More Soccer

Bode had his second soccer game on Saturday.  He's not very aggressive.  I think he would rather talk and play with the other kids, and this soccer thing just gets in the way.  He also tends to pout if he doesn't get his way.  For example, the coach asked, "Who wants to play goalies?"  I'm pretty sure Bode had no idea what that was, but other kids were putting their hands up, so he felt obliged to do so.

At some point, after getting over the goalie disappointment, the kids were running.  Here is an action shot.

After some obligatory practice, it was time to play.  I took some movies.  In this first movie, Bode is right there in the heart of the action.

As you can see, he had a breakaway, but could not convert.  In this next clip, you will see "tired Bode," which means he was ready for the post-game snack.

He's like an old Kareem Abdul Jabbar--he doesn't quite make it back down field :-)  After soccer, Bode informed us he wanted to go to "Soup 'er Salad."  Of course, he got pizza.

Auburn did not play this weekend, so it was relatively quiet at our home.  I took Bode to the pool a couple times, but for the most part, we simply relaxed.  Bode took some pictures of Harley.

Woof.  Pleasant week to all.

Soccer

We signed Bode up for soccer.  Unfortunately, we missed the first two practices / games because we were in Mississippi and Breckenridge the past two weekends.  We were worried he was going to be behind his teammates in terms of skill level.  Turns out, we were worried for nothing.  Ashley took Bode to his first game yesterday.  It was also team picture day.  Here's a shot of Bode and his team, the Flames.

There are quite a few girls on the tam.  Plus, the age group is 3 - 5, which means Bode is one of the bigger players.  Mom told him to sharpen up his elbows and take no prisoners when attacking the ball--"Don't think of the opponent as a girl.  Think of her as the one thing standing between you and a good referral to Santa."  Once he heard this, Bode got that killer "Michael Jordan" look in his eyes and it was on.

The game wasn't very exciting...until Bode figured out he was supposed to kick the ball past the opponents goalie rather than straight to her.  When he realized this, he scored a G-O-A-L!

Turns out, we can't show the footage of the goal on this website--something about copyright laws and ESPN.  He ran really hard for two quarters.  Then, he was tired.  We need to work on his stamina.

We had a somewhat lazy weekend.  I couldn't go to Bode's game because I was running the Denver half marathon.  I ran it with Dave (Ashley's brother).  After months of intense training and smack-talking, Dave proceeded to beat me with a time of 1:29:20 to my 1:30:39.  There are pictures of the event at http://www.marathonfoto.com.  You have to search on my last name, my bib number (1583), and the event (Rock and Roll Denver Marathon).  None are particularly awesome, but if you have time to kill, it might help you avoid work.  Last night, we watched the Auburn Tigers lose a squeeker to LSU, 12-10, watched Air Force lose to UNLV 38-35, and then today watched the Steelers lose to Oakland (of all teams), 34-31.  It's not really a banner year for the McGuirks for sports.  Oh well--there is always next year :-)  This week, Ashley and I celebrate our 13th anniversary.  She asked me what I was getting her. I pointed out we took a trip to Starkville to see Auburn play and also to her little sports toy in the garage.  She said, "Oh, I thought those were my everyday presents."  Hilarious :-)  Pleasant week to all.

Breckenridge

We spent the weekend up in Breckenridge.  Our friends, Ron and Nancy from Ohio, came to town for a visit.  They arrived Thursday night.  I was working Friday morning when Ashley called me.  Ron and Nancy's rental car was stolen :-(  It was parked right in front of our house.  Evidently this isn't the best neighborhood :-)  Fortunately, they didn't have anything of value in the car--they had brought everything into the house, so no real damage, other than the aggravation of having your stuff stolen.  Sheesh.

After filing the police report, we headed up to Breckenridge.  We went for Friday night and Saturday night.  We thought it was going to be a mellow, relaxing, uncrowded weekend in the mountains.  We were pleasantly surprised to see it was Octoberfest in Breck, with half of Main Street closed, beer being survived, brats, schnitzel, strudel, and all sorts of goodies available, and plenty of merry festivalers.

