Jimmy.

We were skyping with Arianna and Antonio yesterday, when Levi decided to get out of storage a "buddy" from when he was just a little boy. Jimmy. He showed the kids this toy - a kind of a creepy doll now that it had been worn down from years of play and then stored for such a long time - when he began making the doll attack me as if "Jimmy" was "Chucky". Tonio was laughing and Arianna was a little freaked out...I don't blame her.

I should have known that would not be the end of it...

Last night when I was getting ready for bed I walked into the bathroom only to turn around and find Jimmy hanging there. It scared the @#$% out of me and I gave a blood curdling scream.

Levi, of course, was laughing so hard he couldn't talk.

I thought I would share the pics of what I found in the bathroom last night.

I must admit, after the initial horror wore off, it was pretty funny. :)

Older but Wiser

Whew. That about sums it up. This past week was a subtle reminder that while my mind and body believe they are young...I am not. On Saturday, I subbed for a friend in her volleyball tournament. On Sunday, I had an all day tournament of my own and this was after playing two matches Wednesday night, and four matches on Thursday. My body is beat, literally. Although I am grateful for the ability to play and to be able to keep on performing at these high levels of competition, this past weekend was a reminder that, no, I am not 18, or 21 or even 25 any more. And while I do take care of my body, the realization that forever playing four nights a week or two long days over the weekend at division one or division two levels of competition is no longer a luxury I can accommodate. My knees ache, my hips and back tight. Even with stretching, training and pills the pain still pursues. Thus, it is my older and wiser mind that resurfaces to remind me I cannot go on forever. I must cut back. At this point in my life, training for the many years I expect to fulfill rather than the big game is more important. I will not be giving up the game, though, but I have realized that I should work to preserve my knees, and joints and body before the hard dives, constant jumping and countless twists cause me to find real injury.

Ah, enlightenment. I know I am a different person than I was ten years ago. At 18, when I dove for the ball and hit my head on the announcers table trying to get the ball back into play I was fine. I shook it off and got back to it. Now, after a day of reflection on the aches I endured last night and slightly today, I realize it is better to take care of my body before I break it. If that wasn't motivation enough...Levi keeps threatening to trade me in because as he put it, "I got a broken one." :)

The Price of Victory

Last night was the second night of a two-night tournament for my women's volleyball league.  (We won on the first night and advanced to the second round last night.)  Last night we won the first of our matches (VB is played in matches with the best 2 out 3 games) which advanced us to the championship match.  All the ladies on my team were awesome - diving, falling and just plain hustling around the court so that in the end we won!

This morning I woke up to an injury.  Somehow during one or both of the matches I did something to my knee.  It was a crazy pain I have never felt before...what a nice reminder that I am no longer 18 and invincible.  I can walk with a slight limp but bending my knee is not something that is getting done today.  What a bummer.  I am hoping that it is just a strained tendon :| Levi and I are both a little nervous that I could have torn something.  If that's the case this will put my VB days away, for a little while at least.  It was worth it! :D Those games were so much fun and the team we played in the championship match was a group of younglings.  They were easily 18-20 year olds that did not give up or quite.  It was a great win and my injury is simply the price of victory!  I'd do it again in a heartbeat. ;)


A quick update...
I know some of you have been wondering about our Champers and I am so sorry that I have neglected to update you.  He is doing so much better and in fact is back to his old self.  He jumps like crazy when he thinks that we are forgetting him, his tail goes a million miles a minute when he sees Levi and he is very quick to let us know when he is hungry - which is always.  The whole ordeal with him being sick was so hard because he is our "kid" and we could not imagine our family as complete without him.  Thank you all for your loving words and your prayers. 

This one's for the boys

The new "Call of Duty Modern Warfare 2" XBox game came out on Tuesday. Levi has been so excited for this new game for so long that I had to give a little shout out to the boys. I've tried playing a version similar to this before with Levi and find that I can only make my guy turn in circles starring at the floor. Needless to say, I don't play this game with Levi anymore. This has been a highly anticipated and much coveted game. So, in recognition of the game and Levi's excitement, I am inserting a link to the trailer. You have been officially called to arms.

Hit the Sand

Sand volleyball has arrived! Well, it has already been here, but our league is starting back up tonight. My last league ended six weeks ago and I am going crazy for a game. This league is so much fun because while it offers the competitive edge, it is really laid back...like you're playing at the beach, drinking a beer with your buddies. [Some people really do play better with the booze. Scary :\ ] After such a long week from work and a headache that won't quit I think some volleyball is called for. In another two weeks I'll be playing three nights a week when my indoor women's and coed leagues start up. You might be saying to yourself right about now, "Wow, that is one crazy chick!" Oh I'm crazy all right, crazy for volleyball!