Deep in the Heart of Texas: January 2006

Spring Training...

Last week of January.

Baseball practice.

Outside.

With out a jacket, let alone a heavy coat, gloves and a stocking hat.

Might need to wear my sunglasses tomorrow.

Be jealous. Be very jealous.

(That's me with my groundskeeper. She's no Bud Curran but she'll do.)

Shhhhhh! I'm hiding!

Let me get on my platform...

The doting father apologizes for...oh, who am I kidding!

Who needs little candy hearts when you have Maddie?

Yeah. I'm eating. What's your point?

I love my grandpa!

Surf 'n' Church

Last week, during our normal memory quiz, I asked my students the following question about Matthew 22:37-40:

What word in this verse indicates that God's law is absolute (think "ten")?

While I was looking for the word "commandments", one young man responded with the following:

"hang"

May God have mercy on our souls.

Missed it by THAT much...

This weekend was especially memorable since I was able to play 18 holes with my dad in the middle of January...

and the fact that on the 15th hole my Dad teed up a par 3 7 iron two feet to the right of the pin...

an amazing shot, for certain, putting me in the unenviable position of following brilliance. "Put it inside mine," quips my father.

"If I do, I might soil myself," replies his witty son.

One sweet 8 iron later, I was 2 and a half feet to the left of the pin.

After several moments of uncontrollable exaltation, we strode proudly up to the green for the birdies we would not soon forget...
Then, as if a cruel twist of fate, in the middle of my swing the advice my father had given me years ago as a beginner golfer struck me like an anuerism..."NEVER LEAVE A BIRDIE PUTT SHORT."

Ironic words as I watched in horror while my birdie putt came slowly to rest on the lip of the cup...

I took a three. Dad drained his putt.

Curses!

In other news, (which only golfers will appreciate) I did beat my dad by one stroke, 88-89.

"ARE YOU BLIND?!?!"

Practice got over at 4 today.

I was looking forward to getting home before 5 for possibly the last time this school year.

My family was in the car, the engine was running...

and out runs Michael to inform me that no officials had shown up for the JV game.

Two hours later, I had been verbally accosted by parents who have no concept of the rules of basketball let alone ever played the game before. Well let me tell you something people! When you want to volunteer to run around a gym, chasing pubescent teens, who can barely get up and down the floor with out tripping over themselves OR other bodies, all the while SQUEEZED into a pair of pants you purchased a "stomach" ago in college, well be my guest!

Overall, though, it was good to be getting some excercise doing something I enjoy. Takes me back to my days of reffing grade school games in Racine...aaaahhh, the good ol' days!