Newks Weekend...!

This has been a busy, busy week. The owners of the country club where I work have been making many capitol improvements to the tennis center. My sweet wife was feeling under the weather on Wednesday so I took Elijah to work with me all day Wednesday... It was fun, and Elijah had a very good time... Yesterday I had lessons in Clear Lake during the day and then here at Columbia Lakes last night.

Then late last night Connor helped me at the tennis shop with stringing a racquet while I worked on hanging the new wind screens. I'm actually going back to the tennis center in a little while this morning to try to complete the work I started last night. The rest of the morning will be packed with trying to tie up loose ends and preparing to leave for a trip to New Braunfels for a state tennis competition.

We're hoping to leave this morning by 11 AM. Monica, Connor, and Elijah are coming with me. I'm very much looking forward to this trip... We haven't taken a weekend trip away from home in a long time...!

That's about it... I probably won't post again until Sunday evening or Monday morning. Bye for now... Coach Sam

Tournament Time..!

Chris Reese pictured above in the blue shirt is among the 32 contestants competing in today's one day singles tournament....! This photo was taken earlier this year at our Columbia Lakes Spring Open where Chris Reese and his cousin Chris Rice won the mens doubles title.

Today I'm hosting a tournament. It's the first tournament under the ownership of the new owners of the club. I had hoped for a little bit larger turnout but it will still be a great event. Work crews have already started painting at the club and power washing everything. It already looks a whole lot better...!

I went to the chiropractor yesterday for my knee injury. He helped me do some deep stretches on my hamstring and quad muscles and I have been virtually pain free since then. My issue has always been flexibility.

And of course I'm currently in the worst shape of my life. My weight is hovering around 220 lbs and I'm too injured to exercise very much. Still, I'm encouraged by the results of my last doctor's visit. I'm going to focus solely on my flexibility the next week or two and see here I'm at a week into October!

That's it for the morning report... I've got lots of stuff to do to get ready for my tournament.

Bye for now... SC

Two of our other children...

Here's a photo of two of our four cats... Towards the back of the chair is Hobbes. He's our oldest cat. Gabriel (in front) is his 'Apprentice'... Not pictured is Lucy, our youngest. And Peepers lives at the tennis shop... Yes, we are a four cat family!

Today, Thursday, September 21... I have a jam-packed day... I have to leave for Clear Lake by 9:45 AM at the latest and then I have lessons from 11 AM to 2:30 PM. Then I get back here by 4 PM and have lessons at the club this evening and need to work on times for my tournament... I'll be done by 7:30 tonight (about 13 hours from now...)

Between now and 9:45 AM I have a ton of correspondence to complete so I need to close here...

Bye for now.... SC

Breakfast at Arno's

Here's the family enjoying breakfast at Arno's during our recent California trip.

Today I'll be hanging out at the tennis center quite a bit as the club will begin it's renovation and refurbishing of the facility, building, and grounds. That's exciting...!

And I'll be spending most of that time working on my upcoming tournament this weekend. It's looking pretty small right now, but I'm going to have it, none the less... And hopefully I'll have more people contact me to sign up today!

I hope Monica rests up today... She's been pretty exhausted lately. I'm going to try to keep Elijah as much as I can today to allow her to get caught up on things here at the house, and to rest...

I'm going to start a new section of my journal called 'looking back'...

Looking Back 5 Years Ago: Five Years Ago I was just quitting Bay Area Racquet Club for the second time in my life... (I should have learned well enough the first time...) I was attending Clear Creek Community Church and had just started dating Monica... Ten years ago I was working at Windsor Court in Friendswood. I was still in pretty good shape and was playing open level singles and doubles. Most of my free time ten years ago was spent looking after my mom who had numerous health issues... I had two computers and IBM 286 and an IBM 486. One still ran on a dos operating system and the other was the new windows 95... I remember that I hated making the transition from dos to windows...

Wow... I've come a long way in ten years....! Who'd have thought I'd be where I am now...?

OK, it's a little after 8 AM... I need to close here and start getting ready to go to the tennis center. Monica is not even up yet... That's good!

