personally right now, other than being a sports chauffer for the kids. Oh, and there is always that nagging thing called work that I have to attend far too often. I guess you have to pay the bills somehow. If anyone knows of a better job, don't hesitate to let me know about it. I am in need of a professional change!

Tara has an exciting 2012 ahead of her. She is still working for the school district, but on top of that duty she has decided that now is the time for her to head back to college herself. While I don't quite understand her chosen field of study - anthropology... really? - I do know that I will do whatever I can to help her achieve this lifelong goal of hers. For her first semester she will be gone to school three nights a week while I stay home to make sure the kids get to all of their practices in addition to getting their schoolwork done in a timely manner. I know that she is really looking forward to this pursuit, and the entire family is proud of her for finally taking this step. We all know that this is something that she has been wanting to do for a long, long time.

Tyler is a typical preteen boy. Sports consume him, as do video games, girls, and the acceptance of his peers. Tyler has a big tryout coming up in a little over a week, as he attempts to make the 7th grade basketball team. This is the first time that he has had to try out for a sport, and I think we are all a little nervous about his prospects. He is still debating whether or not he wants to give baseball another try this spring, but is leaning towards playing for now. He has some work to do in school - his grades overall aren't too bad, but math definitely isn't his strong suit. Both Tara & I can admit that he comes by that trait honestly, however.

Samantha is keeping busy this winter, playing basketball once again while still keeping up with her soccer training. She also is involved at school, both by being on the Safety Patrol and by serving as a member of SCAPE, which is like a student council. She will be busy in the spring as well, as she will get back into soccer full time once again and baseball season will start anew. She has a decision to make this year once again... softball with the girls or baseball once again? I think she goes back and forth on an almost daily basis!

Drew keeps busy with school, which he loves, and hockey, which he also loves. Hockey takes up two days a week for him, and every time he gets out onto the ice he gets a grin that spreads from ear to ear on his face. Unfortunately for him, one of the hockey days is on Saturday morning, and this has prevented him from trying basketball this year. He wouldn't have been able to play at the same place that Sam will be playing, so this works out for Tara & I. He wasn't happy about it, however. He too will be playing baseball come May, which is his second favorite sport to play.

Jayden finally got involved in a sport this past fall - she is now a dancer. She is taking her first ballet class, and will have a recital later this year. The rest of her time is spent at home with the sitter while Dad & Mom work and shuffling between all of the practices for her brothers and sisters. This isn't the ideal way she would choose to spend her free time, but she is a real trooper about it.

Well, there you have it. You now know what is going on with our family at the beginning of this new year. I have added a bunch of updates to the site to keep you informed with our 2011 exploits, but I am not going to list them all here. You can go to the Updates List page to see them listed out, or you can click on the Current Events page and look for the Updated! or New links. I know that these items no longer belong on the Current Events page, but since I don't have any pictures to add yet from 2012, I have decided to leave them there for now. The next update will have all of these links on the 2011 version of the Past Events page. For now, enjoy!

To see what is new since your last visit, click on the Update List page - it lists all of the updates in chronological order so that you can easily find anything you may have missed since your last visit. As always, please enjoy the site and come back often. Thanks for visiting!

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