Everything you do makes me proud.  Your mom and sister, and I think the world of you.  I keep thinking you’re going to run into something that will slow you down… Dancing at the age of 16 months? no problem.  Elementary school?  no problem.  Chess tournaments?  No problem.  Running and winning class officer? No problem.  6th grade pre-AP classes?  no problem.  Playing up a grade in competitive soccer?  no problem.  Making the ‘A’ team in select soccer? no problem.  Volleyball?  no problem. Basketball? no problem.  Choir and singing solos?  no problem.  Broken arms, wrists, concussions?  no problem.  Girl drama?  no problem. Loving your family and silly dog?  No problem.

Whatever is next?  no problem.  Your mother, Becca, and I will be here to catch you if you need it.

With your attitude, outlook on life, and fun-loving spirit – I don’t think anything will slow you down.  You’re an amazing person Brooke Malone Bowie.

One week from her birthday party to celebrate 12 years!! 

Ready to organize great social events to kick of the summer!!

Wake up Sunday morning with a fever!  What is this?  A curve ball in our plans?  The plans from the eyes of Brooke.  Do you remember the feeling of being at the end of the 6th grade year?  All you could think about was running the halls during the last week of school, playing with your friends, and trying to figure out what everyone’s summer plans were?  Those were the times.

Well poor Brooke can’t do it!  She has been home with a high fever for 3 days.  A quick visit to the clinic inside of HEB on Sunday afternoon tells us she has a virus from a “pampered” nurse assistant (who was more interested in how her doctor’s robe looked on her than actually examining Brooke.)  We allowed her to go to school on Thursday because her fever finally went away.  Trena and I both recommended she stay home and rest another day.  “No!!  I want to see my friends…. I am fine” replied Brooke.  I tell her that I can’t come and pick her up if she is sick at school.   Trena says the same thing.  “Brooke if you really want to go to school then you can’t complain about being tired, or not feeling well in class.  Don’t even ask to see the nurse unless your dyeing.”    I come home from work and take one look at poor Brooke and notice she is as sick as before.  I feel horrible.  Rebecca tells me when she got on the bus (Brooke is picked up from the 6th grade campus first) she could tell her baby sister was struggling.  Trena makes an appointment at the doctor’s office for Friday.  Brooke is staying home again.

Will it ever end?  The poor knucklehead just wants to go back to normal and get back into the circle she has created for herself at the school.

The saga began on opening day.  Rebecca, Brooke and I set off to see it in the middle of the afternoon on the Saturday (I think it opened on Friday night).  I ordered to tickets from Santikos online.  We get to the theater 40 minutes early.  Plenty of time to get drinks, popcorn and a good seat.  If you have never been to Santikos I highly recommend it.  They have the concession booth out front where you buy your items.  You order a drink and they give you an empty cup.  The drink stations are down the two separate hallways running in two separate directions.  This cuts back on wait time in line PLUS it gives you an opportunity to get free refills.  Back to our story, We got our drinks and bag of popcorn and then headed to the drinks.  I told the girls to hurry up and grab 3 good seats after they get their drinks.  I step up to the first station, then second and then third and each time they are all empty of drinks.  This upsets me so I walk back to the concession line and politely step in front of an older lady and her grand kids and tell the employee that there are no drinks and ask for a refund.  She panics and calls for a middle-aged lady who appears to be some sort of management.  This lady decides to make excuses instead of apologize.  She tells me I can only have a refund on one of the drinks because the cups for my girl’s drinks are with me.  This upsets me more.  I call Becca quickly on phone and tell her and Brooke to sprint to the concession stand.  By this time more and more people are lining up behind me asking why the drinks don’t work.  This management type proclaims in a loud voice, “the drinks are empty but you can still get High C!”  I finally get refunded for 3 drinks and then just to add a little salt into the wound I state,

“It is going to be hard for me to swallow this popcorn without a drink to chase it down.”

By now this middle-aged wannabe clearly has a bead of sweat building on her upper lip and forehead.  I tell her that I need a refund on the popcorn.  She tells me that would require my credit card again and another transaction.  My response?

“I’ll wait.”

Finally we leave this poor lady after I ask her politely, “Why don’t you fix the drink station?”  She shouts back, “THERE IS ANOTHER MANAGER TRYIIIIIIIIIING!!!”

Now, my problem is that when I walk into the theater (drink-less) there are no more empty seats.

The girls and I turn around and walk up to the customer service counter to a little fellow with a bunch of hair on his face and on top of his head.  He reminds me of a Hobbit from Lord of the Rings.  I explain the problem to him and he instantly does it the correct way.  He apologizes for my horrible experience and offers me 6 free movie tickets or passes.  That is how you handle customer service!

