Teri Parris Ford's Blog

Rain, rain... it's okay

Everyone got up early today except Monika (her story after). Both Jessi and her dad had big races today. Jessi had to catch the bus before 6:30am for Mequon (near Milwaukee). I decided not to go in leau of catching up on the home front. My husband did a 1/2 marathon and got 213th place (out of more than a thousand). He mentioned wishing I could run too, but the best I can do is cheer and take pictures. 

I spent my morning going through a week's worth of mail, sitting by the fire, sipping coffee, listening to the rain fall. I burnt a pile of election post cards, a ton of college inquiry pamplets and a good lot of bill envelopes. While enjoy burning the envelopes, I don't necessarily enjoy paying bills on line. I have almost everything automated at this point, so it's a lot of just making sure and noticing there isn't anything left. My afternoon was errand running and a yoga class. 

Moni was out in the wee hours of the morn with the tennis team girls. She reported she had a run with the law while painting the rock. I always wondered if kids would ever get in trouble for that and now I know, it isn't the spray painting that is the issue, it's the breaking curfew (in Madison that's being out after midnight on the weekends). The girls were all very polite and the officer asked them to hurry up and finish-- which quite honestly, is permission to finish. -- but they were just about done when caught. She got up after 10am and went out to the race area to volunteer entering the full marathon runners times. 

Jessi got home after dinner with 3 medals from her meet... she did well with hope of only getting better in the next month.  She went to the movies with friends after, leaving my husband and I home alone again by the fire, this time watching our favorite-- Datline. 

Big Day and Bigger Win!

Today was our 3rd annual Fall Student Government Leadership Conference. It went better than expected and I can't ask for more than that. I heard only positive remarks, which is great.  We did run out of small, medium and large t-shrits, so all that is left is XL. It's weird because I ordered the same as last year and only had smalls left. I figured out the reason is because boys are wearing smaller t-shirts now-- it's the style. Oh well. I do enjoy designing t-shirts and now I get to see the student body wearing yet another TPF T.

I decided this morning to send Balt to daycare today, knowing I needed to be at work early this morning and would not have time afterschool to walk him. I rushed to get him home afterschool and then came back to take pictures for Jessi's swim meet. It was a huge meet against Verona who has some very fast swimmers. Jessi was anxious about winning and I was thrilled for all the girls to find out they won by 10 points. I had to leave early to get the football game to sell tickets, so I left unsure. It came down the last relay event that Jessi was swimming in. I wanted to see it but got to watch some video that Monika had taken for me. Here's one of her winning her 50 by .07 seconds.

Wausau Tournament

Balt woke me up at 4:30am to outside. It was very nice out at that time in the morning, so I knew we were up for a hot day. I woke up Monika a bit after 7am and made sure the rest of the girls were up as well. We all converged for breakfast and were on our way to Wausau East High by 8am. Monika played 3 different matches at 3 different possitions. She started at doubles 1, went to singles 4 and finished the whole tournament at singles 2. She had an extremely successful day, winning her first two matches and getting as close to winning as one can in tennis for her final match. I think she surprised a few folks with how well she did at singles 2. She's struggled this year finding a place on the line up. She's played mostly doubles for the last two years but it seems she's bound for singles now.  We shall see. 

I missed out on two of Jessi's swim meets this weekend. I got a text from her late last night that the Janesville meet went well. I heard from a parent that the girls were doing well at the Eau Claire Invite. I'm hoping to find photos on Facebook tomorrow!

Fall Soccer

Today was a perfect day for fall soccer... even though it's still August-- the high was only 74. I had a sweatshirt I kept putting on, then taking off throughout the day. Monika and I left at 6am to meet up with her team in Grafton for an 8:30am game near Milwaukee for a tournament. The team is a mish-mosh group of HS girls (9-12th grade) that Monika has played with at some point throughout her career-- most attend West. 

After Monika's freshman year of playing premiere club and playing varsity tennis, her body seemed unwilling to be able to do both well without back pain. She pulled out of the higher division of club and joined a local classic team last year. It was a good experience. I think this year will be even more fun since a few more of her friends have made the same move. The coach is an Italian soccer player that is teaching Monika a few new techniques and guiding her game with a fresh perspective. 

