Hard Work Pays Off

Good morning everyone. What a busy week and exciting week it was. Almost could say a bit of sadness but we'll get back to that.
Throughout the week (art-wise) I did some spooky Halloween-inspired drawings for Mia. Some were okay, others "meh". I got my car back finally after almost a month of repairs and painting.  I'm going to totally miss the 2018  Rogue, but it was good to have my ride back. They did a fantastic job on it and now I'm just waiting for my insurance specialist to get the deductible back from the truck company. That part of this whole thing has been pretty frustrating so hopefully they'll get it.

Thursday I watched the Chelsea vs BATE match. Great win as always. Mia was stoked to see my car with Remi in the front seat (with his signature sunglasses of course) because she doesn't have to really look for my car, she just hears the chorus of kids screaming "OOOOOHHH LOOK AT THAT DOG!!!" and she knows "yeah my Dad's here". We got a snack post-school and Mia immediately got ready for practice. She wanted to get to the field as soon as possible to prepare herself for a possible 2nd chance at a PK since she missed last week. Okay fine. She didn't really work on the PK's when we arrived and more so worked on dribbling around me to shoot from every angle. Also equally important. We had a few girls missing but ran the practice as usual. Did a bit of a relay working on ball control and speed. A lot of the girls are very quick so it was well worth it. Did a few pass and shoot drills and did something we haven't done in a long time: A scrimmage. They really liked revisiting this familiar part of our practices and played well into the darkness. We called practice a little before 6:30 before visibility was practically gone. Overall, solid practice and they all felt confident going into Saturday's match.

Saturday came. Our final game of the season.  Mia was pretty bummed thinking about it as she got ready after breakfast. We got to the fields, I got the medals as Mia said a quick "hi" to her preschool BFF Olivia and new friend Tenley that played earlier and she joined her team warming up. The kids did their usual 1v1 against a defender and keeper. A few other quick drills and it was time to play. Olivia took the captain role for the last match. The Leprechauns looked almost like mainly 2nd graders. Or, they've got some seriously tall 1st graders on team. Most likely, the 1st one with the way they were shooting. Tons of power but somehow our girls weren't letting them through. In fact, some of these girls played their best game all season. One notable one was Charley. She had the most amazing 1st half ever. Every time the ball came near her, she booted the ball far and high out of our side of the field. Adalyn picked up our first goal of the match dribbling around a few of their players and finally finding the net getting her 9th goal of the season. The big shocker was still to come though.

Mia got the ball and outran one of their much bigger players and left footed it from outside the box right in the left side of the net.  UNBELIEVABLE. She was very reserve in her celebration. Originally she said she'd pick up her BFF when she'd score but she wasn't in at the moment. Her and fellow winger Sophie just looked at each other with big smiles and Mia ran back to the line ready to have another go at a goal. Her bench went crazy because I promised I'd do the "floss" dance if she scored...and well she finally scored. All the hard work paid off and she did so well in our last match. She made two goals this year. Learn to skateboard and score a goal. She accomplished the 2nd one very well. Adalyn got one more goal totaling 10 for the season. Great goal before the end of the half. The girls were feeling great going into the next half. Ainslee was solid in the back getting a great clean sheet. Sofia's turn. The Leprechauns put on the pressure but we did our best to keep them from scoring. A few scary moments of our defense clearing the ball to them gave me small heart attacks. Thanks Jana :P They got a handball against Ainslee and blasted a free kick that sneaked from under Sofia's legs and she scrambled to grab it and it leaked in. Damn. Game ended 3-1 and the girls went insane. Their traditional "Cheetah pile" before saying "good game" to the other team...then they piled up again. As promised as parents circled around the team for the medal ceremony, I floss-danced with the kids. They loved it and we had a good time. In sports, you have to keep it fun and this team was a complete blast. We gave each one of them their medals as we revealed their stats for the season and highlights. I hope they all enjoyed their time this season as much as I did. They bonded so well and were a blast to coach. The frustrating moments always subsided when I'd see the fun and smiles they had. We had just a great group of girls and both Coach Kevin and I are so proud of them. He was a great help this season and I couldn't do it without him.

