Coach Sam Working On a New Level of Fitness: STARTING TODAY...!

This photo was taken a couple of months ago. I'm not sure what I weighed there. Somewhere around 230 pounds... I actually got down to about 216 pounds last month, but last night I weighed in at 226 again. Of course, that was immediately after eating a big dinner meal.

I haven't weighed in this morning. I will in a few minutes.

But I am starting a new life style today. I have to. I can't live in this condition much longer. I'm just not healthy.

My feet hurt all the time. And my job requires me to be on my feet alot. I'm about to be 42 years old pretty soon. If I don't do something about my weight, I don't think I'll even be able to walk in the next few years...!

Because of my weight I snore very loud and it makes it difficult for my wife to get a good night's sleep. I see people around me dropping dead of heart attacks and they are in better shape than me. -God has spared me so far, but I don't want to take advantage of God's Grace in that regard any longer.

I've seen my Lord God and Savior work so many miracles in my life, there's no reason to believe that HE can't or won't help me with my weight.

So With God's Help: I will change my lifestyle. I will eat smaller portions. I will eat on a regular schedule. I will exercise more. I will drink more water. I will work on my flexibility.

Please understand that I am unable to accomplish this on my own. I've tried before, many times and have moderate success. a few years ago I got down to 200, but I've always balooned back up. This time it's different.

Praise the Lord: GOD IS IN CONTROL...!

I'm going to be writing about weight control for the next few days, weeks, months, -however long it takes to change my life. I think blogging about it every single day will help me get my mind set right. I normally blog first thing in the morning and I believe there's no better way to start my day than with a lifestyle pep talk...!

If there's anyone reading my journal who would also like to lose a few pounds, let's do it together. We can encourage each other and lose weight at the same time while giving glory to God...!

OK, today's weigh in is.... 225.8...!

-Ouch! No wonder my feet hurt...!

If I had time to embed a sound byte you would be able to hear the Darth Vader theme Music playing in the background...

OK, so there it is... Please Pray for me in this endeavor. I really do consider this a matter of life or death.

-Coach Sam

Remembering Henry the Cat

Today I remember my favorite Cat of all time: Henry. I don't have photo of Henry available this morning but will scan one in this evening.

He was a great cat. He was a stray I found at the tennis courts in Bay City back around 1992. I took him home and raised him from a starving Kitty into a robust, King of the Jungle. He ended up weighing over 20 lbs and was a big grey tabby with tiger stripes, such a beautiful cat! He lived with me until November of 2000. He disappeared around thanksgiving that year and I think that someone 'cat-napped' him...!

He was an extremely friendly cat with the best personality of any cat I have ever had. ( Although Peepers is pretty close....)

I have many, many, fond memories of Henry and he was a member of Windsor Court in Friendswood, and Bay Area Racquet Club in Clear Lake on two different occasions.

His nick-name was 'Henry Topspin'....!

Ahhh.... Pets bring so much happiness and joy into our lives. And Henry will live in my memory forever...!

A Big Inspiration to Me...

Well obviously I haven't posted and article on this site for a few days... Life has been a blur since this past Thursday when the tropical storm did not come in... Wow... It seems that every day is HUGE. I mean I've always got something BIG that I need to get done or I'm behind schedule on. Of course, today is no exception... As soon as I get done here I've got to dive into the rest of my day.

I completely skipped blogging yesterday. ON PURPOSE... I just wasn't in a writing mood, nor did I have time...

I'm doing better today, though. Today is Tuesday and I write about someone who inspires me on Tuesdays.

I'd like to feature the Apostle Paul today. Besides Jesus, if there was one person I could go back in history and meet and spend time getting to know them better, it would be the apostle Paul.

Paul had an incredible, remarkable life. It was a life of dramatic changes from his old self as a persecutor of Christians to becoming God's chief evangelist to the gentiles.

Paul was a great writer. I love to read his letters to the early churches and those he was mentoring in the faith. Paul faced great hardship with grace. He was an man of earnest prayer. And Paul did not 'beat around the bush'. He told it like it was. He got straight to the point.

Any way, the Apostle Paul of the new testament bible is my featured source of inspiration today. If you'd like to know more about the Apostle Paul, email me for some of my favorite quotes from Paul. Or read the bible...!

Tomorrow: My Favorite Pet...!

Thursday:Tropical Storm Day..!

Well, today turned out to not be a tropical storm day after all... And I'm heading out to teach lessons in a few minutes so I'll post more this evening...!

more later.... sc

Two Turkeys

Here's a photo of either this past Thanksgiving or Christmas, I can't remember which...



I've been saving this photo on my desk top for some time now. I name it two turkeys which I think is very appropriate. I published this photo because on Wednesdays I'm supposed to write about a favorite of mine... I was just thinking recently how much I like smoked turkey and was wondering why I wait until the holidays to enjoy it...? I was going to smoke one last weekend, but instead I think I'll do it this weekend.... Mmmm.... I can't wait...!

By the way, this past Monday I was just too busy to publish a journal post so I'd like to record a childhood memory here this morning. I was recently checking out my old AOL Journal and noticed that at one time I was going through my school years one by one and chronicling some of the most notable events. I left off on Seventh Grade.

Seventh Grade was significant because it was my first year to go to public school after attending Holy Cross all my life. Over all I found seventh grade boring and not very challenging. I had nearly a 100 average in all my classes that year. I had my first crush that year on Kim Kennedy. My favorite teacher was Barbara Ryan, Social Studies/Texas History. She was very positive and encouraging. My least favorite teacher was Coach Claude Tice. He was rude and immature.

I'll come back soon and post links to my aol posts from the previous school years so they are all here on blogspot and easy to find...

Well, that's it for today... See You next time... Coach Sam

Thoughts on 911

Today I'm feeling a little under the weather emotionally. September 11 does that to me. I can't help but think about how all the lives that were lost and the veen greater number of lives that were forever altered by the trade center bombings.

I read in a news post today that Bin Laden made a video proclaiming the 'martyrs' of that event as patriotic heroes.... Sorry, but I can only see them as murderers. Isn't there a better way to disagree with someone than to fly an airplane into a crowded building...?

Wow..! What a Match Last Night...!

Andy Roddick puts away a volley in last night's match against World number one. Roger Federer.


Roddick didn;t budge one inch the first two sets.... But Federer prevailed in the end....

To be continued his evening...

My Favorite Way To Relax

Ten years ago if you had asked me how I liked to relax I would say it would be laying on the couch reading a good Michael Chrighton novel.

Now, I would have to say that my favorite way to relax during the week is my quiet time blogging early in the morning when the whole house is still asleep. And for sure one of my favorite ways to relax on the weekends is to spend quality time with the family.

ButNothing beats spending quality time with Elijah...!

