Tri-State

I went out to Arlington and played in a softball tournament this weekend. It is a fraternity deal. I am a Sig Ep (Sigma Phi Epsilon) and we have been hosting this tournament for about 30 years. So, I now play with the guys I went to school with. It is a blast. Most of us only see each other once a year, at this event. We only had 9 guys (slow pitch softball plays with 10), so we played short an outfielder and took an out every time the 10th batter should have been up. Despite this, we won the game! Our team came out of the dugout and decided that we would give the victory to the other team because one of our guys got hurt, so we only had 8. We went over to play in the losers bracket and had another brother show up, so we played. What do you know, we won that game too. I hit an inside the park home run! (toot toot). Well, we were all ready to be done, so we allowed the other team to continue to play. We adjourned to the parking lot, fired up the grill and poured the drinks... at 11:30AM. Best Tri-State ever. 2 wins, no loses, plus off the fields and hanging out before noon. Kim brought the boys out too, so it was a good day! (I think this is the first time in about 10 years that she has come to the tourney). I love my brothers.

Can't get enough 2

I know I have used that post title before, but it is the only one that truly fits this post! We haven't posted in so long it seems! Easter was glorious, as always, but FAR different from anything we have ever had before....and you know what, it was better than years past. Where were we? LaTech! Why, you should ask? Well, Louisiana Tech's Spring Football game was April 11th at 1:00 in the afternoon. Knowing that Tod would not be able to head home, we decided to bring Easter to Tod. And let me just say, no, I'm not divorced...however the thought did cross both Mike's and my minds. Let me explain. Weather forecasts for Easter weekend here in Dallas were severe storms with flooding, golf ball size hail, lightning, possible tornadoes etc. Well, knowing that our back yard floods....gutters overflow....I knew Thur. night would need to be dedicated to preparing our house for departure. Mike, by the way, would have disagreed with the "need" to do this. So, after teaching all day I headed to the roof to sweep off those annoying "wormy-looking" deals (that clog our gutters) and to clean out the gutters (which constantly hold junk from trees and water...because they do not drain properly.) Next, I began raking (yes, and bagging) all debris in the back yard in order to free up the french drains for only water. Done. Good Friday was spent (7.5 hrs anyway) cooking the turkey dinner that would be packed for travel. Mike was salivating as he began to carve the turkey.... afterall it was Good Friday...no meat...and he couldn't eat the skin!! Coolers finally were packed....stuffing, green beans, corn, gravy, mashed potatoes, homemade sugar cookies, brownies, and rolls along with all the fixings...ALL TO GO!! Bags were packed with "play" clothes and Easter Sunday wear! Lady was dropped at the pet resort at 8am and we were on the road. We arrived to LATech just in time for the Spring Football game. As I have shared before there are four Bulldog kickers , currently, and they were intending on alternating for kick offs, p.a.t.s, and field goals. Tod was on the white team...and he was paired with John Hinton, who Tod thinks will be selected to stay on as a kicker for the Bulldogs this season.

Beautiful picture huh? (Thanks Dad...we love the camera!) Anyway, here are some pictures from the game.

Saturday could not have been prettier weather wise! We all had sunburns on our faces and necks. It was absolutely beautiful! The game, however, was kinda sad for WHITE. They lost 21-0 to the RED. John took the opening kick off, and neither John nor Tod ever saw the field again! Bummer! Following the football game we headed over to our hotel to check in, and then attended LATech's girls softball game. It was great just hanging out all together. After a little shopping, we then headed to the hotel to ZAP....yes, yes, I know.....the turkey dinner. Good thing about this, college guys don't care what or where the FREE meal is....they're there!!! So Tod brought John, one of his closest friends, over for our re-heated by microwave turkey Easter FREE dinner!! Here is what we had to work with!

I must say...it was good! And what would Easter celebrating be without dying Easter Eggs?? Even the two dozen hard boiled eggs, vinegar, and egg-dying-kit were packed to go!! Poor John in this picture!! I know his thoughts must have been..."MOM, they are MAKING ME DO THIS!!" Reed, Cole, and Craig just consider him one of their brothers!! He is incredibly patient and has the best sense of humor!

Cole, John, Reed, Tod, and Craig

Tod worked so hard on his own for the fall semester, got on the team in the spring, and will not return for the fall. They are keeping only one of the four and it didn't look as if it was going to be him. He worked so hard, gave it all he had, and is deciding to hang up his cleats. Proudly, with his head held WAY high, he is coming home to U.T.A. to "hit the books a little harder" and start preparing for the DAT or MCAT. Mike and I both are so proud. Despite his short end of the stick high school experience, he stuck it out and gave it his best. Nothing, to me, in defeat feels better than moving on knowing you've given it 100%. So, as he hangs up his cleats, we look forward to encouraging him as he reaches, perhaps, for stephiscopes instead!

Ultimately, it will go down as one of our most memorable Easters, and certainly is something we just can't enough of!!!

"Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani?"

Photo by: Kris

...they have pierced My hands and My feet:
I can count all my bones.
They look on and gloat over me;...
(Ps. 21: 17-18)

Dear Lord, help each member of my precious family and all of our loved ones and friends to draw near to you. May each of us pick up our cross daily and follow you. Help us to totally surrender ourselves to you, to trust you fully with our lives.
Amen.

Death

I have not posted in a while....my brain and heart are filled with so much that I feel like my "cup runneth over." God is still stirring in me to put some of these thoughts down...some of the words are just not here yet....

