The Run Down - The Last from Houston

Challenge Soccer

By far the majority of our time in Houston was spent on the soccer field.  Within just two weeks of moving into the house we joined Challenge Soccer Club.  Challenge is one of a select few competitive girls soccer clubs in Texas.  The program starts with a youth academy that feeds into league play through U18.  It's a full year club designed to develop girls for college level play.  More than 85% of last years graduating Challenge seniors were recruited for college soccer from 25 different universities.  We weren't going into Challenge with the idea of putting Brenna on a path for professional soccer, but she was set that this was the league she wanted to play for.

Things progressed quickly once we joined.  After playing the 2017 fall season in youth academy, she was bumped up to a U11 league team for the 2018 spring season.  Then in May we took part in annual tryouts and were excited to hear that Brenna was selected to play up on the U13 team (totally skipped U12...)  We had our concerns, as she was only 10 at the time and would be competing against 11-13 year olds.  Also, U13 is the first official year of true FIFA regulation style soccer; meaning size 5 ball, 11v11, and 100x60 yards fields.  For Brenna that meant learning to play a new position (verses previous 9v9 format) and a much larger field requiring more ground to cover.  After talking with her coaches, they assured us that she was ready to compete, so we joined Challenge 06 Red East.

We started with three weeks of 4-day/week preseason training in July, giving up our last few weeks of summer.  Once preseason was complete we practiced three days a week for two hours each session with games on Saturdays and Sundays and tournaments all over southeast Texas.  We played in the pouring rain, the freezing cold, and the scorching heat.  And practice was never cancelled because of rain.  They'd just move it to the parking lot.

All the girls had to complete fitness testing for rankings.  The girls took part in timed agility tests, the 25 yard dash, vertical jump, and the beep test for endurance.  The data was then used to rank the results of the entire club based on age.  We had to complete neurocognitive testing to provide baseline data for concussion management.  As I sat in the hospital waiting for our appointment I wondered how good of a parent I was if I was actively planning for my child to incur a concussion!  The club also provided nutritional seminars on healthy eating for athletes.

The coaches were tough, and not always nice.  During practices, if someone made a mistake the whole team had to stop, drop, and do push-ups.  There was lots of colorful commentary from the coaches on the sidelines during practices and games.  Some of my favorite are:

How many lefts do you have?
Can you see the ball?  Do I need to get you glasses?
I need you to make a decision faster than my grandma!
I'm going to put posters up that say "Have you seen this left foot?" on every tree in the park.
Are you dead?  You're moving like a zombie!  Pick up the pace!
You look like the Grinch that Stole Christmas!  Stop tip-toeing through the ladder!
You have to talk to each other on the field!  I know you can because you sound like a bunch of chickens during practice!

Needless to say, this club is not for the faint of heart.  It was brutal at times, but Brenna never backed down.  There were even moments we threatened to pull her out and she fought back to stay.  The program has taught her about team work and communication and how hard work and dedication pays off in skill and knowledge.  I'm so proud of the effort and determination she's put into this.

As the year progressed, so did their level of play.  Unfortunately, I didn't take a single picture or video throughout the entire year.  The game was so fast that I didn't want to try to keep up with any of it through a lens.  I didn't want to miss a second of playing time.  Thankfully, another mom sacrificed herself for the team and photographed a couple of the games and tournaments.

It was a great year with Challenge Soccer Club and a time that I know Brenna will remember for a lifetime.