Next season, 4 of them will be moving up to the 3rd/4th grader's Juniors division. If the sign up is low, they may add 5th graders like they did this season. I hope it doesn't come to that but we'll prepare for it. Mia and Cecilia will (and anyone else who wants to join us) will train over the Summer  for this new challenge. If the younger kids want to play casually with us as well, I fully welcome it. Love the kids so it'll be fun. Later after the game, We went to business trick or treating in downtown Waukesha. Mia kept her soccer uniform on with new medal so she went as a "champion soccer player". The weather was pretty great and she got plenty of good candy. Later, my parents met us up at MOD for pizza and we carved pumpkins. Jill made a gorgeous sugar skull, Mia did a red panda and I did Oogey Boogey. Sunday I had to work an early shift. Later we went trick or treating with Mia's cousins. Not the best weather but they had a total blast. I was Snape, Jill was McGonagall, and Mia was Hermione. This week, a return to art lessons, a Fall party at her school and I have to turn in the equipment back to the NBAA. That's all for now, thanks for reading!!

Spooky Times & Soccer in Sleet

Good evening everyone! Hope you all enjoyed the weekend. Been some weird weather but so what else is new. I took on a challenge to create some realistic food sketches that for the most part, worked out. The last day of the drawings, I literally threw away 4 sketches that didn't work. Frustrated, but I somehow finished it and was glad it was over. Working with toned paper and trying to nail realistic food drawings can be tricky. Toned paper isn't forgiving. You make too many erase marks, and it starts to wear out. Thursday, Mia requested I join her for lunch. REALLY? Alright. So I met up with her and her crazy friends. They all wanted to sit next to Mia. Not sure if that had anything to do with me being there, but it was a good time.

We went out for recess and all of them wanted to know what we were doing. Mia spent a lot of time trying to find BFF Cecilia. Eventually, I spotted her playing soccer with a bunch of kids. Mia joined in and I helped. It was pure chaos. The boys were insane. They'd run the ball in hands, put it down in front of a line of unfortunate kids at the net and blast it. The ball wasn't like a regular soccer ball. It was very light so when you kick it, it's going to travel very quickly. One of her friends Hayden got blasted in the stomach. A few tears and she was okay. Someone else took one as well. I told Mia today that come Monday, her and Cecilia should just grab a ball and go practice by themselves for their last game. Later, we had a soccer practice and actually had a complete team. The girls weren't listening at times, but other they were fine. They were all feeling good going into our next match.

Friday was the annual Star Trek to pickle pond. I volunteered to help. Not the best day for the trek, but the kids had fun. They did an obstacle course and played on the playground while it rained. Yuck. They didn't seem to mind and had an awesome time. Saturday morning was the return of Soccer Saturday.  I got up nice and early to watch Chelsea take on Man U. An early lead, and they were looking great. Man U's Pogba was awful the first half and after our goal, I thought we had them. 2nd half, they tied us and got another goal to pull ahead. Luckily, Barkley got the equalizer and we picked up a point. Frustrating but entertaining match.

Later, Mia and the Cheetahs took on her good friends Charlie and Tenley at 12:30. We also found out her long time BFF from pre-school Olivia was on their team. Crazy. It was our first match in a few weeks (due to all the cancellations) so I didn't know how great we'd be. The weather was godawful. Heavy winds, sleat/snow and freezing temps were not playing in our favor. A lot of the kids were out of sorts playing in the cold temps. The Lady Badgers caught Ainslee out a few times and picked up 2 goals on us. Ugh. Our kids kept trampling over each other, and not getting ahead of their defense. 2nd half, they had a hands in the box so we were rewarded a PK. Mia made the attempt and shot it straight at her friend Charlie. Damn. If I would have got her to take a running start and shoot, she would have had a better chance of getting her first goal. Luckily, Ainslee picked up one for us and the crowd went crazy. I don't know why, but it always seems like we have a lot more supporters than the other team. A few more chances but we just couldn't equalize. They had a PK on our end and their biggest kid took a blast at our wall of a keeper Sofia and she stopped her with ease. The funny thing is, that she didn't even want to play goalie but said "okay, I'll do it" pretty easy and had a great cleat sheet the 2nd half. Not the result we wanted but the kids still had fun. ONE last game left. Can we pull off a win? I certainly hope so. It's been such a frustrating season. While some players are doing pretty well, others just lack the focus to A-pass the ball, B-not run into fellow teammates, and C-LISTEN! Mia's been the hardest on herself lately and I have to figure out how to get her to listen more. She played very well, but sometimes backs off too much on the ball.

