Only 15 Hours Left of 2004...!

Wow... I can't believe this year is almost over.

Today I'll log on through out the day and chronicle the last moments of 2004 from Coach Sam's perspective.

Here's today's slate of activities:

I'm about to take Monica's car to Forestone for an oil change. I was going to do it myself to save some money but they have a special today for $12.99. You can't beat that...!

Next we're going to take my jeep to a transmission place. It's leaking a little fluid. Then we're going to go see the Dead Sea Scrolls exhibit at the Houston Museum of Natural Science.

I'm not sure what's up after that. But I think later we're going to have dinner at Taste of Texas.

That's the morning report here on New Year's Eve at 8:32 AM

Bye for Now... Coach Sam

Getting close to the end of the year...!

I'm giving my last tennis lessons of 2004 this afternoon...! It's just going to be a short trip to League City and a four hour stint. Tomorrow Monica and I are going to go see the Dead Sea Scrolls. After that, we'll have dinner at our favorite Thai Restaurant. That is if it's open. We're worried the owners might have been caught up in the tsunami. They usually go to Thailand every year during the holidays. We've been praying for them, their friends and family.

We don't have New Year's Day planned out yet, but hey, that's not until next year anyway, so what's the rush...?

It's a little rainy here this morning, but I'll bet it will dry up this afternoon. I've got about 3 hours before I have to head to Clear Lake... I'll probably clean out Monica's car... ( I made it kinda messy.) Then I may try to do something with the garage. It's a bit messy, too.

I want to start spending at least 30-45 minutes every morning on some kind of home improvement project. I used to do that every day when we first moved in, but once we made the place fairly livable I got out of the routine. Well, I'm back in my fix it up mode again...!

I've been good with my crunches. And I'm starting to see a little flatter tummy. I'm up to about 30 minutes every morning now and have been pretty good with my diet for about a week. God is helping me. I'm no longer trying to do anything under my own power. I know that all I have and accomplish is through He who strengthens me!

Hey, here's a return to an old favorite column... Things Coach Sam Likes: Does anyone remember that...? Well, today I want to feature a favorite restaurant of mine: Sweet Tomatoes. It's the ultimate salad, soup and bakery bar. They have an unbelievable selection. You could eat there just about every day and not get bored with the variety...! It's healthy, and reasonably priced, too.

OK, well... I need to get to work here at the house. I've been online reading email and journaling for about 2 hours. Time to get something accomplished...!

Bye for now...

Coach Sam

Long day today...!

I had difficulty sleeping last night. I'm just restless about a lot of things. But i spent most of my sleepless time in prayer and I feel good today. I spent a good deal of time in my prayer journal this morning writing about the events in southeast asia and I invite you read that if you have a chance.

I'm about to do some exercises and watch a sermon from College of Biblical studies on TV. That's my new 6 AM routine. I do crunches for 30 minutes in front of the TV...

Today I need to leave by 7 AM to go to Columbia Lakes. I have lessons there almost all day.

I hope my feet hold up. And I hope they've fixed the heat in the proshop...!

Well, it's 5:59 AM I need to close here so i don't miss my sermon.

Bye for now... Coach Sam

Tournament Tuesday

Today I'm hosting a 1/2 day tournament for my tennis students in The Clear Lake Area. This should be a good and fun day. The weather's supposed to be beautiful...! I could use a few extra participants, but maybe I'll be surprised and some extra people will show up...

I have a little gap after my camp then I'm going to Lake Cove for one more lesson to round out the evening.

This morning I've got a few errands to run before my tourny so I'd better get cracking...!

Bye for now...

Coach Sam

Short Week...

I'm heading in to Columbia Lakes this morning but I don't have any lessons scheduled today. I
'm going to try to call some people and arrange a lesson or two if I can. Monica is going to join me and work on some art while we're there.

I desperately need to organize my office today. It's a shambles from my last trip. I went a little over board cleaning last week and left right in the middle of a big mess simply because we ran out of time.

If I have time I'll write some more this afternoon, but don't hold me to that...!

Bye for now... Coach Sam

It was a Great Christmas...!

I had a good Christmas... It was relaxing. Monica and I spent the whole day today. We cooked, had an awesome meal, and generally just hung out all day and evening.

We watched a couple of rental movies: The Count of Monte Christo... it was very good. And Mona Lisa Smile... it was a girl movie, but I enjoyed it ok... This morning I've been working on my website and sending out a few emails for next week's lesson programs.

We're going to have lunch at Bennigan's today. We're hungry for guess what...? Monte Christo sandwiches.

I'm going to have to get some exercise today. If I don't I won't be able to fit in to any of my clothes...! It's beautiful out today. I think Monica and I will play a little tennis and then go for a walk...!

That's about it...! Bye for now...

Coach Sam

Snow Flakes Falling on My Head...!

It snowed in Houston for the first time in 15 years...! I was cooking a brisket in my smoker when I noticed the snow flakes falling in the back yard. What a treat...!

The Christmas Feast

Yesterday I smoked briskett for 12 hours and it came out really good... This morning I'm smoking a turkey. The bird went in at 5:30 AM so it should be ready between Noon and 1 PM if I can keep the smoker temperature steady.

I awakened this morning hoping to see some snow accumulated on the ground but there was none. Oh well. It was fun to see snow yesterday while it lasted. In fact yesterday was a very nice relaxing day... Much like I hope today will be. Merry Christmas to all...!

Coach Sam @ 5:32 AM

)()()()()()()()()()()()(

The Smoker is looking good... I heard that Victoria had nearly a foot of snow yesterday. Bay City got eight inches... I'll bet my brother John is making a snow man this morning... Monica and I are channel surfing. With basic cable I think we only get about 20 channels but that's plenty for me. We used to get about 200 channels but found that to be a waste of money because we can go many days without ever even turning the TV on...

Uh Oh.... Monica found the giblets from the turkey and it kinda of grossed her out. I was planning on making some giblet gravey. Being from California Monica's not used to these Southern traditions. Oh well... I'd better get to work helping get lunch ready... Bye for now....

Coach Sam @ 7:38 AM

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Monica just made some rice krispie treats to tide me over until the good stuff is ready. And that should just be a couple more hours. Maybe 2 and a half hours...

I've been working on updating my tennis photo album. This new computer has some great photo editing programs.... I'll be working on my websites pretty much all day today....

The Turkey is cooking nicely. I think Monica is making an apple pie, too... Also on the menu is briskett from last night, green bean casserole, corn bread dressing, and maybe sweet potatoe casserole... I need to go to the store and get some cranberry sauce.... I can't believe we forgot that...!

More later...

Coach Sam @ 10:00 AM

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Another snow report... One of my tennis students Kathryn Rice reported that Angleton got 5 inches of snow last night. She said that she stayed up nearly all night playing in the snow...! What a nice Christmas this has been for everyone...!

And Monica just found some cranberry sauce so that saves me a trip to the store...

Now I may just go to Blockbuster and get some movies... I need to return some, too.

Coach Sam@ 10:20 AM

Merry Christmas -Eve...!

Here's Coach Sam's Blow by Blow Rockin' Christmas Eve...!
(last updated at 8:56 PM -scroll down)

I got up this morning at 8 AM -very late for me. I built another fire in the fireplace. We'll probably keep it going all day...! I just started the smoker up... I'm smoking a briskett today. Unfortunately it won't be ready until tonight.

Then, tomorrow I am getting up early to smoke the Christmas Turkey. We brined it for Thanksgiving and it was so good we were hungry for it again. I brined the briskett too. I read some articles that said brining was the only way to go... So we'll see. I'll give you a report tonight.

