Weekend in Austin!

Well we just got back from the Boys State Basketball Tournament in Austin! This is our second year to go to the tournament, and this year was just as amazing as the last! Flowermound Marcus won the 5a Championship for the second year in a row with top 2 players, Phil Forte and Marcus Smart.
White Oak won the 2a Championship with Caleb Carr, son of David Carr winning MVP!
We had a little hotel drama - misplacing our hotel reservation and having to make a new one at the last minute. It added a little unnecessary stress but ended up working out in the end.
Great trip and we look forward to many trips in the years to come!

April 2012 Update

Tyler has been in T-ball for a month now. Every time he plays it makes me so proud. He is grasping the idea of the game, with his daddy by his side, and his mama in the stands.
 Casey is finally finishing up track. It'll be nice to have him home now, and his summer vacation coming just around the corner. He passed his Health certification - so now he is certified to teach in Social Studies, History, Government, Geography, Psychology, Special Education, Health, and PE. *PHEW*
 I have been doing the same daily grind. Just working and studying for my group 1 license. I haven't taken a riding lesson in a while, i need/want to go out there soon and "get back on." I take my group 1 on May 14th... having discipline to study has been extremely difficult. I am just ready for these tests to be over. I am also still waiting to hear if I have been admitted into Kansas State's Financial Planning program. (I'm keeping my fingers crossed!)

March 2012 Update

Well a lot has happened since i last wrote. Ty started T-Ball in Forney. His new team is named the Falcons. He is doing really well... Casey and i decided he is the second fastest on the team, throws the ball the hardest/fastest but still needs a little help batting. Casey is co-coaching on the team which is nice so he can be there to help Tyler. Its hard as a mom having to sit on the side lines and not yelling at my son to stop drawing in the dirt! haha. It is really cute to watch - the highlight of my week.

I take my series 66 tomorrow. I hope i pass. After this, it'll be the group 1 license which covers life and health. It has been suggested to me by FFG that i begin selling health/life insurance after i get my license. I'm not 100% sold on the idea just because I'd have to sell the products over the phone... we'll have to see.

Casey is job-hunting. So far he has looked at job opportunities in Slocum, TX, which is near Rusk and in The Woodlands - he is still trying to contact his old HS coach who is in Rockwall regarding a possible open assistant position. Casey is also taking his Health certification test in April. He will be certified in almost everything at that point!
Well, its time to get back to studying -- not much to say about that.

Updates

Its been a while since i have been on here! Several big things have happened - first, I passed my series 7! It didn't take long to get my materials in to start studying for my series 66 - i will be taking that test March 6th! Yikes! I am hoping that i will pass this test the first time. It took me two attempts before i passed my 7.
Crandall is in District games now. They have a chance to tie for first place if they win the rest of their games.. which is predicted to be fairly easy to do. So i hope that goes well for them. :) Casey and I will be going to see the High School State Championships in Austin again in March - we are excited to go for the 2nd year. And we get to go shopping!! It is the one time of the year that we get to go splurge :)
Tyler has had the flu all week - he has stayed home all week with me while i worked at home. It has been quite the messy situation. I feel so bad for him - he is so helpless. :(
Well it is about time for me to go to bed. I'll write more frequently.

Changing the Pace

I decided to change the idea of my blog from the general life of my family to "a day in the life of being married to a coach." Over the past four years I have really tried to decipher the mind of my husband, a basketball coach.I have come to realize that I will never understand how my husband's brain is wired... especially since i do not come from a "sports background." I have had a much harder time understanding with the differences in the way we think. I know that i am not the ONLY coach's wife out there... so I am going to write about the daily life and my love for a basketball coach for anyone that may feel the way I do. I want to be able to look back over the years and see the time traveling, the laughter, and the frustrations... because that is what makes our life so interesting and so worth it.

Updates!

It has been FOREVER since i have last written. This are still going well! Just got back from Crandall's Christmas Classic in Bridgeport Texas. We placed 2nd out of 16 teams. Lost in the 4th (last) game by about 15. The boys played hard and didn't give up which was nice to see. I can't describe how amazing it is to watch Casey coach basketball. To see how we have grown the past 4 years - We pushed each other through school - persevered through job hunting, moved to a new city - and here we are, working and raising our son. It has been all worth it and will continue to be worth it as the years go by. The weather is finally getting a little colder here. I was really enjoying the 60+ degree weather ... but now that it is January, i suppose it is only fair that the weather decrease in digits for a little while. Ty had his 4th birthday 12/16/11 - I can't believe how much he grows each day. Casey and I are really having to watch what we say - he is such a little sponge! He also finally learned how to ride his bike! I still have to push him from behind occasionally - but he actually gets the motions of spinning his feet in circles! Next thing we know, he'll be driving. Oh boy. I take my Series 7 test in 10 days. Ah, i just realized how soon that is. I still have 5 more chapters to study for, and then i will take several full tests before the real one on the 12th. The test contains 250 questions over a 6 hour period. I think it is more of a test of my endurance rather than the content of the test. I already took the test once, made a 66 -- needed a 70 to pass. Effective Nov. 7, 2011 the passing score is a 72. I really hope i pass.... Well, i hear the child destructing his room, which means that nap time is over...

