Summer Update

Despite best efforts to keep this updated, I am failing miserably. Let's hope my memory will allow to get this updated before school starts. Marx graduated from 8th grade. As a parent, this grade was the "worst" when it came to keeping him motivated with good grades. Marx considered junior high as the 1/2 time period of a football game--doesn't really define the outcome of the game, you get a little break, and it "doesn't really matter". Ugh. Really! While his grades were ok--he wasn't even trying and it bugged me and his teachers. He was recommended for Advanced Placement for two classes, which I decided against. He has planned a heavy load for the next 4 years in order to be eligible to play sports in college and admission to a 4 year program, like at the U. It also didn't help during the end of the year when the teachers checked out either. I am glad that is over but I hope it isn't a prelude to the next 4 years or I will really begin to show signs of premature aging!

Marx is #36--He was not impressed with having to wear a purple helmet and purple/yellow stripped pants (yuck Sentinel Colors)--but at least he had an Ontario Jersey.

Marx had a brief period of rest before Football camp at the U of M. There were over 700 high school football players at this camp from across the country. Marx went with his buddy Keon and they had a blast. Marx and Keon along with other football players who were there without their teams (renegades) were placed on teams. When we arrived to the dorm, I saw a bus from Ontario and jokingly told Marx that Canadians came to the camp. He was impressed with that thought--until he was placed with the team from Ontario Oregon--then he thought I was a little nutty but we had a good laugh. The Ontario coaches were really impressed with Marx and during camp tryouts he won a starting spot as fullback for the varsity offense (freshman and sophomores don't really frequent this camp as we found out later) and linebacker for defense. He was getting pretty banged up from playing with bigger and more experienced Juniors and Seniors so he asked if he could bounce back to the JV squad so he didn't get too hurt. I was impressed with his forethought on that. We were still thrilled that Marx was talented enough to knock off the seniors who normally held those positions. After camp, Marx started lifting weights and doing power workouts with a wrestling coach as well as open mat with the head wrestling coach. His summer was busy with that and an additional football camp and wrestling camp. In between that, he mowed lawns, went to the mall and hung out with friends. We did go camping and to the lake once, but with Marx starting a new job at Snowbowl after being laid off for a month, we haven't had the funds to do much else. I actually enjoyed puttering around home for my vacation in July. Football starts August 17 and school starts August 31 so our summer is coming to a close.

For Marx's 15th birthday, we had a number of his friends over for a UFC match and sleepover. I bought a ton of food for sub sandwiches, etc and ended up with a bunch of leftovers. I guess I hit in between growth spurts! His birthday had a bit of a damper because of our neighbor. All summer we noticed that she was inviting homeless people to her home. It became a little too much on July 11th when a nasty fight broke out with one man being critically wounded and Marx T. witnessed it all. After a month of disruptive behavior from her house, I finally lost my patience with the multitude of people, some of which were aggressive towards neighbors, and the countless number of times I had to call the police for fights and other behavior I care not to write down. I also lost my patience with the park that we lease the land from. It appears that she has been trouble for more than a decade per the neighbors and the cops and until she quit paying her lease payment, the park didn't really do much about her. Fortunately, her family now recognizes that her behavior is of concern and they are moving her and the trailer out. It is sad to watch someone self-distruct, but after having homeless people (that she invited in) using my yard as a bed and toilet, I have little sympathy. I have ran into several deputy sheriffs who knew Grandpa Lockridge and spoke fondly of him and his dedication to service.

We were planning on going to the lake for my second week of vacation until out kitty Noodles attempted to fly and had a hard landing (he climbs on everything). He unfortunately fractured his leg, resulting in amputation. Now, Marx D and I are home nursing the little guy who is actually doing very well on three legs. Boomer and Sarge aren't too sure what to think about Noodles hobbling around and not attacking them at every pass. Noodles likes to watch Animal Planet so here is a photo of him earlier this summer!

Work has been crazy and I have been feeling better although I do have period bad days. I describe it as having the flu almost every month. Extreme cold weather and hot weather don't help but I am learning to slow down a bit and relax. Well, at least until sports kick into full swing!

A New Update--April 2009

It has been awhile since we did an update. I tried my hand at facebook but didn't like getting "friends" that I didn't know or that were friends of friends, etc. After playing with my settings even more, I decided enough. I think there is a contest on Facebook for getting the most friends, even if you don't really remember them from the 4th grade!

