My daughter, My hero

Last night the Hoover Girls beat 2-time, undefeated State Champs Vestavia for the first timeEVER 10 to 7! Whoop! Whoop! The field was crappy from all the rain and the boys practicing on it and several practices had been cancelled because of the weather (and it was freezing cold last night! The temps dropped big time!) but these girls hung on and played tough. Our seniors and returning girls really stepped up and took control of the game. Vestavia never really got a jump on us and the game was close all night. I think the most they were ever up was by 1 and we would respond with a quick goal to tie things back up. KrissMiss had a sick dodge-roll last night that made her two defenders look downright silly. Bates was on the draw, Tori played awesome as always. Kami, THolmes, Shuffle and KMc all got it done! So, so proud!

And, as always in my world, lax was balanced with a little dance. Due to last Friday's storms, Bnettes try-out had to be re-scheduled for last night. So, afterschool T was on hand to help w/ try-outs, left the dance room to beat Vestavia and then went back to the dance room for the traditional new member party. The senior moms help decorate the room and set up the food after try-outs. In the past, the senior girls "kidnapped" the new girls and brought them back to the school for a party. There have been administrative changes and now girls aren't allowed to drive other girls around. So, this year they hand-delivered invitations to each girl letting her know she made the squad and what time the party starts.

I was still at the high school when T and the other seniors headed out to make their deliveries. Got the call that T had a flat tire on Stadium Trace so I ran up there and got the spare and the jack out of the trunk and called Coach. In the meantime, the band director saw T in her Bnettes outfit so he stopped and then one of Hoover's finest stopped. He got the car jacked up and Cosmo arrived in time to actually change the tire and finish up. It was waaaay tooo cold and waaay tooo late to have to deal with that.

My Daughter, My Hero

Last night the Hoover Girls beat 2-time, undefeated State Champs Vestavia for the first time EVER 10 to 7! Whoop! Whoop! The field was crappy from all the rain and the boys practicing on it and several practices had been cancelled because of the weather (and it was freezing cold last night! The temps dropped big time!) but these girls hung on and played tough. Our seniors and returning girls really stepped up and took control of the game. Vestavia never really got a jump on us and the game was close all night. I think the most they were ever up was by 1 and we would respond with a quick goal to tie things back up. KrissMiss had a sick dodge-roll last night that made her two defenders look downright silly. Bates was on the draw, Tori played awesome as always. Kami, THolmes, Shuffle and KMc all got it done! So, so proud!


And, as always in my world, lax was balanced with a little dance. Due to last Friday's storms, Bnettes try-out had to be re-scheduled for last night. So, afterschool T was on hand to help w/ try-outs, left the dance room to beat Vestavia and then went back to the dance room for the traditional new member party. The senior moms help decorate the room and set up the food after try-outs. In the past, the senior girls "kidnapped" the new girls and brought them back to the school for a party. There have been administrative changes and now girls aren't allowed to drive other girls around. So, this year they hand-delivered invitations to each girl letting her know she made the squad and what time the party starts.


I was still at the high school when T and the other seniors headed out to make their deliveries. Got the call that T had a flat tire on Stadium Trace so I ran up there and got the spare and the jack out of the trunk and called Coach. In the meantime, the band director saw T in her Bnettes outfit so he stopped and then one of Hoover's finest stopped. He got the car jacked up and Cosmo arrived in time to actually change the tire and finish up. It was waaaay tooo cold and waaay tooo late to have to deal with that.

March Madness

"Each leaf,
each blade of grass
vies for attention.
Even weeds
carry tiny blossoms
to astonish us."
- Marianne Poloskey, Sunday in Spring

So much gong on the next couple of weeks, it will be a miracle if I survive the month of March!

This week coming up is high school dance team try-outs. So glad that phase of our lives is over (except I now have to worry about Rebelettes)! T had a wonderful time being a Bnette but that try-out week is a killer! So stressful on the girls AND the parents! I think there are over 70 girls trying-out this year. Of course every parent wants their child to do well and make the squad and we certainly know how it felt not to make it one year. Damn near broke my heart to see T upset. But, she got back to the studio and worked her ass off to make the squad the following year and has truly enjoyed every bit of it . . . the grueling practice schedule, the dance competitions, the football games, the band competitions, basketball games, pep rally's. Everything. Very, very proud of my Bnette and can't wait to have her "sparkley" and boots framed in a shadowbox for a graduation gift.

