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April
April was full of excitement for our family. We were in the middle of a fun baseball season for Tanner (in his final year of Little League, playing for the Rockies) and Cody (in his first year of High School baseball, playing Shortstop for the Freshman Team).
We also hosted our family (in the bottom left are Jennifer’s Dad, Mom, and Sister along with my Dad & Mom, Tanner, and me), who were able to join us for several baseball games. They also saw Tanner compete in Bible Drill (top right picture). And Katy was recognized by CCISD Superintendent Dr. Greg Smith as a Superintendent Scholar this year!
At the end of the month, I was honored to keynote the Work 2.0 Conference in London. I spoke on “Growing Out of This World Leaders: A Perspective from NASA.” I took the opportunity to take some long walks to see the London Bridge, the Tower of London (bottom left), and Buckingham Palace. It was fun to see the sights but not as fun as my February trip to Barcelona with Jennifer! Interestingly, I saw this sign (bottom right) in the airport on the way home. Just to think…prior to November 2016, I had never been outside the United States and really didn’t have much interest in doing so. Now, less than 2 years later, I’ve been to Dubai, Amsterdam, Johannesburg (South Africa), Barcelona, and London! And I call myself an “International Speaker”!
In early May, Katy celebrated her Senior Prom with her boyfriend, Evan. She wore a beautiful dress and had a lot of fun!
May was full of a number of Senior Celebrations with Katy, including:
- Graduation Sunday at Church (top left, top right, and bottom right)
- Senior Visit to North Pointe Elementary—Tanner’s school, where Katy also went (bottom left)
- Senior Banquet for Band (bottom center)
Then came Tanner’s favorite Elementary event—the Students vs. Teachers basketball game. I had the honor of coaching the student team (top middle). Tanner (top right) launched a half-court hook shot at the buzzer that went in. The kids were able to talk about that shot well into the summer! Fortunately, the Students pulled off a hard-fought victory, in no small part due to some outstanding coaching calls. Katy and Cody enjoyed the game too, and we all posed for a photo after the game (bottom left).
We also hosted Katy’s graduation party at our house. She’s pictured (top left) with the board of photos she created for our Church’s graduation Sunday; and we were able to reuse it. As the bottom right photo shows, we also had some unique cookies made for her High School (Clear Brook) and College (Dallas Baptist University).
But May was not over yet… We also celebrated Tanner’s graduation from Elementary (pictured with his teacher, Ms. Raj, and his bus driver, Mr. James). Tanner also celebrated a Major Division Championship to close out the month. In the top right picture, I’m showing off the game ball I received the final game we won to clinch the championship. I regularly pitched batting practice to the best hitting team in the league, and the coaches showed their appreciation by awarding me the game ball for the Rockies’ final game. Not sure Tanner agreed with that decision!
June
Tanner earned a spot on the NASA Little League East 12-year old All-Star Team this year, which meant another 3 weeks of baseball. We practiced and played games nightly in June, and Tanner had a lot of fun!
June also marked High School Graduation for Katy. With a lot of family in town, we were able to hold a combination celebration for Cody’s birthday (top left). We all were so proud of Katy (Top Right photo shows Cody, Brady, Katy, Jennifer, and Tanner). At the bottom left, we all anxiously awaited the graduation ceremony, which culminated with the tossing of the caps (bottom right)!
July
Since June was so full, we weren’t able to properly celebrate Cody’s 16th birthday. He wanted a sleepover with his four best friends from church. I took them to see Uncle Drew, eat at Raisin’ Canes, then over to the YMCA for an open gym night. I had to help the other team to try to make it competitive…
What a fun start to the Summer!
For her graduation trip, Katy asked Jennifer and I to go to Nantucket. We fly to Boston later this month to spend a few days in Nantucket and Cape Cod. It should be a great final trip before Katy heads on to Dallas Baptist University this Fall…
Now…between these family commitments and a little extra work from home on the job front, you can see why it’s been a wise decision to “Pause” on blogging…but I expect to return more soon…
Until then, keep shooting for the stars…