Team Regionals

Last night Mishawaka pulled out the victory leading them to Team Semi State next week. Since they started at 135 lbs., Trenton's match was the last one of the evening in the final round putting the team score at 41-21. Trenton earned a tech fall in the second period against Riley's Miles Andrews allowing Andrews no points scored at all (15-0). We were looking forward to a redemption match against the Plymouth kid in the first round (as stated in an earlier post), but Plymouth forfeited the weight class (rumor had it the kid had stitches in his head and even sported a headband). My guess is that he will amazingly have nothing wrong with him this Saturday at Individual Regionals. Stay tuned for that news after Saturday...until then, great job, Mishawaka - Regional Champs - and good luck next week at Semi State! And remember...you can catch all the action online and live - individual and team here. Also a short youtube video of his match last night here.

Surprise Concert

See what surprise Lina and I have in store for Emma and Gabi on Friday...This is probably as close to the real thing as we will get right now (her concerts are soooo expensive and hard to get tickets for right now)...Looking very forward to the screams and squeals of excitement!!! But shhhhhhh!!!! It's a surprise...don't tell!

Retro...

Feeling a little retro...check this out. And this.
Makes me feel old.

Winter Formal

The boys each went to the winter formal after our wrestling tournament this evening. Tyler took Marissa, of course. They looked gorgeous! Marissa wore a sky blue color dress while Tyler wore a black suit, white shirt and tie to match her dress. Marissa made her way to my parents' house for pictures and afterwards made it to their dinner date at Applebees with lots of other couples. The dance was held at the Riverside Terrace in Mishawaka and started at 8 pm. Trenton wore a black shirt, black pants and red tie along with red/black checkered Vans shoes (that he borrowed from his brother). Trenton went with a friend because the girl he is interested in had already made plans to attend with someone else. Sarah (Trenton's date) understood and suggested they go as friends so they wouldn't have to go alone. Sarah is a softball player (and a good one at that) and is one that just likes to have fun...someone Trenton would enjoy going with for the evening. She hangs out with all the girls that were going with Trenton's friends, so it only made sense for them to go together. They all met up after the wrestling sectionals at Sam's house for pictures and dinner and then made their way to the dance also. Everyone looked spectacular and everyone was ready to have a good time! Enjoy lots of pics here.

Sectional Champ

Trenton got first place in our Sectionals today! He pinned his first opponent from Riley, majored his next opponent from Laville and beat the Clay opponent in the final round under the lights 11-2! Aunt Annie, Aunt Becky, David (cousin), uncle Dave, my parents, Bill D., Mike & Shannon, Joe, Lina & co, aunt Pam & Bren, and grandpa all came to watch today. Very exciting stuff!!! So glad he came out on top this year. Sounds like Plymouth made it to Regionals to where we will get to wrestle them head to head for team Regionals this Wednesday. We are counting on some sweet revenge from Trenton! Remember the last time he wrestled the Plymouth kid. Pictures here. Sneak peek at Regional Bracket for Individual here under REGIONAL BRACKET: South Bend Clay.

Dinner Date

Ben took off of work early today to celebrate our anniversary. We were able to have Gabi eat with my parents so Ben and I could enjoy a nice dinner out. We had plans to go to our favorite place to eat (dating back to when we first started dating)... The Fondue Parlor. I called there about 4 ish and figured out they had went out of business! I wanted somewhere cozy where we could have a little privacy and would take some time to eat there (Fondue would have been perfect). Time where we could converse and enjoy each other's company. After talking to my brother and Ben's sister and remembering we had a gift card from Dad R. to here, we decided to try it out since we have never been there. It was very nice! We certainly enjoyed ourself. Ben had Blue Cheese Topped Beef Tenderloin Medalions but later decided mine was better (New York Strip Au Poivre). We each also had a LaSalle House Salad to start us off along with some tasty bread and oil. The chef sent out a special appetizer for us (since it was our anniversary)...can't remember what it was called but it was mushrooms with cheese if you want to be technical. Needless to say, it was good. After our entrees we were stuffed, but Ben insisted we try a dessert. We decided on the cheesecake which was excellent, and the Hot Chocolate for two. Ben didn't care for the hot chocolate because he said it was too chocolatey. I loved it. Tasted somewhat like a real hot chocolate but tastier! Yum! To top off the meal, the chef sent out a box of chocolates for our anniversary also. It was a nice change of pace...a nice place for special occasions. Got some very gorgeous flowers before leaving for dinner. Thank you, Ben! Thanks for a great evening. Sorry pictures aren't really that great...they were taken with my camera phone....

