Here I am!

I haven't really been on a vacation...by any means. Actually, I've been swamped with work. Grading, grading, grading. Bleck [insert life-like gagging sound here, followed by the imagined "vomit hitting toilet water" sound here]. It's the bane of a teacher's existence.

I've also been preoccupied with my daughter's soccer team. I mentioned before that I used to play and coach soccer, right? Well, after watching a few practices and the first game for my nine-year-old's team, I offered my coaching services for one practice a week.

How exactly did that happen? A very nice, best-of-intentions couple had actually volunteered to coach the team (for which I am grateful since I just cannot commit to coaching at this point in my life - too many kids, too much work, puppy training, etc.). Admittedly, neither had ever played the game nor knew anything regarding the rules or strategy of the game. They read some coaching books and watched coaching videos, but "coaching research" just can't replace the knowledge garnered through actually playing the game. It physically hurt to watch practices. Games were disastrous. The kids were spending more time eating snacks and chatting in group meetings than touching the ball. Seriously. I wish I were exaggerating about this fact.

I told myself that I wouldn't get involved - these volunteer coaches are adults; let them figure it out. Then to avoid the situation altogether, I stopped staying through practices. Watching a practice unfold was worse than watching a train wreak - it was more like watching people jump from one hundred stories up and plummet into the cement in front of me. So after my husband stayed through one practice, he urged me to get involved "for the sake of the children." Of course I couldn't stay quiet. I didn't want to step on any toes, so I cautiously offered to "help out." The coaches were all over that and then some.

When I showed up the first Monday, I said, "Okay coach, what do you have planned today?" His reply: "I don't know. I was waiting to see what you had planned." Now I run the practices every Monday.

And then last Friday the coach called and asked if I could cover for him for a week as he would be out of town. "No problem," I said. To make a long story short, we won our first game on Saturday. The score was 5-1.

I am missing you all, my friends!