Hockey Evaluations

(Guest post by Scott)
As mentioned previously the hockey evaluations were last Sunday. Unfortunately we don't have any fun videos since it started at 8:50 pm and went until just after 10, but I will try to recap.

There were about 25 new folks to the league in total, some (most) were very advanced players who just happened to be new to the league. There were not many new folks that were close to my level, ergo in my eyes I was probably among the worst ones there. Oh well, that will change by season end.

The session started with a bunch of drills. I knew going in that my skates were a bit dull but I thought they would be okay...I was wrong. It had a pretty big effect on my skating ability and I feel like I shortchanged myself a bit by not having them sharpened up beforehand. Lesson learned.

In one of the drills we were supposed to receive a long pass from another player, then skate to the net, make a move on the goalie, then try to put one home. This was the first time I have ever handled a puck on the ice, it was a tense moment.

1st attempt: The puck comes in on a good, hard pass. To my relief I receive said puck with great ease and advance quickly toward the net. I find it is quite difficult to stick handle on ice. My shot is high, left, and pretty weak.

2nd attempt: Pass received with no issues, I close in, make some goofy move that fools no one and weakly tap the puck harmlessly into the goalie's pads.

3rd attempt: I'm getting better. Pass received. Going hard to the net...straight cash homey:

In my mind it looked just like the above. Don't try to tell me otherwise. You weren't there:)

Yes, it is evaluations. Yes, other people did better. The hell with them, this is my first goal. I celebrate as follows and am tempted to go fish the puck out of the net. The goalie (who was pretty good) had been shamed.


Then there were some 2-on-1 drills. Sometimes I was on offense, sometimes defense. Fortunately I have an actual photo of what I looked like when playing defense. I am the one in the orange with the white stripe below. It didn't go so well when I was defending against two dudes who probably have been playing since they were fetuses.


After the drills we scrimmage for an hour or so, it played just like a real game. Line changes, off-sides, you name it. I actually did pretty well for never having played. I'll get some video of these games when they start in a week or so.

After the game the Captains for all teams are called off ice to do their draft. The best players go to the "A" division (highly competitive, ex college players, etc), the next group go to the B league (intermediate\advanced), then there is the C level for beginners and novices.

Guess where I was drafted to play! That's right baby, C league all the way, and that is exactly where I wanted to be. Good playing time to be had, good instruction from some experienced players as well since our team has a mentor from the B division who at one time played minor league hockey.

The name of the team is the Icemen, I'm not sure what the logo looks like but hopefully it is something like this:



I have a great goal celebration picked out should this be the case and God-willing I can put a few in the back of the net. I will call it the "Iceman Teeth Chomp", because that's right...I am dangerous.



More to come as it unfolds.

Family is Forever

We got together for a nice dinner at my mom's house this afternoon. The kids had so much fun playing with their cousins and making a mess of Grammy's home. And they thought Uncle Ben's bike was awesome!

EVERYBODY had to take turns sitting on it and posing :)
We also got some nice pics of the family. . .

Thanks for a wonderful afternoon and a delicious dinner! We really should do it more often. Love you all!!

On Top of the World

You can't see me up here, can you?

. . . And, down we go!

Brooks' new favorite thing to do is climb. . .the couches, his crib, the bathtub, the beds, the coffee tables, and the kitchen table. Apparently kitchen table=Mount Everest in our house. Once he gets on top he looks around like "Look at me! I'm on top of the world!" And then he promptly gets in trouble :)

Hockey Blog II - Undrafted Rookie (for now)

(Guest Post by Scott)

Evaluations for this Hockey league are set for Sunday at 8:50 pm. This will also be the first time I will ever handle a puck on the ice or attempt a shot with an actual goalie in net.

Nerves are starting to kick in a bit but I am going to try my best to have fun with this instead of making it ultra competitive. Who am I kidding...I will probably make it ultra competitive, check some 40 year old dude into the boards and celebrate my first goal like it was game 7 of the finals. I already have a celebration in mind. I will get to that in a future post.

My wonderful sister had some vacation days to burn this week, so I enlisted her as a camera woman. Here are some videos.

I am beast mode in my hockey pads, it reminds me of the commercial where the chick dresses up like a french maid and the guy dresses up like a goalie for some "role playing".



Note: Seeing as this guy is a Flyers fan I'm not sure why he is doing any role playing since he clearly does not have a penis.

I slowed the skating down for the camera, normally I skate at about 80 mph, weaving in and out of small children as if they were pylons.

A little clarification here, the dude in the background teaches lessons to small kids, he is always at the rink. He is like the skating equivalent of the soup nazi, pounding the fundamentals into these kids like he is getting paid for it (which he is). I think my lack of formal training irks this guy, I am waiting for him to point me out to his students and say "don't do it like that moron".

I should have interviewed him for the blog entry, he was there when I was busting my ass trying to transition from forwards to backwards. He was witness to some less than graceful falls. He has to be somewhat impressed with the progress. Why doesn't he love me :(

Bonus footage: Amanda stepped out from behind the camera and donned the gloves for quick spin. Sorry I cut the camera off just before the triple lutz, Brian Boitano would be proud.

As for the upcoming evaluation it consists of drills for the first part and then a scrimmage game for the second part. Seeing as I have never played a real game outside of NHL '11 on PS3, this should be a spectacle to behold.

After the game there is a draft. That's right, a friggin' draft. Will we stand in a big line and teams will pick who they want? Will they do it behind closed doors? Initial thoughts:

1. Sweet Lord, I hope I'm not the worst one there...
2. I better not be last picked or someone dies in the parking lot.

And lastly I saw this while perusing the interwebz today, it felt apropos.