New Rankings

130
1 Marsh-West Noble 12
2 Spencer-Pike 11
3 Zuber-Evansville Mem 12
4 Wojdyla-Brown Co
5 Roach-Crown Point
6 Mann-South Adams 12
7 Barrett-Eastern (Greene) 11
8 Harmon-Southwestern (Han) 12
9 Dickey-Milan 12
10 Wight-Homestead 12
11 Engolf-Columbia City
12 Letsinger-Plymouth 11
13 Larowe-East Noble 10
14 Reinoehl-Mishawaka 11
15 Cook-Perry Meridian 11
16 Plesac-Hobart
17 Meunier-Avon 11
18 Torres-Portage 10
19 Corsaro-Cathedral
20 Angermeier-Mooresville 10
21 Marthin-Madison 11
22 Leitch-Elk Mem 12
23 Beck-Peru 12
24 Co. Jackson-North Newton 10
25 Smith-Munster 12

My Honey

A drawing done by Gabi for Ben and me for our anniversary. How sweet!
Just thinking about how well Ben and I know each other...our likes, our differences. Lots of times we can finish each other's sentences and know what the other is thinking, some good, some not so good. Time flies when you are having fun...and we have had some fun times. One day I'll get my honeymoon I have always wanted though... {wink} - hint, hint, Ben.
Happy Anniversary, honey...I never thought it would be possible to fall more in love with you than that day in high school when you asked me to "go out" with you. But it was possible...and I fall more in love you every day. Thanks for a wonderful ride thus far and I am looking forward to lots more!

Seventeen

This boy is seventeen years old today!!! Yep, at 6:30 am my baby turned 17 years old. Can't believe it...

I can't tell you the love I have for this young man...

My first born...my baby...is growing so fast...too fast.

I have a poem in my Bible - even laminated it and kept it after all these years...a poem that my mom left on my bed one night after I had been out with my friends in high school. I think we might have had an argument before I left. I came home to this on my bed:

Some day when my children are old enough to understand the logic that motivates a parent, I will tell them:

I loved you enough to ask where you were going, with whom, and what time you would be home.

I loved you enough to insist that you save your money and buy a bike for yourself, even though we could afford to buy one for you.

I loved you enough to be silent and let you discover that your new best friend was a creep.

I loved you enough to make you take a Milky Way back to the drugstore (with a bite out of it) and tell the clerk, "I stole this yesterday, and want to pay for it."

I loved you enough to stand over you for 2 hours while you cleaned your room, a job that would have taken me 15 minutes.

I loved you enough to let you see anger, disappointment and tears in my eyes. Children must learn that their parents aren't perfect.

I loved you enough to let you assume the responsibility for your actions even when the penalties were so harsh they almost broke my heart.

But most of all, I loved you enough to say NO when I knew you would hate me for it. Those were the most difficult battles of all. I'm glad I won them, because in the end, you won too.

I get it now, mom. I really, truly do.

As I relive those days, I can totally feel what my parents felt. I truly know the passion that a parent feels for their children. Such a confliction of never wanting to let them grow up and knowing they have to and wanting to lay the correct foundation for them as they do it. Trying to lead and be examples. It's hard being a parent, but it is also the greatest gift. I think Ben and I are doing a good job...we are learning as we go, but we are giving it all we got.

Happy Birthday, Trenton! We love you!

Live Coverage

Live video and audio coverage of the Mishawaka Sectionals will be available via the internet! Visit here for more information.

My Babies...Well, okay, not so much anymore...

