It has been a tumultuous year.  Especially as it relates to my lacrosse club.  Our teams had their up and downs this weekend.  I was at a lot of the games coaching, but was also running between games a lot.  I managed to coach all of Eden’s games, most of Liz’s, and some of Maggie’s.  I was not able to make it to Noah’s as he was out of state.

I was really proud of my teams.  They all competed hard.  They didn’t win all of their games, which I know disappoints them (and their parents), but they are all improving, and are having fun, and for that I am really pleased.

I was very impressed with and proud of my kids this weekend.  As each had some special performances.

Maggie played up a year in age with the 2025s.  They played a tough team called Lady Blue Crabs (LBC).  They had a very tall girl, who dominated the draw the entire first half.  We won very few in the first half, with our best draw girl.  In the second half, our draw coach decided to put Maggie on the draw.  She was at least a foot shorter than the girl she was drawing against, maybe even a foot and a half.  But Maggie won 4 straight draws!  And we scored the next three goals, to close a wide gap to 9-5.  She also was tenacious on defense.  Then, later in the day, she played M&D and scored two goals.  And the next day, she played Heros, and was awesome all over the field, frustrating the other team’s best player with aggressive defense.  It is fun to see her do this, especially since she is so much smaller than her competition.

Noah had a weekend!  I was getting texts all weekend of the scores and how he was doing, even though I didn’t see it.  In his first game, his team won 4-3.  He had two goals and two assists.  His last goal, the winning goal, came with 22 seconds left in the game.  They lost the next game, but he had 4 goals.  The third game, he had 1 goal and two assists.  And his last game, they won 8-7.  Noah had 6 goals, including the game winner.  13 goals on the weekend, and not really sure how many assists.  He drove back from Hershey PA to make it to her older sister’s last game of a recruiting tournament.  As she walked off the field, he came up and asked her how many goals she had this weekend, and proceeded to let her know he had 13!

In her last tournament of the year, Eden played her best ball.  She forced several turnovers by the goalies of opposing teams, many of which resulted in goals.  She fought for really tough ground balls and won them, especially late in the C2 game, when we needed possession to secure the victory.  And she scored both days.  We have some great scorers on our teams, who have some fancy shots.  Courtney had a particularly awesome shot on Saturday.  But Eden’s second goal took the cake this weekend.  She faked the goalie high.  Then she faked the goalie low; the goalie bit and so did I; I thought it was saved, and then Eden threw it in the goal past the goalie.  Fake-fake-goal!  Loved it.

Liz played in a recruiting tournament.  Her first game was awesome, 4 assists.  Second game two goals and two assists.  Third game, I think she had 3 assists and a goal.  Her best couple of shots though came in the last game.  On one, she came around the crease and threw a fake pass; the goalie bit on the pass, and completely turned around to see where she passed it, and Liz threw it in the open goal.  Then a few minutes later, she drove around the cage, and threw a no look twizzler to the upper corner; it skimmed the goalie’s helmet though and careened off the crossbar, straight down, but not breaking the plain.  So close, but still awesome.

I am so proud of my kids.  They all have great attitudes and work really hard.  I hope that the work ethic that they are developing in their youth carries on through the rest of their lives.

My life revolves around my children.  For some time, this has been the case.  My free waking moments have been dedicated to sports, their pursuit of sports, and my involvement in coaching.

But this is not my career.  This has not been my path in life.  Prior to having children, and even 10 years into being a father, I was very focused on my career as a software developer in higher education.  And I enjoyed it.

I have continued along the same track since, but my focus has been spread too thin, and I have worked in environments that have been more difficult to make things happen.

I attended yesterday a conference of library programmers.  I met up with some old friends.  I was especially excited to see an old friend from Maryland, the man who taught me so much about how to be a programmer.  He told me at lunch that he thinks I am crazy.

I was at a conference surrounded by people who love being here, who love what they are doing.  It is really fun to be in a group of such passionate people.

I have recently been invigorated in my job with the opportunities that lie before me.  I have a slate of exciting projects at work.  It has taken me a long time to get these projects.  The projects could make a difference.  A real difference.

My only trick is finding the luxury of focus, since I am a little crazy.  It is hard to figure.

It is Star Wars Saturday. I am out with Sweetie Edie watching her dominate the court at Garrison Forest. She is on a team with a few of her friends from school, Winnie and Charlotte. Their team is playing well as a team. It is fun to watch Eden. She is talented and aggressive. She works hard and makes plays and she talks on the court. She is always smiling. She usually does the inserting on corners. I enjoy watching them strategize before they insert. Eden holding the ball as they discuss what play to run. What fun it is to be a dad.

Eden wins, 5-0. And Eden scores 2 goals

Luke has been anticipating the release of the new Star Wars movie for some time. While many kids count the days until Christmas, he has been counting down until Dec 15, the release date for The Last Jedi. Every day, he has been reminding me to buy tickets. I was planning to wait until Christmas morning and give them tickets for the next day, but I was afraid someone would spoil a plot line for them or me.

Luke has become quite a Star Wars fan. He has a lot of his father in him. Like his father before him, he has been indoctrinated into the Star Wars order at a young age. I saw Empire in theatres when i was three years old. And Return of the Jedi when I was 6. I didn’t see the original movie until just before Return of the Jedi was released.

