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Friday, December 20th, 2013This will likely be my last update before Christmas, and quite possibly my final update of the year, so I wanted to take this time to wish everyone a very, merry Christmas and a happy New Year. This past year has provided lots of ups and downs; people have come into our lives and people have left; some dreams have been met while others have been dashed - but in the end I thank you all for being a part of it. Here is hoping for a happy and prosperous 2014! I am going to keep this brief today... please check for the "Update!" icons and the "New" icons to see the latest additions to the site, or go to the Update List page. Thank you! Friday, December 13th, 2013Ahhh... there is nothing quite like having a Friday the 13th less than two weeks before Christmas! I have a few extra moments this morning, so I am taking advantage of them to post the latest update to the site. I have added pictures from four games this week, as well as a set of photos from the latest vehicle I have had from the GM Ambassador program at work. Tyler played in his team's first two basketball games this week, and you can find both of them by clicking on Tyler's Basketball on the Current Events page. Also on the Current Events page, you can find pictures of Samantha's two most recent volleyball match's by going to the Samantha's Volleyball page. Finally, the photos of the GMC Sierra that I had for a week through work can be found on the GM Ambassador Program page. Monday, December 9th, 2013Wow... things are way busier this time of year than I would have hoped. Because of this, it has been a full two weeks since I last updated the website. I really don't have a ton of free time to make regular updates, so please continue checking back - don't forget about us! Since I am so busy right now, I am going to put the burden on you of looking for the new additions to the site. I have several volleyball and hockey games added, as well as pictures from Jayden's birthday party. Go to the Current Events page and look for the "New" or "Update" icons or simply go to the Update List page to see all of the new additions since your last visit! Monday, November 25th, 2013A lot has happened in the 11 days since I have last updated the website. We are now officially in the busy season as we head towards the holiday season and the new year. I am going to start with the oldest members of our family and work down from there... Tara & I have listed the house for sale. We are sometimes torn on whether this is the right move or not, but it is something that we are exploring at this time. If we don't get an offer we like, we don't have to move. If we do get an offer we can't refuse, then we gain some financial flexibility for the next step in our lives. Tyler has resumed his basketball career, making the freshman team at school after sitting out a year after not making the 8th grade team. He put a lot of hard work in, both on the court and in the classroom, to make this happen, and Tara & I couldn't be more proud of him. You can see his schedule by clicking on Tyler's Basketball on the Current Events page. I have also finally remembered to post a photo of Tyler's soccer banquet from earlier this month. That can be found by going to the Current Events page and clicking on Tyler's Soccer. Samantha is busy as always, as she continues her volleyball season, competing in two more games since my last update. While they didn't go exactly as planned, the girls are learning and get better each and every day. You can see the photos from these games by going to the Current Events page and clicking on Samantha's Volleyball. Sam is also playing for an AAU basketball team - the Michigan Avengers - this winter while taking a break from soccer (sort of - she still has practice once a week during the winter). I don't have a game schedule for the Avengers yet, but when I do you can be sure I will post it here! Drew is still busy with hockey, and he will also be playing basketball in the winter. His hockey team played in two games since my last update; pictures for both of them can be found by clicking on Drew's Hockey on the Current Events page. Drew even managed to score his first goal of the season this past weekend! Jayden... well, poor Jay is stuck in a holding pattern until spring when soccer resumes and baseball gets underway. In the meantime she is working hard on her upcoming school musical, and she is a real trooper as she is forced to tag along to practice after practice and game after game. Thank you Jayden! Thursday, November 14th, 2013Things are starting to pick back up again for us, as the kids get involved once again in their sporting pursuits. Tyler is working on conditioning for the 9th grade basketball tryouts that begin next week, and we are hoping to add that to our schedule soon. Samantha is playing volleyball for the school's 7th grade team, and her indoor soccer practices are resuming starting today. Drew is hot and heavy into the heart of his hockey season, with games and practices tying up most of his free time. Poor Jayden is a tad left behind right now, as she waits for soccer and baseball season to get back underway in the spring. Tara & I? Our activity is pretty much limited to driving the kids around to their various games and practices! I have three updates to the site this week. Up first is the pictures from Drew's fifth regular season game of the year, a tough loss to the Port Huron Flags last Saturday. Those