After two morning games, the two of us went out to lunch alone and did some shopping at the Johnson Creek Outlet Mall. We had Balt with us so we couldn't stay long, with was good. I'm hoping to get to bed early tonight. I keep staying up too late and having to wake up even earlier!

Tennis Today

... Soccer tomorrow!

There was a soccer tournament this weekend for Monika's club team but she couldn't make today's games because she also had a tennis tournament. Of all school sports at Memorial, I believe tennis gets underway first. Monika was put in as 3-Singles for this event. She finished last year strong in the 2-Doubles position but her coach is moving things around and there are a couple of very strong freshmen who have moved up into varsity, so we will see how things play out. Although she's spent most of her time on varsity as a doubles partner,  Monika had a good day in a singles spot, finishing 3rd at the Dane County Invite. 

As soon as we got home, I ran off to the pool and the girls were all off socializing. I spent the evening home alone with homemade cookies, the olympics on silent and my book.

All City Swim Meet Day 3

Jessi went to All City yesterday to cheer on her little buddy since day 2 is for the youngsters, but today was a full day. Jessi swam 4 races and got 4th place in 3 of them-- the difference between 3rd and 4th place in one race was .01 of a second. The above video is of Jessi's individual freestyle. In her backstroke she came in 10th place but knocked a second off her prelim time. Over all she had a splendid day!

So summer is about to change... The All City Swim event is usually an end to summer swimming with a week buffer before school swimming starts, but not this year. We get right to business on Tuesday with both Jessi and Monika starting back with school athletics. With them at school, I ease back to work as well, so it works, but because Jessi was coaching water ballet, guarding and teaching swim lessons, she didn't really get much of a break this year. She'll need to do something spectacular next year.

So after lunch a storm rolled through Madison and the meet had to be postponed. I went home to make a stir fry dinner with my organic veggies that I had picked up before Jessi's first race. We had a little time to rest and then went back to Hawk's Landing to finish the meet. As we were waiting for the meet to start, I was a volunteer meet marshall and had a great view of the place. The announcers were playing music and I grabbed the video below. It was, to me, such a typical Wisconsin scene... and people think Californians are weird.

All City Swim Meet Day 1

This morning was the All City race at Hawks Landing. We got up late and Jessi missed her warm up, but she got to her race on time and thats what matters most. The results? Jessi did very well with her 100 yard freestyle race. She came in 4th, wearing her fastskin-- 55.28 seconds. She came in 12th in the city for her backstroke; 1:07.62--shaving 2 seconds off her seed time. So she will return in both of her events for the finals on Saturday to race individually as well as in the relays. It will be a busy day, but today we were done by 11am.

I grabbed a sandwich for Jessi and then went to the pool. I enjoyed a very leasure late morning. I cleaned out my veggie drawer and made an amazing pasta salad, sat outside reading and putzed around on the computer. I'm off to take Balt for his walk and hope to get some writing in tonight, now that the blog has been posted.

We're watching the Olympics

My weekend on the calendar is completely blank. Nothing but time. Jessi went to a funeral of a friend's father in Illinois yesterday and Erika went to Band Camp. I started my Saturday Olympic watching with the US Women's Basketball game vs. Croatia and that was it, we were hooked. After my movie last night I came home to the girls watching Olympic swimming with the news of Ryan Lochte trouncing the competition in the first major swimming competition of the games. Jessi loves to watch the swimming while Monika enjoys the gymnastics. Jessi has been rooting for Ryan Lochte, not wanting to miss any of his races. I shared with the girls the news of Phelps playing Call of Duty 30 hours a week and told them not to expect him to win any medals this time around. 

I learned once I became a high school teacher, for most high school sports, unless a kid has been playing a sport since elementary school, they most likely won't make the varsity team in high school. The competition is that tough... at least it is at Memorial. Even kids who have participated, still don't make it and of course, there are some who just pick it up and make the team-- there's always exceptions. In the Olympics, we are watching athletes who have trained since childhood for the most part. I was encouraged by the story of Evelyn Stevens, who, at 29, is one of the best bike riders in the world, but was latecomer to the sport. Only four years ago she was working on Wall Street when she tried her first race in Central Park. I know it's too late for me, but I think one of my kids could still make it to the Olympics... unlikely, but possible. 

