I actually started this yesterday, but got distracted by something glittery, so here I am! 🙂

First, I had a pretty good pity post for myself last week, and I just wanted to thank those who took the time to respond. I did not respond back, simply because I read and reread many of your comments, just taking in the positive vibe I got from all of you. I didn’t want to break that at all, but know your thoughts and comments were appreciated.

Ok, first, the end of another era took place yesterday when Tim Duncan, power forward for the San Antonio Spurs, announced his retirement via a press statement through the organization. For those who are going “who is that”, I won’t bore you with the things you could easily find yourself. I will say though, he’s been with the Spurs since 1997, 19 years with the same team is unheard of in professional sports. He is the reason I become a Spurs fan, after my Showtime Lakers team of the 1980’s was no more. His straightforward style of play, his lack of an outward ego (it’s hard to play for 19 years without one somewhere), and his constant “team first” mentality just fit for me. In an era of team hopping and zero loyalty to the fan base, this was one athlete who did not fit that mold. This article just talks about the intangible that made Duncan great for so long, while this one is an article about the different Duncan titles found on The Onion website. As a coach, I share a couple of different articles and video about Duncan and the Spurs because of their focus on character, family, and a team first atmosphere. It makes me feel old seeing him hanging the sneakers up, because he’s been a mainstay since my entering into the word force. I’ll always be a Spurs fan because of Duncan, but will care a little less about the NBA because he’s gone.

And finally, we had a unique experience on Saturday: a family reunion visited our home. Now, you’d be thinking, why is this strange, don’t family reunions usually come to a person’s home. True enough, but it’s not our family that showed up.

#what

We were approached by a daughter of the woman whose house we purchased 9 years ago. They were holding a big family reunion and wondered if they and their kids/grandkids/etc could come and visit. There’s a closet in our daughter’s room where the grandkids had written their names on and just a ton of memories on the acreage, so we of course agreed.  Last week was a frantic “get crap picked up” time and suddenly it was Saturday. The lawn was mowed, the gardens weeded, and the house cleaned, we were ready. We thought a car load or two would show up.

#sadlymistaken

By our best count, we had 50 people come through the house comments on the kitchen (totally ripped out and redone when we moved it) and how they LOVED the openness. They also loved the central air we installed a couple years back (and so do we!) as “Grandma’s house was always hot!” And as they left, someone said, “We are glad you are here. You get what this place means and have worked to keep that.”

#wow

A surreal experience, but a good one all the same as it’s nice to know that the family sees the value in what we’ve been doing here. It’s an old two story farmhouse that has its set of issues, but it’s something that we love and love that others feel we are a good fit for it too.

As I write this, my oldest daughter is in Switzerland, part of the Iowa Ambassadors of Music trip to Europe. This is a 16 day sprint across seven counties, with sightseeing and musical performances happening along the way. The pictures that have been posted on social media make me extremely jealous to say the least, but happy to see her spread her wings a little more.

And that, that is some serious musing for you! Thank you for stopping by and reading!

Enjoy your day! And smile, it makes your mouth happy! 🙂