Tennis Role Model: Bjorn Borg

One of my favorite players of all time is Bjorn Borg. He was/is truly an amazing tennis player. Since today is the day of the week that my blog topic is to be about someone who inspires me, Bjorn Bog was one of the leading players to really get me hooked on tennis.

When I was just getting interested in tennis, Bjorn Borg was the world's number one player. He dominated tennis for a number of years and is still regarded today as one of the greatest to ever play the game. Borg had a fierce rivalry with John McEnroe and their rivalry was one of the greatest tennis rivalries ever, much like Federer-Nadal today.

He was calm, quiet, and never showed emotion on the court. He was always in control. He was always a good sport. Whenever he lost a match, which wasn't often, He always gave credit to his opponent for playing well. He never made excuses, whined, or argued.

I really can't think of many better role models for sportsmanship on the the court than Bjorn Borg.

Labor Day...

This photo wasn't taken on Labor Day, but it is a photo of a couple of workers. As I recall, Elijah was helping me in the yard the day this photo was taken.

Today is Labor Day. You know I've almost 43 years old now and I've lived through quite a few Labor Days. But what is Labor Day...? What does it mean to me...?

I know it's a holiday. But what is the origin of Labor day...? Well, here's a quick link that explains it's history.....

Apparently it started back in 1882 and was a holiday created to honor the achievements of the American worker. It is also considered a symbolic end to summer. Hmmm.... I didn't know that. In fact, I found lots of other interesting information on the wickipedia link.

For me, I don't have too many specific memories of Labor Day. Since I make a living in the tennis industry it's always pretty much meant a day or weekend of tennis for me. I'm either working a tennis event, teaching lessons, or both.

I do have some fond memories of visiting the US Open Tennis Championships in New York on Labor Day. But that was many years ago. Now the USTA is so money hungry that it sells so many tickets to the open that a person can't even comfortably walk around any more.

Today, I'm teaching my regular lessons schedule at my club if the weather cooperates...

I'll probably grill some sausage for lunch and watch the Open on TV this afternoon before going back for lessons this evening.

That's my day today. And this is my life...!

-Coach Sam

Sunday Night and Chillin at the OPEN....

Well, today was a pretty decent day. Church this morning was outstanding. Then we went in to Houston for Lunch at one of our favorite Thai restaurants. It was Connor's turn to pick our Sunday family activity and he wanted to go bowling. That turned out to be pretty fun, except that bowling always makes my arm sore.

We came home and I cooked 'breakfast for dinner', one of my favorites. Now we're just hanging out watching the US Open on TV.

I can honestly say that it has been a relaxing day. Yay...!

My goal for next year though is to be in NEW YORK for the Open and experience it in person...!

Labor Day Weekend

This will be an ongoing post throughout the day. I was up most of the night cooking a brisket for my tennis event today. I'm about to head out the door for that social right now.

I did spend a good deal of time last night updating my website: chadwelltennis.com. That's my major project for the weekend, especially if the rain forecast holds true to prediction. But If it's not too rainy then I plan to work in the yard a bit, too...!

Well, that's it for now.... More later this afternoon! SC

The Weekend Outlook:

Today starts the Labor Day Weekend. I've got a lot of work to do at the tennis shop this morning. I may have a late afternoon lesson, but I'm going to try to not work all day. I want to spend some time with the family this afternoon. Later today I plan to start smoking a brisket for lunch tomorrow.

Saturday I have a tennis event in the morning and a few privates in the afternoon. Sunday is wide open, and although Monday is a holiday, I plan to teach a regular lesson schedule in the afternoon and evening.

I'll probably try to watch a little tennis on television this weekend. (The US Open).

I'm hoping for and looking forward to a nice family weekend. My Sweet Bride pictured with me above is a little under the weather right now with a sore throat. Hopefully she'll feel better as the weekend unfolds...

Friday is a day for me to write about 'Family'. -I love my family. There's nothing more important than the well-being of my wife and boys. Sometimes it's difficult to prioritize my time. And I think this is a problem that many a daddy has faced through out history.

It is so easy to get wrapped up in 'work' justifying that if I don't work more then my family's needs will not be met. This is not easy for me but I'm learning to spend less time working and spend more quality time with my family.

I don't want Elijah to have more 'things' and less daddy. I don't want Connor to grow up with only one parent.

Now I do respect that my dad provided an existence for the family as I was growing up. But in so doing, he did deny me any kind of quality relationship with him. Now that I'm a dad myself, I see very clearly the mistakes my daddy made. And there is good that has come from my dad's mistakes: they serve as an example to me to do things differently.

I don't know exactly how I'll get all the bills paid this coming month, but I'm leaving that up to God. God's in the miracle business.

Sam and Ken

Here's a photo from back in February 2007 during the TTA-TPTA Awards Banquet at the Woodlands Conference Center. The gentleman to my right is Ken Coulter. Ken is responsible for the founding of the Brazoria County Tennis Association.

Wow, look how full my face was back then... I've lost nearly 30 pounds since February.

to be continued....

Aug 30 Update: I got too tired to continue last night... I did decide to abandon my 'political' topic... -That's just not 'Me'.

Seeing that picture does encourage me to continue working hard on my weight loss. I've sort of plateaued in that area. I haven't gained a lot of weight back, but I've sort of been holding steady in the 'two-teens'....

Wednesday: My Favorite Day of the Work Week

I like Wednesdays best of all the days of the work week. Right now it's my least full lesson day and I can always count on Wednesdays to get caught up on stuff. And it's a short work day too because of Church. -And I really like going to church...

So there it is. I've fulfilled my obligation to write about something that is a favorite of mine...

Tomorrow's theme is supposed to be something political but I'm not really having peace about that topic. While I'm not afraid to defend what I believe in, I think that I'm looking for trouble going out on a limb every Thursday with some kind of potentially controversial topic.

So we'll see. I may change my Thursday topic to something else... I welcome any suggestions.

OK, so this will be a short post today... If you want something of more substance please check out Monica's post from yesterday, or my prayer journal. Until next time.... Bye for now...

Tennis Ministry at the US OPEN

The photo above is of Pastor Bob Kraft and family, Christmas 2006

The US Open is under way. This will be the third straight year that I have not attended our country's national tennis championships. I miss it. The Open has been a big part of my life for over twenty years. Hopefully I'll make it back next year.

I'd love to go not just for the tennis action, but to meet up with the man in the photo above. Pastor Bob Kraft is a tennis pro who ministers to other tennis pros. His mission is to spread the gospel to pro tour players and to put a bible in the hands of every tennis professional.

Here's a man who has a tremendous passion for the Lord and is living his love and passion day in and day out serving the Lord with his unique skills and talents.