More later through out the day....

Coach Sam 8:55 AM


Hello, just thought I'd check in again... I really haven't been very productive so far... I just spent the last two hours browsing blogs and posting comments. I need to get to work on something here at the house... Like organizing my office... Or contacting students for lessons the rest of the month... Monica's been moving slow too... I think she's about to work on an art project for a little while... She just asked me if I'd like to go walking later... Now that's a good idea...! I've got to exercize a little bit over the next few days or it really will look like I'm the pregnant one... Not Monica!

I guess I'll dive in to the office for an hour and see how much I get done... Bye for now...

Coach Sam 10:59 AM


OK... another update: We're having some little snow flakes falling... That's kinda neat...! Now I'm really getting in the Christmas spirit...! Monica and I are about to run to the store to get some more charcoal for the grill... This briskett's going to take more than 20 lbs...! Plus I need charcoal for the turkey tomorrow!

We'll probably grab a quick bite to eat at CC's Pizza... That's a very inexpensive salad bar and pizza buffet. Don't worry, I'll fill up on more salad than pizza...!

Thats' it for now...

Coach Sam 12:30 PM


Back at the casa... I'm about to start planning my activities for News Years and the then the first quarter of 2005. After that I'm going to update my website... That ought to take a little while... In between I'll be sending email messages and keeping an eye on the briskett...

We're listening to Christmas music and enjoying the cozyness of the fireplace. Sigh... This is a Christmas to remember. The only way it could be better is if we had some relatives hanging around. But next year will be the baby's first Christmas and that will be pretty neat... Hmmm... That will be very different! OK, I'm signing off again...

Coach Sam 2:58 PM

Wow... it really started snowing alot in the past couple of hours. I can't remember the last time it snowed here... I took some neat pictures to post later...

I've gone through 20 lbs of charcoal on this briskett and we still have aboyt 3 hours left so I'm going to wimp out and finish it off in the oven... The fireplace is going great. Here I am nearly 40 years old and this is the first time in my life that I've really enjoyed a fireplace in the winter. Most of the houses we lived in growing up did not have a fireplace. Grandmaw's old house had a fireplace but it was a gas log fire. Not a real wood fire. I like the real thing. And I'm finally getting to deplete the wood pile I've been accumulating all year. That's been very satisfying.

OK... Monica want's me to make her something to eat. She can't move from the couch because of her condition. No, not because she's pregnant. She has a kitty sleeping in her lap...!

Coach Sam -6:04 PM


The Briskett's almost ready. We trimmed a little piece and it was good, but I think it could use a little more cook time. Monica's cleaning in the kitchen. I'm watching a Christmas Story. And I'm thinking about making some hot Cocoa or something chocolatey.... My sis called a few minutes ago... And I called my yoiunger brother John and we spoke for a while. So it's been a good Christmas Eve... I've got to get to bed early tonight so I can get up early and cook the turkey...! That's it for today... See you tomorrow...

Coach Sam -8:56 PM

We've Got a Gummy Bear!

Monica had her first Doctor's appointment this afternoon. It was determined by the sonogram that the baby is about 9 weeks old. We can't tell the gender yet, but we could hear the Baby's heart beat. It was 176 beats per minute. One the sonogram we could see the heart beating, too... It was amazing.

The sonogram tech told us the baby was the size of a large gummy bear. We have pictures, too. I'll see if I can scan them in tomorrow.

Everything looks good so far. Monica feels healthy. She still has a bit of nausea every now and then but not as bad as a few weeks ago. That's the baby report...

We built a fire in our fireplace tonight. It was our first fire in the new house. The kitties were very curious... Especially Gabriel... Things have kinda slowed down. Monica just went to bed. I'll go to bed in a few minutes. I want to get to sleep early because I'm going to smoke a briskett tomorrow. I need to leave it on for about twelve hours so I'm going to start at about 5 AM.

Christmas Day I'm going to smoke a Turkey, too. What can I say...? I love my smoker!

Well that's about all the news.... More musings tomorrow.

Thanks for reading my journal. Bye for now. Coach Sam

Holiday Schedule...

Hello...

I was rained out yesterday. I spent a few hours in West Columbia and then went to Bay City to drop off presents at my brother John's store and my grandmother's house. We left the house early in the morning and didn't return until late so I wasn't able to write in the journal at all. I hope you guys didn't miss me too much.

I'll try to get caught up on my journaling more over my little break.

I'm taking off from tennis until next Monday. And it looks like the weather is going to be too cold until Monday anyway...! So, being on my 'holiday schedule' I probably won't be posting journal entries at 4:30 or 5 AM the next few days... I'm liable to log on anytime of the day.

Monica and I are about to go to the Doctor for her first check up. Hopefully we'll be able to determine how far along she is.... I'm very excited...! I normally don't look forward to going to the doctor but today's an exception.

I'll probablylog on again this afternoon when we get back. More later... Bye for now...!

Tennis Camp...!

5:00 PM Tuesday... Reporting in from Diedrich's Coffee Shop in Clear Lake:

Wow... I barely made it today... It rained all morning right up until my tennis camp started. But the rain went away at 1 PM and we were able to get it all in. I'd say it was nothing short of a miracle...! And I had 17 students today so I didn't want to cancel it. But it all went great.

Now, if the weather will hold out for tomorrow, too that will be another miracle! I've got a camp in West Columbia but the forecast is for rain all day. And cold....! And wind...! But I guess if I can't teach tomorrow I'll still be ok. Monica and I are going to go in to Columbia Lakes rain or shine because I have some office work to do there. And she's going to do some artwork. We're setting up a little studio for her in my tennis shop so she can start to come to work with me on Monday and Wednesday. I'm really psyched about that...!

I also need to go to Bay City tomorrow afternoon and do some work for my grandmother... And then I've promised Monica a meal at her favorite Thai restaurant on our way home in Houston.

Tomorrow should be a good and fun day...!

Well that's it. I'm pleased to report that my tennis camp went well. After tomorrow I'll be on Holiday vacation for a few days..! Bye for now...

Coach Sam

Getting More Sleep

I read two different articles yesterday that said that sleep deprivation leads to obesity. I've been having a lot of trouble keeping my weight down for some time and I definitely have been sleep deprived for some time so perhaps there's something to that theory.

Any way, in my war on fat and weight gain, I've started adding more sleep to my routine. Last night I went to bed at 8:45 PM and was asleep by 9 PM. I did wake up a few times throughout the night but over all, I enjoyed more sleep than I have in a long time. And I do feel better this morning...

Let's see if that makes a significant difference. I'm all for feeling better, any time!

Yesterday my camp in West Columbia went well. And today I have a camp in Nassau Bay. That will be a big one... I think I should have at least 18-20 participants!

The weather's supposed to turn colder on Wednesday... And probably wetter, too. So today might be the last bit of coaching I do before Christmas. Monica and I are going to stay home for Christmas. I tried to invite my brothers over for the holiday but they all declined. Oh well...

Monica and I are still going to prepare a big traditional Holiday feast and we'll deliver dinners to homeless people in the Montrose area. Depending on how long the cold weather lasts I'll definitely be able to get caught up with all my house projects... And website projects, too!

That's about it for now.... Stay safe out there on the road today. Talk to you later...!

Coach Sam

Back to the Rock Quarry...

That's my favorite line from the Flintsones. Good old Fred Flintsone. He sure had a lot to say about life.

Monica and I enjoyed a wonderfully elegant dinner with friends last night. It was simply delightful. We haven't done that in a long time. Today is a special day, too. Monica's coming to work with me today. She'll help me with my camp this morning and then she's going to work on an art project this afternoon while I teach private lessons.

