Deep

"Life is too short to eat plain bagels."

Kim Keena

Well, That Didn't Take Long

We had our first football injury today.  And I say "we", because I was the one that got injured.  But it was because of football that I got hurt.  You see, I took David to get football cleats today.  Picture David and I in the store, me sitting on the bench next to him while he is trying on his cleats.  He raises his leg to slide his foot into the shoe, that he is holding in his hand.  He pushes his foot into the shoe, then the shoe slips out of his hand, and his cleatted-foot lands on top of my sandaled-foot.  I gasp, wince in pain, grab his arm and can. not. breathe.  I catch my breath and sit very quietly for all of ten very long seconds.  I then get up, and limp around the shoe aisle.

At this point of excruciating pain, I am not only concerned about whether my toe is still attached, but I am also concerned about David, knowing he feels terrible.  I fought off anger, my go-to emotion when I'm hurt, and patiently waited for my still-attached toe to stop throbbing.  David gently asks "You okay, Mom?"  Yes.  I am okay.  So okay, in fact, that there are no awful photos to show of my still-slightly-tender toe.  Bummer.

"And the First Football Injury Award goes to Mama Keena."  And I was worried about David. 

High School Football

There once was a freshman named Dave

Whose friends about football did rave.

They talked him into it

Dave's going to do it

Now Mom will just try to behave.

.

Congratulations!

We had dinner guests tonight, and when Grace and I were planning the meal this afternoon, we didn't even know their names.  They are Jessie's friends, that's all that mattered.  So the Griders came with four friends from Iowa. Ryan, Heidi, Caleb, and Adrienne.  We stir-fried and pot-stickered, and got to know some great folks.  In the photo Ryan is holding a giant cookie that says "Congratulations" because yesterday he proposed to Heidi on the peak of Sacajawea, and she said "Yes!"  They have known each other for four and a half months...seems a little crazy, but Jim and I just smiled, knowing how quickly we talked marriage. 

Other interesting discoveries during our dinner conversation:
1.  Of the seven families represented at the dinner table, four of them had seven children. 
2.  Our three female guests are all black-belts in karate.  Not taekwondo.  They would want to make sure you understood the difference.
3.  A former TIU student that we befriended/took to a Cardinals game/had over for meals while in Chicago, is best friends with Caleb.  Small world.
4.   When asked "What is keeping your from attaining your dream?" Caleb and Adrienne confessed, they are living their dream.  Awesome. 
5.  Our new addition is perfect for hosting dinners.  It was all worth it!

Happy Wedding Weekend!

Meet Mark and Bailey.  A couple of students we met not long after arriving in Bozeman. We got to know them through Sunday meals, talking sports, Bite of Bozeman double date, watching David play basketball, watching Mark play football, BBQ at his parent's house (his mom is from Oklahoma!) and Onion Strings. Jim is performing their wedding on Saturday in Kalispell.  We are going for an extended weekend.  Can't believe how much we like these guys!  Happy, Happy Wedding Day!

David, Jesse, "Coach", Blake, Cordell

What You Will Read in the Paper

Bozeman Junior Hawks 9 Concludes Successful Summer Basketball Season 

DOWNTOWN BOZEMAN 3 ON 3 SHOOT OUT:  This past weekend, the Bozeman Junior Hawks 9th grade team went undefeated as they took the championship game against the Livingston Park Rangers to win first place in their division.  The team players were Cordell Appel, David Keena, Jesse Meade, and Blake Taylen.

The Bozeman Junior Hawks 9 were formed as a basketball travel team in 2010.  Recently, the Hawks 9 received the bronze medal at the Big Sky State Games in Billings to qualify for the 2013 State Games of America in Hershey-Harrisburg, PA.  The players for the State Games were: Mark Aamot, Grant Blomstrom, Gabriel Chaikin, Grant Collins, Adam Huse, Keven Kailey, David Keena, and Jesse Meade.

In June, the Hawk 9 players Gabriel Chaikin, Adam Huse, David Keena, and Jesse Meade went undefeated in the Bozemania 3 on 3 Tournament and also in the Spokane Hoopfest Freshman Elite Division to win both championships. 

What They Left Out of the Article Regarding Last Weekend

1.  We had to play the same team three times.

2.  This team consisted of mostly 10th grade football players.

3.  We had no ref or court monitor.

4.  Game #2 involved aggressive parents that required the event director to be summoned.

5.  Game #3 did have a ref; the event director, Dale Dawkins.  Yes, that Dale Dawkins.

6.  Game #3 was tied at the end, so a sudden-death shoot-out was to determine the winner.

*Livingston shot: missed

*David shot: missed

*Livingston shot: missed

*Jesse shot: missed

*Livingston shot: missed

*Blake shot: missed

(At this point the ref told the parents to get ready to shoot!)

*Livingston shot: missed

*Cordell shot: Made It!

7.  We celebrated at a restaurant of Cordell's choice. 

Sushi, Please!

Saturday night we had a "How to Make Sushi Party".   Our friend, Jonathan, makes sushi every Christmas with his family.  So he supplied the grocery list and the expertise, and we supplied our great love of sushi.

 Jon had never had sushi before, and he nearly lost his first piece in the soy sauce!

 We all had a try at preparing a sushi roll.  Tuna, salmon, avocado, carrots, cucumber, and red-chili sauce were just a few of the offerings.  There was, however, no ginger.  Excuse me, what!?!  No ginger.  That's why I eat sushi.  Interestingly enough, Jonathan told me that his family doesn't actually eat the ginger with the sushi, but to cleanse the palette between different kinds of sushi.  Who knew?

 Grace did a great job filling her roll with deliciousness!

 Emily liked doing it so much, she wanted to make sushi for dinner again tonight.  We had turkey tenderloins, but making sushi again won't be long in coming.

 Apparently Jonathan had to find interesting ways to entertain himself during the rolling.

Delish!