pictures can be found on the Drew's Hockey page. The next addition is of the first two games of Samantha's volleyball career. Her team split the two games, leaving them with a 1-1 record on the young season. Click on Samantha's Volleyball for the pictures. The final addition is a late one, but I have finally gotten around to adding the team photograph from Sam's 7th grade basketball season. Go to Samantha's Basketball to see that photograph. Thursday, November 7th, 2013As promised in my last update, I have added Samantha's volleyball schedule to the website this week. I have also added the photos from Drew's latest travel hockey game, which you can find by going to the Current Events page and clicking on Drew's Hockey. As for anything else, I don't have much to add in the way of new or exciting information, so keep checking back to see all of the latest doings! Saturday, November 2nd, 2013I don't have much to add today in the way of news or updates, so I will make it short and sweet today. First, the news: Samantha has made the school volleyball team, and she begins practice on Monday with games coming up soon. I will be adding her schedule to the site for the next update. Now, the update: I have added a grand total of three photos from Halloween this year. Our usual routine was altered drastically this year, and the weather didn't cooperate, so I was unable to take too many photos. As you would probably expect by now, you can see these photos by going to the Current Events page and clicking on Halloween. Monday, October 28th, 2013We are currently experiencing a brief lull before things pick back up again. In fact, this past weekend saw two of our sporting seasons come to an end, as both Samantha and Jayden played in their final soccer games of 2013. Tyler's soccer season wrapped up a couple weeks ago, and he is currently concentrating on academics and conditioning so that he can do his best when the 9th grade basketball tryouts take place. Sam is starting volleyball tryouts this week, and if she makes that team the games will begin in a couple of weeks. Drew's hockey season is still underway (and will last until sometime in March), but he is going to try and sign up for basketball too (a sport he has longed to try for a couple of years now - this is the first year he is eligible based on his grade). Jayden's sporting activities have ceased for now, until soccer and baseball pick back up in the spring. For now she is concentrating on her songs for the school's Christmas play in December. I have three updates to the site this week, all sporting related. Samantha's soccer game photos have been added, as have Drew's hockey scrimmage photos and Jayden's soccer game photos. All of them can be found by going to the Current Events page and looking for the "Update!" icon or by following the directions below. Enjoy! Tuesday, October 22nd, 2013Another busy few days in our house, as we had three games over the weekend (since my last update) and another one yesterday. That includes 2 hockey games for Drew and both a soccer game and a basketball game for Samantha. That just about wraps up soccer (1 game remaining) and it finishes her basketball season (now on to volleyball tryouts). Jayden had a soccer game scheduled, but it was rained out/cancelled by the other team (forfeit victory!). While her game was rained out, meaning no updates, I did finally get her team pictures scanned in. Tyler is between sports for a while and waiting for basketball tryouts with both fingers crossed. The updates this week are all related to the sports games that the kids played in. You can find a list of the updates by clicking on the Update List link on this page, or by going to the Current Events page and looking for the "Update!" icons. I also added a new wallpaper, which can be found on the Wallpapers page. Friday, October 18th, 2013It has been two weeks since I last managed to find the time to update the website, and those two weeks flew by so fast I barely realized that it happened! In that time the kids have participated in a grand total of 13 games for their respective sports teams, not to mention countless practices and various other appointments. Throw in work for Tara & I, along with school and homework for the kids, and it is no wonder that we are constantly passing each other as we come and go... Like I said, there has been a lot going on for the kids these past two weeks. Tyler's soccer season wrapped up on October 10th, and he capped off his season with his first goal! Unfortunately for him, it was his team's only goal of the game, and it wasn't enough to secure the Bronchos a victory. You can see all of Tyler's soccer pictures, including those added since the last update, by going to the Current Events page and clicking on Tyler's Soccer. Samantha has been the busiest of the kids this fall, as she is playing both travel soccer and basketball for the 7th grade team. Since my last update she has played in two soccer games and four basketball games, with a mixed bag of results. Go to the Current Events page and click on Samantha's Basketball or Samantha's Soccer for the latest information on each sport. Drew has been busy lately too, as hockey season is getting into the meat of their schedule. He travel hockey team played their first two games of the regular season and four games in a weekend long tournament in Holland since I have last update the site. Go to Drew's Hockey on the Current Events page for pictures from each of his games. I have also