8th Grade Promotion

Kayla promoted last night. They had a big promotion ceremony at Deer Valley High School on the football field. Luckily, it wasn't nearly as hot as Anna's last year, but it was just as long. Over 400 kids, 2 songs by the chorus and about 10 people making speeches...took forever! I don't really understand making a big deal out of finishing 8th grade, but it's apparently a big deal out here. There were people saving seats for 50+ people and some of the girls were dressed like they were going to prom. I had to make Kayla go and Anna and I were her only guests. Ryan had to work and I told the rest of the family to stay home. They better not miss high school and college graduation though! Here are some pics from the night.

Can't believe she is going to be in high school! She still looks like a baby!


Kayla and her friend Taneal. They were TA's together this year in the office.


The processional...Kayla looks so small


Desert Sky class of 2011


Kayla receiving her promotion certificate


My two FRESHMAN...Anna still has a half day of school.


YEA KAYLA!


Proud Mama! Love this girl!

Student Athlete of the Year

Who is the Female PE Student Athlete of the Year at Desert Sky? KAYLA GOEBEL that's who! She was voted unanimously by the coaches. What an honor. Kayla we are so proud of you!

Back Out

My back is out...shot...kaput....I think I tweaked it on the leg press last Thursday and then finished it off during Piyo. Woke up Friday morning and could barely stand up straight. Tried to rest it this weekend and it is finally starting to feel better. I am taking the week off from the gym so it can heal and I don't hurt myself permanently. Bummed that I have to miss class, but don't want to risk doing more damage. This has happened to me before. I've got a weak low back so when I do get back to the gym I'm going to do some back strengthening exercises. The way I'm hobbling around you would think that I was about 65 not pushing 40!

Compete Nation

Kayla's soccer team was featured in a national sports magazine, Compete Nation. It is a great article with pictures and quotes from the girls. Check it out at the link below.
http://competenation.com/stories/arizona_banat_sc_98_girls

98 Girls 2nd in the State!

Congratulations to Kayla and the 98 Banat Gold for taking 2nd in the state championship this weekend. Last year the team got 3rd so they were happy to improve this year. Kayla played defense most of the weekend and rocked it! That girl does not quit! We are so proud of all of you! Here are some pics from the weekend.

Not Noah's Ark

This boat mysteriously appeared in our church parking lot a few days ago. We have no idea where it came from. Who just dumps their boat in a church parking lot? Random! The high school student who rents space #50 is a little annoyed that his parking spot is occupied every day. Apparently the police are looking into the matter. Wonder if it will take 40 days?!

ZUMBA

Last night I went to a new Zumba class. I measure the success of Zumba on whether or not I get a craving for Mexican food. I'm sad to report that last night I did not get a craving. (oh I still got Mexican food...I just wasn't craving it.) The new teacher was nice and she had a ton of energy! Maybe Zumba is just better with a teacher named Garcia rather than a cute little blonde girl with a ponytail.

Road to the Finals

The road to state finals was not an easy one for the 96 Banat Gold team. In order to make it to the championship game they had several hurdles to overcome including 3 girls leaving the team right before state and only 11 healthy players. The girls knew it would be tough, but they had a reputation to defend. With a 2nd place finish last year anything less would not be acceptable to them. Halfway thru they suffered a tough loss in double overtime that sent them to the loser's bracket. Some thought they had lost their edge, but they dug deep and fought their way back. They won the next 2 games 4-0 and 3-0 to 2 tough teams. Then in the semi finals they had to face the team that had knocked them into the loser's bracket. With no subs, they knew that was going to be difficult, but the girls played an amazing game! They struck fast and in the first 13 seconds of the game... Anna crossed the ball to CC who put in a beautiful header for a goal. Then Brylee took advantage of a PK and nailed the ball right over the goalie's head. Just before half Anna made a run that drew the goalie out and sent the ball into the back of the net for goal #3! The other team came back a little in the 2nd half and got a ball in on a corner and another on a free kick, but Kylee T answered that with a quick shot from the far post to make it 4-2. Unfortunately, when the other team realized they were about to lose they responded by playing dirty and took out Kylie's foot and CC's knee. Down 2 more, but on to the championships....the very next day. There was no time to recover and the girls were just too broken down, but they gave it their best and never gave up. After Drea got drilled in the head with a ball....they played the end of the game with just 10 players. I have never seen so much drive and heart in team like I did yesterday. The refused to quit, but in the end just couldn't pull it out. They lost 3-0 but earned the respect of everyone watching. I am so proud of these girls and 2nd in the whole state of AZ ain't too shabby!

The Voice

Possibly one of the best shows on tv right now is The Voice. My family and I were watching the show last night when to our surprise we saw a contestant that we knew...Cheri Oakley. Cheri's father is the former pastor of my in laws church. Ryan remembers Cheri singing in church with her family when she was a little girl. Cheri did a great job on the show last night and was picked by Christina to be on her team. Hopefully she will go far in the competition.

Workout=Chipotle!

