Hunter Junior Football or Bust!!!!

  I am slightly disappointed tonight!  Today was the first day of football practice.  Last year Chris' age group had 2 teams with approximately 30 players.  Today there were 12 at practice.  What happened to them all???
    I guess that is something we will never know.  We are in our second year in the league and I hear through the grape vine there were issues with the coaching a few years back.  Those issues divided the boys into an A team group and a B team group.  The players and families made it clear which side of the line they stood.  So clear in fact that last year at least one kid quit and forfeited all his sign up fee rather than play on the "wrong" team.  This division spilled over into school and even other sports.  Can't we all just get along.
    Apparently Chris was placed on the "bad" coaches team last year.  I was warned that we should quit, but Chris had never played before so we did not have certain expectations and went into it blindly.  Chris had a great year, he did not play lots, but he played and got better as the season went along.  I respected those coaches.  They put in lots of time to help my son.  Were they the best coaches, no, but they took out of their time to make my son feel important.  What more could I ask.
    I am not sure if this feud spoiled this Junior team or not.  I can only imagine the powerhouse that could have been for all these years if they could have stayed together. I am sure that Hunter High School took a few players from us.  This will not destroy us.  We are going to have fun and enjoy our time.  My brother in law, Jeremy, has been thrown to the wolves.  (He is this years coach) We, "The James Gang" , will support and do our best to make this a fun experience. 

Trade deadline!

  I am a baseball fan down to my Dodgers underwear.  Today is Major league baseball's trade deadline.  It is a fun time for me every year to sit here an speculate on how my team will change.  Can we get that superstar that will change our season.  So far the Dodgers have been active, but with the ownership divorce it is slowing down what we can do financially.  Maybe we will get rid of Manny Ramirez, who knows.

   This has got me thinking, I am the GM of my home.  What can I trade?  My kids?  Bills?  What?  LOL, I could not trade my kids, although if you talk to me next time Kolbie is throwing a fit, a good toaster might make the deal.  My teenagers are beginning to be somewhat fun.  Sometimes it is hard to get Chris away from the TV, he might be available for  a kindle, or ipad.  Kate is a little more pricey, you would need to make a great offer.... Like season tickets to the Bees or Grizzlies.  I am completely kidding, my kids are great fun.  They give me plenty of challenges, but I love 'em. 

  My knowledge of local hospitals has got to be worth something.  Could I get some running advice in trade.  I know our local hospitals like the back of my hand.  The cafeteria at Imed is actually pretty good.  I will trade my sprinkler system.  It has me tied up, every time I try to fix it I find something else that needs some attention.  I think I need a gardener.  I will trade you any of my bills.  There has got to be an easier way.  I wish I could just get on top of it all. 

  Did you hear about the guy on "Craig's list" that traded his way from cell phone to a Porsche.   So here goes I will give you a piano for.......  

To be a fly on the wall!

  The James Gang is certainly never boring.  If you lack sleep and would like a laugh just peek your head over at Woodgrove Drive, there is bound to be something exciting going on. 

   Jill is in the hospital for her monthly roto rooter hospital visit.  So..... the kids and I have got to keep everything else in line.  Yesterday I called to see what chores the kids had done and what was going on at home.  Of course nothing had happened and everyone of them was off in la la land.  I got them all home and gave them a list of chores to be done NOW.  After about 10 minutes I get a call and it is just hysterics going on.  This is not unusual I figure they were fighting about the chores.  No, Kate saw a bird down stairs.  A bird down stairs!!!! I am at work, getting ready to head to the hospital.  I was not planning on being home until late what do I do?  I told Chris to go down stairs with a big tub and put the tub over it.  Then I can get the bird out when I get home.  "Um, no Dad, I am not going down there", what????  Man up son, go down and help. 

   I called Kate, "what is going on?"  "It flew past my head and is in the laundry room".  I told her to go down and put a tub over it.  "Dad, I can't".  I tried to get Chris to go down stairs and hold up blankets from the ceiling, then the bird would go where we want it to.  No way was he going down.  I then got the brilliant idea to have them turn on the web cam so I could see what was going on.  There they were, my 3 kids and 2 neighbor kids staring back at me.  Kate then said she had an idea, Harley!  Oh no, that is all I need, the dog chasing a bird around the house.  I could picture a disaster!  (not that our house is pristine).  I turned back to the web cam and I see the back door open, the dog on his leash.  Alyssa with the broom and Savannah following the dog towards the stairs. 

