Experiments in Volleyball

This morning was our final day of volleyball for our Young Women.  A stake representative was selected at last week's games so today was just for fun--and donuts.

We played the first game to 10 with all the girls on the big court, January-June birthday girls versus the July through December birthday girls.  Much giggling ensued.

Then, we played Buddy-Ball, where the girls found a partner who is about the same height and we tied their middle arms together.  Much like a three-legged race, the three arm volleyball players took a little time to get used to the new get up.  We quit keeping score.  Much giggling ensued.

And finally the last game we played Blackout Volleyball.  With glow sticks taped to the top of the net, and a volleyball wrapped in glow-in-the dark tape, all the girls played a game in the dark.  I am not sure how much of a game we had, but  much giggling ensued.

The seven dozen donuts I brought to celebrate together were polished off and the girls left smiling and happy.  I'd say that was a fun way to finish the season.

Now, if only basketball season would be that warm and fuzzy.  But we know that is just not the case.  Dangit.

About Last Night

Our high school and junior high school PTSAs hosted a Meet the Candidates night last night.  One of our terrific US History teachers at the junior high moderated the event for us.  We ended up with about 75 people there to watch and listen.  All six city council candidates participated.

You know there are a lot of reasons to not enjoy campaign season--especially when it is a big national election year.  But this year is a local, municipal election, and there really should be a higher interest in the local stuff than the federal level, in my opinion.

The issues our city council decides affect our families, our schools, our children, our safety and our well-being locally.  We feel the effect of the state and national decisions too, but not to the same extent as the local ones.

Our city is a very nice place to live.  But we have struggled drawing a broad base of business to town, and keeping those that are already here.  We struggle with the growth of young families, the influx of multi-family housing and green space balance.  We struggle with providing adequate safety coverage--fire and police and clean water and sewage systems--for a city of our size, and age.  We struggle with the demands of wanted amenities for residents, and the need to do financial things responsibly.

There is no quick fix to the problem and challenges our city faces.  But I am please that six qualified, willing, enthusiastic candidates are willing to put themselves out there and run for the three council positions that are open this year. 

Now if the residents will just go out and make their informed choices on Tuesday.  We've done what we can to help them make the best choices we can.

Time Keeps On Ticking, Ticking, Ticking Into The Future

Lately, I have been off my normal, established, day-to-day schedule.  Some of that comes from having Genius Golfer around the house all day.  For the past few weeks he has been doing some online tutorials for software development that he is brushing up on before interviews, or to learn another avenue of programming that he is interested in.  But while I love having him home, my quiet life at home during the day has been seriously altered of late.

The past two days, in fact, he has repaired the water softener, which quit working a couple of weeks ago (or more, for all I know).  It took him most of the day, but I could already feel a difference in the first load of laundry that came through after the fix.  So much less "crunchy" feeling t-shirts.  Ahhh, much better!

Yesterday he replaced our hot water heater.  While he was down working on the softener, he noticed the water heater was leaking, and before we had a flood, or anything worse, he got right on it and pulled out the old one and installed the new one.

I love having a handy husband.  (Man, my mom's "Dryer Test" for boyfriends was spot on!)

The subsequent outcome with all this recent unusual activity has been that I have been out of sync with my schedule.  The weather has also complicated things--like exercise--but shuffling what I do first each day, or through the afternoon, or before the kids get home makes me feel like I am not getting done all that I would otherwise get done. 

Not that I am complaining.  Especially when I consider having soft clothes, a dishwasher that cleans the dishes again (which The Boy, whose turn it is to do the dishes this month, is MOST appreciative of at the moment!), softer skin out of the shower and all the warm water I have to enjoy. 

Life is good.  Even if I am not getting to sit down and write until later in the day. (Or maybe until late at night to post the next morning, early!)

Dang, They're Good!

This morning I had the chance ot sit on a panel for the Utah Association of Secondary School Principals  to select Utah's Secondary Assisant Principal of the Year.  I was the parent representative.  We interviewed three nominees--who were all fabulous, by the way.  These administrators care about the kids in their schools.  They care about their emotional, adacemic, familial, and general well being.  They crusade against bullying.  They investigate technology that will aid the teachers in the classrooms and then seek grants to fund it. They collaberate with others schools' administrators to find best practices to impletment or improve.  They support wonderful, dedicated, occassionally frazzled teachers.  And parents.  And students.

They were astonishingly good at what they do.  And what they do--all three were junior high level assisant prinicpals--is not ever easy.  But they each mentioned that they love what they do.  They love the kids they serve.  And they wouldn't do anything else.

I'm so lucky to work with and know so many of those kind of people right here in my little world.

Realizations

[You'll need to click on the cartoon strips to see them in larger, full size versions.]



When the kids were smaller, their Halloween costume ideas weren't just imaginations, they were "options", as Jerry Sienfeld has said:

As the kids have gotten older, their Halloween ideas are just, well,  more and more cynical. 

(I can't imagine where they get that from?!)

Happy Halloween!

Here you have The Boy as Justin Beiber.  And The Girl is Velma, from the Scooby Doo cartoons.  Her three other girlfriends dressed up as Shaggy, Daphne and Fred.  They each did their own costumes this year.  The Girl bought herself that skirt--which was long--and she shortened it and hemmed it, then scrounged at our local thrift store and found the turtle neck , and we happened upon the striped socks at a local clearance market.  Not too bad.  The Boy just borrowed his sister's clothes.

I got to hang out at the junior high during the lunch periods today.  I figured the kids get pretty wound up on Halloween, even at junior high ages, so I volunteered to go be an extra set of adult eyes, along with the three administrators, watching for behavior that only comes when the kids are dressed NOT as themselves.  They were actually better behaved that I would have thought.

The Boy did not even recognize me when I stopped by his table to say hi to him and his too-cool-for-school buddies.  I can't imagine why:

Have a groovy Halloween tonight, man.

Sunday Video

Here's to a Sincere Pumpkin Patch in your neighborhood this year.