We have learned this past week of several special people who have left this world...having lost a loved one I know just exactly what it feels like to long for, and want to "hold, talk, laugh, and feel" just one more time....if you are a praying person....

...please pray for my nephew, Eric, who lost a close friend at school (only child... Erik) to suicide. He was 15. Please include his single mom in your prayers, too.
...a blogger friend of first, my little sisters, and now a blog I read daily, Tominvegas , just lost his grandmother
...a friend of mine, Misty, will soon get married... :) .. with her grandmother watching from Heaven...

Seems appropriate on this Palm Sunday, that we will attend a live version of the Stations of the Cross. He suffered, died, and was buried so we could live eternally with Him. I know He knows our pain, and He knows just what we need to heal.

For all these things, and the many things that are not written here, Lord, but perhaps are on our hearts and minds....I lift them all up to the you, Oh Lord...

Zzzzzzz

Kim and I have been married for just over 20 years. In that time I have changed a little. I have added about 30 pounds in weight along with about twice as much hair as I had when we got married, unfortunately not on my head… One other thing that has changed is the amount, volume and general disgustingness of the nocturnal noises I make. This last change seems to be the worst because it is the only one that she is constantly bugging me about fixing. So, when I saw my dr. this week I mentioned that Kim has had quite enough of my nightly ritual. I snore loud enough to wake the dead or I just don’t breath at all. Now, I am sure that you are thinking that given Kim’s propensity to exaggerate, perhaps the problem is not really that bad. Well, when my brothers and I go on our annual UCLA trips, they have offered to put me up in my own room just so they can get some sleep. And on the Confirmation Retreat I recently attended there were many wide-eyed 14 year olds asking how I could possibly make so much noise. So it’s safe to say the problem does exist.

To appease my wife I had a sleep study done Wed. night. I showed up at a non-descript medical building in Bedford at 9:45PM, buzzed the intercom and was led to a 2nd floor office. It was kind of funny, the examination rooms were all numbered like a regular doctors office, but the rooms were carpeted with a bed, dresser, TV, and nightstands. I figured this would be an easy way to get a few good hours of sleep without a 4-year old kicking me in the back every 15 minutes. Of course, that was before the “Parade of Electrodes” started. First, 2 on each leg just below the knee to find out if I have ‘the jimmy legs’. Then two on my chest to monitor my heart, fair enough. A microphone taped to my neck for snore volume (could have told them they wouldn’t need that one!). Two, yes, two sets of those hospital nose things sticking into my nose. One electrode on my jaw to check teeth clenching, on corners of each eye for eye movement, behind ears for sleep level, top of head for something, 2 on back of head for something else, one on my chin… When she pulled all the wires back I felt like I had dreadlocks! Then of course the finger deal to check oxygen level in the blood. All this stuff plugged in to one box that she carried to the nightstand as I trailed. I felt like a cross between Frankenstein and Steve Austin (better, stronger, faster).

I get into the bed and can hardly roll over because of all the wires and the chick says, “have a good sleep” as she turns off the light and closes the door. Uh huh. It’s now about 11:00 and I’m in bed and tired, which usually means about a 45 second window of awake time, but I lay there for about 20 minutes with my head about 3 inches off the pillow because of all the wires and I can’t sleep. Great, what a waste of electrodes. I eventually get to sleep and only wake up about 12 times during the next 6 hours, yes, they woke me at 5:00!!

As she is removing all the paraphernalia from my face she says, “ You do snore.” To which I internally replied, “No #^%$, Sherlock!” She then told me I did have sleep apnea, but she couldn’t tell me the severity of it, that has to come from the doctor. She thought I was fine until about 3:00AM when I “freaked out on her”. As I went to the bathroom to change into clothes for the ride home I saw how they had kept those electrodes on my face and head. Not tape, no, they had this sticky paste stuff that was all over my face and in my hair, guess I won’t be stopping for a Diet Coke Big Gulp on the way home. I ended up getting home about 6:00AM, just in time to wake the kids, make sandwiches and hop in the shower to wash all the paste off. What a great night!

Our birthday surprise LATech visit!!

Tod and "My Karen" as he used to call her way back when....
FOUR of Aunt Karen's EIGHT nephews! (Poor Craig...his bottom lip/chin was still so swollen!)

We headed over to the practice field on Saturday....fascinating to watch! It is extremely organized...loud horns blow and players move from station to station! I am not the most talented photographer...so I didn't get any actual kicking shots...I would need Kris or Brad for those!

The kickers

Cole, of course, could not sit still and just WATCH...he was itching to get out on that field!! Before we could get words out of our mouth..."no"...he ran down on the field and signaled to us (watching from the van) which kicks were good or no good, and then decided to shag balls for the kickers! They were appreciative and even asked him to come to every practice!

Handin' off the goods to big brother!

Little want-to-be....Cole is ready to be 19, already!

Stud!

19 years ago today....3/23 at 4:56!!

Grandma Kit showing off your cute little face!Sneakin' a peak at Daddy!

Grandma Jackson holding you!

Tired mommy...and proud Aunt Karen!

Tod, we had the most fun this past weekend showing up in Louisiana for a little birthday spoilin' and surprise! (More pictures to come soon!) It is so hard for me to believe that it is already 19 years ago that you entered into this world. As we have always said, you have added so much color to our lives!!

We are thanking God for you, especially today!

Happy 19th Birthday, Tod-o!

We love you!