Red Wings vs. Ducks - Game 7

Today started just like any other day... get up, get ready for work, pack a lunch, check the calendar (Ally - dance practice, Nate - baseball practice).. and off to work I go. Then at about 11:30am as I got back to my desk after a staff meeting I got a call from Heidi. She'd been looking online and found two tickets to tonight's Game 7 NHL Playoff game between the Red Wings and Ducks at Joe Louis Arena for a decent price. Now, anyone who knows me knows I'm not Mr. Spontaneous. Knowing that I've been swamped at work and both kids have practice, I turned them down and said we can just watch it on TV. The view would be better anyway. But Heidi was persistent and talked me into leaving work early, picking Nathan up from school early, and driving to Detroit for the game. Don't you all wish you had a wife that would do that?! I finally agreed.

I left work a bit early and planned on picking Nathan up from school at 3pm. Remember, he had no idea of what was planned. But Heidi had called his teacher to let her know we'd be picking him up early (and why). When I got there, the receptionist called him down to the office. Having no idea what was going on, he was afraid he was in trouble for something. When he walked into the office and saw me sitting there he really got worried. I let him sweat it for a few minutes while we walked to his locker to get his stuff. He kept asking why I was picking him up early. I just told him we had a lot of running around to do tonight and I didn't think we'd be home in time to watch the Wings game on TV. That upset him! "Why?!", he asked. And I said, "Because.... we're going to the game!" After a couple minutes of convincing him I wasn't joking he was giddy with excitement. He couldn't believe I was picking him up early from school to go to a Red Wings game, let alone a PLAYOFF GAME!

Since Nathan had a math test the next day, he studied for two straight hours in the car with no complaints (no way he would have done that at home!). We got there about an hour before gametime and went down by the glass to watch the Wings warm up. It was a great game and the crowd was super loud. The Wings ended up winging on a goal by Cleary with about 6 minutes left. It was a GREAT TIME and I'm really glad we went. Who knows when we'll get another chance to attend a playoff game. Heidi definitely earned some brownie points for this one!

Here are some pics we took while there.

Nathan on the steps to Joe Louis Arena, home of the Detroit Red Wings...
Watching warmups up-close. The player right in front of Nathan is Jonathan Ericsson. Just two years ago, while he was playing with the Grand Rapids Griffins, he came to one of Nate's hockey practices and worked with the kids on drills. Nathan has kept an eye on him ever since. Now, he's one of the top defensemen on the Wings!
Face-off to start Game 7...
Nathan and I before the game...

Back To The Ball Fields

Baseball and softball seasons are in full swing now. Let me translate... we live at the ball fields most nights of the week. But it's fun so I can't complaiin. Nathan moved up to the 9-10 yo. kid pitch and Allison moved up to the 6-7 yo. machine pitch. This is Nathan's first season with kids pitching to him off a mound. It's quite an adjustment but he's starting to come around. I'll tell you what.. the fields they have put my high-school field to shame! Nice mound, grass infield, dugouts, unreal. They've both had a couple games and are enjoying the season. Allison is hitting the snot out of the ball and Nathan has scored a couple runs. The highlight for this season so far is happening at home though. I've been pitching whiffle balls to the kids which lasted about 15 minutes before they were bored. So I taught them how to play long-base baseball (only one base and home plate...and you can throw the ball at the runner to get them out) and introduced them to the "ghostie" runner. We've played each of the last couple days in the yard and they've been asking to play even more. What a sneaky way to get them to work on their hitting, fielding, throwing, and rules of the game. I only wish I'd thought of it earlier. I couldn't even count how many hours I spent playing the exact same game in the back yard while growing up.

Allison hamming it up before the pitch...

Nathan's first game...

Nate up to bat...

Fifth Third Junior Run

You're probably expecting this post to be about Nathan running another race. Well not this time... The Fifth Third River Bank Run is this weekend and they held a junior race at Rogers High School in Wyoming for kids age 5-13. They had 1/2 mile and 1 mile runs for the little ones and a 5k for the older kids. Nathan couldn't do this race because he had a baseball game. But Allison ran it with Zach and uncle Scott. Normally, Allison would rather do anything other than run. But she did it and said she had fun. Of course the goody bag she got probably made her like it even more... Great job, Ally!

Allison hitting her stride...

Zach and Ally with their "Finisher" ribbons...

