After the loss of Destiny, tragedy in Japan, and craziness of annual review season starting at work, I had really been feeling out of whack and not like myself at all. I felt sad, run-down, and a little detached. While I feel it's normal to grieve and somberly reflect, I needed something to bring back a little joy. This weekend delivered.
Thursday- St. Patrick's/Countess Day
St. Patrick's day has always been my favorite day of year (maybe behind Thanksgiving). Historically, I like to wear green for the entire week leading up to the holiday. I put up decorations, make green cupcakes, & play irish music at school. This year with everything going on, I found it hard to get into the spirit. That was until we went up to Rocky Hill Road. There, the Black Velvet Band was reprised for the evening and they sang many of my favorites including City of Chicago, From Clare to here, Spancil Hill, and Streets of London. Their music brings me back to my childhood and there are few things that make me happier than listening to them play. I'm so glad that John has been able to enjoy their music over the past 3 years and it makes me giddy to hear him sing along with my dad and my godfather.
Not only did I get to hear the irish music I grew up with, I also got to meet Tess, my Uncle Marvie & Aunt Peggy's new dog. They rescued her. She came from a puppy mill in Missouri where she endured what can only be described as rape and torture. Tess is turning 4 this summer and learning how to accept love from people. She let me pat her head. She stared up at me with her underbite and her lip stuck on her gums and I fell in love.
In true Ellison style, "Tess" is not her full name. It is short for Countess Constance Markiewicz, a freedom fighter in Ireland and a member of Sinn Fein (only a professor of Irish history could name a dog this way). I can't wait to spend more time getting to know her.
Saturday- Kellianne's Shower
What I'm about to say is no reflection of how I feel about Kellianne or Steve. Steve is one of my best childhood friends and I love him and his sweet wife, Kellianne, dearly. But I really don't like baby showers. The silly games and the oooo-ing and ahhhhh-ing over crib sheets, bibs, and pacifiers? That makes my skin crawl. What I did enjoy about the baby shower was spending some time with my mom, seeing Kellianne so happy and glowing in her pregnancy, seeing Steve aloof and seemingly unphased with the idea of fatherhood, and catching up with Bethany, who I haven't seen since Thanksgiving. If and when I have a baby shower, I'm hoping for a bbq or pasta party with friends and family (women AND men) that just happens to have a big pregnant woman in attendance.
Sunday- Wedding Updates
A phone date with my bff/wifey Amanda Sue is always therapeutic for me. I miss her so much. Everytime I talk to her, I get to hear how more and more details are coming together for her wedding this fall. Sunday, she told me that she's working on some DIY projects for decorating the church and reception hall. I have already purchased my dress and shoes & will just have to get some minor alterations to shorten the straps of the dress. Bridal shower & bachelorette parties coming up this summer :-)
Sunday night we took Roxy & went to 31 Little Hollow for some chicken parm, drinks at the bar, and march madness. It was a perfect end to the weekend.
Today we're snowed in and home on a snow day....on March 23rd. Such is "spring" in the catskills. I'm enjoying the day off in the middle of the week. Tomorrow we celebrate the basketball team's accomplishments at the winter sports awards and this weekend we're having dinner in New Paltz with Bethany. Sunday, the Section 9 breakfast with our two all-section team selections, Mareena & Jakki. Going to be a great rest of the week & weekend :)
Wednesday, March 23, 2011
Thursday, March 17, 2011
~*~may angels lead you in~*~
All week, I've been reeling from the sudden, tragic death of one of my former students. How do you begin to process the loss of a child? It came with no warning. No chance to say goodbye. So young, so innocent, so sweet... she was everything a little girl should be. I don't know why she was taken or what purpose that kind of tragedy could serve in the greater scheme of the universe. I know that's not for me to understand. I just know that I will never forget her. I will never forget her long, brown hair. I will never forget our shared love for animals. I will never forget the way her face lit up when I came to pick her up for speech. I will never forget the simple joy she found in anything pink or purple. I will never forget her smile. I will never forget you Destiny. Rest in peace.
God speed, little girl
Sweet dreams, little girl
My love will fly to you each night on angels' wings
God Speed
Sweet Dreams
God speed, little girl
Sweet dreams, little girl
My love will fly to you each night on angels' wings
God Speed
Sweet Dreams
Saturday, March 12, 2011
Sectionals Saga: Lady Bears Reach Summit of Success
The past couple of weeks have been a whirlwind. It started with excitement, moved to elation, and ended bittersweet. My attempt to put it into words will not come near to capturing what it's been like to experience it. For in depth coverage and sophisticated story-telling link up with sportsinsightsny.