6th Grade at West Lake Middle School

Brenna's sixth grade and first year of middle school was a big transition for both Brenna and me.  Brenna was super excited at her first chance to have some control over her class selection and to move throughout the school from class to class without supervision.  It was my first year to step away just a little and give her some independence.  I've always played a very active roll in all of Brenna's classes throughout her primary years.  So much so, that I still remain friends with several of her past teachers.  I was always there for every school activity, field trip, and presentation.  Now seemed like the right time to let her maneuver through this new school and new way of learning on her own.  She met the challenge with enthusiasm!  She joined choir as her fine arts selection and it was the best and funniest choir that she's ever been a part.  Her choir teacher was fantastic.  She also selected Leadership Development, Drama, and Computer Technologies for her other electives.  She also picked up all advance placements classes for her core subjects of Math, Science, English, and World Cultures.  Her after school activities were committed to soccer and choir, but she also decided to join the Library Club and dedicated her early mornings before school started as a library manager.  I was a little concerned that she may be taking on too much for her first year as a middle schooler, but somehow she balanced everything and was going strong.  It helped that she plugged into a really great group of girls that were just as active as she was.  The crew stuck together throughout the school year and made the most out of their opportunities for fun, from volunteering together at the school's Christmas Celebration, to water park choir field trips, and two school dances.

First Day of 6th Grade

Dallas Spring Break

By complete accident we seemed to be on a tour of southeast Texas having visited Houston, Galveston, San Antonio, and Corpus Christi all within a few short months.  We decided to keep the tour going by spending Spring Break in Dallas.  Other than flying through, we've never really spent much time there.  We stayed a few days at the Four Seasons Dallas at Las Colinas.  It was far enough to feel like we were getting away and close enough to make the trip easy and convenient.  The resort grounds were beautiful and it felt like a refuge in the middle of the city.  Things started off well and Brenna was excited when a tray of cookies for her picking emerged from the front desk while we were checking in. We were pleasantly surprised upon arrival to discover that despite the fact that pool was not scheduled to open until April, the hotel chose to open it for the day for their guests to enjoy the unexpected warm weather. So, we ditched our plans for the first evening and spent the afternoon enjoying a swim in the pool and then relaxing in the hot tub.

The housekeeping staff made Brenna feel like a princess. They put her name in stickers across the shower door and gave her a special kit of bubble bath, shampoo, and conditioner. The next day we came back to the room to discover they had made her bed with princess bedding and left her a fun stuffy. 

Brenna and I had a great time completing the resort scavenger hunt. It wasn't as easy as I had expected.  Some hints were tough to decipher, but at every turn we were met with friendly staff faces and knowledgeable advice to help us along the way.  Jacob and Brenna enjoyed the sports club and spent an afternoon playing a few sets at the indoor tennis courts. 

One day we ventured out for some shopping and fun at Grapevine Mills.  We conquered two escape rooms and spent some time in the arcade.  The next day we braved the spring break masses and visited the Dallas World Aquarium and Zoo.

Christmas 2018

As I mentioned on our Thanksgiving post, our time in Texas is coming to close much quicker than we expected.  Thanksgiving and Christmas proved to be challenging as our normal holidays routines competed with other immediate priorities.  We discovered that despite our short time in Texas, we were moving...again.  This is an unplanned change for us.  We had hoped to have a longer stay in Houston (or even just the USA) since it feels like we’ve barely just returned from Canada.  But God had other plans for us.

This time we're preparing for a move to Britain.  Jacob has been transferred to the United Kingdom.  Our new home will be Edinburgh, Scotland.  If fact, Jacob is already there, which is what caused the disruption to my usual holiday routines.  He moved across the pond in early December.  We’ve spent the better part of the holidays managing the mountains of paperwork that goes along with international moves, arranging temporary living for Jacob, applying to British preparatory schools for Brenna, and searching for a new place to call home.

Because of all this, we were just excited to have Jacob back home for Christmas.  We mostly spent our time close to home, enjoying the downtime.  We finished up school with some fun Christmas themed activities and hung out with friends in the neighborhood.  Brenna was excited to be pick for a solo in the schools Christmas Choir Concert and we were also proud to find out that she was selected by the WLMS staff as Student of the Month.

San Antonio Thanksgiving

We decided to take a little trip during our Thanksgiving break.  We knew our time in Texas would be drawing to a close very soon and we hadn't had the opportunity to get over to San Antonio yet.  We visited there when Brenna was just a baby and she doesn't remember it now.  So we packed up and headed to the JW Marriott San Antonio Hill Country Resort for a few days of taking in the tourist sights.  The resort was all decorated and ready for Christmas.  The front entrance had large ornaments hanging from the pavilion, the lobby was decked with Christmas trees, and the back outdoor patio was covered in the Christmas light displayed called Light Up the Night.

