Schools Out!!

School has officially ended in Campbell County. I should be a free man.

Why do I find myself back in my office on Monday morning at 7:40?

Put me up for employee of the year. Then slap me.

I actually have arrived at this hour for a couple reasons mainly to finish a paper that I've procrastinated on for my class that starts at 9. I guess I should be doing that instead of blogging.

We're on the back stretch of a 10 game set in 6 days. This is probably he most difficult time that I've had coaching in my brief career. Purely coaching. Obviously Trinity's level of difficulty will never be matched.

It's actually been a lot of fun to be challenged as a coach. It makes me feel like I'm actually able to coach. To balance 15 kids... ages ranging 14-17 isn't easy. For 90% of them, they played Babe Ruth last year, which consisted of abour 20 games. That means in these 6 days we're playing 1/2 of that schedule, and we've already played more games than they ever have previously.

I've found especially lately that some of the skills that I developed/learned while banging my head against the wall at TBC have been especially helpful. For instance, I've been sick for about 4 1/2 weeks. Wednesday or so last week I finally broke down and went to the doctor.

I have pnuemonia in my left lung. Which would explain the extreme difficulty in breathing, along with other wonderful symptoms. I knew I was sick... not admit to the hospital sick... but sick all the same.

I did talk my way through not going to the hospital.

During that time, I operated on little sleep and felt/proved that I could be productive.

The other side of my learning curve for the coaching has been the psychological approach to my team. SO much of coaching is psychology. I knew that at the college, but was just trying to develop it at that point. This team has allowed me to really implement what I want and the players have responded better very well.

I think everybody in the world knows that coaching and athletics has something to do with motivation. Yet the average onlooker knows little of the challenges of a coach when it comes to crafting motivation. I'm absolutely still learning, it's just been nice to actually see result from players you've cultivated for three months.

Back to the 10 game stretch. I talk about motivationg... we're 2-4 so far since Thursday. Ouch. In that we played a 19 year old team on Thursday and dropped two games by a combined 3 runs. Friday we played terrible and lost to Belle Fourche's varsity squad in two games that were only seperated by four runs. Most my kids are 15, one is 16 and two are 17. I also have two 14 year olds.

Yesterday we basically played a team at the same age. Won the first one 7-5 and it was BY FAR the worst game they've played all year. Motivation happened after that game. We won the second game 17-7 in a 5 inning mercy.

We play a really tough squad today in Rapid. Then finish this streak up tomorrow at home against another tough Rapid team. Then Thursday we head to Lewiston, Montana for a weekend tourney.

On my off day Saturday Samantha and I went to my parent's subdivision to hit up some yard sales. There's probably somewhere in the neighborhood of 200 houses selling their junk on Saturday. I'll post up some pictures later and talk about our purchases!

Bachelorhood

Ah... life on my own. No wife and kids to worry about... the house is mine to roam naked and the cupboards are at my disposal.

Ok so that's just not true, but I can wish right?

Samantha, Aundrea, and Tristan picked up my mom on Thursday to head back to Minnesota for Jake's (Samantha's middle brother) graduation festivities. I firmly believed that it would be a good little break for me.

Maybe a chance to catch up on my sleep, do a project or two, you know, just relax!

I wish. I'm entering my third week of being sick. Between Thursday and Friday it's intensified dramatically. Tonight I coughed so much I feel more like vomiting not to mention the migraine I now have.

Baseball has really been a big part of my life. Not that it has been a bad thing, just demanding of my time. I've had a game Friday, two on Saturday, one tonight, and then two more in Torrington tomorrow. Part to blame is that I was with our varsity Friday and today, which hasn't really given me a chance to rest.

Up again in 5 hours to head back to town.

My guys are now 8-6 on the season. We're improving. Tough stretch ahead as we play 10 games in about 6 days then head into a tournament in Northern Montana. It will be important for me to balance the days ahead for my team and for my own health.

The busy schedule has led to one nice item... I've been averaging a meal a day since Samantha left... I might be a little lighter now!

Looking forward to getting my wife and kids back, this isn't the lifestyle that I was meant to live!

Way to long... and way to busy

Pretty dissapointed with my inability to blog a bit over the last month.

Much has indeed happened... well not much in the grand scheme of life... but a few things have indeed happened for our month.

1. Samantha is another month pregnant... we just passed up week 21 and the half way point. Her belly is more pregnant than ever. She seems to be going out a little faster this time around. Heard the heartbeat now on several occasions. Good and strong! Seems to be an active child! We have an ultrasound next Monday. It'll be nice to get some shots of the baby. We won't be finding out the sex.

2. A minivan has officially entered into our family. It was a quick/long development. We've had our finger's crossed on a particular make and model of van, just couldn't afford the typical price tag. One happened to pop up in Gillette on Craigslist. I emailed the folks that had it and Samantha and I were looking at it within 2 1/2 hours. We negotiated price just a little and are now the owner's of a 2005 Chevy Uplander. I would have had the van that day, except they had lost the title and we had to wait 11 days to get it all settled.