We stayed at a nice two bedroom condo with the Blue River gurgling past our front door.  Here is a picture of Bode feeling the water.  Despite it being warm weather, the water was freezing.

Saturday morning, the Auburn game was on.  Ron and Nancy went for a hike up Peak 9.  Ashley was watching the Auburn game (they won--thankfully, 31-28 in OT).  Bode and I didn't feel like staying in, so we headed over to Main Street.  We quickly found a vendor who was giving away balloons.

I'm not sure why Bode is posed like he is--he didn't have to pee.  Maybe he's just being a guy, adjusting his equipment every so often :-)  Since it was 1130 in the morning, I thought, "Why not have a beer?"

Nothing hits the spot like a good Octoberfest beer before noon :-)  At some point, Mommy pulled herself away from the TV and joined us for lunch (must have been halftime).  Here are Mom and Bode walking down the street.

I had a nice giant turkey leg for lunch while Bode feasted on some sweet corn.  We sat next to some woman all decked out in her Auburn gear.  Evidently the Wareagle fans are everywhere.  Later in the day, we took the gondola up to the base of peak 8.  Bode loves to ride the gondola.

Here are shots of Nancy and Ron, also from the gondola.  When going over my photos, I realized we didn't have any good shots of them other than these :-(

There was a great little amusement park at the base of peak 8.  There was an alpine slide, a roller coaster, a maze, and some other odds and ends.  Here are some photos of Mommy and Bode in action.  First is simply a shot of the snow-less mountain.  Ski runs always look funny without any snow.

Next is a picture of Mommy and Bode on the alpine slide.

Next, Bode and Mommy successfully completed the maze, while I provided minimal assistance from a bird's-eye perch.

Bode then tried to do the big trampoline.  He was excited...at first.

We took a movie.  Bode lasted almost 10 jumps.  Afterwards, he was no longer amused :-)

Fall is definitely here.  I took this picture of the mountains and the usually snow-packed parking lot.  Weird seeing it like this.

We had a lovely visit to Breck.  It was great seeing Ron and Nancy, and we hope the loss of their rental car does not sour them on Colorado :-)  Auburn plays LSU this week.  Looks like it is shaping up to be a dismal season, but we won't write them off just yet.  Pleasant week to all.

War Pitiful

We went to Starkville (Mississippi for those of you who are geography challenged) this weekend.  We try to get there every two years (biennially for the word-smiths) to see the mighty Auburn Tigers play Mississippi.  Auburn hadn't lost in Starkville since 2002 (or was it 2000--either way, it had been awhile).  We weren't exactly brimming with confidence going into the game, but we didn't think we'd endure a beat down.  Sadly, we were mistaken.

The trip down was fine.  Bode is quite the plane-rider, and always enjoys looking out the window.

The glare is bad, so it looks like Bode has half a face.  Plus, the angle to Ashley's face makes her look a scosh heavy (she's not).  But that's what happens when you let me, someone that knows absolutely zero about photography, be in charge of the trip pics.  We arrived Friday evening, enjoyed a nice palaver with the Rezeks, and went to bed, still holding onto that naive hope that Auburn could win the game.

The next day, we headed out for the 1100 kickoff.  Historically Auburn does not do well in these early games, so deep down, we knew we might be in trouble, but we did not want to admit it.  Bode and Oscar were ready to go, but we managed to convince them to sit still for a quick photo.  Afterwards, we were off to the game.

Mississippi State loves to ring their cow bells.  Not sure why--tradition I guess.  The NCAA has tried to ban them, but to no avail.  As Auburn fans, we should have nothing to do with the cow bell.  However, Bode was fascinated with the oversized one and proceeded to ring it (and in the immortal words of Christopher Wakin:  "You gotta have that cow bell.")

We then headed to the game.  Ashley got a sweet deal and was able to sit in the President's Box (of Mississippi State, not of the US) with Meghan, who evidently is high enough up in the chain of command at State to merit two places to this prestigious location.  Ashley did not know how lucky she was, because just before kickoff, it started to rain.  We were not amused.

