Catching Up...

I'm a little behind on my blogging, so here's what's been going on the past couple of weeks to get you caught up...!

I was desperately missing my wife, baby and stepson who were staying in California on an extended vacation visiting family. They returned a couple of weeks ago and I never want to be separated from them again...!

A little kitty adopted us...! She's the cutest thing... She's about seven weeks old now with the cutest markings... I'll publish some photos soon... Hobbes and Gabriel aren't very happy with the arrangement, but they'll get over it...

My Dell computer crashed... And I've sent it back to Dell to be fixed... Meanwhile I bought a new Toshiba satellite lap top. That's what I'm using right now... Hopefully my dell can be repaired... We'll see. I'm not a happy Dell customer right now...

The rain the past few days has really hurt my business... It's supposed to be dry today and I can start to get caught up now...

Last night Monica and I bought a new car. It's a 2006 Rav 4. We desperately needed a new vehicle. Both our jeeps are nearly 10 years old and on their last leg...

I'm singing on the praise and worship team at church... We have rehearsal tonight. I really enjoy the music ministry at our church...

Connor heads out to Missouri on Saturday to visit his grand parents. He'll be gone for about a month. That's going to seem really strange to have him gone for so long...

That pretty much catches you up on the major happenings in the Chadwell house. More later...

Coach Sam

Here's My Schedule Today...

1. Wake Up....

2. Pray....

3. Work...

4. Take a Good Long Nap....

5. Work a little more.... (...And pray throughout the day as needed.)

6. Family Time....

7. Get to Sleep Early...!

The Family is Back...!

Yahooooo...!

Everyone made it back safe and sound. Poor Monica is suffering from a little jet lag but other than that we are doing mighty fine...!

Church yesterday was really good. It was my first sunday to sing on the praise and worship team. I thank God for the opportunity to serve in that ministry...!

I'm being blessed with a busy summer. Today is actually particularly busy so I need to keep this morning post short.

I'll try to post a little more this afternoon...!

Coach Sam

The Mad Dash....

I'm dashing around like a mad-man trying to get a bunch of things accomplished before Monica and Connor and Elijah arrive home this evening. Their flight doesn't arrive in until 8:30 PM but believe me, I have planty to keep busy with until then...

I'm so glad they are finally coming home...!

More tomorrow morning... I gotta get going...!

SC

A New Kitty...?

We have a new kitty... (Well, for the time being...) She (or he) adopted me Tuesday morning at about 5 AM as I was about to head off to tennis lessons in League City. I'm not sure how old the kitty is, but my guess is it's about 5-6 weeks old. It's about the size that Gabriel was he adopted us...

I've been caring for it the past few days and must say that I just have a soft place in my heart for little kitties... I mean really, have you ever met a little kitty that just wasn't cute and adorable...?

While I know that we absolutely do not need another cat, I'm sure when Monica and Connor see it that they are going to want to keep it... Sigh... We'll see what happens. Right now Hobbes and Gabriel seem a little bit traumatized that the little kitty is living in the garage and that I'm spending time with it. But hey, they've been quite cat-like and aloof to me for some time now...

Peepers is really mad. I brought the little kitty to the tennis shop for a few hours yesterday and she hissed at it and turned her back to me and the little kitty. She's not even speaking to me right now. Oh well, she'll get over it.

But you know, I'm not surprised at this behavior. I mean suppose I found some of my favorite tennis students hitting with another pro....? You know, not taking a lesson, just hitting... Well I'd have mixed emotions at best...

So probably the best thing to do is to find a home for this little kitty. Well see....

Hey do any of my readers need a kitty...? I'll be posting a photo over the weekend when Monica comes home with our digital camera... And if you live in West Columbia or Columbia Lakes you are welcome to just stop by any time....

Well, that's about it for my blog time this morning. I'm working from the house today until I get my car back. My green jeep is temporarily out of commission and Monica's red jeep is having a new headliner put in and I won't have it back until later this morning or early afternoon.

I've got plenty to do, though... So I'll close here... Bye for now... Coach Sam

Not a spare second this morning!

I've got to hurry and get ready for my lessons in Clear Lake this morning. I have 31 youngsters in my camp this morning and I need to get on the road asap... More this afternoon...!

By the way... I had a great time in choir and praise team practice last night...! More on that later!

Coach Sam

Getting More Involved at Church

Tonight I'm going to go to choir rehearsal and try out for the praise and worship team. I'm excited. I haven't been in a music ministry for over a year. I realize too that I haven't mentioned my music interest very much. But those of you who know me well know that I have a deep passion for music. I love to sing (especially back up harmony). I love to play the trombone. I'd really like to start taking guitar and piano lessons. Hopefully when we sell our house in Houston all that will come to pass.

I want Elijah to be exposed to music training as soon as possible. Monica's secret desire is to play the violin. Connor really would like to play percussion. So, you see we're really a very musical family. And probaly thought I was just all about tennis...

All my siblings were in band as youngsters. My oldest brother Stanley is quite an accomplished guitar player and has played in numerous bands throughout his life.