Talk to you later.... SC

A little Over Two Years on Blogspot

Here's a fun photo of Elijah and I this past spring.... It's amazing how much he's grown...!

I just realized that I have been blogging on blogspot for over two years now. Prior to my debut on Blogspot I journaled on AOL for sometime and of course I have volumes and volumes of hand written journals going back to my college years (over 20 years ago).

Journaling has been a way of life for me for most of my life. Journaling is quiet time, reflective time. Journaling requires discipline. I want to journal every day. But sadly, I've been too busy this past year to make faithful daily entries.

You know, life wasn't meant to be so busy. But having a teenager, a baby, and running one's own business pretty much takes up all a man's time... Sigh...

Still, whenever I get the opportunity to carve out little moments like this and just take time to let the words flow I feel better. Journaling is definitely good therapy. So why don't I just do it regularly...? Well, like I said... Life gets in the way...!

For instance, Monica's been ill for a couple of months now. She can't keep up with her normal routine. So I'm trying to get up a little earlier so I can journal and do my email correspondence and website updates before she gets up. That way I can be free to watch Elijah in the morning allowing Monica time to either rest or get caught up on her backlog of work.

I'm setting my alarm for between 3:30 and 4 AM every day. Some days I just can't get up... especially if the baby has had a bad night. That's when journaling falls by the wayside.

I told Monica that we still had a year or two of no or little sleep before things started to smooth out. Hopefully the track will be shorter than that...

Well, that's going to have to be it for this morning. I do need to get on with my day. Monica has just left to take Connor to an orthodontic appointment in Houston...

I have to order t-shirts for my tournament today.... I need to pick up some supplies for the tennis center... I need to work on getting a few more entries for the tournament.... And that's just the tip of the iceberg..

A quick catch up...

I wasn't able to blog yesterday because just I was starting my post Elijah awakened and I needed to spend time with him. And I'm not complaining... NO, No... In fact, there's really nothing I like to do more than just hang out and play with Elijah. He's such a sweet baby boy... But he's growing up a little more every day. I'll post more about him later this evening in his own blog.

This has been a busy week... Monica has still been feeling poorly with her chest condition. And my job has me going in three different directions...!

Today I'm spending a big chink of time on the phone trying to get people to register for my tennis tournament that is going to be held next weekend I have three entries so far and one of them is Connor... I'm hoping for seventy-five entries so I really need to get on the ball...! It sounds like a stretch, but I think I can pull it off... Well, that's my goal...

Connor played his first football game this past week. He was the quarterback... It rained the entire afternoon and the game was shortened and ended up in a 6-all tie...

Hobbes (one of our cats) got hurt in a fight and had to go to the vet... He's OK now, but will have to be on medication for a couple of weeks...

That's about it... My knee condition was really stressing me out earlier in the week but it seems to be recovering nicely now...

Well, I need to start getting ready to head to the tennis shop. Bye for now.... SC

Healthy Again...!

I replaced my old shoes yesterday and my knee is feeling much better today. It's really a dramatic improvement....! But I can't blog right now because Elijah is up early and I have to watch him so Monica can rest...!

More later... SC

Coach Sam's Family

Here's a fun photo taken Mother's Day 06. It was a very special day for our family. After church that day we went to Wharton for a nice meal and just kinda hung out. In this photo we were at the river park in Wharton. Connor is making his famous bunny ears, Monica is being sassy, and Elijah must have seen something interesting on the ground right as I was snapping the photo.

Today, Sept 11, 2006... Wow, today's date sure brings back memories. I devoted my prayer blog this morning to the memory of the trade center attacks. I hope and pray that today will be a day of peace in the world....

It has been a tough night for Monica... Elijah did not sleep well. I tried to get him to go down for almost an hour between 3 and 4 AM but was unsuccessful. Finally, Monica got him to go to sleep. poor Monica has not been sleeping well for some time... We're trying to take turns resting, but I wasn't any help this morning.

I have quite a few lessons today. I'll stay busy, that's for sure... And Monica's got a busy day lined up, too. She's going to take Hobbes to the vet this morning because he's sick. She may have to take Elijah in the Doctor, too. And she has bible study today at 12:30 PM...

