Update on football and family
This afternoon we went to Justin’s first game of the season – the Tigers lost 18-6, but our little J-Man got a touchdown! Here’s a clip from the highlight reel:
At Eric’s game on Wednesday night, the Wildcats won on the road against Desert Vista 12-0. Here’s a tackle by Eric #61:
Both kids played really well, and both of them get to play a lot. Justin is playing both offense (running back) and defense (lineman) and Eric plays strong safety on the offense, but coach also has him in for special teams so he sees a lot of action. It helps, too, that both kids are more experienced than most other kids on their teams.
This week I’ve been very busy at work with Convention which is now just about 3 weeks away. Our department as a whole is way behind on plans compared to last year – I think a lot of that has to do with our Director who is overwhelmed. Aside from Convention, I have a big (meaning important) International meeting with only a week in between. I’m really feeling stressed out, but tomorrow I’m hoping to get some of that relieved with a massage and facial.
This week also marked the end of the half-way point for grades and both kids are doing much better than in past years. I attribute Justin’s success to his teacher who is a great ‘match’ for his learning style. Eric has been working hard and still has some assignment issues but overall A’s and B’s with a C or two sprinkled in. He is loving high school. I can’t believe how much he’s growing up, now with his first girlfriend. He took her to the movies today, as he has done for the past couple of Saturdays.
The coming week will be filled with long days at the office combined with evening commitments like guitar lesson chauffeuring, football games and whatever else comes up. It’s a busy time for us!
Another tired weekend
Yes, really more tired than tiring. Yesterday I felt like I must have been fighting off a virus or something because all I wanted to do all day was sleep. Couldn’t get enough. At least early in the morning I was able to take Eric to a chiro appt and a haircut. Maybe Friday night’s BUNCO had something to do with it, but I’m not usually that exhausted and I didn’t stay out that late Friday night.
Today I went to Sprouts for the first time. It’s a natural food store with lots and lots to offer. You still have to be careful – just because something claims to be healthy doesn’t mean that it is. There are plenty of “healthy” foods out there loaded with sugar and fat. But at least the products carried in this store are all-natural ingredients or often organic. Their produce is wonderful too – organic bananas at only 49 cents a pound! I spoiled my family at dinner tonight with ‘homemade’ lemonade, organic salad greens, baked penne cooked with organic marinara sauce, organic chicken sausage and fresh ricotta cheese. Dessert was fresh strawberry shortcake.
Eric had a date last night – ugh! He’s been bugging me about getting his permit too, but I’m not in as much of a hurry for that as he is. I mean, the kid doesn’t even have a job – where does he need to get to in a car so badly? Of course he will be getting a job once football is over, so the roads are safe for at least another couple of months.
I’m really disappointed in the Primetime Emmy’s this year – these shows that are winning all the awards – why? I think The Office won one single award, and Weeds didn’t get any! One of my other favorite shows won for best comedy at least. 30 Rock is really very well written, and even though Alec Baldwin is awesome on the show, he didn’t win for best actor – but some of that might have stemmed from his personal troubles.
The week ahead promises to be filled with stressful deadlines, waste-of-time meetings and demanding bosses – but I guess that’s what Convention season is all about!
Rather than end on a sour note, I want to pass along a really fun website Eric sent me to:
Links:
- How awesome is falling sand? Or water? Or… concrete?
Monday blahs
Not much time to post because work is INSANE lately and my lunch hour is nothing more than another 15-minute eat-a-Lean-Cuisine-at-my-desk deal. Our Convention hotels are sold out and the housing bureau who is supposed to be helping us is at an all-day meeting. Of course, they’re only open from 9-5 EST anyway, so they aren’t so helpful. I just love it when people think we can “find” them a hotel room in a sold out hotel! What do they want – the broomcloset or the stairwell???
The weekend was nice, though – I got back from Norfolk Friday night. Was there last week to check out the Marriott for a Spring meeting. Their meeting space is great and it will work wonderfully for the group. The location is awesome as there is lots to do right within walking distance. On Friday afternoon I had enough time to check out the beach before my flight. I had forgotten how warm the Atlantic Ocean was, and the beach was pretty much deserted, save for the dozen-or-so 8″ jellyfish that had washed up onshore.
Saturday was spent running errands and I finished reading Shopaholic and Baby. In the evening Terry, Justin and I went to the ASU game with neighbors. It was a lot of fun but hot and sweaty. The first quarter took forever and it was past 10:30PM before the second half began! They won, though, and it was a good time.
