So Much Going On

It's been over 2 months since my last post. I apologize and will try to do better. Life has been busy!

The house has been a constant work in progress, but it's now in such amazing shape that it is a shame I have to move! It looks great, but the economy is not helping at all. We've had many showings, but no offers as of yet. It's only been about 6 weeks so I'm still very hopeful, but also ready to move on. In the meantime, I started my search for a new house. Not only did I start, but I found a gem!... or so I thought. My search was limited to large fixer-upper types or smaller new construction. I was very close to ready to pounce on few of those fixer-uppers when I stumbled onto what seemed like the perfect house. I played the off, counter offer game until we came to an agreement on the last day that I could qualify for the tax credit. Hurray for me. The only problem is that the inspection turned up quite a bit of large issues. I'm currently in the waiting phase to see if the bank (owner) will pay to have all of the issues fixed. If so, then it's still an amazing deal! I am getting very antsy right now awaiting a response.

Meanwhile the rest of life has been cruising right along. The boys are getting big and doing it quickly. They are wrapping up yet another school year. I can't believe how big they are. They continue to impress me with their advancement in their education, athletics, and socialization. It's amazing to watch.

Alex is reading so well and he is only in Kindergarten. Jackson is bored with his old books and now insists on the more difficult ones and knocks them out like it's nobody's business. Not to mention they will both correct you with any math discrepancies you throw their way. Just last night I told them that they'd have to go to bed in 30 minutes, then told them that bed time was at 8:00. Jackson said something to the effect of, "actually dad, that would be 20 minutes; 30 minutes would be 8:10". Hilarious. The point is that school is going well and my boys are getting smart!

Physically they're developing too. Jackson has progressed away from training wheels to his "two-wheeled bike" as he calls it. haha. I love that term. He wants to ride every afternoon even if just for a few minutes. He and Alex both are also still playing basketball every afternoon with me and continually improving. It seems like we usually do basketball, but yesterday I got a bonus. Jackson wanted to throw the ball. He had a tennis ball and we threw it a little and my goodness, he has an arm. I knew he could chunk a football, but he had some heat on that tennis ball. I'm not a baseball fan (yet), but I just may have a pitcher on my hands... and a lefty at that!

Let's see, what else has been going on in my world. Here's a quick list:
(1) I've had a few golf trips that were amazingly fun. I'm playing much better than in years past, consistently shooting low to mid 90s. For some people that's not great, but I'm extremely happy with it.
(2) Donna has introduced me to karaoke. I've always thought it would be fun, but never gave it a shot. After a few trips out with her, I love it! Of course she is a hell of a lot better than I am, but have fun doing and fully intend to keep it up.
(3) I've started getting back into bike riding. Donna and I have been out a few times and I'm really enjoying it. At least until I blew a tire last week! I need to get that fixed and get the bike tuned up. Once I do that, I'll be ready to tackle some longer rides.
(4) Basketball is going well... at least in some ways. I feel great on the court. The weight I lost last year has really improved my game.... now if I could just shoot free throws. lol. As a team, we don't have a great record, but we've proven that we can compete with any team in the league. Playoffs start Thursday, so we'll see how that goes. I think we'll be fine but only time will tell.

End of a Season

As I've said before, I'm coaching both of my boys basketball teams. The season was originally scheduled for 6 games each. Mid-season inclement weather caused one game to be canceled. Last Saturday was supposed to have been the last game of the season for both of them. Sure enough, more crazy weather came our way. This time it was worth it though. It was SNOW!!! In fact, the most snow in Columbia since 1973. It was amazing and the kids loved it. The only negative was that another game was canceled... or so we thought. As it turns out, the powers that be didn't want to cancel two of the six games. That would just be too many. Therefore the games were rescheduled for mid-week.

Jackson's team, the Gators, played last night and played wonderfully. He had an outstanding game, finishing up with either 12 or 14 points. I'm not sure which. The team as a whole played well and held on to a 27-26 victory to end an undefeated season. Awesome! Go Gators!

Alex's team, the Longhorns, get their opportunity to play tonight. In this age group there is no score kept, but trust me when I say that the kids know the exact score because they keep up with it! Anyway, as evident by our team's own stat-keeping abilities it appears that Alex also has a chance at a perfect season tonight! Incredible. I really hope they can pull it off.

Friday night is the final gathering at the church for this season. There will be a show for the kids, with a message of course. Also, the kids will probably receive some memento for playing. Last year it was an Upward book bag and Jack loved it.