I love it when Monica comes to work with me. I miss her terribly on those days when I'm away sometimes 12 plus hours...

Hmmmmm... She's having a hard time waking up this morning. That's not surprising... She went to bed a little after 11 PM last night so she's only had about six hours sleep. I had some coffee after dinner last night and it was super strong. I slept very lightly last night. I awakened quite frequently every hour or so. In fact, I don't know why I'm not so tired right now... I'm sure it will hit me this afternoon.

Oh well... I'd better go in there and try to wake Monica up again...!

Ok... I was successful that time, but she's not too talkative, yet...

So, let's see... Here's a quick recap of my weekend.

Friday was a full day with lessons in Clear Lake, then lunch in Sugarland, then more lessons in Clear Lake... Then the annual church Christmas party.... Saturday I taught in West Columbia all morning and then went to Bay City in the afternoon.... Sunday Monica and I slept in and then went shopping at Costco, then we went to Texas Art supply to buy her a drafting table she can use at Columbia Lakes. We still had a few extra minutes so we went to a chocolate candy store to pick up a few gifts, then we went to half price books -One of my favorite stores. I got a copy of a tennis book that I loaned out a few years ago and never had it returned to me. I also got a book on how to make my own sushi at home. And Monica got a pregnancy video or something... I hope she doesn't make me watch it with her... After our little Half Price Books shopping spree we went to dinner at a friend's house in Baytown.

So, it was a very full weekend. This week won't be so bad... I've got a busy day today and tomorrow. and I have a lot of lessons scheduled for Wednesday but the weather is supposed to be bad... We'll just have to wait and see....

That's the scoop. Thanks for reading my journal. I'll try to update tomorrow morning...!

Bye for now...

Coach Sam

Saturday...

Today won't be so bad... I am running a bit late this morning, though so I'll have to be brief again. Last night Monica went to our Church Christmas party for the arts departments.

Between Instrumentalists, choir, drama, and technical arts their were easily 80 people there. We had an awesome time. That was a great way to end my day. We got home a little after 11 PM and I was so sleepy that I was out just as soon as my head hit the pillow.

Today I have lessons in West Columbia from 8 to 11:30 AM so I need to get on the road in a few seconds... I'm going to Bay City afterwards. I'll look in on my Grandmother and play tennis with a Dr Brown. I've got to work off my desserts from last night...!

That's it for now. I need to update my website and get on the road..!

Talk to you later...

Coach Sam

Todsy's liner up

I've got a big day today. I need to leave in a few seconds to get to Nassau Bay for my morning lessons. Then I've got to head straight to Sugar Land for a lunch meeting. Then back to Seabrook for more lessons. Then to League City for a Christmas Party. Then back home to North Houston. That's it. Sigh....

It's nearly 2005...!

It just dawned on me yesterday that in just a little over 2 weeks it will be next year...! Well, another year of me not dropping under 200 lbs is about to happen. I came within one pound earlier this year but ballooned out towards the end... Sigh... At least I'm back on a downward trend. In the next few days I'll start musing about the year in review and looking ahead to what's in store for next year....!

Meanwhile, I need to take care of business here at home. I've got a little more marketing to do for my holiday camps and certainly plenty of lessons to teach if the weather holds out.

Today's going to be a bit cold and damp but I think I should be able to get all my classes in...

I'm in League City this afternoon and teach from 2 to 6 PM...

That's about it... Sorry I'm a little boring this morning...

More tonight... Bye for now... Coach Sam

No More Late Fees...!

I'm having a great day...! I read in my news headlines this morning that Blockbuster has announced it is doing away with late fees starting January 1st...!

That's awesome. Wwe live a little over a mile from our local blockbuster and we nearly always have a late fee and that drives me absolutely nuts...! But anyway, competition from other video and dvd companies that don't have late fees made this possible. Thank God that we live in a country that has competitive markets like that, because when there is healthy competition, the consumer wins...!

Today I'll be in West Columbia all day. My first lesson is at 8:30 AM this morning and I want to head out by 6 AM so I can beat traffic. I have a relatively lite day so far, but I'll use my extra time to market for my Christmas programs. There's a 50-50 chance of rain tonight, so I might get to go to church for a change. If not, I look forward to my men's drill. Tonight is the first night in a long time I'll be able to hit in without sore feet...! My New Balance shoes are working like a charm...!

That's about it for now... It's 5:04 AM and I still need to jot a few notes in my prayer journal.

Bye for now...! Coach Sam

Chilly Tuesday

It was cold in the living room this morning. Because of our vaulted ceiling, and that room is by far the largest room in the house it is the most difficult to heat and cool. I definitely need to see about starting a fire in the fire place soon. (Tonight might just be a good night...)

I was just writing a commentary about the Christmas Spirit in my prayer journal. How's your Christmas going....? We're shipping presents off to loved ones today. We only have a little more shopping left to do. We haven't decorated our house yet. We debated about whether to decorate at all, and had decided to not do anything, but I think I'm changing my mind about that.

Today I have lessons this afternoon until 8 PM... Although I may cancel my 7 PM lesson if it's very windy out there tonight. The rest of the day I'm working on marketing lessons for the holidays. I have camps, tournaments, and private lesson slots to fill... If the weather holds out, business is still pretty good through out the holiday season.

I think I'll make some hot chocolate...! Doesn't that sound good on a cold morning...?

Talk to you later... Coach Sam out.

Up and at it bright and early...!

I got up early this morning and spent time writing my daily devotional, now I'm just collecting a few thoughts here before I dive in to the rest of my day.

I still need to update my website. That's a daily activity, now... And I want to spend another 30 minutes straightening my desk... Then I think I'll send some emails and make some contact phone calls about lessons this week.

I also need to clean out the cars, make a bank deposit, get Monica's car inspected and registered, and still head to Columbia Lakes by 2 PM...

It will be a full, busy day. But I'm up for it.

I have lessons in Columbia Lakes today from 4:30 to 8 PM. I canceled my morning lesson to get caught up on stuff here at home.

My weight is back up to 227 lbs accodring to the scales we have which I don't trust too much any way. That's ok... I'm going to work out a bunch this week. And my feet feel fine now so that won't be an issue...!

More later... Coach Sam out...!

Coach Sam's Sunday... A Day of Rest...?

Late For Church

It's 7:39 AM... We need to be on the road by 7:30 to comfortably get to church on time... But We're not ready. Well, one of us is... But the other one is still working on it...! Sigh...

I'LL POST AN UPDATE THIS AFTERNOON WHEN WE GET BACK FROM CLEAR LAKE...!

Coach Sam 7:40 AM


Back at Home

We were only a few minutes late thanks to Monica's skillful driving...! The service was awesome...! It was done by the childrens groups age K thru 5th grade.

I'm very glad we made it....! I'll be hanging out here at home the rest of the day...

Coach Sam 11:36 AM


House Boy or Yardman, Coach Sam is a Multi Purpose Husband...!

Monica's not feeling well. We were going to go out to Taste of Texas for dinner, but I doubt that will happen now. I've been writing a few Christmas Cards and now I'm going to start straightening up the house. It's a gorgeous day outside. Perhaps I'll rake a few leaves in the yard, too.

Coach Sam 2:37 PM

Never made it outside...

I've been cleaning the Kitchen and livingroom this entire time. Well, I did get sidetracked a little bit. I found a bag of marshmellows on the counter and decided that instead of placing them back in the pantry, that I'd just go ahead and make some Rice Krispie treats. I know that will be good for my diet becaue I put some almonds in them... (Just kidding, Dr Brown...) Seriously, I thought Monica might like some treat when she awakened from her nap. Poor Thing, She's still feeling poorly today. Her stomach has been queezy all day. Well, I'm almost done with the living room. After that I just may clean out my car while it's still daylite outside...