added two new wallpaper photographs from our trip to Holland, which you can see for yourself on the Wallpapers page below. Finally, Jayden has been keeping busy with her own soccer season this fall. Her team hasn't been quite as busy, as they only play one game a week - meaning two new game updates this time around. Go to Jayden's Soccer on the Current Events page for the latest info on these games. As for Tara & I, there really isn't much to report. Our chauffer business is doing great... just ask the kids! Friday, October 4th, 2013First of all, I want to take a second to say Happy Anniversary to my loving wife, Tara. You have given me 16 of the greatest years of my life, and even though they haven't all been easy for either one of us, I wouldn't trade a single day of it for anything in the world. I am excited to be by your side as together we learn what the future holds for us. I love you with all my heart! Now to the updates. I was able to squeeze in a quick update a week ago, but much has happened since then. As you can probably guess, we are still terribly busy around our house. Through much of October we are averaging around 7 games per week, plus about 10 practices per week for the kids various sporting activities. With Tyler playing JV soccer through the school, Samantha playing both travel soccer and school basketball for the 7th grade team, Drew playing travel hockey, and Jayden playing AYSO soccer we are busy, busy, busy. But, I wouldn't trade it for the world... the kids are having the times of their lives, and it sure beats being on second shift! I have two brand new additions to the website this week, both of which took place on our busy Saturday. First, we went to Dundee with Tara's Mom and Step-Dad to play at the Splash Universe water park. Of course, while we were in Dundee, we had to stop at Cabela's! You can find pictures from both places on the Splash Universe page under Current Events. Later on that day Drew went to a birthday party at an archery range! He had a ton of fun while there, and he even shot pretty well for having no experience with it! You can see these pictures by going to the Current Events page and clicking on Rising Phoenix Archery. I have also added a new wallpaper to the site that I missed from the beginning of August... Check it out! I also have three additions to the website, all sports related (as you could imagine). Sam has played in three games this week, including a soccer game (a rematch of a week ago) and two basketball games. For those photos, go to the Current Events page and click on either Samantha's Basketball or Samantha's Soccer. Tyler also played in two soccer matches this week, and those photos can be found on the Tyler's Soccer page under Current Events. Finally, I have added the schedule for Drew's next hockey tournament, the Great Lakes Tournament, in Holland during the weekend of October 11th-13th. You can go to the Current Events page and click on Drew's Hockey to see the schedule. 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! Friday, September 27th, 2013As always, life is jam packed full of things to take care of places to take the kids to, so I am going to keep this short and sweet. I just updated the site a few days ago, but we have had several more games take place since then. They have now been added to the website, so please take a moment and enjoy them. You can browse the Current Events page to see what is updated, or you can click on the Update List page for a quick and easy reference of what is new since your last visit. Tuesday, September 24th, 2013Too much to say and not nearly enough time to say it. I am not going to go into detail about the updates this time around; instead I will steer you to the Update List page for all of the additions since my last update. Forgive me for being short and to the point, but you'll see why when you see how many additions I've made to the site. We've been a tad busy! Wednesday, September 12th, 2013Want an idea of just how overwhelmed I am right now? I had absolutely no idea what day it was when I sat down to type this out. And things are only going to get worse from here... on top of the 10 hour days that I have been working (for what seems like forever now), we are now in full swing for the fall sports seasons. Samantha is going strong with her travel soccer team as well as playing basketball for her school team. Drew's travel hockey team is kicking off their season this coming weekend, as is Jayden's AYSO soccer team. Somehow Tyler has managed to avoid participating in anything yet, but Tara isn't too happy about him sitting on the couch every day after school, so I am sure that will be changing in the near future too. For now I am just going to say that I am going to do my best to keep the updates coming fast and furious. Depending on the week, we have up to 6 games taking place between the three kids, so time will be tight. Just keep checking back here for more, even if the homepage isn't updated each and every time. I have a bunch of additions and updates this time around, but I am not going to go into detail here. You can quickly and easily see them by clicking on the Update List page for a chronological listing, or you can visit the Current Events page and look for the New and Update! icons. And don't forget to take the time to enjoy all of the photos... life is too short not to! Friday, August 30th, 2013I had a nice long update typed out, but before I could finish and save it my computer crapped out on me. Now I