Report from Mundelein for the Week of 18-24 Aug 13

I have a lot to report this week, but no pictures.

Evee was selected captain of JV Volleyball team.  I'm hoping she will grow into the leadership role.

Sophie tried out for Volleyball and didn't make it.  Personally I don't believe in cuts at all in grade school.  What is the point of sports?  Is it to win?  That seems worse than shallow and pointless.  The point of entry level sports should be to teach sportsmanship, teamwork, healthy physical activity, responsibility and leadership.  The sports should be the fun vehicle to teach that.  How can you possibly teach it if you cut kids who are really trying.  If they are goofing off or are disruptive, then I can understand, but not based on skill level at this point.  I think when you cut at this level you are only teaching the kids that they aren't worth teaching.

Teeny is home again.  She was in Montana for a week, but she's home now, preparing to return to school.

I rode my bike to work twice last week.  For the past several weeks I've only managed to ride to work one day each week.  I'm working my way back up to three bike commutes a week.  I want to average that.  I have about 40 bike commutes this year, and I won't make 75, which I consider my standard goal.  The first year I had only 33, then 76, then about 50 last year.  I should make 50 again this year, even with my trip to Tanzania.

I'm so proud of my lovely wife.  Maria attended a banquet this last week where she received a President's Award.  This is a very high honor (the "President" being the president of Abbvie).  She took a lady that worked on her team that did not receive the award, but who Maria thought should have.

I'm going to try to learn some Swahili for my trip so my Greek lessons will take a back seat.

Orchid's Back!! And Other Weekendy Things

Our little Orchid went on her first plane trip alone this weekend to Washington D.C.  She went with people from school, but it wasn't an official school trip because the Catholic Archdiocese has some sort of rules against that sort of thing.

She got back late last night.  I'll get some pics from her and post them here soon.

Tulip was sick Sunday morning and we didn't go to Wisteria's birthday party, church or my in-laws.  She's better now though.  I think it was from the swimming.

Oh, I didn't mention that Tulip and I went to Key Lime Cove in Gurnee on Friday to Saturday with her Girl Scout Troop.  Gardenia and Star were supposed to go with us, but Star came home very sore and hurt from Track practice on Friday and Gardenia didn't want to leave her.

Star had a big track meet all day on Saturday (which was also why she couldn't come the water park) and met Uncle Marigold and Aunty Apple Blossom there.

Broken Leg

It has been a VERY long time since I posted, but life is like that.

On 26 Apr 09 my beloved Gardenia broke her left leg and big toe. She fell down the stairs while I was at the grocery store. I rushed home and took her to the hospital.

She broke it very near her ankle, but the break is in the fibula. That bone is more for stability than weight bearing. She is in a boot cast. The doctor said that she will be completely healed (no pun intended) in about six weeks.

She spent the first two days not working, then the first two weeks not going in to the office. She worked on her stair and crutch skills. She went back in to work this last Monday.

Since I last posted Star had been awarded an Academic Letter for getting straight A's in her first three quarters of High School at Mundelein High School. She also started Track. She does Triple Jump, Hurdles and some sprints.

The other two are doing well, despite the scare of the broken leg.

We are planning on doing Volleyball again this Junior Olympics, but this year we are adding some track events and possibly my little Orchid will participate.

Summer Ending Update

Seeing as it is mid September and the summer is almost technically over (with the Autumnal Equinox) I figured I really ought to run down everything that happened this summer:

JUNE
- Star graduated from 8th grade at Santa Maria del Popolo. *Orchid played bells for the ceremony
*Star won the President's Award (from the President of the US). There were only two students who won.
*Star read the Reading at mass
- Star and I went to Washington D.C. for her 8th grade trip. She was one of four students who laid a wreath on the tomb of the Unknown Soldier.
- Star went to summer school for her state required Health class (she was the star pupil)
- Star's 14th birthday!

JULY
- Star, Orchid, Tulip and I got passes for our park district pool and we tried to go as often as we could
- Orchid got contact lenses (she's almost as blind as her sister Star).
- The Owasippe Trip

AUGUST
- A new flower blooms! On 4 August 2008 my brother, Ginger and his wife Holly added a new bud to accompany Lilac and Geranium. Let's call him PETUNIA!
- We added another flower, sort of, by marriage. Marigold married Apple Blossom. We never thought we'd see the day when Marigold got married. We all had a blast.

