High School Soccer

Well the high school season didn't start out very promising. The other team kicked our butts 7-0!!! Luckily it was just a tournament and not a regular season game. In our defense we were playing short. Several of the seniors were out with injuries and we brought up 3 JV players to help out. Over half the team were freshman playing in their first ever HS game. Hopefully they can get the kinks worked out before regular season. We have another game tonight and I hope it goes better than last night. I do not want to sit in the freezing cold to see another game like yesterday. Here are some pics from the game.

Between a Pigeon and a Falcon

The girls were spending the night at my parents when we got a frantic phone call. We had a hard time understanding what they were saying but something about a pigeon and a falcon. Apparently the falcon was attacking a pigeon in the backyard. When the girls went outside the falcon flew to the neighbors' roof and left the half dead pigeon on the pool deck. Mom didn't want to leave the pigeon on the deck but she was afraid to pick it up and have the falcon attack her. While they tried to figure out how to get rid of the pigeon without having their eyes pecked out by the falcon... the falcon was joined by a few feathered friends. They stared mom down from the rooftop as she stood between them and their half dead prey. At that point my parents did the only thing they could do in that situation. They called Ryan for help. Ryan assured them the bird was probably just a chicken hawk and would not peck their eyes out. Then he told them they just needed to scoop up the pigeon and throw it away. Took 4 of them to do it. Kayla armed herself with a rake, Anna a broom, Dad a shovel and mom a dust pan with a plastic bag. They put on their goggles to protect their eyes...just kidding...and eventually managed to scoop the bird into the plastic bag and into the trash can. And so ended another fun yet adventurous night at Grammy and GT's.

Black Friday

I just want to go on record saying that people that get up early to go shopping on Black Friday are NUTS! I hate shopping and I'm not about to get up at the crack of dawn to go. Long lines, crowds, pushy people....Yuck! I can't think of one thing that I want bad enough to stand in line for. On Black Friday I slept in (ok I got up at 8:30, but for me that's sleeping in) then I did my shopping right here on the couch. 5 minutes...5 clicks and I was done. That is the way to do Black Friday!

Sweet 16

Today is our 16th anniversary! Ryan and I went on a date. An actual date! Doesn't happen very often. We went and saw a movie an actual movie. That doesn't happen very often either. Unstoppable was really good, but then again it has Denzel in it and what movie with Denzel isn't good? After the movie we went to dinner at the Melting Pot. We've been wanting to go there for a long time. Wow...it's expensive, but it was good food and a fun way to spend a few hours. The best part was dessert. I am not really a fan of chocolate, but the white chocolate fondue was AMAZING! Add a little brownie...some strawberries....YUM! We had a great night! Happy anniversary Ryan! I love you!

Give Thanks

On this Thanksgiving day I am very thankful for...
My husband
My girls
My family and friends
A job
A house
My health

Happy Thanksgiving!

Banat vs Clovis Sharpshooters GU15 Final - LV Mayors Cup 10

Clip of Anna at the Las Vegas Mayor's Cup. She is #13 black headband.

Talking Turkey

Why was the turkey sent to the principal's office?
Because he was using "fowl" language.

What did the little turkey say to the big turkey?
Peck on someone your own size.

Did you know...
*Turkeys can drown if they look up when it is raining. (some say this is a myth)
*Benjamin Franklin wanted the National bird to be a turkey.
*The average weight of a turkey purchased at Thanksgiving is 15 pounds.
*The heaviest turkey ever raised was 86 pounds, about the size of a large dog.
*The male turkey is called a tom and the female turkey is called a hen.
*Wild turkeys can run 20 miles per hour.
*Turkeys’ heads change colors when they become excited.
*Six hundred seventy-five million pounds of turkey are eaten each Thanksgiving in the United States.