Thankfully Jon had the foresight to bring the panchos.  Otherwise, we would have been soaked.  Here's a quick shot of the field--proof that we were there.  The game didn't go as planned, but Auburn was winning 10-7 during the 3rd quarter.  However, their offense was offensive and their defense has more holes than our backyard (Harley is a digger).

Unfortunately (or fortunately, depending on how you look at it), Bode wanted to leave, just after the kickoff.  I managed to stave off our departure until the end of the third quarter?  How did I do this?  By lying.  I told him there were monsters at Jon and Meghan's house, and we couldn't go back until they called me.  Every two minutes, he kept asking, "Did the monsters call?"  We left when Auburn was down by 18, so it's not like I was fighting to stay.  When we got back to Jon and Meghan's, Elliott (their 10-year old) was there.  Bode asked Elliott about the monsters.  I quickly intervened and explained to Elliott about what Bode was talking.  I then convinced Elliott to go along with it.  Thus, I not only lied to my 4-year old, but also involved a 10-year old in my conspiracy.  Yes, I'm going to h*ll.

We spent Saturday evening licking our wounds.  We watched the Air Force game (they lost) and then the Nebraska game (another loser).  Not exactly our weekend for football.  Sunday was a beautiful day.  We walked to breakfast, ate, and then decided some barbeque would hit the spot for lunch.  On the way there, Meghan ambushed Bode with a giant sword.

We finished our visit to Starkville with a trip to a nature preserve.  We saw a couple alligators, which were very cool.  First is a picture of us from a protected vantage point.  While it's tough to tell the difference between a log and a gator, we managed to spot some.

I'm not sure if you can see the gator, but it's right in front of the tree that is in the water (you are probably mesmorized by Ashley's can).  It didn't move much, but it definitely was a gator.

A bit later, we saw this bigger gator (rhyming not intended).  I always find it ominous to see creatures in the wild with nothing between us.  I think I could take him.

Here's a picture of the same gator--not sure if you can see it, but I included the picture of Ashley, one so the masses get a second look at her a*s, and two, to get a sense of the gator's size.

We flew out of Starkville around four in the afternoon, and got back home by eleven.  We were a little tired at work on Monday, and we were both mad about it due to the Auburn loss (had they won, it would have been worth it :-)  As always, we loved our time in Mississippi and can't wait to get back.  Auburn is now 0-2, and it's not looking to be a good year.  Here's hoping.  Pleasant week to all.

The Rocket Sled

Ever since I have known Ashley, she has said her dream car is the little Nissan sports ride.  Her brother had a 270Z (or was it a 280Z?) when he was younger.  When we were buying the XTerra, Nissan was just coming out with the 350Z, and Ashley wanted to get one.  In 2008, the 370Z came out.  If we were out and about and Ashley saw one, she'd point and pout.  Recently, I realized I have about four years left of viable employment with the Air Force, after which my lack of any marketable skill will make it hard for me to find a job.  Therefore, if there is ever a time to get Ashley her dream car, now is the time.  Therefore, after some searching, we found this car.

It is a 2011 Nissan 370Z with 20,000 miles.  She looks pretty good behind the wheel.  The speedometer goes up to 180 miles an hour...hopefully she doesn't go quite that fast.  Here she is heading out of our driveway.  She says it's fun to drive--peppy is probably the best word.

Note the XTerra is in the driveway.  Fortunately, we have a 3-car garage.  After some careful maneuvering, we were able to get all three cars safely inside.  I think Ashley and I both had a heart-attack when we realized Bode could learn to drive a stick on the 370.  Scary.

Speaking of Bode, the little photog is doing quite well.  After I took pictures of Ashley and the car, he grabbed the picture and started snapping some shots.  First up is a picture of Harley dog resting.

Here's another one of Harley, standing in our foyer.  The picture shows the openess of the floor plan.

Finally, he got up close and personal with Harley.

Not much else going on here.  It's Labor Day, and we've been lazy.  I might take Bode up to the pool a little later.  We've done a little napping this morning (we're tired :-)  Auburn started the season with a tough loss to Clemson, so we're a little sad.  However, we are confident the mighty Auburn war machine can bounce back with a victory over Mississippi State.  Pleasant week to all.