don't feel like attempting to recreate all of the beautiful, eloquent words that flowed from my keyboard the first time around. OK, so maybe that is stretching it a bit, but the basic fact is that I don't want to retype all that I have lost. Maybe next update... I will say that I have three update/additions to the website this time around, all of which can easily be found by going to the Update List page. First, Samantha's La Forza soccer team began their fall season with a tournament in Midland on August 24th and 25th. You can see the photos from her games as well as see the schedule for the regular season by going to the Samantha's Soccer page under Current Events. Next up is Drew, who is playing travel hockey for the first time, for the Lapeer Storm, this season. I don't have a lot of information at this time, but what I do have can be found by going to the Current Events page and clicking on Drew's Hockey. Finally, Jayden is kicking off (pun intended) season 2 of AYSO soccer this fall. Her game schedule can be found on the Jayden's Soccer page under Current Events. Thursday, August 8th, 2013What a crazy, amazing, disappointing summer this has been already. And there is even some things that have happened that fit all three of those descriptions! I can't get into too many details here, as I don't want too much getting out, but lets just say in many ways I can't wait for this year to be over with, and in some ways I never want it to end... I have one addition to the website today, and that involves our first camping trip of the year. We finally managed to get out, this time to the Lake Huron Campground for the Deckerville Homecoming festivities. You can find out all of the details by going to the Camping page under Current Events. Thursday, August 1st, 2013It was an exciting but rough month of July in our household. We made a new lifelong friend in our foreign exchange student, Carlos. We suffered through a friend spending a week in the hospital. We learned that my sister and her family will be moving to Florida shortly. And we lost a member of our family after a weeklong fight to get her better when Tinkerbell was put to sleep on July 30th. Needless to say I am having a hard time controlling my emotions and putting my thoughts into words. So forgive me for being short here, but feel free to explore the Current Events and Wallpapers pages for the latest updates. Enjoy! Wednesday, July 31st, 2013Lots to say, but not a lot of time or energy to type it all out. Be patient with me and I will get everything out here in the next day or so. Thanks. Enjoy! Friday, July 19th, 2013Just a quick update, since it has been such a short time since yesterday's update. I have added a bunch of pictures from the tour of The Palace of Auburn Hills that Tara took Carlos and the kids on yesterday. You can find them on the Current Events page under the Palace Tour link. The info from yesterday's update is below... Thursday, July 18th, 2013Despite the end of the sporting seasons for the kids, things have remained hectic at home. Because of that, I must apologize for taking so long to get the website updated. We are a little over halfway through our time hosting Carlos, our exchange student from Valladolid, Spain. Although we haven't been able to do as much with him as we would have liked, we think that we are keeping him busy enough and that he is having fun. We have gone to the mall with him, and he has experienced paintball, fishing, basketball, a drive-in movie, Independence Day (twice), and a host of other activities. He is even going to Tyler's conditioning classes three days a week! We offered him the opportunity to skip them, but he seems to enjoy them and continues to go. On the agenda for him is a tour of The Palace of Auburn Hills (he is a huge basketball fan) and a trip to Cedar Point. Who knows what else we will fit in before it is time to bid him adios... I have one update this time, and it involves Samantha and her latest sporting conquest, softball. No, she hasn't given up on baseball yet, but she was offered the opportunity to participate in the softball All-Star Tournament through the little league. She practiced with the team one time, and played in their only game of the tournament. Although things didn't go as smoothly as she hoped, I think she will look back on this moment in her life fondly when some time has passed. No matter what, she can be proud of all that she has accomplished. You can see the pictures and read more about the game action by going to the Samantha's Baseball link on the Current Events page. I also have three new additions to the website. Up first is a ton of pictures from our various Independence Day celebrations. We watched a parade, went swimming with friends, and watched two fireworks spectaculars (or three for Drew and I, but who's counting?)