Referee Squared

This should, but may not be, an incredibly long post about what a great son I have and how he is following in the footsteps of his dad- we now have Referee Squared at our house.

Here's the story:

My awesome son, Colin, is a Entrepreneur, skilled at soccer, and has a hero in his dad. That all adds up to becoming a soccer referee (and collecting his first paycheck) at age 12!

After years of playing soccer, this year, Colin went thru a 10-hour class, a mentoring session, and a test to become a Grade 9, United States Soccer Federation Soccer Referee.

He serves as a Center Referee for recreational or house games for kids that are at least 2 years younger than he is. He can serve as an Assistant Referee (Linesman) for a more senior referee to kids in the older age groups.

He did a total of 13 games this season and had lots of encouragement and recognition from his dad (who was a National Referee). Colin did a great job! He has a good understanding of the game, of his role, and of the need serve as a teacher to the young kids who are still learning the game. He is planning to ref again in the spring and take the class to upgrade to a Grade 8 referee. (All this, and he made the honor roll in his first quarter at Middle School- 7th grade- while taking 3 Honors classes.)

Can I just say that this kid makes it easy to be a proud mama!

Future FIFA Referee?!

O-H-I-O

Sybella is getting ready for Homecoming this weekend. She is quite the cheerleader: O-H-I-O!

Go Buckeyes, Beat the Golden Gophers (Minnesota)!

2009 Vienna Panthers

Colin is playing football again this year; he enjoys playing and has improved his skills quite a bit. In fact, he now has a starting position on both the defense and offense.

Now, I must say that football is a whole family commitment. Practice in August is 5 days a week. After school starts, practices are cut back to 3 days a week. Games are every weekend. Parent commitments also include: some field duties and snack bar duty. But, Colin is having fun so we do it!

Missions Team Reunion

David and I led a Missions Team to the Dominican Republic earlier this year. Our team tries to get together every couple of months to hang out and stay connected. Since Katie McFaddin, one of our teammates, is embarking on an 11-month missions project in August, we wanted to get together one more time and hang out before her departure. So, off to Baltimore and an Orioles Game we went! Dana was thrilled, as she lives in Baltimore and for once, she didn't have to drive to us. :) We missed not having Carol with us, but hopefully she can make it next time.

We sat in the first row in the upper deck, on the First Base Line. The boys got excited about several Pop-Fly Foul Balls but needed to be a few seats further down to have a chance to catch one of the balls that came our direction. Oh well, maybe next time!

***If you click on this picture, you can enlarge for a better view, note that Chad is holding Cooper and if I do say so, Chad did a great job --- he held Cooper for most of the game!

We took all the boys with us to the game even though only Colin went on the Missions Trip. It's not that we don't think Sybella would have enjoyed herself, but it was an afternoon game right in the middle of nap time, naps are important when you are 2 1/2, so we left Sybella with her Granda.

First Orioles Game

Connor and Cooper at Cooper's First Orioles game on June 28th. They played the Nationals and lost but we still had fun!

We visited guest services and they even gave Cooper an "Most Valuable Orioles Fan" Certificate to commemorate his first game.

Thanks to our friends for sharing in the adventure with us: Katie McFaddin, Chad Riley, and Dana Frisillo! (More pictures to follow.)

You want me to do what? Go West!

Today we headed west of the capital city Santo Domingo to a rural compo – Norte de San Cristobal. We spent the day doing medical outreach and after our initial concerns about running out of medicine, we were able to see more people with less chaos in the same amount of time. God blessed this day on so many levels:

- Over 140 were seen by the physicians and given prescriptions…and I don’t think anyone got out of there without being prayed for.

- The neighbor open his garage to us and we had over 75 children at one point all piled into the garage coloring, laughing, playing, and seeing the love of Jesus.

- We were able to work with Pastora Daisy Mena and gave her DVD’s, CD’s, and other materials for her youth ministry as well as all kinds of sporting equipment.

At one point Colin got hit with a ball and so I took him for a walk. After several minutes I noticed more and more children following Colin and I. As we headed west down a road the kids pointed out an area with ‘shin high’ weeds. They told us it was their ‘baseball’ field, to which my ‘inside’ voice said, “You want me to do what? Play baseball in that!”. A few minutes later we broke out some tennis balls and bats. There so many kids wanting to play…I think it shows how God takes one bad thing and turns it around to His glory.

It also showed me how grateful these children were for a few tennis balls, a bat, and a very crude baseball field. Pastora Daisy has an incredible church that has some remarkable young men

 being mentored and who will change the face of that community over the next 10 years.

Connor's Last Soccer Game

Here are some pictures of Connor's Last Soccer Game yesterday. There is also a picture of our awesome Coach, Damon, giving Connor his trophy and then of course, Connor "displaying" his trophy. The Green Strykers had a great season and had lots of fun. It's a good group of kids and parents and we will missing seeing them every week! Most of us will back together for spring season in March or April.