Now, this weekend I have seen the movie twice.  Once with Becca and then the second time with Brooke and one of her friends, Lexi.  Great show!  I think I like Thor the best.  He is funny.

Here is a look at all the main characters:

We got to catch the 3d Version.  We look like dorks!

As I have expressed before, Rebecca is on this team to try to build some leadership skills.  With the risk of sounding cocky, Becca is and should be the leader of the team.  She is recognized by the other girls as the only division 1 player and should be able to carry the team to the state cup.  Her along with 3-4 other girls (let’s go ahead and say 4) are really good little players.  They work hard, listen to the coaching, show up every game, and put all of their effort on the field each and every time they play.  These girls are naturally the girls that Becca has gravitated toward and became friends with.  As expected, the social scene was with these girls.  This is the way it should be with Division 3.  You should have 12-15 athletic girls that like to play sports.  They don’t specialize in one sport and they try to experience as much as they can so they can enjoy themselves and learn to compete.  On a team like this there should be 3-4 really good soccer players that can play at D-1.  3-4 really bad soccer players that have never touched a ball before joining the team.  The rest should be good athletes.  This is a perfect summary of Rebecca’s team.

Off to San Marcus

I joined the coach on the sidelines to help assist him after I jumped through the hoops to get my “sideline pass”.  I wore more around my neck than I did when I went to the Texans playoff game in the luxury box.  Coach decided to risk the defense at the start and placed Rebecca at Center-Forward.  He hoped for a quick goal so we could set the tone.  I watched the opposing team in warm ups and quickly scouted them out.  There were 2 giant girls that appeared to be twins that  ran like deers and had an intimating look about them.  I realized that our team was scared.  The girls were talking about how “BIG” this team was.  We tried to ease their tension.  Becca and a couple of her friends hit them hard and dominated the possession time on their side of the field.  The problem was that all 11 of their girls showed up to play.  Only 4 of ours did.  They scored a quick goal against us and I watched Becca’s leadership skills improve.  She was shouting at the girls to stop standing flat-footed, get moving, calling for the ball, trying everything to motivate them.  The girls just stood around and reacted.  Coach leaned over to me with 5 minutes before half and said that he was going to give Becca a breather right before half and have her hold the back for the second half and not give up anymore goals.  About the time he said this, they scored again making it 0-2.  When Becca walked off the field something that I have never seen happen took place.  Becca kicked her water cooler, then kicked her soccer bag and shouted angrily that the girls were, “not helping.. they are just standing around…”  The fire was in her eyes.  She wanted to win.  At half the coach’s daughter (goal keeper) came off the field with tears in her eyes.  She was so mad that her team was quitting out there.  We lost 0-2.

At lunch Sydney (coach’s daughter) and Becca wanted to eat lunch together.  This was a great time to tell the girls… “you know what, you got to the state championship, you beat every team in the eastern region…  You gave it your all out there.  These girls came more for the fun and the hotels, and the out-of-town experience.  You two came to win.  We respect that and you have nothing to hold your head down low for.”  Hopefully, coach and I pumped them up but this taste of defeat will remain with Becca for a long time.

2nd game was worse.  Girls just started playing around and not taking it seriously.  Becca played her little heart out along with her friends… The rest of the girls just didn’t care.

The negative to a division 3 team is the lack of competition in the girls.

The positive to a division 3 team is the lack of competition in the girls.  It’s all about life experiences and having a good time.

Becca is not made that way.  She needs to compete.

At least we had a good time with the friends…

Well, the chance has been given to our oldest daughter, Rebecca.  This past weekend her Rush Soccer Team won the district level tournament and were invited to compete with 3 other teams for the title, “STATE CHAMPIONS – U14 Division 3 Soccer”.  Funny how things work out.

For years Rebecca has been on a division 1 soccer team with Challenge Soccer Club.  She nor her team has ever had a sniff of the state championship.  We battled, we cried, we bled, we won a few but most of all Rebecca learned what teamwork, hardwork, dedication to a goal and grit means.  She is the ultimate teammate.  I am not sure if Challenge ever recognized it but she is a quiet leader… The quiet assassin on the soccer field.