He shares his life, his love for tennis, and his heart for ministering to ATP and WTA pros on this website: http://tennisministry.org/

Since today is the day of the week that I normally write about someone who inspires me it is appropriate that I feature Pastor Bob Kraft. I love how he has meshed his passion for tennis and the Lord.

I want to increase public awareness of Pastor Bob's Ministry, especially within the tennis community. He is an inspiration to Christians everywhere and particularly to Christians in the tennis industry.

If you'd like to send Pastor Bob a word of encouragement you can email him at Kraft@tennisministry.org

Please pray for Pastor Bob, his family, and his ministry.

Connor's Starting High School Today!

Wow... I can't believe Connor is going in to High School today. Those Junior High years went by very quickly...! By next summer Connor will be turning sixteen and will be taking driver's ed and getting a car... That's absolutely nuts...!

Today's Journal Feature is Childhood Memories. I'd like to recall my freshman days at High School.... I was a freshman at Bay City High School in 1980.

I remember being nervous. For some reason I missed Freshman orientation and I was scared about getting lost. Luckily I was involved in summer band camp so I did have some familiarity with the layout of the school prior to the first day. The first day was very exciting. I felt very grown up going to high school. I wasn't girl crazy but I was beginning to notice girls and there were sure quite a few of them running around...!

I was already really in to tennis back then and between tennis and band my schedule was completely full. We lived just about six or seven blocks from school so I walked most days.

My best friends back then were Kenneth Davis and Jeffrey Dziuk. My most memorable Freshman teachers were Miss Becky Walters, my English Teacher and Mrs McSwain, my Computer Science Teacher. We had Commodore 640's back then. Isn't that crazy...? Computers were just being invented back when I was in high school. There was no such thing as a cell phone or i-pod. There were no hand held video games. How in the world did we get by...?

My Family

This photo of my sweet family was taken Mother's Day 2007

Before I get any negative feedback from my post yesterday I want to do some damage control. I didn't mean to come across so negative towards public school or kids who attend public school.

I've been working with home school families in my tennis business for many years now and I just prefer that kind of culture for Elijah. Now, we have given Connor a choice regarding what he wants to do and he chose public school which is probably the best route for him at this time. When Elijah is older we will give him an option, too.

Today's blog topic is 'family'. That's a big and broad topic. Family is important to me. I'm looking for a different family life culture than the one I grew up in. Now I'm not going to sit here and write about a negative childhood experience. It wasn't horrible. But we just weren't 'close'. I know that there are no 'perfect' parents out there. My parents definitely were not perfect, and neither am I. But the main parenting resource I have been drawing from is my own memory of how my parents handled things.

Well, yesterday Monica and I visited one of the pastors at our church and were really given some excellent Godly advice and suggestions about our parenting skills and strategy. I am very excited to implement the suggestions. We started last night with a good family discussion and we are definitely off to a good start...! YEA!

I mentioned above that family is important to me. Let me rephrase that: It's the most important thing to me! Right now, 'Family' is my mission field. God's not going to work in my life in any other area until I get this first assignment right!

Rylee The Dog

Oh that Rylee is such a character...! Sometimes I love her and sometimes I hate her... She can just be too hyper at times...! But she is a very sweet and loving dog at heart.

Today my blog topic is something political... Last week's topic: NAFTA, didn't provoke any comments or discussion. Today my topic is Home Schooling.

Monica and I plan to Home School Elijah. I'm kinda excited to be the principal of 'Chadwell Pre-K'...! You know, The bible says We are called to be in the world but not of it. And we are not for one second considering placing Elijah in the world of public school. And honestly, our experience with private, Christian schools has not been all that satisfactory, either.

We don't think that anyone is going to put the same kind of quality time and effort into the development of our son like Monica and I will.

And I'm not slamming public school teachers. I do believe that there are some outstanding individual teachers in the public school system, I know several. None the less, we are planning to keep Elijah close by and will train him up ourselves...!

My Sweetie

Well, today is Wednesday and it's the day I write about a 'favorite' of mine... Monica is my Favorite Sweetie...! Well, she's my ONLY sweetie.. But still, she's my favorite. I've known Monica for just about going on seven years now and she has captivated me from the very beginning. She's an awesome wife, mom, and best friend...!

The Outlook For Today, Aug 22, 2007: I'll be working from the pro shop most of the day. I've got to finalize the Gran Prix Master's Tournament this morning and I've got a few private lessons this afternoon. Then We have church tonight. That's it for today...!

Someone I Admire....

Well I missed yesterday's post... I was too busy. So I'm getting on track first thing this morning to start my day.

I think I'll combine the 'someone I admire' topic with a childhood memory. I admire a gentleman named Bob McCulley. He used to organize Sunday afternoon tennis socials in Bay City back in the late 70-s and early 80's when I was growing up. He was always very encouraging to me. I remember that he took me to my first professional tennis match in Houston when I was in high school. I remember that he wanted the tennis courts to look nice so he was always picking up trash and one time he even brought his own edger/trimmer and edged the side walks when whoever was responsible for that task was not keeping up with it.

I remember that everyone in town perceived him to be more 'lucky' than skilled in his tennis game.. In fact, to this very day when ever a tennis shot just barely hits the net and falls over to the other side I still think of it as a 'McCulley'!

We had fun playing tennis together. His encouragement to me as a young player is one reason I am where I am today...

A Familiar Pose

This was me back in Februay. You can't see under the blanket, but I have either a heating pad or an ice bag on my knee. Elijah is enjoying an episode of the Wiggles. And we are covered by a Wiggles blanket... This is a comfortable, cozy scene.

I'll have to get back to this blog a little later today or this evening because I'm running a bit late to preare for my trip to League City this morning.

I've got a busy full day ahead of me rain or shine... ( I hope it shines, though...)

Thursday:Tropical Storm Day..!

It's raining today. I doubt I'll get on the court much if any...! But that's ok I've got plenty to do right here at home. My body could use the rest anyway. I'm going to blog a bit, update my websites, send and receive some email, and make some phone calls. Later this morning I may make a run down to Galveston to pick up some t-shirts for the Gran Prix tournament this weekend. That's my day!

Today's photo is from Elijah's Birthday. He loves his new computer 'laughtop'.

Now, since today is Thursday my journal topic of the day is 'Something Political'.

Today's Political Topic: NAFTA

Let me start out by saying that I don't consider myself a political person. But there are a few topics I do feel rather strongly about. One topic that I am rather concerned about is NAFTA. Unfortunately, don't know enough specific to make a lengthy post about NAFTA. What is NAFTA, anyway...? NAFTA stands for the The North American Free Trade Agreement.

