Not a lot to Write Home About

“So what are you going to write your blog about for next week”, Jenelle asked? "Aiyana's volleyball or your bow hunting?”

We were traveling home from Aiyana’s last volleyball game of the year, possibly her last game of playing while wearing some sort of high school or college uniform. The Lady Lakers had just gotten pounded by the first place team in the quarter finals.

It has been a fun season for me so far, both the hunting part and watching the volleyball team as they improved hugely as the season progressed. Somewhere along the way Aiyana had figured out her approach and was starting to really crank on the ball. As a dad I like to think that back in my own volleyball days I used to be a hitter to be reckoned with, and so seeing her figure it out and seeing the joy on her face while she played her heart out made me proud to be her dad.

But they didn't quite make it to the finals. And the deer that I had taken last week with my longbow wasn't exactly a giant either. But it was a really exciting hunt and after not getting a buck for two years it not only met my standards, but was more memorable than some of the successes I've had in the past. Seeing the arrow find its mark and being fletched with feathers from a turkey I had taken last spring, gave me a sense of accomplishment, knowing that there was meat in the freezer and that I had been a part of the checks and balances in nature.

So, to answer Jenelle's question, I guess that I'm writing about both.

Whether it's my hunting or Aiyana’s volleyball, we've both been having a pretty good year. I've been learning that it's sometimes best to set your standards to meet your own attainable goals instead of worrying about the expectations of everyone else, especially when those little goals help to make you better at what you do. I don't know if Aiyana has learned that yet or not, but she had a great season. 

This was Aiyana’s second year of playing for our local community college. She was the only returning player, and was able to take on the role of team captain and lead out in pumping up the team, as well as playing middle hitter and getting lots of big blocks and hits. Her enthusiasm rubbed off on the others which led to a much better season than the previous year. Even though they didn't win their division, just making it to the playoffs was awesome. And losing to the first place team wasn't fun but the girls did their best and lost gracefully. More than anything, seeing Aiyana mature and grow into a leader has been just great!

Aiyana’s team didn't win the playoffs and I didn't get a monster buck, but we enjoyed doing what we did. And if you read it this far, then I guess sometimes those little things are worth writing home about too.