The beginnings of goodbyes

We had our last backyard meeting... kind of. We meet on Thursday to get yearbooks, but today was our senior send off. I bring cake and ask Joe and Melissa's backyard's to join us for a big party. We've done it several years now and it's a lot of fun. I felt a little teary when I watched the last Spartan News for the year. Someone asked if this year's seniors were particularly special and I felt bad saying no. Every year I feel a connections to few kids who've I had several times throughout their high school career. I love getting to know them and making those connections. Some years I have more than others. My involvement in student government and the paper offers me more connections than just the classroom. This year's backyard seniors are a quieter bunch, but I love that they have grown from silent freshman to very smart seniors.

After backyard, the day was very quiet. Jessi left early for her very last track meet. It was a regional meet in Waunakee that I had wanted to go to but was asked not to. Jessi has been struggling with her throws recently and felt my presence would not help.  Monika didn't want a ride after soccer practice so I was home alone with Balt reading after our walk. In the end Monika came home and we had dinner together, which I enjoyed very much. Jessi got home late having placed 5th in our region-- the top 4 go on to sectionals. I felt that was very respectable. She has next year to figure out what went wrong and progress. It's all part of the learning. Monika has 3 more soccer games this week, I have several events to do this week, so having the night off was nice.

Mid-May

There are only 3 weeks of classes left and the weather seems as eager for summer to come as the students. The day was wonderful, slow going and mellow. Jessi left after lunch for a conference track meet in Sun Prairie. After school I ran home to take Balt for a walk before Monika's game. We barely made it back before a a quick thunderstorm which delayed Monika's game, so I wasn't late at all. Her team won easily and afterward, she went out with team mates to study for an AP exam she has on Thursday. I went home alone. I made root salad for dinner and did a bit of cleaning, hoping to get to bed early tonight.

City Outdoor

I was up coughing my guts up past midnight. I gave up trying to get sleep and just read while sucking on cough drops. I woke up feeling a bit better but still weary. I decided to keep the day low key. My students were quite accomodating. After school I took Balt for his walk and then rushed to see Jessi throw. My husband is home for the week, so he was able to take Monika to her soccer game in Middleton. It was the City Outdoor meet for all varsity in the city of Madison. Jessi came in 3rd for the shot and 5th in her discus. She was disappointed with her discus, but over all she is quite the competitor.  After the meet we went out for soup and went home. I made sure to purchase some Nyquil in order to get a good night's sleep tonight.

Hot Fest and Not Dogs

Today the JMM's captian's club put on its 8th Memorial Brat Fest. It was not the first year I missed out on a brat-- they've run out in the past. It is the very first year I tried a veggie dog... and it got a thumbs down, but not way down. I could taste the dog flavor, but the texture was all wrong; way too chewy. It just felt wrong. I usually try and get a photo of Joe and I wearing our matching t-shirts. Other than the greying beard, we haven't changed. There's grey in my hair too, but luckily it's not noticeable.

The high today was only 70, but the school was still steamy from yesterday's heat. It was a suprizingly mellow day. I covered for Joe's 5th hour and enjoyed chatting with his students. Jessi had early release for  a varsity track invite. My afternoon classes were busy but by 7th, everyone was eager to get going on the weekend. I got home as soon as possible to get Balt out on his walk in our favorite local fields. I then made my way to Waunakee for Monika's soccer game. She is fighting a bad cold and has a pulled muscle, so wasn't feeling great about the game. They lost (3-0), but against a really good team in our state (their varsity team is 3rd in the state and lost (4-0). See pictures below... 
 

 

This needs a title...

Today was a misty Tuesday. It was a good work day. The kids sold over a hundred tickets for the Prom. It was nice to see the line at lunch. I would have liked to swim, but I got a good walk with Balt both before and after school. Before heading out, I ran down to the track and got a photo of the team before their track meet. Jessi is in there front and center. I got to catch her throwing shot but I missed her discus. She PR'd in the discus and had a better throw. It makes me wonder if my presence (with Balt) distracts her. It surprises me how much of throwing is about technique and concentration, not just strength.

Monika and I ran a few errands after her soccer practice and got soup for dinner at Panera. I woke up with a sore throat this morning. I don't feel 100% but I have to stay well until Saturday Nite. I can get sick on Sunday. So I took a short nap this evening before getting back to computer to work on the newspaper and track photos. 