So at this point it is sink or swim, I have dropped too much capital in equipment to back out of this and evaluations will happen whether I am surprisingly decent or shit the bed like the Capitals in the playoffs. I'll let you know either way.

Hi, ho. Hi, ho. It's Back To School He Goes!

For some reason, the first day of school this year was a MUCH bigger deal than it was last year. Beckham got a new outfit, new shoes, and even a surprise 1st day of school gift (a new Toy Story watch to replace the long lost one) to start off the new year. Daddy even woke up early and cooked a huge breakfast of bacon, deer sausage, and cheesy eggs for our growing boy.

I walked Beckham in just like I did on his first day last year. He was super excited to walk through the huge balloon arch!

And by the time I took his picture in the classroom he was over saying cheese, but he humored me :)

Then came this serious look. Hmmm. What could be going through his sweet head?

So, after dropping the big bubby off at school, Johnny Rumbles and I ran some errands. He didn't know what to make of me letting him hold hands and walk into all the stores. He's usually strapped down in a cart or being toted at all times- haha!

After our errands, we went to the community center for "story time" a.k.a. running and dancing and being silly. He was totally confused that the songs were coming from the lady's mouth AND the speakers. He kept looking around at the speakers while he clapped like he was expecting to see someone up there- haha!

When it came time to pick Beckham up from school, he actually talked! Last year all I could get him to tell me about his day is what snack he had. This year I got a few of his friends' names, some activities he did, and what he ate for lunch. Yay!

Grandma Helen's 85th

We spent another lovely day at the Parker pool for Grandma Helen's 85th birthday. Scott and Sean went iceskating while the rest of us enjoyed more summer-like activities like swimming, laying out, and eating.

Monkey see, monkey do!

Grandma Helen threatened to come in the pool in her birthday suit, but decided it would be best to sit on the porch and read the paper :)

Once everyone was home (except for Dad, who had to go to work), Grandma Helen opened gifts. We relaxed for a little while while Mom slaved in the kitchen over a delicious cuisine of ham, German potatoes, and deviled eggs.

After dinner, we sang happy birthday and enjoyed some delicious homemade cherry pie. Yum!

"May you all reach the age of 85 !"

Workin' At The Carwash

While Beckham was playing with the previously mentioned bubble gun, Brooks decided to climb in the baby pool in his pajamas. That said, the boys ended up in their swim suits again. They took the opportunity to wash Brooks' car.

Then we came inside to play and eat. Who says little boys need to wear clothes?
So, this was too cute. Beckham was playing with the dump truck. I hear him go in the playroom and bring out his tool box and say, "I have just the tool in my tool box to fix this!" I LOVE LITTLE BOYS!

Bubbles!

Grammy watched the boys one night so Scott and I could have a date night and see the new Harry Potter movie. While we were out having a good time, Grammy was at home blowing bubbles with the boys. The first thing Beckham wanted to do the next morning was take his new bubble gun outside for more fun. He had such a great time that he had to call Grammy at work and say "thank you" again :)

Brooks loved the bubbles so much, that it has become one of his most well-spoken words. Well, that and "daddy"- haha!

Spinning Chair

One of the boys' favorite things to do lately is pull the office chair in the living room and spin each other. I talked them in to sitting together for a change. . .

Backyard Fun

After taking the boys to the barber shop for "back to school" cuts, I filled the baby pool with water and dish soap and let the boys have a field day. They couldn't have been happier! With the temperatures we've had lately, its rare we wander outside. . .

Brooksy's First Barber Shop Cut

Now that Beckham is a big boy, he has become an old pro at getting barber shop cuts. He hasn't cried the last half a dozen times we've been there. I thought that by watching his example Brooks would think it was nothing, but oh was I wrong! Brooks was hysterical! He acted just like Beckham used to :(

Look at those crocodile tears. So sad :(

But doesn't he look handsome?!?

Like Father/Mother, Like Son

From left to right at 1 year of age:
Mommy, Brooks, Beckham, Daddy

And from left to right at around 4 years of age:
Mommy, Beckham, and Daddy

Jammin' Session

Scott's been playing his guitar a lot lately. The boys have so much fun watching, listening, and joining in. Brooks always makes an extra trip into the office to get the guitar stand. They like to pretend its a microphone :)

Family Time

Time has not been "on my side" lately. I have been dying to spend some time with my brother and sister and was finally able to last week. This is extremely pathetic considering my brother lives 30 minutes and my sister lives 1 hour away. We should be able to see each other more than once in a blue moon. That being said, I took the boys to spend a day with my sister and her kids last week. We spent the entire day at the pool. The kids had an absolute blast together, but I only captured one pic. Brooks was shoveling watermelon in his mouth and had it dripping down his entire belly.

So Tuesday we spent with my sister and Thursday we had my brother and Lisa up for dinner. We made a fine cuisine- haha of burgers and brats. We sat and visited while the boys were excused to play and entertain us. It was lovely! I had to get a picture of Ben and Brooks together while they were over, because when anyone asks who Brooks looks like I tell them his Uncle Ben.

Speaking of, I'll have to make a note to make a future blog with mine and Scott's childhood pics so we can compare and contrast.

Seany's Special Day

We gathered at the Parker house in Snellville a couple weekends ago to celebrate Sean's 24th birthday. We spent the afternoon in the pool then took it inside for some gifts and food.

. . .the card we got him :)

And the hat we got him, along with some quality gifts from others.

Sean asked his awesome pastry chef of a sister to make him a "Funfetti" cake for his birthday. She went along with it and delivered this. Unbelievable! She can even make funfetti look good!! (I think the above pic was taken about the time he figured out the candles were relighting.)

Happy Birthday, Seany Bear!

. . .And the Inside

I couldn't find a pic great enough to represent a "before". Just know that the fireplace used to blend in with the walls!