A Shout-Out To My Boys

Every now and then I use this blog to post something family related. This is one such post.

Stephen's Latest Triumph
About a year ago my oldest son Stephen (now 10) was disappointed when he was passed over for the All-Star Soccer Team. He had worked hard on his soccer skills the previous summer and had certainly improved as a player. If I had to guess, I'd say he was probably on the bubble last year to make the team.

But this year was different. After last year's disappointment, Stephen again worked hard on dribbling, passing and blasting the ball. He scored an average of 2 goals each game in his league and was one of the first kids picked for the All-Star Team. His All-Star Team made it to the district championship game which determined which team was to go to the state tournament.

The team they played against in the championship game was very good. Within 5 minutes the other team had scored three times. At halftime the score was 4-0. Let me say here that this is not one of those triumphant comeback stories you see in the movies. No, when the whistle blew to end the game the final score was 7-1. The one point our team did score was scored by Stephen. Although I am certain Stephen would have traded his score for a win it was nice to see him juke the fullback and blast the ball into the corner of the net.

Jacob's Latest Triumph
Yesterday my 7 year old son, Jacob, brought home an award with the words New School Hula Hoop Record - 49:18. I thought it a little odd that the school had a Hula Hoop Record and that noone had been able to hula hoop for longer than a minute. I congratulated Jacob on his triumph and he said "Dad, can you believe I hula hooped for 49 minutes and 18 seconds." I told him it was 49.18 seconds; not 49 minutes 18 seconds.

Jacob continued to insist that it was in fact 49 minutes but neither my wife nor I really thought he knew what he was talking about. I mean he is a first grader and what do they know. I reasoned that even if it were possible for him to hula hoop for 49 minutes, no teacher would stand there and let some 1st grader keep hula hooping when there were other subjects to teach.

This morning when my wife dropped Jacob off one of the teachers approached the van and asked her if she was proud of Jacob hula hooping for 49 minutes. The teacher said she had actually watched him set the record and that she had even fallen asleep at one point. Boy did I feel stupid when my wife called and told me that Jacob was right all along. Jacob won't let us get out of this one without eating a little crow.

Vote Today

Just a reminder (if you didn't already know it) today is the day to vote. I voted on the way into work this morning. My voting precinct is located at a small rural airport in the middle of nowhere. I was surprised when I arrived to see how many people showed up to vote for this mid-term election. There were about 10 proposed amendments to the Georgia Constitution and no real interesting races. Despite its location, our precinct has what I would call state of the art voting equipment. I enjoyed voting on the touch screen machine.

I am actually more interested in the issues being voted on just south of the border in Tallahassee, Florida. There is a new County Judge seat up for grabs and one of the guys I knew in high school is running for County Commissioner. They are also deciding on whether a new sales tax should be implemented. I personally oppose the tax because I would have to pay it but would not get the benefits; my being a resident of Georgia.

Rest In Peace Crocodile Hunter

One of our blog family's favorite television personalities, Steve Irwin a/k/a the Crocodile Hunter, was killed when a stingray stuck him in the chest with its barbed tail and pierced his heart. The Crocodile Hunter's zeal for the outdoors and wildlife has been an inspiration to our family and we will never forget him. Crikey! we will miss you Steve.

Love,

Happy 4th of July!

Like most of you I plan to make this a longer than normal weekend due to the fact that Independence Day is on Tuesday. Sorry Brits. Y'all have had our (the American's) backs on a number of occasions and I appreciate it. But on July 4, 1776, y'all were on the wrong side of the fight. I may not post again until Wednesday unless I get a chance on Monday.

I didn't post yesterday because my family and I went to Silver Springs, Florida for a mini-vacation. We actually saw the Kodiac Bears get into a domestic dispute that could be heard throughout the park. The riverboat cruises were great too. If you ever get the chance its worth visiting at least once. You'll find Silver Springs is not one of those cheesy hole-in-the-wall reptile shacks that stuff too many reptiles into too small a space and charge an arm and a leg to view them.