On Sunday I pretty much veged out on the couch, worked a little, then cooked up some chicken in wine and balsamic vinegar with tomatoes and mushrooms for dinner. We did have brownie pie with vanilla ice cream for dessert – a recipe I picked up from one of the shows I watched that morning called Pantry Raid. They go to your house and make a meal out of whatever you have in your kitchen. I like it because they make some creative dishes with everyday ingredients. The pie came out awesome too!
We have a busy week ahead with football practices and games, plus guitar lessons and the usual other stuff that keeps us running. Well, at least we’re not bored!
Photoshop: Stop the madness!
Now appearing in a fashion magazine near you – the “Photoshop diet”.
Faith Hill doctored cover photo (left) and original photo (right):
America Ferrera on Glamour cover (left) and a ‘real life’ unretouched photo (right):
Allure Magazine February 2007 cover with 47-year old actress Julianne Moore (does she not look 30 years younger than that?):
And although this isn’t a fashion magazine, it’s just as alarming: Katie Couric’s photo issued by CBS for PR purposes on right (original on left):
It’s one thing to remove a few wrinkles here or there, but this practice is being taken to the extreme. These ‘real’ women are beautiful without the doctoring. I ask, what kind of message is this sending our young people - female and male?
Peer mediator article in the East Valley Tribune!
As a follow-up to my post about Justin’s new position as a peer mediator, I wanted to post a link to this article which appeared in today’s newspaper. The kid in the picture (Rhiley) is one of Justin’s friends.
Football video
This was taken by another parent – shows some of last week’s highlights. Eric is in a lot of the shots (#61) but he doesn’t really have any significant plays.
Happy Sunday! Um, wait – it’s Monday!
Gosh I love Monday holidays. Three-day weekends are the best! And best of all, is that we haven’t had anything going on all weekend. No game to get to, no practice to chauffeur to, no meeting to attend, not even an organized party to go to – nothing! We did get to church on Saturday afternoon which was nice because it allows us to be uber-lazy on Sunday morning. On Friday night we hung out with the neighbors at Uncle Bear’s, a dive bar just around the corner from the ‘hood. It was fun – we played billiards (I sucked!) and shuffleboard (I rocked!) and even though we were all home and in bed by 9:30 it was a great time!
Last night Terry and I went to Firebirds to celebrate our 13th anniversary a day early. It’s really a nice atmosphere – woodsy and open, high ceilings, with the feeling of a Colorado mountain lodge. They didn’t have the fireplaces going this time – of course the 115 degree heat had something to do with that. But it’s a really comfy, casual restaurant where you can enjoy a fabulous steak and not feel underdressed. It is pricey though – best saved for special occasions. I had the bleu-cheese crusted filet mignon with port mushroom caps. Fortunately for my waistline, they were out of the creme brulee cheesecake, but it’s just as well since I was so full from dinner anyway.
Today Terry is golfing with the neighbor guys and I’ll probably be going to a movie with my friend Kathy, maybe the Nanny Diaries? Tonight for dinner we’ll have a traditional Labor Day feast of grilled burgers (swiss & mushrooms on mine), corn on the cob, crunchy cole slaw (recipe below) and strawberry shortcake.
Last week, on Wednesday night, Eric had his first game – the Mesquite Wildcats were at home against Desert Ridge (which are a bunch of rich kids from North Scottsdale). Mesquite freshmen kicked some major butt – final score was 26-0. I’ve done a slide show of the team photos that have Eric in them (he’s #61) but you can view all the shots from the game using the link below.
- View the complete game photo gallery
- To follow the Mesquite Wildcats Freshmen Team B visit the MHS Touchdown Club website
Crunchy Cole Slaw TNT
8 Servings
* Salad *
1 Package shredded cabbage
2 Packages Chicken Flavored Ramen
Slivered Almonds, Toasted (about 3/4 cup)
* Dressing *
1/2 Cup Canola Oil
2 Tablespoon sugar
4 Tablespoon white vinegar
Combine dressing ingredients in jar, add chicken seasoning from Ramen packets; shake well and refrigerate until ready to serve.
When ready to serve toss in a medium salad bowl: cabbage, almonds and broken up dry Ramen noodles. Pour dressing over top, toss and serve.
driv·el /ˈdrɪvəl/ [driv-uhl]
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