It was a different day and age. It was typical to have to wait for things. There was not a society of instant gratification and immediate fulfillment. It is good to learn to wait for something that you want. Patience is a virtue. When you are patient, you can learn to be in control of yourself and master your impulses.

So, back to Star Wars, I have built this release up quite a bit. The excitement, the fervor is palpable in the Kennedy house, especially with Luke. When he introduces himself, he sometimes says, “I’m Luke. My real name is Luke Skywalker, right Dad?” His excitement level is high. Last night, he and I stayed up late watching Rogue One to raise the temperature on our fever pitch.

I know how much we have all anticipated this movie. And so I am glad that the kids have been patient and positively excited for today’s event. I read the theatre rules. No masks, no blasters, but you are allowed to dress up and bring light sabres. Awesome. Luke knows the rules. He may bring his Sabre, a weapon from a more elegant age, when Jedi kept the peace.

The kids dressed in Star Wars shirts last night. I am ready. Who is Snoke? Who is Rey? I have read theories. I have formed my own as well. I was an avid reader of Star Wars novels in my teens. I can’t wait to see what today reveals.

Luke, the Force will be with you … always.

PS – After the movie, Luke said to me, “I waited so long for that, and it was so great!”

Liz became an IAAM champ for field hockey this fall with her school team. They defeated Maryvale in the championship, 3-0. Liz had a goal and an assist.

A friend shared with us the game footage. Liz was amazing. She outhustled all of her opponents all over the field. She earned that championship and has been proud of it.

I recently read a book by Lou Holtz.  I believe it was his autobiography.  I was inspired.  One point of his book was a story he told about how he created a list of things he wanted to do before he died.  The list was 97 things.  He has accomplished most of them.  Such a list is commonly referred to as a bucket list.

I recently turned 40.  This blog has provided me a means to look back at the last few years of my life, and see the roller coaster that my days have become.  And also I have seen that time passes quickly.  I have had a charmed 40 years thus far, but my pace for excitement has changed.  We are not experiencing life at the same pace we were doing in our 20s, or even in our mid-30s.

It has been a year since my dad was put in the hospital for Miller-Fisher Syndrome.  I remember that life is short.  Walt Disney is quoted as saying,

Around here, however, we don’t look backwards for very long.  We keep moving forward, opening up new doors and doing new things because we’re curious, and curiosity keeps leading us down new paths.

I have enjoyed 40 years on this floating rock we call Earth.  I have had too many wonderful experiences to recount.  It is time for me to look forward and pick up the pace.  I am now focused forward.  Here is my list for the next 40 years.  My 40 for 40 (in no particular order).

1. Run a marathon
2. Witness Aurora Borealis
3. Visit Mayan ruins
   8/7/2018 – Visited the Mayan ruins of Coba, in Mexico.
4. Celebrate my 50th anniversary with Marcia, and dance with her
5. Walk my 3 girls down the aisle
6. Jump from a plane
7. See a whale in the wild
8. Fly in a helicopter over a volcano in Hawaii
9. Drive the family across the country
10. Zipline through a jungle
    8/7/2018 – Ziplined over a lagoon in the Mayan jungle near Coba
11. Visit Paris, France
12. Visit the Pyramids
13. Visit Yellowstone National Park and watch Old Faithful erupt
14. Be there for each of my children in their darkest hour
15. Take my kids fishing
16. Shoot a gun
17. Hike the Grand Canyon
18. Camp at Acadia National Park
19. Visit all 7 continents
20. Scuba dive
21. Mountain bike with some of my children
22. Enter the White House
23. Travel outside the country with Marcia, just the two of us
    8/4/2018 – Playa del Carmen, Mexico
24. Climb a mountain
25. Sail a boat in open water
26. Ride a motorcycle
27. Babysit my grandkids
28. Witness each of my children achieve something great
29. Make a significant positive change in someone’s life
30. Surprise my wife
31. Take Marcia wine-tasting
32. Vacation at Martha’s Vineyard
33. Play Craps
34. Visit Stonehenge
35. Visit Easter Island
36. Fly on a plane that has a water landing
37. Climb to the top of the Statue of Liberty
38. Visit a castle
39. Make something great
40. Make my wife happy

I was in Philadelphia with Liz and her friend, Mackenzie. Liz was at a two day lacrosse camp at Penn. She really enjoyed herself. She played very well and met friends. She put together her own 4v4 team. I did not watch the entire event. On Saturday I went back to the hotel.

I took a running tour of Old City. Highlights included Betsy Ross house, Independence Hall, the Liberty Bell, and Ben Franklins grave. I was struck by how small they all were.

I was also struck by a passage at the Liberty Bell about John Adams, our 2nd President, and the need to crack down on aliens in order to protect our country. We live today in a very politically correct world where I do believe many people do not recognize that real threats to our lives do exist. And people do not respect what others in this country do so that they can live peacefully and forget about these threats. In older days, everything was right in your face and real, not watched on TV or through social media. I do not have any answers, but have at least given pause to consider what is best for our country.

Pause over. I went back to the hotel, overrun by Army fans for the Army-Navy game. I decided to go to the fitness center and lift. Great workout. I felt refreshed.

I went back at night and caught Liz and Mackenzie in action. I really love watching Liz play. She has worked so hard. I would like to see her with other players who have worked as hard as her.