John's girls had a very successful post-season run. They drew the number 1 seed in sectionals and with it, a bye to the semi-finals. We traveled to Pine Plains (which is on the other side of the river in the middle of beautiful rolling hills and you guessed it- a lot of pine trees) to scout the Fallsburg-Pine Plains game. We would play the winner in the semi-final sectional game. We brought Amanda, Ryan, & Jakki with us. Once we got to the game, we discovered most of the team had made the trip as well. These girls were committed; they wanted this sectional title more than anything.
Fast forward to March 4th, the lady bears have their first sectional game at home. Pine Plains was a good team and I really respected their coach. Our girls won by a margin of nearly twenty points. Though the victory was sweet, it was difficult to accept that it was Jakki's last time gracing her home court. I found myself quite saddened by that after the game. Those feelings couldn't last too long though, because we had just earned a spot in the sectional championship game at New Paltz.
I knew our girls had the skills and heart to win the game but Milbrook was also a strong team. They had played powerhouse teams in MHAL's all season long. Also, they had just defeated Eldred, who we had to fight tooth and nail to defeat. The college court, grand-stage element of playing in a sectional championship also could not be ruled out as a factor that might contribute to the lady bears not playing to their best ability. On March 6th, history would be made. I have never seen John so focused and intense before. That morning he ate breakfast while watching motivating sports speeches on you tube, trying to find the perfect pregame speech inspiration. He paced back and forth and ended up leaving home early to go to the school. He collected his thoughts there & wrote a really special tribute to share with his girls before the game. At New Paltz, tip off was at 1pm. Both teams came out with some jitters and the first quarter was low-scoring. We came out and played fast and hard; with an especially strong performance on defense. As the fourth quarter started to wind down, the win imminent, Jakki scored the final points of the game, and my tears started to flow. After witnessing the heartbreak that Jakki & the rest of her previous squad went through losing this same game the year before, it was beyond satisfying to watch her win it, this year of all years. Can't really describe the feeling. Celebrations followed. An outpouring of love and appreciation from the community, who came out all season in support of girls basketball. (Anyone who says that girls basketball is slow and less exciting has obviously not seen Jakki & the Lady Bears play or other local greats like Marissa Diescher.) After the joy of the section 9 title, the focus turned to the next game- the first game of regionals, vs. section 1 champion Haldane.
March 10th at Mount Saint Mary, the girls played one of the best girls basketball teams I've ever seen. Not only was Haldane just as fast as we were; they were HUGE. These girls looked like trees growing under the basket. They possessed a player who has a full ride to Fordham to play D1 basketball. All of these assets would have made it easy for our squad of short, small, and young girls to play scared. Not in the slightest. Our girls went out and played hard for 32 minutes. Jakki gave that D1 player the business- she stole the ball from her twice and defended her so skillfully, at times the frustration was evident in Milner's face. She had to work hard for those 22 points. Sabrena, who was playing sick, played tough defense and even as a freshman of probably only about 100 pounds, held her own in the forest of Haldane amazons. Erin played hard, working under the basket to score points at the end of the game, even when the outcome was apparent. Mareena, one of my favorites to watch, played tough and fast, (as she always does) and stepped up to bring the ball down the court when Jakki was out in foul trouble. Jakki exited the game with just about a minute left to play. She received thunderous applause and cheers. The season was over and we were all sad to see it end.
The girls finished with an undefeated league championship, a section 9 championship, and a valiant performance in regionals.
To the team- Bravo! You far surpassed everyone's expectations. We are so proud of all of you.
Jakki- What can we say to a young lady who has inspired an entire community and made history- all while exuding grace and humility? All we can say is- thank you.
Some shots from local papers & from our favorite photojournalist/sportswriter Richard Ross:
Unfortunately the excitement, celebrations, and busy-ness of the past week or so have de-railed my working out so I really need to focus on getting back on track. Coming up for us- 5 more weeks of school and then a trip to South Carolina with John's family.