Lax season is underway. Coach had games in Nash-Vegas this past weekend (lost Saturday night; won Sunday). T's season started Saturday with a HUGE win against Huntsville (T had 4 goals and by the end of the 2nd quarter the coaches took all our starters out; she spent the rest of the game in sweats and flip-flops) and vball is going great! Last week KJ's squad scrimmaged against the 13 year old team and her coach finally pulled her out after she scored 9 points. The 13 year old coach was mad and made her girls run laps because the younger squad was scoring on them. This weekend's tournament in Huntsville however was a little rough. The girls were all out of it and we did not play great.

Cosmo starts his new job today! Whoop! Whoop! So exciting! It was a tough decision and we had a lot of family meetings, a lot of soul searching and figuring out what's best for the 4 of us and not worry about any outside influences or distractions.

After her lax game this weekend, T will drive out to Oxford for a dance team clinic and is staying in one of the sorority houses with a friend. Just when I thought I didn't have to worry about dance team try-outs anymore, I now have to worry about her making the college squad. Sheesh. T's graduation announcements arrived in the mail the other day. Cosmo & I just kind of looked at each other and said, "This sh*t just got real."

So we've got another busy week of vball and lax on the calendar and 2 more vball tournaments before Spring Break, a trip to Chicago right before Spring Break, Spring Break itself (YES!!!) and then Rebelettes try-outs. March isn't even here yet and as far as I'm concerned, it's already over.

dance + dig deep (and delete)

Great weekend of dance and volleyball! We're were all over the place but somehow to manage to be there for both of our girls.

Saturday T had a dance competition at Spain Park HS. This is a HUGE state-wide event and Spain Park's basketball gym doesn't hold a lot so you have to get there pretty early to secure your seat. T & Tins competed in the solo division and both girls placed (T was 8th, Tins was 7th; last week it was opposite. T finished slightly ahead of Tins.). Very proud of both girls! Seven seniors on the Buccanettes and they were the only two to step up to the plate. T loves to set goals and push herself. She welcomes competition and isn't afraid to put herself out there (whether it's dance, lacrosse, a pageant, whatever.). Tins's dance was very elegant and graceful, T's was a bit more contemporary and energetic. The Bnettes totally rocked their hip-hop dance and their jazz routine was the best I had ever seen them perform it.

Meanwhile, Cosmo & KJ were headed to Montgomery for KJ's first volleyball tournament. Her team did great and finished 3rd overall. I left Spain Park and hauled ass to get down to Montgomery and although I missed her 2:30 PM games, I was still able to catch her 4:30 games and her 7:30 games Saturday night. Saturday night she was the clean-up server. We were behind by a bunch, they put her in and she finished off the game and we won! All the parents thanked her after the game because if we had lost, we would have played at 8 AM on Sunday instead of 9 AM. Sunday was single elimination. They played at 9 AM and 10 AM and as soon as they lost that last game we were able to leave. We went out to lunch afterward at Wintzell's with a couple of the other girls and their mom's. It was a very nice weekend because we also got to visit with some of our friends on other teams and we all watched each other's games and cheered the girls on.

We can't escape lacrosse however. In between games Saturday evening, we were in the lobby heading up to our room at the Renaissance when a guy in a tux runs over to Cosmo yelling "Coach! Hey Coach!" It was a Mt Brook parent there for a wedding. His son plays on BamaLax. Then, Saturday night we went to dinner at SaZa's and ran into one of Cosmo's mens lax teammates and his wife.

So last week I had decided I had had just about enough of the negative, obnoxious, judgemental, sanctimonious comments on Facebook and decided to delete my account. It was a hard decision to make because I love keeping in touch with friends and family (especially since we are so far away from our loved ones!). Holy Cow was my family mad at me! Last night Cosmo, T & KJ all told me how disappointed they were that I had deleted my account. When I explained further, they all agreed that I should just de-friend some people (which I think is just awkward and uncomfortable) and I should just totally and completely block others. My 12-year old actually looked at me and said, "Mom. When you deleted your account, you let those idiots win."

