Life without softball

Well its been a full week without having to attend or look forward to any softball events. Thats a strange feeling I must say. I am really disappointed that the Lady Leopards didn't make it to the National Tournament, but as they say everything happens for a reason. I just really wanted to be on my way to Utah about now.

Although I am not on my way to Utah things aren't very slow at our house. Josh played 7 on 7 football on Monday, plus had a baseball game. Won all three games on 7 on 7 which I thought was pretty good. And won the baseball game. I was glad of that also.

Jessi has been working and is enjoying the money she is making. I keep telling her she needs to put some back, but of course i know nothing. Glad all us parents are stupid.... Oh well.

Randi is getting ready to move to San Antonio. By the end of the month she will be there for at least the next 4 years. Who knows what will happen after that. She has 4 more years to get her degree. She graduated from Temple College on Saturday. It was nice. I am sure she won't chose to walk for graduation again. I am sure the only reason she did it this time was for me. So I thank her for that. Well guess thats about it for today. I will add some pictures that I took on Saturday from graduation.

Its over.....

Well as I sit and write this, softball has come to end at the Smith household. Randi played her last college game on Sunday, and Jessi is unable to play anymore. Since I last wrote, Randi did go to Temple and has been playing first base for the Lady Leopards, which I must say up until this last weekend, was a blast. Jessi ended up having to have shoulder surgery for the second time in November of last year. The doctor said she could come back and play but we decieded that it wasn't a good idea, that she needed to be able to use her shoulder for life instead of just softball, so it was hard to watch her say goodbye to the sport we all love at our house. Josh has been fine, he made the 'A' team football and basketball in Junior High this year and loved it. He is in the process of playing 7 on 7 football and baseball. Mark is coaching him again in baseball and while it isn't going great, its not too bad.



Well lets expand on the kids. Josh did have a pretty good year in football. Although they don't throw the ball a whole lot in the the 7th grade, what they did throw to him, he pretty well caught. Then there was this amazing interception he caught this year. So we had a good time watching him. It was our first experience with football, seeing how the other two players in our house were girls. I have really enjoyed boys athletics, it doesn't seem to be quite as political as the girls side. Anyway, then we went on to basketball, where he did pretty good there too. He really is athletic and fun to watch. Then we went to track where we found out Josh likes to practice but not go to the meets. Oh well....



On to Jessi. Well it was a rough year for her. It was not fun finding out she had to have surgery again and would thus end her softball, I was really looking forward to watching her grow as a player and have some fun watching her on the field. It was rather heartbreaking. But i guess its whats for the best. She was a basketball manager for the boys varsity this year and I think she had fun. Somedays she did, others not so much, but it at least gave her something to do. She has now gotten a job and is working a couple of days a week, which is good for her. She needed something to do besides run around. She was dating a boy from Crawford and even went to the Crawford prom this year and had a good time there, but they have since broken up, but she did look great at prom. Anyway she is about to finish up her junior year and we will see what the future holds.



Well it was bittersweet Sunday when the Lady Leopards lost to end softball for us. Randi is ready to move on to other things in her life and while I don't blame her, I will miss softball. But all things must come to an end. I am proud of her though, this year she played first for Temple and was selected to the First team all conference squad. And was named all academic. To be on the all academic squad you have to have a 3.5 or higher gpa. So I thought that was totally great.



The Lady Leopards had a pretty great season. They won the conference with a 26-2 record, but weren't able to win the conference tournament to get to the national championship tournament. I won't say much on that......Emily Leib, Randi's former high school pitcher and roommate pitched great this year for the Lady Leopards. I enjoyed watching those two together playing again. Well I am going to try and add some pictures here for all to see... Enjoy..






Josh and his snake


Jessi at prom

me and Randi after her last game.

wow time flies

I am going to try and do better about blogging, i just seem to forget. Besides no one reads it anyway. So lets see what has happened since the last time I updated.

I will start with my oldest and work my way down.