Marx has finally landed a different job. The promise to get him to several tournaments for Wrestling didn't really pan out (he made it to 1 and had to fight for it), the schedule really couldn't be adjusted for more consistency and he loved the work, but his boss wasn't easy to deal with. There is only so much ego one can handle. His boss has never had kids, so that seems to make a difference in attitude as well. So now he just started a new job working production at a lab so hopefully it will be a better fit. He went through an employment agency who gives great comments on the place. He will finish out his two week notice working both jobs since they wanted him right away but he wanted to do right by the other place.

I have been feeling much better despite the amount of traveling we have been doing lately. Marx finally made it to a freestyle tournament and wow--it is an amazing style of wrestling. If you have ever watched Olympic Wrestling that is what we see, but with kids. I am on new meds that seem to be working, until I got bronchitis and then I felt like I didn't even take anything. We realized that I hadn't been on antibiotics for over 10 years until this year, so I guess I was due! Work is going well. I jokingly tell my boss that I have been working part-time the last few months due to wrestling. I am greatful that they are so supportive of family.

Marx is getting well prepared for wrestling high schoolers since he is at a weight that we don't see many eighth graders so they bracket him in with high schoolers. It is overwhelming at times, but I think he walks away with learning something each time. Marx just got his braces off and decided to shave his head for a change. He is looking forward to football and wrestling camps this summer as well as lifting weights with the team. He will be graduating from the eighth grade in June (ahhhh) and turning 15. We will all have a safe year as he won't take drivers education until next summer.

A sad bit of news, our dog Boomer is really sick. We thought he had swallowed a foreign object and couldn't pass it. He has been in the vet's office for the whole week and we discovered that he has a severly inflamed small instestine which is swollen and blocked to the point that food cannot pass. He is miserable and on many medications to bring the inflamation under control. We aren't sure what is causing this, but if he manages to hold down food and water today he can come home. Marx's dentist wrote off the remaining balance on his braces last week which was a huge amount. I think was a blessing from God so that we can take care of our Boomer. We really want Boomer home and healthy!

Here are a few photos and I promise to update more regularly!

Tis Wrestling Season

Here are some photos of the first tournament at Carroll College. This tournament had over 500 wrestlers and is "small" by USAW standards. The next tournament will have 900 wrestlers. Marx has been practicing for over 3 months and did great at this tournament. I had another parent film for me and you can still hear me cheering quite loudly. This was the only match that I managed to get still photos of Marx. I am working on improving that! This is Marx wrestling Sammie, a friend--it stinks driving 2 hours to wrestle one of your practice partners. This was by far the best match ever as Marx and Sammie really went at it until Marx finally pulled out the pin. From a parent (and Club president) prospective, the tournament was great as we had 16 wrestlers from 3 Missoula area clubs that went over as a group. On film, you can hear other parents cheering for all of the other wrestlers that were with us. It was a great support network for the wrestlers! Marx T. also finally dubbed me an official Wrestling Mom as I woke up at 1:30 in the morning before we left for Helena to doublecheck Marx's bag for his gear!

Wrapping Up 2008

It is hard to believe how quickly the years go by. Let me see if I can sum the year up...

January

Marx T starts his last semester of school and begins the job search.

Marx D starts wrestling.

Lori--working, working, working

February

Marx T--school, school, flinching at wrestling tournaments

Marx D--wrestling, tournaments, school

Lori--working, nearly stroking out during wrestling tournaments

March

Marx T--School, job search, flinching a bit more, especially as Marx D. gets better, loves watching him win

Marx D--wrestling his heart out and getting good grades

Lori--working, suffers from serious butt cramps while seating at tournaments, voice completely gone

April

Marx T--more school, more job search, some interviews, enjoying watching Marx D come in 5th at State

Marx D--Freestyling wrestling now. Just practice, no tournaments. (Mom's heart couldn't take it). Working on Lacrosse

Lori--working, butt is feeling better, likes watching Lacrosse cause she don't know anything about it!

May

Marx T--Graduates from Trade School with a Certificate in Building Maintenance, trying to fight off the large honey do list, finds a job.

