It’s been a while since I have posted and it’s because we have been super busy. Football season has come to an end and Zachary’s team won the Championships! I finally got the DVD finished and it seems that the kids and parents were pretty happy with it. I know I was happy with the end result, and am glad about that because I had been working on it since August.
The Giants had two playoff games in Purcellville Giants v. Titans (11/1/08) and Viking v. Giants (11/8/08). The husband and I had to miss the Titans game as we were in Florida at a friends wedding. (I had such a blast there, but that is another post, with photos….soon.) The Giants won both games and were off to the Championship game (11/15/08) LLBFL Cowboys v. ULYFL Giants.
The boys won the Championship game in Sterling, 22 to 0, and was it ever an exciting game!! The Giants family then had their end of the year party the following morning. I don’t think anyone lost the smile from their face from the day before either. Actually, I think some of them are still smiling.
ULYFL 2008 CHAMPION GIANTS
Filed under: Family, Football, Kids, Life, Thoughts | Tags: Family, Football, Homecoming, Life
I am back in Virginia and wow, how cold the weather has gotten since I left. I am so not ready for the winter cold, as I love Spring and early summer weather. Guess I better get started and break out the sweat pants and warm coats. It looks like this winter is going to be a very cold one. I miss the warm of Dallas, that’s for sure.
The kids had football games on October 18, and both teams won. Although I did not see them, I got the play by play in photos and some video. It really was an awesome game. Zach’s team won 29 to 0!! Yup, that’s right, they slaughtered the other team. So much so that the league invoked the “mercy” rule and gave the other team an extra 10 yards towards the goal line whenever they were on offense. Zach has again proven he is good in a different position and is being utilized all over the field. Bethany’s team won as well, and for her, all she has left to do this season is perform at the games. Her team has suspended the practices because of the cold weather. (I guess our little girls are not geared to be outside in this frigid air.) The boys, however, seem immune to the cold and are practicing still 3 nights a week.
I haven’t been back to work since I returned from Texas. The schedule goes up today, so maybe I will have some hours. I could use some cash, that’s for sure. I spent a bit more than I should have in Texas, but I had a blast. I bought my first pair of Lucky Brand Jeans, and let me tell you, I love them!!! I also bought gifts for the family and my nephews, as well as a few for some friend’s kids.
Homecoming is Saturday and we are getting all ready. Nails, Hair, Shoes, Dress, etc. etc. I wish it were over already. (My daughter’s boyfriend is probably thinking the same thing.) Zach has his last regular season game this Saturday against the Giants rivals, the Vikings. I can’t wait to see the game, then we will see if we are still in first place as playoffs are about to begin. Bethany’s last game is this Saturday too. I think my mom is taking her as she will be spending the weekend at her house and the game is in Sterling.
Well, I hear the washing machine calling to me (“come switch it over and start a new load”) so I had better run.
Filed under: Family, Football, Kids, Travel | Tags: Family, Football, Kids, texas, Travel
It’s been a long time (17 years), but I am headed to Dallas, TX this coming Sunday for a whole week!! I can’t wait to see my aunt, uncle, cousin and my cousin’s 2 kids. I am going to down to help out for a week after my uncle’s back surgery this coming Monday, but it’s a visit just the same. I hope the weather is nice as I am looking forward to breaking out some shorts again.
My kids have been doing fantastic in their respective sports. Zachary’s team, the Giants, have been on a winning streak lately. Last night they beat the Bucs, 12-8. Zach has proved himself to be a very versatile player this year. He played center last night for quite a few plays, apparently having the best long snap on the team. Here is me, in the stands, saying to myself, “What is going on?? What are they doing?” because Moms are always the last to know. My hubby, Jim, neglected to tell me that they had been practicing this play all week. We have another game this coming Saturday and I expect that the boys will continue their winning streak. (Ok, enough on that because I don’t want to jinx it.)
Bethany is doing quite well with her cheer squad. They recently took 2nd place in the cheer off competition held at LVHS. They came in 2nd only because their dance routine was 15 seconds too long. Yes, they are extremely strict about the rules. Was a shame because honestly, they gave a better performance than the team that took first place. Then again, I could be a bit biased. 
Alyssa has been working hard with the marching band. They did very well in their last competition in Charlottesville. I believe they came in 2nd place, but as she is a teenager, pulling information from her is like pulling teeth. I was unable to attend this competition because of the younger two kids needing to be in two different places at the same time. Alyssa has another competition this coming Saturday at Oakton HS, but again, I am unable to attend because of the younger kids. Sometimes I wonder if Alyssa thinks we ignore her activities. I hope she knows it’s not because we don’t want to see her perform, just that she is capable of going by herself with her team whereas the younger kids can’t go by themselves. I know Alyssa is in good hands because she is always with another family here that has been fantastic to us in helping her get where she needs to be. I do buy all the DVD’s of the competitions so that I can watch the ones I don’t get to attend.
Work for me has been a blast. I love bartending and have decided to stick with it after my “help-out” month. I will probably reduce the hours I am putting in to about 3 shifts per week instead of the 5+ I have been pulling. The money is fantastic and it really is a lot of fun, fun, fun!!!