3. Tristan and teeth are not a good combination. The boy has taken FOREVER to cut his final five or so teeth. Now he's trying to cut them all at once=CRANKY. He's not felt lke himself which is understandable but no less frustrating on a pregnant mom and an in season edgy dad.

4. SICK SICK SICK. Samantha actually seemed to start it this time... maybe. Who know's. I didn't work most of Monday or Tuesday due to a sick household. It was nice in a way to be home. I got a lot of cleaning out of the way for Samantha and then spent time building her a 3x4x5 greenhouse that she can get to work in when she feels better.

5. Snow in MAY. We've now had two snow bouts in May. The weather here is stupid. On one hand it's 70 in January on the other it's in the 20's in May. Explain that.

6. Baseball. My team is 4-2 heading into a tough weekend in Sheridan, Wyoming and Miles City, Montana. We have at least been able to get some games in with this wacky weather. It feels nice to be coaching again. I've challenged myself in some different ways to become better. Ultimately I just have a great young group of hard working kids... makes the whole thing a lot of fun.

7. Great Grandma hit's Gillette. Amazing that one of the first people to visit us is an 80 something year old Great Granny! My cousin Don has accepted a position with the Wyoming Department of Corrections and she, and dog Cooley, tagged along for the trip out. Don is currently going through the training and then will be moving his family out to Newcastle... which is about an hour or so from Gillette.

8. School closing down. Getting close to the end of the school year. Yippie.

Crap it's 2 AM. I can't sleep and a dog just threw up.

At least SOMEBODY can get it right.

I'm impressed... not to impressed, but impressed all the same.

This weekend the Pittsburgh Steelers, in making their team a little worse, made it a little better.

How? Bye, bye Santonio Holmes.

Although he has a great deal of athletic ability, and one of the most memorable catches in the Super Bowl his inability to lead a productive life meant the Steeler's sent him packing. And they did it for a mere 5th round pick.

It's nice to see pro teams expunge garbage.

It's interesting to see that the New York Jets picked him up. The teams that don't mind trash seem to go after trash. They're trash.

This is part of the reason why I've lost all hope in the Lion's. Besides just being bad for SO long and not seeming to want to get better, they've created a "Bad Boy" image that started with the Piston's. Draft and sign players with character. I can cheer for that.

Ultimately I'm no Steeler's fan, although I have a good friend that bleeds Steeler football they're just not my team. I'm interested to see what they do with Roethlisberger, I expect they may end up keeping him unless criminal charges enter the picture.

At any rate... good for one franchise by taking a stand!

That's where I'm from...

Having now transplanted twice from my native Michigan, and having lived nearly a third of my life away from hometown it feels somewhat awkward when I am asked where I am from.

In Gillette it's a fairly common question since most everyone is from somewhere else. I can count on two hands the number of people I've met in the last 16 months that told me they and their family are native to Gillette.

There are many transplanted Michigander's in Wyoming, mostly due to an economy that's about as strong as a Mackinac Bridge made of popsicle sticks.

Typically when I tell people where I'm from in Michigan they immediately assume somewhere in and around Detroit... as if the whole state of Michigan is made up completely of the dirty city. It would be like assuming that someone from California just happens to be from Los Angelas. There's California and there's California. There's Michigan and there is Detroit. I happen to be from Southern Michigan's Hillsdale County. Officially my hometown is the Village of Waldron... all of 550 people strong.

There's a bit of a difference between Waldron and Detroit! A big difference!

Hillsdale County is one of the most rural counties in Southern Michigan we're dwarfed only be Branch, which is immediately to the West.

Starting to get the picture? Proudly, livestock outnumber humans!

This in turn made it no surprise when new's of a Michigan Militia group broke earlier this week. The "militia" is pretty popular in the Southern portion of the State. It's might be a little bit of our red neck nature, or it might be part of our heritage. I say heritage only because of the Michigan-Ohio War or Toledo Strip War (This has little to do with College Football)

The Michigan-Ohio War is a little known event in US History, but may help one to understand the bitter rivalry between the States. Michigan was a short lived loser in the "War" as we ceded the strip in order to gain the entire Upper Peninsula, which later proved very profitable for the State! Making the loss a victory in the end! It's not about who get's knocked down first, it's who's standing tallest in the end!

The Militia of today appears to be somewhat different. Absolutely it has to be dotted with radical's or better yet crazy's. Although by law Militia's are allowed to form, their actual role in doing anything is a little less clear... or non-existent. I doubt they do much more than complain about taxes and drink beer. Oh... and if Canada ever does invade Michigan don't expect many of them to be able to "march" to Lenawee County! Hillsdale County is exactly a portrait of men in great health!

I actually went to school with one of the nine arrested. He was a VERY odd duck in school. I am actually surprised that he's not a mad scientist for some pharmaceutical. He was very smart with the books. Who knows must be he decided to become "mad" in another way.