Randi finished her first year of college with at 3.46 GPA. Which I thought was pretty darn good seeing as I am not sure she was ever in class due to softball. TVCC didn't have such a great spring and I think they ended the conference season with an 8-16 record. Randi did a whole lot of pitching and I think i am right saying 7 of those 8 wins were hers on the mound. They played Lon Morris a double header and she pitched both games and won them both. I really think she would have had a better season if it had been a different coach. She will attend Temple Junior College this fall and play for the Lady Leopards. I am excited for her as she will only be 30 minutes from home and I will hopeful get to watch a lot of games. She has been working all summer for Velvet Impressions. VI does t-shirts and other things. She has done pretty good I think.

Jessi finished her sophomore year of high school this spring and made it to be a junior. She finally got out of her sling and has been doing physical therapy and has hated, i do believe, every single minute of it. She goes back to the doctor on the 17th of August for a check up and we are hoping she will be able to start throwing the ball some. That is the goal. I think she is ready. I know i am. She turned 16 in July and that has been fun. She won't get her drivers license until October so I have a little while before we do that. For her birthday we got her an i phone. We just got it yesterday though. But i think she likes it. She has also been working for Velvet Impressions. I think she done pretty good also. It has given her some extra money and that has helped a whole lot.

Joshua turned 12 in May and had a pretty good baseball season this year. Mark did coach and they had a pretty good time. Josh made all-stars this year and did really well.. The team came in second at the district tournament, falling to Midway two games. Josh caught this one ball that should have gone over the fence but he was able to jump up and catch it and robbed this Midway kid of a home run. It was awesome.
I got him a phone this summer because he is at home sometimes alone, the only problem is he never answers it... oh well...
He will start Junior High football this fall. We are looking forward to watching him play. I hope he has a good season.

Well as for Mark and I we are fine, tired from chasing kids, but oh well nothing new there. He went to a different store this week in Belton, so at least he isn't too far from Randi..

well guess that's it for now.. I don't have any pictures to add... I know that's strange, but my camera is at home and i haven't had time to down load any... for now toodles...

its been a while

Josh playing bb
jessi and cameron at the zoo
randi in temple playing
randi in temple playing
I have just realized it has been forever since i have posted anything...not that anyone but me even noticed...Things have progressed since i last updated.. Randi broke up with her other boyfriend and has a new one.. I like this one... Jessi had to have shoulder surgery. She tore the top muscle and the bottom muscle on her right shoulder. She is still in a sling and will be out of it a week from today.... i know she is ready as am i... Joshua played basketball and did really well. Wasn't a high scorer, but did a great job on defense... He is now playing baseball and Mark is coaching him... Games start next week... I can't wait to watch him....

Randi is still playing softball and although i don't get to watch much of it, she has been doing pretty good. She went through a hitting slump for a couple of weeks, but i think she is coming back around now. She has also been pitching.. Been doing pretty good there also.

I really miss getting to watch Jessi play. I tried to go get some pictures of the Lady Hornets last night and couldn't do it. Maybe before the end of the season i can get some of the girls...Its just not the same.

I have gotten some of Randi and the girls.. They love my pictures... LOL.. I think they just like looking at them selves...

Stuff

I haven't posted in a while, so i thought i would update everyone on whats going on.... Randi just finished her fall season with great results. I pulled up TVCC's website Wednesday afternoon and like to have fainted. There was an article on there that was mostly Randi. My baby in college, getting that, i am so proud. I know she worked so hard for this. She has done a great job so far this year in school. I even like her new boyfriend. He seems to be really great....

Jessi is having a little trouble. I won't go into it here, but lets just say she got screwed, but its okay, all will be okay and she will be a better person for it. I am going to take her out tomorrow afternoon and take some pictures of her. I didn't and don't buy school pictures, since i can and like to take my own, so we are going to go take some tomorrow, if the weather permits. I need some of Josh, but that is next to impossible. He hates to have his picture taken.

Josh hates homework and is about to drive me nuts. I just wish he would do the crap and get it over with, but no.... we have to fight everynight... Football is almost over for him. He has two games left. Hope he does well in them...

I am finally driving my mustang. Her name is Lucy. She really needs a paint job, but i will get her one soon. Jessi hates her... Oh well not much i can do about that... Josh likes her... anyway.. i will see if i have any pictures... I think i have some of Randi the weekend of her birthday. I swear I have no idea how she got to be 19 I am not old enough to have a 19 year old... lol...

Football...