Merry Christmas 2011!

Make an ecard

Game #3: Community v. Crandall

Another win! I hope this winning streak continues! I will say this much: I am excited for Tyler to grow up and be able and interested to sit through a whole game. I realize "he is only 4" but holy wow is it hard to concentrate on a game and watch a toddler at the same time. This really isn't any surprise... this is all I've known for the past two years.This community game was supposed to be a blowout for both teams - Casey's JV team won 82-40 and Varisty won 72-55. The Varisty game was neck and neck the entire game until the last 5 minutes or so and Crandall really kicked in their last bit of steam. I wish I could describe in perfect detail what Community's head coach was like... he would pull players out while free throws were being shot and yell at them so everyone in the whole gym could hear. He looked like ex-con meets walker texas ranger.. big mustache, bald head, skinny.... weirdest thing. I felt bad for his players. If that man coached my son, i would probably become as loud as him yelling to pipe it down a little!Anyway, attached is a video of the Varisty game tonight.

Game #2: Alvarado v. Crandall

Well game number two was a win for both JV and Varsity! We played Alvarado High School. Casey's game was a complete blowout and Varsity was a win by 10 points. So proud of my pirates! My poor baby Tyler was not feeling well so we had to leave early, but of course his best friend Kendall was there, and they were able to get a little playing time in. We play our 3rd game tonight - hopefully we will win again!

Mrs. Kathy's Pumpkin Bread

I was lucky enough to know Kathy Hildebrandt. Kathy is the mother of my good friend Steffani, and passed away this year from breast cancer - we all miss her hugs, her smiles, her abundance of love, and her great cooking! I was honored to receive Kathy's pumpkin bread recipe ... and have made it every year for the holidays. In Kathy's memory, I thought I would share with y'all this amazing recipe. We love and miss you Kathy.

Mrs. Kathy's Pumpkin Bread

Ingredients:

3 cups flour

3 cups sugar

3 eggs 1 cup oil 1 small can pumpkin 1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon ground cloves

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1 teaspoon nutmeg

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon all spice

Directions: Beat eggs, sugar, and oil in a large mixing bowl. Stir in pumpkin. In a separate mixing bowl, sift all dry ingredients together. Slowly mix in dry ingredients into the sugar/oil/egg mixture. Mix with electric mixer for at least 15 minutes - the longer you mix, the lighter and tastier it is. Pour mixture into bundt pan and bake 1 hour at 350 degrees or until a knife comes out clean if stuck in the middle.

Game #1 Crandall v. Lewisville

Well we won tonight! Both JV and Varsity! They seemed like two totally different teams than what was demonstrated during the scrimmages (for the better)! We were rebounding, not turning the ball over, and most importantly, making our shots! Tyler made it through both games much better than the past - i am hoping that his old age of 4 is going to keep him more in his seat rather than up and down the bleachers! He has a new friend, Kendall, who's brother plays on Varsity - that keeps him pretty busy most of the time until they start getting into double trouble! One of the mom's brought two ring pops for them and they sweetly ate their ring pops and watched a movie. After the movie, Tyler decided to show Kendall his muscles ... not sure if she was impressed. Anyway, I am really proud of our Crandall Pirates! We'll see what happens this season!

Little People

I often wonder at what point does the innocence you have as a small child go away... when everything is harmless - you look up to everyone - life is only made up of dreams and possibilities. Today I am making a point of listening to my son and understanding what he says and when he says it - not letting our life interfere with his amazing thoughts. Life gets so busy - i need to realize the importance of allowing myself to "Just Be." In the long run, i know Tyler and I will have a stronger relationship because he knows that I LISTEN.

Basketball Begins!

Just love this.

New Day

I decided to start my first blog. I tend to have a lot to say - and to write it down seemed like a pretty good idea.

Currently, Casey and I are living in Seagoville, Texas. We live in a three bedroom apartment and i spend all of my time here, working from home. I work for Feliciano Financial Group as a Sales Assistant - working on my series 7 license is the top of my priority list, and then will come my 66 license. This will allow me to make recommendations to clients regarding their financial portfolios - just one step closer to being a financial advisor.

Tyler will be turning 4 in December. I can't believe how fast time has flown by. He amazes me with what he says (good or bad) - he is just like a sponge that i can't seem to ring out - he just keeps absorbing everything about life. He makes me so proud. I fall more in love with my little baby every day that passes by. He is becoming a little boy - a day i never thought would come.

Casey just started his second season as Crandall High School's basketball coach. He is the 1st assistant to varsity and the head JV coach. So far things are going ok - of course there is drama in any job you have, but overall, things are going alright!

I find everyday how much i appreciate and love my life. My family is the most important thing to me and without them, i would never be who I am today.