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