- Star
*Started High School (gasp)! She loves her teachers and classes
*Started Volleyball at school. She's on the Frosh B team (takes after her old man on the B team), but she has Volleyball as a specific gym class so maybe next year she'll move up.
*Isn't playing clarinet anymore. She had a good run there, from 4th to 8th grade.

- Orchid
*Started 7th grade. Just one more year to go. She's doing very well so far and has a great attitude toward school.
*Signed up for Track but switched to Volleyball. She dropped out of band, but says she'll keep up her flute. Let's hope she can.
*She's not going to be in Girl Scouts anymore herself, but she's going to be helping Tulip's Girl Scout Troop

- Tulip
*Started 2nd grade, but she still has the same teacher. We loved that teacher last year so this should be another good year for her.
*Still in Girl Scouts and still loves it

EARLY SEPTEMBER
- Bushia (aw heck, she doesn't need a flower name) went into the hospital. She's 88 and very weak, but she is home now and recovering.

- Star is now sharing her wisdom and holy graces with younger Orthodox youth by helping out as an Assistant Sunday School teacher
- Tulip started Sunday School and Greek School (actually tonight is her first night)
- Star has moved up to full fledged GOYA (Greek Orthodox Youth Assoc.) and has left poor Orchid in Jr. GOYA.
- I'm going to be starting adult Greek school on Thursday nights. Cross your fingers for me.

From 29 May 08

I was writing this and I never got around to finishing it. Here is what I had:

"I've actually been dieing to write this, but I haven't had time. I've got a lot to tell you, but first I want to mention that I'm at the Greek Consulate right now with Yarrow and Peony. Cool huh? They needed to get some paperwork done so I offered to drive them downtown. It's a long wait so I thought I'd type this out now. There's no WiFi here so I'll post it later.

The big news is the Junior Olympics. Last Saturday we went to SS Constantine and Helen (Gardenia's Alma mater is Kores, the grade school there and we got married there, btw) in Palos Hills. We got there for the opening ceremony, but volleyball didn't start until 4:30pm. That was good, because when we arrived I still wasn't sure we had a team (I had had one practice and only my girls and another pair of sisters showed).

We met the other pair of sisters and we had six. The only trouble was the four not mine had never played volleyball before. I had brought a ball so we spent all day getting to know each other and hitting the ball around.

We ended up winning the game! The girls really worked well together well and helped each other alot. They're all great girls and I'm very proud of them.

The second round was Sunday afternoon (to give us all a chance to go to church I'm sure, but only Star, Rose and I took advantage of that opportunity). We showed up and got mown down by a team full of High School volleyball players. The thing that surprised me the most was that I wasn't at all unhappy that we lost, I was sad that we couldn't play anymore. The girls were that great.

Now we will get away from sports, but stay with the Greeks."

I don't remember what I was going to write next, but the report up until then was very good and exciting (to me at least). I wrote all the green text on my PDA. I love having the opportunity to do that (although it is a bit of a pain because my fingers are too big and the keyboard is only virtual).

I didn't mention it in this post, but I was the coach for that team. Both Star and Orchid played on the team and Tulip made herself the team nurse.

Mowing the Lawn and the Olympics

The last couple of weeks it has been raining every time I have intended to mow the lawn for the first time this year. Finally, last Saturday I went out, between showers and did it.

There were two problems with this, one: the grass was very wet so it wouldn't go into the bag; and B: it got dark by the time I was finishing so I couldn't see where I was going mostly.

The end result, after more than an hour and a half was a poorly mown lawn. It, of course, didn't rain from that point until Monday. I went out and mowed it again, twice! It looks really nice now, but that is what prompted the latest poll about lawn mowers.

On to the Olympics, no, not the trouble in Tibet or other protests, but the "real" Olympics, the important one, Junior Olympics.

The Greek Orthodox Metropolis of Chicago holds a Junior Olympics every year. Every year my girls sign up for volleyball and every year our church can't field a volleyball team. This year I asked if it was lack of players or lack of a coach.

Guess who the coach is now? You got it on the first try. I'm now the volleyball coach for our church, Ascension of Our Lord. The Junior Olympics are Memorial Day weekend at Saints (abbreviated SS) Constantine and Helen in Palos Hills (where Gardenia and I got married).

Athletic Pizza

On Wednesday evening we had the athletic banquet for Santa Maria del Popolo. We had pizza, it was on the informal side.

They gave out letters to the eighth graders. Now we'll have to buy Star a sweater to sew her letter onto.

They also gave out pins to put on your letters. I guess Orchid will have to wait a couple of years to pin hers on.