Later, Jill and I went to our friends Kat and Gregg's annual Halloween party dressed as Snape and Trixxxy the witch (Jill's made up character) Plenty of drinks and fun with old friends and like always, met some pretty awesome new people. We picked up Mia and went home. We watched a weird movie on Netflix before heading off to bed. Today, I didn't get much accomplished before work, but when I got home, it appears they took off all the cabinet doors to start the new project.

This week, hopefully a practice, some drums (maybe) and our last game. Trick or treating is Sunday so I've got an early day. We'll have to find time to carve pumpkins as well. That's all for now, thanks for reading

No Mas Lluvia Por Favor

Good evening everyone. Another week in the books. A rather disappointing week unfortunately so this won't take long. We had yet another spell of crap weather unfortunately which cancelled our soccer practice. I felt bad because we probably should have had it, but I'm sure the parents didn't mind chilling inside a warm house. Mia ended up reuniting and playing with her friend Noelle after school for a few hours, which was nice. The two always can pick up where they left off and play after several weeks apart. 

Saturday, we were supposed to play, but Friday night, we got an email cancelling the match. 4 out of the 7 fields still had standing water. ARE YOU KIDDING ME? Mia was super disappointed because her fav Milwaukee Torrent Women's Player Mariah Downs had planned to attend the game. Mia was going to play against her preschool BFF Olivia as well. Her BFF Cecilia misses playing as well. She was stoked because Adalyn's Mom was going to make hot chocolate for everyone too.  The only good thing about our game getting cancelled was that we were going to be short two players. Ainslee was out of town as well as Charley was ill and be out for the game, leaving us short on the bench. Mia still felt confident she'd score, but sadly we didn't get to play. The Cheetahs just can't catch a break this season. There's even a chance the game won't even get a make up because the season should be wrapping up at the end of October. So disappointing. We spent the Saturday running some errands, a little yard work, relaxing, and some Dominos/Sushi for dinner. We even watching the Brewers game. Mia for some reason, was booing them. Later, we went to my brother's beer league hockey game. They unfortunately lost, but Mia enjoyed watching her uncle. He even hooked her up with a game-used puck which she was pretty stoked about. 

Today, not much going on. Laundry then work. This week, hopefully we can practice and we have one make-up game as well. Mia takes on her friends Tenley and Charlie. We should have a full roster if my kids can stay healthy. My car should also be finished getting fixed. I definitely didn't mind driving in this SUV, but it'll be interesting to see my Corolla fixed. I'm honestly surprised they didn't total it, but it's still got plenty of life left in it. I'll miss push starting my car, and how incredibly smooth the Rogue drove. Chelsea is back in action this weekend as well, so hopefully they can pull off a win against Man U. That's all for now, thanks for reading! 

Shutterbug

Good evening everyone. Going to try and make this late-night post brief. It's been a busy day and I'm exhausted thinking about tomorrow's busy day too. The week was a busy one per the usual. I got my rental car this on Tuesday which is ridiculously fun to drive. It's a 2018 Nissan Rogue. This thing is loaded with features that I'm going to totally miss when my Corolla is fixed. Mia does too and she'll miss the Rogue as well.  We had a practice on Thursday that was mainly okay. With the help of Jana's Dad (since my assistant coach was at the Brewers game) we got some pass and shoot drills that seemed to work well. At the end, we were ready for our game. Sadly Friday night, we found out that it was cancelled. We've had a lot of rain for a while and unfortunately the game fields never had enough time to dry. Our make up game is all set, so hopefully we'll get a win. When I had to text the kid's parents Saturday morning, I found the sad news one of our players Ainslee was crying. She loves loves loves this team and she's missing the next game because she's out of town. Total bummer. The talented 1st grader will be missed but luckily will have another couple of matches.