John's girls had a very successful post-season run. They drew the number 1 seed in sectionals and with it, a bye to the semi-finals. We traveled to Pine Plains (which is on the other side of the river in the middle of beautiful rolling hills and you guessed it- a lot of pine trees) to scout the Fallsburg-Pine Plains game. We would play the winner in the semi-final sectional game. We brought Amanda, Ryan, & Jakki with us. Once we got to the game, we discovered most of the team had made the trip as well. These girls were committed; they wanted this sectional title more than anything.
Fast forward to March 4th, the lady bears have their first sectional game at home. Pine Plains was a good team and I really respected their coach. Our girls won by a margin of nearly twenty points. Though the victory was sweet, it was difficult to accept that it was Jakki's last time gracing her home court. I found myself quite saddened by that after the game. Those feelings couldn't last too long though, because we had just earned a spot in the sectional championship game at New Paltz.
I knew our girls had the skills and heart to win the game but Milbrook was also a strong team. They had played powerhouse teams in MHAL's all season long. Also, they had just defeated Eldred, who we had to fight tooth and nail to defeat. The college court, grand-stage element of playing in a sectional championship also could not be ruled out as a factor that might contribute to the lady bears not playing to their best ability. On March 6th, history would be made. I have never seen John so focused and intense before. That morning he ate breakfast while watching motivating sports speeches on you tube, trying to find the perfect pregame speech inspiration. He paced back and forth and ended up leaving home early to go to the school. He collected his thoughts there & wrote a really special tribute to share with his girls before the game. At New Paltz, tip off was at 1pm. Both teams came out with some jitters and the first quarter was low-scoring. We came out and played fast and hard; with an especially strong performance on defense. As the fourth quarter started to wind down, the win imminent, Jakki scored the final points of the game, and my tears started to flow. After witnessing the heartbreak that Jakki & the rest of her previous squad went through losing this same game the year before, it was beyond satisfying to watch her win it, this year of all years. Can't really describe the feeling. Celebrations followed. An outpouring of love and appreciation from the community, who came out all season in support of girls basketball. (Anyone who says that girls basketball is slow and less exciting has obviously not seen Jakki & the Lady Bears play or other local greats like Marissa Diescher.) After the joy of the section 9 title, the focus turned to the next game- the first game of regionals, vs. section 1 champion Haldane.
March 10th at Mount Saint Mary, the girls played one of the best girls basketball teams I've ever seen. Not only was Haldane just as fast as we were; they were HUGE. These girls looked like trees growing under the basket. They possessed a player who has a full ride to Fordham to play D1 basketball. All of these assets would have made it easy for our squad of short, small, and young girls to play scared. Not in the slightest. Our girls went out and played hard for 32 minutes. Jakki gave that D1 player the business- she stole the ball from her twice and defended her so skillfully, at times the frustration was evident in Milner's face. She had to work hard for those 22 points. Sabrena, who was playing sick, played tough defense and even as a freshman of probably only about 100 pounds, held her own in the forest of Haldane amazons. Erin played hard, working under the basket to score points at the end of the game, even when the outcome was apparent. Mareena, one of my favorites to watch, played tough and fast, (as she always does) and stepped up to bring the ball down the court when Jakki was out in foul trouble. Jakki exited the game with just about a minute left to play. She received thunderous applause and cheers. The season was over and we were all sad to see it end.
The girls finished with an undefeated league championship, a section 9 championship, and a valiant performance in regionals.
To the team- Bravo! You far surpassed everyone's expectations. We are so proud of all of you.
Jakki- What can we say to a young lady who has inspired an entire community and made history- all while exuding grace and humility? All we can say is- thank you.
Some shots from local papers & from our favorite photojournalist/sportswriter Richard Ross:
Sabrena fights for the ball during the Pine Plains game
This little freshman is unbelievable
Photo by Richard Ross
Mareena takes the ball up the court
She's tough to keep up with!
Photo by Richard Ross
The girls thanking their fans after winning sectionals
Our captains, Mareena & Jakki
Good luck getting by this girl.
Photo by Richard Ross
I love the way Katlynn shoots the ball.
Photo by Richard Ross
One of Jakki's steals from D1 bound Milner (on ground)
She turned this steal into a transition bucket
Photo by Richard Ross
Jakki exits the game,
emotional as her high school career comes to an end
Photo by Richard Ross
This is the moment I'll remember when I think of this season
2011 Class C Section Champs!!
Photo by Richard Ross
Well, that will conclude my basketball blogs until about November.
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