Now that the seasons are ending, looking back, it has been great. I hope the Longhorns can complete the perfect season tonight giving both my boys undefeated seasons. To be honest though, win or lose, it has been an outstanding season for both teams and I've loved coaching all of the kids. Not to mention I love being in that role for my two boys. It means a lot to them and the impact that I have on them means so much to me. I want to stay involved in their pursuits with school and athletics, much like my parents did for me and I want to be the parent to Jackson and Alex that my parents were and continue to be to me.

Making the Turn

2009 was an interesting year for sure. Lots of changes for me, especially near the end of the year. I wont delve into all of the changes, but I really feel that I'm "making the turn". In what way? The answer is that there are many ways; socially, emotionally, athletically, and even professionally just to name a few.

Just to go into a few aspects of change:

I couldn't be more happy with where I am in my life right now. Of course some things are still working themselves out with my separation, but now that it's said and done, we're both happy with the results and we're able to be ourselves more now than we have in a long time.

Professionally, I'm learning so much and starting to feel pretty good about my new position. Not that I didn't feel good before, but my excitement over my job previously were based on how I thought I'd like it. Now it's due to me actually doing my job. Still lots of learning, but I'm also enjoying the actual position.

Athletically, I'm in a wonderful place right now. I'm working out a lot. I'm playing basketball once a week. I'm running. In addition to what I'm doing now, the cumlative effects of what I've been doing is really what I'm excited about. I really feel that in the last six months I've transitioned from an ex-athlete trying to stay in shape into an athlete again. That is teh epiphany that I had earlier today and that was what originally gave me the inspiration for this little post.

I'm in a very good place right now and yes, I'm making the turn!

Being a Coach

Back at the point in time that I was choosing a career I considered teaching and coaching. It can be very rewarding making a difference in kids lives in the classroom and on the field. Not to mention, the though of staying involved in athletics on a personal level was very appealing. I think the job would have been enjoyable. Not to mention the perk of vacations, but that is another topic altogether.

In the end, I passed up what I thought would have been a fun job, for what I deemed to be a more lucrative path. I’m happy with the decision I made and I do enjoy what I’m doing now. That being said, I do miss involvement in athletics. Luckily for me, Jackson just completed his first sports league, which opened up a new door of involvement for me. I happily volunteered to coach the 5 and 6 year old Upward (church league) team - the Lions.

It was trying at times; making it to practice every Monday night and games every Saturday morning, keeping the kids in line during both practices and games, and attempting to teach at least a little basketball along the way. Trying? Yes, but so fully worth the time and effort In fact, I enjoyed it so much that I intend to coach again next year. Throughout the season we saw the team come a long way. They grew by leaps and bounds, showing improvemnets every week and they had a great time along the way. In addition, Jackson told me multiple times every week how happy he was that I was his coach. That meant a lot... to him and to me.

Last night was the Upward awards night. They announced all the kids individually, they got something for participating (a cool Upward book bag), and they had entrainment (a magician; a magician with a Christian message). The kids loved it. It was a nice end to a great season. When we returned home and got ready for bed, the boys reaffirmed how much fun this season had been and how they intend to play next year. Then before I left the room, Jackson told Alex that "Dad can still be my coach". I asked if he was referring to next season, to which he replied, “No. The season is over, but you’re still my coach in my heart.”.
How awesome is that?! Kids can really bring you happiness with the smallest comments. Having both Jackson and I involved in basketball this season meant a lot to both of us and his comments like that one make me even happier about it all. Before I left the room, I reaffirmed his belief and extended that comment to include Alex as well, telling them that I can always coach and help them.

Next year Jackson intends to play again, and Alex is preparing to step onto the court as well. This paste season, during the preseason and even mid-season Alex had no interest at all, but by the end of the season I think he enjoyed it almost as much as the team. Not to mention that he practiced at home with Jackson and improved just as much as the team did. He is so ready and plans to play, and he told me last night that when he plays he “want(s) mom to be my coach”. I thought that was cool, but asked “so you don’t want me to be your coach?” He thought for a second before telling me that he wants us both to coach. We’ll see how that goes, but we’ll definitely be involved in both teams. I cant wait.

Game # 3

Jackson and the Lions had their third ball game yesterday. It was once again a fun time, highlighted by Jackson's excitement.

They have a really good rotation system, such that the starting lineup rotates each game and kids get equal playing time. Each 18 minute half is split into 3 six minute periods, in between which substitutions occur. So each player can count on being in about 4 of those 6 period. The only way to miss out on time is to commit two fouls in one six minute period.