We watched Josh play football on Saturday morning, this was his second game, but he didn't do so hot in that game, he really stepped it up on his second game. He threw for a 15 yard pass, (and he isn't the qb), then he scored a touchdown. IT was great. He did a great job. He also got in there on defense and did really good there too....

Space Shuttle

While we were at the tournament in Bossier City, we were sitting there watching the game and there had been big planes flying over all day, and we were able to watch them bring in the space shuttle. And of course i got pictures. I have posted the best one.. It was really neat to watch...

Randi's first College tournament.....

I got to go to Randi's first college tournament, it was in Bossier City Louisana.... What a trip. Mark, Josh and I went and i think had a pretty good time, although i was worn out on Monday.. I took about 350 pictures and have added some here. I have her first at bat, her first time to stand on third and her first pitch... I did get some really good pictures. I also took some of some of the other girls, but don't have them on here. It was really nice to get to see the first time she stepped on the field for college. She had a pretty good tournament i thought.... Anyway....

Booster Club

Okay folks the Gatesville All sports booster club paid for the varsity football players, trainers and video people anyway....... i took some pictures....... so here they are....

hmmmmm

jessi
Jessi

Morgan

Randi and Loren move in day

Randi and Loren with goofy faces, move in day

Randi watering the field before practice

Kritty at practice

Randi....

Well its been a while since i have posted anything.. Not that anyone reads this or cares, but anyway... lol....Things have been crazy... We got Randi off to TVCC.. I swear it about killed me, but i seem to be living through it... anyway... Jessi is playing softball with AXE out of the metroplex, thank God for Julie who takes her to all that crap.. Her and Morgan played in Waco two weeks ago and it went really well. Jess did an awesome job... i will attach some pictures from that tournament, plus the few i have from Randi moving in her dorm. I also made a flying trip up there last Friday night to take her, her broken tail light. I watched a four hour practice, i don't know how they do it. I took Kritty with me.. That was entertaining to say the least...

Turning 40

Turning 40 is turning out to be quite and adventure. My birthday isn't until tomorrow but i am taking off tomorrow, so Brenda and Stephanie at my office decieded that today would be a great day to help me celebrate... So I get out to the truck this morning and find dead flowers.... then i get to the office and well i am just going to attach the pictures for you to see... Brenda did get me a very nice watch.... I love it... Anyway... See for yourself what they did to me... There is more, but for some reason i can't get the pictures put in the right order, so i left them out... but on the floor when you first walk in the office. it has pieces of paper with Look who is turning the big 40 Dede Smith.. These are on the floor leading to my office with dead rose petals... really funny...

Insane

You know you must be insane when you buy your daughter a new car and the bumper sticker she must have comes from the ASA Hall of Fame in Oklahoma City.. I told her i would replace hers, since the other one is on her old truck. So i go online today and order the 3.95 sticker.. The shipping was 7.95..... so this bumper sticker is costing me 12... i almost could have driven to Oklahoma for it.. Geez.... Talk about spoiled..... I shouldn't have told her i would do that, but its too late now... Well anyway... have a great day..

Rambo's car

Well Randi got a car for graduation. We had been toying with her for about the last several months letting her look at cars, and then telling her no. We finally went and got it the day the girls played in the semifinals in Austin. We drove it down that night and showed it to her. It was really cool. Here are some pictures of her with it...

Jessi Marie

Morgan, Randi and Jessi after the tourament

Morgan and Jessi

Morgan at 3rd

Morgan catching Jessi

Jessi pitching

Jessi on short

Jessi at short..

Well another softball weekend has come and gone... Jessi played this past weekend in Garland with Morgan on Morgan's team Axe. They have asked her to come play with them permanent.... Jessi really liked the girls and the coaches, and she didn't do too bad playing either. Its always my worst fear they will get up there and forget how to play. She played short stop for them and pitched a game.. It was a good experience. If she does go play for them I won't be able to go much. Julie has offered to take her and since Jessi already thinks she is Julies that will be fine... I just hate not to get to go.. it drives me crazy and i am on the phone with someone 24/7 trying to find out how they are doing. Anyway it was fun to watch Morgan. Those two are a trip together... Anyway both girls are playing this weekend in Waco. Jessi will play for Texas Ice and Rambo is playing with the Batbusters... So another busy weekend. Plus we are finally having Randi's graduation party.. Just a tad bit late, but oh well better late than never..