Halloween

We kicked off Halloween on the soccer field with the annual Challenge Spooktacular soccer practice.  Yes, even when we celebrate we still have to work.  The girls wear costumes to practice and play fun 3v3 mini games, play "catch the coach", and raid the coaches candy stash.

Moody Gardens Galveston Day Trip

One pretty clear day in October we headed down to Galveston to spend the day at Moody Gardens.  We got there early and enjoyed a leisurely walk along the patio to take in the views of the bay and the Colonel paddlewheel boat.  We headed to the Rainforest Pyramid first to catch all the animals stirring during the morning hours.  The rainforest was Brenna's favorite because all the animals are out in the open with you.  We had fun with some very friendly ducks and birds that didn't mind if you got close.  Next we headed to the Aquarium Pyramid to watch the penguins and seals and pet the stingrays.  Finally, we quickly walked through the Discovery Pyramid.  Even though the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle exhibit wasn't our favorite, Brenna enjoyed seeing all the different types of real live turtles that were part of it.  We were able to catch the Backyard Wilderness in the 3D IMAX which was interesting and we experienced an earthquake through the 4D FX theater production of San Andreas.  We had a great day!

6th Grade School Pictures

The Run Down

I capture all these random photos because at the time it was something that I wanted to remember for one reason or another.  Usually, it's just moments from our daily goings that never warrant my big camera being on hand.  I dumped my phone photos onto the computer recently and realized that the last Run Down I posted was just before we left Canada.  I'm alittle behind.  These cover an entire year stretching from last summer through this summer.  So, here's a few little pieces of our days.

Brenna's 11th Birthday

We celebrated Brenna's 11th birthday with a star-themed party.  Like every year before, she picked her theme, created her invitations, and we carried that through to the decorations.  Her friends all came over for donuts, pizza, and cupcakes.  The girls started things off with a 30-clue scavenger hunt that carried them throughout the house in search of their treasure.  The treasure was a unique origami one-dollar bill.  Jacob folded each dollar in a different pattern for each girl.  After the scavenger hunt, the girls gathered in the kitchen to create their own star-shaped bath bomb.  Crafts are always crazy when you get that many girls together!  Next, they all changed into bathing suits and hit the backyard for a massive water balloon fight.  Finally, it was back inside to cool down with star-shaped ice pops. We had a couple of kids hang around for the "after-party" which turned into a sleep over.  Brenna certainly had a fun filled day! 

Corpus Christi Tag Along

Over the last year, Jacob has traveled often.  There's been several international trips, but much more often it's been quick trips back and forth to Corpus Christi, usually weekly.  Sometimes, he'd fly down for a day or two; sometimes there and back in the same day.  Once Brenna got out of school for the summer, we tagged along for one of his business trips.  As an indicator of how often he travels there, when we pulled up at the hotel, the valet knew him by name.  

Brenna and I slept in each morning, while Jacob went to meetings.  We hit the breakfast buffet in the hotel restaurant and then spent our days at the pool.  Surprisingly and despite it being summer, we had it mostly to ourselves.  I guess Corpus isn't really known for it's tourism!  One evening we had dinner on the top floor of the hotel at The Republic of Texas and took in the view of the bay from the observation deck.  On our final afternoon, we visited the Texas State Aquarium and got a look at the USS Lexington.  It was a fun and easy getaway, even if Jacob had to work alittle!

Pawpaw's New Boat

After Pawpaw retired, he invested in a bass boat and Brenna was very excited to break it in!

