We were recently contacted by a recruiter from an organization that promotes strong athletes with high character and academics to colleges for scholarship opportunities - The National Scouting Report. We were, of course, honored first because your child has to be invited and second, because it was a coach from a rival team that nominated them for membership. Anyway this organization promotes your child's strengths and accomplishments much like an agent would - sending out a resume, pictures, honors, awards, video of games played, setting up a personal website for coaches and universities to visit and make inquiries, etc. They even fill out college questionnaires and applications for you! Well as you can imagine all this comes with a price so at the end of the pitch he shows us two contracts - the 'Gold' and the 'Elite'. "The Gold package price is $1995 (saying the number as in 19.95) and the Elite package is $2495 (again as in 24.95)". He naturally excuses himself at this point in the presentation, I assume so that the parents may breathe again, he in an attempt to relieve himself - OF GUILT!! It is in this brief moment of complete silence, as I am staring at the contract in hand but not actually looking at it, that my oldest son, Zach, turns to me and says, "Wow, $25 bucks, we can do that!" Gotta love it!
Ohhh, but if you buy one the second one is half price!
Friday, August 29, 2008
Thursday, August 28, 2008
Yes, I Am One of Those Parents!
Well, if you've noticed my ticker at the bottom of my blog it now reads 0 days until Dexter vs. Texico - the season opener football game for the Dexter Demons. I always find it weird to tell people my boys play for the 'Demons' when we are Pastors! LOL! Or try yelling 'Go Demons, Go! It always makes me giggle. Years ago I can remember sitting in the stands at Little League Football games and looking at parents screaming in the stands thinking "they really need to chill out and get a life." And it occurred to me as today was approaching that I have become one of them! One of THOSE parents! The one you can hear yelling their child's name in the stands from the field. The one wildly waving blue plastic pom-poms or foam fingers in the air. The one wearing the blue shirt with her kid's names and jersey numbers on the sleeves. One of the many women poking her husband in the arm asking for the hundredth time "What happened? What was that call? Why did they do that? What does that mean?" And of course I am one of those parents who KNOW exactly what the coach should do because after all, MY CHILD could do that better! I have never felt such emotion and excitement and nervousness and pride all at the same time and it's awesome! But it will bring tears to my eyes, this first game of the 2008-2009 season. It always does. And as much as I have complained over the years about football, I have fallen in love with the sport...the sport of watching my boys!
Friday, August 15, 2008
It Is Just Wrong - That's What It Is!
I'm not sure I was seeing correctly, but I believe that while I was in the grocery store for yet another trip this week (my two older boys started two-a-days in football becoming walking, talking worm holes in the space time continuum of my kitchen), I actually saw the candy aisle prepared for Halloween! Bags and bags of 'fun size' treats lined up in perfect rows and columns. Believe me there is nothing 'fun' about the size they induce the week after this evil holiday, appropriately described if only for the treats we eagerly rescue our children from-for their own good, of course. But I digress and I'll save the value-sized dieting issues for another posting, or two, or three.....
What never ceases to amaze me is the arrival of seasonal merchandise so much earlier than one can even conceivably think about preparing for the actual intended event itself. I mean really, can you possibly get your teenagers to shop for long-sleeved shirts and jeans during the second week of August when the temperature outside is only a mere 104 degrees? But of course, in New Mexico we call that a 'dry heat', LOL! And while in Hobby Lobby in JULY!!! perusing the clearance VBS supplies, I could not believe I actually passed aisles and aisles of Christmas decorations! (And yes, I really do still have my Christmas tree up!)
But this next one only added to my Mom angst as I prepare to watch my oldest son, Zach, leave the fine nest I have so lovingly, if not in retrospect a little too comfortably, feathered for him. He came home on the first day of school and handed me a large envelope. Thinking this was the obligatory packet of carpel tunnel-inducing informational forms, which have to be reproduced in triplicate in my case, I started to toss them to the side. That is, until I saw the printed side of the envelope upon which was printed in bright blue gigantic font these words: Graduation 2009 "It Is...What It Is!" (this is apparently their 2009 motto?) For Seniors Only: Important Graduation Information For Seniors and Parents.
OMG! No Way! It couldn't be, could it? Already? You have got to be kidding me! It cost how much? (They were kind enough to print package prices on the outside of the express order envelope - how much more express can they get? I'm pretty sure he's not going to qualify for early graduation. At this point in the first week of school, getting him out of bed 30 minutes before he has to leave is cause for celebration!) Those were only some of the phrases I voiced out loud....I think? Announcements and inserts and labels to buy! Caps and gowns, and tassels, OH MY!
