The Roots of a Friendship

This past Saturday, J and Coach C spent a few hours doing some hard core training.  Afterwards, Coach C brought J home and stayed for dinner.  During dessert, we were reminiscing a bit about TP's trip to Auburn University last summer and how a moment during that trip became the defining moment of when our friendship really began.  That moment came when hubby decided it would be fun to spill the beans to Coach C regarding A's then newly formed crush on him.  He did this by knocking on Coach C's hotel room door and proceeding to ask him if his intentions were honorable.  Coach C was understandably a bit puzzled, and stated that he always had honorable intentions.  That's when hubby dropped the bomb(with a perfectly sober face) and said he was glad to hear that seeing as how Coach C and A were getting married and having a hot tub honeymoon. (That last part was a quote from A, who has a fondness for lounging in hot tubs.)  Now, I was not in the room for this conversation, but both hubby and Coach C have described his reaction in great detail.  Apparently Coach C turned about as red as a TP jersey and started stammering and stuttering until hubby took pity on him and reassured him he was just messing with him.  After that, there were really only two choices.  We all would become great friends or Coach C needed to run like hell as fast as he could away from our craziness.  Happily, he stuck around and we've nurtured a friendship that has become quite special to all of us.  I know others may look at us and think the friendship is a bit unorthodox.  I imagine  most people don't get as close to their kid's coach, especially one as young as Coach C.  It definitely started on the field, with Coach C and J forming a coach and player bond that is special all on its own.  Readers of this  blog know where that bond has led.  Coach C continues to train and mentor J not only in baseball, but in life.  J values his opinion highly, and looks up to him, like an older brother of sorts.  As the oldest, J has plenty of experience being the big brother, so I think it's been nice for him to have someone fill that role for him.  He is close to my brother, but he's 16 years older than J, whereas Coach C is only 3 1/2 years older.  So it's a different dynamic.  The rest of us love and value Coach C's friendship very much as well.  A of course continues to crush on him, still has plans to marry him, and gives any girl she thinks is getting too close the evil eye.  He, as always, indulges her, treats her like a little queen, and in general, spoils her rotten.  I imagine as she gets older her crush, which is really a huge case of hero worship, will turn more into viewing him as an extra big brother, who will always hold a special place in her heart. Coach C gets a kick out of N and his uniquely quirky personality.  The two of them spend time playing chess or video games and N usually has Coach C shaking his head or laughing at something he says or does.  Hubby loves nothing better than giving Coach C a hard time about everything  from work, (Coach C works part time at hubby's store) to his future nuptials with A.   Coach C gives back as good as he gets, impressing hubby with his quick wit and refusal to let hubby gain the upper hand in their verbal duels.  As for me, I simply love Coach C like one of my own kids.  He won my heart early on, when he saw something in J on the baseball field that others had failed to see.  Since then, he's continued to work tirelessly with J, he's good to my other kids, and is always appreciative of my work for the team.  After our stay in Jupiter, during which he spent a lot of time with us, eating meals and just hanging out, he sent me the sweetest message about how much he loves and appreciates our friendship.  It made me cry, and realize how very much I, too, love and value our friendship. The TP season is coming to an end and I'm not sure what next summer holds for J.  He'll be too old to play on the current TP team, which means he can't play for Coach C.  However, many of the parents and the other coaches are trying to convince Coach C it would be a great idea for him to move up with the current group of boys. I don't know how that all will turn out in the long run, but whatever happens, I know our friendship with Coach C will remain strong.  None of us could have foreseen on that sunny April day when J tried out for Coach C that the six of us would forge such a special bond.  This friendship may have gotten it's start on a baseball diamond, but it's roots run strong and true.

Weekend Fun

This weekend was a typically busy one for us, though we did some not so typical stuff.  First up, N's chorus had their holiday concert Saturday evening.  Beforehand, the entire family went out for a late lunch at a Japanese steakhouse to celebrate Cousin C's birthday.  The concert was held at a nearby senior center as part of a holiday celebration for the members.  Families were  able to attend, too, and the chorus sounded wonderful as always.   The director, Mrs. S, does a great job with the group.  Below is a picture of N in his formal chorus uniform.

