Archive for the 'family' Category

Donut stays at Browndog Lodge

Published
by
patrick
on March 17, 2008
in advice and family
. 0 Comments

browndoglodge.png A friend of ours has launched a new business here in Memphis, Browndog Lodge. This premier hotel, daycare, and spa for dogs is just the place for our spoiled carpet ornament (goldens get pretty lazy as they get older, ours has taken that rule to new extremes). Browndog lodge has indoor and outdoor play areas for animals and is even ready to house your pet in one of their fine suites. Suites include vented circulation to keep them cool and even a flat screen TV for those pets that just need a little entertainment. I took Donut for her evaluation prior to leaving town to make sure she could play well with other animals. They required me to sit down for an interview to make sure my expectations were in check. And to top it all off I can log into one of their many webcams just to check on her while I am out of town. All in all, I have to say that the experience at Browndog Lodge was professional and made leaving your pet in good hands one less thing to worry about as you rush out of town. Donut could not have been more excited to get sniffed out by the other animals as I am sure she will return the favor for the next newbie that enters the play coral. Thanks Chip (owner) for taking such good care of Donut and providing that much needed resource here in Memphis.

[tags]Memphis Businesses, Dog Care, Golden Retriever[/tags]

Metro 13 Elite wins Volley in the Rock!

Published
by
patrick
on March 9, 2008
in commentary and family
. 1 Comment

VITR_win_sm.jpgAfter an auspicious beginning with several families reporting plus 7 hour drives to Little Rock in the snow and ice, the 13 Elite Metro girls pulled out the W! The ladies performed beautifully on Saturday in pool play going 6 - 0. Today they got through the semi’s without dropping a single game. Upon winning the semi final game we went to watch the end of the game next to us to determine who we would play. Our girls cheered with exuberance for their sister team the Metro 12 Elite, knowing full well if they pulled out the win they would have to play them for the tournament. As hoped for, the final game came down to an all Memphis Metro affair; 12’s vs 13’s. The 13’s, being favored to win, had everything to lose with bragging rights on the line. The 12’s played amazingly in the first game making nearly no errors and digging up every ball that game their way. They won the first game. Mid way through game two it looked bad for our girls as they just could not seem to get a roll going when Mary Beth (MVP) stepped up to serve. She went on a roll helping the 13’s take the lead. Our girls went onto win a nail biter to take them to the tie breaker. Once again the girls showed their mental toughness to pull out the win over a team that just would not give up. We are so proud of all the girls! Way to go 13’s.

PIctures from the weekend are here.

[tags]Memphis Metro Volleyball[/tags]

Volley in the Rock is on

Published
by
patrick
on March 7, 2008
in family
. 1 Comment

VolleyLogo_B-297x193.jpg In spite of the weather turning nasty Bess and the girls just left the Volley in the Rock tournament in Little Rock. In spite of the weatherman predicting 5″-6″ of accumulation in Little Rock the tournament Web site has announced that the tournament will not be cancelled.

Volley in the Rock will not be cancelled. As of 5:00 AM Friday morning only parts of Little Rock received any snow at all; however, it did not stick to the roadways and it never got below freezing all night. Our area is expected to receive approximately two more waves of snow - possibly 1 - 4 inches; however the temperature is exoected to stay above freezing. We will continue to update this site weather_radar.pngthroughout the day. My stepson drove down from Fayetteville last night around midnight and did not have any issues. We are expecting plenty of sunshine for Saturday and Sunday. We just have to make it through today!

So good luck girls and we will be praying that the weather holds off for you. Stay tuned here for results and pictures.

Update: The site just posted that the tournament will be delayed for two hours, thus we don’t play tomorrow until 4pm.

Brackets: 13 Elite Pool Schedule

Update: The girls went 6-0 in pool play and are in a #1 seed in bracket play today. A bracket can be viewed here for the play today.
[tags]Memphis Metro Volleyball[/tags]

Let’s Celebrate…

Published
by
patrick
on March 1, 2008
in commentary and family
. 0 Comments

bess_party.jpgAs posted earlier Bess and her friends had a big bash last night. It was only appropriate that I embarrass Bess and take as many pictures as possible. Everyone had a good time but I think the parents may have had the most fun. We showed the kids that we still had some skills on the dance floor. We know they were proud.

Pictures can be viewed here.

Richard does the worm…

Published
by
patrick
on February 28, 2008
in family and funny
. 0 Comments

richard_catey.jpgThis past Sunday was the annual father daughter dance at Hutchison School. I was attending a volleyball tournament with Bess and thus was unable to attend much to my chagrin, however Uncle Richard made a suitable substitute in her mind. Catey was very proud that Richard could put on a show with his mad hip-hop moves for all the other Dads. I was informed with no uncertain terms that I would not have been very good at the limbo. Thanks Richard for stepping in for me.

Update: I found some pictures on Drew Renshaw’s Web site, though none of Richard and Catey - huh?

Metro Volleyball Starts Today…

Published
by
patrick
on January 19, 2008
in family and pictures
. 0 Comments

MJVA TournamentThe girls 13 Elite Metro Team dominated today in the MJVA tournament in Millington. This was our first tournament together as a team. I thought the girls looked pretty strong, but then I am a total moron when it comes to volleyball.

Some of the girls pictures have been uploaded. I was pretty frustrated taking pictures today. I just don’t have the glass that I need to be able to take good pictures in that sort of lighting. My trusted telephoto’s highest aperture is f3.5 which just won’t cut it. On the way back from Millington though I called around to some shops to see if I couldn’t find an inexpensive high speed fixed focal length glass (yeah right). Of course no one carries anything like that, but one of them recommended that I email Lens Rentals. I had no idea that there was such a service much less that they were located in Germantown. A quick email exchange confirmed that I could rent just what I was looking for. They even offered to let me come by and pick it up on Sunday. Pretty cool. The pics will be better tomorrow!

[tags]Metro Volleyball, Memphis Volleyball, Nikon[/tags]