Progressing

When I don't know what to say about a student on report cards, I type in "progressing." It means there are no problems, but nothing exciting is happening either. I plodded through my day, getting as much done as I could. I swam during lunch and then popped in at home to make sure Erika was okay. I worked on a scavanger hunt for my field trip on Thursday, Backyard paperwork and the leadership retreat we are having on Friday. After school I got Balt and went to Jessi's track meet. She didn't PR today, but she got close in both events and the season is still early. She's progressing quite well and looks great. We grabbed some dinner after and got home after 8pm. I'm hoping to get to sleep a bit earlier tonight...

The 1st Track Meet of the Season

I woke Jessi up at 6:15am and helped get her to school within 1/2 hour to catch a bus to Whitewater for the first varsity track meet of the track season. Luckily the boys were scheduled to throw first, so I didn't need to be at the meet until about noon to catch Jessi throw. Jessi and her team mate made the finals and in the end was one of the top 8 throwers who attended. It was a great start to a hopeful season. I think her coach was pleased.

By the time we all got home it was too late for me to get to a yoga class. I did a bit of clean up and then went shopping with Monika. With soccer try-outs starting on Monday, I wanted to make sure Monika had all she needed for the week. The rest of the evening was spent with my husband relaxing. We watched our new favorite show, Awake, and a 48 Hours Mystery. As nice as it is to be home relaxing, a basketball game at the Kohl Center would've been more fun.

...and you lose some!

So the big boys state game was tonight and it was pretty dissappointing. I hate to say that they played a lot like the girls... there were a few moments of hope, but in general it was a losing battle most of the time. Oh well. I am not really all that into basketball. There's a couple of players on the team I get excited to see playing  (Cam and Sam) and most of the time I'm watching the crowd and taking care of the student photographers. Jessi and a bunch of juniors were really upset about sophomores sitting in front of them. They came to me to ask for help and there wasn't anything I could do-- first come, first sit. I told them all to get there early tomorrow... no need now.

My day was quite wonderful and the weather was amazing. Erika's and my husband's spring break this past week was just a dream. Tomorrow is Jessi's first track meet and it's supposed to be 80! Wow!

FARCH?

It was a long day and kind of ugly. With a high of 47, it seemed kind of warm outside, but I felt cold all day. Monika got me up around 5:30AM for soccer practice. I had hoped to swim during lunch but skipped out in favor of eating lunch with my friends. I had a student steal an iPod during my 7th hour which got me all pissy with my class. The kid turned it in after I told him I was taking the matter to administration. I was glad it ended well, but hate that kids can't just leave stuff alone. I volunteered to help in the consession stand after school today before Jessi's game, so I only had a bit of time to run out to pick up Balt from daycare and get him and Monika home before getting back to school. The game was awful until the 4th quarter when a few of the girls seemed to get fired up and start scoring. The effort was way too late but at least it got the score up to less embarassing numbers. Jessi and I both came home exhausted but Jessi came home to a ton of homework and studying to do. I felt bad for her. At the game one of my teacher friends called this time of the year, "Farch" --the time between February and March that is ugly, Everyone is weary of winter and ready for spring and while the weather is warming up, it's still cold and wet. Basketball is gearing down, soccer and track is eager to start (oh, and baseball/softball too, but I'm not really into those sports... sorry Stacy).  

A bit more than half way...

Second semester is underway. It's nice knowing everyday gets us a little closer to spring and then summer. I got into the pool today during lunch and enjoyed a brisk swim with a teacher friend who's looking at retiring in the next couple of years. I understood her excitement to reinvent herself. I'm not really close to retirement. I've got at least 10 more years if I retire early at 55 which I like to think about, but I shouldn't.

After school I had to run downtown for a meeting and then I had to rush back before 6pm to pick up Balt from daycare. He had a very active day, so it was nice to drop him off at home and not worry about walking him so that I could go to Jessi's basketball game. They played West, which is a big local rival. Jessi's been playing against many of the girls on that team since she was in elementary school playing at the YMCA. BUT the West team has somehow made it's way to the top 10 teams in the state. A mom was explaining to me that back in middle school the West girls were practicing everyday and playing year round. It's really paid off for them now. There's a lot of excitement in their gym. Our girls lost 26-50, but made a good effort. Jessi said they're the most aggressive team she plays. I remember her saying the same thing about them back in middle school.