! These pictures can all be found by going to the Current Events page and then clicking on Independence Day. The second addition to the site is two sets of photos from a fun run that Tyler, Carlos, and I participated in called The Color Run. This is a 5k event where you are covered in various colors of powder throughout the race. Everyone seemed to enjoy themselves greatly... perhaps next year we'll be able to make it a family event!?! These pictures are also on the Current Events page, under The Color Run. Finally, I have added a few photos of our kids along with some of their first and second cousins from a brief visit with them this past weekend. Go to the Current Events page and click on Kids & Cousins for these pictures. Finally, I have chosen several photos from the new additions to the site to use as wallpapers on my computer. You can find the latest wallpaper options by clicking on the Wallpapers link below or at the top of this page. Wednesday, July 3rd, 2013Lots of interesting things happening at home this month... most exciting for me is that I am back on day shift - at least until somebody bumps me back to second. While I hope it lasts forever, I will do my best to enjoy it for as long as it lasts! Tara is probably more excited about the exchange student that we have living with us for almost the entire month of July. His name is Carlos, and he is visiting us from Valladolid, Spain. He seems to be getting along very well with Tyler and his friends so far, and we have some exciting things planned for him while he is here. I will be sure to post a journal from his time here as well as pictures as time goes on. Drew also tried out for and made a travel hockey team for this coming fall, and we have a parent meeting with the coaches coming up to get more information about this. Once we have it, we will share with everyone here. On top of that, despite playing baseball for the entire season, Samantha was recruited to play in the softball All-Star game this year. We'll see how that goes! I have one update and one new addition to the site today. The update is from Drew's final baseball game of the year. Although he lost the game, he enjoyed this game and his entire season this year. Check out the Drew's Baseball link on the Current Events page to see the pictures from this game and most of his others. The new addition is from the movie theater, when Tara and the kids took me to see Monsters University for Fathers Day. Go to the Current Events page and click on Monsters University to see these photos. Thursday, June 27th, 2013As always, lots of updates to share but little time to discuss them. Look for the Update! or New logos on the site for the latest additions. Also, one bit of good news to share - I am back on first shift! Not sure for how long, but I'll take it for as long as I can! Monday, June 17th, 2013As there will likely be updates throughout the week this week, I am going to keep it short and simple. Please visit the Current Events page and look for the Update! or New icons for the latest additions to the site! Wednesday, June 12th, 2013What an amazing weekend... Samantha 'graduated' from 6th grade and is now a middle school student, the kids wrapped up another school year, with Tyler moving to the high school in the fall and Drew and Jayden each moving up a grade in the elementary school, Tara & I enjoyed a relaxing weekend away without the kids (if you call me participating in the 22-mile M-22 Challenge relaxing!), Sam and Jay wrapped up their soccer seasons, and the list goes on and on. Sometimes it only requires a moment to sit back and think about how truly blessed you are in life. Of course, I still hate my job, so there is one area I need to seek improvement on! I have five sets of updates to share today, and more will be coming through the week (depending on the weather, of course). For now, I have added Samantha's 6th Grade Graduation and the M22 Challenge Weekend to the Current Events Page. I have also made the addition of Sam's final two soccer games to the Samantha's Soccer - Spring Outdoor page, Jay's final soccer game to Jayden's Soccer page, and both Samantha's and Drew's latest baseball games to their respective baseball pages. As always, enjoy! Tuesday, June 11th, 2013What an amazing weekend... Samantha 'graduated' from 6th grade and is now a middle school student, the kids wrapped up another school year, with Tyler moving to the high school in the fall and Drew and Jayden each moving up a grade in the elementary school, Tara & I enjoyed a relaxing weekend away without the kids (if you call me participating in the 22-mile M-22 Challenge relaxing!), Sam and Jay wrapped up their soccer seasons, and the list goes on and on. Sometimes it only requires a moment to sit back and think about how truly blessed you are in life. Of course, I still hate my job, so there is one area I need to seek improvement on! I have five sets of updates to share today, and more will be coming through the week (depending on the weather, of course). For now, I have added Samantha's 6th Grade Graduation and the M22 Challenge Weekend to the Current Events Page. I have also made the addition of Sam's final two soccer games to the Samantha's Soccer - Spring Outdoor page, Jay's final soccer game to Jayden's Soccer page, and Drew's latest baseball game to Drew's Baseball page. As always, enjoy! Tuesday, June 5th, 2013I can't seem to keep up on the website updates like I should as time goes by faster and faster. Before I know it, I blink and I am nine updates behind! Because I am struggling to keep things up to date like I would prefer, I am going to keep this short and simple. Go to the Current Events page or click on the Update List link to see all of the new updates this time around. I hope that there is something to interest you! Quick update... I have added two more sets of photos to the site. Enjoy! Tuesday, June 5th, 2013I can't seem to keep up on the website updates like I should as time goes by faster and faster. Before I know it, I blink and I am nine updates behind! Because I am struggling to keep things up to date like I would prefer, I am going to keep this short and simple. Go to the Current