 
Following the concert, hubby, J, A, J's friend R, and I headed for UF, where J and R were scheduled to attend a camp on Sunday(N stayed behind to attend a cub scout event).  We spent the night in a hotel due to the early morning camp check in time.  Sunday morning, we headed to the baseball stadium for the camp.  Coach C joined us to observe the camp, much to A's delight (yes, she's still crushing on him).  J did pretty well during the camp, though Coach C did give him some things he needs to work on.  Midway through the day, Coach C left to attend an event at his fraternity and hubby, A, and I met our friend K and her three kids for lunch.  We hadn't seen them in three years, so it was nice getting to catch up.  After lunch, we met Coach C back at the stadium to watch the remainder of the camp.  Following the camp, Coach C took us on a tour of the UF campus, which we all, especially J, enjoyed.  We capped off the day with dinner out, where Coach C discussed J's training with him and outlined what he'll be doing the next several weeks.  Let's just say it will be intense!  I've included a few photos from the day below.

Girl Time

This weekend I'm doing something I've never done in 19 years of marriage and 15 years of motherhood.  I'm leaving my husband and kids behind and going away for the weekend with friends.  No husbands, no kids.  Just six women enjoying a girls get away weekend.  These six women are all very dear friends to me.  They're all part of my online circle of friends that I  wrote about here: http://homerunmama.blogspot.com/2011/01/circle-of-friends.html.  This will be the first time I've had the pleasure of meeting two of them in person.  We're going to Jekyll Island, Georgia. Our plans include a lot of sitting on the beach or around the pool, talking and relaxing.  I'm sure we'll do a little exploring, shopping, and restaurant hopping as well.  But the main purpose of this trip is to just kick back, relax, and enjoy each other's company.  We leave Friday morning and I can hardly wait.   That's not to say I won't miss my family.  I will.  But I'm looking forward to some me time with a group of fantastic women whose friendship I treasure.  Two more days girls!

Let's Play Clue

Jess- You've known us for a while now. We've talked about a meet up and now it's becoming a reality. Chris has marked the dates off on your calendar and now it's time to let you know. To figure out the date you may need to use Google. We depart on the same day the Navy christened the USS Natuilus in 1954. Now, visit the blog of your favorite Navy family for your next clue.

Circle of Friends

Friends.  We all have them.  Childhood friends, casual acquaintances, close friends.  Some are part of our daily lives and others we may only see or hear from occasionally.  We meet and make friends in various ways:  school, work, parties, playgroups, and kids' activities.  I have friends that I have met in all of those traditional ways.  But I also have a group of very special friends that I met on the Internet.  Before you begin to think I'm a few cards shy of a full deck, let me explain further.  When I was pregnant with A, I was diagnosed with gestational diabetes.  In doing some online research, I stumbled on a website called babycenter.  In addition to the diabetes info I sought, I also found a group called January 2006 babies.  I began visiting the site frequently and eventually began posting on a thread titled Moms of Many.  All of the moms posting on this thread had three or more kids.  There were ten of us that posted on a regular basis and we clicked right away.  eventually we formed a private group page on another website and the rest is history.  We've been a group for five years now and I count these nine women among my nearest and dearest friends.  We live in nine different states, have a variety of backgrounds, political views, and parenting approaches.  We have 42 children between us, 41 with us and one angel in heaven.  It shouldn't work, but it does.  Each of us bring something unique to our group and I can not imagine not having the  Moms of Many in my life.  Over the years we've given each other support, love, friendship, and  a lot of laughs.  We've laughed together, cried together, and gossiped together.  I've had the pleasure of meeting all but three of these women in person.   Someday we would like to have a big meet up so we can all meet in person at last.  We go back and forth on whether we should include husbands and children or just have it be us girls.  Either way, I know it will be great.  But until then, J, E, L, A, S, C, H, M, and Z, I count you girls and your friendship among the biggest blessings in my life.  Love you all!


I also want to add that in addition to the nine fantastic ladies I mention above, I have also made other wonderful friends online.  While it's true that while on babycenter, I made the strongest connection with the Moms of Many, there are other ladies that I consider friends a well.  While I have only met one in person, I still consider them friends and will always remember our Jan 06 babycenter days with fondness.  (For those wondering, babycenter changed its format a few years back and just never recovered the charm of the old board.)