Photos from the school year...

I have not posted in FOREVER!  I love sharing pictures and am going to share a few today.  Happy Sunday everyone!

At a movie in the park.  Milwaukee skyline at dusk!

We got a dog this year!  PeeWee and DH took her for a car ride in this picture, I think!

FIRST DAY OF SCHOOL 2017-18.  Junior, Freshman and 5th grade!

Took in a few soccer games...

On the 50 mile bike ride with Boy Scouts

A fan at one of the Cross Country meets!

Our dog, Lanie.  Rescued in March or April?

Boy Scout Court of Honor

PeeWee always doing gymnastics.

Off N Running,

Annmarie

Soccer Season is over

 I love this photo of my Buddy.  It was one of his first High School photos and the one were I looked twice to see if that was really my boy!  He has grown up so much in the last year.

He decided to go out for the soccer team this fall.  He spent time over the summer at Captain's practices to get ready.  Our school doesn't have enough boys interested in the sport to field two full teams, so many of the boys play on the Varsity as second string.

After "Hell Week", Not sure why they call it that, as they only practiced once a day for 2 maybe 3 hours.  The swim team meets twice a day for 2 weeks, but I am not the coach and I am not a player, so it is what it is.  Anyway, after the first week of practice, Buddy was in the top 10 for the fitness testing.  This meant he was going to get to play more on the Varsity team.  Or that is what I understood, anyway. LOL!

He did start all Junior Varsity games, when they had a team to play.  One day, I worked my schedule out so that I would come to the JV soccer game and see him play.  The other team wasn't there and when coach called them, he was told they forgot they had a game.  REALLY?!?!  How do you forget you have a game?  What a lame excuse.  The next week, there was another JV game on the schedule.  I was torn, do I go to the Cross Country meet to watch SwimChick or do I go to the soccer game to see Buddy play?!?!  He told me to go to Cross Country, because I am bad luck.  When I come to soccer games he doesn't play.

We did go to the first game of the regionals.  He did get to play part of the first half and we cheered loudly for the team.  They won that game.  I missed the second game of the Regional play offs because of cross country.  The team lost that game.

Great job, Buddy!  Now to gear up for baseball?!?!

Off n Running,
AnnMarie

I'm baaack!

The starting line at Division 2 Sectional 8, WIAA Girls Cross Country

Here we are, October 25, 2017.  I have been thinking about this blog for what seems like a million years!  I am failing on this New Year goal, of blogging more.  I cannot believe how quickly this past year has gone.  I need to update everyone on myself, but I am going to brag about my kids in this post!  😜

This year, I have two high school students!  SwimChick is a Junior this year.  She decided to go out for Cross Country AND Swimming this fall.  We have had an average of two swim meets and one cross country meet a week since Labor Day.  ChessMaster, who needs a new name on my blog, is a freshman and went out for soccer.  I will post about him on another day.  

Today, I am going to write about my daughters great Cross Country season.  I pray she doesn't end the season and say, "I wish I would have..." because this has been an amazing season.  First let me tell you, that to do two sports in one season you must get the permission of the Athletic Director and both team coaches.  SwimChick has wanted to do both since being a freshman.  I was not too sure how her grades would go, and her swim coach that year would not allow it.  So, she swam.  She did well for a freshman.  She swam Varsity, to the annoyance of the upper class-men.  She swam well enough to go to the State meet as an alternate on a relay (or was it two, I don't remember and she didn't swim at the meet.)  Her sophomore year, she had a couple of hard classes and a new swim coach.  We had tossed around the idea of just running CC and not swimming, but she loves the water too much.  So, she only swam.  It was another good season, that ended at State as an alternate again.  

So, here we are Fall of 2017.  Sometime in the summer, we were told we had a new swim coach.  AND a new Athletic Director.  SwimChick and I drafted some emails to both and they said, "let's do it!"  DO WHAT?  Well, SwimChick had decided to run Cross Country AND swim.  All the coaches were on board and so was the AD, and on August 8, 2017 she started swim practice.  We really love the new young lady swim coach.  She is fun, as long as you don't cross her or break any rules.  The CC coach is really laid back and understands that swimming is SwimChicks first sport/love.  A week or so, after swimming started, CC started.  The rag tag group consisted of my girl and a freshman girl, and two boys, who are also on the boys soccer team.  

The first meet, coach put SwimChick in the JV race, so she could test out the grass and get a time.  She finished in 4th place!  She wore her regular old running shoes over the 5000m course in a time of 23:34.9.  The next week, we went to the shoe store and bought her a pair of racing spikes!  She was so excited.  The next race, she ran a 21:32.5 in the Varsity race.  Her fastest time of the season occurred at the Conference meet on October 16.  She traversed the 5000meter course in a time of 20:49.9 and placed 14 in the Conference.  Woo Hoo!!!

Saturday October 21, 2017 was the WIAA Division 2 Sectional race.  My rock star ran the course in 21:06.5 for an overall finish of 10th place!  There are two ways you can move on to the State competition, first is by being on a team that finishes first or second.  OR you be one of the top 5 individuals, not on one of the top 2 teams.  SO, my girl finished 4th individually, sending her onto the State meet this weekend.  

We are so proud of her.  She will be running at the State Meet, representing her school.   We are still waiting to find out the last time someone did this for her school!  

Go Get Em Girl!!!!