TTQ and the 2009 Tulip Time 5K

So, for the past 2-3 months, Nathan has been attending Total Trek Quest after school two days a week. Basically, it's a program aimed at getting kids off their butts and get them doing some physical activity as well as making new friends. For about an hour each Tuesday and Thursday, the volunteer "coaches" would work with the kids on stretching, running, playing games, setting goals, etc. Surprisingly, only three boys from Nathan's school signed up for the program. But he still had fun and improved his endurance. The program culminated with the kids running in the Holland Tulip Time Run 5K race. Nathan did a mini triathlon last summer but this was his first 5k. It was a perfect morning for a race, clear and a bit chilly but not too cold. The entire pack took off very fast from the starting line and I was worried he'd burn himself out too early. After snapping some pictures at the starting line we headed for the finish line to wait for his arrival. The crowd gathered on both sides of the course leading to the finish line. Nathan's goal was to finish at around 28 minutes (pretty ambitious in my opinion). Interstingly, the overall (adult) winner finished in a little over 16 minutes... crazy! Nathan finally made the turn into the home stretch with just under 30 minutes on the clock and ran through the cheering crowd to the finish line. He placed 198 overall out of 486 finishers and his final time was 30:02. See his results here. I expected him to look a lot more tired than he did at the end of the race. He looked like he could have ran another mile no problem (but he did sleep hard that night). He also asked if we could do the Fifth Third River Bank run 5K next Saturday. That was our plan... until we found out it would cost $34 each for us to run in it. So we decided to pass on that one. Congratulations Nate... GREAT JOB!

Nathan approaching the finish...
The Bauerwood TTQ Team (Nathan, Mason, Vitale, and Coach Eric)...

Spring Break - Gatlinburg, TN - Part 2

After the rain had subsided a bit, we all drove up into the mountains to the Great Smokey Mountain National Park. We did a 2+ mile hike to see Laurel Falls which is a cascading waterfall. It was strange driving up to to top of the mountains where there was still snow. The air was definitely cooler too. The hike was uphill all the way there and downhill all the way back. There were a couple spots where Nathan was sure to be on the mountain side of the path since the other side was a very steep drop-off.

We also did a driving tour up in the mountains one night just before dark. We were hoping to see some black bears but didn't have any luck. However, we did see a couple turkeys, a number of small waterfalls, and some really old mountain houses and farms. On one of our last days part of the group went horseback riding in the mountains. It actually turned out to be really nice. Allison and Reygan rode horses all by themselves for the first time and were very proud about that. The trails went up and down in the mountains and across a couple streams. Overall it was just a nice quiet ride with some good scenery. We also took the kids into town to a kids-only portion of the Little Pigeon river where they stock rainbow trout every Thursday. There were some VERY large trout in that stream and I think almost all the kids caught one.
Nathan's big catch at the kids-only section of the river.
On our last night, we went to Gatlinburg so the girls could take a peek at the shops. We took the aerial tram up to Ober Gatlinburg (think 1970's ski resort that hasn't changed since it was built). the tram ride was pretty cool. It goes WAY up in the air and there were a couple parts (after passing a tower) where you'd get the "falling" feeling for a second or two. At the top, the skiing was done for the season but they had a skating rink, tubing, low-budget zoo with black bears, a couple rides, and a few little shops. It took awhile to get back down since it was the end of the night and everyone was trying to ride the tram back down to town.

The last night at the cabin was spent around the fire in the outdoor pavilion at the cabin cooking s'mores. As is the case with most vacations, this one was far too short. But maybe we'll do it again in a few years. It was definitely a nice break from Florida crowds.

Some additional pictures from our trip...

Nathan and Allison on their horses...

A dozen rainbow trout caught right behind the cabin (the only day they really seemed to be biting)...
Scott wading a section of the river a couple miles downstream from the cabin...

Spring Break - Gatlinburg, TN - Part 1

The time is finally here... Spring Break 2009! We haven't taken a big trip in a couple years so this year, after talking to some friends about their trips, we decided to rent a "cabin" in the Great Smoky Mountains of Tennessee for a week. Heidi did the legwork of looking around and found an AMAZING cabin through Jackson Mountain Homes called Skipping Stone which was right on the Little Pigeon River, a nice mountain trout stream. It was a bit expensive so we split the cost with three families (her brothers Scott and Keith and their families). We didn't even have much planned once we got there but I knew I wanted to do some fishing and relaxing, Heidi wanted to do some shopping and relaxing, and the kids just wanted to play (no relaxing).

Our trip had us driving down to Cincinatti (actually Florence, KY right at the Cinci airport). We spent the night there and then continued on to Gatlinburg, TN the next morning. I'd never been down to this area of the country before and it was my first time in the mountains. I must say it was pretty cool to see. When we got to Gatlinburg we did our grocery shopping and picked up our fishing licenses and then checked in and got directions to our cabin. I had some pretty high expectations of the place based on the information online and the price. But when we finally got there I was completely BLOWN AWAY (as was everybody else)! In fact, I think Scott may have been literally jumping up and down out of excitement when he got out of the car...