Maui Vacation

Hawaii has been on our bucket list since we got married.  After years of "not right now", things seemed to fall into place and we finally decided it was time.  We were back in the USA, which made the trip a little shorter.  Brenna was old enough to appreciate the trip and remember it, and Jacob had racked up lots of air miles thanks to all his international travel with the new job.  So, I jumped into action and started planning.  It was fun, since it was something completely new and different that I'd never tackled before.  After raking through which island to visit, which region of the island to stay on, and what resorts we liked, we settled on Maui!  It turned out to be an adventure of a lifetime!

We started our trip with an easy 3.5 hour mid-morning flight out of Houston to Los Angeles.  It was my first time in California and the views of the mountains were really lovely as we made our approach.  We had a quick 1.5 hour layover in Los Angeles, which gave us just enough time to grab a bite to eat and restock our snack supply for the next flight.  Then it was off to Maui!  

Coming into Los Angeles

5th Grade Highlights

Wow!  5th grade was awesome!  As we were preparing to move back to the USA, I was really concerned about returning to Texas public schools after spending 1st-4th grade in Canada.  The curriculums differed dramatically and school days were managed in completely different ways.  I worried about her grades, whether she would be behind, and how she would adjust to time management.  Turns out it was all unwarranted.  She jumped right in with both feet and really flourished this year!

Of course, I've already covered that she joined the choir, but she was also admitted into the Groves Rangers.  Rangers is a leadership development program that students were selected to based on their responses to written essay questions describing their views on leadership, responsibility, and community involvement.  While school hours were from 8 am until 3:30 pm, Rangers were required to be on duty at 7:20 am and stay until 4:15 pm.  The kids were responsible for an array of different duties.  They would help with set up and take down at all school functions, they assisted in car rider drop-off and pick-up, they helped the younger kids in the cafeteria during breakfast, they managed the school's recycle program, they raised and lowered the flags each day, and they assisted teachers with special requests.  She loved the program and it really helped instill a stronger understanding of responsibility and community service.

One of the reasons we had such an awesome year is because we had such an awesome teacher!  Mrs. Amanda Kopp and our team of 5th grade teachers worked so hard to make sure these kids had a year to remember.  There were so many special events throughout the year.  We had Colonial Day, where the kids dressed in pioneer clothes, made wax candles, sewed satchels, and churned butter.  We had Spy Day where the kids all dressed in black like secret agents, Groves Olympics where Brenna was chosen to carry the flag for 5th grade, CSI Day where kids solved science mysteries, Star Wars Day where they made there own light sabers, Karaoke Fridays where the whole school would break out into song and dance during lunch in the cafeteria, Career Day where Brenna chose to be a chemical engineer, Field Day, Book Tastings, a Snow Day, Kickball Tournaments, Manner's Banquet, and so many others.  It was a jammed packed year.

The kids also got a very personal lesson on how hard work pays off.  Our teach was nominated as Groves Elementary Teacher of the Year.  She continued on through written essay submissions and interviews to be selected as Humble ISD Teacher of the Year and she won a new car!  I had the opportunity to get to know Mrs. Kopp well throughout the school year and saw first hand the work and effort she poured into these kids.  The honor was very well deserved and we were so blessed to have Mrs. Kopp as our teacher!

Also, Brenna really shined in her studies.  Not only did she pass all of her STARR tests, but she mastered Reading and Science scoring in the 99th percentile.  She made all A's for the year and received the "All A Honor Roll" award during the year end awards ceremony.  She also received the awards for "Out of the Box" thinker and "Author's Eye" insightful reader as voted on by her peers.  Finally, our school focused on five primary mindsets to instill during the year.  The kids began every day with the phrase "We are Reflective.  We are Innovative.  We are Connected.  We are Intentional.  We are Global.  We are Groves!"  The staff and principal selected one boy and one girl that most represented each of these characteristics and Brenna was presented the award for "Innovative Mindset"  We are so very proud of all her hard work and her accomplishments this year!

Our school functions on a strong social media platform, with the idea to teach kids the impacts and responsibility of using social media correctly.  Thanks to this, the parents got glimpses into the classroom daily.  I didn't take a lot of school photos this years, but it didn't matter because nearly all the pictures below were curtesy of our teacher!