Yeah, I'm Gonna Play Volleyball All Day

                                      

It's currently 6:30AM on a SATURDAY.  Which means one of two things... I've finally reached that point in my life where it's completely normal to wake up before dawn on a weekend OR I've volunteered for something that's requiring me to wake up WAY too early on a Saturday.

And hopefully, you already know that it's choice B.

I don't think I'll ever reach that time in my life where it will EVER be completely normal to wake up before dawn on a weekend.

Once again, I've volunteered to be a part of something that's going on at school.  Well, not really AT school, but with other faculty from school.  I, along with six other faculty members, all volunteered to create a volleyball team in order to play in a county tournament that's being played for some kind of fundraising thing.  

I have absolutely NO idea what the money is being raised for, I just volunteered because I thought it would be a lot of fun.  Which is just what I do.  I have this weird addiction to volunteering...is there a support group for that?  I may need one.

Every time I see an email from my boss or a staff member with the subject line:  Volunteers Needed, I've replied and accepted before even reading what the volunteering is for.  I swear, one day I'm going to end up finding myself strapped to a chair allowing stuff like spiders and cockroaches being poured all over me... because I volunteered to do it, and didn't bother to find out what I'm volunteering for.

Anywho, I did know what I was volunteering for when it came to this endeavor.  I thought it would be fun.  A way to spend a Saturday moving, doing something physically demanding, and having a lot of fun in the process.  

I've spent the past two years watching Peanut play volleyball, and I think it's great that today she gets to watch me.  And when I say great, I really mean hilariously embarrassing for her, and probably extremely annoying watching me do everything I'm not supposed to do.

I'm not a volleyball player.  I've played a little before, back when I was in school, but nothing like what Peanut does or what my other team mates did when they were in school.  I can watch a volleyball game, know what the rules of the game are, understand what's supposed to happen... but actually do it?  Well, I guess we'll see.

Yesterday, after school, we had a practice.  We practiced serving and receiving and setting and spiking. All terms I'm perfectly familiar with, it's just DOING them I struggle a little with.

And, after an hour practice, I walked away with this little doozy...

                 

Oh yeah, a nice, purple and red and swollen thumb.  Nice, right?  I'm proud of it.  It's been far too long since I've had any form of injury that resulted from playing a sport.  Thankfully, this morning the swelling has gone down and it just looks like a normal bruise.  

Driving home, it was great to be able to discuss my practice with Peanut.  She and I both agree that doing this is good for me and her.  I will finally get to understand what it feels like to be out on that court and hear people hollering and yelling about what we should be doing.  I was a bad offender of that when she was playing.  I'd be yelling for them to communicate or watch the middle or get their arms ready...and I'd hear the long groans escape from my mouth when those things weren't done.  Today, I'll be able to understand how hard it really is to do those things, and hear her yelling at me about what I should and shouldn't be doing.

Our first game starts at 9AM this morning.  The last game starts at 3:15PM.  That's a long day of volleyball.  Depending on how we do, we have the potential of playing 7 games.  We have to make it in to the top 4 teams for that to happen, though.  I don't think they are playing to place all 8 teams that are involved in the tournament.  But, that's a possibility, so we may all end up playing 6 or 7 games.

If I'm able to move at this time, tomorrow, it will be a huge miracle.  

I think there's a huge possibility that I'll be spending my time hobbling around with ice packs tomorrow.

But, it's all in good fun, and I'm excited about it.  And, I better go wake up Peanut and Butter.  They are coming along to watch all the fun, today.

Have a great Saturday, everyone!

Never Too Early to Think About College

This picture was taken from my seat, last night, from the University of Arkansas volleyball game.

Peanut and I, along with her entire volleyball team, went to watch a college volleyball game so that the girls could get a glimpse of what their future could be like if they chose to continue their volleyball careers.

I enjoyed it, because I got to tell all of the girls that this was the college I graduated from, and even though I went to a satellite school, I am loyal to my Lady Razorbacks.

In the past couple of years, I've been to many volleyball games.  All at the junior high level, except one high school game Peanut and I went to watch.  And I can say that, without a doubt, college ball is NOTHING like volleyball at the junior high or high school levels.  The entire evening was a full show, complete with music, cheerleaders, contests, a half time, and announcers. 

College ball is played with four sets instead of two.  There's a half time in between two of the sets.  Instead of getting quiet when the opposing team served, there was loud banter and yells from the band and spectators.  The players dive and slide and hit harder than I've ever seen before in my life.

And the whole time I was thinking to myself, THIS is what these girls need.  To get excited about what their future held, to start thinking about their plans of attending college, regardless of whether or not they know what they want to be "when they grow up", it's never too early to start thinking about it.

I know some parents want their children to attend the best colleges and universities.  And, while I'd love for my child to want to attend somewhere like Harvard or Princeton...I have absolutely NO problem with any of my children wanting to attend a state school - like the University of Arkansas.  It's where I went, and I turned out OK.

I didn't get to have the traditional college experience.  Meaning going off to college, living in a dorm, being a part of sports, clubs, organizations, etc.  When I went to college, I already had a family and had to schedule my classes to fit around working and taking care of them.  I lived in a house, drove to school every day, and did what I could to get my school work done.

