So no I haven't dropped off of the face of the earth.

I am here.

Adam even stopped inviting me places.

But, I am here.

2 kids. summer school. master's classes. 3 kids (i forgot the big one named joe'l)...i know excuses, excuses.

I will be back. Does anyone still check it? If not...I may not be back.

Will you send me a message if you still check up on me...

Maybe I will post just for you.

:)

Whew!

All right.

Booster meeting with principal involved...and the voting goes...

I get to keep all the money in the booster account for this summer and next season!

Yeah!

And...Ellery is happy and healthy!

And...Mads is one hell of a baller!

And...Joe'l has a job fair this week (oh please wish us luck!)!

Not defeated...bouncing back!

I have plans for Saturday night...open for some other things!

defeated...

When I took the job of girls’ basketball coach last year, I knew I had a lot to learn. I knew it would be a challenge. I knew I would make mistakes. I knew I wouldn’t make everyone happy.

One of the biggest mistakes I made was sitting down with my boosters club and making sure that is was run correctly and that we were all on the same page as far as goals and outcomes…meaning, making sure everyone understood the page I was on.

I was hired to do a job. The job I was hired to do was to establish a girls’ basketball program because I know how important it is to get kids interested early in the game so that they do come to high school fundamentally behind. I know that you cannot simply think that you coach year to year. You coach with every perspective year in mind. Although every team is special, a good coach never loses sight of the teams he/she will eventually get.

Fundraising to me is two-fold. It is to help the current team pay for apparel and such. It is also to help the future teams by purchasing new equipment, uniforms, tournaments, skills training clinics, etc. I negated to realize that the parents of student athletes who struggle with the concept of program would struggle with the concept themselves.

At the beginning of the season, I allowed too much to be done by my boosters club because I was about ready to give birth to Ellery. I came back to the court two weeks after her birth even though I did not return to the classroom because I had to fulfill a commitment. Parents stepped up and helped during this very difficult season. Emotionally, I don’t think I have recovered, although physically I have. It is very difficult for me that this is happening with my team and their parents right now because I sacrificed something more important than I think anyone, student or parent did. I sacrificed my health. I sacrificed time with my newborn baby. And, I am being called selfish.

We all worked hard. There should be no fingers being pointed at whose fault it is. I have my faults and I can admit them. I didn’t read my booster by-laws, and apparently neither did any of the parents who signed those by-laws. We are completely out of accordance with a non-profit organization. Communication. Simply, communication failed. I tried my hardest to put together a budget that I never hid from anyone. There were no surprises. And, because I miscalculated the cost of the t-shirts and basketballs which go along with the Little Hawks program, I did not bother to ask for the Vegas trip that I wanted to go back to this year because the information was so valuable last year.

Did I say things that I didn’t follow through with? I am sure I did. As do all people. But, I am not a “bad guy” in this situation. I am a first year coach who had a baby in the first week of the season and struggled to do the best she could to build a program.

Program.

Not 10 kids. 100 kids.

Been a While...But I'm still here...

Basketball season pretty much makes me disappear as far as my family and friends are concerned. It's always been a difficult balance for me. We have about 3 weeks left, and it's not that I am looking forward to it being over--I have truly enjoyed this group of girls--it is that it has been a particularly frustrating season.

We are in a league we don't belong in and as a result, our girls have been used as the whipping post for other teams looking to pad their stats or redeem themselves after a loss to someone else.

Seriously...WHY would you still trap my girls as soon as they cross half court, steal the ball, and go down and score a layup...in the fourth quarter when you are up by 50+ and you still have your starting point guard only to take her out when she scored her career high. OR...why would you allow your guard with 3 seconds left--your team is up by 40+--to shoot another 3? HOLD THE BLEEPING BALL!

Frustrating. Coaches who allow their 16 year old girls to humiliate and embarrass other 16 year old girls--??? I can tell you I will never be one of those coaches and if Mads is ever on a team with a coach like that...we will have some issues.

Come on people...win with class.

Blah

Ellery goes to day care tomorrow.

One more week.

Just one more week with her at home!

Ok...how about til June 5.

Not much to ask for.

According to a recent article I read, teachers are overpaid and underworked babysitters (wonder if they would say this if it were a profession dominated by men)...if all I am doing is babysitting other people's kids...why can't I take my own with me?

Hmmmm.

The mysteries in life.

By the way...as an UNDERPAID and OVERworked English teacher... I resent ANYONE who thinks it is opposite (however...if the state keeps taking away teachers' creative rights in the classroom by throwing more standardized tests at us which keeps our school districts requiring its teachers to teach to the test...yeah...pretty much any trained monkey could do that...I guess.)

Blah.

Friends

A week of friendships rekindled!

Sunday--I had coffee with Adam at Revue! Oh how I miss both Adam and Tower! It was fantastic to catch up!

Tuesday--I had breakfast with my friend Rhonda from my Sanger teaching days. I loved seeing her and hearing how everything is going at Sanger. (Shhh...I miss it there, too).

Wednesday--Lunch with JJ and Erica! Met JJ at Sanger, but today was about families. Vaughn and Ellery got to meet one another while I got to hang out with my beautiful friends.

Wednesday night--ok...when I was 15, I met the most amazing man who befriended me in a way that I didn't know. Kevin...like my brother. Looked out for me. Took care of me. Invited me into his family. No dating. No funny stuff. Kev and I were friends for a long time. I moved to Cali and lost track of him. I don't know how or what happened...but I lost him. Then...Facebook happened! I found him. We spent 1/2 chatting on Facebook and catching up. I got to see pics of his family and his kids. Amazing.

So---I have no time Thursday, but I have Friday open. Wanna hit me up to reconnect...let's do it!

Saturday--my bestest cousin Dawn is supposed to come into town! She moved to South Dakota and I miss her. Yeah! I want to see her so bad.

That btw is my New Year's Resolution: be a better friend!

:)

Anticipating a New Year

Goodbye to 2008!

2008 was a year that said goodbye to Simon and hello to Ellery...

a year of first anniversaries...

a year welcoming new friends to my life...

a year of reconnecting with old friends...

Thank you 2008!

I am looking forward to a 2009 filled with family and friends, but most of all the laughter that makes life worth it!