Normally I go to San Francisco to visit the Pleasant Hill Picketts and watch the Super Bowl with Sean. However, this year his international travel schedule made that impossible. So I drove over to Cleveland--sunny and dry road all the way--to do the same with Brendan. Friday was my first day and it was very relaxed; we just stayed home. Brady--shown at left--provided us with his humorous perspective on life while we waited for the rest of the crew to arrive home. Brock and then Braden arrived from school. They got their grade reports last week and did very well. Braden got all A's with a couple of A+'s! She is in middle school. Brock is still in grade school where they try to downplay academic competitiveness but still everyone knows that a "+" is the equivalent of an "A" and he got all +'s! Eileen got home from her job after a hectic week there. We went out to dinner at a very good Mexican restaurant. After the kids went to bed, we watched
Restrepo, a documentary about an outpost in Afghanistan directed by Sebastian Junger.
Saturday was a typically active day in the Pickett household. We went to Braden's basketball game, Brock's soccer game, and then Brock skateboarding at Chenga 2 indoor skate park. The basketball game started out pretty lopsided with Braden's St. Raphael's team up 8-2. The other team closed the gap and tied the game in the fourth quarter. St. Raphael ended up winning 13-11. Braden played tough defense and had at least two assists.
We got to Brock's soccer game in progress and unfortunately missed his goal. His team ended up losing 5-4 with the winning goal scored in the final minutes. He really enjoys playing and is quite good. After that we spent a couple of hours at the skate park as he demonstrated another sport he is good at and enjoys.
That evening they had a birthday dinner for me. Eileen's parents--Tom and Peg--came over. It was good to see them and to celebrate with the family. Tomorrow is big day with Brock competing in some snow boarding events and Braden in soccer. It won't be possible to catch all or even any of her game unfortunately.
This was a day devoted to snowboarding and the Super Bowl. Brendan and I took Brock to a snowboard competition. We arrived at the ski area around 8:30 and left around 3:00. Fortunately it wasn't terribly cold although my feet certainly felt the effects on standing on ice and snow for five hours! I was able to get inside for lunch, some rest, and the award ceremonies. Brock competed in the border cross and slope style and took first place in his age class. No surprise to me that he was the youngest competitor in both.