Coach Sam 4:21 PM

Costco Trip....

Monica and I just got back from Costo. That's a wholesale store like Sam's. There are only 2 Costco stores here in Houston. We have one very close to our house and we love it. We've just about got all our Christmas shopping done. YEA...! I'm about to put some steaks on the grill and Monica is steaming some vegetables.... The rest of the evening we'll probably just hang out and watch a dvd. Tonight we'll see Mel Gibson's 'Signs'... And I may just write a little more this evening... We'll see how it goes...!

Thanks for tuning in to Coach Sam's Blow by Blow description of my Sunday Day of Rest...

Coach Sam 7:02 PM

The Remains of the Day...

Does anybody remember this movie...? It starred Anthony Hopkins. Well no one at the Blockbuster video by my house had ever heard of it...! Sigh... Another sure sign of a generation gap....

Monica and I returned form Columbia Lakes a little later than we expected. I had a 12 noon meeting that was delayed and then it ran longer than I expected. We stopped and ate at Johnny Carinos in Pearland on the way home. Johnny Carinos is 'Country Italian' whatever that is... Anyway, It was good.

We came home and took a nap... We're relaxing watching a movie right now... 'The Terminal' with Tom Hanks....

More later... SC

The Cruchman's Saturday...

I really don't deserve to call myself the Crunchman just yet. I've done all but 250 crunches so far in my quest to trim away this rubber from around my middle. I really wanted to see how I'd feel today from my exertion yesterday. This morning I can just barely feel that I worked out. I'm not sore at all. I'm going to more than double it today. I'm going to do 300 this morning and 300 this afternoon. Then we'll see how that feels tomorrow morning.

I only have a few minutes to write this morning. I can come back and post some more this afternoon or evening. I have a bit of a deadline this morning because my first lesson in West Columbia is this morning at 9 AM and I need to get there a little early and string a racquet for someone before the 9 AM appointment.

Monica is riding down with me this morning so that's a nice treat. She's going to deliver a portait she just completed.

I actually got all my errands run yesterday afternoon and ended up having nearly 30 minutes to relax on the couch at Diedrich's yesterday. I was going to make a post to that effect but the blogger website was down at that time. That frustrated me. It was right then that I realized that I'm a blogger a holic...!

Oh well... I need to close here and pack up stuff for today's trip. Thanks for reading my journal. I'll try to post some more humorous stuff this evening...!

Bye for now... Coach Sam

Weekend...!

OK... So far, I'm right on schedule...! I just finished my first set of crunches. I started off with 250...! Let's see how my stomach feels the rest of the day. If I'm not too sore in the morning I'll try for 300 tomorrow. And maybe I'll shoot for two sets tomorrow... A morning set and an afternoon set...!

I forgot that I have a bunch of loading and unloading of my car to do. At the moment my vehicle is filled with HPTA stuff that I got from Pam White yesterday. Oh that reminds me, I need to check my post office box today, too...

Peepers and Gabriel are playing really hard this morning. I've had to break them up several times already...

I need to close here because my day is going to get away from me otherwise...

Bye for now...

Coach Sam

Captain Crunch

That's going to be my new nick name for the next six months...! Starting in about 5 hours I'll be doing crunches, pilates, all kinds of abdomen exercise every day, sometimes twice or three times a day.

Right now my belly is so big you'd think I was the pregnant one, not Monica. Well,I can't stand it any longer...! I'm going into serious training...! Don't worry, I won't hurt myself, I'm just talking big to pump myself up...! I've got to have the correct mental framework, right...?

My feet are finally feeling better from last weekend's weekend warrior antics. I bought some very comfortable New Balance shoes. I even got two pair: One for tennis and one for walking and running.

I can't wait to get started...!

The car report: I had the hoses on my jeep repaired and my radiator flushed out. OK, I'm ready to move on to the next repair job...

It's 1:12 AM right now... A little late for me. I'll jump in the bed in a second, but I thought I'd just write a little first since I wasn't very sleepy.. Although I must admit I'm getting a little drowsy now. I'm going to set my alarm for 5 AM and get up and write in my prayer journal, then I have to head to Clear Lake for lessons in Nassau Bay from 8 to 11:30 AM. After that I have to get Monica's jeep inspected and the license plates renewed. I also need to make a run to Clarke's, a tennis wholesale supplier. I've got two lessons in the afternoon form 4:30 to 6:30 PM then I'm done for the day.

Well, I'd better head to bed... Bye for now... -Coach Sam Out....!

The Ol' Jeep...

I had to tape up a leaky radiator hose last night before I could drive home from Columbia Lakes last night. But I made it home ok. So this morning I'm dropping it off at the Firestone Garage for service. Honestly, the Jeeps hanging in ther pretty good for 162,000 miles....! It's been a good vehicle over the years and I'm going to try to keep it on the road.

I got to bed a lot later than normal so I slept in a little this morning. I've got a full day today. I've got a meeting regarding the HPTA this morning, then lessons all afternoon until 7 PM.

There's Not much time this morning to muse about anything else so I'll close here.

Have an awesome day...! Coach Sam

The Life and Personalities of my Cats...

My cats are really interesting. They all have unique personalities and to observe their interaction is really quite amazing. Here's a quick over view:

Jack... He's the oldest. 7 years old. He's overweight and acts grumpy much of the time towards the other cats. But he's normally very loving to Monica and I... I wonder if he eats a lot because he's unhappy with his life, or Monica and I just spoil him with too much food...?

Hobbes is next in line. He was born in December 2001 and we adopted him in January when he was still a baby. When he was a kitten he was very mischievous and that's why we named hum Hobbes. He is the sweetest of all the kitties. He hates to fight, and allows Peepers to think she's in charge even though he could easily kick her butt if he wanted too. He's very loving and patient and is acting as a cool big brother to Gabriel.

Peepers moved in when we moved to North Houston. She had been a stray living in the Montrose area and we adopted her after we bought a bigger house. We think she's about 2 years old. She is a sweet loving kitty and loves us very much but she hates Hobbes for some reason and doesn't care for Gabriel, either. She seems indifferent to Jack. She's always hungry and loves to hang in the the kitchen and dining room when we're cooking or eating. I think of Peepers as being from another country, like France. And she only speaks French. She can't communicate with the American kitties and she's always in an uproar about something and hisses and growls at the American cats, Jack, Hobbes, and Gabriel. She's a proud, stubborn, French kitty stuck in America with out a passport. Or maybe she just hates living in house full of male cats.. I haven't really figured out the source of her hostility, yet. Perhaps it's emotional scars from her early childhood.

Gabriel is a baby who we rescued a few months ago when he was only weeks old. He was just skin and bones when he wound up on our back patio. We immediately fell in love with him... He plays all the time and sees the world through a child's eyes.

I'll start posting pictures again in the next few days. I haven't loaded my picture programs onto this new computer yet...

That's it... Just A brief introduction into the life and perspective of my cats.

Today I have to try to be at Columbia Lakes by noon. I have a lesson at 1 PM... Then some office time for a few hours and then several hours of lessons later in the afternoon and evening. That's about it for now...

Have an awesome day...

Coach Sam

Bright Sunny Day...!

Finally...! We're going to have sunshine all day! It's about time. It may just be for one day but I'll take it.

I had a bit of a scare last night coming home from Columbia Lakes. I had just pulled out of the guard gate and driven about 50 yards and my battery light came on. It was about 8:30 PM and I was not in the mood for a car break down 7o miles from home...!

