Introduction to My family Again

Hello to everyone once again.  It has been awhile since I have written in any of my blogs,  so I have decided to start a new blog all together.  It will be much easier to get caught up this way; afterall, a lot has changed in my life since I first started blogging over five years ago.  This season may or may not be my last time stepping on the gridiron as a football coach.  I have not made this decision yet, but I am still getting that slightly sick feeling in my stomach as I prepare for practice tomorrow morning.  I am looking forward to smelling the freshly cut grass, and the experiencing the slightly muddy smell of the damp soil.  I look forward to walking through the locker room and seeing the kids, and I also look forward to addressing the coaches in our office.  Will I get beat up by the coaches....YES!  I have stated before that you must have thick skin to be a coach in our program.

I am now entering my 33rd year of coaching football.  I have been coaching almost as long as my daughter Kristin has been alive, and I have been coaching LONGER than my son Michael has been alive.  Where has time gone?  My knee is shot, for I have not had it fixed yet. I am having cervical issues with my neck and spine...the pain is pretty intense at times.  My ankles hurt, my elbows hurt, and my hands do not work as well as they used to.  I will probably pop a few BC Powders to help me deal with the pain of just being out there on the practice field.  I have learned long ago to just keep quiet and deal with my issues....sympathy is hard to get around here.

Changes in my Life 

My Hero Mike and son Mason.  

 Meet Mason...my new grandson.  Good looking boy huh?  Mason is the first born child of my son Michael and his wife Alexandra (Alex)  Mike is still in the US ARMY, and he continues to be my hero to this day.  Mike is more man than I ever hope to be, and now he (and Alex) have given me this wonderful present.  Unfortunately, the baby is out in Colorado...and I am in Florida.  Rest assured I will be going out there as soon as I can to see the baby once again.  Mike's wife Alex is too good for him. She is such a great mother.  I would love to meet her parents one day when I go back to Germany where they live.  Mike and Alex and mason now live in Colorado Springs, Colorado.  Mike is stationed at Ft. Carson.

Kelsey-Kirby-Grice  

Remember these kids?  These are my grand babies that I have mentioned so many times in my previous blogs.  They are getting so big, and growing so fast.  They are the children of my daughter Kristin and her husband Joe.  Kelsey is now 12 years old.  Kirby is 6 years old.  Grice is 5 years old.  These kids are the sole reason I am alive today, and I talk to at least one of them daily.  Just hearing their voice makes me feel better.  

I want to talk about my daughter Kristin for a second.  I will honor her previous request and not post photos of her without approval.  Why I don't know, for I think she is the most beautiful woman I know.  Kristin and I are very close...a real daddy-daughter relationship.  She completely understands me, and I understand her.  She accepts my deficiencies as they are.  She knows what I am thinking and what my response is going to be.  It has not always been this way, but the older she gets, the closer we become.  Kristin is very intelligent (Vanderbilt Grad) and much smarter than I am.  Kristin and I have an agreement... well, lets put it this way.  I will not have to worry about bed sores when I get old.  

Kelsey Age 12  

Kelsey reminds me so much of her mother.  She has followed in Kristin's footsteps and is now a junior high school cheerleader.  Kelsey is...and will always be the light of my eye.  

Kirby Age 6 

Kirby is a real pistol.  The slightly built little firecracker has turned out to be the little athlete in our family.  She started gymnastics late last year and has quickly flourished.  In her first state meet, she placed (1st all around)  and became  the state champion in her division....all with very little training.  I cannot wait to watch her progression.  Kirby is just now coming around to PawPaw's style of love, and I will now kisses and hugs unexpectedly.  I love to see her smile.  

Grice...Age 5  

Grice is my first born grandson.  I love to hang out with him and get him under my wing.  He loves to work on motors and engines with me as well.  This kid has huge hands and huge feet...not that this matters to me much.  lol  

I will try to post a daily blog entry in this new blog.  make no mistake...this will primarily be a football blog, but I will mix in other stuff often.  People say I am a good story teller, so I hope to add a few memories along the way.  I am out of practice in my writing style, but I tend to get better the more I write.  Please be patient with me for a few entries.  

See you tomorrow.  

GZ