It was a year of disappointments, a year of learning, a year of decisions "for sure"!

I started my senior year of high school with football practice in mid August with high hopes.  The football team had won the conference the fall of 1963 and we had several players back who I felt could make the season a success.  Being the captain I felt I had a lot of responsibility BUT there were signs that things may not pan out so great.  Mr. Hanson, the coach in the past, moved on and we had a new coach, Mr. Murray.  He was a new PE teacher and as the season wore on I came to believe he knew as much about football as I did about dance!!!  John Carlen, one of our best athletes and our quarterback, broke his arm early on and was out for the season.  Dan J, a big lineman got hurt and with all those things the season went south in a hurry.  We did have HUGE George H who needed to weigh himself on the grain elevator scale but it turned out that it was all he could do to get himself from the huddle to the line of scrimmage!  Football season was a disaster and I took it as part of it was my fault.  Then there was basketball.  Going into the last couple games of the season we were 11-8 but our schedule was difficult.  We played teams from Fargo Shanley, Wahpeton, Lisbon and others that were actually Class A and much larger.  We still more than held our own and in the conference were 9-1.  Big Dan got hurt and we went into the district tournament with hopes but with concerns.  We ended up losing our first game by 2 but taking 5th and a trophy!  Such was our sports for the year.  I did join track but Dad did not want me to stay after school so I trained by myself during a free period.  Track was ok but no state appearances in that.  Such was my senior year of sports.  I could go into my social life but will not go there today!  It was in sports that I begin to realize that often the good things in life are in the journey and not always in the end result.  I loved football more than school, more than basketball and pretty much more than anything.  With the season as a disaster I had to hang onto tiny things with the team and on the field in order to have any fun during the season.  Not sure I did a very good job but there was some success.

I find myself now at times thinking back to those days and realizing that they were really very good and a lot of fun.  I try not to think about the way some things went because of my weaknesses or shortcomings.  I find that IF I do that the good of the past fails to come through.  Another thing that I have come to believe from the past is one makes their own breaks.  If one fails it is because of personal reasons and not because of other factors.  If one is successful the same is true.  Now granted there are often outside forces that influence life BUT in the end one has to own up to who you are and why you are that way. The old saying of if life serves you lemons make lemonade is true in my book. I have a saying of my own.  If life throws you a curve ball straighten it out with a good swing!

THIS STORY IS A GOOD WAY TO CELEBRATE THE FIRST DAY OF SCHOOL!!!

So many things happen the first day of school.  September 5th, 2006 and it is the FIRST day of school.  Actually it is the first day of my last year of teaching.  AND the first day tells a lot to me.  The teacher whom I share a room with had sent an e-mail in early August to say she was having a get together with the incoming 7th graders at her house in August.  I sent her a reply and said that was a great idea and I would be there.  I said I could NOT come the week of the 14th as I would be at a Christian camp the entire week.  To NO surprise she had the gathering that week!  So went the year, like that!  The students wander into the room on Tuesday and of course gravitate towards her and talk about the party they had.  I sit at my desk and wonder if this is going to be an interesting year.  IT WAS!  Enough of the first day of my last year!!!

We had thunder bumpers and lighting BIG TIME last night.  I checked the rain gauge this morning and it showed .55" of rain.  Oh my our rainy summer goes on and on.  I just saw my first school bus go past, the school year is happening.  Of course the rain means the garden will continue to grow things we probably do not know what to do with.  It looks like a table out front with free veggies is soon in order.

I am going to start this morning to my count down to Naples.  Not that I can hardly wait but rather to make sure I get some thing done and I must start to get this body (less 10 pounds would be good-15 would be great and 20 would be a mountain top experience ) into some kind of tennis shape.  Of course one never gets in tennis shape until you get on the court but it helps if you do not have to move extra weight around all the time!

So it is finish the FP and get to doing some things.