   At this point I called Kolbie, "what is going on?"   " I do not know Dad, I am in my room with the door shut and a blanket over my head."  Click...... My kids have the circus market cornered.  Kate calls me back, we can't find the bird.  It must be back in the wall....... WHAT?????  Back in the wall????  Kate is sure that is where it came from.  About 10 pm, when I got home I went down searching for the bird.  Nothing to be found, no evidence nothing.  So my house is somewhat secure with a bird in the wall???

  After further investigation, Kate never actually saw a bird, she thought she saw one fly by her head.  I cannot find anything so who knows.  Chris would not sleep in his room last night, where is the video camera when you need it!

Synopsis summer 2010

It has been a little while, well if you can believe it I am still alive.  I could say that not much exciting is going on with the James', but it is always exciting on Woodgrove Drive.   Jill has spent quite a bit of time in the hospital the last 3 months.  Fighting these dang kidney stones is a battle to say the least.  The doctors just shrug their shoulders and say "deal with it".  What can we do, eh? 
In and out of the hospital has put us in dire spots, but we will make it.  If nothing else I still have a family that I love and can laugh with.  There is always somebody worse off, right? 
This has been the summer of no baseball, well sort of.  I got a call from a neighbor and he asked if I could come and help coach an allstar team over in Granger.  They were 10 year olds that got the raw end of the league.  We ended up with not one kid that had pitched on a regular basis.  Needless to say we got throttled 25-0 and 36-0.  We joked with Matthew that we needed to put a doggy cone on his head to make him pay attention.  He started pitching for us one game and it did not turn out so good.  No outs and 10 runs later he was on the bench taking a nap for 2 innings.  I guess if Ken Griffey did it why can't Matthew?   It reminded me of how much I love baseball and helping kids learn the game.  To see smiles after a good play or those oh yea moments when they forgot to cover the base, those times are priceless. 
Now I get down to business and get my book in order.  That is something I have always wanted to do.  I need to get it done. 
Well, thanks for reading, I promise more action in the future.  More laughs and maybe something embarrassing.  But for now Tchauzino!!!

Los Suns

Last night the Phoenix Suns wore the "Los Suns" jerseys.  In part to support cinco de mayo. (I ate Mexican food for lunch)  The other motive was to show solidarity against the new Arizona law.  This law has brought forth great anger in this country.  There were bunches of people that boycotted the game.  I am glad that I live in a country that allows us to voice our opinions and also have a say in the laws that govern us. 

I think I fall on both sides of this law.  I was in Brasil for 2 years, I was there legally with documents.  I was not working, I was there on a LDS mission to teach people about my church.  I had people all of the time treat me badly because I was a foreigner.  I was asked for my documents by a police officer.  I obeyed the laws.  It is scary and not always fun to go somewhere different. 

This country was founded on giving immigrants a chance.  A chance at a new life and new opportunity.  Just as if an American wants to go somewhere else they should be given a chance.  That said it should be done legally.  Mr. Government needs to make that process easier, let people move around.  Let them be successful.  Now Legally means paying the proper taxes and obeying the law.  If you have a job you should be legal and pay taxes just like the rest of us.  Your health care should be your responsibility not our government.  If you do not do things legally then you should be punished.  That should be the federal governments responsibility not each states.  Thosee laws should be universal that way an immigrant in Utah or Texas knows what he should do to be legal.  Punishment should fit the crime.  Drugs, violence, etc. should be punished the same as a citizen.  If you send them back they will come back and do it again.  Lock em up, make them pay the price just like Joe Blow would.  Arizona has made it so their police officers have the right to see if you are legal, that can be a bit of a grey area.  If the person commits a crime and then they find out they are not here legally then you should punish, being in the country should not be the crime.  The good ole USA is about chances.  Let them in I say and give them a chance.

Just as there are bad people all over this world there are lots of good people that want a chance.  they want a chance at a good life.  They want a chance to be happy.  One of my favorite scriptures is in 2 Nephi 2:25-27 it says we are free to choose, but we pay the consequences of those choices.  What if one of these immigrants comes over and is a positive influence on his neighborhood and has the smarts to cure cancer.  I say lets give 'em a chance.

Why do I love thee....