Just thought I'd post the kids' school pictures from this year. They all turned out so good and check out Trenton - finally, a smile from that kid!

Toothless Wonder

Last night Gabi decided her other top tooth (central incisor) was ready to be pulled. She lost the opposite one a few weeks ago. We were hoping she could sing the tune, "all I want for Christmas is my two front teeth" when the first top one started to get loose, but her teeth were just not cooperating with the time I guess. We had visited the dentist last Tuesday and he even told her it would be ready soon. We also had to make an appointment to the orthodontist because of the size of her teeth vs. jaw. More on that when we go in a couple of weeks : /

So, as the regular routine unfolded, she went to daddy and asked him to verify that it was ready and pulled it out. She looks too cute with two front missing teeth! Needless to say, the tooth fairy did visit last night.

Our toothless wonder!

A Fun Day With Friends

Yesterday the kids were out of school for Martin Luther King, Jr.'s birthday. Lina and I have been trying to get the girls (Gabi and Emma) together to hang out for quite some time and with wrestling it just hasn't been easy to do. We figured yesterday was the day. Gabi couldn't decide between roller skating, going to a movie or bowling so she consulted with Emma. They chose roller skating. Tyler was up for the challenge also so we headed to Holiday Roller Rink for a few hours. I thought it wasn't a bad price...$8 for admission, skates, breakfast (we went later so we didn't get breakfast) and lunch. Skating was from 8 am to 4 pm. The lunch consisted of a hot dog, chips, grapes and a drink. Adults skated for free on Mondays so Lina and I lucked out on that. And yes, we even roller skated! It wasn't pretty but I did it. ; )

Tyler brought along Marissa for the fun and little Joey (Emma's brother) came too. He really got the hang of it by the end of our visit. All in all, a fun day.

Rock Band

Trenton and Tyler came home from "team bonding" - staying the night with all the wrestlers at one of their houses - a couple of weekends ago all pumped up about Rock Band - a game very similar to Guitar Hero but add drums and a lead singer! They went on and on about how fun it was to play and talked about all the songs they could get, etc. Well, little did we know that my parents would bring the complete game home on Sunday for us to try out. That night we decided to invite Chad, Amber and the girls over for pizza to check out the game and play some Rock Band. We figured Guitar Hero was a big hit for Chad and the boys while camping this summer, why not add to the mix. It took a few tries but the boys figured out who was best for what part in the band...Chad on the bass, Tyler on lead vocals and Trenton on drums. Anyways, the game was a hit and the boys have been suckering at least one of us adults into playing every evening. It's definitely entertaining!

Hobart Invitational

My parents, Gabi and I all went to Hobart to support Trenton today. Trenton was seeded first in his bracket. His first opponent was from Lawrence Central and Trenton pinned him. Then came a wrestler from Munster and Trenton pinned him as well. The scene was set for a Plesac/Reinoehl match for the final round. Trenton was up 4-3 in the third period. Trenton was called on a full nelson and Plesac got a point. It was then 4-4. Trenton decided to cut Plesac giving him another point for an escape. Trenton knew he needed a take down to win. Lo and behold with 6 seconds left in the match...he got the takedown for the win! Trenton beat Plesac 6-4!!! As one of the other dad's was leaving he said to me, "we are going to call Trenton the 'cardiac kid' from now on!" How true. My heart was pounding out of my chest as he won. I can hardly take these matches he has been winning. So exciting but scary at the same time! We are very proud of Trenton!!! If you haven't noticed...check out where Plesac stands at this point in the rankings in an earlier post....

Also, the entire Mishawaka team individually were in the Championship match! How cool is that! Everyone but one wrestler got 1st place! Go Cavemen!

Trenton should be moving up!

Next stop, sectionals!

Rensselaer (31-0)

Tyler finished out his junior varsity record at 31-0!!! A new record has been set at Mishawaka High School. Very cool! Tyler had Ben, Uncle Dave and Marissa to help cheer him on today while he pinned his first opponent from Valpo, beat his second guy 13-4 (from ), and pinned his last kid from Frankfort in 44 seconds. GREAT JOB Tyler!!!!!! His official JV career is over but he will still be weighing in for team regionals, semi state and state. A very exciting road ahead!

