We started the month by spending a lazy day at home before I went back to work on January 2. We went to Russellville to finally have Christmas with Byron’s family on the 4th. The kids were very excited about getting one more round of presents and, of course, seeing Nana, Pops, Danna, Lyle, Anna Brooke and Abby. We had a great time and look forward to our next visit (whenever that may be).
On the 7th, Alabama played Notre Dame for the BCS Championship in Miami. We didn’t make the trip but we all enjoyed watching the game on TV. Alabama came out on top, 42-14, to win their 15th National Championship – their 3rd in the past 4 years. We ordered our National Championship hats and shirts right after the game, too. Our family bleeds Crimson and White so this winning streak has been a lot of fun for us. Living in Tuscaloosa makes it even more fun since we get to go to a lot of the home games and see the celebrations first-hand. I keep telling the kids that they don’t realize how lucky they are. There are lots of kids (and adults) that would love to have the opportunities my kids have to go to these games and see what they see in person. One day they’ll realize this, but for now, we’ll just have our fun and enjoy making our memories.
The kids went back to school on the 8th and we started getting back in the swing of things, including basketball. Hunter had a game that night. He made his first 3-pointer of the season with Katelyn and the NRCA Jr. Cheerleaders cheering them on to victory. They played again on the 11th and Hunter got yet another 3-pointer. Both the JV and the Varsity teams won both of their games that week. The girls came up short in their games, but they played hard and kept the scores close. Since there are only 5 girls on the team, they have to play the entire game. I have to give them credit for playing as well as they do without any rest in these games. They have heart, that’s for sure.
On the 12th, I took the kids to watch the Alabama hockey team play again Auburn for the Iron Cup. We discovered hockey a couple of years ago and quickly fell in love with going to the games. Our friends, the Seale's were also there, so we sat with them and enjoyed watching Alabama beat Auburn yet again. They have played an Iron Cup series for 3 years now, and Alabama has won every year so far. Let’s hope that continues.
On the 14th, the JV and Varsity boys basketball teams again played Mountainview Christian in an away game. I didn’t make the trip since it wasn’t super close to home and Katelyn had her first basketball practice that night, but both teams came home with another victory under their belts. On the 15th, all 3 basketball teams played against one of our biggest rivals, Victory-Columbus, at home. Games against this team are tough in any sport, so we were very happy to see the JV and Varsity boys teams win. The girls unfortunately came up short but played hard as always.
On the 17th, we got a rare snowstorm. Well, not a “storm” per se, but it snowed enough to cover the ground and the kids got out of school early. We enjoyed watching the snow fall and even got to play in it a little bit before it melted away. I love snow. It’s not something I would want to deal with all the time, but I do love it on the rare occasions we see it here. Everything just seems a bit more peaceful when snow is falling.
Things were back to normal on the 18th, and we had basketball games against First Assembly at home that night. The JV and Varsity boys won again with the girls coming up short. Katelyn played in her first Jr. basketball game of the year on the 19th. Her team lost, but she played a great game. She even got fouled and shot a couple of free throws. She missed both shots, but she still played great. She’s just a little too short to hit the basket from too far away. She can dribble the ball better than most of the boys playing and I think she’ll be a pretty good basketball player if she keeps it up. The 19th also marked the one-year anniversary of my dad’s death. Some memories stay with you forever and this is one that will. I still remember vividly the day my mom died and that was 16 years ago. I expect this memory to remain as fresh as that one for the rest of my life. The day was a bit sad for me, so I decided to add a good memory as well. Byron and I went to Best Buy and bought both kids brand new flat screen TV’s for their rooms. Both of their TV’s quit working a few months back, and it was time to replace them. We also bought a new one for our room since they were on sale. I got big hugs from both kids when we got home and they saw their brand new TV’s. It was a nice way to add a little joy to an otherwise sad day.
Hunter had another away game on the 22nd. I had to miss this trip too. I wound up at the doctor’s office that morning with the sinus crap. I felt better before Katelyn’s basketball practice that night though. I’m glad I went to the doctor when I did and got some medicine before things got any worse. I just don’t have time to be sick. I’m happy to say that all 3 basketball teams won their games that night. That makes 3 wins for the girls so far this season and we are all very proud of all 3 teams.
On the 24th, I took the day off work and went to the circus with the NRCA kids. This was their reward trip for selling candy bars in their fall fund raiser. The group that went this year was a little smaller than last year’s group, but we had a great time. Our seats were in the lower level and we had a fantastic view of everything. I love the circus and it was nice getting to spend the day with the kids. We got back to the school just in time for Hunter to go to basketball practice. Katelyn and I went home for a little while before heading back to the school for my NRCA Beauty Walk Committee meeting and her basketball practice. Do you see why I don’t have time to be sick now? HAHA!
On the 25th, we headed over to Columbus, MS to play against our rivals, Victory-Columbus, again. The varsity boys were the only team to leave with a win that night. It was the JV team’s 3rd loss of the season and it was a tough one. The game went into overtime but our boys came up just short when the buzzer sounded. Katelyn’s team won their game on the 26th and she played a great game again. She had a few solid steals and even fouled one of the boys on the other team. I have so much fun watching the little ones play. They are so entertaining and always make me smile.
Hunter had his last “far away” away game on the 29th. The JV and Varsity boys won again and the girls suffered another loss. I hate missing his games, but it’s hard to make it to some of the away games due to work. I only missed 3 games all season (and they were all this month), though, so I think that’s pretty good considering how many games they’ve played. I should be able to make it to the rest of his games this season, so I’m happy about that. All 3 teams have had great seasons so far (including the girls if you consider how far they’ve come since last season), and I think they will all finish strong next month. There are only 4 regular season games left and then the state tournaments. Katelyn only has 2 more games left in Jr. basketball, so we will be finished with that sport in February. I guess we’ll have to find some other ways to stay busy after that, and I’m sure we will.
Not a bad way to start 2013. Chapter 1 is now in the books. On to Chapter 2 and more memories. I hope your 365-page book is starting out as good as mine and I hope all of our books have happy endings this year.
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