As I stated earlier I am not well versed on this topic but what I have heard concerns me. I may show my ignorance here and if anyone would care to post and set me straight on the subject I ask that you please do so. (gently)

Basically my understanding of NAFTA is that it's ultimate purpose is to open the borders between Mexico and Canada, thus blending our three countries into one. I know that's a pretty broad interpretation, but is that very far from the truth...? It sounds like it would be a good deal for Mexico and Canada but not for the United States.

Can anyone give me their condensed of NAFTA, and in their opinion is it good or bad for the US...?

Here's a link I found about NAFTA... I've only briefly looked over that link but it looks like it is NOT in favor of NAFTA, either....

Right this moment, I oppose NAFTA, but again, I am not well versed on the topic. Anyway, one thing for sure... This is a VERY political topic. I hope I get some comments on this one. Perhaps we can discuss NAFTA next Thursday, too...

That's it for this morning... Until next time... Bye for Now....!

One of Coach Sam's Favorite Ways To Relax: Cooking Bar B Que

Cooking Bar B Que really is a fine art. I'm getting better and better at cooking ribs... There are no complaints at this dinner table...!

Prepping the meet is important. And coming up with the perfect rib rub is something that I'm forever experimenting with...

Getting the smoke right is another challenge. I like to use apple wood for my ribs better than mesquite. But more important than the smoke is the temperature. Maintaining a constant 185-200 degrees for hours can be a challenge on a charcoal grill, but I'm a traditionalist and think that REAL Bar B Que has to be made from charcoal...!

Nothing Beats tender, meat falling off the bones, smoky, spicy, pork ribs...! MMMmmm....!

Well, that's my journal entry for today... I enjoyed it and I hope you did, too. Tomorrow's topic will be something political... See you then...!

Coach Sam

New Blogging Topic Schedule Today..! Read On

Daddy and Elijah, January 2007-

Sorry, this photo has nothing to do with my blog topic today. I just wanted to publish this photo because it is one of my favorites. And I have been thinking lately, who am I really writing this journal for any way...? Well Elijah, of course. I want Elijah to be able to go back to these journal entries and know exactly who his daddy was. I want him to know what was important to me and what I stood for. It's easy to forget stuff. Here I am only 42 years old (almost 43) and I have to strain for childhood memories. !

Honestly, this blog is for me too. Who knows, if I live to be 82 will I have trouble remembering my life at 42...? Maybe. -So if I ever get Alzheimer's disease then perhaps this journal can be of assistance to me then...

OK... Here's the weather report:

Wow, it's been hot lately. We had a very mild summer up to this point but it's been in the 100's the last few afternoons...


I've got a pretty full schedule today. I'm about to head to the tennis center for a few lessons and then I have a break in the early afternoon, then back on court this afternoon for a 4 hour block of lessons... I'll definitely be ready for a shower after that!

I've been thinking about blogging lately and I don't want to get into a routine of just writing down my schedule for the day. I think I'm going to try to figure some topics for each day. How's this sound...?

Mondays... I'll write about someone who inspires me.

Tuesdays... I'll write about a childhood memory.

Wednesdays...I'll write about something that is a favorite of mine.

Thursdays...I'll write about something political.

Fridays... I'll write something about my family.

Saturday and Sunday... This will be potluck... Sometimes I don't write on the weekend...!


OK so today, I'll write about a childhood memory.

One of the favorite houses I remember living in growing up in Bay City was 2912 6th street. There were several cool features about that house I remember:

• It had a finished attic that was like a spare room...


• It had a detached garage with a small workshop in the back.


• There was a big shade tree next to the garage in the back yard.
  

And the best thing was that there was a pomegranate tree on the east side of the house. it actually belonged to the property next to us (I think), but I know I ate a lot of pomegranates growing up as a kid!

That's a cool memory! Neat, huh? Now don't you think you know Coach Sam a little better?

I hope you like this new blog topic format... I'm excited about it...

OK, tomorrow I'll write about my favorite past time... Bar B Que...! -You don't want to miss it!

Connor Returns...!

Connor comes home Monday at around 4 PM... He's been gone almost a month...

Church was interesting this morning. We got up early and went to the Truth Project then we served in the nursery during the second service. Now that was an experience... There were about fifteen 2 year olds for Monica, Myself, and 'Mindy'. It was kind of crazy at times but over all it went well. Elijah was a bit jealous at times. He did not want Monica or myself holding or paying attention to anyone else.

We spent the afternoon and evening preparing for Connor's return. He's going to have a newly remodeled room... Yea...!

It's about 10 PM... I'm going to try to get to sleep early tonight so I can get up early in the morning and dive into my day.... More tomorrow.... -Coach Sam

Quick Sunday Morning Blog: Hanging Out With Elijah

My Sweet, Smiling Little Boy!

Elijah and I are watching the Mickey Mouse Club this morning while Monica is getting ready for church... I have only got a few short minutes before I have to get ready for church myself so I thought I'd get a little blogging in...

Yesterday was pretty busy. I had lessons in the morning, then I helped Monica get Connor's room ready for some contractors who were supposed to come install new carpet in Connor's room. Unfortunately the contractor did not come and it threw our whole day's schedule planning off...

That's the second time in a row that the carpet installation fell through.... Agghhh... How frustrating...! I'm very disappointed in humanity right now. We're under the gun to get that work completed before Connor gets home.... I can't see how it will work out at this point but I know that it will...!

Today after church we're going to run some errands and then just stay close to home this afternoon. -Perhaps I'll blog some more this evening...!

That's it for now... More later!

-Coach Sam

Friday Evening Blog Time...?

This is kind of a rare evening. Monica is running an errand, Connor is out of town, and Elijah is napping... I have some quiet time on my hands...

I thought I'd kick back and relax this evening. I still have some work I could do, but I'm slowly getting caught up. There's always tomorrow for work, right...? I did put in a full day today. So I;m nit feeling convicted about it or anything...

It was a good day. I got up early (3 AM) and blogged in my prayer journal, updated my website, and got caught up on processing entries for the HPTA Gran Prix next weekend. I left the house by 6:15 AM in rder to get to League City for a home school camp. The camp was well attended and went very smoothly, by the way...

After the camp I ran a few errands, then headed home where I worked in the office until about 5 PM. Monica has been really busy lately doing artwork and a few home improvement projects. We've almost finished remodeling Connor's room. I say 'We' loosely because I really haven't personally contributed too much time hands on time to that project, but i did provide lots of back up support watching Elijah while Monica and my brother John did the dirty work...!

Tonight we normally hang out as a family and watch the sci fi channel. I've been halfway watching 'Dr Who' as I compose this post, but Im not really into that series this year.

Grapes...

Where are all the grapes stored in our house...? -Elijah's Cheeks...!

I know this photo could have gone in Elijah's Journal, but I was editing photos last night and this one was just too cute to pass up...!