Lakeshore

Great wrestling last night. It was a late one but it was well worth it. We traveled across the state line to Lakeshore High School for some different competition. This team is supposedly one of the better teams in Michigan and has visited Mishawaka High School's open room in the past, so the coaches thought it would be a great opportunity to wrestle someone different. This school could be compared to Penn...a bigger school with higher income surroundings. The atmosphere was awesome. Their team got lots of support, much like Mishawaka so it made the dual meet even more fun-their fans even used cowbells when they got excited about their wrestler doing something right. Needles to say, it could get loud at times.
Tyler did a great job, beating his opponent 12-4. I caught a short video because I haven't posted one of him this year. This will probably be his last dual meet. Tyler has one more JV tournament this weekend in Rensallaer. Ben, Dave and Marissa will be going to support him. Tyler will still have to be on weight though, through Team State, because he is the backup at 125 lbs. It will be a good opportunity for him to go with the team and share in the excitement first hand. Also some exciting news...Tyler, along with two other boys on the wrestling team should break a record on the JV team...30+ wins (has to win two more this weekend). In fact, Tyler is still undefeated on the JV team. His varsity level record is 1-1. VERY COOL!

Trenton didn't do so well last night. As I said before, Lakeshore came to wrestle and did prove to be pretty solid, even though we beat them as a team. We noticed most of their kids are good on the mat, as we later found out about Trenton's opponent (Nick Humes). Trenton, on the other hand, is better on his feet. He had tied the score up 8-8 with about 40 seconds to go and Trenton got caught before he could get out and ended up getting pinned. A lesson learned. We could tell that Humes was one of the team leaders and one of the better kids on the team just by the fan support he got. It was definitely a good match. Trenton will be wrestling at Hobart this weekend so Gabi and I will be going to support him. He should get a couple of good matches in, at least a couple of ranked kids so we are excited to watch that.
Enjoy pics from last night here.

South Bend Clay

We shut out Clay last night 75-0 (varsity score). Trenton beat Nixon 6-2 and Tyler had a forfeit. The dual meet went by quickly...we were done within an hour. That's how I like 'em! Pictures here of Trenton's match.
Haven't gotten many You Tube videos of the boys...will try to get one of Tyler tonight, since this will be the last time I will watch him wrestle this year (JV). We travel to Lakeshore in Michigan for exhibition matches. Their team is supposedly good so we are looking forward to some good competition.

Another Season of American Idol

Another season of American Idol began last night. Some auditions were funny. Others were good. I do recall one that was supposed to be funny - in fact, Paula and Randy laughed hysterically because I think they thought this guy (second one in this video) was a jokester but he really looked like he was going to cry after seeing their reactions of laughing. It was kind of sad. I felt bad for that guy. I know I would not want to be laughed at, but then again, if I knew I was that bad I would never audition. It makes me wonder who on earth would tell people they are good singers if they aren't. Scary.

Anyways, looking forward to the new season - probably won't be able to catch alot for the first few weeks or so because of wrestling but I'll catch as much as I can. Tivo is looking better and better.

"At Home"

My sister in law had an Uppercase Living party a few months back...I finally got a ceramic tile to put my order on. I have had it for a while but have not taken the time to actually put it on a tile and display it. Considering we are "between" houses it was not a priority thing for me. I had to get some items at Lowes yesterday and decided to pick out a tile and put it together so I could see how it would turn out. I'm loving it. It will look so nice displayed in our new home, hopefully sooner than later {wink}.