There is something about Zumba class that makes me want Mexican food real bad. I'm not sure if it's the music or what, but I can't wait for class to be over so I can stop at Chipotle on the way home. Now I know what you're probably thinking. What's the point of working out if you're just going to pig out afterwards... Not to worry. I'm very strict on how many calories I take in per day and I stay within that range. Plus I'm losing the weight so it must not be hurting me too bad right? (that's me justifying my addiction to myself!) The other day I was absolutely starving by the time class was over and all I could think about was getting to Chipotle as fast as possible. As I was walking through the parking lot I noticed a lady heading to Chipotle too. I quickened my step a little and to my surprise...she did too. So I sped up a little more and guess what? She sped up too. Oh no she didn't! There was no way this lady was going to get in line ahead of me (I'm a bit competitive). Before I knew it I was on a full out sprint to the door. I managed to beat her to the door by half a step and then....('m so ashamed) I pretended that I hadn't even noticed her as flung open the door and got in line. With a smug little smile I snuck a quick glance behind me only to realize that there was no one there. Where had she gone? I glanced around the restaurant and to my chagrin saw the lady that I had beaten to the door happily eating her food that her husband had already ordered. Who was laughing now? Not me that's for sure. Geesh! What is wrong with me?! That will teach me to be so competitive.

State Cup Weekend

She shoots!

She scores!

Love seeing the ball in the back of the net!
4-0 victory over Alliance. Semi finals on Saturday!

Rattlesnake!

Some friends and I decided to go hiking last night while the girls were at soccer practice. We left around 6:15 figuring we had plenty of time to get back before it got dark. We had the best time talking and laughing, but all that talking must have really slowed us down because before we knew it...it was dark and we still had a long way to go. Worried about coyotes we decided we'd better double time it down. Not an easy task on a rocky mountain trail in the dark. Since we didn't plan on still being on the mountain after dark we didn't have a flashlight...just Betty Jo's little cell phone for light. Luckily the moon was pretty full so we were able to see the trail well enough. What we didn't see was the huge rattlesnake in the middle of the trail until we were right up on it. Betty Jo was in the lead, followed by Deb with me bringing up the rear. All of a sudden Betty Jo stopped dead in the middle of the trail. We looked over and saw a huge rattlesnake about a foot away angrily shaking his rattle at us. Very carefully we backed up down the trail and then, I'm not gonna lie, we started to freak out a little. The snake was blocking the path and our way out. We could see the lights of the soccer field, but we were still about a quarter of a mile away and we could still hear that rattlesnake ahead on the path. There was no way we could go back up the mountain and down the other side in the dark and there was no way to cut through. By that time it was 8:15 and practice was over. We decided we'd better call Ryan to let him know we were ok, but that we had a slight problem. (More like a BIG HUGE SNAKE problem!!!) We got no sympathy from him just a lecture about the dangers of hiking on a mountain in the dark. Obviously no knight in shining armor was going to come rescue us so we did the only thing 3 grown women stuck in the dark on a mountain with an angry rattlesnake could do. We started throwing rocks. Big rocks, little rocks anything we could find to try and scare the snake away. Because it was so dark we had no idea if the snake had friends but we had to get off that mountain. After a few minutes we got quiet and listened for the snake. Betty Jo thought she heard it up the mountain, but it was so dark we couldn't be sure...we just knew that we were going to have to make a break for it. We gathered up a handful of rocks and started running throwing the rocks willy nilly as we went. Did I mention we were screaming like a bunch of little girls? We figured the more noise we made the better. We finally got in sight of the soccer field and stopped to catch our breath. We were excited to see the girls at the edge of the field yelling and waving at us. We thought they must have been so worried about us...but when we got closer we realized that they weren't yelling because they were relieved we were safe...they were yelling..."Can we go to Yogurtology?" Seriously...we could have died on that mountain and all they could think about was getting frozen yogurt?! Then to add insult to injury right when we got to the end of the path Kayla and Marisa decided to jump out from behind some bushes and scare 6 more years off our lives. What a crazy night it was! Deb and I decided to celebrate our narrow escape from the jaws of a huge Rattler with dinner at Chipotle! I will use any excuse to go to Chipotle.

State Championships

The girls are in the middle of playoffs for state championships. Last year Anna's team came in 2nd and Kayla's team placed 3rd.


Kayla's team has not lost a game yet! The played an amazing game on Saturday against the state champions from last year. They tied 1-1, went into double over time and then won in a shoot out!!! It was so exciting! They now go on to the championship game in 2 weeks. The best part is since it's double elimination another team has to beat them twice in order to win. Either way Kayla's team has made it further than they did last year and the girls are so excited! Kayla hopes they win so they can go to regionals in Idaho in June.


Anna's team got beat in double overtime last weekend. It's a double elimination tournament so they went down to the loser's bracket and had to play 2 games this weekend to work their way back up. Her team has 3 key players out with injuries so they went into the weekend with only 1 sub. The first game was against another top team in the state. The girls dug deep, played hard and won 4-0! Anna scored 2 goals! Their next game was against a lower team in state, but you can never underestimate any team in a state championship. It was a very physical game and the other team got dirty when they started to lose. They had 3 yellow cards and a red card. Anna's team managed to avoid any more injuries and won 3-0. (Anna scored 1.) There are 3 teams left. Anna's team has to face the team that knocked them into the loser's bracket on Saturday. If they win they move on to the championship. Lose and they take 3rd. We have a long history with this team and they will be out for blood. Fortunately for us, one of their best players got a red card in the last game and will not be able to play in the game on Saturday.

I am so proud of both teams. The girls played so well! Can't wait to see what happens!