Gavin’s first couple of games were lots of fun to watch. The scores weren’t in our favor, but they were fun to watch nonetheless. One of the tings that I was impressed by was the continued growth of the entire team and of Gavin. He’s improved so much over the past season, it’s almost like watching a different kid. There’s still a long way to go for him, but if he keeps progressing like this I can’t wait to see where he grows. One of the reasons I am thankful for his growth is that it has largely been through extra practices in the offseason and hard work. So cool for him to see how this pays off!

The weather outside was certainly frightful during game time of his first match. The temperature was something like 46 with 10-12 mph winds… and rain. The MVP of my gear for that game was Becky’s soccer blanket. She received it as a gift a while back from Mom and I borrowed it for this trip. The waterproof and windproof blanket was exactly what I needed to stay warm all game long.

For the past few years I’ve continued to work on practicing Stoicism. Typically this means trying to keep a cool head and focus on logic instead of emotion. I’ve found myself making progress in many areas of my life. Of particular note I found it very helpful to take a deep breath during the second game of the day. Had I watched this a year or two ago I would have lost my cool on more than one occasion. As it was I also saw I have room for improvement as there were still a couple of times I caught myself yelling when I should have taken a deep breath instead.

After the first game Gavin and I grabbed takeout from Zombie Burger, a recommendation from my friend Jeremy. We both had the same burger – one with bacon, fried onion, and grilled cheese sandwiches for the buns. Throw in some tasty cheese fries and a couple of incredible shakes and we had a meal that caused us to skip supper later. So delicious! Never in a million years would I have stumbled upon this place on my own, I am thankful for the recommendation!

Thanks!!!