Turkey Terms
Caruncle - brightly colored growths on the throat region. Turns bright red when the turkey is upset or during courtship.
Gizzard - a part of a bird's stomach that contains tiny stones. It helps them grind up food for digestion.
Poult - a baby turkey. A chick.
Snood - the flap of skin that hangs over the turkey's beak. Turns bright red when the turkey is upset or during courtship.
Wattle - the flap of skin under the turkey's chin. Turns bright red when the turkey is upset or during courtship.

Stacy's Favorite List

Every holiday season Oprah publishes her favorite things list. If an item appears on her list it automatically starts selling like hotcakes. And, if you just happen to be in the audience the day she films her favorite things episode...you go home a very happy camper. Because my audience following is quite a bit smaller than Oprah's (only by about a million people or so), I'm pretty sure that the publication of my list won't create any long lines on Black Friday. And if you are reading this, I apologize, but you won't be taking any of these items home...unless of course you choose to buy them yourself...and you just might because there is some good stuff on here. Now...without further delay I give you...

Stacy's Favorite List 2010 Part 1
1. Ipad from Best Buy $499.00
2. A pair of Suns Basketball season tickets $37,222
3. Tempachair Heated Seat Cushion from Improvementscatalog.com $59.99
4. White Chocolate Pretzels from Cerrettas 1 lb bag $5.99
5. Pajama Bottoms from Old Navy $14.50
6. OPI Nail Polish at Ulta (I'm Not Really A Waitress) $7.99
7. Bath & Body Works® Signature Collection Japanese Cherry Blossom $15
8. City Weekender Tote in Black Onyx Medallion from Thirty One Gifts $89.00
9. Taylor Swift's CD Speak Now on Itunes $13.99
10. Coca Cola Red Fleece Blanket from Giftapolis $19.95
11. Hedbanz Game for Adults and one for kids at Toys R Us $14.99
12. Soccer Hat online at Chalktalksports.com $27.00
13. Personalized Journals at etsy.com Java Girls $15-$30
14. Experience Gifts at cloud9living.com $50 and UP
15. Memory Quilt Kit @ uncommongoods.com $68

That's it for now. Stay tuned for part 2.

Banat Southwest Challenge Champions!

It was a long, but fun weekend of soccer. Between the girls we had 8 games from Friday night at 7:45-Sunday afternoon at 4:30. Both of the girls' teams won the championship for their division!
The weather was beautiful on Saturday, but windy and rainy on Sunday. We spent part of the game watching from the car. Kayla's team won the U13 division. They had 3 wins and 1 tie. (4-0, 0-0, 5-0, 3-0)! Kayla's team was winning by so much in the 3rd game that they put Kayla in the goal. That was an experience. Most of the time she was so bored that she was dancing around. It looked like she was doing the bunny hop. Only 2 balls came her way the entire half. Cold hands and a wet ball nearly got a goal as Ini (that's her nickname) let it go through her legs. YIKES! She was more prepared for the second ball, scooped it up and punted it halfway down the field.

Anna's team played in up in the Women's U18 division. They won 10-0, 1-0, 5-0 and 1-0. They played the Banat 93 girls twice and beat them twice 1-0. The older girls, and especially their parents, were not very happy about that. Bummer! Anna scored twice this weekend. Once with her stomach.
She has a nice imprint of a soccer ball on her tummy to prove it. Neither team got scored on this weekend and both teams are repeat champions! RED, YELLOW, BLUE 3 COLORS, ONE HEART, GO BANAT!

Happy Birthday to Me!

You say it's your birthday....well it's my birthday too. No, really it is! IT'S MY BIRTHDAY TODAY!!! WOOP! What am I doing to celebrate? Right now I'm sitting on the couch drinking coke and eating Reese's Pieces (it's 9:14am). When Ryan asked what I wanted to do for my birthday I said I wanted to sit. Don't get to do that often, but I am off work today and the girls are at school so I have a few hours of quiet! Rare these days. It won't last long....the girls only have a half day, then practice and a soccer tournament all weekend. Oh well! Looking forward to my last year as a 30 something! The big 4-0 next year. I plan on being on a beach somewhere for that one.