NIC Superdual

The NIC was at Marian yesterday so Ben went with Trenton. He also went 5-0 with two forfeits and three wins. Trenton wrestled Laville and pinned him in 3:22. He then beat Elkhart Central 8-2 and Teched Marian in 2:49. One more win (hopefully Wednesday) and he will be first team NIC (first place in his weight class). PS What do you think of his new "chin cup?" He is excited about it. Also got more great news...check it out...he is now ranked! See preliminary results below:

130

1 Marsh-West Noble 12
2 Spencer-Pike 11
3 Zuber-Evansville Mem 12
4 Torres-Portage 10
5 Wojdyla-Brown Co
6 Harmon-Southwestern (Han) 12
7 Roach-Crown Point
8 Mann-South Adams 12
9 Barrett-Eastern (Greene) 11
10 Reinoehl-Mishawaka 11
11 Dickey-Milan 12
12 Vest-Perry Meridian 12
13 Wight-Homestead 12
14 Larowe-East Noble 10
15 Youngs-Zionsville 12
16 Plesac-Hobart
17 Meunier-Avon 11
18 Torres-Portage 10
19 Corsaro-Cathedral
20 Angermeier-Mooresville 10

Charger Invitational - Elkhart Memorial

Tyler had two forfeits and won three matches yesterday for a record of 5-0 for the day. Tyler pinned Crown Point in an exhibition match (because his opponent did not make weight). He then went on to beat Penn (Davis) 4-2 and Elkhart Memorial 9-3 (Matteson). It was a nice tournament...one of the best as far as "clean" - they washed their mats off after every round! It also went quickly, maybe because it was team format this time. All in all, another good day for Tyler. Pictures here.

Holy Geesepond, Batman!

Because we have been under flood warnings and everything is pretty much under water as of late, Gabi and I decided to check out our lot the other day. We wanted to see if anyone has had trouble with their basements or if our lot was flooded, etc. Good news...no flooding. The ground was just wet, nothing out of the ordinary and no one in the neighborhood had any kind of flooding in their basements. We were, however, very surprised at all the Canadian Geese on the pond! It was amazing. Gabi got really excited about it and wanted to feed them but we didn't have any bread to throw. I explained that having geese in our yard would not be fun and daddy probably wouldn't be as excited as her. Needless to say, Ben and I talked about options to keep them out of our yard when we get there.

Jimtown

Last night was full of highs and lows for us...Trenton and Tyler both wrestled...Tyler was varsity too. We knew he would have a tough match against the Jimtown kid because he placed 5th at the Al Smith Invitational (of course, a very tough tourney). Because Tyler had this in the back of his mind he was nervous to begin with. It was Senior night last night and the team decided to wrestle under the spotlights. This is very exciting for the wrestlers but I knew it added to the pressure Tyler was already feeling, and you could see it everytime he looked up in the stands before he had to go out on the mat. Unfortunately, he took his first loss ever in 3 years (school) but it makes him 1-1 at the varsity level for high school. We were glad he was given the opportunity to wrestle varsity again...he needs to feel the pressure and get the experience. I am sure he will see this as a stepping stone to his successes in the future.
Last night was great for Trenton. He has just been wrestling awesome lately. You can tell he REALLY wants to succeed and prove himself. Trenton only beat this Jimtown opponent at the Al Smith by one point but Trenton was confident he would do better. Less pressure, less nerves. He was right. He took it to Brian Williams. He beat him 9-3. You could really tell Williams was upset by the third period the way he threw himself down at the start of the period. At this point, I knew Trenton had it no problem. When you get out of control and your opponent takes your heart out of the match, it is pretty much over. That's what happened. Trenton drove the entire match. In fact, Williams' dad came over to Trenton afterwards and made mention of the Al Smith, stating he thought it was a "fluke" that his son lost to Trenton. Don't think so. Trenton is on a roll and he is not going to stop anytime soon. Great wrestling last night boys, we are very proud, as always. Enjoy pics of both of the boys here.

