Basketball Blues

Early last spring, after the boys found out that some of their friends were playing basketball through a church league, they wanted to play. It was too late to get them signed up then, but I promised we'd look into it this fall.

In October I registered the boys to play basketball with Lake Pointe Sports, an outreach program of Lake Pointe Church in Rockwall. In November I was notified that the boys' teams did not have coaches yet, but we would be notified as soon as they were in place. (Since it's a church-run activity, coaches are generally parent volunteers instead of hired.) A week or so later, I got an email from Caleb's coach, and things got under way. He's already had one practice and has another one scheduled for tomorrow night. His first game will be Saturday.

Two days later I still hadn't heard anything about Jacob's coach, so I emailed the program coordinator. Two days later, on a Friday evening, I received a reply that I should've heard from the coaches already. She cc'd Jacob's two coaches and asked them to contact me. It's now 10 days later and I still haven't heard anything. Since Thanksgiving was in the midst of that, I allowed for extra time, but now there's been a full weekend on either end of the holiday.

This morning I emailed the program coordinator again, and I cc'd the two coaches she'd included in her reply to me. I told her that we still haven't heard anything from either coach. I mentioned that Caleb has had one practice and has another one tomorrow night, just for emphasis that things have been taking place with other teams. Then I asked her if I needed to try to get Jacob's jersey when we pick up Caleb's this Tuesday night or if I need to formally request a full refund of his registration fees. I softened that a bit by asking if there was another team he could be fit in with.

I really want Jacob to be able to play. He's had his heart set on this since the spring. After receiving confirmation of his registration, he's been ready to play. I'm willing to give Lake Pointe Sports a shot this year, but if things don't improve with Jacob's situation, this will be our last time to do anything with them.

Update
Monday
This morning I got a reply from the assistant coach. He apologized that we hadn't heard anything, but the only information he got from LP Sports was a list of players, no contact info. He isn't sure if the other coach is another assistant coach or the head coach; he hasn't talked with him, I guess.

This afternoon I got a reply from LP Sports. The coordinator said this is not normal, that they had to find new coaches since many of the ones from last year haven't stayed on. (I wonder why...) She said we should have a practice day/time set tomorrow. (We'll see...)

Tuesday
Tonight after we got home from Caleb's practice, I had an email waiting from Jacob's head coach. Apparently he never got a list of his players' contact information or any kind of practice/location schedule. Thankfully that's all worked out now! Jacob's team will have practice one hour before Caleb's team at the same gym. That makes things easy!

Unfortunately Jacob's team will not get a practice in before their first game Saturday afternoon. I think it's going to be madness - and a hoot!

Wednesday Hodgepodge - November 17

Just when I was getting started with the Random Dozen meme, the author got swamped with life and stopped posting questions. Thankfully another RD participant, Joyce at From This Side of the Pond, stepped up and took on something similar. Here's what Joyce wants to know this week:

1. What is the most amazing weather you've ever seen?
"Amazing" as in wonderful: The weather we've been having right now! The days have been bright and sunny, the breeze has been light, and the temperatures have been cool - just enough for a long sleeve and a light jacket. Ahhhh, bliss.

"Amazing" as in astonishing, surprising: Last winter's snowfalls. Yes, that's plural. Although we weren't home every time it happened, I think snow fell in the Dallas area three times last winter. The most abundant one happened in February, dropping about eight inches or so in our neighborhood. It was nice the first day, okay the second day, and by the third day, I'd had more than my fill. In fact, I'd be happy if I saw not one tiny snowflake this year. :oP

2. What is a sound or noise you love?
my boys laughing
wind chimes
waterfalls
gentle, rolling thunder

3. Do you like seafood? What's your favorite seafood dish?
I like boiled shrimp and fried calamari. That about does it for me. I can't stand seafood gumbo. The smell sickens me.

I love boiled crawfish, too, but that's technically not seafood. It's more like ditch food.

4. What part of your day requires the most patience?
home school time

5. What's your favorite shade of blue?
Navy. I tend to lean toward darker colors: forest green, chocolate brown, burgundy, black.

6. Do people underestimate you?
Probably. Sometimes I underestimate myself. I think most people really don't know me since I tend to keep a lot of things to myself.

7. When was the last time you had butterflies in your stomach?
It would most likely be the last time I had to speak in front of a group, which I try not to do often.