These Hutaree are really nothing different than any other crazy's I've heard about. They all claim something about Jesus and translate the Bible in to their own personal justification. I will say that I hope their is credible evidence of their guilt, if so, lock 'em up. What a bunch of crazy's! Check out their website. I think maybe the picture was taken at Will Carleton Park in Hudson!

Absolutely hit "play" on their video... it's more comical than "The Best of Will Farrell" on Saturday Night Live. Other places on the site include "Azuurlin's Blog" complete with two entries. He must have been to busy plotting how he and eight other ignorant individuals were going to bring down the US Government. Whoops.

I struggle with their name... I mean Hutaree? What in the world? Couldn't find a better name? Like how about "Rambo's Offspring" or "The Crusader's". But no, they pick "Hutaree". My kid's could do better than that. I'm all about people wanting to belong to something, I get that, but join the YMCA. Don't pretend to be some kind of commando and act like you're capable of anything more than shooting yourself in the foot. C'mon MAN!

Donogb or Aoife

We're now entering week 14 of the pregnancy.

Samantha has a little more stable stomach... and we're starting to adjust to the idea of being parent's of three, if only slightly!

This being the third pregnancy I hope that I am at least slightly more accustomed to the up's and down's during the 40 weeks of waiting.

Waiting for the birth of your child is one of the most taxing ideas God ever came up with. It's like knowing the Tiger's are going to win the Pennant in '10 but still having to play out the season to get there! Ok, it's a little different than that!

One of the most challenging items non-medical items during that time is trying to decide what to name your child! Samantha and I have been on the same page for both of our first two, yet have found the decision process to be more difficult each time.

We live by a few rules: we must select a first name that is somewhat unique and the middle name is to represent someone in our line.

Aundrea was a variation of Andrea that I've always liked. Marlene was in honor of Samantha's Mom and her Grandma Moon. We had this middle name picked before we had even tied the knot. This was our only choice for a girls name as it just worked!

Tristan's name was a late pregnancy decision that came from a baby name book (not "Legends of the Fall"). His middle name, Lloyd, is my Grandpa's middle name and Great Grandpa's first name. It to was preselected. The challenge was really to find a first name that fit. I believe when I said "Tristan" to Samantha her immediate response was "That's IT!" No question's asked... we were locked in!

This child is proving to be a little more challenging. We have a few ideas, although we won't be sharing them until after the baby's born. The problem is that we have SO few idea's and neither of us are sold completely.

Today I cruised the internet for baby names. I typically like to cruise the Celtic names as they often seem to ring with me. Samantha is a little more hit and miss, she starts at "A" then jumps to "J" and so on.

During my cruising I ran across Donogb and Aoife. I guess they're a "little" unusual! One is for a boy and the other for a girl... can you determine which is for whom?

The search will continue and no doubt that by September 20 or so we will have a name selected!

Finally something worth reading!

It's been a few months since I've had a good book in front of my face, soon I'll have several!

I believe the last book was William Craigs' "Enemy at the Gates" which was later, in part, turned into a movie. I always liked the movie, until I read the book, the movie does little to capture the true events of the war itself.

I have always been a fan of books on war, human survival, and events that changed history.

I have been a big fan of Steven Spielberg and Tom Hanks "Band of Brother's" HBO mini-series. I have purchased several books written by Stephen E. Ambrose on the particular struggles of the unit and have read some of the books written by the men themselves.

The two have joined forces again for a new mini-series titled "The Pacific" many have said that it is incredibly realistic and is equal to the B of B. Tonight I watched a production flick on the movie and was introduced to two of the books that they have credited with helping with the plot of the series.

The first, Helmet for My Pillow: From Parris Island to the Pacific by Robert Leckie is a first person account of the war and is supposed to be one of the top reads on the war.

The other, With the Old Breed by E.B. Sledge is another first person account of the war. It has some ridiculous reviews from some very outstanding individuals.

With those two purchases I also made two more purchases! (I had to get the free super saver shipping!)

I picked up Undaunted Courage : Meriwether Lewis, Thomas Jefferson, and the Opening of the American West by Stephen E. Ambrose. Ambrose is one of my favorite authors, however the topic is a little different than my usual read. This book was recommended by my boss as a book I should read. We'll see how it turns out!

Last but not least is The Imperial Cruise: A Secret History of Empire and War by James Bradley. Bradley is indeed my favorite author. He penned "Flags of Our Father's" and "Flyboys" both are must reads. This book takes a very different twist and may change my perspective on Bradley. The book cover's T. Roosevelt era U.S. involvement in Asia. Teddy Roosevelt is my favorite President, however the book blames a great deal of his policies on an eventual Japanese aggression in Asia and Pearl Harbor. We'll see how it turns out.

I'll have plenty of time to get through these books during the spring and summer on some VERY long road trips for baseball. Looking forward to it!