On Fire

Today was a day to get stuff done. After the 7th hour final, I had a conference with a student and his parents to discuss a failing grade. It was way too late to do anything but at least I could go over what happened and why for the parents. I understand their frustration-- I just wish they would get involved before it's too late. Luckily I set an alarm for the conference on my phone. As disruptive as that is, it ended the discussion in time to get Monika to a chiropractic appt. I then met up with my art teacher friends for lunch. We all got back to school to work. The kids may have been done at 10am, but at 4pm every art teacher was still at school working. I left to give Balt a walk, but returned for Jessi's basketball game.

It was parent night and Jessi's dad made it in from Minnesota for the event, which was nice. She had an amazing game and came close to winning. I think she may have been top scorer of the evening. I had lots of parents coming by to ask me what I fed her as she seemed to be on fire on the court. It was great game for her and exciting for the team. It was too bad they lost steam in the last quarter.

 

 

In the hole...

I missed yoga today. I'm hoping to catch up by doing 2 classes on Saturday or Sunday. Last night's naseua seemed to linger today and my legs were aching more than ever. I never thought yoga could give me shin splints but hot yoga's standing series has 3 minute long shifting poses that involve bended knees (awkard pose) and 4 shifting weight from one foot  to another (eagle, standing head to knee, stand bow, and balancing stick). The long periods standing on one foot, really strengthen the legs but and cause or aggravate shin pain. I managed 9 days in a row. I am hoping I can do another 9 days after today.

I volunteered to drive down to Janesville with another BB mom tonight. I got Balt's walk in (rather than going to yoga) and then made dinner for Monika and I-- left over soup. We got to Craig HS just as the game started. The girls seemed to be playing better, but still lost badly. Jessi played quite a bit and even scored. I was glad I went afterall.

No Excuses

Balt let me sleep in this morning until about 8am. It was nice to get a bit of extra sleep on Saturday. It was a pretty relaxing day for a Saturday. I was tempted to go to an easy yoga class today since I had been going all week to some pretty hot classes BUT I didn't skip out on hot yoga today. I did skip out a bit early though because of Jessi's basketball game. Hot yoga classes are 90 minutes long. One needs to get to class at least 5 minutes early, up to 15 minutes early for popular classes. Getting in early is nice to ensure a good space and to acclimate to the heat, so I don't mind it. Most classes go a few minutes late and encourage participants to stretch out in corpse pose at the close of the class in order to re-coop. So, getting in and out takes about 2 good hours. It's a chunk of time and I have no idea how I'm going to keep this up once I'm back at work.

I knew Jessi wouldn't be playing much during tonight's game. She missed two days of practice which her coach complained about several times to her tonight. She only got to play for one quarter. The girls started out winning for the first time this whole season but lost the lead by the half. I know Jessi is super frustrated with the whole situation. She loves playing the game but feels practices are not preparing the team well enough for the game.  At times, I can tell she's confused out on the court and I know she's not the only one, I just notice it more on her. I keep hoping that a win might help turn things around mentally for the team, and I really want to be there when it happens. The truth is they need a lot more.
 

What a day!

Both Jessi and Monika had early meetings at school this morning. After finding Balt had eaten half of my cupcakes, I made sure to get going out early so he could get a good morning walk. I dropped off the cupcakes Balk didn't eat and looked at all the other cupcakes-- so many good ones. I popped in on the judges so I could taste a few. I have a student making a movie about the Smackdown. I'll be sure to post it when it's down. 

After school, I ran Balt to his walking fields for a long one and then came home for a quick nap. Jessi had a basketball game in Verona. They are ranked 8th in the state, so I knew it was going to be difficult game. Jessi was pretty sure she was starting. I want to be supportive, so I have gone to all of her games. I haven't always had the best of attitudes. Tonight they were down, 70-19 with less than a minute. I had been cheering for the team to get to 20 with no regard to the other team's score. Jessi came in and made a basket. It was so exciting! She's a tough player, playing against all odds.

I throw my hands up in the air sometimes...

I waited as long as I could to take Balt out. It was so cold this morning-- fully winter, just no snow. Jess and Moni both took the ACT this morning so I dropped them off at school early and started housework until the temps got into the 20's.  We went out to Indian Lake and he was so happy but a bit confused by the lake. He tried digging into the ice by the shore and kept looking around wondering why he couldn't swim. It was super cute. We got back in time to pick the girls up and take them out to breakfast. 

