She Shoots...She SCORES!!!

Remember this guy from a previous Wordless Wednesday? Well, here is the rest of the story. This horse figure sits in front of a local flower shop. He gets repainted on a regular basis, at least monthly. In honor of the local girls soccer club, the horse was painted to match one of their uniform combinations. So what does that have to do with me you ask.

Our oldest grand daughter plays in the under 12 league. This is her first season to play in her own age group in two years. She has been playing in an older league the past two seasons, meaning that she was the smallest player on the field most of the time. This year is a different story.

Last Saturday they played another local team from the same club. We won 3-0 and Scooter scored the first goal of the match. It was a beautiful shot into the upper corner of the goal. She got the centering pass from a team mate while at full speed, touched the ball once to get it under control and then BAM!!!! into the net. She shoots, she SCORES! It was also her first goal of the young season. She was grinning from ear to ear for the next five minutes. Life is good.

Soccer Fever

This week-end marked the beginning of soccer season. Scooter's team should have played two games by now, but they have been rained out. This morning they played their first match, which ended in a tie. This afternoon they weren't so lucky. They ran into a team that had obviously not had any matches rained out and have probably competed in one tournament already. Let's just say, "It was not a pretty sight." Oh well, at least I got some photos to share. Click on any of the photos to enlarge them.

Pregame Warm-up

Free Kick - No Goal!

Not all of the good photo opportunities are on the field. Since the entire family was at the match, there were some other photos to be taken in the stands.

Mom's Boy

Dad's Girl

Hangin' With Dad

Lil Sis

Certainly it would have been a better afternoon if we had won, but we spent a couple of hours together as a family, went to a pizza place for dinner and just enjoyed being outdoors together. The season has just begun.

Spring Has Sprung & Soccer Is In The Air!

It's springtime in the Ozarks. My taxes are done and I've already gotten the refunds from the state and federal governments. Life is good. We've had our first serious spring rain that dumped five inches on us last week and flooded all of the creeks in the area. Last night we had our first tornado of the young season. This one got within about two miles of the house. I saw the wall cloud and rotation on my way home from work. It's pretty impressive, I must admit. Yep, it's springtime in the Ozarks alright.
Spring also ushers in soccer season for the oldest granddaughter. Truly, soccer is about the best sport for youngsters. It gets them involved in a team without the need for special skills. If they can run, they can enjoy the game. They don't have to be able to hit a ball, throw a ball, or catch a ball. They just have to be able to run. Early on, many of them don't even know the final score, and that may be the best part...they just spent time outside with other kids their own age, running up and down a field. The score was not important. When you get to under fourteen, the score becomes important. They really begin to develop the skills of the game by age ten, and at age twelve, some of the girls are very good players. Scooter is one of those.
Scooter is the jock of the three sisters. She has been playing this game since she was six and now at twelve, she's playing in an under fourteen league. She holds her own most of the time by using superior speed and quickness to get the job done. Most of the girls are bigger than Scooter, except when it comes to a passion for the game and heart. She is extremely competitive and loves soccer and basketball. She tried cheer leading for the peewee football team one year and was bored to tears. If she's not in the game, there is no point to being at the game. Scooter was not made to be a spectator, but a participant. So, for the next six to eight weeks, our Saturday mornings, and a few afternoons, will be spent at the soccer fields.

Well, it's Friday and that means a hymn to close out the week. Life presents us with endless possibilities for health, wealth, status, power, glory, and things that we are told will make us happy. The truth is, only a relationship with the one who loves us most will bring us true joy.
When it's all said and done, I'd rather have Jesus. Enjoy

I'd Rather Have Jesus - Allison Krause