Sunday, December 13th, 2015

    Since, based on my recent luck, this will probably be my last update to the website for 2015, I want to take advantage of this opportunity to wish everyone out there a very Merry Christmas and a happy new year, and thank you for being a part of our extended family!

    I have several updates to the website today, including some updates to Samantha's high school soccer page, as well as several new additions that you can find on the Current Events page. I have also added four new wallpapers to the Wallpapers page. Please check them out and let me know what you think!

Saturday, November 21st, 2015

    Well, there isn't a whole lot for me to say at this time. Tara and the kids are still enjoying the beautiful sunshine and warm weather in Florida while I continue to look for work and stay here in the snow covered Michigan. There is over a foot of fresh snow on the ground as I type this, and it is only now beginning to let up. What am I doing here!?!

    On to better things... I finally got a chance to see Samantha play for the Venice High School varsity soccer team this past weekend, and it turned out to be her first start in goal! As a team they have had some ups and downs, but they are over .500 on the season. Plus, Sam netted her first goal this week! I really do wish I could be there for more of her games, and for all of the kids activities, but I am doing my best here to bring home the bacon until the right job opportunity comes my way.

    As for updates, I have a few to add. We went to the Chalk Festival in Venice last weekend while I was down, and those pictures can be found on the Current Events page. In addition, games 5 through 10 have been added to Samantha's Venice High School Soccer page. Lastly, I have added some pictures of today's snowfall on the Current Events page as well as two new wallpapers on the Wallpaper page. Please check them out!

Tuesday, November 10th, 2015

    Quick update tonight... I have added two sets of game photos from Samantha's Venice Indians soccer games. Follow out the Update! icons on the Current Events page to see them!

Tuesday, November 3rd, 2015

    I don't have a whole lot to say today... I have added a set of photos from our Trick-or-Treating adventures in Naples with Dwayne, Erica, and the kids. Follow the Halloween link on the Current Events page to see them!

Tuesday, October 27th, 2015

    Things are pretty much the same with us... Tara and the kids enjoying the sunshine in Florida, me slaving away in the fall weather that Michigan brings. Since we are all missing each other and are apart for weeks at a time there isn't much information to add here. What I do have is Samantha's latest news - she was selected for the Venice High School Varsity Soccer team (one of two freshmen)! I posted the game schedule the last time the website was updated, but today I have pictures from her two preseason games to share with you. Go to the Current Events page, click on Samantha, and then Venice High School Soccer.

Sunday, October 18th, 2015

    My motivation level is at the bare minimum today, and as such I don't really feel like adding much in the way of commentary today. With that in mind, please check out the Current Events page and follow the New and Update icons for today's additions.

Wednesday, October 7th, 2015

    Finally, an update that isn't a month behind! I don't have a ton to say today, but I have added Samantha's latest soccer game to the site. Please check it out by going to the Venice Falcons Soccer page on Samantha's current events page. Enjoy!

Friday, October 2nd, 2015

    Despite having more "free time" I am doing a horrible job keeping the website up to date. It has been over a month since my last website update. I have a few new additions to the site this time around. First up, Samantha has played in several games with her Venice Falcons soccer team. I have added pictures of her last 5 games, which you can find on Samantha's Current Events page. Both Tyler and Sam also attending their first Homecoming Dance in Venice with some of their new friends, and the pictures from that event can be found on each of their Current Events pages.

Monday, August 31st, 2015

    Just a quick update today... I have managed to add the pictures fro the kids on their first day of school as well as a bunch of new wallpaper options from the past few months. Enjoy!

Thursday, August 27th, 2015

    It has been over two months since I was last able to post an update to the website. I'd like to say that there hasn't been much to add, but in fact I have been busy, busy, busy. Since Tara has been in Florida since May, I have been in Michigan taking care of the kids with help from my parents. Add in the fact that we welcomed back our "fifth child" Carlos from Spain for three weeks this summer, and I just haven't had the time necessary to work on the site - and when I did I was just plain too exhausted to do so! Now Carlos is back in Spain (and has been for the past few weeks, three of which Tyler got to spend in Spain with him - pictures coming someday) and the kids are all in Florida with Tara. They kicked off the new life in Florida by starting school this week on Monday, the 24th. Now it is all up to me to get my act together so that I can get down there and join them!