Truthfully, we were excited to end the season with this Division 3 team.  Her goal in joining this team was to keep up her skills waiting for Magnolia High School soccer to come.  She never really had plans to commit to the team.  She knew she was the best athlete/soccer player on the team.  We had many talks around the fact that she needed to be a leader.  Be nice to these girls, show them how training, practice, and game play should be done.  Never be arrogant (this is opposite of everything I am!) and show up every day ready to do the job on the soccer field.  A funny thing happened along this journey; Rebecca began to make friends on the team, she began to enjoy imposing her will on the field, she gained in self confidence.  This was something that Challenge never bothered to teach her.  Rebecca was even having second thoughts going into the regional tournament.  She thought that this past weekend would be her last game EVER with Rush and she would be able to walk away.  She had no plans on going to the state tournament.  She thought she should go to a field trip with the choir members at her Junior High.

After winning the regionals, Becca and I started talking about a chance to win a state championship.  I simply asked her, “how many chances in your life do you think you will be given to be a state champion?”  I told her that I had never had the opportunity.  Regardless of the fact that it is division 3, regardless of the fact that your Challenge team was at a different level.  You have worked hard, you have created friendships, your have battled on the field with a group of girls to create a unique opportunity.  Everyone on her team knows that Becca is a D-1 player.  They count on her, they need her, they want her to help them accomplish the title.  Leadership is created and tested on even the quietest of leaders.  I have never been more proud of my daughter, the Silent Assassin.

Lets all hope Becca and I return from San Marcus next weekend claiming the title of “State Champion”

All and all, I think the ladies really had a blast.  They want to walk again next year.  I am a little concerned about the donations though!  It was rough pestering all of you and all my other friends that avoid this blog for money.  Again, THANKS to all of you that did donate!

Saturday of the walk, Rebecca, Brooke and myself loaded up the vehicle and drove down to the bowls of Houston.  Trying to talk to Trena on the cell while she walked and get directions to there current location was a task I don’t want to repeat.  We actually drove around for an hour trying to coordinate where they would be at the same time I would be there.  SO… I threw in the towel and asked Trena the question I should of asked months before, “Where does the walk end on Saturday?”  Needless to say, we drove to the end and camped out about .25 miles in front of the finish line.

I can only imagine the great sites that Trena and Diana were able to see as they walked the streets of Houston.  Rice University was the finish line and I felt smart standing just inside the entry gates to the University.  (I do admit, I kept thinking someone was going to yell, “HEY mouth breather!  What are you doing inside these sacred walls?).

This is the entrance (walkers walking toward the camera) of Rice University.  I was stationed on a bench of a statue of Old Man Rice.  I had my handy zoom lens waiting for Trena and Diana to enter this gate.  What I remember most was how truly beautiful the day was.  There wasn’t a cloud in the sky and the temperature was 78.  Perfect weather for a perfect ending.  I was so proud of both my wife and sister.  They set a goal, trained hard, and accomplished it.  Trena could try a thousand times to teach our girls about hard work, goals, etc with her words… Nothing spoke to Rebecca and Brooke more than watching their mother walk inside this gate.

As soon as the ladies reached us I turned and walked the .25 miles with them!  Yippee!  I didn’t get any high-fives though..:)

When they finished they headed straight to the little yoga tent… Instead of stretching they sat with their feet on a little vibrating pad.

Way to go Trena and Diana!  I am so proud of you for your strength, for your determination and for the example you gave the girls.

This new team is a trip.  This is what one would call a “rebuilding year”.  Well you know what?!?!  Bring it on!  I am excited.  I love these young kids.  Jose Altuve is a 5’5 tall 21 year old 2nd baseman that is on fire at the plate!  JD Martinez is a future all-star.  I am trying to like the new center fielder, Jordan Shafer, but he looks like a skateboarding dope smoker.  So…. Sometimes looks can be conceiving.

Jose Altuve

JD Martinez

All of these young players are fun to watch.  They all hustle, they appear to love the game, and they play hard the entire game.  This is what baseball is supposed to be about.  Sitting in my car back in 1990, I saw/heard a group of young players that did the same.  Biggio, Bagwell, Caminiti, and Finley.  I was pumped to start watching them.  I think I am becoming the same way in 2012.  20 years later and I still get the same feelings.  Boy, was I a mess 20 years ago.  No way I could of imagined being where I am today at that time.

Now, my job is to get my two girls as excited about these young ‘Stros…

Sitting inside Minute Maid Park with my father, two daughters and their friends seems like a great way to start this new love of the Astros!  I highly recommend you take your family to the ballpark.  The new owner, Crane, has really done an excellent job marketing the Astros to to people.  It was a great night spent Root, Root, Root for the home team, eating hot dogs, ice cream, and peanuts.   Fun with family and friends.  Only problem, Astros lost.  But who remembers?  I remember these smiling faces above you.