Choices

Finally, I have finished choosing colors in our house we are building. After going back at least three times, I am content with my choices. We have chosen a slate-Napco color siding with classic blue shutters and Chapel Gray roofing. We have also finished the layout...we made alot of changes to a basic floor plan and will share the actual one when we get it signed off. The blueprint should be ready to sign off on this week and staking should begin. As for the inside...colors chosen. We have chosen a red oak flooring that will be in the entryway, kitchen, half bath and laundry room. The half bath will have a pedistal sink and commode. Therefore, no countertop had to be chosen. I chose a cookie color carpet (cross between a shag and plush) that will be in the family and living room, as well as the dining room, staircase and throughout upstairs. The fireplace will have ceramic tiles surrounding it that will look match the wood flooring and cabinets in the kitchen beautifully. The kitchen cabinets I chose were Sinclair Birch (Autumn color) that matches the flooring well and I have chosen a baltic granite countertop. I am very pleased with this choice. For now, we are going with the standard white appliances...to possibly upgrade in the future.

The bath for the kids upstairs will have this flooring...

and this countertop (mineral spa)...

The master bath was fun to choose colors for. We will have a shower, walk in closet, commode, sink and a jacuzzi tub. I am very excited about that! We chose this for our flooring in the master bath...

and this is what we chose this for our countertop color (jeweled mica)...

As for paint, we chose for them to do two colors through the entire house. Trim in pure white and walls in pacer white. We will probably end up painting the kids (or at least Gabi's) rooms a different color. We will see. At least we will have the contrast right off the bat, rather than one color throughout. You can check out the colors here. I must say it has been very exciting picking and choosing and we have basically only begun. We get to meet with the lighting store next and then we get to choose storage, cable, etc. This ride has just started. It is interesting to see all that goes into building and we are looking forward to watching it every step of the way! I will continue to share as I go.

Another Quote...

Loving this excerpt from this website. Great site to keep updated on Indiana sports.

"#1 Mishawaka 33, #7 Bellmont 19
Mishawaka’s state-ranked lower weights – plus the red-hot Reinoehl, who continued his stretch of knocking off highly ranked opponents with a 3-0 decision over sore-shouldered No. 7 (at 125) Will Sheets – dominated the host Braves as six of the Cavemen’s eight victories came right in a row at the smallest classes."

Full article here.

Bellmont Invitational

Wow, talk about a tournament! David graciously offered to drive and go with me to watch Trenton yesterday. Ben was able to go to Calumet - another great tourney - so he told me to go and watch at Bellmont. Some say one matchup is a precursor to the team state finals...Mishawaka vs. Perry Meridian. It was certainly intense. The first matchup was against Witko. Trenton pinned his opponent (Ryan Busz) in the first period. The second round was Bellmont and Trenton faced Will Sheets again (rematch from final round at Al Smith) and beat him this time 3-0. Great match. The third round was against Bloomington South (Richard Reschke) and Trenton also pinned him in the second period. Then came Perry. The preview of state finals right before us...Our team made some pretty dumb errors and we had to sub in two of our varsity wrestlers and we lost 24-30. I can see that we can beat them...we can. It will take alot of work and discipline on our side but it is an absolute possibility and I look very forward to that rematch at team state. Trenton's match was against Brian Vest...ranked #3 in the state and beat him 2-1. Boy, oh boy, what a match. Last round was against Evansville Memorial and Trenton had Conner Zuber (ranked #4 in the state also). At this point, I think alot of wind was taken out of sails because of the team loss. Trenton lost his match 2-3 but I really think he will get him next time. It was another great match.

David got a new camera and was able to take some pics but I haven't gotten any from him yet. I will post them later because he got some GREAT photos. Nice camera too - I have to say, I am very jealous. A Sony Alpha to be exact. Anyways, I was glad I went...the drive was long, but the wrestling was well worth it. Awesome competition and Trenton proved himself again. VERY PROUD.

Riley Invitational

Ben, my parents, Gabi, Marissa and family and Ben's dad were able to go to Tyler's tournament yesterday. Unfortunately, we didn't get any pics because Ben can't work a camera and video camera at the same time. Greatly appreciated, I think I will have some pictures coming because a friend was able to capture some : )
Tyler went 4-0 and won out in 125 lbs. His first round was against Penn (Alex Soijka) and Tyler got a pin, the second round was against a Munster kid (Swift) and Tyler won 12-6, the third round was against another Penn kid (Wendtzel) and Tyler beat him 13-2 and in the Championship round Tyler beat an Elkhart Memorial kid 4-1. Tyler actually wrestled him last weekend and won 6-0. It was a LONNNNNGGGGGGG day for them. I guess the wrestling started at 10 am and Tyler finished around 8:30 pm. Tyler got a nice medal...the best one he has received yet. Great job, Tyler!