Events page or click on the Update List link to see all of the new updates this time around. I hope that there is something to interest you! Friday, May 31st, 2013It has been a rough week weather-wise around home, so the picture taking has been tougher than usual. In addition, the amount of games at different places has made it difficult to catch every one. I must apologize for the lack of updates, as several games didn't get any photos taken at them this week. Hopefully that won't always be the case. I have added two new sets of pictures this week. Up first is Jayden's latest soccer game. Next on the list is Samantha's most recent baseball game. While the Drew and Jay both had baseball games as well this week, there were no photos taken from their games. Go to the Current Events page and click on either Jayden's Soccer or Samantha's Baseball to see the latest updates. Thursday, May 23rd, 2013I kind of fell behind for a few days as my lack of time got the best of me. Unfortunately I still don't have anything positive to report on the job situation, and not much has changed around home. Tara is still busy carting the kids to and from games and practices, with little time to sit and enjoy the games when they are being played. I am still on second shift, not by choice, so I try my best to stay positive (unsuccessfully, usually) and keep busy when I am home alone. Weeding and running are my two main activities of late, and I am slacking at both of them. Now to the important stuff... I have a bunch of new additions to the site this time around. I will hopefully be posting more as they occur, but I probably won't be updating this main page each time. Check out the Update List page for an easy way to see what is new each time you visit the site. Another option is to go to the Current Events page and look for all of the New or Update icons flashing away. Monday, May 13th, 2013Once again I will keep this short and simple, as I am sure that I will have lots of updates to share with you this week as baseball season is well underway for Samantha, Drew, and Jayden. I have updates for both Sam and Jay's soccer teams, as well as an addition to the site in the Detroit Tigers game that Tara took Tyler, Drew, and Jay to on the 11th. Feel free to check all of the new photos out by going to the Current Events page and following the "New" or "Update" icons, or by going to the Update List page for a chronological listing of the updates. Enjoy! Friday, May 10th, 2013See my comments from a couple of days ago below... Wednesday, May 8th, 2013Since I just updated yesterday, I am going to leave yesterday's comments here on the home page for your review... Tuesday, May 7th, 2013Baseball season is upon us, and that means lots of games to add to the website. For me that means a lot of work, too! I will be attempting to update the site as often as I can, but I probably won't be adding a lot of commentary to the homepage while I do so - unless we have some news to share, that is. In the meantime, you can see what is new to the website by going to the Update List page, where the additions are listed chronologically, or by going to the Current Events page and looking for the "New" or "Update" icons. Enjoy! Monday, April 29th, 2013I am tired and not in the mood to type a whole lot tonight, so I am going to keep it short and sweet. Go to the Current Events page or the Update List page to see all of the new additions to the site. Enjoy! Friday, April 26th, 2013Aside from being on a shift that I (and the rest of my family) hate, life seems to be looking up. I am looking forward to baseball season, which will be beginning soon for Samantha, Drew, and Jayden, as well as Tyler's summer basketball with the Holly Hoops program - even though I will be missing most of the games thanks to my job. There is something exciting about watching your children succeed at something that they love... Thank goodness that I have an amazing wife is somehow manages to squeeze all of the games and practices into her day, without a bit of help from me! I have one update this week, and that is the addition of games 7 & 8 from Samantha's indoor soccer season at the Genesee Fieldhouse. With a victory in game 7, her team was able to secure first place in their division! You can see the pictures and read more about the games by going to Samantha's Soccer on the Current Events page. Monday, April 15th, 2013Tax day, and all finally seems to be pointing the right direction in the world. Although I am still on second shift (and hating it), Tara & I are figuring out a way to pare down the schedule to make it more manageable for her on a nightly basis. So far that has meant less hockey and basketball for the boys as baseball season starts up, but they will be resuming their play later in the year. I have two updates to share this week, both of which are sports related. First, Samantha's soccer team played another indoor game - one which I had to miss thanks to this miserable work schedule. Second, Tyler's Elite United basketball team played in three games this past weekend. While they lost all three, they were well played games for the most parts (though there were lapses in all three games). To see the updates, click on the Current Events link and look for the Update! icons. Monday, April 8th, 2013Not a lot to say today... I have a lot weighing on my mind with bad news seemingly surrounding family and friends lately. I am definitely keeping everyone in my prayers and hoping for peace and happiness all