Colin's Football Playoff Game

I posted last week about Colin's team making it to the Football Playoffs. The guys played hard and played well. Colin was able to make several great tackles and was part of a forced fumble and subsequent fumble recovery (center picture in top row--is the sideline return after the fumble recovery). Unfortunately, the Warhawks didn't win but we are so proud that they made it to playoffs AND 9 of the 14 players were first year players. WOW!! Great Job Warhawks!

Cornhole

David and I, along with our kids, love to play a game called Bongoball (aka Ladder Golf or Bolo Toss). So, when David had the chance at the Catalyst Conference to play Cornhole (a similar game) with some of the NCC staff, he jumped right in!


I just happened to have my camera and snapped a few shots.

PLAYOFFS!

Colin’s football team WON today and has made it to the playoffs. GO WARHAWKS!!
They will be playing Braddock Road TOMORROW night at 8pm under the bright lights at Water’s Field.
If anyone would like to attend, you are welcome. [Water’s Field is just off Maple Ave on Church Street in Vienna, VA]

We enter the playoffs with slightly mixed emotions. We are absolutely excited for Colin, the other players, and the coaches, who have worked so hard this season. But, as first year 'football parents' who had NO idea the commitment we were getting in to when we signed up for football, we were secretly ready for the season to be over. We have had practices 3-5 days a week since August 1st, plus a game a week, several scrimmages, fundraising 'booster' days, raffle tickets, pictures, working in the Snack Bar, Chain Gang duty (moving the first down chains), and various other 'responsibilities.' Did I mention learning how to put pads in football pants and WASHING those stinky clothes? :)

Seriously though, we are super-excited for the Warhawks and as Sybella says, "YEAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"

Connor's Soccer Game

Yesterday, Connor had his first soccer game of the season. He and the team did a GREAT job. I have to say that I was absolutely amazed. The boys have matured so much as players since the spring season. Their stamina, ball skills, communication, passing, and their interest in the game have grown exponentially since last season. I loved watching last season because the boys have fun. Now, I will enjoy watching because the game interesting! They still play on a smaller field and only 4 players to a side, but with their new skills and stamina, it means that they are all over the field and play much longer without substitutions. Can't wait until next week's game. Enjoy the pics.

**There are some pics of Sybella --who by the way tried to enter the field of play several times, not understanding why this game was any different than the ones at home. She gets to kick the ball at home. After she realized she couldn't play, she followed her buddy Ian around for while; he was very kind and tolerate of his shadow. :)

And So it Begins...

Yes it is football seasons for everyone...including our children. Colin is playing defense for the Vienna Warhawks. To check out more of the action head over to my facebook album.

Who is your favorite team? Are you a college or pro football enthusiast? No matter what type of football action you like...you gotta love the kids going strong. I am just grateful that it is 10 minute quarters with a running clock (so I know there is a finite timeline).

Today was the first full scrimmage against Springfield. The result was not what we were hoping for 0-6 but they played well and had fun.

A quick laugh

I am sure if you are anything like me, you have been enjoying the Olympics on one level or another. Occasionally, you just need to laugh so I thought you would all enjoy the following demonstration on the uneven bars... VIDEO FEED

Football

Colin signed up for football this year. He went to football camp last week and practices officially started last night. They started with helmets only, but by Wednesday or Thursday they will be in full gear. Practice is 5 days a week from 6-8:15pm; they will cut back to 3 days a week once school starts in September.

It was neat to watch the practice, they did lots of drills and sprints. The coaches will do evaluations this week in order to split the kids up into teams. Vienna will probably have 6 teams in Colin's weight class. Colin did a great job. He was exhausted by the end of practice.

I spent much of my youth in Texas so football is in my blood. Football is a cornerstone of daily life in Texas--some kids start as young as 5-years-old. But, watching Colin last night was strange. Strange, in that I realized how old he is---he is a young man now, a pre-teen. I hope we are ready for this! (the man part, not the football injuries that he may get---actually, guess I better be ready for that too. You know moms have to be calm and cool, they can't flip out if their son gets hurt.)

Nationals Game

Tuesday Night the family headed out to the Washington Nationals Game. They lost to the California Angels. They don't often win.....but it's good summer family fun!!

Connor's DC United Game

Many of you know that Connor's Team, the Red Dynamites, had the opportunity to escort the DC United Players onto the Field this past Sunday. The United were playing the San Jose Earthquakes. It was a sizzling hot 3pm game with lots of fun, food, goals, and excitement.

The boys arrived at 1:30 to line-up and be escorted into the "tunnels." They were issued their very own DC United Uniforms (Shirts, Shorts, and even Socks). They were taken out to the Players' Field Entrance and had the opportunity to talk to the coaches, trainers, subs, and even spent some time with Ben Olsen.

As the players exited the locker room, Connor was matched up with Gonzalo Martinez, who later scored his 1st goal of the season in the 55th minute of the game. Martinez was certainly in the action of this game, after his goal, he also managed to get a yellow card---Connor was thrilled to have walked with a player who was central to the United's 3-1 Victory!