So apparently we must make the first of many decisions that will be new beginnings for my not so little bird. Will it be Deluxe Grad Pack #1, Supreme Grad Pack #2, or Basic Grad Pack #3? I must go now, I have an announcement list to make... and yours may just come with a Christmas card!
P.S. And just in case I wasn't quite prepared for the reality of this one event alone, I was also lucky enough to get the packet to order my middle son, Daniel's, class ring on this same momentous day!
What never ceases to amaze me is the arrival of seasonal merchandise so much earlier than one can even conceivably think about preparing for the actual intended event itself. I mean really, can you possibly get your teenagers to shop for long-sleeved shirts and jeans during the second week of August when the temperature outside is only a mere 104 degrees? But of course, in New Mexico we call that a 'dry heat', LOL! And while in Hobby Lobby in JULY!!! perusing the clearance VBS supplies, I could not believe I actually passed aisles and aisles of Christmas decorations! (And yes, I really do still have my Christmas tree up!)
But this next one only added to my Mom angst as I prepare to watch my oldest son, Zach, leave the fine nest I have so lovingly, if not in retrospect a little too comfortably, feathered for him. He came home on the first day of school and handed me a large envelope. Thinking this was the obligatory packet of carpel tunnel-inducing informational forms, which have to be reproduced in triplicate in my case, I started to toss them to the side. That is, until I saw the printed side of the envelope upon which was printed in bright blue gigantic font these words: Graduation 2009 "It Is...What It Is!" (this is apparently their 2009 motto?) For Seniors Only: Important Graduation Information For Seniors and Parents.
OMG! No Way! It couldn't be, could it? Already? You have got to be kidding me! It cost how much? (They were kind enough to print package prices on the outside of the express order envelope - how much more express can they get? I'm pretty sure he's not going to qualify for early graduation. At this point in the first week of school, getting him out of bed 30 minutes before he has to leave is cause for celebration!) Those were only some of the phrases I voiced out loud....I think? Announcements and inserts and labels to buy! Caps and gowns, and tassels, OH MY!
So apparently we must make the first of many decisions that will be new beginnings for my not so little bird. Will it be Deluxe Grad Pack #1, Supreme Grad Pack #2, or Basic Grad Pack #3? I must go now, I have an announcement list to make... and yours may just come with a Christmas card!
P.S. And just in case I wasn't quite prepared for the reality of this one event alone, I was also lucky enough to get the packet to order my middle son, Daniel's, class ring on this same momentous day!
Monday, August 11, 2008
Before You Know It!
I can remember when those well meaning older women God lovingly placed in my life would tell me to "enjoy those boys now because before you know it they will be grown and gone." I would, of course, smile all the while wondering exactly how many days constituted that period of time referred to as 'before you know it'? Certainly more than I could visualize with any hope of light at the end of the tunnel unless that tunnel was actually a mythical, magical transporter that could transform three diaper-clad toddler boys into well-aiming, potty-trained (maybe even vegetable eating?) young men 'before I knew it'!
But alas, I too must admit our elders were right...'before I knew it' is here! It is heard in the voice of my youngest as he asks for a haircut the night before his first day of school - his first day of high school! It is palpable in the anguish a sixteen year old boy feels when his first love decides she needs a break and breaks his heart instead (whatever happened to mommy being his girlfriend?). And I see it written on the face of my firstborn son as he gets up at 5:00 AM this morning for his last year of football two-a-days. Excitement shines brightly from his eyes, still as big and wondrous as when he took his first step. And yet, 'before I knew it' has cast ever so slight a shadow of sadness over his countenance as he walks out the door, keys in one hand and cleats in the other.
His last year of high school? How could that be possible? How will it be possible to remember all the firsts and watch all the lasts?......And someone please tell me, am I totally insane to long for those days of diapers again?
But alas, I too must admit our elders were right...'before I knew it' is here! It is heard in the voice of my youngest as he asks for a haircut the night before his first day of school - his first day of high school! It is palpable in the anguish a sixteen year old boy feels when his first love decides she needs a break and breaks his heart instead (whatever happened to mommy being his girlfriend?). And I see it written on the face of my firstborn son as he gets up at 5:00 AM this morning for his last year of football two-a-days. Excitement shines brightly from his eyes, still as big and wondrous as when he took his first step. And yet, 'before I knew it' has cast ever so slight a shadow of sadness over his countenance as he walks out the door, keys in one hand and cleats in the other.
His last year of high school? How could that be possible? How will it be possible to remember all the firsts and watch all the lasts?......And someone please tell me, am I totally insane to long for those days of diapers again?
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