    As for the updates - well, there are many of them. Trips to Niagara Falls, Tahquamenon Falls, Ann Arbor, Chicago, and Hamilton, Ontario. New sports for Samantha, including yet another baseball tea in Holly and her new soccer team in Florida. A once in a lifetime opportunity for Drew to represent the United States in ice hockey for the 58th annual CANUSA Games in Hamilton, Ontario. I even added the pages for the kids first day of school, though I don't have the pictures to post to the site yet.

    I am hoping soon to be able to go through Tyler's pictures from Spain soon and get the added to the site as well, once I am able to get some input from him on which pictures are which and how to caption them. Keep checking the site for those pictures!

    Since I am not going to give a description for each of the updates I urge you to visit the Update List page or you can follow the New or Updated icons on each of the Current Events pages.

Friday, June 26th, 2015

    One last update before I get to take a break. Our next big game comes on July 13th, when Samantha's baseball team returns to the field after a long break to play in their league championship game. I have removed all of the old Update! and New! icons from the site (except for today's update), so visit the Update List page for all of the additions over the past month or so. As always, feel free to give me some feedback to the site. I hope that you find something that you enjoy!

Tuesday, June 23rd, 2015

    After falling way, way behind on my updates to the site I think that I have finally (FINALLY!) caught myself back up. This update includes only one new set of photos, those from Jayden's divisional round baseball playoff game, so it will be easy to check out. The good news (for me) is that every other page now has completed commentary added to the photos too! Since I was playing catch-up, please let me know if I made a mistake anywhere. I won't take offense, I promise. I appreciate any and all types of feedback!

Thursday, June 18th, 2015

    A quick update while I have a few moments today. Samantha, Drew, and Jayden all played baseball games on Wednesday. While the results were mixed, I'm proud of them regardless. You can go to the Current Events page and then click on their individual pages to see the latest additions. As always, enjoy the site!

Tuesday, June 16th, 2015

    While I am still trying catch-up on some of the old picture-only updates from the past few months, I am also working to complete the new pages as they occur. Because I am beyond exhausted from trying to keep up with all of the running that a single father of four kids require (as Tara slaves away in Florida as we transition down) I am not going to go into detail of each and every addition here. Instead, just go to the Update List page for a listing of the new additions, or venture over to the Current Events page and look for the New or Update icons. In the meantime, enjoy!

Sunday, June 7th, 2015

    Since falling so far behind on my previous updates I have attempted been attempting to play catch-up. I have been able to fully complete all of the pages that I am adding with this update, and even some of the previous pages that were just pictures now have additional commentary with them. In the meantime I will attempt to keep going back and trying to get completely caught up! Go the Update List page for a listing of the new additions, or venture over to the Current Events page and look for the New or Update icons. Enjoy!

Sunday, May 31st, 2015

    With all that is going on lately, I have fallen way, way, way behind with my website updates. In an effort to get you the pictures faster, I have decided to post the latest updates with just pictures only - I will be attempting to add captions to them later. Bear with me... I am hoping that this doesn't last long and I can get caught up soon! In the meantime, I hope that you enjoy the photos!

Wednesday, April 8th, 2015

    Things are about to get crazy, as the kids various sports seasons begin to kick into full gear over the next few weeks. Tyler's track and field team officially kicks off their season with their first league meet one week from today, while Samantha's soccer and Drew's hockey teams get underway the following weekend. Shortly after that Sam, Drew, and Jayden start their baseball seasons, and Jay will also be kicking off another season of soccer (get it?!?) somewhere in there as well. All of these activities will probably mean that I will be falling further and further behind with the website. I will do my best to keep things up to date, but don't expect miracles from me!

    As for the new items to the site this week - I have added two new galleries today. Up first is a set of photos from our trip to Ann Arbor for the University of Michigan football team's spring game. This took place the day before Easter, which is of course my second addition to the website. You can find both sets of pictures by going to the Current Events page and following the links with the "New!" icon next to them. I have also added a new wallpaper from our trip to Michigan Stadium to the Wallpapers page for your enjoyment!

Monday, March 28th, 2015

    It's been a long time since my last update, but I have finally managed to catch back up. Since I seem to be falling behind once again, I am going to keep this as short and sweet as possible. I am going to refer you to the New and Update icons on the Current Events page or to the Update List page for the additions today. In the meantime, keep checking back for more updates throughout the coming weeks!

