Chrysalis (n) a protected stage of development

The Vikings dominated for 3.5 quarters, but the during the 4th quarter, everything fell apart. We made a few mistakes and the referees chose to spend most of their time watching us and calling penalties. It was very sad to have so much interference on their part and have it be so focused on the Vikings. Nine major penalties on us in the 4th quarter….three on them the entire game. We all just wished that the referees had been a bit more impartial and let the boys play football. The Cyclones ended up taking home the title by taking advantage of a few Vikings mistakes and a LOT of bad penalty calls. Oh well, such is life. Our boys should be proud though…they have made it to the championships 4 years in a row, ending 2004 & 2006 as State Champs; 2005 & 2007 as 1st runner-up. Not too shabby, if I do say so myself!

I shed a few tears at the game thinking about how much I will miss watching Slim play. He loved it and it showed. He had so many tackles in the first half of Saturday’s game that many joked with him saying, “I thought you were a one-man team for awhile!” I think this “last game” is just the first of many “lasts” this year….and it really brought home to my heart how much I will miss this one when he leaves home for college next year. He is always ready with a witty, insightful comeback that keeps me on my toes. We have such fun with these little debates. Yes, I will miss him very much.

Thank you Lord for protecting all of the players and travelers on Saturday…and thank you for Slim!

I have sorely neglected my blog for an entire year now. Though I have had many good intentions of starting things up again, good intentions don’t get you very far if they aren’t acted on! Last spring, I had the idea of showing everyone a “year of ranch life” by taking pictures of the different seasons throughout the year and posting them here for interested surfers. Anyone interested?

It seemed quite appropriate to start up my blogging again this week because my last post, one year ago, was about the Vikings football team heading to the State Championship game…and this Saturday, we are going again!! What a run it has been for this year’s senior class, making all 4 years of their high school careers to the 1A State Championships. And here I am….still leaving you hanging about the results of last year’s game. We WON! What an exciting game it was, too! We were behind most of the game, held the Cokeville Panthers from scoring on their own 4 or 5 yard line for the longest time…and then in the last seconds of the game, scored a safety – 2pts – to win 14 to 12.

Last Saturday, we headed off across the state to once again meet up with the Cokeville Panthers, however this time it was 2nd round play-offs and the ticket to the championship game. We won 24-14…and as many said, “Last year we won, this year we beat them!”

Saturday, we will face a rival school from a neighboring county. It is sure to draw a crowd since the game is being held so close to both towns. In past years, we have beat this team many times but this year in week 2 of the regular season they beat us. Our offense was new and still working out their plays…and they outweigh us by a huge margin. We have one player on the entire team who weighs in a bit over 200lbs, while their entire line weighs between 230 and 280!

But the Vikings have spirit and work together as a team better than most. I think they can do it! We are excited for the game but it is a bit bittersweet since it will be the last game ever for our son, Slim. He is the one who took us down this road when just before his freshman year he came to me and said he wanted to play football. As I told him after the big win last weekend while we were all out on the field celebrating….”I love you, son. And thanks for asking to play football 4 years ago because I have had an absolutely wonderful time watching you!”

Go Vikings!!   Win this one and you will have 3 championship titles in 4 years!

Lord, may we bring glory to you and not ourselves in our endeavors and may all those participating and traveling to the game this weekend be under your protection.

Hope is crucial today when there is so much suffering and devastation. It can be easy to fall into despair when it seems our world is crumbling around us, but we must remember what I heard Fr. John Corapi say the other night on EWTN as he was holding up a Bible…”We have read the last chapter. We know the ending. God will prevail!”

Today I was visiting a few blog sites and found this link Four Candles on the The Woodland Word . Thanks Tracy (or should I say, Tracy’s mom). It touched me and I pray it touches you, too.

Lord, infuse us with hope so that we might also be sources of peace, faith and love to the world.

Two years ago we experienced a new dimension in our homeschooling. After 12 years of keeping our contact with the local public school to a minimum, our second oldest son, Slim, announced that he would like to play football. I was rather surprised since he had never shown any interest in football, or any sport for that matter, other than the “sport” of cowboying!