8. Insert your own random thought here, and remember...I have a wooden spoon and I'm not afraid to use it.
I know how hard it is to keep a meme going because I tried several years ago. It was called Food for Thought, and the 5 weekly questions were food related. Sometimes I'd have a theme, say soup, and all the questions would be about that one topic. I enjoyed it, but I never got a following. Maybe one person answered occasionally. That's not very encouraging... Maybe one day I'll start it up again.

Menu Plan Monday - November 15

We enjoyed having our week's supply of grilled meat last week! I hope we can do that again before too long.

On to this week...

Monday
Chicken Pot Pie

Tuesday
Portobella & Olive Farfalle
Caesar salad

Wednesday
Applesauce Meatloaf
Four Cheese Risotto (from a box)
Caesar salad

Thursday
leftovers

Friday
???

Saturday
Biscuits & Jelly

Sunday
sandwiches/cereal
We'll be having our annual "Pie & Praise" night at church this Sunday after AWANA, so we'll eat dessert for our meal and top off with something quick and light after we get back home. The boys love this!

Next week, the only thing on my menu is Taco Soup (and leftovers). We'll be enjoying my mother-in-law's dressing and other delectable Thanksgiving foods for the end of the week. Yum!

For more menu plan ideas, check out I'm an Organizing Junkie.

Flashback Friday: Veterans

From Mocha with Linda:

Were/Are either of your parents or other family members active military personnel or veterans? What branch? When did they serve; was it during wartime or peacetime? Did they share much about their experiences with you or others? When you were growing up, was the USA (or your country, for those outside the US) involved in a war? What do you remember about it and how did it impact you? Are you, your spouse, or any of your children veterans?

Neither my husband nor I have served in the military, but both our fathers did, many of our uncles did, and we have many friends who have served or are serving now.

My dad served in the US Navy during the Vietnam War. On July 7, 1967 - less than two months after he and Mama were married - he received orders to report for an "Armed Forces Physical Examination" to determine if he was qualified to serve in the military. On August 28, 1967, he received orders to report for induction into the US Army on September 7. Because he wasn't keen on the idea of ground fighting in Vietnam, he tried to join the US Air Force, following his father's footsteps. They had reached their current limit of inductees. They could've taken him later, but that would've been after the September 7 deadline. The Navy recruiter's office was just down the hall, so he went there instead.

Daddy started boot camp on September 5, 1967 - just two days before he would've been required to report for induction into the Army. After several months of boot camp and radio school, he was assigned to the USS Noxubee, which shuttled fuel from large oil tankers to fuel bunkers onshore. Since the ship's home port was Pearl Harbor, it was a shock to find out he was being sent directly to Vietnam. The USS Noxubee had been deployed. He reported to the ship on the evening of June 27, 1968, and was released from shipboard duty three years and one day later - June 28, 1971.

He was a radioman, sending and receiving messages in Morse code, audio, and teletype. His unit was also responsible for patching communications networks, if needed. It reminded me of that scene in Down Periscope where the guy patches two networks together and gets shocked because he licks his bare fingers before holding the ends of the wires together with them. :o)

During his time on the USS Noxubee, Daddy was stationed both stateside (Pearl Harbor, HI, twice; and Little Creek, VA) and internationally (Da Nang Harbor/Cua Viet, Vietnam), and he had the chance to visit many different cultures (Hong Kong, Japan, the Philippines, and Guam, as well as France, Spain, Italy, and Greece while his ship cruised in the Mediterranean).

Probably the most harrowing experience on board the USS Noxubee was when a couple of Viet Cong swimmers managed to plant a magnetic mine on the hull of the ship. Since it was night and the water was murky, a team of underwater demolition divers wasn't able to tell anything from their inspection. The ship was taken five miles from the base until morning, when the team would inspect everything again. Around 2:00 a.m., there was an explosion on the ship. Thankfully only one mine was planted - and it was attached a little forward of the cargo hold. The ship's damage control team went to work and was able to contain things until an auxiliary repair ship could make temporary repairs. Then they headed to Manilla, Philippines and went into dry dock for repairs.

Daddy received his Honorable Discharge from the US Navy on September 4, 1973.

Incidentally, I was born while he was on one of his tours in Vietnam. He was on duty and received the Red Cross message regarding my birth as it came through.

I am immensely proud of my daddy and how he served his country when called upon. He is my hero.