Wow... I have a busy day today... There's a lot of interesting stuff going on that I need to comment on but it will have to wait for this evening...!

More later.... Coach Sam

Celebrating Four Years With My Bride...!

Here's a photo of my sweet wife and I celebrating our Four Year Wedding Anniversary. (June 28) We enjoyed a delicious meal at the Columbia Lakes Country Club Restaurant that evening and our server 'Gary' took our picture...! -Ahhh... What a happy, good looking couple!

8/7/2007... I have a lite day of lessons today and will be working from the pro shop office most of the day until my afternoon lessons... I'm glad it is a lite day physically because Elijah woke up this morning at 3 AM and it's already been a pretty long day!

The Days of Eating Corn While Sitting in Mommy's Lap...

This photo was taken at the grand opening of the tennis shop in May 2007. We had boiled shrimp, corn, and potatoes. The corn was Elijah's favorite as you can see...

8/6/2007 -I had a great weekend of rest and family time and am ready to dive in to the week. And that's good because I have a very busy week ahead... There's not a lot of time to blog this morning. I need to get to work...! Bye for now... More tomorrow morning... -Coach Sam

The Weekend

One of my favorite things to do is to just spend time with elijah and just 'Play'. Here's a photo of me helping him learn how to ride his new tricycle. Elijah loves his Bike...! Check out more of Elijah's Bike Photos on his own blog, The Days of Elijah.

Today I'm teaching tennis lessons until 12 Noon. Then if no more lessons materialize I'll be spending some time in the afternoon getting caught up in my office. After that I'm heading home to relax with some yard work... -Hey, I ENJOY Yardwork...!

I'm also going to cook something on the grill... Maybe my favorite, RIBS..! And I'm also going to log in lot's of quality Elijah and Mommy time. Sounds like a pretty good day, doesn't it...?

Gabriel

Gabriel is the newest addition to our family. He adopted us a little over a year ago. He is a sweet kitty although he meows a lot at night and wakes us up at times. He loves Hobbes, our oldest cat. It's neat to watch their relationship.

Cats are pretty cool, I think. And we've got the 'coolest' cats around town...!

8/03/07... Today I have a long day on the teaching court. I'm about to pack up and head for League City for a home school camp, then I've got private lessons scheduled throughout the day back at Columbia Lakes. I'm looking forward to relaxing at home this evening with my family...!

Thanks for reading my blog. Some days it will be more lengthy than others but today is one of those days where every moment is precious and I can't spare any extra time here because I have to post in Elijah's Blog before I pack up and head out.

Bye for now.... -Coach Sam

Looking Back on Mother's Day, May 2007

I'm so far behind on my blogging right now... I'm just now going back through some old photos and posting now what I should have done months ago...

This past Mother's day we took Monica to a nice, country home style cooking restaurant in Wharton, Texas. We went to the same restaurant the year before and were so impressed with it that we decided to make it a tradition. The 2007 Mother's Day spread was more impressive than the year before. In the photo above Elijah is finishing off some home made chocolate pie... MMMMmmmm... Yummy, Yummy...!

I recognize what an awesome mommy that my sweet Monica is. (-She's not a bad wife, either...!) She's a very gifted, talented, caring ,compassionate individual and I am greatly blessed to be her husband...!

I love you, Monica...! I hope this photo brings back some fond memories for You.

-Love Always, Sam

Peepers

Peepers is a little kitty cat that has been in our family for over four years. She was a stray when she adopted us. She has lived at the Columbia Lakes Tennis Shop for the past couple of years now.

Peepers is just one of four cats in our family. All four are very unique and have distinctly different personalities. Isn't it interesting how pets have different personalities?

I've heard it said that pets often take on the personality of their owners but I don't know if that is necessarily true. -I wish that I cold sleep for just one fourth of the amount of time that my cats sleep...!

Coach Sam's Life -Back to Blogging

Sadly, I have let too much time slip by since my last post... I'm trying to ease back into blogging. It's my sanity, You know... I feel much more grounded when I blog.



The world can rage around me but I have to blog a little every day or I'll go insane.



The photo above is of me helping Elijah blow out the candles on his birthday cake. He just turned two years old this past Saturday. Isn't that amazing...?



Well, I don't have too much time this morning to spend blogging. But at least this is a start.

More again Soon... (I promise...!)

Back in the BLOG WORLD

OK ... It's been nearly two months since I last blogged. But I'm back now....

I'm about to start the busiest time of my season. But I'm going into the summer with the best assistant tennis staff I've ever had. This should be a good and productive summer...!

I've got a lot of news to report on from the past two months. Story to be continued...!

Post Easter Stuff...

Well, the Easter weekend is just about over. I do feel a little more rested. Friday I enjoyed a nice afternoon with Connor. Saturday I smoked ribs and made a delicious lunch for the family. We just hung out Saturday night and watched TV. Today we went to church and then enjoyed an excellent lunch at the country club.

Right now Monica and Elijah are napping. Connor was feeling 'bad' so he's resting in his room, too. I just put on a brisket to smoke, and thought I'd catch up on blogging a bit. I think Monica and I are going to go for a walk a little later.

Elijah went on his first Easter Egg Hunt today after church. Connor hid some eggs all around the house. It was so much fun to watch Elijah collect his eggs and put them in his basket. That is truly a priceless memory that I'll never forget...! Monica took a bunch of photos, too and we'll be posting them soon.

All in all it's been a good weekend. Bye for now... SC

Easter Weekend 2007

OK... I'm getting my first weekend 'off' in I don't know how long. Honestly, it's been years since I didn't have one single event scheduled over a weekend.

Ahhh.... It feels good just to sit in front of the lap top and catch up on blogging. I'm normally rushing from one event, lesson, meeting, or appointment to another. It's just been insane.

But yesterday (Friday, April 6) I slept in until about 7 AM, was mowing the yard by 9 AM and by 11:30 AM Connor and I were headed out to Houston for a fun day of watching a professional tennis tournament.

Yesterday evening the family relaxed watching television together. Today, I got up at 6 AM to start my favorite holiday past time... That's right... Texas Bar B Que...!

On the menu for lunch today is... Smoked Pork Ribs... Then I'm going to put on a Brisket a little later this morning... The brisket will be ready in the evening...

Unfortunately, the weather is not too nice today. It's cold and breezy. That's kinda strange for this time of year. Not the breezy part, but the 'cool' part....! Also, not surprisingly, it's supposed to rain today as well. I'm just glad I'm not running the coke open tennis tournament this year.

So, getting back to my bar b que... The ribs have been on for over an hour, but the grill temperature has only been optimum for about 30 minutes. So in another 15 minutes or so I'll flip the ribs and try to maintain a consistent grill temp of about 225 degrees for another 4 hours or so...