I'll be working at the club stringing racquets. And I might be getting high speed internet in the tennis shop today... The new club owners are trying to help me be more successful by upgrading my work environment. That is very exciting...! Once I have internet in the tennis shop I'll be able to be lots more productive...

I didn't wear my new orthotics yesterday at all and my knee is much better today. It's not 100 % yet but I can definitely tell a difference, If I would have continued wearing the orthotics I'd eventually end up in a wheel chair. What I plan to do now is to get my knee healed up, then just start wearing the orthotics about an hour a day then work up to two hours and continue the progression until I'm wearing them all day.

I just started out wearing them for too long and my body could not adjust quickly enough. But remember back when I was complaining about my foot hurting all the time...? Well that pain is gone. I guess it's a trade off....

My pain meter is about a 5 on a ten point scale. Two days ago it was a 9...!

Well, that's about it for now... I'm going to publish a photo on connor's blog... You'll like that one... OK... See ya...

Coach Sam

The Marines Have Landed...!

On a much smaller scale I feel as the Europeans must have felt when the allies stormed the beaches on D-day during world war II....

Friday morning I learned that the place of my employment had been sold. The previous owners were in place for something like 18 years. Although I have only been working here as a contractor for 3 years I have come to call this place my home. I love this area, the people, and the way of life. This is living out in the country. It's a small community. People know your business. People care. My wife and I have bought a house in the community and have planted roots. I have a very strong vested interest in the success of Columbia Lakes Country Club.

Any way... I am under new management. I am happy. This is the start of a brand new day...!

Yahoooo....!

Monica's Baby Squirrel

Monica found this little animal in our house on Tuesday evening. Hobbes, one of our cats had brought it in. We did not even know what it was at first. We thought it was premature puppy...

We found out later that it was a baby squirrel. We cared for it the best we could, getting up all through the night feeding it with an eyedropper and keeping it warm with a heat lamp.

Monica researched on the web and found a 'squirrel advocacy group' in Brazoria county and delivered the baby squirrel to someone who should be able to give it the best chance for survival...

Anyway, that was the big news yesterday... That's the life of this country tennis pro...!

More tomorrow... -Coach Sam

Catching Up With Everyone...!

Hello everyone... I know I've been delinquent in posting on my blogs... It's been all I could do to keep my website updated and post in my prayer journal these past two weeks...

Here's a quick update...

My wife has been quite ill... She's had a very painful chest condition for several weeks that has really taken her out of her normal routine. In fact, she's doing much better now but still recovering...

HPTA has been busy... We just finished the Masters tournament and now I'm organizing my team for the state competition...

School has started... We've been adjusting to a new school year schedule. I have a really good routine for the fall but it's just starting to kick in now...

I've been more active in church singing on the praise team and playing trombone in the worship band as much as possible.

I've been plagues with nagging injuries... First my left foot was giving me all kinds of problems, now my right knee is sore... Getting old and out of shape really stinks...!


That's just a quick view of what's been going on... Really, if it's not one thing it's another... And although I have a better schedule and routine now, I still seem to be too busy.

The one thing I've done that I feel good about is I've set aside Sundays as designated 'family days'... We also try to reserve Friday evenings and Saturday afternoon and evenings for family time as much as possible. That's been working out well, actually...

My life is Good.... Really no complaints here...! I hope to keep this blog updated a little better this fall. The summer really is a difficult time for me to keep up with blogging...

Any way, That's the Coach Sam report...! Until next time, Bye for now...!

The Monica Report

Here's a photo of Monica at the Mighty Red Wood National Forest in California...

My Sweet wife has been diagnosed with costochrondritis. That sounds bad, doesn't it...? Well it is very painful, that's for sure. The symptoms mimic a heart attack and we feared that was the case and spent pretty much an entire day at the emergency room in Angleton on Monday.

But Thank The Lord she is on medication for her illness and should be feeling back to her old self in a week or two...