Monday, March 9th, 2015

    Activities are slowly dropping off our calendar, leaving with a couple of lean weeks coming up. Jayden's indoor soccer season ended last month, while Drew's basketball and hockey seasons came to a close this past weekend. All that we have going for the time being is Samantha's indoor soccer season, which has three weeks remaining. Of course the lull won't last long, as track practices officially got underway for Tyler today, and the baseball teams have been selected for Sam, Drew, and Jay.

    Since Jay's soccer pictures have been online for a few weeks now, I'll concentrate on today's updates. Up first is Samantha's latest indoor soccer game. Her team took on the first place team in her age group, and while they ended up with a loss they played very well in holding the opposition to only their second game of under 4 goals. You can see and read more about the game by going to Samantha's Current Events page. Up next is Drew's basketball game. His team had designs on making the championship game, but offensive struggles wound up costing them. His team wound up falling in their game, freeing him up to play in his final hockey game of the 2014-15 season. Unfortunately that game didn't go as planned either, as Drew suffered his second defeat of the day. For more details on both games, click on Drew's Current Events page and look for the Update icons.

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

Tuesday, March 3rd, 2015

    Two quick updates for you this week... Up first is Samantha's latest indoor game for the Michigan Impact soccer team. The other update is from a postseason scrimmage for Drew's Storm hockey team. Check out the Current Events page and follow the Update! and New! icons to find the latest additions to the site. You may also find it easier to go to the Update List page to find the latest additions, and that option is at your disposal as well. Once again, I hope that you enjoy the site!

Wednesday, February 25th, 2015

    Another week, another quick update to share with you. Once again, I am taking the easy way out and directing you to the Current Events page to look for the Update! or New! icons to find the latest additions to the site. If you find it easier to go to the Update List page to find the latest additions, that option is at your disposal as well. Once again, I hope that you enjoy the site!

Tuesday, February 17th, 2015

    We had a busy weekend, with 5 different games taking place in 3 different locations. Drew played in the Motown Cup tournament in Brownstown Township (south of Detroit), and his team secured their first victory of the season while they were there. Samantha's soccer team played another indoor soccer game, managing their second victory of the session so far. Finally, Jayden played in one of her final indoor soccer games of the year, and though her team suffered another loss she managed to score her team's lone goal in the process.

    Because I am too tired (this winter is taking a serious toll on my motivation) to type a description of each event here, I am going to send you to the Current Events page to look for the Update! or New! icons to find the latest additions to the site. If you find it easier to go to the Update List page to find the latest additions, that option is at your disposal as well. Either way, enjoy!

Wednesday, February 11th, 2015

    Lots - LOTS - going on right now in our household. Two different indoor soccer leagues, hockey, basketball, gymnastics, and girl scouts are just some of the activities that the kids are participating in. Tara is recovering nicely from her recent surgery, and is looking forward to regaining enough strength to return to work soon. I'm adjusting to the various assignments that I am getting at work since my transition from hourly to salary. With all of that going on at once, I am going to leave it up to you to visit the Current Events page or the Update List page to see the latest updates.

Sunday, February 1st, 2015

    It seems like just yesterday we were ringing in the new year on the beach in Florida, and now we are starting our second month of the year with a snowfall that is expected to bring anywhere from 8-14" of snow (depending on the weatherman's mood at the moment you watch his report). What a difference time makes...

    Speaking of time, it certainly doesn't stand still at our house. It has been a week since my last update, and that leaves me with a bunch of new additions to the website for today. I have added five new pages to the site this week; at least one for each of the kids (and two for Drew, who is the busiest of the four kids during the winter months). I'll sum up the additions by the oldest kid first, which means I start with Tyler. He finally has something to add to his school and sporting events page, as he took a date to the schools Snowcoming dance on January 31st. She is a nice young lady who seems to bring out the best in Tyler. You can find pictures of them prior to the dance by going to Tyler's Current Events page.

    Up next is Samantha, who's soccer team kicked off their second session of indoor soccer on January 30th. They battled tough all night long, but they were unable to get the goal that they would need to give them the victory. You can read more about the game and see the pictures by going to Samantha's Current Events page and clicking on the Impact Soccer Winter II Indoor link.