I was going to use my favorite 3-2-1 method... 3 hours of smoking on a low heat, two hours of cooking the ribs wrapped tightly in foil, and then one more hour of smoking out of the foil to dry the ribs out a bit. This method usually produces excellent, tender, fall off the bone ribs.

However, these particular ribs were not as fatty as I would have liked. I'm afraid that if I cook them for the full six hours that I will dry them out too much... Plus, I want to accelerate the process so we'll be eating between 12 noon and 1 PM. Mmmmm..... I love ribs...!

So, I plan to cook and blog most of the morning. Sometime this afternoon I want to thoroughly clean out my closet. There's a mountain of clothes laying on the floor. Monica's given up on trying to figure out what's going on in there...

I need to just get rid of a bunch of stuff. I'm going to be relentless. Yes, before the end of the day you will be able to see the floor of my closet!

If it doesn't start to rain, I'll try to work in the back yard a little too. We are in dire need of some picking up and landscaping... Of course, I'm looking forward to hanging out with the family, playing with Elijah, and sipping a cool refreshing beverage...!

Well, that's my morning update... I'd better go check those ribs... more later... SC

Getting it figured out...

Here's a photo of the 'three amigos'... Daddy, Elijah, and Rylee....!

OK... Something's about to get done... I'm making some serious decisions in the next few days... Some major organization is about to take place in Coach Sam's life.

I've got two excellent staffers working with me now and it's time to really get them plugged in helping me get caught up on stuff.

My life has been insane lately. And it's my own doing. I don't want to live this way any longer.

Just wait. You'll see.

Story to be continued....

Taking a break from blogging for awhile...

OK... I'm admitting defeat for the moment. I simply can't keep up the pace of my schedule. I'm going to suspend blogging for awhile until I have a more managable schedule. And hopefully that will be sooner rather than later.... I'm thinking perhaps to take the month of March off and then see how things look in April...

thanks for reading my blog. This is Coach Sam signing off for now.

The Family Dog: Rylee Chadwell

Rylee joined our family just after Christmas 2006. We adopted her from the Houston Humane Society. She's a chihuahua - terrier mix. She reminds me of a beloved family pet my family had when I was a boy. Her name was "Fancy".

I have many fond memories of 'Fancy'. And she lived to a ripe old age of 22 years old (in people years). I remember mom told me that we adopted Fancy right before I was born. And she lived until I graduated from college. That's a pretty significant span.

I want Elijah and Connor to know the joys of a having a family dog and I think Riley is just right to fill the bill.

Of course, we still have our kitties and love them, but there's just something special about a family dog. I mean, it is pretty much an American tradition, isn't it?

Alexander and Rocky

Here's a photo of two of my neighbors: Alexander and Rocky... Alexander is the taller of the two. He's an exchange student from Germany. His interests include tennis and soccer. Rocky is the Klement's family dog. He has lots of energy and likes to chase anything furry.

Normally my blog photos are of family members, and Coach Sam's Life has been pretty much about 'Family for the last 582 posts'. But I've been thinking about taking a little different tact to my journal for a while and have decided to begin posting a series of photos and commentary of various aspects of my life, especially the community around me...

I think it will be fun to be able to come back to this post five, ten, maybe even twenty years from now and relive this moment and recall people, places, and events that might not necessarily stay in the memory banks as age starts to creep in.... And not only for myself, but for Elijah, Connor, and possibly their children as well. This and my other journals are a legacy to them. -Here I am in my early 40's and I can't really remember much of my early childhood, or even my junior high and high school years. -And sadly there's not much that's been preserved from my childhood years. My parents have both been gone for some time now and there are hardly any photos or mementos of those precious moments in time.

I want my family to know and remember that community was/ is very important to me. I love the little community that we live in. West Columbia is so different and refreshing after years of traveling and living in the city. The people down here in the country are different... -In the best ways possible...!

We've got wonderful friends and neighbors all around us who keep an eye on us and are really tuned in to what's happening around them. We care about them and they care about us. There's a feel that we're all extended family here. This is what home feels like. It's warm and comfortable. You can take your shoes off and be yourself.

It feels good to be 'home'....!

Valentine's Day

Before I met Monica I figured I'd probably marry another tennis pro one day because I felt like only another tennis pro would understand and put up with the crazy teaching hours my profession demands...

Well I married a professional alright, but not a tennis professional. I married a professional artist. However, she does understand and appreciate my schedule.

I definitely do not have a '9 to 5' job and never will...

My sweetheart not only understands and appreciates my profession, she even pitches in and helps out on the court if I need it. -Now that's true love and devotion....! Monica helps me all the time. What ever I need, when ever I need it, I can count on my beloved bride...!

I know many tennis pros whose marriages are unhappy or have crumbled because of the rigors and demands of the profession. I thank God daily that my sweet wife is such a loving, kind, and supportive inspiration to me.

Recently I was honored in my profession with an award for 'Industry Excellence'. I received a nice token personalized with my name on it. Although the award was inscribed to 'Sam Chadwell', I absolutely must give credit here to Monica as well, because she enabled me to excel in my industry, and I would not have achieved the results I have achieved if not for my sweet wife...!

I can't say enough good things about Monica. She's smart, she's beautiful, she's an awesome mom.... Well, she's just plain awesome, period! And I love her very, very much...

She's my perfect valentine...!.

Lots to do today...

My day is jam packed... I hardly know where to start. I have some very good photos to publish but that will probably need to wait until this afternoon... My main task right this morning is prioritizing all the things I need to do...

This weekend was full and busy. We enjoyed a nice family day yesterday. I went to bed kinda late and awakened early because apparently Connor go too hot in his room last night so he turned off our heat. It was 61 degrees in the house when I awakened at 5 AM...

And I awakened to find a giant raccoon in our kitchen. That was exciting... This Raccoon was BIG...! Our Kitty door just can not keep the raccoons out. This is an ongoing problem...

Well, the sun is out at the moment but it's supposed to start raining again tonight.

I'm ready for some sustained sunshine...!

OK, I need to dive in to my day... after i get a few projects completed I'll try to log back in again and post some photos....

Bye for now.... sc

Sunshine....!

The Sun is out...! Yesss....! I've been propped up on the couch with a heating pad on my knee blogging most of the morning. I was going to go over to the tennis shop in a few minutes and work the remainder of the morning but Elijah just got up so I'm going to watch him until lunch time and then just work at the shop this afternoon. It seems really strange to have so much sunshine... Honestly, I've forgotten what sunshine was like. I sure hope it stays for a while...!

This morning Elijah and I are watching Cailou, a sweet Kid's Show. Rylee our new puppy was just chasing her tail. It was very funny and Elijah and I laughed and laughed.