If my kids choose to go to college, I would love for it to be the "real deal" for them.  For them to really take in everything going to college has to offer.  Because I truly believe that those kinds of experiences help mold and shape the kids for their future.  

Anywho, this post isn't about me or my kids going to college, it's about last night's volleyball game.

The entire game was full of action, edge of the seat excitement.  I expected long, drawn out volleying back and forth between the teams.  Instead, points were given fast.  Super fast.  A team would serve, the opposing team would SMASH it back, point scored.  Or, the other team would make a dive for the ball, recover it, and then smash it back to the serving team for a point.  Even though the game lasted two hours, it felt like it went by in no time.

During the game, Big Red (the Arkansas mascot) came over to visit with the girls.  We all took turns having our pictures made...

                          

The poor guy inside that costume could barely hold his razorback head up.  And yes, I am wearing my Arkansas shirt.  I bought Peanut a Razorback shirt while we were there, so she can now sport a Razorback shirt with pride.

All in all, it was a great night of fun.  It didn't matter that I was exhausted or how long the week had been.  It was awesome that Peanut and I got to spend some quality time together doing something she really enjoys.  

We made it home around 11PM last night, and I went straight to bed.  I had already decided that I'd get up today and go to work for a few hours in my classroom.  I didn't realize that I wouldn't wake up until 11:30 this morning.  But, I'm not in the least bit surprised.  I needed to catch up on some sleep, that's for sure.

Now, it's time for me to go jump in the shower and head out for some time in my classroom.  I have to say I'm actually looking forward to it.  I've got STACKS of grading waiting for me when I get there, and I also plan on getting some projects up and running that have been waiting for their chance to shine.  

I have no idea how long I'll be there, but it'll be nice to be there alone, with nothing but my music to keep me company.

OK, I really need to get to getting..

Have a great Saturday, everyone!!

Quickest Weekend Ever!

I can NOT believe it's Sunday already.  This weekend has flown by in the blink of an eye, and I have nothing productive to show for it.

Which would be fine, except the fact that I have a bag FULL of work to do...and only a few hours to do it.

I've spent the last couple of days talking about Peanut's heartbreak.  But, so much has been going on right along side that.  

Friday, the kids got to stay home while I attended a Writer's Workshop workshop...more about that later.

Yesterday, Peanut had a volleyball tournament.  And that's my topic for today.  Still about Peanut, but something a little more positive and fun.

We had to be there at 7:30AM, meaning leaving our house around 6:30AM, and the going in expectation was that we'd be out of there around noon.  

Going in expectation was wrong.  WAY wrong.

The tournament got underway at 8:30AM.  There were eight teams competing, and they were broken up in to two leagues.  Each league competed and then the winners from each league would play each other dependent on their final ranking.  So, the first place team from our league would play the first place team from the second league and so on.

Peanut's team played first, and the games were super exciting.  They won their first game, lost their second.  So, they finished the set with a win and a loss.  

They got a break for a set, while two other teams competed.  

Then, they were right back out on the court.  They won both games in that set.  So, their standings moved up to three wins, one loss.

Then, they had another break.  And then another set.

Unfortunately, they lost both games in that set.  Putting them on the chart with three wins and three losses.  

The team that beat them in both games hadn't lost a single game.  So that team was going to be competing for the championship against the first place team from the other league.  But, it came down to the last set of the regular games to determine who would be competing for second place.  Peanut's team ended up tying with the team that won the last set, so they looked at points.  Unfortunately, Peanut's team didn't have enough points... so the other team got the chance for the 2nd place championship game.  Which meant, Peanut's team had to compete for the last time for 3rd place.

By the time the championship games got underway, the girls were exhausted.  They'd played three games with only a few minutes break in between.  Their legs were sore, their arms were sore, and they were ready for the day to be over.

And I truly believe it was because of how tired they were which caused them to lose their championship match.  

By the time we walked out of the school, it was 2:30PM.  They had been playing ball for five hours.  No wonder they were exhausted!

One thing I was happy about was the fact that Peanut got to spend several hours NOT thinking about her break-up.  She was so nervous about people asking her questions and in turn making her get all upset explaining it.  That didn't happen.  She was able to stay focused and let the games let out some of her aggression.

Before heading home, Peanut and I decided to stop for a quick bite to eat, make a run to the grocery store, and then head on home... to sleep.  And we did.  Both of us slept for a good couple of hours once we got here.

By the time we woke up it was 6:30PM and dinner was ready...and I didn't feel like doing much of anything for the rest of the evening.  

Today, I have to go grocery shopping, do my laundry, AND get all of my plans and grading done.  It's going to be a busy, busy day.  So much for getting some rest on the weekends!

Which is why this post is so quick and to the point.  I don't really have any time to really sit and write out a whole bunch of stuff.  

Tomorrow morning, I've already decided that I'm going to share my thoughts on the workshop I attended on Friday.  That was the plan for yesterday and today, but with my lack of time... I decided to write about my crazy life instead.

And that crazy just keeps on continuing...as it has to right now.  Nothing will get done while I'm sitting here... so toodles for now.