I called Monica and wnet back to the tennis shop so I could look under the hood. I didn't want to tuen off the engine on the road at night in the middle of no where. As it turned out the water level in my battery was low. That's unusual because it's a relatively new battery that we put in towards the end of the summer. But sure enough, adding water to the battery did the trick. The light never came on again and I made it home without any further incident.

When I got home Monica was hard at work on her latest art project. We watched the movie 'Luther'. it's the story about Martin Luther, the Protestant Reformer. It was a little difficult to follow, but I was very tired... I fell asleep out of fatiguue, not boredom. I'm going to watch it again this morning and I'll publish a movie review later.

This morning I need to plan my Christmas and new years events. That's tops on my list.

My first lesson today is at 2 PM in Nassau Bay... And I'm on court the rest of the day until 8 PM tonight. If I'm not too tired tonight I'll write some more... Maybe even post some photos...!

Anyway... That's it for today. Oh... The weigh in... I was down to 224 when I came home last night, but when I weighed in this morning I was 226. That seems a bit crazy... I haven't fully trusted those scales for a long time. Hmmm... New scales would be a great family Christmas present...! (hint, hint...)

Off to a Rough Start

11:15 AM... My day is off to a rough start. It rained me out this morning so I wasn't able to teach any lessons.

But when I tried to get in my office inside the Pro Shop I discovered that someone had tried to break into my inner office. The lock was blocked and I couldn't get my key to go all the way in.

I had to go and get the maintenance department to drill out the lock. It took them over an hour and I'm in my office at last. But now I need to go and buy a new dead bolt for my office..!

Sigh...

I'm about to go head out and do that now. Then I'll come back and string a few racquets and work on some office projects here for a while and hang out and see what the weather is going to do...

The good news is that my feet don't feel so bad this morning...!

Anyway, that's it for now... -Coach Sam

Avocados...?

Avocadoes are nutritional powerhouses! The American Diabetic Association even touts them as nutrition superstars and America’s answer to the Mediterranean diet’s olive oil. Avocado is one of the best sources of monounsaturated fat, known to lower "bad" LDL cholesterol, raise heart-healthy HDL cholesterol and help stabilize blood sugar levels.

This is the headline on my e-diet tip of the day...! That's good news because I love avocados...! I need to learn to eat avocados and not all the chips that I normally consume with them...! Hmmm... I may run to HEB later today and get an avocado supplement...! I haven't had my cholesterol in a while and last time I did check it, it was a little high...!

I weighed in today at 225.5 lbs... I added half a pound from yesterday. Although I ate very nutritious food yesterday, I didn't exercise at all. Today my foot feels better. So I will get some new insoles and I'll be back in business!

Monica is going to ride up to work with me today. We left one of our Jeeps there at Columbia Lakes on Saturday so we could ride back together in one car.

So far the weather looks good. It's going to be 70 degrees today...! That's very un-December-like weather. But later on a cold front is supposed to move in and cool things down a little bit. I guess I'll bring both shorts and warm up pants today!

I have a lesson at 9 AM this morning, then not again until 4:30 PM. But I'm hoping to get a 3:30 lesson, too. I'm on the court until 8:00 PM tonight if all goes well with the weather. All in all, it's a full day!

That's it for now... Talk to you later...

Coach Sam

The Sunday Report

Today my feet hurt so bad from my tennis exploits yesterday that I was pretty much was incapacitated for the day.

I've been transferring files from my old Toshiba to this machine. I grilled some salmon and scallops for dinner. I've been faithful to my diet. No Junk Food. No over eating. And I weighed in this morning at 225 lbs... I'm still as big as Kirstie Allie but at least I'm heading in the right direction.

I'm going to see about getting some new shoes tomorrow. Or at least some more insoles. I've definitely got to take care of my feet...!

The weather forecast is a little shaky for tomorrow. But The forecasters have been wrong a lot lately. I hope that's the case tomorrow.

Monica and I went to two grocery stores this afternoon and the checkers at both stores were down right rude. They would not even have eye contact with us.

What's up with customer service...? It's been getting worse and worse for years.

Sigh... I could go on a tangent here but I won't. I'd better close now and get on some other projects.

I'll be back in the morning. Bye for now...

Coach Sam

The Weekend

Monica had a rough night last night. She hasn't been sleeping well lately. The pregnancy has got her stomach messed up all the time. And she has turned into an incredibly lite sleeper, now.

As a consequence, she's tired much of the time. I'm hoping and praying that she is able to rest up this weekend.

I've got an adult drill this morning at Columbia Lakes Country Club starting at 10 AM. I'll probably leave here at 8 AM... That gives me about 3 hours to write. I need to catch up on my devotional in my prayer journal...

This afternoon if it doesn't rain I'm going to play tennis with some friends at the Country Club. I've really got to start losing some weight...! Monica bought me some almonds to snack on as per Dr Brown's commentary. (Thanks Doc)

Then Monica is driving down to join me for a Choir concert that some of my tennis students are participating in... I'm looking forward to that...!

Tomorrow I've got church in the morning then more tennis lined up in the afternoon. More rain is forcasted. I hope the weather holds out for me...!

That's about it this morning. I weighed in at 229 at 5:15 AM so I guess I officially lost 1.5 lbs yesterday. An afternoon of tennis ought to be good for at least another pound. -We'll see...!

I'll spend some time this afternoon transfering data over to my new computer... That will be fun...!

OK, I'll probably check in again tomorrow. Bye for now... Sam

First Post from the Dell Inspiron 1000

This new machine works like a charm...! It only took me a few minutes to configure... Now I need to start moving files over from my old machine.

Ah, the old Toshiba... I'm not going to miss her very much...!

So, to quickly close out my day today, I got rained out of my last lesson this evening. I came home and weighed.

I weighed in at 228. lbs. This morning was 230.5... That means either I lost 2.5 lbs today or there's that much variation in weight throughout the day. -I think that's the case. But I've never fully trusted these scales we have, any way.

I definitely freaked out today when the read out showed 230.5, though. Now, I was a good boy all day nutritionally. And we had a very nutritious dinner of which I didn't eat too much of... So I'm feeling good about the first 24 hours of rededicating my life to losing weight.

I can't wait to get up tomorrow morning and exercise...!

This is coachsam signing off...!

The New Computer is In...!

I just got a call from Monica that my new Dell Inspiron 1000 laptop computer just arrived...!

So this will probably be my last post from the old Toshiba satellite...! It has had a good service record and faithfully done it's duty since April 13, 2001 but I'll definitely be happy to retire this old warhorse.

It's running the Microsoft Windows millennium operating system and that's starting to be incompatible with many programs I like to use... Plus, I've some kind of video card issue and am finding it impossible to adjust the picture on my screen. Either that or the monitor is just going out... Or possibly my cat Peepers did something to it one night when I left the screen up all night and she slept on the keyboard...!

I'll probably eventually take the Toshiba in to a repair shop but not anytime soon.

So... That's cool news... I can't wait to get home this evening and try out the new machine...!

As of 2:30 PM... I've had a good day so far. My lessons went fine this morning. And I've managed to get a good bit of work done here at Diedrich's... I go back on the court in another 90 minutes...

The weather is supposed to be rainy tomorrow. That's too bad... Because I have a full day of tennis lined up. But if it does rain I've got plenty of work I can stay busy with in the office...!

I've eaten very little so far today... I had a sausage and egg biscuit for breakfast at 6 AM, then at lunch I had some sliced turkey and a few pieces of string cheese. Tonight I'll be sure to eat lite. Maybe I'll grill some chicken and have a tossed salad.