    Drew is next, and he has two additions to the site this week. First, his '05 Storm hockey team played an incredibly tough playoff game on Tuesday, January 27th. Although they battled valiantly, he team wound up on the short end of a 1-goal game. More pictures and game details can be found by following the '05 Storm Hockey link on Drew's Current Events page. Drew also had a basketball game this week. Like his hockey game, his basketball team fell short of the ultimate goal of a victory in this contest, despite giving it their all. You can find more information and pictures from this game by clicking on the Broncho Basketball link, also on Drew's Current Events page.

    Last, but certainly not least, on the update listing this week is Jayden. She played an indoor soccer game as well. Her team has struggled together as they face competition that comes from the travel soccer ranks, but they are doing their best each game to get better and be competitive. You can find the game info and photos on Jayden's Current Events page by clicking on the Winter Indoor Soccer link.

Sunday, January 25th, 2015

    The weekend started out busy, but thankfully today was a down day for the family. I have added a few things to the site today, including a wallpaper to the 2014 Wallpaper page and the schedule for Samantha's latest indoor soccer season. As for picture sets, I have added some for Drew's latest basketball game as well as his hockey team's first playoff game. In addition to those two sets, I added a set for Jayden's latest indoor soccer game to the site as well. You can find these new picture sites by going to each kid's respective Current Events page, or by taking the shortcut to the Update List page for all of the latest additions.

    Since it has been such a short time since my last update, I will leave my yearly update for you to enjoy below:

Thursday, January 22nd, 2015

    I know that it has been a long time since my last update, and for that I apologize. I was hoping to get caught up with everything that I needed to do while was on vacation in Florida with the family, but it turns out that I would rather relax and enjoy that time with Tara, the kids, and our family. Who knew? Now that 2015 is well underway, I have finally taken the time to sit down and work on getting the site up to date. I am still attempting to work on getting a redesign complete for the new year, but I really don't have much to share on that front at this time. There are several new updates to the site, but since it has been so long since my last update I will refer you to the Update List page to make it easier on myself. In the meantime, enjoy my recap of last year below:

    2014 was quite the year for our family...

    Tara has spent the past several years working for the school district in our hometown, but she accepted an offer to become the retiree benefit coordinator for a major automotive supplier. She has really enjoyed the new challenge that this new job has presented her. She also spent most of the year volunteering for the schools athletic booster organization, but with the job change she was free to pursue a seat on the school board in the November elections, which is something that she has discussed for quite some time. She managed to squeak out a win, and her first board meeting took place this past week. She also volunteered for the various school parent-teacher organizations as well as the kids sports teams.

    I started out the year coaching Drew's basketball team, but then converted to full time dad duty and spent my time driving the kids back and forth to practices (shared with Tara, of course). I did my best to avoid the major volunteering drama! I followed Tara's lead and changed jobs this year, although I stayed with the same company, instead transitioning from an hourly position into a salary job. It has been an interesting change for me, but one that I am enjoying thus far.

    Tyler spent the year playing a variety of sports - basketball, track & field, and soccer. He didn't make the basketball team this winter, but has replaced that passion with a new one - skiing. He didn't want to join the school ski team as he prefers tricks versus ski racing. He is working on refocusing his energy on school and soccer this coming spring.

    Samantha has also stayed busy with her sporting activities. She played travel basketball and soccer (switching clubs in the process) as well as little league baseball. Her school sports consisted of track & field, basketball, and volleyball. Sam also kept her social calendar full... something that she never seems to fall short of commitments.

    Drew is keeping busy with his travel hockey commitments. He also played little league baseball as well as Holly Hoops basketball. Like Sam, Drew also switched teams, going from an older '04 hockey team to his proper '05 team.

    Jayden also began filling her schedule with a variety of sports. This year she kept busy with soccer, little league baseball, a basketball clinic, and dance class. She is seriously wanting to drop dance and start gymnastics, but that is a work in progress at this time.

    As a family, we did a lot of fun and exciting things this past year. We have a short vacation to Atlanta early in the year and a nice long vacation to Sarasota to end the year. We spent time camping in Deckerville and St. Ignace. We went to a few sporting events, both local and professional. We even added a member to our family - Crush, an English Bulldog.

    Here's hoping that 2015 is an even better year!

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