  I am writing this tonight, gambling on the fact that not too many persons out there are reading it.  It has been way to long since my last post so I doubt that anyone still has interest.  In fact tonight's post is about my favorite woman, Jill.  I bet it will be a while until she reads this...unless someone tells her about it.  Which I will not mind, but let's see how long it takes for her to poke around here. 
  I watch way too much TV, but the other day I saw a "Miller Lite" commercial.  You might have seen it.  The guy and girl are sitting on a blanket in the park.  He comments how he loves the wide mouth bottles.  He has reason after reason for "loving" his beer.  Then the girl says "What do you love about me....?"  Now the male readers know exactly how I feel at thsi point.  Your tongue gets heavy, your eyes begin to roll around in your head and you get a bit dizzy.  What are we supposed to say??? I am yelling at the TV at this point, "get up run, run away.  Save yourself!!"  This is never a great moment.  Jill ask's this all of the time, I cannot ever come up with a good answer.  In fact, Jill, correct me if I am worng, but I think I have said I usually don't make a list of these things. (am I good or what?)
   Well, Saturday April 17th is Jill's birthday.  What a better time to come up with the list and put it all out there.  Guys, I am sorry that I am going to do this.  all of us will need to ban together and make a book or something.  "101 reason's we love you..." that could be a best seller.  FINE PRINT..... this list is not all inclusive nor does it reflect the entire opinion of it's writer.  If by some chance he has left something important off, it is not his fault.  The writer holds all power to adjust this list at anytime.   Results are not guaranteed, in fact the results could be negative, but here goes......
 Reasons I love you, Jill ......
  Amazingly enough I will put down the male answer first.  (I will keep it PG rated.)  You are a great lover.  Kissing is fun and you know all the rest.  BTW, that is getting better with age and since there is no chance of pregnancy it is actually fun! 
   Jill is not a great housekeeper, but that is one thing I like.  She never tries to clean her house better than Sara or Aly or her sister.  She is herself, I know she hates not being good at this, but it is ok.  I really like doing my part.  Dishes, vacuuming, laundry is not for a female only.  Everyone needs to pitch in.  Could you help me more, sure but I love you anyway!
  I love that Jill reads.  She is always trying to become more knowledgeable.  Sometimes very opinionated, but always informed.  Jill will research it out if she does not understand.  We do not read the same types of books, but she will share with me her books.  I find that attractive. 
   When I married Jill, she had no sports background.  NOW sports is her life.  She knows more about baseball than lots of men.  In fact she has made facebook comments that I do not think some people even understand.  Baseball is her favorite, but she watches football with me and lots of other things.  I wish she liked car racing, but she likes to tease me about my hick sport.  Oh well, like she tells me, most men would kill for a woman that knows what E3 stands for!  (did you know she kept stats for the baseball league, she even gave weekly reports to the coaches, batting averages, ERA everything)
  Jill has a great body.  Like everyone she gripes about sagging parts and extra weight, but I love it.  She is sexy and I love it when she tries  to make herself pretty.  Lots of women woul pay big bucks to have boobs like hers.  Sounds like someday I will be paying big bucks to make them beter.  Oh well, I love her body.
   Jill is a good Mother.  She does not feel that way, but she is.  She has stayed up until the wee hours of the morning talking to each one of our kids.  When I am wits end, she can find a way to help them understand.  I think she loves having teenagers.  Talking to Kate and Chris aobut girls boys and the tough things they are going through is one of her greatest strengths.  She loves to cuddle with Kolbie and watch a movie for the millionth time.  Even if it si one of those vampire movies or what not.
  She loves the movies.  Jill goes to a movie by herself all of the time.  Working at Old Navy she had days off during the week.  This gave her the chance to go to movies in the afternoon.  I like to go with her, but some movies I do not understand (Greg ,for do not want to see), so she heads out by herself and loves it.  We have quite the collection of DVDs.  Numerous times we have kept a red box long enough for it to be ours!
  Jill is becoming an expert on salt water fish.  Even if she loves bristle worms and is yelling at us to come and see one more.  Fish are stinky, and aften very dirty, but she has a fascination for our tank. 
  Best of all she is my best friend.  I love to talk to her and I think she actually listens to me.

  Ok like I said before this list not complete and I am sure I have forgotten something very important.  Jill I love you!  I hope Your birthday is the greatest.  You deserve it, SMILE you will always be my favorite.  Next time you get that hankerin' to ask me why... please refer to this post.  I will not be able to revive it from memory.  My tongue will probably be tripping over itself.  HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!