Jessi had her third game of the season against West this afternoon. It ruined my yoga schedule, but I was glad I went. She played a lot. It was a better match, but still a loss. West is currently #1 in the conference and Memorial continues to lag behind in last place. After the game I went and got pizza for the family and built a fire. All five of us were home, but no one wanted to take a family photo. I'm not sure how I'm supposed to get a Christmas card out with a family photo when no one will pose. I couldn't pull it off last year and I'm going to be pretty upset if another year goes by with everyone saying they won't take a picture. 
 

What was the best thing before sliced bread?

I had a head-ache today. I don't often them and I'm glad of that. I'm not sure what's going on but I'm sure a vacation would help. 11 school days left. I had an early meeting that complicated my morning. At the last minute I sent Balt to daycare since there was no time for a morning walk. He had a great day. The highlight of my day was making it into the pool for 25 minutes of kicking hard.

I missed an afternoon meeting in order to be with my girls. I picked up Balt and took Jessi to her game at East High. She asked me not to talk about the game. In the end my goal is always just to get a good picture. It isn't supposed to matter if they win or lose. I just need a minute of playing time to get a picture because in 20 years no one will care who won or who started. We'll just want to see the picture of participation and the better that picture looks, the more impressed we will be. 
 

1 Down... a few more to go.

Fridays are always pretty nice. They're busy days typically because of student government meetings, but I try to pick up sandwiches from Jimmy Johns on Friday's for me and the girls to make it a bit more fun. Usually the girls have tests, assignments or tests that they have stressed out about and after Friday, things get better.

Tonight Jessi had her first basketball game and I knew she was nervous. She didn't expect to play much because she had missed practice for having her wisdom teeth out. I had to work the hockey game but made it over before the end of the 1st quarter. Jessi was put in at the end of the 2nd. She played more during the second half. The girls played Parker- ranked 6th in the state- so the score was no suprize. I was suprized by the disappointment on the way home. It's hard going from being the 3rd best in the state and the top of your team to being the worst in the state and feeling like you suck. I've heard Jessi ask herself now, "why?" not once, but several times this week. That's a good question. She lost all her games last year and still managed to have fun. She loved the game. I don't think she's having fun yet. I'm hoping in time it comes...

Balt has been increasingly naughty. He's chews on everything and has started to gnaw on his bedding and then suck on it almost like a pacifier. It's super cute and kind of annoying when he pulles out the stuffing. Having him to come home to after a tough day is always fun.

Thank goodness for Doggy Daycare!

Initially I had cancelled today's appointment for daycare for Balt. It was a short week and I knew he'd get good walks in late in the week. BUT this morning I had a change of heart. I knew I'd be at work late and unable to come home. Today and tomorrow were packed with a lot to do before vacation, so I treated him. His report card made me chuckle, "Today I was a champion wrestler! I had a particularly fun time with one of my gal-pals who is all white-- we made a beautiful picture together. I got to be a total goofball with my friends. I was pretty interested in humping some of my buddies today, but I am mostly a very sweet friend!" I suppose humping for dog daycare is like hitting for child daycare-- very bad. It's a show of dominance, not sexual, from what I understand. I've watched enough of the Dog Whisperer to know it's not a good sign in normal social dog play. Luckily Balt is young and just needs to learn his boundaries. 

It was a crazy busy day. I had several photo shoots after school today and few more tomorrow. I am making the boys basketball program with a couple of kids in my media class but they won't make the deadline if they do it alone. So I'm getting the bulk of unfinished work in tonight to get it done by tomorrow. It's quite a squeeze--AND I have to do the girls program as well! 
 

Play the game

At 3:30am this morning a very happy dog woke me up ready to go on a walk. Balt has gotten into this crazy schedule (since time change?) of getting up too early. This morning I put him in his crate and got another two hours of sleep. At 5:30am I woke up to get Jessi to basketball tryouts. She loves the game but isn't sure it's the right way to spend her time. She probably should keep swimming in order to get her faster and stronger for state next year with possibilities for bigger opportunities... but that would be mean a private club with lots of extra expense and time outside of the school. I like her staying active and basketball is relatively cheep and easy to deal with because practices are at school, not all over the city. BUT is it the right thing to do? I just don't know. For now, she's trying out. Getting cut would be an easy way to decide what to do, but I don't think that's going to happen. The team isn't that good so quite a few girls that are good athletes in other sports have decided to not to play in order to strengthen their other sports (like what Jessi should probably do!). When I sent her on her way, I told her to have fun. She had nothing to lose. She came home tonight after two try out sessions with aching feet and shin splints... gravity reminding her she's not in the water. I promised her new basketball shoes if she make the team. 