One thing's for sure... No junk food is going into my mouth...! That's a promise...!

I'll weigh in again this evening before dinner and then again before I head out tomorrow. Hopefully I'll be back down below 230 lbs to start the new week. -That's my goal!

Bye for now...

Coach Sam...

Help...!

Call me Kirstie Allie...!

I stepped on the scales this morning and I'm at the heaviest weight of my life ever....

230.5 lbs... That's a 30 pound swing from this summer...! All I can say is AAAAuuugghhh!

Man, what a way to start my weekend. I'm turning into my Dad. This can't be happening...!

Well... It's time to get to work physically...! I'm going out and getting me some good running/walking shoes and plan to seriously get to work...!

Starting today!

I will definitely ring in the new year under this Ungodly 230.5 mark... And keep right on going until I'm back to my skinny pants...!

Nothing else to report today. Here's my schedule... I'm in Nassau Bay this morning until 11:30 AM... Then I'll probably go buy some shoes and go for a walk...

Then I have lessons in Lake Cove from 4:30 to 7:30 PM...!

That's my day today... And I'm eating nothing but nuts and twigs...!

Bye for now...!

Coach Sam

December Is Upon Us...!

Hello…

Sorry I took yesterday off from my journal… I was running late in the morning and just had a really busy day .

I was looking forward to having my new Dell inspiron laptop delivered yesterday but instead I received a delay notice that it would be another week…! That’s too bad. I’m ready to retire the old Toshiba…!

I had three private lessons yesterday and then a men’s drill group. In between lessons I strung racquets. I had 5 to string… My fingers are tired and sore this morning. I didn’t get home until 10:30 PM… So I slept in a little today, too.

I have an easier schedule today. My first lesson isn’t until 2 PM in League City. Later this morning I need to take Glenn to pick up his car… It’s had some work done on it at a high performance auto shop. –Glenn has a souped up mustang camaro for those of you wondering…

Well… I’m still getting used to the idea of becoming a Father… I’m excited… And a little scared at the same time… I’ll write more about that later… It will be neat for my child to go back and read how I was feeling and what I was thinking about before he or she was born…

I wish I had more of my own family history. But my parents weren’t really into taking very many pictures and definitely not into writing like I am…

So… That’s about it for now… Thanks for checking in… More later… -Coach Sam

A Rainy Start...

The day is starting off a bit 'drippy'...! At least it held off yesterday in West Columbia and I was able to get all my classes in. I had several new students... It was a pretty good day. Except that I came down with probably the worst headache of my life yesterday evening right before my lessons were done. It was so severe that I canceled my last lesson just 20 minutes into it. I had to go to my office and just lay on the floor for about half an hour until the pain subsided and I was able to drive home. My head hurt so bad it made me nauseous...! So that was a little out of the normal for me.

Perhaps it was just backlash from my big news yesterday... I don't know... Anyway, My friend Glenn is visiting from Fort Worth right now and he gave me some BC powdered aspirin and that fixed me up. I may try to keep some of that on hand in the near future...

This morning I'm going to take Glenn to run some errands here in Houston. And I guess I'll just kinda wait and watch the weather. The way it looks right now I'm going to have the day off but you never know with this Houston Texas weather.

I'm going to cut my journal short for now and spend some time visiting with Glenn.. Perhaps I'll be back online later... If not, bye for now...

Coach Sam

The Big News...!

November 29, 2004

Today is C.S. Lewis’ birthday. He was born on this date in 1898. He lived about 65 years and wrote many books that influenced Christian thinking. I am currently reading a CS Lewis book: The Screwtape Letters. I am looking forward to reading more of his work.

Well, I had a very restless night last night, or this morning… Whatever you wish to call it. The time as I type is 4:12 AM. I’m definitely an early riser…! But I have lots to write about today.

The big news is that we found out yesterday that Monica is going to have a baby…! Yes, In about another 8 or 9 months there will be another little Chadwell running around here.

That pretty much changes my life’s plans…! I am still in a bit of a shock…! Monica took two home pregnancy tests and they both came back very positive. We are getting her an appointment with her Doctor today to find out how far along she is but it can not be more than about a month…Anyway… I don’t know what else to say except ‘Praise the Lord’.

I am sure I will be expounding on my thoughts of becoming a daddy more in the following days and weeks but for now I am still a bit speechless…!

Monica told me the news early in the afternoon when I was working in the yard and I never even got started on the hallway painting project…! This morning I’m going to spend a good deal of time writing and I’ll probably head out to Columbia Lakes by 6 AM. I’ve got a lot of lessons and racquets to string today.

I took a lot of photos of the Kitties yesterday. I even got a few pictures of Sparky.

I’m going to do some crunches in a little while because I feel like a whale this morning…! I need to get back in to the swing of playing tennis!

Well, That is it for now…! Have an awesome day… I’ll talk to you later…! Coach Sam

Sunday: A Day of Projects

We had a difficult night with the kitties. Hobbes regularly gets banished to the garage by midnight now. And last night Gabriel ran outside when I was taking Hobbes out and it took nearly 15 minutes to catch him in the dark. He was definitely enjoying making we look foolish.

Today we're skipping out on going to church again... But we're going to watch Church on TV in a little while. I know that's a little weak, but we'll begin attending regularly again in December...!

Sparky, our outdoor kitty was just on the back patio. I was going to take his photo but when I went to get the digital camera he was gone. I guess he's still a little shy. Oh well, I'll get his photo later. I'm keeping the camera handy all day.

Today I've got a bunch of projects I'm working on. Yard work, painting, working in the garage, working on the computer, grilling some tuna, and what ever Monica has lined up for me...! Yep, it's going to be a busy day...! At 8:20 AM right now so I'd better get cracking...!

Talk to you later...!

Coach Sam

TGIF Another Day Of Thanks...!

In my daily devotional I normally take every Friday and just count my blessings. Well, I did that pretty much yesterday and today I'm going to settle back into the routine of being a tennis coach. -Except that I'm going to only work a half day today...!

I have my first lesson in Nassau Bay at 9 AM this morning. Then I have a mini-tournament from 10 AM to about 2 PM...! After that I may have one more private lesson, then it's back home...!

I'll be updating my website this evening, and I'm sure Monica has some art to do... So we'll just settle into a cozy little relaxing evening at the Chadwell house tonight. This is going to be difficult for me to do, but I'm trying to make a conscious effort to slow down. Hopefully, you'll notice that theme more and more.

Have a great day...! Bye for now... Coach Sam

Monica and the Meal. We were a good team. Sorry about the quality of the photo. It's a little blurry because of my big fat thumb print on the lense. 

Here's our table spread..12:35 PM 

From the smoker straight to the table. I let it sit for 20 minutes before carving it. Mmmm... it was the juiciest turkey I've ever had...! 

Here's the old Bird coming off the grill: 12:08 PM...! 

Here's the Smoker in action at about 11:30 AM this morning...! It smelled great...! 

Hobbes and Gabriel had already had enough of the hustle and bustle of the festivities and were hiding out in the bathroom by 11 AM...!

Here's the meal at 11 AM... I cooked it for about another hour after that.... 

Here's our Rice Krispy treats breakfast...! I think that will become a new Chadwell Family Thanksgiving Tradition...! 

Here's a photo of our pumkin pies as they were being cooked early this morning.... 

12:10 PM Chadwell Family Thanksgiving Update

The Bird just came off the smoker at 12:08 PM... The internal temeratures were a perfect 170 and 180 degrees respectively. 165 is optimum so the 30 minutes per pound formula was just about right...!

