Week with Family

The house is empty and very quiet. Nothing is cooking on the stove or baking in the oven. No drinks are being mixed. It can only mean our week with the family is over. 

Evan and the girls played three marker challenge. 

Keagan taught the girls how to make the “Keagan special”; the rest of the family simple refers to it as a ham sandwich. 

We ate great food, watched Cowboys football, went Black Friday shopping, watched a RHS basketball game, 

played a round at Top Golf, 

hiked Port Royal, 

attended a few holiday events in Nashville, 

and the girls spent one day at P3 and the batting cages. It was a week of fun! 

Now that my favorite week of the year is coming to a close, it’s time to decorate for Christmas!

Family Fun Day

The boys are finally out of school. To celebrate the official start of Thanksgiving break, I had big plans for our day of fun. Unfortunately, Wes was at work and Keagan + his girl > family. 

We started with a game of Top Golf. None of us can play well. Half the time we swing and miss the ball, but we still had fun. I want to mention I won both games. 

Evan’s expression is a result of hitting the said ground one too many times and deciding the only way he was going to get points was by throwing the ball! 

Next up was The Glow. The lighted displays were impressive, but I’m not sure it was worth the cost of admission. We stood in line 62 min to ride the 5 second alpine slide! But the first half hour walking through the lights was very enjoyable! 

Some how we managed to pull this off with Santa. 

We wrapped up the night at Five Guys with burgers and fries because #traditions. 

Zoolumination

My sister and her family are visiting for the week. We have a list of holiday events to see and do as long as the rain stays away. After church and a nap, we made the short drive to the zoo to see the Chinese Festival of Lights.

It was cold, and if we had not already made plans to do this, I would be tempted to stay home wrapped in a blanket. I’m so glad I didn’t; it was amazing to see. I couldn’t believe it was all made from silk and strings of lights. 

Our attempts for a selfie were an epic fail! Maybe tomorrow night we can get a pic of the fam. Five more days of fun are in store for us!

Basketball Prayers

Our first home basketball game of the season and we lost. We had six turnovers in the first quarter alone.  Rebounding is an enigma for our team. Poor shot selection and nobody able to shoot in the paint leads to low scoring opportunities. We are unable to pass the ball to our own teammates either. Please, God, help me survive the season. I can’t watch. 

Evan’s assist you the assist 

https://youtu.be/6d2CrZQJnKs

Evan’s bucket

https://m.youtube.com/watch?feature=youtu.be&v=9xrtKWMTBpo

Meanwhile, Keagan is benched until we can find out what’s wrong with his knees. Please, God, help me survive the surly teen who has no bigger desire than to play. We have multiple doctor appointments this week. But we fully expect them all to say rest for 3-6 months.

Basketball Season Kicks Off

The boys’ basketball season is in full swing. Their first scrimmage of the season was last night at Ensworth. Keagan had a great game.  He had two buckets, an assist, a steal, and a rebound. His modified JV game was two eight minute quarters and it ended in a tie.

https://youtu.be/9TZ-Fu46vRA he’s the guard with the assist

https://youtu.be/0VykGcjLgxU here’s his steal and jump shot / lay up 

https://youtu.be/1nD9NhdrgFw he’s the PG driving to the basket 

Evan got Varsity minutes. This is all I got of him, a picture and a video of a rebound. 

https://youtu.be/Q2d_PwQ-E-M

Gatlinburg

We were up at the crack of dawn for pancakes. Keagan said he hates it when people take pics of their food, but he thought today’s meal was probably picture perfect. 

We lost game two to a strong ECNL team. 

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=3ks3GIIa158

https://youtu.be/V3EcLTKKE50

https://youtu.be/vE3b4YKvUvM

In between games two and three we did some site seeing and shopping in Pigeon Forge. 

And now we get to watch game three with this view. THIS is the Gatlinburg I enjoy - not the arcades, go carts, and endless shopping. 

 

Soccer Showcase

We are in Gatlinburg this weekend - my least favorite venue ever - for Keagan’s first showcase tournament. I had grand site seeing plans for the down time, but it didn’t take long for me to be reminded why it’s been seven years and yet so little beyond the soccer complex has been seen here. The traffic is horrendous. It took us 20 min to go a mile earlier today, and I was over it! 

Keagan had a great game one against a team from South Carolina. We won by a goal in a tight second half. Here are my highlights. 

https://youtu.be/KX9O_D_vTcY

https://youtu.be/M-40zmh5lFw

https://youtu.be/cNv_MuXM3-8

Tomorrow are games two and three. 

Ballers

Congratulations to both of my boys! I cannot wait to see this season unfold. I won’t have to wait long. The Jamboree is next week!

State Cup

As the eighth seed, we did not have high hopes going into the State Cup and playing the first seeded team. So imagine our surprise when the score was zero all at half. Or our excitement when we scored the first goal of the game in the 75th minute. Even when they scored in the 80th minute with a banger (one of the best placed shots I’ve seen) we still maintained we had the advantage when the game went to PKs. Unfortunately, they hit one more into the goal with twenty seconds remaining. It was heartbreaking. But this is exactly why we come back for more each and every weekend. There is always hope you will win next time.

I though a Keagan had a great defensive game. He had several key plays that kept the Legends from scoring. Here’s his header in the 60th minute. 

https://youtu.be/NY8_Q9hDY80

We left the game with our heads down, but we already look forward to next weekend and the next game.

Happy 17th Birthday

17! 

My Dearest Evan, 

I frequently feel like I’m living out the role of Elyse Keaton and you are the character of Alex Keaton (minus the suit) from any episode of “Family Ties.” Your strong opinions, your unyielding look at life, your unwavering thoughts about politics can be frustrating to me. I often wonder how you, with these ultra-conservative views, could be my son? Then I realize I have a son who can have an articulate dialogue, who can debate any topic with research to support it, and can think freely of those closest to him. This is exactly what I wanted to foster in you these last seventeen years and that is exactly what has been cultivated. You are confident, intelligent, and possess a very strong identity of self. I could not be prouder - even if I disagree in the majority of what you profess - of you! The world is yours! I can’t wait to see you pave your way through the world; your path has certainly been outlined! 

Love you BIG!