My mother in law has recently started blogging again.

http://judyohlemacher.blogspot.com

She's been writing about her childhood memories. I like that. I used to write about my childhood. I need to start doing that again.

I also need to go in my computer and organize my photos... I've got photos scattered out all over in several places, in several folders...

But sadly, work beckons this morning, so I need to close here....

Bye for now....

Coach Sam

Monica's Rainbow

Monica took this photo way back when we had just started dating years ago. I thought this would be a good photo for today because it's the first morning it hasn't rained in some time.

My knee is doing a little better but I can still tell I'm not 100%. According to my doctor I still have at least a month to recover.

Things are going fairly well, though. And I'm eager to get back on the court teaching and playing.

I've got a busy day ahead of me so I need to close here... More later....

Coach Sam

Some Cozy Kitties

Things are starting to get a little more back to normal for our kitties. It's taken nearly a month but Rylee (our new dog) is finally doing better around the cats, and they are starting to get used to her, too.

I believe this is our first photo of 'Lucy'. She's the black and white kitty on the cushion. The big orange tabby next to her is Hobbes, of course. I'm not sure where Gabriel was at the time of our photo opportunity. It's difficult to separate Gabriel and Hobbes....

I feel like I'll be staying up late tonight and catching up on my blogging. It's been a fairly productive day. I got a little work done, spent a lot of time with Elijah, and cooked lunch and dinner.

Monica had a good day. She got the bulk of her tax work done today. We're way ahead of schedule from last year... Yea...!

My knee is doing better. Of course, since the weather's been so bad lately I haven't had much of a chance to test it, but still... Rest is Good. And no Pain is better...!

So, this has been the worst January I've ever had in my career lessons -wise. I've only been able to teach one day so far this entire month.... It's either been cold, wet, or both...! but I've used this down time to spruce up my websites and work on my address book distribution lists.

That's about it... I've been enjoying watching the Australian Open on TV... Not much else to report...

I'll try to publish the photos of our recent house repair soon. -We had the foundation of our house leveled... -Now the adventure of renovating begins...!

Bye for now... -Coach Sam

Our Trip to Austin

This building may not look like much but it is the home of one of Austin's most famous restaurants and a hot-spot in the local music scene. It's called Threadgills and we enjoyed a delicious Sunday Brunch with live Gospel Music there this morning before we headed home. The food was very good and the music was great. Elijah was really Groovin' to the beat...! We were enjoying it so much we stayed for a little while listening even after we had finished our brunch.

We were in Austin this weekend for a Tennis Conference hosted by the United States Tennis Association Texas Section. I had hope for the family to enjoy some great Texas Hill Country outdoor activities, but the weather was horrible... (Cold and Rainy). But Monica, Connor, and Elijah managed to amuse themselves with indoor activities by visiting the Austin Children's Museum and taking in a movie will I attended various tennis seminars.

All in all, it was a nice trip and our visit to Threadgills was very memorable.

It's still warm at moment here at home but the Austin weather is supposed to follow us down here some time this evening and the next few days are supposed to be very cold...

I'll probably post some more tomorrow from the couch in front of our fire place...!

Bye for now...

Coach Sam

Teddi and Peepers

Here's a photo from my recent Christmas Break Holiday Tennis Camp. Teddi DiBlasi relaxes on the couch with pro shop manager Peepers the Cat during lunch break on the final day of camp. In spite of rainy conditions through out the week camp went very well.

Teddi did a fantastic job assisting with the camp and we had over 20 different participants through out the week. I have posted photos from my camp on my tennis photo blog.

Check them out at http://tennisphotos.blogspot.com


Yesterday was a pretty busy tennis day. I had a good turn out for lessons and league. And my knee didn't hurt too bad afterwards... YEA...!

Today I have an online training on my websites at 10 AM... The rest of the morning and early afternoon I'll be working at the tennis shop. Then tonight is choir and praise team practice...

That's it for now... Check you later... -Coach Sam

Elijah's Car Ran Out of Gas....

Elijah Loves his new car, but unfortunately in this photo he had just ran out of gas. He was trying to push it to the next gas station when I came along with my camera...

Today I stayed at home most of the day and worked on web pages via my laptop from the comfort of my living room couch. Elijah hung out with me and watched kids shows on television until about Noon. It was a nice morning. I enjoy spending my mornings with my little boy.

It's a big help for Monica, too because when I keep an eye on Elijah in the mornings she can get caught up on her work... We've really got a good routine down, I think...

I spent most of the morning marketing tennis programs and updating my new website:

http://www.brazoriacountytennis.org

Tonight I'm working at the tennis shop... We're actually pretty busy for a chilly January night... There's three courts in use at 7:30 PM.

A couple of racquets came in to be strung this afternoon... I need to start them before I leave this evening.

Not much else to report except that today was the first time in about a month that my knee hasn't ached very much... That's a really good sign...! YESS...! -And if I can get enough pain free days under my belt I might even be able to exercise a little more and get in better shape.

Watching the TV show the Biggest Loser really inspired me...

I forgot to mention that I'm also enjoying some quality Peepers time this evening... (Peepers is my kitty that lives at the Columbia Lakes tennis shop) She's a very sweet kitty...!

Well that's about it for now... I'll be back tomorrow... Thanks for reading my blog...!

-Coach Sam

Our New Family Member

Rylee Chadwell, Christmas, 2006

Here's the newest addition to our family. She's a two years old Chihuahua / Terrier mix.

Rylee hasn't exactly gotten along well with out kitties... But we're working on that...

Elijah's Cow Costume

I just came across this cute photo of Elijah and Monica at our Church's Fall Festival this past October. He was the cutest little cow I've ever seen...! He spent a good deal of his time during the Fall Festival at the duck pond. As you can see, in this photo he's holding a couple of blue ducks, one in each hand...

I've got over 200 photos from 2006 sill left to publish so be prepared for random photos the next few months until I get caught up...

Today we are having the foundation of our house repaired. There are about 15 workers buzzing all around our property at the moment. We've got jack hammers, shovels, and wheel barrows all going at the same time... I've taken a few photos and will publish them tomorrow.

The rest of the day is a work day and baby sitting day for me. At the moment I'm propped up on the couch with a heating pad on my knee. Throughout the day I alternate heat, ice, stretching, and strengthening exercises. The doctor told me it would be sometime in March before I could expect a full recovery. (sigh...)

Well, that's about it. Until next time, bye for now....

Coach Sam

Hanging Out with Elijah

Today is a rainy, cold day. I'm in a familiar position laying on the couch with my leg propped up on a heating pad. I'm watching kids shows and playing with Elijah and catching up on blogging and email correspondence. I'll be busy all day. I'm working on publishing some newsletters.