The place was twice as big as I expected and we could have easily had another family go and still have had extra room. We all spent the first hour or so unloading cars and groceries and touring our home for the next week. It happened to be 72 degrees when we arrived and we knew the next few days were supposed to be very cold so we took advantage of the weather and spent the rest of the day outside fishing and relaxing by the river (pictures below).

Just as expected, the next two days were very cold. We even had snow on the ground one morning. But that didn't hurt anybodys feelings. We spent the time relaxing and playing inside and also made a trip to the Ripley's Aquarium of the Smokies. It was pretty cool as far as aquariums go. They have a really cool tunnel through some of the aquariums and we got to see all sorts of sea creaturs up close. The highlight for us was the sharks. The lowlight was the crowd of people. Everyone had the same idea of visiting during the cold stretch.

Here are some pictures from our first couple days.... Stay tuned for more on our trip.
Rocky (the dog), Zach, Nathan, and Nick stretching their legs at a gas station just before we got to Gatlinburg...
Skipping Stone - our home for the week in the Smoky Mountains...
Nathan and Allison on the rocks by the river. This is one of my favorite pics from the week...
Nathan and Keith fishing the Little Pigeon River right after we unloaded the cars. Keith would eventually slip on the submerged portion of the rock he's standing on and get a taste of how cold a mountain stream really is...
I got to try out my new Cabela's waders right after we arrived and they didn't leak a bit!

Allison, Nick, and Reygan playing in the river...
Allison, Rocky, and Angie chilling out on the swing by the river...
Keith caught the first trout shortly after we started fishing. We thought we'd be catching them that quick all week. Later, we found out only one day would be a 'good' fishing day...
The swim spa was a big hit with the kids. It doubled as a large hot tub too so we got to use it every day regardless of the temperature outside...
Shot of a shark swimming over us at the aquarium while we were in the tunnel. Look at those teeth!
Heidi and the kids at the aquarium...
Nathan after diving with the sharks.... (just kidding, just posing for a photo-op)
Nathan and Zach getting ready for bed in one of the four "cubby holes" up in the padded play area...

Showstopper Dance Competition - Battle Creek

We just returned home from Allison's second dance competition of the season. We were in Battle Creek at Kellogg Arena for the Showstopper Dance Competition. Luckily, all three of her dances were on Saturday afternoon so we didn't have to do an overnight. Grandma Anderson and Breanna were there to cheer Ally on. Allison was FAR less nervous this time around compared to her first competition. She was having a ball and even went up on stage to dance during breaks just for warm-up. The kids did a great job and ended up winning a couple trophies and medals. Allison had the honor of receiving the awards for The Shoop Shoop Song (tap). They took 1st place in the division and 10th overall for that song. They were 9th overall with their Hey Daddy (jazz). For Scooby Dooby Doo (hip hop) they took first in their division but didn't make it into the overall.

One dancer gets to receive any awards for each song and Allison was lucky enough to have the teacher pick her for The Shoop Shoop Song. When they announced it, she went up to the center of the stage and the announcer asked her a couple questions and then had her say her name and the name of her studio. She spoke up clearly into the mic so everyone could hear "Allison McDaid from Body Language Dance Company!". It was too cute! Congratulations to all the little dancers who are pretty impressive!

Also, Allison is considering doing her tap dance for the school talent show as well. We'll see if she follows through on that and does it by herself. Here are some shots from the day. Click on a picture to enlarge.

Warming-up on stage by doing "The Freeze". It's a move they do in the Scooby Doo routine...
The ending of the Scooby Dooby Doo performance... (hip hop) Allison is front & center.
The Shoop Shoop Song (It's In His Kiss)... (tap) Allison is on the far right.
The beginning of Hey Daddy (jazz)... Allison is on the far left.
Accepting the 1st Place award for The Shoop Shoop Song...

Lansing Capital Field Trip

Today was the annual Bauerwood 4th grade field trip to Lansing. Heidi got to go along for the chaos... er, fun. All three 4th grade classes took charter busses to Lansing and parents tagged along in cars. They visited the Capital Building and the Michigan Historical Museum. Sounds like it was a long day but interesting for the kids and the adults. Sorry to say Nathan didn't get a chance to question any of the legislatures on why they passed that simulus bull... I mean bill. But that's a topic for another time. Here are some shots from the trip.

The Capital Building...
Nathan's class at the museum...
Nathan next to an old logging cart... look at the size of that wheel!
David, Jonas, and Nathan hanging out "on the farm"
Nathan rolling up his sleeves...

