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....