Red Headed Step Child

What to post about?  Lately I have had major anxiety, over everything.  This includes friends, work, school, everything!  I go places and feel very frustrated.  I think it really shows sometimes.  Church has become a wierd place for me to go.  I feel like I have lots of friends (that is not the truth, but that is for another post), but I feel weird.  Kolbie is having issues with friends, Jill is Jill, Chris says no one cares if he is there anyways.  What to do??? BUT that is not what I want to post about.

Sometimes we get sucked into the why me stage, we forget about the blessings we have.  I have a place to live (at least for now).  My kids go to school and try, but they have a school.  I have a family that I love, and I have a job.  What else can I ask for.  My life is good, sometimes it is better than I deserve. 

Right after Jill and I were married we got involved in Amway.  Not the smartest decision we have ever made.  We never made it rich in fact I think I lost money and some friends in the process.  Inviting someone over and then ambushing them with a multilevel marketing scheme does not bode well for the future of a friendship.  In that process I did have a couple of great learning opportunities.  One of those were some cool positive learning experiences.  My first was a book by David Swartz called The Magic of Thinking Big.  I have read this book several times.  It helps me to see my life in a different light.  The other good thing I found was a song called Cat's In The Cradle (LP Version).  These two things have been with me for a long time.

Now is the time to harness these ideas and work on my life to produce a better life.  I need to be propelled towards sucess.  Positive and productive thoughts will help me to suceed.  Jill and are in sort of financial problem, but I know that we can make it.  Why not try the hardest I can.  Church will be church, what am I really there for, social? not! My testimony growth is what I need to grasp.  I am not perfect, I do not have a temple reccomend, but I can try.  Kolbie's friend problem will be a battle.  She can find a better way.  If that means changing friends then so be it.  She is a beautiful girl and if someone wants her not to be happy then she will find someone else.  Chris can do it.  He has put his mind to the play thing and he is suceeding.  He will find a way to achieve greater respect from those around him.  We have a great big labrotory to practice and experiment.  There are more opportunities for us.  Think Success, not failure.  Now I need to start living that advice.  Get to the top by following the plan. 

Sorry to put you through my self motivation, but it will help me to get the results I need.  Thank you!

James family Tradition!

  One of the traditions that we have as a James family for Christmas Eve is called our "Memories"  each year we are to submitt a page for our memory book.  Each of us has our own book and we distribute copies to everyone of our paper.  We have done this for about 10 years.  With 4 kids, spouses, grandkids and Mom & Dad that has translated into a fairly large book.  One that I am sure we will keep for years to come.  This year I went back and read some of the highs an lows out family has had over those 10 years.  It was funny, sad and well worth the time. 
  Anyways this year our theme was your favorite toy.  I challenge each of you to post a comment of what your favorite was.  Here is my list of favoite toys from my 2009 Memory.

Memory 2009

By Greg James

My Favorite Toys

This year we were asked to share what our favorite toys were growing up. There were a few toys that I can remember as a kid. We had a pretty awesome toy box that was made to look like a box car. I can remember the sand box that Grandpa James built for us and then it later turned into the East side of the house. We had a cool tire sunk in the ground that we could climb on and pee into. I still have lots of baseball cards, but those did not make it on my list of my favorite toys. What did? Well here goes:

#3 Baseball Gloves; I can remember owning 3 different gloves growing up. My first was the small type for peewee and then I graduated to a larger glove that I think I used until I was 14 or 15. After that I “earned” a new Mizuno glove from Uncle Terry. I got to pick it out and I cherished that thing. I would rub it down at least twice a year. I still own that glove to this day.

#2Green Nerf Ball; this toy did not last long, but I enjoyed it. It was squishy and I could throw it in the house. Dad would never catch me because he could not hear it hit things. The dog eventually found it and tore it to pieces, but before that I had my good use from it. I set up my own imaginary games in my room. If the ball hit this target then it was a double or out depending. I kept the stats and had my own league. That was until dad found my stats I had left lying around and he trashed them. I loved “playing” those games.

#1 Strat-o-matic; my number one favorite toy was my strat games. I purchased these games with my own money when I was about 1o years old. I first bought baseball, football and later basketball. After my mission I got the Hockey version. Since then I have purchased more recent cards and I even have baseball for my computer. I loved this game because I could play it solitaire or with my friends. In seventh grade we set up a football league with a bunch of my friends. After school they would come over and play the games. I was the Philadelphia Eagles because Scott Wright wanted the Cowboys. Of course we kept the stats and would “publish” them for everyone to see. I only allowed 7 points in our season and that was the run back of my first kick off. Kevin Olson and I played numerous basketball tournaments. At Inkley’s we played hockey in the break room at lunch. I think I treasured those games more than anything.