around. On to the updates... I have two new pages of soccer games for Samantha as well as the schedule for her spring season, two new basketball games for Tyler, and a bunch of pictures from our Easter celebration at the end of last month. I'll let you find the links to the new pages by going to the Current Events page and looking for the "New" or "Update!" icons or by going to the Update List page and seeing all that is new since your last visit. Thursday, March 28th, 2013What a crazy, hectic year this has been already, and it is only the end of March! I am beyond ready for spring to arrive (although I am not really sure why... I will be spending most of it cooped up indoors without windows while working on second shift yet again). I am also reaching a desperation point in regards to a career change. I must admit that I have let my frustration with the job search get the best of me recently, but I am hoping to take some time over the next week or so (or whatever it takes) and really start looking once again. At our house Spring Break is upon us. While I was hoping that we would be driving to Florida today to spend the week in the sunshine, things didn't quite work out for that to happen this year. Maybe next? Fingers crossed that we can find a way to make it work... In the meantime we will be hanging around the house, enjoying a little bit of a "staycation." I should really probably be saving the vacation time for future use, but I am desperate for a break from the madness. Tara is in the same boat, so we will be spending the week at home with the kids, whether they like it or not! Well, time to hit the important stuff... the updates! I have two for you this week. The first update is a new addition to the site for this year, as Tyler's basketball activities got started with a day full of games for his Elite United team. He played in a total of five games on his opening day, and you can see pictures and read the game descriptions by going to the Current Events page and clicking on Tyler's Basketball. He has played an additional two games this past weekend, but Tara & I didn't coordinate our efforts well enough to figure out that a camera was needed! Next time we will, I promise! The other addition to the site is of Samantha's latest indoor soccer game, which they won 5-2. The win moved them to 2-1-0 (W-D-L) on the year. Go to Samantha's Soccer on the Current Events page for more. Thursday, March 14th, 2013I haven't been as successful as I had hoped in created a new, more modern RodandTara.com, so I am finally getting around to posting an update to the same old site that I have used for as long as I can remember. I have also been having a hard time finding the time needed to keep the site as up to date as I would like, but I have worked hard the past couple of days getting everything caught up. Maybe someday I'll hit the lottery and have all the time in the world to work on it! I have updates to share that are from Drew's hockey as well as Samantha's soccer. Since my last update, Drew has had hockey games against his fellow Lapeer teams at the Polar Palace. He has also played in jamborees in Plymouth and Sandusky on back to back weekends. All of the pictures from those games can be found by clicking on Drew's Hockey on the Current Events page. I also have pictures to share from Samantha's most recent indoor soccer game. Although her team played a strong game, it ended in a 2-2 draw. You can see the pictures from that game by going to the Current Events page and clicking on Samantha's Soccer. Sunday, February 24th, 2013Since the software I use to create this website is now over 10 years old I have spent the past week or two diligently trying to learn the steps required to create a more modern/sleek/up-to-date website. It is a slow process for me... while you may be able to teach an old dog (me) new tricks, it takes one hell of a lot of effort! If all goes well, the new site may surface in a month or two. If not, you will know because this same old website will be in existence until the end of time! I have two new additions to the website this week. Both of them involve Samantha's two athletic loves... soccer and basketball. First, her La Forza soccer team began their indoor session on Thursday, February 21st, with a 1-0 victory. You can see pictures from that game by going to Samantha's Soccer on the Current Events page. Next, her basketball team played their first round playoff game on Saturday, February 23rd. Unfortunately they were unable to pull out a victory, despite being short two players and staging a furious 6 point comeback in the final 30 seconds of the game to force overtime. There is more description and plenty of pictures on Samantha's Basketball page, which can be found by clicking on Current Events. Friday, February 22nd, 2013I'm still running short on time to keep things up to date, as you can tell by the gap in my updates. I have a lot of additions to the site, but no real time to tell you about them today. Especially since there is a good chance another update will be coming in a day or two... so, in the meantime, check the Update List for the most recent additions, or go straight to the Current Events page and look for the New or Updated icons! Monday, February 11th, 2013Not a lot of time today, so straight to the updates we go... Samantha's basketball page and Drew's hockey pages both received updates this time around. Sam's basketball team played their final regular season game of the year, which you can see and read