Varsity Scrimmage

Anna is a freshman at Sandra Day O'Connor this year. We were very excited that she made the varsity soccer team! Last night they had their first scrimmage against Betty Fairfax. Anna started and scored 2 goals! Not a bad showing for her 1st time out.
Club finishes this weekend and then high school soccer officially starts the week after Thanksgiving.

No Shave November

It is officially NO SHAVE NOVEMBER. Woop! I'm in. No shaving for 30 days? Yes!! I hate shaving my legs and now I have the perfect excuse not to. (Now armpits...those are a different story. I draw the line at armpits. Armpits always get shaved.) I first heard about No Shave November from Coach Andy and then one of the girls told me her varsity soccer team is participating. So...I jumped on the proverbial razorless band wagon and threw out my pink Daisy.

I knew there had to be a story behind NSN so...I googled it. I found that what I see as a good excuse for not shaving my legs really means a whole lot more than that. No Shave November, or Movember (combination of the word mustache and November), began in 2003. Inspired by breast cancer awareness efforts, it has grown into a worldwide phenomenon raising awareness for men's health issues including testicular and prostate cancers. Last year alone they raised over $42 million dollars. Pretty cool!

I must admit that I'm glad Ryan is not participating in NSN. I don't like hairy men....although I will make an exception for Tom.

Where In The World Is Ryan Goebel?

I used to wonder where my husband was when he wasn't answering his phone. Not anymore. Now I just look at his status updates on Facebook and there it is.

Ryan Goebel was at Abacus Inn Chinese Restaurant-Arrowhead...Ryan Goebel was at Arizona Sports Complex...Ryan Goebel was at Grayhawk softball fields.

This new app on Facebook takes all the fun out of guessing.

I heard an interview the other day where "they" were taking about how dangerous this app was. Among other things it alerts people to the fact that you aren't at home and suggested that it made you more vulnerable to being robbed. I don't know about that, I just think that nobody really cares where you are every second of every day. I was teasing Ryan about this the other night when he posted every stop we made. So I, being the good wife that I am, decided to help him out.

Ryan is at a stoplight at 59th Ave....Ryan is now at 51st Ave. and another red light. Ryan is making a right hand turn onto Grovers.

I found it very amusing. Ryan...not so much! Oh wait...another update is coming in now...

Ryan Goebel is at the store buying his wife a birthday present.

Oh I like that one. Buy something expensive!

Turkey Trouble.mov

I always knew I was married to a big turkey! Now I have the proof!

Stuck In Skinny Jeans

Even though I am about to enter my last year as a thirty something, I haven't lost my mind quite yet. I know better than to even try to put my chubby middle aged body into a pair of those bad boys. The name itself "SKINNY JEANS" warns me to stay as far away as possible from those dangerous denim trousers. Nope...it wasn't me that got stuck in a pair of skinny jeans in the Old Navy dressing room. It was Kayla, my 75 pound, 4 foot 11 cutie. How is that even possible? They don't come much smaller than Kayla. She is the epitome of skinny! But, there we were...or rather...there was Kayla flopping straight legged all over that tiny dressing room like a fish out of water. I tried to stop laughing long enough to pull them off of her, but it was no easy task!
We finally figured out the problem was that skinny jeans are not made for soccer players no matter how skinny they are. Their thighs are too large (muscular) to fit into the straight leg. We had to go up a size to fit over her legs, but then they sagged in the waist. Thank goodness for adjustable waistbands. I just keep thinking that if Kayla can't wear skinny jeans...then no else really should either. I mean they do put skinny on the label for a reason.

Winter Sports

Just finished making a spreadsheet of all the girls' games this winter. Took me over an hour and that didn't even include Kayla's club games. Gonna be a busy winter but I can't wait!!! I love watching my girls play. So proud of them! Anna made the Varsity team at school, one of 5 freshman. 1st scrimmage this Wednesday 4:00 at SDOHS!

