Originally posted on 9/28/08…
We’ve had a long, adventurous week since posting last week. The week began simple enough with Grandma & Gigi bringing Max over to play with Lola. They got along so well! We need to schedule another play date! One of the fun little things we like to do as a family after a long day is to shower, relax on the couch, watch some tube and eat popcorn & chocolate! Ann is the popcorn connoisseur and regularly has a dozen different types of corn on-hand at any given time. Unfortunately, Ann’s health took a turn for the worse, as she was diagnosed with whooping cough on Monday. That meant the entire family began antibiotics Monday night. Thankfully, it seems to be working as everyone is now on the mend and feeling much better! Abby got her school pictures back, but Matt forgot to tell us when they were and we missed them…L
Matt’s football team travelled to conference rival and perennial area powerhouse Sunman-Dearborn Middle School at East Central. Apparently, the Trojans have had our number for many years now. However, this Greensburg 7th grade team is helping to usher in a new era. Despite having at least one of the referees in their back pockets, Greensburg hung on to win a close one 14-12. The game was close the whole way. Matt again started at center and earned a spot on the kickoff return team. The referees made several controversial calls. Some went our way, but most went against us. Was it just coincidence? You make the call. In the closing quarter, we led 14-6 with just over five minutes to go when the Trojans got the ball back. On a third and long, they hit a 40 yard pass play to the near sideline. That’s when the trouble really began…
The Pirate defender tackled the receiver around the head area. The referee standing three feet from the play called it a legal tackle. However, the referee from 35 yards away on the other side of the field came in and threw a flag. The Greensburg crowd started to get pretty rowdy with this writer getting in to the thick of things. On the very next play, the quarterback set up for a screen pass, but saw the pass rush coming and decided to scramble backwards to avoid the would-be tacklers. When the Pirates caught up to him, they were 25 yards back, on the 40 yard line. The ball was spotted appropriately; however, in came our favorite side judge again and promptly moved the ball 12 yards forward. This caused the Greensburg sideline and crowd to go ballistic! They ran a few more plays and got the clock down around a minute and half…but wait. What’s this? The time clock is no longer running. Who knows how much time was lost! So now let’s take a count of how many players there are on each side, shall we? By my tally, it’s Greensburg with 11 players on the defense and East Central with 15, including the three refs and the time keeper!!
By this time, the crowd is more than uneasy, growing louder and rowdier by the minute. Unfortunately, a face mask call on the next play, puts the ball inside the 5 yard line and they run it in from there to make the score 14-12. Obviously, they decide to go for two and run and end around to the weak side of the field. They have everyone blocked it seems for instant. Then, suddenly, one of Matt’s buddies (and band contest teammate) shed his blocker and came up to make the play on the 2-yard line to save the game!! He was shook up on the play and loud elation quickly grew to a stunned silence of hope as he lay on the ground. After experiencing a vicious hit last week, we immediately thought of the worst case scenario. However, after a few painstaking minutes, he sat up and then trotted off the field to a huge ovation from the appreciate crowd! An onside kick failed and the offense took a knee for the final two plays to secure the victory! The kids were incredibly happy and all the parents were very proud.
Abby had a bye week for soccer, so no game. However, she did participate again this year in the Greensburg Optimist Club’s Punt, Pass & Kick competition at Washington Field and Ann volunteered at the concession stand for a couple hours. They both seemed to have fun, but Abby didn’t fair quite as well as she had in the past (she’s won trophies the previous years she’s been involved!). I think her mind was still on her activities from earlier that day and the night before…
Ann was a brave soldier as she invited 9 of Abby’s closest friends to a slumber party. Amy helped her to facilitate the activities with the girls. Abby had a great time with her friends, including Amy’s daughter Baili, our ex-neighbor’s the Welage’s daughter Elaine, Phyllis & Dick’s granddaughter Emma (also from soccer), Kayma from dance class, Hannah from last year’s soccer team (and they share a seat on the school bus each morning), Carlie from the neighborhood, Crysti’s (our ex-sitter) niece Megan and cousin Gracie. They had a silly string fight, opened presents, had a cool cupcake tree, did each other’s makeup, watched Camp Rock (the party theme), made decorative pillow cases and climbed trees.
The boys didn’t stick around long after the girls arrived. After catching a bite to eat at our favorite eating establishment (Acapulco’s), we went out to the Tower Tree Truck Classic, hosted by Gigi and WTRE. Both Matt & Luke really dig trucks, so this was right up their alley. We were hoping for more entrants, but we still managed to kill a little time away from the girls. After spending some quality time with Gigi and making sure it was pitch dark outside, we came back home, snuck inside the house and did a fairly good job of scaring the crap out of all the girls, including Ann who nearly wet herself, I think! J
Let’s get to the Way Back Machine, shall we…
Leading off today is another top 10 fave of mine. This is Matt & Abby at Grandmaw and Grandpaw’s condo at the Sand Pebble in Treasure Island, FL. This was taken in the summer of 2000.
Next, speaking of Grandmaw & Grandpaw Bryan, here they are at Katie & Jake’s wedding in Indy, 2005.
Here’s Abby at Grandmaw & Grandpaw’s house up on the hill in Rossville, circa 2001.
Next we go all the way back to October 1976. This is my 8th birthday party in the basement of our Shortridge St. house in Lafayette. Pictured with me are my buddy Jerry Campbell and one of my best friends, Mark Crum. Looks like I got a cool Super Chrome Hot Wheel car! J
Next we fast forward to 2004 with a pic of Matt, Abby and their childhood buddy Winnie the Pooh at the Magic Kingdom in Orlando, FL. I remember the kids (especially Matt) was really into Pooh at a young age. I believe Ann aided that affection, as even his nursery was done in “Classic Pooh.???
From that same trip, we have a couple funny pix of us on the new Dinosaur ride. Of particular note are the looks on the faces of both Ann and myself, Matt ducking under the “dashboard??? and especially little Abby hiding her face under her shirt in both pictures!!
Here, we start to go back a little. First, we have a nice picture of the Owens gals when we lived on Main St, circa 2002-ish.
Next, we go back another couple years to about December 2000. We are still in the living room on Main St… Those darn grandparents are sticking out their tongues!!
Whew! Here we go back to 1988 for a picture of Annie on her 18th birthday in her house on Main St (just two houses down from where she would live 10 years later!).
Here’s Ann with her college BFFs, circa 1992. This pic was taken at in Gulf Shores, AL during Spring Break of her senior year in college.
From the same basic time period, we have some long hair pointing out which trail to take in Brown Co. State Park in the fall of ’92.
Now we’re going back!! This one was taken in my sandbox in our backyard on Shortridge St in Lafayette in the spring of ‘70.
This one was taken around December ’96 at Grandmaw & Gigi’s house on Russell Dr.
Here’s a good silly hat picture of Ann. She says this one was taken at Epcot during her sophomore year in college, which puts this one in 1990.
We end with a great one of Granny Scheu from Christmas ’68. This was taken in her kitchen in her enormous house on Highland in Lafayette, IN.
We hope everyone has a great week and we’ll catch up with all of you next weekend. Until then, have a good one! Later…