We spent the rest of the Saturday taking out Mia's clothes from the Summer and replacing them her Fall/Winter apparel. We also met up with my in-laws to celebrate Uncle Tommy's belated birthday with a tasty dinner.

Sunday we didn't do much. I watched Chelsea win 3-0 over Southampton. Such a solid match. Hazard looks great and I hope he continues to keep the great form. Recently they announced John Terry officially retired from football. 22 year career with some great memories mainly at CFC.
They all came over again we mainly just hung out till I went off to work.

Today, Mia was off, so the simple goal was to go to the zoo and see the brand new baby red panda. Upon walking Remi on my morning walk, the temp seemed warm, giving me the unfortunate thought that the red pandas wouldn't be out. They only let them out if it's below 70. Mia got up, dressed, ate and we were off to the zoo. We immediately made our way to the red pandas and like I assumed, they were not out. BUMMER. It was too humid and they prefer cooler temps. Mia did enjoy snapping photos of the river otters, giraffes, penguins, bears and other animals. After my busy day at work, I pulled up the photos she took and they're actually very impressive. The kid has a total eye for photography. Loved watching her creatively get different angels of the animals today.

Tomorrow, Jill and I've got an early meeting for the epic art show we're putting together. A few days ago, we started going over artists we were going to focus on and some pieces we'd like to use for inspiration and I swear, it felt like we were back in college doing research. Totally a lot of fun.

Practice on Thursday (unless our weather is crap again) as well as a game Saturday. That's all for now, thanks for reading!

Apple of My Irony

Good evening everyone. Been a busy end of September, so let's get right to it. The majority of the week I've been working to get my car situation under control and figured out. Originally they wanted to total it, but I got a call that they want to attempt to fix it and if they can't repair the quarter panel, it'll be considered total. Meanwhile I'll get my rental car this Tuesday and will at least be able to drive legally.

Thursday, I attended recess and lunch with Mia. She was so stoked I joined her and her friends also had fun. They did jump rope at recess so I got to meet a few new friends. Later,  we had practice. The kids were riding high off their big victory, but we still had work to do on space and passing. I had the concept to work on passing between two players with one defender attacking them. We had to set up cones so they didn't cross over and be on top of each other. Sorta worked, but we'll have to work on it at the next practice.

Friday night, I came home to a house full of Jill's friends. Leanne and Jacqui plus Caleb were here. Mia and Caleb tried to sleep in the living room while the other two where in our bed. I slept downstairs the with kids and Jill joined them. Mia couldn't get comfortable so she ended up sleeping on top of me. Great. We woke up early and she got ready for her Picture Day for soccer. Always a hectic event. Had a few late arrivals and a few out of dress but we got them suited up and all the kids looked cute. Then, it was off to the fields!

We got an early lead on the Flamingos with Adalyn getting her 7th goal of the season. Things were looking good. I tried to prep my girls who were going in for subs about space and passing and at the time, they said they got it. The starting lineup was bunching and it was a bit frustrating because we just explained about creating space. The Flamingos got one back and it was 1-1. Damn. The subs went in and we were back in action. Mia was desperately trying to get some chances to score, but kept backing off the ball. Cecilia strangely enough was too at times, which would let them come in on Sofia in goal. Finally, we got our 2nd goal. Adalyn found the net again totaling 8 goals for the season and two for the match. They got one back and it was tied again 2-2 in the 2nd half. Ainslee came off her line trying to kick it instead of pouncing on it and they got it back. Mia had an incredible breakaway shot way too early and wasn't able to pull a goal back for us which would have got us ahead. DAMN. They caught Ainslee out one more time and got the last goal of the game giving us a 2-3 at FT. We were pretty even with them and could have easily got a win if they'd create space and pass more. Mia had a great throw in as well. SO close. Oh well. Much to work on and hopefully everyone will be on the same page. On a positive note, Chelsea beat Liverpool early in the week knocking them out of the Carabaeo Cup and ended up getting a draw Saturday against the Reds. We'll take it. Hazard was a beast in both games.