Bauerwood Sock Hop

Tonight was the annual Bauerwood Elementary "carnival". But there was an added twist this year as they hired a DJ and held a 50's Sock Hop! Early on, dinner was served followed by carnival type games in all of the classrooms (and lots of candy prizes of course). After the games, the music started in the gym and the kids got to dance to the music. Allison LOVED it and couldn't resist doing the Hand Jive which they've been learning in music class. Unfortunately, Nathan was a bit under the weather but still went and even joined in for the Chicken Dance.

Allison cutting it up on the dance floor with Abbie...
Chester Chicken showed up during the Chicken Dance...

Championship Weekend!

While Allison was starting her dance competition season, Nathan was finishing up his hockey season. This weekend was the Big Bear Spring Showdown Hockey Tournament at Soutside Ice Arena in Grand Rapids. There were 6 teams in our bracket. Our tournament started out on a sour note Friday afternoon with a 4-1 loss to the Chicago Jets. Saturday morning, we played the Kalamazoo Flames and beat them 6-3. Then, Saturday night, we played another Chicago Jets team and beat them 7-2. Nathan played defense during the entire tournament. He's been doing a good job of getting back and forcing the other team wide to prevent easy shots and it's been working pretty well. Based on the first three games, the top four teams went into the semi-finals on Sunday morning. We were the number three seed and had to play another Hawk team in the semi's. That game was a nail-biter because the other Hawk team is pretty good. We beat them in the district play-down game at Walker but it was a close game. They play solid defense but our boys were working great together and we ended up winning 6-4 to head to the finals for a rematch against the Chicago Jets team we'd lost to on Friday afternoon. So we went home and called/emailed everyone in the family to let them know there was a championship game this afternoon.

The Championship Game: Nathan was a little giddy prior to the championship game because the team has been so close to making it to a tournament final and they were finally going to play in one. This weekend has been great to watch. For some reason, after Friday the boys finally have gotten the feel of how to play together as a team by playing positions, passing the puck and spreading the other team out. Everything sort of came together. Additionally, they've all been skating hard and back-checking to prevent the other team from getting easy scoring chances. They've learned passing the puck makes scoring goals a LOT easier and results in more scoring chances for our team.

In tournaments, they typically begin the championship game by lining up both teams on the blue lines, announcing all of the players, and playing the National Anthem. For some reason, they lined up the players, didn't announce them, and then realized they didn't have a national anthem to play. That's where the fans in the stands came to the rescue (man, I wish this one was on tape)... Someone began singing the national anthem and the entire crowd (which was pretty large and loud since this was a championship game) joined in. We sang through the entire anthem while the players stood at the blue lines. Too funny!

Once the puck dropped, the boys picked up right where they left off from this morning. Everyone was skating hard, doing their part and playing as a team. We jumped out to a 1-0 lead and held that until the middle of the third period. We scored another goal to go up 2-0 with about 4 minutes left. After a mix-up in our end, the Jets scored to make it 2-1. We were still doing a good job of stopping their rushes. They pulled their goalie and really put the pressure on and shot a game-tying goal past our goalie with 24 seconds left in the game to tie it 2-2. Talk about taking the wind out of our sails!

But... immediately after the face-off we went down in their end and put a shot off their goalie. Our center slammed the rebound off the goalie and in the net to go up 3-2 with about 10 seconds left. From there it was a matter of running out the clock. When the game was finally over, the ice became littered with gloves, sticks, helmets, etc. as the boys were celebrating a hard-fought title. They all jumped into a big pile and were screaming along with the crowd. It was great that they were able to end the season on such a high note. I know for Nathan it was extra special because he's been pretty bummed knowing the hockey season was about over and he wouldn't be playing with alot of these boys next season. Most of them are a year older and will be moving up to the Pee Wee age bracket.

After the celebration was over, they lined up each of the teams on the blue lines again. They announced all of the players from both teams to get their trophies and shake hands then they presented the team trophies. After all of the hoopla was over the entire team went out for dinner (and drinks for the parents). I'm completely worn out and I'd imagine the kids are feeling the same way after this weekend. But it couldn't have been scripted any better. Both of the kids did a great job at what they do.

Congratulations HAWK #1!!!
2009 Big Bear Spring Showdown Champions!!!
Nathan is in the front row just to the right of the goalie...

The celebration... I wish I had pictures of the crowd going crazy after that game-winning goal. It was pretty insane!

Congratulations for everyone. I must say the Chicago Jets team was very good. The parents and team were a class act and good sports.

Coach Jim took photos of each of the players and their family with the trophy before heading out for dinner...