Two A Days

As if our schedules, and lives, aren't crazy enough we have gone and taken on more activities. What were we thinking? The girls now have Two A Days (2 practices a day). Kayla has basketball practice right after school and then soccer practice. High school soccer started this week so Anna has that after school then club practice. Nuts? Yep, pretty much. Luckily they are both good at keeping up with their school work. Plus they are too tired to do much else so things are relatively peaceful around the Goebel household.

Guess Who

Guess who (evil laugh)...It's a woodpecker and like the Saturday morning cartoons...these evil pecking fowls are destroying everything in sight. They have done a huge amount of damage to the back building at work and their incessant peck, peck, pecking is driving Ryan and Barb insane. Just like their cartoon counterpart Woody Woodpecker, these birds are almost impossible to get rid of and shooting them is not an option. Unless you want to pay a hefty fine. Woodpeckers are one of the species covered by the Migratory Bird Act of 1918.

The statute states that it's illegal to hunt, pursue, kill, capture or sell migratory birds. This law also grants protection against any harm done on migratory bird parts such as eggs, feathers and nests, which means getting rid of these creatures is not as simple as hitting them with a broomstick and bringing them to a taxidermist.

If caught violating the act, you may be fined as much as $500. This means it would be yours and Mother Nature's best interest to employ woodpecker control techniques that would only shoo away and not endanger the survival of the species.

I decided to research some of the legal ways to get rid of these pesky creatures. Here are the top 15 ideas I came across in my investigation. Be forwarned...some are really lame.

Woodpecker Top 15

1. Hang Strips of Aluminum Foil- something about the reflection of light scares them away
2. Put Salt on Their Tails- never did find the benefit in that
3. Trantulas- apparently woodpeckers are afraid of these hairy spiders...may get rid of the birds, but then you've got a whole
other problem...would rather have the birds
4 Petrolium Jelly- I have no idea
5. Sound Deterants- so we get rid of the tapping and replace it with constant dog barking...no thank you
6. Habenaro Peppers- unless they are mexican woodpeckers this might work
7. Rat Trap (with peanut butter)- you are supposed to cover the holes with this to catch them
8. Bobbing Headed Plastic Owls- doubt that would fool anyone, even a bird
9. Laser Lights- because it annoys them and everyone else
10. Squirt With a Hose- Yes and raise your water bill at the same time
11. Wind Chimes- those creep me out...don't think so
12. Bang Pots and Pans to Scare Them Away- please...can you see me out there banging pots and pans together? The
woodpeckers and everyone driving by on 67th Ave. will think I'm nuts!
13. Suete (sticky stuff that gets on their feet and they can't move)- so then they die there and rot and smell up the whole place
14. Spray the Area with Teflon Spray- makes them slip off the edge
15.Scare Eye Balloons and the Octopus- makes them think they are being watched by a predator...Yeah because woodpeckers have ever seen an Octopus (had to put a pic of these)





Not really sure any of these ideas are going to work, but I'll give my research to Barb. Will keep you updated on the progress. In the meantime...enjoy this clip from Woody Woodpecker.

Prize Winning Cow

This is my nephew Griffey in his Halloween costume. Totally cute I know! It was his very first Halloween and my sister brought him to Trunk or Treat at my church. But....Griffey wasn't the only cow my sister had last night. She threw a HOLY HUGE COW when Griffey only got honorable mention in the costume contest. Geesh! According to her facebook post this morning (and I quote)...

"who doesn't win a costume contest judged by their own aunt? honorable mention bites."

Now in my own defense I must point out that even though I was in charge of Trunk or Treat I was NOT a judge. In fact my own kid didn't even get honorable mention and she made a very convincing Spiderman. To prove how upset she was...I walked in to my office this morning to find my very own cow patty (courtesy of Griffey the Cow) on my desk chair. It is the gift that keeps on giving....I need to go find some air freshener....