Last night, we had our awards ceremony for Upwards Basketball. I had such mixed feelings about the whole thing. I am so glad it's over and I am so sad it's over. Glad because I will have my husband and kids back home on Tuesday nights. Sad because I will have my husband and kids home on Tuesday night. Make sense? I have enjoyed my alone time but I have also felt like our family has had too little time together. I will also miss the Saturday ballgames--the kids had such a great time playing and I enjoyed watching them--except for the occasional injury! But, then again, we haven't had a Saturday at home since early January and we are behind on our yard work, etc. We are celebrating our first free Saturday next week by going out of town for a day of shopping, movie going, eating out, and birthday party attending. Then, the next week will be devoted to the yard! It will be nice to have the whole day at home together. Are we the only ones that never seem to get that? Anyway, the ceremony was great. We had a former Harlem Globetrotter's player, named Seth Franco, come as the guest. He can do things with a basketball like you wouldn't believe. You can go here to see a great video! I know many a child went home with visions of basketball- spinning fame running through their heads. At one point during his show, he had 8-10 people come out of the stands to help him "warm up". He picked several children and a few adults. Seth had them stand in a circle around him and he would throw the basketball to them and they were supposed to throw it back--only he would try to trick them and throw it where he wasn't looking or something like that. Imagine his surprise when he threw the ball to one man and this man puts on a show of basketball tricks. Obviously, this was totally unexpected and the look on Seth's face was priceless--like--"Who is this man showing me up at my own show?" They did a little duel thing and it was great. Seth kept saying, "Who is this guy?" The guy happened to be a local guy who had a daughter playing ball--it was pretty funny. After the show, they gave out a bunch of great door prizes. My daughter, M., won a CD player (which she ended up giving to a girl who didn't have one. M. just won an iPod last month and already has a stereo). My husband received the award for "Most Christ-like Coach". I'm very proud and he definitely deserved it. He worked hard with those kids. He actually coached two teams and was a referee. For not being a minister, he definitely has a minister's heart-- and he ministered to those kids every week. They loved him. (and so do I) And except for the little incident of my son being chased around the gym by a half a dozen girls, we all had a great time (My son was beyond embarrassed) . I am looking forward to doing it all again next year! If you have Upwards in your area and have never participated, I highly recommend it! You and your kids will love it! Have a great day y'all!

Labels: Family