November 2010 Book List

37. God, the Devil, and Harry Potter by John Killinger

I initially chose this book because I thought it would give me insight into how Christians who like the Harry Potter books view the series. It started out nicely, though there were numerous summaries of some of the plot lines of the books. That led me to believe it would be a good book for Christians who are curious about Harry Potter but don't feel inclined to read the books. The further I read, the more I realized that Killinger often mixes his Christian perspective with a worldly one. It didn't bother me that he points out similarities between Rowling's characters and those of the mythology of different regions. What concerned me was he not only quotes from the Bible, but he also relies heavily on other gospels as well as the Apocrypha. To evangelical Christians, that's a huge red flag, and that would put off many Christians who question the series.

I don't recommend this book to evangelical Christians who want to know more about the Harry Potter series, but I'm sure there is a book out there written by an evangelical - for evangelicals.

38. Making Rounds with Oscar by Dr. David Dosa

I'm a sucker for a good cat story, and this one was a gem! Dr. Dosa is a geriatrician who makes rounds on the dementia floor of a large Rhode Island nursing home. Rumor was that Oscar was always present for residents' final hours of life. Dosa was skeptical and began a quest to find out just what Oscar's "gift" is - how does he know when it's a patient's final hours, and how is he always right?

As Dosa talked with past patients' families about their experiences on the floor and with Oscar, he began to realize Oscar's importance to both the patients and their families. Generally aloof, Oscar would curl up on the bed beside a dying patient, would purr and allow himself to be petted by grieving family members. More than one family member called him a comfort. Dosa's appreciation of Oscar grew, as did his understanding of what his patients' families needed. He learned how the medical community was failing families of patients with dementia, how families felt a range of emotions but had no help, and how he could be a better doctor in bridging those gaps.

Dosa never really found answers to his questions about how Oscar "knows" the end is near. There have been scientific explanations about a "sweet smell of death" and animals having a keener sense of smell than humans, but none of those explain why only Oscar makes his rounds. He does realize the importance of animal therapy for the elderly, especially those with dementia. There's something about animals (and music, as he also learned) that reach into the deepest parts of a person.

Life Without Limits by Nick Vujicic

I can't count this book because I didn't finish it. It's good, but not what I want to read right now. I was expecting an autobiography with some inspiration thrown in, but it turned out to be quite the opposite. It's a Christian "self-help" book with short biographical highlights included every so often. Needless to say, I was disappointed.

39. Family Organizing Handbook by Amy Knapp

The subtitle is "314 Mom-Tested Super Tips, Tricks and Secrets to Take Care of Everything with Time Left for What Really Matters". (An older version has only 312 tips.) Quite a mouthful, but an overall quick read.

I don't think each numbered tip should've been a tip unto itself, since many of them piggy-backed on a previous one. Still, there were some good ideas here. The biggest thing that was emphasized for me was the importance of two things: calendars and lists. I already knew that, but this just drove the point home a little more, especially where lists are concerned.

Menu Plan Monday - November 8

I don't know what happened with last week. I think the cooler weather slowed my brain! I do remember having Baked Potato Soup and homemade bread on Tuesday, and we had steaks, Caesar salad, and some seasoned sugar snap peas and potatoes (from a frozen package) on Saturday, but everything in between is a blur. Oh, yeah! I had a broken kitchen faucet so we dined on sandwiches, served on paper plates.

We finally got around to grilling Saturday evening (after my handyman hubby replaced my faucet!), so we've got our meat for the first part of the week.

Monday
Hamburgers (a grilled chicken sandwich for Caleb)
Bush's Grilling Beans
Caesar salad

Tuesday
White Beans & Rice (with some diced grilled hot link thrown in for extra heat)
*I'll be using my Red Beans & Rice recipe, but since ALDI didn't have red beans and I didn't have time to run by Wal-Mart for them, I decided to go with Great Northern beans. I'm sure it'll be great!

Wednesday
Hamburgers
Sweet Potato Fries

Thursday
leftover White Beans & Rice

Friday
???
Caleb will be at a pre-teen fall retreat, so we'll be doing something special with Jacob. Oh, the woes of being the younger sibling...

Saturday
sandwiches/leftovers
It's home team night again, and the day will already have been busy with a baklava cooking class I'll be taking, entertaining Jacob, and picking up Caleb from camp. I need easy!

Sunday
sandwiches/leftovers
AWANA night. Enough said.

I've got a little more variety planned for next week, so stay tuned!

For more menu plans, check out I'm an Organizing Junkie.