Still No Balls

Yep. Two Christmas trees are up in the house and neither of them have balls or any type of ornamentation. Both trees have lights on them, but nothing else. We had such a busy, busy weekend it just got put on the back burner. Hopefully tonight we can have a nice family meal and then decorate the tree.

Thursday I went to see T perform at halftime of one of the basketball games. I luv, luv, luv that Christmas routine and the new costumes looked GREAT! They had a busy week: Wednesday was the bonfire, Thursday morning they had a pep rally and danced at 2 basketball games and Friday was the state championship game at Bryant-Denney. T went out with the girls Friday after the game as is their post-game ritual. Saturday afternoon they also danced at a local pageant and Saturday night she spent the night at a friends.

Not really sure what to say about the State Championship game. It was a GREAT game and I hate the loss for the seniors. The coach had a tough call to make and, although it didn't work out the way we all wanted, it was the right call. We had a lot of fun sitting with friends, the weather was perfect and I was a little sad because it was T's last football game. The night before the game I told her to "just enjoy the moment, rock the sparkley and work those boots!" One of their very last positions during the half-time show is is one hand in the air holding a long ribbon and the other hand is on their heart. While they were performing I watched her close her eyes at this point and take a deep, soulfull breath. I knew she was savoring the moment and that gave me chills. I am just so incredibly proud of her and I know she's had a lot of fun as a Bnette. She cried a little after the game but said she cried not because they lost but because it was over.

Saturday Cosmo & his little shadow finished decorating the outside and put up the rest of the lights. I did some shopping, ran a few errands and took a little power nap before we headed out to the engagmenet party. KJ was originally planning to go to the party but got invited to a friend's house at the very last minute. T met us at the party and left early to go out with friends. Had a nice time at the party, the food was wonderful, M's house looked beautiful and G&H are a very sweet couple!

Sunday we drove up to Ross Bridge to get some Christmas card photos done and Cosmo joined us for a bit on his way to his lax lesson. It was such a gorgeous day out we decided not to rush home and ended up walking around downtown and taking some photos. Cosmo called after his lesson and we met him for a late lunch at Cucina Superior in Brookwood. T was operating on about 3 hours of sleep so she came home and took a little nap and then met with friends to discuss their Spring Break 2012 plans. By the time she got home, no one felt like decorating the tree. Hence, we have no balls.

Senior Night

Last night was Senior Night during the BJHS football game. Having a Thursday night game really threw off my whole week for some reason. I thought Wednesday was Thursday and Thursday was Friday. I was wishing away the weekend and it was a terrible feeling! :-)

Senior Night was nice, the band parents were a little disorganized but there were TONS of us on the field and we just weren't sure what was going on. The Freshman Dance Team hosted a pre-game dinner for the Bnettes yesterday and gave them very nice gifts. During the half-time presentation the parents (i.e., me & Cosmo) gave our Bnette a beautiful bouquet of roses and I had to pin a a Senior pin onto her silver sparkley jacket. #1, "They" (whoever "they" are) told us we didn't have a lot of time and I had to get the pin on my child BEFORE "they" took photos. #2 T was not expecting the pin and I kind of came at her and scared the crap out of her and jabbed her. #3, the silver sparkley is very heavy and there was no way that pin was getting on that silver sparkley.

I thought I was going to cry and be emotional but I was OK. It's not the end of T's Bnette career nor is it the end of Senior Year. It's only October. We still have basketball season to get through, probably one or two more pep rallies and then we hit competition season. I still have a lot of time to cry and fuss.

All Good Things Must Come to an End . . . .

Yet another Cos Family Fun Festival has come and gone. And what a good week it was! My goal this week was to cook as little as possible. I think I succeeded.

Monday the girls & I met up w/ some friends for a little M&M (Mexican & Margaritas). The mom's all met through our girls when they were in kindergarten and we've all managed to say close through senior year. The girls have all gone off in different directions with various sports and activities but they are still friendly. We've got a new little addition to our group, LR, and we passed her around like a sack of potatoes. What a cuddly, snuggly baby!