Now, Elijah is sick... He had a very restless night with a low grade fever and it looks like he's cutting some new teeth. And I hate to sound like a complainer, but my health is failing right now, too. I've been getting a sore throat for a couple of days now and I believe that my lack of sleeep is starting to get to me... I've been taking cepestaat and dayquil but if it keeps getting worse today then I'll go to the doctor for a z-pac. Sigh... If it's not one thing it's another...!

Today is a big office day for me. I've got websites to update, emails to send, phone calls to make and return... I'll be at my desk all day, for sure... I have one private lesson this afternoon if I'm up to it, and then music rehearsal after that... I'm not sure if I'll be able to sing with my throat as sore as it is... We'll see...

That's about it for now... Be sure to check out my other blogs as I'm starting to get into a regular blogging routine now that the summer has passed.

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

It's been crazy...

Here's a photo from our family trip to California in May. I still can't believe how beautiful Bodego Bay was...

Hello... Here is the much anticipated journal entry to Coach Sam's Life... I'm just going to bullet the highlights to get you caught up...

• Poor Monica has been very sick lately... We're very concerned...
• I've had an incredibly busy summer, the busiest ever...
• Elijah is walking and just about ready to start talking...
• Our house in Houston still has not sold yet...
• Connor just started 8th Grade...
• We have a new kitty...'Lucy'...
• We bought a new car... A Toyota Rav 4...
• My sister Becky came to Texas for a lenghty visit...

There's many stories behind those bullets... I'll try to get you more caught up as soon as possible. My schedule is just starting to become more manageable now that school has started although I'm slammed today because I missed work yesterday because I took Monica to the Emergency Room in Angleton for chest pains. -We were afraid that she was having a heart attack. As it turns out, she wasn't having a heart attack, but she still has extreme discomfort in her chest area so we're going to visit more doctors today... I'll keep you informed... SC

Today is Elijah's Birthday...!

This is Elijah's special day...! He'll be one year old at 5:04 PM...! This is a great day in Chadwell family history...! Unfortunately I have a busy day today. (surprise surprise...)

We're going to have a small family celebration this afternoon. And we plan to have a bigger party for Elijah and his friends from the church nursery in a few days...

More coverage of elijah's birthday can be seen on his blog: http://elijahchadwell.blogspot.com

I also posted a prayer for Elijah on my prayer blog...

Today I have camp this morning until 2:30 PM and then a tournament this evening.

I'm finishing up organizing the Bay Area Gran Prix this morning before my camp starts...

It's a very full day today, but I'll be taking it easy tomorrow and Sunday...

The Rain Is Ending...

Yea...! The rain is ending... Finally...! We've had two days of sog... That has not been good for tennis! Yesterday was a rough day for me. (actually for the entire chadwell family...)

Today will be better, though... I've got a good feeling about it...!

This morning I'm working on the Bay Area Gran Prix. I also have an event tomorrow evening. And I have camp today and then a team tennis match this afternoon in Wharton...!

There's not going to be much spare time today for Coach Sam... But I am going to post an Elijah photo this morning. He is 364 days old today... Yes, tomorrow is his one year birthday...! Sadly I haven't blogged much about him this month but I'm trying to make it up starting now... You can check out his blog at http://elijahchadwell.blogspot.com

That's it for now...

Coach Sam

Where have I been...?

I realized my last post was July 17...! I can't believe how busy I've been... I don't really have a lot to show for myself except working alot and being sick, helping Monica with the baby, and entertaining company....

...That's the condensed version....

When will things slow down for me...? I guess once school starts around August 10 life will start to resemble a little more normal routine...

I really do need to get a handle on things. I'm running myself ragged. We still haven't sold our other house in Houston yet. It will be nice to eventually not have to worry about two mortgages...

I've had a nagging foot injury that's been a real 'pain' if you'll pardon the pun...

It's just been a busy summer. But hang in there with me, I'll get on a more routine blog publishing schedule soon...

About this time last year we were eagerly anticipating the arrival of baby Elijah...! Yes, it's been almost a year. Elijah will be one year old on July 28...! Oh how the time flies....

That's about it... Until next time... Bye for now...

Lots to do...