Although I had a few misgivings about adding daily practices and weekly games into our already rather chaotic life, as well as concern over how our son(s) would be influenced by the kids in town, I agreed to look into it. Since our son(s) are all 6′ or better and stout, the local school was thrilled to have them on the team and after jumping through the Wyoming Highschool Athletic Assoc. hoops (and paying the $100 activity fee they require), our boys were welcomed with open arms.

Yes, it has been somewhat disruptive to our lifestyle to have the boys making the trip to town every day at 3pm and having games every Monday (JV) and Friday (V), but I wouldn’t have missed it for the world! I had no idea how much fun it would be to watch my own children participate in organized sports. I was an avid athlete when I was younger and have a rather competitive spirit…which they don’t seem to have inherited…nonetheless, they love playing and I love watching!!

This year Bubba started playing, too, so now it is double the fun! The sad part is that the JV season is already over. They had a winning season with a great win over the neighboring rival town for their last game on Monday, but for me, it was bittersweet because I don’t want it to be over yet. It is one of those funny things – you don’t look forward to it starting in August, then you wish it would last longer once it has begun.

There are still several Varsity games left and it looks like they will be going to playoffs again this year. Slim will be starting on Varsity for the first time ever this Friday night and we are proud of him for having acheived this level of ability. Two years ago when he started playing, he had never even watched a football game!

And my fears about the influence of the public school kids was unwarranted. Instead of infecting the boys with worldly ways, they are more committed to their faith and family than ever before. It has also truly cemented their commitment to chastity and courtship as they have seen their peers trade and swap each other like chattel. They have seen that these kids seem to fear being alone and are almost desperate to couple up. There have been a few times when they felt somewhat left out because they were “different”, but it has passed quickly and honestly given them confidence in the long run to just be themselves – who God made them.

Has it been worth it? You bet!

Thank you Lord for these strong, athletic boys to love and teach and enjoy! Protect them from injury and draw them ever closer to You!

I found a website today through a google search that gives a basic tutorial on how to write html   I practiced a bit on the tutorial and then I used what I had learned to write my “Saints of this Week” on the sidebar!!!   It isn’t fancy,but I DID IT!!   What fun!!

Oh no….this could be addicting!!

btw, I even put a link to the tutorial I found at the bottom of the sidebar in case anyone else needs help.

I know I have had my fair share of them over the years of homeschooling, so you think I would be getting used to them by now.   You know, those days when you just feel like your wheels are spinning and you are getting nowhere fast…or at all!!

I can’t really put my finger on what happened today to make it feel like one of those days; it just did.

Maybe it was Dad still recovering from a week + of being sick with what we suspect is West Nile Virus.   Or maybe it was Slim who got hurt in the football game Monday, has a head cold on top of the injuries and walked around the house all day in a daze.  Well, he did get his Alg 2 lesson done, but then he LOVES math!

Maybe it was Bubba who got hurt at football practice yesterday and then took lots of extra time doing chores this morning….I think he and his dog got lost between the house and the barn.

Maybe it was Anne with an “e” and Squeaker who decided to build a tower with the MUS blocks rather than do their math lessons.   And then of course, no one could knock it over until every person in the household had gazed upon it and multiple pictures were taken to presevere forever it’s beauty and grandeur.

Or maybe it was me who got a little side-tracked a time or two today trying to figure out what was wrong with the computer, why Amazon won’t open and how to figure out more about this blog site.

And it just felt like we were finally going to get something done when “Bong, bong, bong”, the clock struck three and like the 3 Blind Mice, the teen boys scurried out the door for football practice, Anne with an “e” and Squeaker needed a ride to the highway (15 miles rt) to connect with a friend and go to a party and then I, after returning from taking them, had to run around like a nut so I could go teach a safe environment class at our parish (another 20 mile rt).

Ok, I know I mixed my nursery rhymes together.  It was Hickory Dickory Dock where the clock strikes, but the picture of 3 Blind Mice just seemed more appropriate.  

Tonight, as we gathered back together and each shared about his/her afternoon and evening out, the frazzled day melted away amidst the laughter, smiles and camaraderie.  I realized that it’s relationships, love and eternity that really matter.   The 3 R’s can be tackled tomorrow.

Lord, may I see the blessings in each and every day!