Jackson didn't start this game, so he had to sit the first 6 minutes and the kids did well... at a controlled pace. At the first substitution Jackson got into the ball game and the level of intensity quadrupled. He immediately got a rebound, bolted down the court and scored. Our other coach looked at me and said, "wow, this is a totally different game now isn't it?". I agreed and was very proud.

Jackson was playing great defense and attempted to block a shot, but committed a foul. Then 3 minutes later he did it again. Although his intensity is usually a good thing... remember the 2 foul rule. He got benched due to that rule. He was heart broken. Luckily he got right back in when the next period started....and he didn't foul anymore. I felt bad for him, but I also thought it was funny that my child is the only one I've seen be benched for that rule this season.

When I awarded the superlative stars for this game, I gave Jackson the best defense award. Regardless of his fouls, he was intense and playing awesome!

I know I rave over Jackson (and will continue to do so), but all of the kids are really improving. It's amazing how far they've come and I can't wait to see how good they are at season's end.

BBall picks

A few of the boys getting ready pregame. Notice Jackson is the smaller one in green.




A shot of the bench featuring a few players and yours truly, Coach Owings.




A shot of the kids in a layup line during pregame. Of course Jackson is hamming it up.

Game 2 highlight

We were lucky enough to have "Uncle Pooh" visiting on the day of Jackson's second game. Uncle Pooh is Stacy's brother, Andrew. Although we have not captured any video of the games yet, Andrew did capture one highlight on his phone and I've attached a link to the clip. It's very small, but enough to see how fun the games are. In the video, the big kid on the other team easily scores, then Jackson gets ready to receive the inbound pass, catches it and goes coast to coast for the score. Check it out.

Click here for the highlight.


"That's my boy!"

Game # 2

I'm a slacker and haven't updated this in a while, so here is a quick update on basketball. We had another practice and in addition to that I worked with Jackson at home to keep him from double dribbling. It paid off. The team looked good and Jackson looked awesome! Unlike the previous week, when he would pick up his dribble immediately and then either double dribble or pass, this week he picked up the ball and drove to the basket. He did wonderfully, scoring 10 points and having numerous steals. I was proud of the team and as you can tell, very proud of Jackson and how well he took to coaching. I see a bright athletic future for him!

Game # 1

Jackson's first game. Upward Basketball. 5 practices so far. 1 game. It was great. This league doesn't keep score, so there are no winners or loser... it's like the old saying that "everyone is a winner".

I was very proud of my team. Of all of the things I taught them, they employed about 1/2 of 1 percent of it... but otherwise, they played and had fun. And they where very fun to watch. We have a few kids that are catching on to the basics pretty well and a few that would be picking flowers if flowers grew on the court. :-)

Jackson had a blast and I was very excited for him. He scored one basket and did a little dance to celebrate. If you put the celebrating in slow motion it would have looked like a commercial and finished with his pose in mid air when he jumped to celebrate; perhaps with a little slogan like "Mentos, the fresh maker" afterward or something like that.. It was both awesome and hilarious.

He also had the lone block. Of course he was super aggressive and blocked it wish both hands...hitting the kid's arm to causing a foul. It was almost a great block, but it did send the kid to the line. I didn't even realize this league had shooting fouls. The score keeper told me they only call those when it is a blatant shooting foul. They only called 3 all of last season. Lol. Jackson had teh first one this year. So aggressive. That's my boy!

We have 7 games to go. I cant wait to see how much fun we have and how much better we all get.

Upward Basketball

Today was practice number one. I had seven of my eight players to show up for the first practice. My assistant coach is out of town. I did my best to control 7 kindergarten and first graders.... It was somewhat successful.

I read the coaches handbook and though it was ridiculous to think that first graders could do the drills they suggest. In their defense, the book is a generic one for all age groups. Fourth graders may get it....not so much first graders. That being said, we did numerous drills, most of which I just made up on the fly. lol. We filled the hour practicing passing, dribbling, shooting and a few drills that combine those skills. Also, we had devotion (part of being a church league) and team meeting. All of this fit within the allotted hour.

I was concerned before practice, that I'd have a bunch of kids that have never seen a basketball. I was pleasantly surprised. I think we'll have a fun year, and I think I'll actually be able to teach them a little bit!

After practice, Jackson insisted that we stop for a drink. He got a Gatorade and savored it, being the athlete that he is! He also told Stacy that he was the best. lol. It was drills.... he was good, but so were the other kids. I bet they all went home and said, "mom, dad, I was the best". You have to love the confidence of a child!

One practice down. Nine to go. Plus games. I cant wait.