**Here are some of my favorite pictures, you can check out the rest (all 85 of them) on Flickr.

Getting Close

Today was just one of those days full of meetings, emails, and phone calls. I did end the day by playing catch football with the boys in the cul-de-sac. After a long day I think it is easier to relax by playing catch with the boys than it is to relax watching tv.

After rejecting one applicant to rent our home and so many people we have interviewed and shown through the house, we are getting close. We have a great family that has gone through the whole process and we should be signing the rental agreement. Keep your fingers crossed and the prayers coming.

For you die hard, devote bloggers...I will let you in on a secret...I conceded several days ago but tonight I officially told Sharon we can have #4. For those of you who know us well...you'll know what that means.

~David

Celtics and more

Just getting back from my trip to Boston. I had a long 2 days in conference meetings and discussion of text analytics. Three great recommendations/comments I heard from end users (customers) were:

1. Win big and win early...when winning big is not an option, still win early
2. Show - Don't tell
3. Don't follow the shiny object

I think the first one is self explanatory; the second one has to do with making people feel valued. How many times do you ask a hotel staff member where something is and they say something like, "down the hall up the first set of stairs and make a right". What would happen if they introduced themselves, asked you your name, and then walked you to the place you are looking for? This methodology and insight from Gaylord Hotels International is applicable in more than the service industry...it is a key nugget in life (more action and less words). The last comment about shiny objects was from Alessandro Zanasi of Italy who is a member of ESRIF. His point was know your mission, understand what capabilities/skills are required to meet your mission, and then identify what technology fits into that paradigm. To often people get off course and impressed by irrelevant items and forget what the mission is.I had two hours to get in a little sight seeing but this town is so rich with history, how can you get a taste in such a short time? I grabbed the nearest tour bus and did the whirl wind tour and take in everything from the Boston Massacre and Paul Revere's home to The Garden (Celtics) and the ever famous Cheers. I took tons of photos and tried to soak it all in but two hours just scratches the surface. Stories of the Boston Harbor and Old Ironside to all of the things going on academically (there are 67 colleges/universities in Boston) ...the most famous of course MIT and Harvard.

After the conference I found a local pub and cheered the Celtics onto victory along with several hundred other die hard fans. The food was good the atmosphere was incredible. With 4 minutes left they started singing "Na na na na...hey hey hey...good bye" with a minute left the high fives and noise level was amazing and when it was all over they started playing "We are the Champions" and the whole place joined in. It is one thing to watch the game on TV but to be around all of that energy was pretty wild.

Boston or Bust!

It was a little crazy getting out of DC this afternoon. Part of the problem could have been that I went to the wrong airport! That's right...I showed up at Dulles and realized my flight was out of Reagan National - ooops. Sharon is such a great wife, she drove me into the District and I was there 90 minutes early. The only problem was - NO PLANE! After waiting 5 hours I decided to jump on US Airway and get to Boston despite American Airline's missing plane (the plane wasn't missing...a bird flew into the exhaust and the delayed the flight). The fact is that flight never departed.

Leadership lesson - when the dream is big enough...the facts don't count! I could have gone back home and given up but I wasn't going to let the airline stand in my way and deny me the goal.

I arrived late into Boston and forgot what it is like to ride in a taxi between East Boston (Logan International Airport) and the city. Tunnels, tunnels, tunnels....got to get under that water to get there. Boston is such a great city and the spirits are high as the town is buzzing with NBA Finals excitement. After getting checked in, I headed over to the local steak house to grab some food and hang out with the locals to cheer on the Celtics!

There is nothing like hanging out with die hard, committed fans! I love that people get so excited and passionate (not much for the face or body painting) but despite the loss I think everyone was still in a really good mood since that means the Celtics come back here to Boston on Tuesday night for the big game.

Who are you cheering for?

~David

Father's Day Golf

For Father's Day I decided to take my Father to the Piedmont Golf Course. This PGA Tour course, is designed by Tom Fazio, while the fairways are open the rough will eat your ball in a heart beat and if you go much further than the rough...don't bother looking for that ball! The medium sized greens are straight forward but the only approach is straight on; otherwise you are dodging sand traps and water. It is a Par 72 course that plays 7,000 yards from the back tees. It's a workout when the temperature gets up there.

The course is windy! When we started it was pretty calm but I was told that most days the course is tough to play because there is almost always a constant cross breeze.


We started off great...all 3 of us hit straight down the fairway and landed dead center about 200 yards off the tee. From there on out the rest of the game went well but I won't share the details in order to allow for some story telling by those who swung the clubs. My brother Phillip joined us since he is now living in Northern Virginia and the three of us had a great time cruising around the course and hanging out on Father's Day.

It was a great morning and afternoon as we rounded the back nine and headed off to the front nine. As we approached the 3rd hole, I found out why they call this place "The windy course"...in a matter of minutes a storm blew in off the foot hills (you can't call them mountains once you have lived in the Pacific Northwest) and the temperature dropped from 90 to 70 (or at least it felt that way).



All and all a very enjoyable time, relaxing, and fun to play a challenging course . Thank goodness I brought a dozen extra golf balls...

~David