Thanksgiving at Hartfield 2012

As is tradition, we spent Thanksgiving at Hartfield this year.  We let Nina skip school on Tuesday so we could get an early start on our trip.  The girls were so excited to meet up with their cousins and spend time together, and we had sunny, warm weather each day until Saturday, so it was perfect for playing outside.

Over the summer, the cousins developed the River Girls Club with a little list of criteria they had to meet to be in the club (all activities associated with the outdoors), and this visit to Hartfield they added a new item to their list of River Girl Club activities.  They all got a lesson from Uncle G, then got to take turns shooting an air rifle at a target.  The goal was to hit the Coke bottle or the yellow portion of the box from a spot about about 75-80 feet away.

    

Unbelievably, each girl hit the target of the Coke bottle or the yellow part of the box on their very first try.  These are true river girls!!!!  Shen, Mouse, and I even got a turn to shoot (as of course did the guys), and we hit our target also.  In typical Lyla fashion, her rules of gun safety are a little different than everyone else’s.  G would ask each girl to tell him the #1 rule of gun safety (which was to never point a gun at anyone) before they took their turn to shoot.  Each girl told him the rule before they shot, but when he got to Lyla and asked her the #1 rule of gun safety, she promptly responded with, “Shoot the gun!” 

 

 

  

Little Layne is still a little young to join in all the River Girls Club activities, but she does love being around the older girls and joining in their fun whenever she can.

  

Thanksgiving was another beautiful day at Hartfield, and in keeping with tradition, the boys shucked a bushel of oysters for part of the Thanksgiving meal.  Bo and his girlfriend, Richelle, arrived on Thanksgiving, and we enjoyed a fabulous meal, watched the Redskins beat the Cowboys, and played outside.

 

 

While the boys were doing some activities on Friday, Shen, Richelle, and I took the four older cousins into Urbanna for lunch, walking around the town, visiting an animal park, and a little shopping.

 

  

   

The big treat for us “big kids” was having Mousey and Poppy babysit all five girls while the six of us headed out for a fun evening out at Nate’s Trick Dog Café.  Bo and Richelle headed home on Saturday, and the rest of us left on Sunday.  We really enjoyed out time down at Hartfield, and it was another great family Thanksgiving trip!  We feel very thankful for the many blessings we have, a great family, and a wonderful place to gather and make lasting memories.

 

First Grade Performance

Today, as part of American Education Week, the first grade classes put on a Thanksgiving program for their families.  It was a cute performance filled with songs and stories about the first Thanksgiving.  Parents and families enjoyed the show then were invited to stay for lunch with their first grader.  It’s hard to believe Thanksgiving is right around the corner.  Time is flying!

 

It’s Official

Well, it’s official.  The NASL Virginia team was officially announced last night at a media event in Loudoun County.  It was a very cool night for us as well as others in our county who are excited about the prospect of two professional sports teams playing in a state-of-the art stadium right in our backyard.  The soccer team and the Loudoun Hounds (the baseball team) will share support staff, the stadium, and some investors, so there is a lot of excitement for both teams coming to Loudoun County.  Here are a few of the articles that tell about the team, Mark’s involvement, and the future plans for the organization.

The Loudoun Times

Leesburg Today

The Washington Post

Back in the Life of Soccer (by Mark)

 

When I left DC United, after 15 years of service as a player and assistant coach, I never would have guessed, or designed for that matter, the path that we have been on. The big plan was to enter into the college soccer world. Well that didn’t happen. They say God has a plan for each of us that we could never imagine on our own. That couldn’t be more true in our case. As you may know, after looking into a bunch of different soccer opportunities, an opportunity to become a licensed mortgage loan officer came about. To say the last 15 months have been a challenge is quite an understatement. I have learned a lot, not just about the mortgage business, but about patience, suffering, perseverance, character and hope. I have met some incredible people along the way.  I am truly blessed to have a supportive wife and family that provide never ending love. Just as I became a newbie in the mortgage world, I sent a misguided text that ultimately connected me back to soccer. That opportunity is about to come to fruition. Come November 5th, 2012 I will be involved in a new NASL franchise in Virginia. My official title will be Director of Soccer Operations but will wear quite a few hats. I ‘m looking forward to the opportunity of building something from the ground up and starting a new adventure. I will still be involved in the mortgage world so it will be interesting to see it all balances out.

We will be having a “Name the Team” contest, so feel free to go to: http://www.naslvirginia.com/home-page/ to submit your idea for a team name.

Halloween 2012

Hurricane Sandy blew through with just enough time to leave a rather pleasant Halloween night for all our little trick-or-treaters.  It was a bit chilly, but we layered, and it was enough to keep everyone toasty and comfortable for the couple hours that they were out.  Right at 6:00, the streets start filling with kids, and they go strong until 8:00.  We always go out with groups of neighbors for most of the evening, so it’s fun for the adults as well as the kids.

Mark and I trade off going out with the kids and handing out candy.  This year, I took the first shift going out with the kids, then we switched about half-way through so he could go around with them some too. 

Nina and Lyla had a great time going door to door.  They got SO much candy.  This pile isn’t even all of it actually. We have enough candy to last us quite a long time!!!  It was a fun evening though.