December 03- Christopher has a job working at a bank! He seems to like it okay. I took him camping/hunting back to the Reed Ranch (We are really fond of that place - Ol' Jim and his family are really good people!!) I took a doe and Christopher made a long shot on a coyote runnin' full out!! The Chase family is tearing up the 'yotes on the Reed Ranch!!! Christopher and I sat in the same stand on the evening hunt and got way too silly. Had a great time. Nicco had been to a soccer tournament up in Fort Worth, so Grandpa Larry picked him up and we met at his house - came home on that Sunday.
Except for Nicco , who has had too many soccer tournaments, it's been a good season for hunting. Three deer in the freezer - two coyotes down and lots of good pictures.
Big news for Jay is - I will be heading up the Gang Task Force at North Division. Change of hours to evening shift and days off are Sunday/Monday/Tuesday. Kinda excited about it - going to be a real change!!!
October/November - Life is taken up with School, Soccer , and a little bit of hunting :) Both girls have been making either honor roll or dean's list - pretty impressive! Nicco is doing well also and making A's in honors geometry! Emily went deer hunting for the first time at the Reed Ranch (Pictures here). She did not see any deer, but got to shoot her first coyote!! (Is she a Chase kid or what???) I got to go visit Grandpa Larry and Mary Lee. He took me to Buford Thompson's lease. Got to meet the folks he works with, which was great fun. What a good group of people!! Ended up shooting a doe out there. And I have to say - Sammy's beans were the best!!! :)
Unfortunately, Mary Lee passed away barely a week after my visit. I am so glad I got the chance to go up and see her. We talked about football, baseball, and laughed at Larry all dressed up in camouflage. She was a good person - I will miss her.
I worked Thanksgiving, then went to Salado on the hunt I always used to go to with Johnny. It was sad not to have him there, but very good to see the usual crew. I think we remembered him well... I took a wide 8 pointer there.
September 03-back to soccer again. Nicholas is in 9th grade and playing on the varsity at STE. Both girls are playing with West U again. Emily Soccer Pics | Katherine Soccer Pics | Nicholas Soccer Pics
August-Valerie is back from France - but brought back one heck of a bug. First bit of school was a pain with her so sick, but she is now on the mend. Had to cancel from this season's play though :(
July - Sad news - a very good friend of the family, Johnny Spisak, passed away. It was Johnny that got me started hunting and helped us out in so many ways. We will really miss him :(
Working on fixing the house up some while Valerie is gone... going slower than molasses. Trying to get the girls out of the house as much as possible. We went to Forbidden Gardens in Katy. All of us had a great time and highly recommend the place! (Forbidden Garden pictures here). Christopher is still looking for a summer job - not much time left... but he has been a big help with the rest of the kids while I have been working. Nicholas and Katherine have also started taking horseback riding lessons. The instructor is very impressed with Nicco and is astounded that he has not had lessons before!
I am trying to follow a relaxed version of the Atkins diet. So far, it seems to be working. I am down to 195 without too much drama. We went to the Higgins' for 4th of July and they had rolls and peach cobbler that was just too good to pass up!!! The food was soooo good! I never realized how much bread I eat until I started this diet.
June - Wow - I finally got to go back to work. I am not running or jumping, or anything fun like that, but at least I get to waddle after the bad guys :) My weight is up around 212, so time for some serious dieting. If the knee would ever strengthen up, maybe I could start exercising too!! School is out and the kids are having fun swimming and just hanging out. Valerie has gone to France until late July, so the kids get a taste of Mr. Mom... they are already talking about how much they under appreciated her.... me too :)
May '03 - Valerie's mother, Chantal, is buying a house in the same area that she has been renting the last several years. The sale went through, so all of the kids and grandkids are doing the home remodeling thing - tearing down walls, ripping up floors and the like. I guess a good bonding time :)... Nicholas had his 8th grade retreat at Cho-Yeh, where he got to do the ropes course (Cho Yeh pics) and several other fun things. Kids did their spring recitals - I can e-mail the mpegs if you like. Emily did three piano pieces and Nicholas did Hungarian Rhapsody and "Dust in the Wind" on the guitar. He even sang solo for the first time in public!! Katherine dances in parent's day today (5/14 Pictures Here) - Emily's soccer season winds up this weekend and Genevieve and Dominic graduate from UT and high school respectively in Austin. Obviously we have to be in two places at one time.. parent splitting :) Christopher is out for the semester and says he did well... we still have not seen grades though :)
Valerie and I went to a lecture by a fellow named Granger, who put forward his opinion that the Harry Potter books were solid Christian works of fiction. His arguments were very well founded.. I highly recommend his book (The Hidden Key to Harry Potter - by John Granger). If you have not read the series... YOU SHOULD!!! :) Hope everyone had a great May - Summer is here!!
April 2003 - Jay: still doing the rehab thing - gettin kinda old now... work would be nice! Nicholas finished up his track season (track meet pictures here) Everyone else is rocking along!
March 31, 2003 - On a more serious note, We all want to pass our best wishes to all of our friends and family who are serving in the armed forces or otherwise involved in this conflict. Our thoughts and prayers are with you! MSNBC and National Geographic have been struck off of our list until such time as they get rid of that goofball Arnett. I could not believe the "stuff" I heard him spouting on Iraqi television today. He has gone from reporter to commentator to spin doctor - get him off!!! I intend to write both of his employers and urge everyone else to as well!! Wow.. can you believe it!! He actually DID get canned! There is some justice in this world!