It is funny that I know I had numerous more toys growing up. I am sure there are plenty that Mom and Dad suffered over at Christmas time, but the most simple and practical are the ones I remember the most.

Flapping wings of the butterfly......blow over the game ball!

The butterfly effect is a term used in Chaos Theory to describe how tiny variations can affect giant systems, and complex systems, like weather patterns. The term butterfly effect was applied in Chaos Theory to suggest that the wing movements of a butterfly might have significant repercussions on wind strength and movements throughout the weather systems of the world, and theoretically, could cause tornadoes halfway around the world.

    Qouted direct from the pages of the wikipedia file.  Some of you are wondering how I knew that an encyclopedia acutally existed, but yes I do know how to copy a research paper with the best of them.  Today this post will explain why I firmly believe in the "Butterfly Effect" in my life.  I firmly know without a doubt that the actions that I take can and do effect the results that my team has on the field and court.  The Cowboys have not lost a game this year when my flag has been flying at least a day in advance.  Therefore as we enter the second week of the playoffs, my flag will proudly fly in it's stand.  Go Cowboys!!

  Being a baseball player I have had many superstioions around the game and I have carried a few of them over into my life.  My alarm is set for an odd time 5:26, not the normal 5:30 or what not.  When I watch my teams play if they are doing well I need to stay in the spot I am in, no shifting, no changing the channel.  When I coach if our pitcher is throwing well I stay leaning against that fence in the spot.  When he is irratic I move.  I need the mojo.  Coaching at the base I believe in being in front of the base when a runner is coming to my base.  It gives the umpire the illusion that the base is closer, thus more of a chance of being safe.  I was not until this year that I purchased logo shirts of my teams, because I believed it was bad luck to wear them.  At the gas station I stop the flow in odd numbers.  What I do really matters. 

   Some of you will say I am nuts, but it works.  Next time you need the light to change at a stop light, adjust your feet.  It will work.  If it doesn't do it again.  Trick is not to let anyone know that you are doing it.  So next time you see a hockey player with half his jersey hanging out or a flag flying at the James home, please remember the Butterfly Effect,  the wings of the butterfly flapping in Mongolia will turn into a tornado in Kansas, or a Dodger win!!! 

Go Cowboys!!!

  I have been told,  and being the begining of the year maybe I should listen.  Usaually we like to step back and think about things we would like to change about ourselves this time of year.  Weight loss, stop drinking Coke, stop swearing, get better control of our finances.  You know all of the usual stuff.  It becomes an annual tradition and almost a joke.  How long can you keep up the "revolutions" as Kolbie calls them.   In all truth aren't they really revolutions.  How many times do we go round and round with the same goals and expectations only to loose focus after 3 or 4 weeks.  Can I do it?  Can I keep it up for more than 17% of the year 2010?  I am not going to do it.  I love myself already, no changes will be made in 2010.... except for my weight, drinking less coke, and my finances need some controling. 
BUT, this brings about my subject for the day.  I was told, in a small voice something much more important.  My life is full of ups and downs.  Mostly in the emotional things.  Sometimes I feel very outgoing and entergetic and other times not so much.  I need to admit that lately not so much.  I find myself sitting at the the back of church wondering why I do not talk to anyone or where my "fun self" has gone.  Then I look around at everyone else and you know what I see?  Lots of other people thinking the same thing.  I can tell, they sit on the bench and shake someones hand and say hi, but that is it.  Where have we all gone?
I am not part of the "in" crowd, Once I was part of the "vikings", (rape, pillage and plunder), not a great club for a bunch of missionaries though huh?  Today I find myself watching from a far.  My wife does not feel as comfortable around big crowds, so I stay away.    I don't blame her sometimes.  Just the energy of trying to remember who is friends with who and what I can say to them makes my head spin.  Chris struggles with his friends lots and I worry about what it does to him.  This year I shift my expectations to myself.  I could care less if you like me or not.  I am me, so just get over it. 

As for my resolutions.  That small voice said "why do you have to be so mean?"  Can I be nicer?  I am going to try it.  Just don't drink my Coke!