It's All Over.

Yesterday was the last basketball game of the season.  Today was the awards banquet.  This was the first time I coached girls basketball and holy wow does it take it out of you.  We combined our team practices with another team, so in total there were 14 screaming, bouncing off the wall 1st-3rd grade girls every week.  It was a lot.  I like kids, used to work with them for a career...but I'm either getting old or I just forgot how energetic they can be!

I coached for three reasons: The first was that the kid kept asking me to coach a team she played on and second, I thought that I could bring something to these kids...even if it was just hugs every week (which I am totally guilty of).  The third, in some sick way I thought that if I coached I could convince myself that I wasn't sick - ha! ha!  What a joke!  Like basketball is going to make cancer disappear?  Or lupus?  I just went home every week more and more tired.  But oh, the things we try to make ourselves believe.  I'm exhausted.

Anyway, the kids were all good kids.  We had one kid on our team that was missing all of her front teeth and she had the biggest smile.  She smiled all the time, even when she didn't make a basket.  In fact, she only made her first basket at our second to last game of the season.  She just never gave up.  Every week when I saw her, she just lifted my spirits.  It was a good season. 

The organization we played through is fantastic.  They ensure all the kids get equal playing time and play every position.  They encourage the kids and really work on building their confidence.  It was nice to be a part of something that wasn't through our immediate community district that is totally based on winning.

The award ceremony was very nice today.  All the kids received a new backpack.  They introduced all of the teams and the kids got to run in down the aisle in their uniforms in front of all of the parents.  Then they had a magician perform that was absolutely hilarious.  I was in stiches, as was everyone in the audience.  Finally, they introduced the coaches (my biggest nightmare!) and presented us each with a plaque with the team photo, our name and year on it.  It's extremely nice!  At the end they did a raffle for the kids with prizes that local businesses donated.  It was all very well done.
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This week I'm going to try to work on not eating chocolate for one week.  That will be my goal.  We'll see how well or not so well that goes.

My postcard to Germany via postcrossing arrived yesterday.  That means I should be receiving another postcard soon.  Yay!  I hope the kid's postcards arrive soon as well so she can start receiving them too! 

I'm not getting very far in my Jackie Collins book.  It isn't holding my interest, and it's a big ass book.  I'm at page 201 out of 504.  Was considering passing on it, but if I'm 200 pages in already, eh?  What the hell?

I didn't go to church this morning either.  Don't ask me why, for some reason God was guiding me toward shoe shopping instead. 
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Today I am grateful for my daughter, that I found some summer clothes that fit and look nice, and it was warm enough to go coat-less today.