The turkey is sitting for 20 minutes before I carve... Monica is making last minute preparation of the side dishes. (I tasted my smoked sweet potatoes... They were pretty good, too...!)

We are within 30 minutes of our Thanksgiving feast and then I retire for a few hours into a 'Turkey Coma'...!

10:30 AM Chadwell Family Thanksgiving Update

I just put some sweet potatoes on the smoker... We'll see how that goes. Monica's busy in the kitchen right now... At this point I'm just trying to stay out of her way... I may go out in the yard and pick up some branches or something... I was going to mow the yard while I was watching the turkey but Monica told me that no one mows the yard on Thanksgiving day. I'm not so sure about that... I think they do if they don't have any company over...

Anyway... We're moving closer to the big feast...! YEA...! I've got to try to stay away from those rice crispy treats... Must... stay... busy.... !

More later... Bye for now! SC

9:50 AM Chadwell Family Thanksgiving Update

The turkey's looking good...! I'm about to try a smoked sweet potatoe recipe that I found in my Bar B Que newsletter. Monica's making the traditional sweet potatoe pie as a back up...

Hobbes and Gabriel are playing... Peepers is resting up to beg for food later... Jack's hiding out somewhere... probably sleeping...!

We had rice crispy treats for breakfast a few minutes ago. There's only about 2 and a half hours to go before our feast...!

Coach Sam's Blow by Blow Thanksgiving Updates

Hello Everyone... Happy Thanksgiving..! I started my Holiday last night about 8 PM. Since I'm smoking the Turkey on my new smoker I 'brined' the turkey before going to bed.

I awakened at 4:57 AM to take the turkey out of the brine and start the smoker. By 6 AM the bird officially went into the smoker. I'm trying to keep the smoker temperature at about 230 degrees for 6 hours. The 12 pound turkey ought to just about be ready by Noon if all goes well...!

It's 9:11 AM and I'm watching the The Houston Thanksgiving Day Parade. Monica just put the pumkin pies in the oven... Our menu will include delicious smoked turkey, green bean casserole, mashed potatoes, sweet potatoe casserole, stuffing dressing, and of course... cranberry sauce...! I'm just spending the next few hours watching the turkey and posting journal updates... Maybe I'll post some photos, too... Bye for now... Coach Sam signing off...

No Bus Stop at 5723 Arncliffe...!

Good Bye to the Bus Stop...! Monica's correspondence with City officials resulted in the removal of the bus stop from our front yard...! Here is a photo taken through our office window on the west side of our house facing Antoine. In this photo the lone city worker is about to relocate the bus stop sign a block farther down the road in front of Eisenhower High School. I'm surprised they only sent one man to do the job. I thought the city work crews consisted of 10 supervisors, 5 support staff, and one or two 'actual' workers who take turns giving each other breaks while everyone else just stands around watching...! I guess a lot of people were off this week for the Holidays.

Not Going to Win the Sportsmanship Award!

Ron Artest being escourted out of the arena after attacking some fans.

The 'REAL' Biggest Loser...!

Surely by now every one has heard about or seen the atrocious behavior of the Indiana Pacers' Ron Artest earlier in the week. Mr. Artest has a long and strong history of not being able to properly manage his anger. He has been fined and suspended for fighting numerous times in each of his five professional NBA seasons. At least until recently he had confined his fighting to the floor of the basketball arena.

But when Ron Artest charged into the stands and assaulted a fan, then again a few minutes later assaulted another fan on the floor he immortalized himself as one of the biggest losers in sports history. I can't believe that he has the audacity to plead that the fine and suspension handed down by David Stearn was too harsh. Then, a day after the altercation Artest appeared on the Today show and was interviewed by NBC's Matt Lauer and dug an even deeper grave for himself.

I am appalled at his lack of respect for himself, his team mates, his family, the fans, and for humanity in general. If I had an opportunity to speak to Ron Artest face to face, here is what I'd say to him:

Mr. Artest, do yourself, your family, and the NBA a favor and keep your mouth shut. Your 11 minute interview showed an incredible amount of arrogance and ignorance.
I hate to be so blunt, but you've really shown what you are made of and it's not very pretty. Public figures, especially those who make in excess of 5 million dollars a year have certain responsibilities to live up to. If some one throws a cup at you, or even if they call you a bad name, it doesn't give you an excuse to go on a rampage. It was a cup. OK? -Not a car battery.

There's the old saying that two wrongs don't make a right and your little retaliation stunt against the loser who threw the cup at you is going to cost you a whole lot more than it will cost him. I think for 5 mil a year I could learn to put up with some heckling and a cup or two thrown at me every now and then. A lot of folks would be glad to trade places with you.

You're lucky that I'm not the owner of the Indiana Pacers because if that were the case, not only would you be fined and suspended for a year, I'd have fired you for that behavior. To me, it's sad that there are not more ramifications and consequences for what you did.

Sure, the fan was wrong to throw an object at you, but you were doubly wrong for doing what you did and if you'd just admit that and quit trying to justify your actions, you'd probably make it easier for everyone to just forgive and forget. It is sad that you have such little control over your emotions that something like this could happen. And it's even more sad that you won't be a real man and admit that you were wrong. Saying you were sorry that it happened isn't the same as apologizing. And I definitely don't detect any remorse on your part.

You should just accept your fate and be glad that you're not being banned for life...! You're a threat to society, man..!

Sincerely,

Sam Chadwell

Lots to Write About... But Little Time...

Today I'm heading to Columbia Lakes for lessons and a fun tournament I've organized for the kids there. I'm running late so I need to head out... I have much to comment on...

The big storm we just had...

The Basketball incident with Ron Artest...

Dan Rather resigning.... (Yea)

The list goes on...

I'll start relaxing this evening... and Monica and I will begin preparing a feast for Thursday.

Sorry Bobby, Joe and Dr Brown... No adult drill tonight...!

Bye for now...
Coach Sam

Tired of the rain...!

OK... Here's a quick catch up of the last few days...

Saturday I had an incredibly long day. I helped with a tennis tournament at Quail Valley Country Club until 11:35 PM. The was back on site the next day (Sunday) at 8 AM. They decided to cancel the event at 10:30 AM and I made my way home and it took me the rest of the day to recover... Then Yesterday I had to be in West Columbia early for a tennis camp and surprisingly enough the weather that far south was fine and I was able to conduct my camp.

But, getting home was another matter altogether. I drove through some tricky flooded neighborhoods to get home. My commute that normally takes about an hour and 15 minutes took well over two hours and I arrived home safe, but exhausted.

Today I have another camp. It's down south of town in Nassau Bay. I'm just watching the weather right now because we have some severe weather on the way and it will probably hit the area about the time my camp is supposed to start. I'll make a decision around 11 AM this morning. It's not looking good right now...!

I have lots to comment on but I'm sure I'll have some idle time a little later today. Right now I need to work on a few projects here at the house. I'm going to post some flood photos later so be sure to check back again...!

Bye for now...

Coach Sam...

Here's our completed living room floor...! 

Here's the wood floor, early stages... 

'Jonathan' asked a question about our wood flooring in yesterday's post. here's a few photos of the old renovating days... We still have a lot of projects to do but our house is very comfortable and livable now...! Jack is shown here inspecting the work we did... 

Here's a photo of Peepers after she's laid on top of the computer too long...!  

Peepers is in Big Trouble...

OK, it's really my fault, but Peepers has to share some of the blame... I left my computer on a couple of nights ago, and Peepers slept on my keyboard and walked all over it and now I'm having some issues with my picture resolution...