As I look back on my high school and college years, music really sustained me and gave me as much identity as tennis did, maybe more. I've always regretted not doing more with my music talent. I guess that now that I've moved back into the country close to where I grew up I'm getting back to my 'roots'....

So, with that in mind I need to practice my trombone a bit this afternoon before I go to choir tonight...

My day is fairly lite. I have a class this morning from 9:30 AM to 11 AM then I just have office work to do the rest of the day. I have lots of phone calls to make and email correspondence to take care of. It shouldn't be too stressful...

Only three more days until my family comes home! Yea... I don't like being a bachelor...!

More later... Coach Sam

The Big Week

I start my summer programs this morning at Columbia Lakes Country Club. It should be a busy, full day. I'm excited. My day is off to a good start. I got up early and spent a good deal of time in prayer. That's the key to a successful week, you know...!

Monica and the kids return home just five days from now... I can hardly wait...! It was strange going to church by myself yesterday. Sunday above all other days has been our 'family' day for a long time. It's hard to have a family day when your family is a thousand miles away...!

But I'm afraid I need to close here. I have to get working on some other projects before I go on the court at 9:30 AM...

More later... SC

Sunday Blog... Taking it Easy so far...

I've had a relaxing day thus far... I got up and watched Dr Charles Stanley's Sunday morning sermon on television, started a load of Laundry and went to church... Now I'm watching the French Open for a few minutes before I dive in to an afternoon of chores. I'll probably make a quick road trip to Houston to work on our Arncliffe property.

Tomorrow starts my first full week of the summer. I've got a pretty full day of lessons on Monday.

Monica, Connor and Elijah return next Saturday evening... I can't wait...!

More later...

Coach Sam

Missing My Family

I'm going crazy here missing my family... -And I won't see them for another week... Wow... I don't know how I'll make it...! I think I called Monica atleast 4 times today...

I'm not sleeping well... I'm having trouble concentrating... Man, I've got to get my act together...

My Dell Laptop is giving me fits, too. I'm probably going to have to send it in to be worked on and I'm not happy about that, either... Right now I'm using Monica's PC.

Sigh... Tomorrow I have lessons from 9 AM to Noon... Then I'll need to make a few phone calls for lessons next week and then I think I'm going to Houston to check on our house there...

I need to do some serious yard work this weekend... And I need to do some serious bible study...

Well, that's it for now... More in a few hours.... I'm going to get some sleep before my morning classes...

Home...

I'm back from California...! But I have a full morning on the court... No time to write now. More this afternoon.

Coach Sam

Heading Home

I've been in California for the past few days visiting my in laws. It has been a beautiful, restful visit... But I head home in a few hours. I have to be home in time to get started on my summer tennis schedule. I have a big camp in League City tomorrow.

Monica, Connor, and Elijah are staying on and continuing their visit until June 10... That's right, I'll be separated from my family for almost a week and a half... I'm not looking forward to that one bit... I've never been separated from them for more than 24 hours and that was just one time...

Well, I'll definitely have time to get caught up on my blogging...

I've been enjoying the French Open every morning... And I'm fired up and eager to get on the court and practice. The only problem is that I still have a nagging little injury from the Corpus tournament last month, so I still need to take it easy for a while...

I suppose I should close here... More tonight after I get home...! Bye for now...

SC

Gotta Get In Shape...!

Tonight I ate my last bit of fast food for the summer. I absolutely have got to eat right this summer and shed my extra weight. I'm weighing in tomorrow morning and waging war on unhealthy habits. I'm going to be really disciplined about working out. My new nickname will be Captain Crunch. Not for the cereal, but for the amount of time I spend working my abs...!

I've got to get plenty of rest, too. so I'll close here... It's late for me and I want to get up early and start my day off in prayer and study... Bye for now....

Coach Sam

Four Days to Vacation...!

Here's a photo from this past weekend's Tennis Block Party held at Houston's Memorial Park. For more photos from this fun event click BLOCK PARTY.

I only have a few days until vacation time. You know I have rarely taken a true vacation in my entire life. Growing up, my family really could never afford a vacation. (We did take occasional day trips, though...).

I've been to the US Open numerous times and I suppose that should count as a vacation. I've been to Australia... That was definitely a vacation. And I went to Paris and the French Open in 2000. I'd consider that a vacation for sure...!

But, I haven't really done any thing non-tennis related since my honeymoon three years ago. Do honeymoons count as vacations...?

So, we fly out Friday evening. We are heading to California to visit Monica's parents. I've never spent extended time in California before. This will be a real treat for me. But I'll only be gone 5 days, then I have to get home to start my summer camps. Monica, Connor, and Elijah will stay up there an additional week....

It's going to be a little difficult to be away from the family for seven days... I'm sure I'll be on the phone a lot...!

Now, in the mean time between right this second and when we depart I have a bunch of loose ends to tie up so I'd better get busy. Bye for now....

Coach Sam

Heading Home...

Elijah and I enjoy the view from the back seat as we stopped for a break on our way home from the Corpus trip a few weeks ago...

Last night I had dinner with my good friend Eddie Clayworth. It was nice catching up on things. We reminisced about our trip to the 2000 French Open. -I can't believe that it's been 6 years since I've been to Paris....!