Tuesday Cosmo & I celebrated 19 years of wedded bliss with a romantic dinner at GianMarco's. OMG. I'm still stuffed. Great bottle of wine, delicious appetizer, great entrees and Tiramasu for dessert make for a very happy Mr. & Mrs! T picked KJ up from volleyball for us and the two of them went to a karaoke fund-raiser.

Wednesday was Cosmo's b-day and I made shrimp scampi for his b-day dinner. It was a funny, funny night. KJ was in rare form and had us laughing with some of her stories and antics.

Thursday was KJ's b-day and we all went to Cheesecake Factory to celebrate. The waitstaff sang to her and T swiped a big glob of whipped cream and smeared it all over KJ's face. She got her pretty good!

Friday was the Hoover vs. Vestavia game kicked off with a pep rally. The Bnettes did their annual Halloween dance. It's always so creepy. The kids love it but it's not my favorite. The school surprised a brave little boy and his family with a trip to Disney World from their homecoming fundraisers and there was not a dry eye in the place. It was very sweet.

Friday was the first time I had ever chaperoned the Bnettes to one of their away games and it was a lot of fun. I got to ride the bus w/ the girls (I could get used to that! Police escort to/from the stadium, no red lights, didn't have to pay admission to the game either!) and sat w/ them during the game. Those kids in the band work SO hard and have a wonderful, supportive group of parents. It truly takes a small army to get those kids where they need to be. Even though I don't have a kid playing an instrument, chaperones stay after the game in the band room and help organize uniforms, gloves, hats, chickens (the feathers that go on top of the hats), gauntlets, etc. I didn't even know what half this stuff was.

Saturday KJ had 3 vball games @ OLV (she had the 9 AM, the 10 AM and the 11 AM games). The played the other POP team and lost both matches miserably. They played OLV and actually won both of those matches (very exciting!) and then went on to win both games against another POP team (it was a nail biter!). After KJ's games I treated her to a spa day for her b-day. She had been bugging me to get her eyebrows waxed and we both got pedi's. She also got a mani. T had to volunteer at the band competition during the day and then performed on field in the evening. She went out with some friends afterward.

Sunday the girls & I walked in the Buddy Walk with some friends. We walked out to the car and both of the girls said, "That was really fun!" I'm glad we went and were able to support our friends and their beautiful little girl. The weather was incredible and they had a great crowd out at Regions Field.

We weren't wearing our official Buddy Walk t-shirts because my friend left them in our mailbox and I guess we hadn't checked the mail in several days. So, when we got home I checked the mailbox (and yes, the t-shirts were in there) and T also rec'd 2 college acceptance letters. Unfortunately, she was at lax practice and still doesn't know she rec'd the letters in the mail. She will be very surprised and excited when she gets home! Whoop! Whoop!

Hoover vs. Spain Park

What a great, wonderful lazy Saturday we've had so far! It was a busy, busy week and we're all just looking forward to the long weekend! Everyone slept in this morning and Cosmo made us waffles at the beginning of the Alabama vs. Kent State game. That was our pre-game tailgating brunch.
Yesterday I checked KJ out of school so she could attend the pep rally at the High School. Cosmo met us up there and the gym was positively rockin'! Great, great, great pep rally! The band sounded great, the cheerleaders did great and the Bnettes did great! The kids were really pumped! T could NOT wait to run out onto the gym floor with the rest of the seniors. She has been waiting for that for 4 years!

Very humid at the football game last night (and we all know I don't "do" humid). Had a lot of fun seeing some of our SP friends and I got to see my 3 favorite Dazzlers prior to the game. I don't know what it was, but I thought last night's game was one of the longest games I had ever been to. Last week's game had commercial breaks but for some reason I felt last night's game dragged on.

T is having SO much fun this year being a senior. We had our annual "family bed" time this morning and she said last night the Bnettes started a new tradition. As they left the dance room and loaded the bus, they formed 2 straight lines and each person took a turn dancing down the middle. I'm glad the girls are doing their own thing and really getting a long. By the end of the year they'll be sick of each other but that's to be expected. These girls are together 5 or 6 days a week.