]]> http://bowrag.net/the-new-young-astros/feed/ 0 http://bowrag.net/the-new-young-astros/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=the-new-young-astros http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/BowragPhotography/~3/oMMd6IbNu7E/ http://bowrag.net/turning-40/#comments Fri, 27 Apr 2012 04:13:29 +0000 Bowrag http://bowrag.net/?p=1587 The drama of birthdays…

Two years ago I turned 40.  I have never been one to concern myself with my age.  16 was probably my most exciting birthday because my parents were able to thankfully give me a vehicle.  Everything worked perfectly.  It was a storybook birthday.  I just can’t remember were or who I spent it with.  I remember the truck.

My 21st was supposed to be the next “great birthday”.  It was no big deal.  I had a fake id for many years prior and by the time I was 21 I was back in college and actually taking my school seriously.  So… I remember sitting in a restaurant, La Hacienda, that has now closed in Nacogdoches with Trena, a friend named Brandon Escalante and his girlfriend at the time.  We laughed, cried and drank margaritas together.  It came and went with nothing exciting.  Apparently there was a ghost in the restaurant.  I never met her.

My 30th was a blast.  A large group of us got together and went to the Houston Astros game!  We all sat behind 3rd base and cheered and shouted for the boys of summer.  We then ended up walking down the street to Sambuca.  We danced the night away!  What a night.

40th hit me like a ton of bricks.  I anticipated a great birthday… People throwing me parades and showering me with gifts.  It didn’t work that way.  Mom, Dad, DD and David met Trena and I at Walden Country Club for dinner.  The waiter was a pervert, the chef couldn’t cook, and the manager was a putz.  Needless to say, I was an ass and had a few choice words for the manager.  Dad, who usually is the one that rips into the poor sap that has poor service sat back and laughed.  I think he was proud that I have taken his craft and put my own spin to it.  Not sure if this is a good trait to have… But nonetheless, its a Bowie fault.

I was determined to make Trena’s 40th birthday a special one.  She deserves it.  We booked a trip to Fredricksburg, TX for a fun weekend in a bed and breakfast.  I’ll update the blog later on this trip.  We did decide to go to Bentwater Country Club for a fun dinner with the family.  Have you ever seen a better looking 40 year old???

All in all, I think Trena had fun.  She got to experience a great weekend in Fredricksburg.  A needed break in our busy spring.  We met the folks and family for a nice dinner and she was able to organize a Breast Cancer Walk with Avon in downtown Houston.  Fun times…. It’s a blessing that I am in the middle of this crazy life.

On the night we went, it was the Real Life Real Music live radio show.  I think this takes place once every-other week or so.  A friend of my oldest daughter hooked us up with tickets.  This friend’s father, Kyle, is the host of the music show.  Click on his link to hear some of his music.  I was impressed.  So, thanks to Kyle and his wonderful wife, Tara, the family was able to experience something new and exciting plus eat some great food.  One of the girls ordered the chicken-fried-steak and I am not kidding when I tell you it was the same size as the tire on my truck!  I ate the leftovers the next day.

The music was mostly acoustic guitar from the singer/songwriter.  Excellent quality and great listening experience.  I am not a huge music lover.  Don’t get me wrong.  I love to turn on the radio in my truck when I am going to work.  I can sing almost all of Avril Lavigne songs or Hank Williams Jr.  I can even bust out a few Elvis melodies.  But, I am not a musician.  My daughter, Rebecca, absolutely loves music.  She can sing and play the keyboard and piano that sits in our living room.  She can’t live without it.  Choir and soccer are her too biggest loves.  I tend to tune in to sports talk on the radio.  I guess you could say I am a popular music fan.  In other words, whatever is popular and played on either the pop/rock/country stations I am familiar.  It was obvious for me that these great people that invited us to the concert were “true musicians.”

One of the most exciting things about watching/living with kids that are in the early teenage years are the adventures that they get you involved with.  Without Rebecca meeting this friend, I would of never of found myself sitting on a weeknight listening to quality music from impressive songwriters at a 150 year old barn in the middle of Houston.  Sometimes I just sit and think of the great gifts that my daughters bring me.  You have to absolutely love life.

Below are a couple of quick snap shots of the folks we hear.  One was Lori McKenna, a female singer/songwriter that has written some songs for many country singers.

Here are my photos:

I like her because she is fighting back against her “stalker”.  Apparently, she has a guy that keeps sending her pictures of his private parts and won’t leave her alone.  She has decided to fight back.  She has “exposed” him and posted his name and email address to the public!  Way to go girl!!  Take a look at the link.

She first followed the legal system by filing a complaint and notifying the police.  Now she has acted on her own.  Good for her.  I love it when the stalker becomes the prey.