Hoosier Authority Quote

Found this excerpt today...

Can you say SHOWDOWN?

Back at the Al Smith Invitational, the last two rounds of the tournament were highly competitive for the most part. The finals saw four pins and 10 decisions, while the consolation round had three pins, 10 decisions, and a major decision.

But the host Cavemen were the dominant story in this prestigious event. All five Mishawaka champions defeated opponents that were ranked in the Top 10 in the finals, with Trent Reinoehl registering perhaps the day’s standout performance.

Reinoehl was the only unranked wrestler to win a title, and his route to the top of the 130-pound weight class was capped by an 8-6 overtime upset of Bellmont’s Will Sheets, ranked No. 7 at 125.

“Trent wrestled an outstanding tournament,” Snyder said. “His conditioning and focus definitely showed. His overtime victory in the finals might have been the best match of the entire tournament.”

The entire article here at this website.

2007 In Review and Looking Ahead

2007 - what a year! So much has happened and I am grateful that I took the opportunity to journalize it in this blog. What a great chance for me to keep everything written down and have the ability to share with friends and family. Some highlights from this past year...

Ben - still working at Days. He has been so busy lately...a mixture of good and bad, I guess. Bad because of the long hours (one day he worked 5 am - 10 pm) and good for business. He really has a wonderful job as far as flexibility, etc.

Cindy - still working at United Family. It has been a rough year for me because of audit requirements, etc. but it is work in progress. I am still very thankful that I am able to be at home and work at the same time.

Trenton - Trenton had a busy year. He started his first job at the Parks Department (summer) and he loved it. Kept him busy and gave him responsiblity. He enjoyed working outside and was thankful that they worked around his busy wrestling schedule. Trenton also got his driver's license this year. A definite stepping stone. As far as his wrestling career...he took it to the next level going to Fargo, ND for Team Indiana (Freestyle and Greco). He started a new school with a new set of friends and has exceled. We are proud. Trenton just recently won the Al Smith Invitational - a HUGE accomplishment. With the new year, he is looking to go to High School State Finals with his team as well as an individual. He is also looking forward to ISWA and hopefully making Team Indiana again this year. Trenton will also work for the Parks again in the summer.

Tyler - Tyler has come a long way as well. After the tragedy of breaking his leg in wrestling he got right back up on the horse for another try and he has exceled not only in wrestling but in football as well. A sport he wasn't sure of playing before we moved school districts. Tyler is so glad that he played and is looking forward to playing this year (2008) as a sophomore. He loves it. Tyler is also looking forward to taking driver's training and undergoing a small surgery to remove the hardware in his leg. He will hopefully get some ISWA in as well and start football at the beginning of the school year.

Gabi - She certainly always enjoys her pom camp in the summer with her friend, Emma. Gabi epecially loved the family time camping at Jellystone and lots of swimming at maw maw and paw paw's house. Gabi didn't do as much gymnastics this year and is starting to really develop some likings to other things...such as volleyball and soccer. We will do our best this year to help her experiment with what she enjoys. She also enjoyed a quick trip to the zoo to see the manatees. Gabi had such a good time with just Ben and me. Don't get me wrong, she missed the boys, but loved the attention.

Our Family as a whole - We had a great summer at our seasonal site (Jellystone) this summer. The family time we spent together will always be etched in our memories. Great times. We did lots of traveling for wrestling (ISWA) and got to go to Ohio to the zoo with Gabi. This year we will probably take a trip with the high school team to some great national competition somewhere (maybe Disney) and we hope to make a visit to North Carolina to visit Ben's family.

Anyways, lots done this year and we will cherish the memories, but on the other hand, we are looking forward to a new year and new memories to make. Happy New Year!