March 2003 - I (Jay) am still off work - going to rehab (One Stop for a Cop Shop :) 3 times a week and doing the exercises at home the rest of the time. I am walking without a limp most of the time, but still cannot run or turn anywhere near normal. Christopher went down to Mardi Gras in Galveston and had some interesting stories from that adventure. Nicholas has been to a couple more track meets. Girls are rocking along. St. Thomas let out for the two days after Ash Wednesday. Everyone seemed to need the break. (Of course, Valerie used it to get caught up on her grading). Nicholas got into some serious poison ivy right before the Scottish Festival, but was able to soldier on. Valerie spent the festival backstage shepherding kids around. Both Nicholas and Emily took part. (2003 Scottish Festival Pics) We also have a new temporary addition, "Rascal" a brindle ridgeback mix. Just what we needed, eh? Since I am out of commission, Nicholas is having to get up in the mornings and walk the dogs with Valerie :) And here are More Emily Soccer Pictures :) Oh yes, spoke with Uncle Ricky, who said that my 25 yr reunion for Plano Senior High School was this October. Yikes!! And last, but not least - Christopher finally got his hair cut!! YEAH! (and still has no earrings or tatoos :)
February 2003 - Nicholas has been moved to hurdles on the track team (8th grade). He looks pretty good for not having gotten any training. We again are turning to the net for instruction. So far he has gotten a 2nd and an incredible wipe-out. He is also practicing for his last Scottish Festival (He has decided to give up drumming). Emily is going gangbusters with her horseback riding lessons, flute lessons, piano lessons (she is getting GOOD) and decided to play soccer again this season (but only making one practice a week due to scheduling conflicts - game pictures). Katherine brought home straight A's on her report card again and got an award for a drawing she did for the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo competition. Christopher's knee seems to be getting better. He is going to take off one more season from soccer and hopefully will not need surgery this summer. Valerie is still having fun teaching and is considering the Oxford Program in Paris this summer. I (Jay) was finally able to get my knee surgery. Christopher took me and spent the day with me. The surgery seems to have gone very well. The pain is already miniscule compared to what I was going through the last three months.
January 2003 - I have been languishing in worker's incompetence hell. Was scheduled with one of the best knee doctors in the Southwest for surgery in early January. The night before surgery, the Worker's Comp rep called and told me that they had reconsidered and were not going to authorize surgery. When I asked why, they said I would have to wait for that information. Several days later, we got a letter from someplace in San Antonio suggesting that I had not had enough "therapy" for my torn menisci...geez - glad some doctor 200 miles away knows what is best for me. Now they want me to have Lidocaine/Steroid injections. Nothing I find on the internet supports this. Don't know what this guy is thinking!! I DO know that my knee is getting worse. My foot is numb over 50% of the time now and the pain is ridiculous.
Fall 2002 - Nicholas' soccer team won regionals, both Emily (who played all the way up in Under 14) and Katherine had great seasons. Poor Christopher had to watch from the sideline for the first time. I (Jay) tore my left knee up badly chasing a robbery suspect in November. All of the ligaments were stretched and two menisci were torn. First time I have had to miss work for an injury in 18 years! Valerie has started rehearsals for a play in February at STE. Emily has started horseback riding lessons at Willowbrook Farm and is in hog heaven!! Speaking of hogs, the injury destroyed this hunting season :( If anyone knows of a good lease or other good hunting opportunity for next year... please - pass that info along!!! :)
October 2002 - Went to California for Chris and Deb's Wedding. Had a great time! (Wedding Pictures) (Rehearsal Pictures)
September 2002 - Disaster has fallen: Christopher tore his ACL - Soccer is done at least for this season, possibly the year. It looks like there is some regrowth, so surgery may not be necessary - but the healing process is slow :(
Summer 2002 - Easygoing summer - girls took art classes, boys played indoor soccer. Nicholas did work crew at school and Christopher was a lifeguard at the Houston Swim Club. Took a couple of trips to play in the woods in East Texas and killed lots of mosquitoes! Christopher got enrolled at U of H and received a little bit of scholarship money which is very helpful!
May 27, 2002 - Well... It is now May . Christopher has had his prom (pictures here)... he has been accepted to several colleges and will most likely attend U of H, and most importantly, he will graduate this Thursday - May 30, 2002!! We are very excited for him as well as proud of him.... yah yah yah.. all the typical gushy parent stuff... hehehe. Emily made honor roll for the second or third grading period in a row!! Katherine made straight A's, and Nicco received State recognition for his scores on the Duke Review (SAT).
April 2002 - Time is pretty well taken up with school and soccer. This was a pretty hectic month for HNT call-outs, so sleep is a premium commodity!!! Emily and Nicco had their spring recitals and did very well. Nicco has switched to guitar... he went last and did a duet with Bill.... House of the Rising Sun, then Hotel California. It was fun. Katherine had tryouts for soccer and already knows what team she will be on. All three of the younger ones will be playing for West U this year. Oh yes, Nicholas' Mile Relay Team had one of the best times in the city this year. I think he is on track to break 50 secs in the 400 by his senior year!