Earlier today the TV remote control fell into my cup of coffee. Don't ask me to explain... Honestly, it was a freak accident... It didn't work well for awhile after that but Monica cleaned it up and got it working again...

That has pretty much been the excitement so far today...

I may post a little more again later, but I've got to check my email and update some websites...

Thanks for reading my journal...

Bye for now....

Coach Sam

Raccoons..!

These pesky little critters are driving us crazy...! They start to come in our kitty door as soon as the sun goes down. We've got to find a better way to secure the door because the raccoons have figured out how to open the door. It's only made of plastic and is not very secure...

The raccoons come in and eat all of our kitty food. It's really quite annoying. I'm not sure what the solution is... There are many, many raccoons in our area. We can't afford to feed the entire countryside. But we don't want to keep our kittys locked up all night, either...

The raccoons are not even scared of the flash of the camera... This one in particular came into the house repeatedly one morning while I was sitting at the kitchen table blogging...


Well, that's the raccoon story... More later.... Coach Sam

My Knee Update

I had surgery on Dec 6... The Doctor shaved bone off of my knee cap and released a lateral tendon that was very tight across my knee cap. It's been nearly a month since my surgery. I'm walking, but playing tennis is very much out of the question. I am OK to give lessons but my mobility is severely limited

My Doctor said it would be three months before I would be fully recovered. The way things are going I'd say that it will take more than three months but I hope the Doctor is right...

I'm supposed to be doing some special exercises to help my recovery but the exercises are painful. But if I don't exercise it the stiffness is even more painful... Oh well, I'm just going to have to suck it up for awhile....

This week I'm taking it easy physically then I'll start easing back in to my regular teaching schedule next week. I've got plenty of planning and marketing to do this week.

Tomorrow I'll post the New Year Report...

Bye for now...

Coach Sam

HAPPY NEW YEAR...!

We were all feeling a little under the weather Sunday morning so we stayed in from church and just watched Dr Charles Stanley's broadcast sermon message on TV. Although the day started out poorly, 2006 still ended on a good note.

By the afternoon we were feeling better so we went into Houston for an outing of shopping, indoor golf, and a delicious dinner.

Monica, Connor, Elijah and I rang in the New Year by watching the ball drop in Times Square on television. I was definitely feeling a generation gap with the music and dancing and carrying on that takes place these days.

It was really nice to be surrounded by my sweet family to start 2007.

I awakened early this morning and started the process for making delicious smoked baby back ribs, Connor's favorite...

I'm trying a new recipe this morning... I'll let you know how it comes out...!

Hey, thanks for checking out my first blog entry of 2007....

Happy New Year From Coach Sam!

Chadwell Christmas Blog Update...

(These are notes I made after my initial post on Christmas morning... I haven't been able to get back online again for awhile because our Internet service has been out...)

From Christmas Morning continued...

I made deviled eggs for an appetizer earlier this morning... I didn't realize it but that is one of Connor's favorite snacks...!

My mother in law drove into West Columbia to see if we could get some donuts or kolaches for breakfast. Nothing was open. The entire town is closed down...! That's OK, though... We had sausage and English muffins for breakfast.

It's 11 AM now... The turkey is entering the home stretch... There's about an hour left of cooking time. We just popped the dressing into the oven... And we have a couple of side dishes to go...

Connor is assembling a toy for Elijah... Our high speed Internet is out right now... That is annoying. Since our old company (Sprint) was bought out by a new company (Embarq), we've had horrible service...

My brother John was supposed to join us for Christmas dinner today. He called at 10:30 AM to cancel. Sadly, that is one of our family traditions. (Although he did break the cycle by showing up for Thanksgiving...) Oh well, I do hope he has a Merry Christmas. He's going to miss an awesome meal and great company...!

Everything else is going smoothly... 11:15 AM...


That's it for my actual Christmas Day post, the day got away from me after that... Here's a post script update...

Dinner was excellent...! The best yet... -Although I did receive some criticism on my decision to delay opening up presents until after dinner... We ended up waiting some time after dinner because Elijah made such a mess of himself while eating it necessitated a bath for Elijah and then Monica had to get cleaned up, too.

Needless to say, everyone was very anxious to open presents by the time we finally got around to it. But It was all worth the wait...!

We took many photos... I'll be posting photos for some time the next few days...

That's it for now... More later...

Coach Sam

Chadwell Family Christmas update -8 AM post

This post is an installment of several posts I'll be making today... If you want to read it chronologically scroll down to the post I made at 5 AM this morning... Merry Christmas...!

Well, It's a little after 8 AM... I've been at it for about four hours... I've got the turkey in the smoker... I just made a pan of cornbread oyster dressing and I also made one without oysters... They both look and smell delicious... I'll post my recipes later...!

Connor came into the kitchen about an hour ago... He was still groggy with sleep but did manage to say, '...It's beginning to feel a lot like Christmas...!' Then he asked his standard question, 'Where's mom...?' -To which I replied... ' Every body's still asleep...'

Connor must have decided that 7 AM was too early to be up and without further discussion he disappeared back into his room....!

I'm going to make some deviled eggs for an appetiser later... I'm also going to make some bruschetta for an appetiser, too.

Monica and Judy should be up soon... They are taking care of the other side dishes and dessert... I want to have as much of my stuff done as possible before they get up so I'd better close here.

Connor's right.. It IS starting to feel a lot like Christmas...!

Coach Sam
-8:12 AM

Coach Sam's 2006 Christmas Blog -5 AM post

Well, I'm back... I haven't posted in over 10 days... Much of that time was spent with my leg propped up on the bed or couch recovering from my knee surgery.

I'll come back in the next week or so and comment more on my surgery and the days that have followed my recovery. The fact is, I'm still in a bit of pain, but at least I'm on my feet now. I still have a limp, but I'm getting better. -That's the good news.

For now, let me just say that I wouldn't wish knee surgery on anyone...!

So, on to the Christmas story...

This year Monica's folks are visiting and Connor's home. He normally alternate holidays with his grand parents on his daddy's side of the family. I'm glad Connor's here. This is Elijah's first real memorable Christmas and having big brother here will make it all the more special.

I'm going all out... I got up at 4 AM to get started. I put the turkey in the smoker at 4:45 AM this morning. It should be ready sometime between 12 noon and 1 PM. I'm also trying to make home made oyster dressing like my mom used to make when I was a kid... Monica's not too thrilled about that so I'm making a pan of regular dressing, too. I've never made dressing from scratch before but if it's a disaster we still have stove top stuffing as a back up.

I'll be blogging off and on all morning and afternoon.... -It's a Coach Sam family tradition, now.

So that's about it for my first blog installment. I gotta go start some more projects.

Bye for now and Merry Christmas....!

Coach Sam -5:51 AM