Well, this was meant to be a quickie update, as I have lots to do before heading out of town. I hope everyone is well, and MKRules, if you see this, shout at me. I will be in your area!
Filed under: Band, Cheerleading, Family, Football, Football Injuries, High School, Kids, Life, Marching Band, Photos, Sports, Success | Tags: Band Competition, Football Injuries, LVHS, Photos, ULYFL
Zachary had a couple of great games this past week. Wednesday night the ULYFL Giants played against the ULYFL Bandits. The Giants won 20-6. It was a fantastic game and gave the boys a sense of “we CAN do this” which was needed after their first game loss to the LLFBL Rams. Saturday night the Giants played against the ULYFL Titans and won again, 8-0. The score would have been 20-0, but we had two touchdowns called back for some pretty stupid penalties. One was recalled for blocking from behind, a silly mistake. The second was recalled for holding, an even sillier mistake but it happens. The coaches were not too pleased about the penalties, but I think the boys were actually feeling worse about them.
Zachary on the move!
(Zachary is on the left of the photo with the long blue sleeves.)
Zachary was moved to a different position in this game and had quite a few important tackles. He was hurt during one of them in the second quarter. (more…)
I don’t know about the rest of you, but I am tired of ER visits. Thursday night at football practice, we had another injury. This time one of the boys hands had been stepped on. His pinky finger showed the damage, definitely bent in ways it should not have been. Ice was instantly administered, but as soon as the boy showed the coaches, his mom was sent to the ER with him immediately. I am not an x-ray machine, but I am not sure that his pinky was only dislocated either. It didn’t look good.
It’s now Friday afternoon, and it seems that his finger was only dislocated. His mom sent me an email to let us know he was ok. She said that a couple of shoots and that bad boy pinky finger was put back into place. Mom says he was another Giants trooper, no screaming out while they put his finger back into place. He says he is ready to play football tomorrow. Boy, the kids on our team are so resilient.
Filed under: Football, Football Injuries, Friends, Sports, Teams | Tags: Youth Football
Well today we had our first games of the football season for the kids. We started our day off by arriving at the football field at 11:00 AM. My daughter, Bethany, was cheering for the Trojans who won their game. I think the score was 18-0, following a morning of Upper Loudoun teams winning games over Lower Loudoun teams. Bethany’s cheer squad looked really good for the little amount of practice they have actually had. Their half-time routine looked fantastic and it was obvious they had worked hard on it.
We had a quick break around 1:00 so we could change clothes and get Gatorade for my son Zachary’s game. Zach’s game started a bit late because at this point games were running about 30 minutes behind schedule. Typical by the time you get to the older boys’ games.
The Giants got off to a rough start in the first quarter against the Lower Loudoun Rams (even their 2nd string was HUGE) and the score was 7-0. During the second quarter, the Giants got on the board with a fantastic pass. “Goliath” (nickname for smallest kid on the team) had a beautiful catch and run into the end zone. The score was now 7-6. (more…)
Filed under: Beach, Cheerleading, Family, Football, Kids, Life, Marching Band | Tags: Family, lymes disease
Well, it seems like forever since I have logged onto wordpress. Summer 2008 is coming to a close and we have had a busy one. We went to Canada this summer and to the beach a few times. The husband and I have a quick jaunt to Florida planned for the weekend of Oct. 31. One of my dearest friends from high school is getting married to a great guy. We plan on celebrating with them and leaving the kids home with my sister. After Christmas, we have another trip planned to Jamaica for the kids and us. We can’t wait. New Years in Jamaica. How cool is that? (more…)
Filed under: Blogging, Camping, Cheerleading, Family, Football, Jobs, Life, Random, Vacation | Tags: Camping, Thanksgiving, Work, Youth Football
Youth Football season ended last week for us when my son and daughters’ teams were knocked out in the playoffs. The Championship Games were played today. We didn’t see the games, our first Saturday morning off since September.
I am working a bit more now with the unused football hours. It’s a great chance to give my assistant manager a break. He has been working quite hard and a lot of hours so that I could coach and be as active as possible in my kids’ activities. So, I closed tonight. I don’t think I have ever worked a Saturday, even in the pizza business. I know it sounds weird (most request Sunday) but I have always reserved Saturday for family. I quickly got over it, but it did feel odd to me to be headed to work on a Saturday.
I miss football season already. I miss the girls practicing their cheers. The hugs and smiles and hard work, even when they would rather be playing “webkins”. I miss all the kids playing and having fun. The total parental support of hundreds of parents. I miss the games and wish I had gotten up and went to watch the Championship games today. I was being lazy and well, frankly, it’s gotten very cold lately. I hate the cold. (more…)
Filed under: Exciting, Family, Football, Friends, Halloween, Hauntings, Kids, Life, Photos, Success | Tags: Candy Bars, Football Playoffs, Halloween, Pumpkin Carving, Trick-Or-Treat
This year we are continuing what has apparently become a tradition at our house. For Halloween, we have always decorated the yard and house. We have always carved some pretty cool looking pumpkins. We have tons of decorations that jump, shake and “boo”. We have a graveyard and strobe lights, black lights and fog machines. Each year brings a new decoration or two. This year we lost a few mini lights, but added a couple of ghouls. Over the years, our pumpkin carving has gradually increased. Last year we had about 22 pumpkins carved with many designs. I remember Steve Irwin, Mt. Rushmore, album covers, etc. With the drought this summer, we only bought 20 pumpkins to carve this year. They were so expensive compared to years before. That and time to carve limited us to not having more than last year. Unfortunately, my oldest dropped one of the pumpkins and another must have been some type of pumpkin-gourd mutation because no knife that I owned would cut into that hard ass gourd.