Later we did apple picking and a corn maze with Jill's crew. They went out to for wine and sushi while I hung out with the kids eating Dominos and watching Big Hero 6. All in all, great weekend.

This week, practice, hopefully get my car fixed and a late game for the Cheetahs. We play an undefeated team so I'm not thrilled about that match. That's all for now, thanks for reading!

U-Turn

What a week it's been. As I type this, I'm watching Chelsea take on West Ham(they unfortunately drew) this morning reflecting on one of the most intense weeks this month. Here we go. Most of the week went as normal. Mia dragging herself to school etc etc. My day off on Thursday can go down as the worst one this year. The morning started out with a torrential downpour. Great. I monitored the rain most the day till it about stopped. I knew the fields would be pretty rough, and the mosquito's this week were absolutely terrible so the added rain would only make things worse, so unfortunately I had to cancel. My DJI Spark drone FINALLY arrived so I was stoked to get to play with that and teach myself how to fly it.

Later in the morning I had a vet appt with Remi. Just a normal update on some shots. On our drive back home, I got in my first car accident. A short woman driving a large semi-truck tried to pull a U-turn and clipped the back end of my Corolla. Remi got tossed to the ground but somehow we survived. The woman claimed she never saw me and thought maybe I was speeding. No, I wasn't speeding. The fact that you tried to do a U-turn with a semi truck into traffic probably wasn't the smartest idea. My tail light is busted (but still works) and I have  gnarly dent with a scrape on the side of my sad Toyota. When I got home, still shook up, I had to call insurance, Jill and as well as talk to a specialist about getting my claim taken care of. Can't believe I got hit. Luckily my car is still drivable but I hope to get it fixed when I can. After school I did an art lesson with one of my students. She was struggling a bit with a horse sketch that she was giving as a gift so Mia and I after school went over and I helped her our. Mia drew a picture of her dog Elsa. Later, we did Stonefire Pizza with Jill since we didn't have practice.

Saturday was the big game. Our 3rd game of the season. It was a day we really really needed to improve in skills and win. I requested all of the kids arrive early so we could get in a last minute practice before kickoff since ours was cancelled this week. We started out with running drills, some 1v1 and finally I introduced a new formation. This would debut having RW and LW (or right wing/left wing) on each side of the striker, with a holding center back. The goal was to keep them spaced out. Makes sense right? Opening few minutes, they were starting to bunch up. Come on guys...Early in the half, we scored! I can't remember who got the first one, but the bench and fans went crazy. We haven't had a lead yet this season so it was awesome. Next thing I know, Olivia scored not one but TWO goals. She was in pure shock that her face was grinning from ear to ear. Even Ainslee, who's found the net a few times proudly amped her up with a big hug. Sofia was solid in the back with the keeper without much worry. Cecilia had an incredible 1st half in the back and never let her down. Ainslee found the net before the 1st half concluded. 2nd half, we switched keepers. Ainslee was eager to take on her favorite position and I was excited to see how Sofia would do this half on the field. Just like I hoped, she got a goal. Perfect throw in to her, she spun it around and shot it that went off one of the other player's back and over the short keeper's shoulder. Amazing!