Marx D--Loves Lacrosse, a little bummed there isn't Lacrosse in high school, decides that Football and Wrestling are his two sports and wonders if he can do both in college!

Lori--Relieved that Marx found a job, just realized that the school year is almost over, just figured out that the wrestling season next year will be much, much longer! (Blood pressure pills anyone???)

June

Marx T--Messy radiator tech. Likes the shop, bummed about no vacation!

Marx D--School's done, lacrosse is done, wrestling and football camps are in full swing. Wins awards at football camp and enjoys working with the Griz Football players

Lori--Comatose this month--probably working--oh yeah, was promoted at work to Admin.

July

Marx T--Radiators, radiators. Buying tools, and tools and more tools.

Marx D--Hates lawnmowing, but it earns him some money. Volunteer lifeguard--at least the girls are cute. Saved a cell phone!

Lori--Vacation! Working with the wrestling club for fundraisers.

August

Marx T--Radiators are a little slow, but still buying tools.

Marx D--Been doing conditioning and wrestling technicque all summer. Can't wait until football starts

Lori--Needs another vacation. Gas too expensive to play on the waverunner all day.

September

Marx T--Radiators really slow. Football here, still loving that Snap On Guy.

Marx D--Yahhh football is here! Making touchdowns and lots of money.

Lori--Thinks she might need a part time job just to pay the football contract. Working

October

Marx T--Radiators are over. Found a job breaking toilets. Still trying to convince the wife he needs more tools.

Marx D--Football is over, wins Offenive MVP. Was leading scorer for team and second for the league. When does wrestling start he askes???

Lori--Working and flat broke. Working on new contract. Looking forward to the break. Foot hurts.

November

Marx T--Likes the cookies and free lunches at work. Doesn't need to buy anymore tools. Finally has 2 of each.

Marx D--Hitting the mat three times week. School is a chugging along. Wishing there were some tournaments close by.

Lori--Went from a little foot pain to maybe Lupus. How the heck did that happen?

December--Noodles arrived!

Marx T--Not liking all this snow. Had a little fender bender--barely a scratch. Traffic cop hit him responding though. If that isn't luck and a way to get out of a ticket.

Marx D--Not liking all the snow either (shoveling might have something to do with it). Still hitting the mat and counting the days til a tournament.

Lori--Something that starts with an L knocked me on my butt, but I am getting up and dusting off. Learning to say no and relaxing a little too.

2009 Wish List

Good health

Job stability

Good grades

Successful wrestling season

Love and Laughter and a little "sludge" wouldn't hurt either!

Now Its December!

Oh, I just realized that it has been awhile since I last updated this. So sorry to the dedicated followers!

Marx and his best friend Wes with Jackson and Katia during Halloween. I guess you are never too young to enjoy candy.

We had a little break between football and USAW wrestling. Marx has hit the mat 3 days a week now for about a month. The team was gearing for a tournament and will go back to a couple of days a week but now Marx was invited to practice with the high schoolers, which he will do a couple days a week as well. This is a great opportunity to get in some practice with his teammates for next year as well as get to know the coaches. He is still doing well in school. (I just realized that my sentences are lengthy and I am not going to edit them.)

Marx has a new job at the Doubletree. He is doing building maintenance and likes the work and the company. The shift is taking some getting used to since it is basically swing and working on Saturdays. They said they would work with us during tournament season which is great!

I am looking forward to Christmas. My mom said my favorite brother and sister in law with their absolutely adorable girls will be here during the holidays. I can't wait to see them all!

Football Is Over

Washington Grizzly Stadium--Little Griz Jamboree

Well, football season is over. I am a little sad too since it was Marx's last year of Little Griz Football. Marx had a great season. He was top scorer for the team, leading blocker and leading rusher. It was amazing to see the progression from last year to this year. Last year was the first time Marx played a ball handling position and though he ran tons of yards, he never made a touchdown. So to go from that to this year was amazing. During the awards banquet, Marx received the MVP Offense Trophy. When the coach asked him what he liked best about this season, he thanked his blockers. Without them, he wouldn't have been able to score. We were so pleased for him. He is also earning excellent grades.

Marx running the ball after a punt. He ran it back for 70 yards.

Here is Marx getting tackled. Notice that he isn't running with the ball??? Spencer (#8) is running with the ball. This is one of the specialties that Marx did this year. He fakes so well that he gets tackled--even the refs commented on it. They ran this play fake 3 times in a row and each time Marx was tackled.