Happy Halloween!
Anyway, so we started carving last night. The designs are not as intricate as they have been in the past. Hopefully, we will not disappoint the neighbors who come each year to see them. We just didn’t seem to have the time we usually have to get it all done. Today we carved a few more and set out all the decorations, minus a few bones and webbing which we saved for tomorrow morning.
I had to leave quite a few pumpkins uncarved and go to my son’s football game. A couple of friends of mine finished all the pumpkin carving (thank goodness) tonight, 18 pumpkins carved! A HUGE relief and task accomplished for me. They did this all while I was watching my son’s football game. The Oarsmen vs. Mustangs Playoff Game.
Filed under: Balance, Band, Cheerleading, Exciting, Family, Football, High School, Kids, Life, Love, Marching Band, Papa Johns, Positive, Redskins, Thoughts | Tags: Football, Homecoming, Weddings, Young Love
Saturday, October 20, was Homecoming here in my little town. My oldest attended the pancake breakfast with her friends. Then she was off to join the Homecoming Parade. Since she is in marching band, she had to go a bit earlier than we did. As the oldest headed to the high school, we left to attend my youngest’s football game to watch her cheer. It was the last game before playoffs and although the team did not win, they do have at least 1 playoff game to look forward to. We were then off to the parade. For the rest of my weekend, keep on reading. (more…)
Filed under: Balance, Band, Cheerleading, Exciting, Family, Football, High School, Kids, Life, Marching Band, Shopping
Where do I begin? The last couple of weeks have been very hectic for my family, but positive. Beside taking care of my Mom, I have been busy with the kids as well. My hubby has been great in helping out with them, getting them off to school, practice and everything else. So read on to find out all we have done and will be doing. (more…)
Filed under: Cheerleading, Family, Football, Kids, Photos, Positive, Success, Teams | Tags: Football, touchdown, win
Just like any other Saturday, we got up early, grabbed some coffee and headed out the door for a day of football and cheerleading. My youngest had the first morning game and the girls did their routines well. One of the stunts fell during half-time, but the bases caught her and the dance continued without a hitch.
Today was also my day for concession stand duty at lunch time. There were 4 other Moms from my son’s football team, the Oarsmen. We had fun, although it was busy and hot! I was in charge of hot food (burgers, dogs & pizza). The funny part about that is they serve Domino’s pizza! I will have to show the league the error of their ways and nab that contract for next year! 
Right after my stint in the concession stand was over, the Oarsmen vs. Redskins game began. The boys had been working so hard this week at practice and were mentally and physically ready for this game. They wanted it bad and they got it! The result, the final score 21-0. Way to go Oarsmen!!! I am so super proud of the whole team. To see the details of the game and some more photos, keep reading!
Filed under: Cheerleading, Football, Kids, Photos | Tags: Cheerleading, Football, Teams
Just some brag photos to share with you. First, let me say that I just love the camera that I got for Christmas, right after football season was over last year. Second, my son’s football team played very well last Saturday. The boys really held their own and allowed no points. The game resulted in a 0 to 0 tie. There is no overtime until playoffs. Anyway, here are my high lights by photos of Saturday’s game. Go, go big O!
The first picture is of my son #45 (on left side of tackle) and a coach’s son sacking the quarterback.
Filed under: Breast Cancer, Cheerleading, Family, Football, Jobs, Kids, Life, Marching Band, Papa Johns, Ranting, Thoughts
It’s about time for an update on the goings on around me. My son has had 2 football games so far. The first game found his team up against last year’s championship winner. There were a few mistakes, the boys never gave up and played hard, but they took a loss. The second game proved to have fewer mishaps, just as much heart, a touchdown, but still resulted in a loss. Now we have the 2 toughest games out of the way, so hopefully the season will turn around a bit. (more…)
Filed under: Balance, Breast Cancer, Cheerleading, Family, Football, Life, Marching Band, Papa Johns, Thoughts
Sometimes in life, you score a touch down. Sometimes you fumble or complete the pass for an extra yard or two. Lately, I have had a bit of it all. This is the latest going on with me.
My most recent touchdown was going back to work as a general manager for Papa Johns. I am extremely busy with work and coaching, family and life. I am constantly “on the go”, but I am totally loving it! The staff members that were at PJs when I took over are pretty cool and so far my new hires are working out.
The family is adjusting to the changes day by day. We have had a few shaky passes over the last couple of weeks, but we are completing the passes. Compromise, balance and working together are the key. (more…)
