Champion of Champions!

 The Norfolk Catholic Champion of Champions Tournament was on Saturday.  Justin weighed in at 47.6 lbs.  He was pumped up and ready to wrestle.  He had his fan club present:  Grandma Leader, Gayle Brummer and his girls, Sue and Sienna, and of course, Dad, Cara, Erica and Mom.  (Ashlin was missing because she was sick)

 In his bracket was a wrestler from Cody-Kilgore and two wrestlers from Columbus Lakeview.  First up was the wrestler from Cody-Kilgore.  Justin ended up getting the pin.

 Next, Justin won with a technical fall over a wrestler from Columbus Lakeview.

 Here Justin is going for another pin on the second wrestler from Columbus Lakeview.

 Getting ready to do a half-Nelson and getting two points for the takedown.

 After winning his bracket, then he faced a Wisner/Pilger wrestler from the other bracket on his mat to be the Champion of Champions

 Justin got the pin in the first period and won the medal for Champion of Champions!

All smiles atop the podium!!!  Two new medals to add to his stash.

Take care,
Michelle

2nd in Creighton!

 Friday afternoon we headed to Creighton for another little kids wrestling tournament.  Justin had to weigh-in before 5 p.m. and wrestling started at 5:15 p.m.  Justin weighed in at 48.0 lbs.

 Justin wrestled more aggressive in Creighton than he had the previous tournament.  He remembered to keep his head up, spin to get behind to get takedown points, and to grab the legs quicker for a takedown and gain control in the match.

 First up was a wrestler from Elkhorn Valley and Justin won on points.  Coach/Cousin Zac was telling Justin what to do from the edge of the match.

 Then Justin faced a wrestler from Creighton losing 2-6.  He fought hard, but time ran out on a reversal at the end of one period.

 Justin finished in 2nd place and received his medal from Uncle Randy. 

This is a group photo of Keith, Justin, Scott Fritz and Kaden Fritz.  Keith and Scott work together and are both area supervisors for NPPD.  Scott over the linemen and Keith over the substation crew.  Justin is a couple weeks older than Kaden, but definitely smaller in size.  Congrats to Kaden on winning his bracket!

Take care,
Michelle

Happy 10th Birthday Ashlin!

Happy 10th Birthday Ashlin!  As Justin says, "You are two whole hands now"!  Ashlin's birthday was on Friday, and it was extra special because there was No School.  Plus, Grandma Korth took the kids out for lunch on Thursday because there was no school since the Norfolk Catholic girls were playing at state basketball.  Ashlin spent her birthday relaxing, watching "Mockingjay Part I" that came out on video on Friday, watching her brother wrestle and then eating ice cream cake.

Ashlin got a huge smile on her face when one lady at the grocery store told Ashlin that she was now a "pre-teen" since she was double digits.

Take care,
Michelle

First Tournament of Wrestling Season

Justin wrestled on Sunday in the Elkhorn Valley Tournament.  This year he had to move up a division to 1st & 2nd Grade.  This made him a little worried to wrestle a second grader since he is only in first grade.  But, his coaches said that he was ready.

He weighed in at 49.3 lbs.  Justin is a lightweight.  The other kids in his class that wrestled all weighed in about 6 pounds heavier.  First, he wrestled a kid from Logan View and pinned him in 42 seconds in the first period.  Next, Justin wrestled a kid from Ainsworth and pinned him in 16 seconds in the second period.  This was Justin's hardest match.  Last, Justin wrestled a kid from West Holt and got a technical fall with a 11-0 score.

He was all smiles atop the medal stand with his 1st Place trophy.  These photos aren't the best off Keith's phone, but they captured the memory for me to see later at the basketball tournament.  Justin proudly showed off his trophy to other kids and parents at Erica's basketball tournament.

Now Justin is all ready for the next little kids' wrestling tournament.

Take care,
Michelle

Winter Volleyball League

Last Sunday was the last day of the Lakeview Winter League.  The last day was set up as a tournament with the 16 teams being placed into the Gold Division and the Silver Division.  The top eight in the gold and the bottom eight in the silver. 

The 8th Grade girls from Norfolk Catholic were the #8 seed in the Gold Division. First up the girls had to play the #1 seed Wayne 7.  It was a loss in two sets, but they fought hard and had their chances.  Next, they defeated Lakeview Blue in two sets.  Last, they played Battle Creek Digs and lost in two close sets.  Overall, the girls finished in 6th place.  For being the #8 seed, they moved up two spots to finish in 6th which is good.

Unfortunately, Cara has a hurt right shoulder again.  She is in pain like she was this fall during volleyball.  Sunday was a painful day in the gym for her.  She would serve one overhand and then one underhand, before I told her going into the second game to only serve underhand.  Monday afternoon was a trip back to Dr. Adams, a family and sports medicine doctor.  She had a x-ray and the bone structure looks good.  On Thursday morning, she is going to have a MRI on the shoulder.  She cannot continue to be in this pain and we need answers to heal the shoulder.

As a consequence, she is out of the next winter volleyball league in March.  Many tears have been shed that she cannot play league.  The shoulder needs to heal completely from the over-use.  She needs to be 100% for volleyball in the fall.  Hopefully, nothing is wrong with her shoulder and she just needs rest and physical therapy.

Take care,
Michelle

Praying

Tonight while driving in the car with Justin, this is the question from the backseat, "Mom, do the kids at the public school pray?"

I'm thinking, "Where did this come from?", but I reply, "No, they don't pray at school.  It is against the rules."

Next question from Justin, "Do they pray before they eat their lunch?"

My reply, "No, it is against the rules for them to pray at school."

Justin's reply, "So those kids don't pray when school starts, at lunch, or after recess."

My replay, "No, they can't pray at school."

Justin's next question, "Do they pray at their home?"

My answer, "Yes, they can pray at home and I hope they do."

I'm not sure what they talked about at school today. But, I'm sure this little scenario was brought up last week during Catholic Schools Week.  I was pretty proud that he thought that much about praying and that he can't imagine not being able to pray at school.

Take care,
Michelle

One Year Anniversary

The end of January marked my one year anniversary working for Lawrence Merchandising.  My second part-time job as a merchandiser started as just a way to earn a little extra cash for fun stuff.  But, after reviewing my W-2 from them last week, I guess I worked quite a bit and earned more than I thought I would.

I can be found most weekday mornings at Target merchandising jewelry, sunglasses, trading cards, greeting cards, or other items they throw at me.  Occasionally, I am can be found working at Walmart in health and beauty or in the premium chocolate candy. 

Usually, I drop the kids off at school and then I go merchandise for a few hours before heading to school to work lunch.  I love that this part-time job is so flexible most of the time.  I am given a set number of projects to complete in a certain number of hours for the week, but I usually get to pick what day and time I want to complete them.  I try not to have to go back to the store after school, but sometimes I have to go back to fit everything in for the week.

I am also still merchandising for a few other companies as well, but I spend the most time working for Lawrence Merchandising.  I enjoy my second part-time job because it is something different almost every week.  For example, one week my extra project is repackaging Timex watches and the next week I am working with Hanes bras or putting instant redeemable coupons on some cosmetics or building an endcap of fireworks or building and setting up a new premium chocolate display.  It is not the same every day or every week and that is why I like this job so much. 

When I left retail 15 years ago, I told myself I would never go back.  But, this I can handle and enjoy because I don't have to work the awful long hours, I don't have to deal with awful customers and I don't have to work holidays or weekends.

Take care,
Michelle