Soccer Season

Well, it's been a little more than five days since my surgery and things seem to be improving at a daily pace. I still feel very tired and somewhat light-headed (make all the jokes you want about that) from the anaesthetic and then also have a moderate amount of discomfort in my abdomen from the surgery itself. I went to work today for about four hours and that went well but I was pretty tired after that and came home and dozed off on the couch for a while.
I am very thankful for the excellent medical care I received while at the hospital and for the possibility to have these hernias taken care of...I have certainly taken my health for granted for most of my life.

(The apple trees are in full bloom and we anticipate a "bumper crop" of apples once again this fall.)

Andrew played his last soccer game of the season this evening and Sandy and I both agreed he was the player of the game for his team, even though it was in a losing effort (3 to 2). We are so proud of him for how he has shone this year, his first in the Under 10 age category...he is not the biggest kid on the field but he plays an extremely smart game and hustles very hard...he never seems to stop running. He scored several goals through the season and put in some great performances!
Caleb is also doing amazing...he continues to score plenty of goals and has a fantastic attitude on the field, really encouraging his teammates and helping them to be the best they can be as well. Most of the games we feel he comes home having shone both in his ability and his attitude! We are so proud of both of these guys and their soccer success! Caleb's team, which I coach, still goes on to the end of June.

(The boys, posing in their matching "Chivas" shirts from Mexico, kick the ball around almost every afternoon in our backyard.)

Sandy is busily getting ready to head out on Thursday morning for Minneapolis. She and the kids are going there to meet with all the other "cousins" on Sandy's side of the family for a pool party on Friday and then a 13 hour train ride through the night to get to Montana and spend the rest of the week at her mom's home, Grandma Katie to all the kids! Olivia is sooooo excited about this year's Couzin Power Party, and also to be able to go on the train for the first time in her life.
I, on the other hand, will be bonding with our dog Lobo as the two of us will be "bachelors" for 10 days!
Currently, we are enjoying a beautiful rainfall as we wind down for night!
That's it for my rambling tonight!
Gerald