Sophie would also find the net for the very first time as well. She's always been a one-to-watch for me. She's very quick and has a good understanding where to be on the pitch. She can dribble around people like Adalyn so it was only a matter of time before she got her first goal. One of the other shocking goals besides Olivia's double goals was Charley. She was playing in only her 2nd game ever and found the net for the first time. She was so excited. One of the most enjoyable moments of the 2nd half was watching Ainslee dive and roll after every single ball. Her parents told me earlier in the season that she watches a lot of Hope Solo videos (the USWNT goalie) for inspiration. You can tell she loves the position and just like Sophie, she had a cleat sheet as well. The final score was a commanding 8-0. The girls were SO excited that they finally won a game. They were communicating well and passing better. Mia was both excited and bummed. She was stoked she won but still couldn't get a goal. one of the hardest part of being coach in general, is that every single person wants to play. No one wanted to go out ever. Cecilia was even giving her Dad a bit of attitude that she had to sit out to give Jana a chance in the defense. She also really did well both in the back and on the wing. After the match concluded, the girls tackled each other in a big massive team hug. It was one of the sweetest things I've ever seen as a coach and as a parent. So much excitement from these kids. Everyone happy and stoked for their next game. I'm also glad my parent supporters were patient with these girls and I knew eventually, we could turn this team around and start getting some goals. I was pretty happy that one of my students and her Mom came to cheer us on as well. The rest of the day, we hung out, hand lunch and cleaned the house in preparation for the upcoming weekend with Jill's friends.

 Hopefully my car gets fixed this week and after the game/picture day, we're going to the Elegant Farmer with Jill's crew. Should be a busy but fun weekend. That's all for now, thanks for reading!!

Skills to Improve

Good morning everyone. As Mia sleeps in this beautiful Sunday morning, I figured I'd get a blog in before getting stuck at work the rest of the day. This was Mia's first full week of school. She's not getting up at 6:30am anymore. Back to the 7:00am roll out of bed. Still loves school and her teacher, just doesn't get up as early as that first week. Minus a few problems with a certain kid in her class, everything seems to be going well.

We had a very not-productive practice Thursday. I only say that because the girls weren't very motivated to learn from their mistakes of last weeks game, and try to fix a few things. We started with a 1v1 challenge which in theory could have worked. We did a scrimmage like usual. Everyone wanted to play keeper for some reason. We started to see some improvement with Ainslee in goal as well as Addy's dribbling. This modest player can get around just about anyone and she proved that Saturday morning.

I watched Chelsea beat Cardiff 4-1 before our match. We had our 2nd game of the season at 11:15. When we arrived, a lot of the players were already there warming up. Without my assistant coach, I was riding solo, just like I did all season. I started Sofia in goal and she was phenomenal. Despite letting a few goals in, this kid never backs down and jumps on anything that comes her way. The Jaguar Gummy Girls got a few on us, but we got one back. It had to by Adalyn getting her 4th goal. I don't know why, but it appeared we had way more fans than the other team because after she scored, there was an eruption of cheers from the sidelines. We finally got one back and hopefully could build on the momentum. At that moment, their coach was LIVID that his team let one slip by. He was screaming at his kids and post-game, I had some family members telling me how rough he was. Dude, you're WINNING settle down. They're just kids. We weren't done yet however. Ainslee got her 1st goal of the season, and immediately after when I thought she was going to do her celebratory cartwheel, she just turned and smiled at me. The heat was too much for this kid to do her cartwheel. 2-4 was the final score. It was a tough game, but we had some variables that weren't in our favor. Charley returned after a 2 week absence and we tried Olivia in goal for the very first time. She did mostly okay, but at one point I heard a parent yell "you can USE your hands!" Charley was lost in her first game, mainly because she's never played before and doesn't know the formality of a soccer game. She'll catch up and improve this week. We tried a new formation and I think for the most part it really worked. Cecilia was the solo defender in the back and she had a really solid 2nd half. Totally proud of the pint-size attacking defender. She had a great run with the ball towards the end of the game before it went out. Mia was stoked her friend Hayden had come and watched Cecilia and her play Saturday. Always nice when your friend cheers you on.

After the game, we grabbed some lunch in downtown Waukesha with Jill's family and just sorta chilled out for the remainder of the day. Today. Jill's at church so in a bit I'm going to wake up Mia.

This week, nothing special going on. We'll have our practice Thursday and another match Saturday. Much to improve but we'll get better.

That's all for now, thanks for reading!