We have a little break until wrestling season. Marx asked to wrestling freestyle and folkstyle so his wrestling season will start December 1st until June for USAW wrestling (which is both techniques) and then the regular Little Guy Season February and March. The high school coach is checking into letting him and the other 8th graders come and practice with the high school squad. That would be a great experience and excellent practice opportunity.

Marx T. is starting a new job on Monday. He will being doing maintenance at the Doubletree Hotel. We are excited for him. The job will be really in his comfort zone and the other staff he will be working with have been there a long time and seem to enjoy it. He will miss the guys at the diesel shop but the lack of work was difficult to deal with. He likes to be busy all of the time.

Football season is here

Marx is on the left walking.

Marx is busy with football. Lengthy practices, learning new plays and new positions. Because of his growth spurt, he weighs 123 with gear. Last year, he weighed 126 without gear! He is taller than me and primarily legs now! They lost, but Marx had a spectacular game. He ran quite a bit and earned 4 first downs. Several of his running plays were over 10 yards each. He also threw some great blocks--which is why he plays powerback or fullback. He isn't the fastest runner, but he is hard to stop as he can take hits. Since he plays safety on defense, he doesn't see as much action as he did as a lineman, but I think once he gets the hang of the position, that will change a bit. He also had an interception.

Here is a picture of what happens when you take a hard hit to the leg.

I have been trying to upload little video shots from each game. I am not having much success. It gets almost done and then I get an error so if anyone else has had an success, please let me know your trick. I have many videos from the first game where I was still working on keeping the play on the screen. Marx made an excellent interception, which caught on film, but there was nothing but sky as he ran 30+ yards. While I am yelling like a crazy woman, I realize that I am not filming, so I zero in right when he is pushed out of bounds. Marx was very excited about his interception and knew I was filming the game, but his excitment quickly waned during viewing. It was a beautifully cloudy day! I tried my tri-pod during the next game without much more success. There aren't any more grass or sky shots, but I forgot to "move" the camera as the play went up and down the field. Marx had a great second game with 4 fantastic tackles. One would have made his wrestling coach proud as he spun the kid to his back--a little muscle memory???

But, we finally had a game to top all others. Now, I am sure you are all wondering what that could be...

Let me give you a little history. When Marx first started football, he was over the ball carrying weight limit. This limited Marx to being on the line playing center and tackle and then guard and tackle during 5th and 6th grade years. While Marx had great success at these positions (his sacks cost me a lot of money), he really wanted to try running back, especially full back because those are the guys who power through the line. Well, during 7th grade Marx "made weight" thanks to a growth spurt. So Marx was able to play running back and LOVED IT. The only thing missing was scoring a touchdown. Marx always managed to squeek yards in, but when they would get close enough to score, Marx would help the quarterback fake a handoff and the quarterback would run it in. Marx did his job, but never scoring kind of nagged at him. Well, Marx finally had the game of a lifetime for Little Griz. Marx scored 2, yes 2 touchdowns. Both were power plays up the middle bouncing off tackles and all. He also had two interceptions, one of which turned the game around to allow him to score. He also had two great punt returns and some hard tackles. The game cost me $$$$!!! I also got all of it on video!!!

The "contract" stems from 5th grade. Keep in mind that boys play "tackle" football during recess from Kindergarden and up but I think they lovingly called it King of the Mountain or whatever. I mended plenty of pants, washed many muddy clothes and kissed a few bruises too. I never thought that real tackle football would be any different. In fact, I was greatful for the pads and helmet. So, it was quite the surprise for Michelle and I to watch our boys not tackling. I finally yelled that I would pay Marx $5 for a sack and wouldn't you know it, I got my sack and on the next play too. That was how it all started. Because he has always done so well with defense, we backed out of paying for tackles because he did so many. He averaged 2 sacks per game during 5th & 6th grade years. Now, after an outstanding play he signs the "amount" I owe from the sidelines. I can honestly say that I think that Marx really isn't doing it for the money any more. Once he figured out what he was doing, the pleasure of doing a job well was payment enough--the rest is just gravy. I hope when he plays football in high school, he'll sign "Love You" rather than "get your checkbook, this one's gonna cost you"!