So the students of Memorial stepped up to the challenge and got to class on time for the most part. For the first time in my professional life I saw students RUNNING in the hall to class. The mass round ups were not for large groups of students as some might have predicted. During 3rd hour, the sweep only caught 6 kids. I'm sure 1st hour was the worst with 4th, coming in second, but the data is not in yet.

 

 

Just like riding a bike...

It was PCT Backyard Monday-- quick and somewhat painless. As much as I try to keep my classes in order, they seem slightly out of control all the time. I don't think it's me. I've been blessed with high energy students this semester. It only takes a couple in a class to change the dynamic of the whole experience. I was given a brand new student in my new class today, which just blows me away-- a new kid to deal with on top of just trying to figure out what I'm doing. I roll with the punches because I don't have the energy to make a big deal out of small stuff. I keep thinking things will settle down and now that I'm more than half way through the semester, I am realizing it is what it is. 

I let Jessi stay home to help keep her well. The sniffles and a sore throat started bothering her last night. No suprise given she's coming down a big high. She has 2 days to transition from a water sport to the court. After my yoga class, I showered and took her to school to shoot for 20 minutes. It was the first time she played with a basketball in 3 months. We snuck into the main gym only to find Wesley Matthews in there practicing. I didn't tell her who he was until after we left. I didn't want her weirded out by the fact she was shooting hoops on the same court as an NBA player-- okay, there aren't any basketball players out there actually playing for the NBA currently, but you know what I mean. After a couple of air balls, she started to hit the net... I knew she was going to be okay. She seems to think she might not make the team and I have to admit it's a safe attitude. She can only do her best... it's all any of us can do. 

 

State Swim Meet

I did not take Balt for a walk last night and boy, did I pay for that this morning. I was woken up over and over again wanting to go out to play. An eager Balt had to wait until 8am when I took Jessi to swim practice. I ran over to pick up tickets for the state meet and then took Balt to Picnic Point. Oh, what a happy dog! He ran in utter glee and then once reaching the lake, jumped in and swam. For a mid-November day, it was warm (mid-50's) and autumn colors were beautiful.

I came home and cleaned, did some laundry and made sure Jessi had all the things she needed for her meet. At 1pm, her friends picked her up and I left an hour later to get a seat for the 3pm meet. It was very exciting to see the team rise above expectations and come in 3rd place -- over both Middleton and Verona (the only two teams the girls lost to during the regular season). In the end, just beating Middleton was the sweetest part of the day. Jessi came in14th for her 50, 10th in the state for her 100, 4th in the state for both relays- the 200 and 400. She came home with two medals and cried at the end as she said goodbye to swimming with her fellow senior relay mates. We came home to change and then ran off to the team dinner. Last year she had skipped it, not feeling any where near as connected as she does this year. She's a leader now, an integral part of the team. She has 3 days to switch gears.

 

It was a very good day...

Today was the WIAA Division 1 sectional meet at Middleton. The morning started with my letting Balt out at 5:30am and finding our house had been t.p.'d. The toilet paper glowed in the moon light and swayed in the wind like a good omen of the wonder that was to come. It was Balt's birthday-- another good sign! He found the brownies the girls left for Jessi and celebrated all by himself.

We knew Jessi would qualify for state as part of her relay, as she had done last year, BUT her hope was to quailify as an individual and that she did! Her 50 was good-- 2nd place, but her 100 got her a 1st place automatic state qualification as an individual-- everything she had worked for! The team came in 2nd place (Runner's up) which was a nice jump from 3rd at the conference meet. All the girls had great swims but Jessi was the one the coach gave the runner's up plaque to for the pictures. I was very proud of her.

I dropped her off at home and had just enough time to get to a yoga class. I grabbed a pizza on the way home and watched Thor (2011) by the fire with Erika  -- who didn't like the movie nearly as much as I did and kept leaving. Jessi left to celebrate with friends. It was a realy good day.