about by going to Samantha's Basketball on the Current Events page. Drew's hockey team played in a jamboree in Traverse City during the first weekend of the month. He actually played for two teams, so he got double the action! You can see and read more about these games by going to the Current Events page and clicking on Drew's Hockey. There is also three new additions to the site. Related to Drew's hockey jamboree is the Great Wolf Lodge page, which can be found under Current Events. This was the hotel we stayed in during the jamboree, and it included a water park. There was enough to do here that it warranted it's own page, so that is what it got. The journal for this trip is included on each of the photo pages... let me know how you like that change, please. Another new addition to the Current Events is the GM Ambassador Program page. This is where you can find out about the vehicles that we borrow from my work for a weeklong test drive. The first vehicle this year was a Buick Enclave. The final addition to the site doesn't have any pictures just yet, but you can go to Samantha's Soccer on the Current Events page to see the schedule for her team's indoor soccer games starting later this month! 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! Monday, January 28th, 20132013 hasn't exactly gotten off to the start that we were hoping for as we rung in the new year at midnight on January 1st... If you have checked the site recently, you will already know that Tyler was not selected for the 8th grade basketball team. As heartbroken as he was about this news, he has vowed to work hard and come back better than ever next year. The news doesn't get any better for me, as I am back on second shift after a 1 month reprieve to start the new year. And the job search hasn't gone exactly as I had planned either, despite some solid leads. I guess with no offers I can't exactly say that I am being too picky, but I am learning with each and every interview what I don't want to do for a living! And to top it all off I had a tumor (benign) removed from my wrist! Ugh... Enough complaining... I have two updates to share with you this week, as well as one new addition to the website. First, Drew's hockey team played in another set of inter-squad scrimmages since my last update (two actually, counting tonight, but both Tara & I had to work so we had to rely on some friends to take him for us - that means no score or pictures). You can see the pictures from his games on January 19th by going to the Current Events page and clicking on Drew's Hockey. The next update involves Samantha's basketball team. They played their third game of the season on the 26th, and although they lost by 3 points they played hard and gave their all throughout the entire game. You can see pictures and read more about the game by clicking on Samantha's Basketball on the Current Events page. The final update is the new addition to the site, and that involves Drew's 8th birthday celebration. We had cake and ice cream with Drew on his birthday, but the real party took place a few days later when we invited family and friends to celebrate with him. He got lots of great gifts and was thankful for everyone who was able to attend. Go to Drew's 8th Birthday on the Current Events page for more. Tuesday, January 15th, 2013I have to start off this update with some bad news, at least for our family... Tyler took place in the 8th grade basketball tryouts at school January 7-10th. Unfortunately he got the word on the 11th from the coach that he did not make the team. This means that for the first time since 2008 Tyler will not be playing basketball, which is by far his favorite sport to play. While his heart was broken, Tara & I were equally devastated. Not because he disappointed us by any means, but because we both knew how much this meant to him. He is planning on working at getting better all around before the 9th grade tryouts take place, and hopefully good things will come from his hard work. Since I was cut in school too, I know how heartbreaking this is. Thankfully he is a good, strong kid who will find other interests to pass his time. While Tyler was suffering the heartbreak of not making the team, Samantha was helping her team secure it's first victory of the season on Saturday, January 12th. Her team fought hard to turn a close game into a big win. You can read more about the game and see the pictures by going to Samantha's Basketball on the Current Events page. Sunday, January 6th, 2013It is hard to believe that 2013 is already upon us. Looking back on 2012, it was a very good year for our family. I am betting that 2013 is even better! To start the year off, I have two new additions to the website. First up is Samantha's basketball season, which got underway on January 5th with her first of five games. Although her team lost, Sam had a great game personally. You can read more about the game and see the pictures by clicking on Samantha's Basketball on the Current Events page. The second addition is of Drew's hockey season, which continues from last fall. His team played two games on January 5th, winning both. You can read about the game and see some pictures by clicking on Drew's Hockey on the Current Events page. In addition to the new 2013 events, I have also added a bunch of pictures from 2012. You can find all of these additions by clicking on the Update List page, and then clicking on the 2012 link at the top of the page. |
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