Have you heard the old saying; Lots to do, and little time to do it in...? Well, that's me...! I'm pretty busy especially the next two days...! I did try to rest up this weekend and as long as I can start to get to bed and be asleep by 10-10:30 PM I'll be ok...

Today I have lots of organizing and corresponding to do.... I definitely need to put in a full day's work...! Sadly I don't have a lot of time to 'journal'. I'd like to just sit here and recount stories of my child hood and growing up years... I'd like to ponder important social issues. I'd even like to dabble in writing some fiction... But right now my schedule allows for none of the above.

If I do have a little spare time I want to be with Elijah. Oh that little boy is such a joy to his mother and I...!

But today is going to be all about tennis. I have to plan some events, market them through email and phone calls and I need to tie up some loose ends with the Gran prix tournament this weekend.

I've got lessons mixed in throughout the day, too.

So that's it. I've got to go now and dive in to my work...!

Bye for now... SC

Welcome Becky...!

My dear sweet sister comes for a visit today. Her plane arrives at 8:20 AM at intercontenintal airport and that's a good long drive from our little home in the country so Monica, Elijah and I will need to get on the road soon.

I have an extremely full day ahead of me. (And rest of the week, too...) But I've got some free time coming up this weekend and I'm looking forward to that and the next few weeks just enjoying my sis' company.



Dear Heavenly Father,

Lord, I thank You and praise You for my family. Father God, I lift up my dear sister Becky as she travels for a summer retreat. I pray that her trip is a safe one. I pray that her visit will be a great time of rest, relaxation, and the end result will be a refreshing and renewing of her mind and spirit. I pray for the safety of her family while she's gone. I hope this time away from Becky will bring about some changes in them as well, especially a deeper appreciation of all the daily contributions Becky makes to the household and well-being of the family.

Lord Jesus, I pray that Monica and I provide the perfect example of a Godly couple and that we make the most of our witnessing opportunity. Let our home be a refuge for Becky's weary soul.

Thank You Lord for this and the many other ministry opportunities You lay before me every day. I love You Lord, and I give this day to You... I pray these things in the precious name of my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ... Amen.

On the road...

I've got to be on the road in a few minutes. I'm traveling to League City this morning for a parks and recreation class. This afternoon when I return home I'm definitely taking a nap... My poor body is barely hanging in there...

This afternoon I'm on the court from 5:30 to 7 PM. Then it's off to bed early..!

Sorry, I gotta run... More tonight or tomorrow!

SC

Hello: Checking Back in...

Wow.. It's been a while since I last blogged... Last week was a whirlwind... After the fourth of July, Monica, Elijah and I all got sick with a bad sore throat... I've been run down and exhausted for pretty much the past 5 days. I feel better this morning, though. But I am a little short on time. (as usual...)

I'd like to continue my commentary on traditions but that will have to wait awhile... Let me make a quick report that I was surprised to find a raccoon in my kitchen this morning at about 4;30 AM. Apparently he had come in though the kitty door. I was sitting at my computer blogging away when I heard this rustling which sounded like something trying to get a bag of kitty food open. Boy was I surprised. The raccoon was scared when I turned the light on and made a hasty exit, then just sat on the back porch looking at me through the cat door.

We'll have to be sure to keep that door locked at night from now on. I'm sure that's not the first time a raccoon has made good use of our cat door...

Today I log in lots of lesson hours on the tennis court. Yes, it's back to work for Coach Sam...!

The big news this week is that my sis Becky comes for a visit on Wednesday. I'm very much looking forward to that...

Let's see, what else can I report...? -Elijah is walking better and better these days... I spent the entire weekend just hanging out and playing with him... He's so awesome....!

Connor will still be in Missouri visiting his grandparents for another two weeks. I'm missing him...!

Our little kitty has been named Lucy...! Oh did I mention that we had a new little kitty...? She came to live with us while Monica and Connor were still in California in early June. Lucy is doing well, although she is a mischievous little thing...! I'll try to post some photos of her soon...

That's about it... I hate to make my posts too long... It makes them difficult to read... So, more later!

By for now, -Coach Sam