Volleyball....again?

Yes, it is another volleyball article.  I hate to say it, but there really isn't that much going on in our lives during January except volleyball.  All of the winter concerts have been performed, Christmas and New Years Celebrations have come and been cleaned up, and life has returned to normal which for us is...volleyball day in and out.  Jayd has just ended playing another club season with a local club formed by his highschool coach.  It is largely for the highschool team to get some extra exposure to some high level play.  It has been a really great opportunity as Jayd has been able to participate in the club scene at a greatly reduced price.  During the first week of January, they went to a 3 day tournament in Anaheim.  This one was played at the Convention Center (very nice for us as it is free admission).  They played against many very talented and experienced teams.  They lost nearly all of their games, but they did keep a few of the games close and nearly won.  Considering the level of competition and the unique strategy of our coach (every one gets equal playing time), I actually felt that the team did very well.  He has enjoyed playing with his friends and it has been a good experience for him and us.  We are trying to savor every minute of his last year playing......and you can sigh in relief.  The end of the volleyball articles may come soon...then again, Gabe is trying out for the middle school team.

No more stained glass window

About 8 months ago, something shattered the outside pane of our sliding glass door.  We immediately put a layer of packing tape on the door to prevent the glass from cascading out.  Then we left it alone until we determined our course of action.  It looked like a clear stained glass window in our living room.  It was actually a little decorative and fun, but lately the chickens have been trying to eat the glass shards and pecking them out of the glass.  We determined that it was time to fix the door.  So on Saturday, Jeff picked up a very large pane of glass and installed it with help from various family members.  It is nice to have the window be solid and strong, (and more insulating), but I have to admit, I miss my stained glass window.

California Science Center

For a family activity, we went to the California Science Center.  We have been there a couple of times before, but I guess it has been a while because none of the kids remembered going there, until we arrived.  Then the memories came flooding back and they all remembered being there before.  We enjoyed playing with all of the science exhibits, old and new.  We also enjoyed exploring the new exhibit, the space shuttle.  The space shuttle Endeavor has been permanently retired at the California Space Center.  The exhibit was close up and personal as we walked directly under the space shuttle.  Jeff was constantly pointing out interesting facts about the shuttle and telling us stories.  We had a great time at the science center.