It's not the first time she's reconfigured one of our computers, either. She just likes the warmth it emanates... I don't blame her... She's just being a cat... But it is particularly annoying...! A couple of years ago when Hobbes was a kitten he chewed Monica's power cord to her computer... We had to get a new one... Hobbie was lucky he didn't get fried...!

But I guess If my computer issue is the only problem I'll face today, I'll be fine... A lot worse things could have happened...!

Today I ma heading out to Clear Lake in just a little bit. I have lessons all morning and then all afternoon. In fact... this morning is the start of 4 solid days of action packed tennis. Saturday I'm going to Columbia Lakes in the morning and then I'm helping with a tournament the rest of the weekend at Quail Valley Country Club. Then Monday I'm back at Columbia Lakes with the first of my week long Thanksgiving Break events...! I may not have much opportunity to update this site until the middle of next week... Stay tuned and see what happens...!

This is Coach Sam Signing off... Bye for now...

Here's Jack . He's catching a little sun, napping on the floor of our living room. Peepers is just barely visable in the shadows above Jack. In case you're wondering about the statistics on Jack, he's a little over 20 lbs...!

Here's our sweet Gabriel. It's lots of fun watching a kitten grow up. We sure love this little guy! 

I'm a House Boy Today

Today I have experienced another rain out... Tennis Coaches that work outside can't ply their trade if the courts are wet... So I've spent the day inside working on the house. I've been cleaning the floors and since we have nearly 2000 square feet of wood laminate flooring, that's no small job... I'm taking a short break from the floor project for this quick post. Peepers is thinking she needs to lay in my lap every time I sit down at my desk... She's especially cuddly today!

After the floor project I'll probably work in the garage for about an hour or so and then back to work in my office. It's a mess. There's ton's of filing to do... And actually that's why I need to work in the garage because I have some file storage out there, too. Plus... There's just something cool about working in the garage. I guess it's a 'man' thing...

Well, I posted a few more Chadwell Cat photos. Jack loves to lay in the sun...! And Gabriel is up to his usual mischief. He loves to have his picture taken. Jack is fairly neutral on the subject.

Ok, this is getting boring. I'd better get back to work...

Bye for now... Coach Sam

Here's a photo of Hobbes working out on Monica's exercise mat. Yeah, Right. Actually it's just one of the many photos I have of Hobbes taking a cat nap in an unusual position. 

Staying Busy Off-Court

I was able to get in one private lesson yesterday. Then it rained me out the rest of the day. But I used my time wisely, stringing some racquets, straightening my office at Columbia Lakes, and making some phone calls and sending and receiving emails.

This entire week looks like a rain out. Oh well... I used to get depressed over stuff like that but now I'm better at taking it in stride. This just allows me to get caught up on many projects I have here at home. I'm going to journal a bit this morning... Including my tennis tip journal... Then I'll update my website a little... Then I'm going to clean the hardwood floors here at our house. The floor is absolutely yuchy right now. We've had several days of contractors coming in and out, not to mention that yours truly is not the neatest person around, either...

Anyway, that will take up my morning...

Today's Chadwell family photo is of Hobbes. He's just collapsed after a vigorous pilates workout...! Actually, No. It's just Hobbes in his natural state: sleeping.

Thanks for reading my journal. Bye for now...

Coach Sam

Back to Work...!

I'm up and at it early this morning. I've been writing in my journals since 4 AM. It's 5 AM now and I'm starting to rub off on my wife, too. She's instructed me to awaken her every morning at 5 AM so she can do her pilates workout. I need to go ahead and get her up... Ok, I'been istructed to give her ten more minutes... what am I...? a human snooze button...? Oh well... I guess I am...!

So, I want to be on the road by 5:30 AM if I can... I want to miss all the bad traffic. And it won't hurt me to get to Columbia Lakes early this morning because I need to string a few racquets for someone. My first leson is at 9 AM then I have a gap in my schedule for a bit. Then I go back on the court starting at 3 PM and stay on until 8 PM... So, it's a good 6 and a half hours of lessons today...!

That's about it. My 'gap time' will be spent making phone calls and sending emails. Hopefully the weather will hold out for this afternoon. But I can't control that so what ever will be will be... Take care and have an awesome day. Thanks for reading my journal.

Coach Sam

HPTA Charity Pro Am at Houston Racquet Club

Here's my partner for the first round, Paloma Escobedo. She played great and we won...! Wow, look at my stomach...! I'd better start doing Pilates workouts with my wife...

Pro Am Today...!

I tried to post an update this morning but was having some technical difficulties with my computer and lost the information.

I participated in a Pro Am to benefit the Houston Parks and Rec's junior program. There were 6 teams in the event and my team played very well and we placed second over all, winning 3 matches, losing 1 and tying 1. I played 5 of my 6 matches on clay. That was fun. i haven't played on clay in awhile.

Members of my team included Delfin Ochoa, Jim Monts, Doug Phillips, Ginny Meis, and Daisey Quail, Paloma Escobedo, and Arriana Molina.

I'm definitely in poor shape these days. And my feet are killing me. By my last match which was just an 8 game set, my feet were killing me and my left knee was giving out a little bit.

But all in all it was a fun afternoon. I'm very proud of my team. You can check out some more photos of the pro am at tennisphotos.blogspot.com

Well, that's all for now. Thanks for reading my journal. See you next time. -Coach Sam

Emily Schaefer, Director of Tennis for the City Of Houston addresses the players before the Charity Pro Am begins. The event was held at Houston Racquet Club. 

Here's another angle of some of the participants...!

Back Home At Last...!

Today was a full day...! I had lessons this morning, then a full afternoon of working on the office marketing my Thanksgiving camps and then more lessons and drills to round out the evening. I always have a little trouble falling asleep right away on Wednesday nights. Probably because I play in the last drill and I've got a bit of adrenalin running.... At any rate, I feel like writing a bit tonight....

Right now Gabriel is playing on my desk as I'm typing. He's so cute...! ...A very good kitty!

And Peepers is hanging out here in my office, too. Hobbes is sleeping in the bedroom with Monica. I think Jack is outside some where. That's the kitty inventory....

Tomorrow I can stay home until 10 AM. Woohoo! Then I have to head to Clear Lake for afternoon lessons. It started raining a little tonight, but I don't think the weather is supposed to be too wet tomorrow. Just a little bit colder.

I thought I'd post a few more pictures of Hobbes and Gabriel. Here they are laying on my Wilson Briefcase. It's really neat how they've become so close. Hobbes acts like a caring big brother. He's very patient. And Gabriel seems to idolize Hobbes. He follows him around everywhere. And they really look quite a bit alike, too. They've got the best relationship of all our cats. Jack is kinda grouchy and hisses at Gabriel all the time. And Peepers... Well she doesn't like anybody. But she especially hates Hobbes. Cat psychology really is quite interesting. And our 4 cats have 4 distinctly different personalities.

Well, I think that's going to be it for tonight's posting. Thanks for reading my journal. I know it was kinda boring tonight. So thanks for hanging in there and reading to the end.. Now please, don't go straight outside and try to operate any heavy machinery or handle any sharpened objects..!

Bye for now.... Coach Sam

Here's Gabriel about to have a snack. Peepers has been trying to teach him to beg from the table. You can just barely see Hobbes' tail at the bottom of the picture. He has his back turned to Gabriel because Gabriel has been driving him crazy...! 

Gabriel and Hobbes are watching someone or something very intently. Never mind that they are sitting on top of my toshiba satellite lap top computer which is inside my Wilson Briefcase...! 

Here they are from another angle. Gabriel is squinting because ths is is the third or fourth picture I took in the span of a few seconds and the flash was bothering him...