I Am Thankful For...

Happy Thanksgiving!

    I am thankful for 23 years and four days of marriage to my wonderful wife, Belinda.  Happy anniversary, my beautiful Lady Jane.

    I am thankful for family and for a week off from school (first time ever since I started teaching).  We've had a great gathering of our own family here this break.  James is home, so we have been able to spend an entire week together.  

    I am thankful for golf, of course.  I am thankful that I still get to play.  Bruce, C.J., and I played yesterday, and it was glorious.  We lost to the Bogey Man by one stroke, but it was still fabulous.  I played terribly, too, but it was still fun.

    I am thankful for the past 3 years of coaching volleyball again.  I think back to the first year I came back, and I wonder how I did it.  I couldn't have done it without support, that's for sure.  I went from brain surgery recovery right into full-time teaching and coaching.  The most difficult parts were the two full days of coaching; the JV scrimmage and the JV tournament.  After the surgery, I had numerous times when my body spoke to me, and this is what it would say, "Stop now.  I am about to shut down.  Whether you are ready or not, I am shutting down."
    Those were two of those times.
    
    I am thankful that we got to go to state this past season.  I wrote this on the bus on our way home after it was all over.
    
Written on 11-16-13.

    I would rather be coaching again this afternoon, helping out one last time at the 3:00 District 4A state championship match as an assistant for our team, but instead we are heading home. 
    We ended up losing to Los Lunas in the round just before the quarterfinals.  It’s over.  It’s done.  Life continues, but I am so proud of this team, how far we went, and how much all of the girls improved, especially from last year’s season to this year’s sad and rather abrupt ending.

How the Match Ended

Hole #8-We both focused.  We both got pars.  The money pushed to #9 and the score remained the same.  Hole #9 had a bunch of money riding on it.

Hole #9-I managed to hit the fairway with my 3-wood.  Bruce did not.  I had earned the bonus, but the hole was not decided yet.  We both ended up getting pars.  I had a chance to win it outright with a downhill birdie putt, but no such luck. 
    It was over, sort of.  Pat, 270K, Bruce 180K  We decided to split the rest of the money, but my hitting the fairway had cinched it.

    I wanted to keep going.  At first, Bruce did not, but he then decided what the heck.  So, we continued on to #10 and #11 for the bigger bucks. 

Hole #10-Bruce killed it on this hole.  He got...

A Great, Fun Match with Bruce

On to golf...

Also written on 11-13-13.

    Bruce and I had a really fun, competitive match on the first Sunday of this month.  I had not played since the Club Championship, so I requested Escalating Skins.  Maybe I could win a few holes, I thought. 
    I messed up the score again, though, so I am writing this to set the record straight in my head, and because it was so enjoyable, too.  This is the hole by hole account...

Hole #1-I won the bonus and the hole.  I had a long drive, and I managed a par.  Bruce got a bogey.  Pat-20K to Bruce-0K

Hole #2-Bruce won the bonus and the hole this time.  I was in the ditch, and I putted poorly for a triple.  He was above the hole and on the green, but he missed his par and got a bogey, but he still won.  Pat-20K to Bruce-40K 

Hole #3-Bruce got a par.  I got a bogey.  Pat-20K to Bruce-70K

Hole #4-We rushed to play through a twosome, and we both earned double bogeys.  The score remained the same.

Hole #5-Despite a bad tee shot that looked lost forever, I managed a bogey.  Bruce helped me find my ball in the leaves just past the ditch.  I had a good look at a par, but I missed the putt.  Bruce got the bonus and the win with a fairway tee shot and a par.  Pat-20K still, Bruce-180K

Hole #6-I was on the green in regulation, and I used only two putts for a par.  Bruce faltered a bit and got a double.  Pat 130K, Bruce 180K.  I was doing my best to make it interesting.

Hole #7-I managed another par with a long drive that went way left, an approach that put my ball just left of the green in two shots, a pitch and two putts.  Bruce got another double.  It was getting interesting; I took the lead...barely.  Pat 200K, Bruce 180K

To be continued in the next post...

Going to State and Our Best Match of the Season

11-13-13

    I’m on a bus again!  It’s the best possible kind of bus I/we could be on, though.  We are going to state!  Our team was selected by the selection committee to be invited to this year’s state tournament. 
    We narrowly made it in as the 12th seed, but we’re in, and that means we can win it all. 
    Tomorrow at 8:00 A.M. we begin our adventure with pool play against Centennial and Espanola Valley.  We play two games to 25 points against both teams with caps at 27.  All four games will start with a score of 4-4.  Not sure why.  I just asked Anna, and she said it has to do with pool play and playing only a certain number of “official” matches. 
    I am so proud of this team.  Our biggest win, in my opinion, came during...