Today... It's my first non stressful day in a long time. I'm going to blog this morning, make some phone calls, work in the tennis shop, and just generally chill out. Monica and I are going to an awards ceremony at Connor's school this afternoon. Then I have a couple of private lessons and my Tennis Across America social tonight...

Tomorrow will be a fun day at Houston's Memorial Park Tennis Block Party. And Sunday will be a day of rest. Ahh... I'm really liking my life right now.

More later... SC

My Serve: A Critical Look...!

When I saw this photo Monica took of me at the Corpus tournament I just cringed. My first thought was I can't believe how big and heavy I look. It was my goal to get down below 200 pounds for that tournament and I fell short by about 20 pounds. So now my goal is to get down below 200 by the July tournament in San Antonio.

Next I noticed how my tossing arm has dropped down way too early in the stroke. This causes net mistakes and / or shallow serves. I've got to keep that arm up longer.

But there are some good things I'm doing... I've got good extension with my legs. Notice the heels off the ground as I'm stretching up to extend into the serve...? And, I'm noticeably leaning out into the serve. Actually I served very well over all for the tournament. I only failed to hold serve a few times in four matches, and I served very well in crucial third set tie-breakers...!

Yes, I'm really in to playing tournaments again. I'm pumped, excited, and ready to compete. I think I'm playing the best tennis of my life right now. I'm definitely at my toughest mentally, and I can hit any shot from any where in the court. The only limitation I have is my conditioning....!

My biggest enemy right now is my appetite...! But I'm going to overcome the knife and fork...! Monica and I have seven weeks until our next tournament. You're going to see big changes in my physique between now and then...!

Stay tuned for more tomorrow. Today is a pretty busy day for me. I have lessons in League City this afternoon and evening and quite a bit to do in the mean time before then so I need to close here. But tomorrow is the first Friday that I won't be teaching late in Clear Lake...! No traveling tomorrow... YEA...! And I'll have time to post more then... Bye for now. SC

The Lexington

This is the USS Lexington, a retired US Navy Aircraft Carrier. It is one of Corpus Christi's biggest tourist attractions. Ireally want to check it out next time we visit Corpus.

Speaking of Corpus, I still have a bunch of Photos to post from that trip so stay tuned the next few days....

By the way, that tournament really wore me out. I'm still a little sore from all my tennis matches and it's over a week past now... Man, I really need to get in better condition....

Today I absolutely must get a lot of marketing done... After I blog this morning it's all business after that. I'm on the court all afternoon. This is my last late day to teach on Wednesday. After today I'm making a commitment to become more active at my church on Wednesday evenings.

This month is winding down... We leave for California on May 26... That's less than 10 days away, now...! Woohoo...!

Well, I need to post in Connor's and Elijah's blogs too so I'll close here... More Later!

Coach Sam

Seeking God

Today's thought is taken from a Dr Charles Stanley Commentary that I found particularly meaningful. The topic is seeking God.

The rewards of pursuing God are great... Scripture tells us that '...They who seek the Lord shall not want of any good thing...' (Psalm 34:10) But we will not accidentally drift into a meaningful relationship with HIM. The key to that end is to act purposefully with that end in mind.

1 Chronicles 22:19 says 'Now set your heart and soul to seek the Lord your God.'

How then can we diligently pursue knowing Him better...?

Dr Stanley lists five ways to seek God. The first two are through scripture and prayer. Do you precede your scripture study with a prayer...? If not, you should get in the habit of asking God to help you know Him bettter. Ask Him to show You the Truth about Him that is contained in scripture. This is one prayer that God will always answer.

The other three ways that Dr Stanley lists regarding seeking God include Worship, books from great christian authors, and conversation with others.

These will all be discussed in tomorrow's commentary.

Dear Heavenly Father,

Lord, I do want to know You more. I seek You Lord. And I ask You to show me Your Truth. My life is in Your hands, Father. I give this day to You my King. With You by my side I have the confidence to face the world today, my Lord and Savior.

Father God, I do love You. And I pray this simple prayer to know You more in Jesus' name,

Amen.

Dear Readers Please Note: This commentary was accidentally posted to the wrong blog. To read part two of this series go to my prayer journal by clicking here. Thanks, Coach Sam

This Past Weekend...

It was a fabulous weekend. My tournament on Saturday went well. Mother's day was simply spectacular... And I'm looking forward to a great week and rest of the month. I have many, many great photos to publish and add to my web sites so I'll be busy pretty much the rest of the day working on those projects.

But what I need to do right now is check my email... I haven't checked it in 48 hours and I'm sure I'll have over 350 messages to attend to... So, I gotta go.

Bye for now...

Coach Sam

Corpus Trip

I took the family to Corpus Christi this past weekend. We played in a tennis tournament and did a little sight seeing. Here's a photo of the family at the Texas State Aquarium. There were lots of great exhibits. We especially enjoyed the dolfin pool.

More about the trip in the next few days... I've got a very tight schedule this morning trying to complete several projects. You can see more dolfin pics on http://connorcopeland.blogspot.com and http://elijahchadwell.blogspot.com