Well, we’ve had another week blur past us again… The most welcomed news of the week was that of a new water heater! You don’t know how important a water heater is until yours is malfunctioning… So, on Tuesday, we welcomed the repairman over to hook us up. Now if Ann can convince the guys that put in our water main – back in January – to come back and finish up the side yard so that we can plant some grass seed and get back the use of that side of the house, we’d be set…
On Monday, Matt received his letter for wrestling! I was very pleased that he was rewarded for sticking with the team even though he was injured for 90% of it. That showed a lot of class on the part of the coach and it taught Matt a very good lesson about sticking with things you start. He got a letter certificate and a pin for his letter. He proudly announced that he has now lettered in football, basketball, track and wrestling!
However, on Tuesday, we received his letter certificate (finally) from basketball – from his coach (and our neighbor), Dave Green. I’m not sure what a pin for his letter has to do with individual awards, but for some reason, the school didn’t give Dave any for the kids. We’ll get him one – some way or another; even if we have to buy it for him – he earned it. However, when we asked his coach about the pin, he said he was told there would be no individual awards given out, due to the controversy earlier in the year. You may remember, it involved the star player (and son of a teacher). C’MON; GIVE ME A BREAK! I can’t believe the message this sends to our other kids. I can guarantee that if this happened to one of the role players on the team, it wouldn’t have impacted individual awards! Are you kidding me?? Why not just give the awards that the one player would have earned to other players that actually showed good behavior and made the right choices? This is what happened on a couple of my sports teams through the years, when one of our star athletes got in to trouble. Aren’t the others more deserving of recognition by not feeding in to the negative behavior and not giving in to peer-pressure…and thereby doing the RIGHT thing? What ARE we teaching these kids? What IS the message they receive by this move and the other moves by the school by not having appropriate consequences that fit the behavior…or the city police for not officially investigating this incident…or the media by letting this incident just get swept under the rug so the school can “get past this and move on.??? How is this fair to the other kids on this team, the victim or the perps? This is the worst case of favoritism I’ve ever seen and it disgusts me to no end… but enough of that rant, I could go on for another three paragraphs and I don’t want this post to be as long as last week’s!…
Anyhow, Matt continued to do track each night this past week after school. He is doing shot put and discus again this year. Matt also had a band contest yesterday (Saturday). He played the drum kit on the first song, bells on the second and drum kit / triangle during the third. He is the only percussionist on the band and they sounded great. The judges agreed and awarded the band scored a gold medal for their performance!
The baseball draft was held this weekend and I heard from both boys’ head coaches. I decided to not do any head coaching again this year, so that I can make it to all of the kids’ games / practices. I did volunteer to be an assistant for all three, if needed. Matt was drafted by a great coach and a good man. He has a great attitude and will keep Matt in line this year! J He will begin practices this week already (maybe in the snow!). When Matt has good structure in baseball, he has been at his best; so my expectations are higher than they’ve been for him in many years…
I also heard from Luke’s coach. He is a rookie, so he drafted Luke; knowing that I had been through it all many times before… Currently, he is planning to have early practices that we can’t make, so I’m not real sure what we’re going to do yet…I guess we’ll see… He also starts practice this week and is very excited! Lukey is also very excited about going to kindergarten next year. We have to sign him up at the elementary next week already. Luke had his buddy Alex over for the day today. They played outside with Matt and I; it was a beautiful day! Abby had a couple of her friends from the neighborhood down as well. It was crazy over here for a couple hours. In fact it was a great weekend; period. We worked outside yesterday as well, servicing the mower and doing several other spring activities. Brandy’s husband is working on our weed eater…it died late last year after running rough the entire season. The kids were also fired up about helping me get all the ball gear ready for the season, so we’re all set! Abby’s softball draft will be this coming weekend, so we’ll get her started next week.
Speaking of Abby, she continued with Girls on the Run and dance class twice through the week. Both Matt and I have told her that we will run with her if we’re able to…also Natalie (Ann’s good friend) has said she’ll run with her as well. Abby also had an extra dance class on Saturday for a couple hours, as she was asked to participate in a third dance now! It is a grand finale with girls of all ages participating. I don’t know how she keeps it all straight! J
Ann had fun this weekend with her good friend Amy. She was busy scrap booking at a local hotel from Friday afternoon until Saturday night. She does a great job with these keepsakes; something the kids will eventually be very thankful to have with them… Our weather is nutty! It has fluctuated the past 72 hours between being 60° and sunny to being rainy and even a few thunderstorms and frost have popped up through the week. Now, it is really crazy with tornado watches for this part of the state and now they tell us that the temp is really supposed to drop and we’re supposed to have some ice and snow tomorrow!! L Matt and I helped Maryann, Sandy & Deanna at Sandy’s rental home today. The tenants really tore up that poor little house. It’s a mess! Matt & I pulled up carpet, padding & carpet tack strips today, as well tile. We’re both sore and will sleep well tonight! I’m sure those gals will as well, as they were really working hard in that house… In closing this week, I got a clean bill of health again at the doctor on Friday afternoon! He was very pleased with my progress and my blood work. He said that we will discuss the discontinuation of my meds in 6 months…
Now for a short Waybac feature…
First up, we have a couple of early pix. The first is Grandpa Scheu with yours truly at our home on Shortridge St. in Lafayette in October of ‘68. The second is my final shot of our trip to the St. Louis Zoo in ’71.
The next couple are from the late seventies. The first is with my good friend Mark Crum at his house in ’77. The other one is from ’78 at Magic Mountain, standing in front of the great roller coaster “Colossus??? only a month or so after it opened!
The next two are from the early eighties. The first is of Grandpaw Bryan and Robby at our Kenwood St. home in LaPorte in ’80. The second one is from a ball game in ’81. I was playing for Allis Chalmers in LP. I was one of three to make the all-stars that year.
The last few are from the late eighties – all 1987, I believe… The first is my school ID card picture from my senior year. The second is the gang from Mike & Laura’s wedding (Brian, Chris & Mark). And the last one is the happy couple at their home on Rockwood, just down the street from me at the time! We have many good memories in that home!
Hope everyone has a happy Easter! It’s hard to believe that next weekend is already Easter Sunday. Keith & Rosie are supposed to be in town, so it should be fun! Until next time; have a good one…
– Scheu