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Showing posts with label Kennedy. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Kennedy. Show all posts
Sunday, February 3, 2008
08 Spelling Bee
Download the video: www.windwardsailor.com/uploads/KennedySpellingBee.avi.
You can congratulate Kennedy at: kennedy@windwardsailor.com.
Sunday, August 26, 2007
Thursday, August 23, 2007
Sunday, August 19, 2007
Summer Vacation, pt 1
What a busy summer for the Erwin family this year!
So, this is part one - Georgia.
Kennedy and Natalie left home on June 7th to visit Barry and Cathy for about a week. I (Michael) took them, and stayed a couple of days.
We visited the World of Coke, basically a tribute to Coca-Cola and all of their products from the past and present. The highlight of the tour is the "Taste It!" room, in which about 70 different Coke products from around the world are offered. Some were fruity, some were traditional soda drinks, and some were downright awful! I recommend you try the Beverly at least once. You probably won't try it again :).
That night we went to a Braves game. Unfortunately, Alfonso Soriano (Chicago Cubs- boo) hit a home run on the first pitch of the game, then another one on the first pitch he saw in the second inning, and another one in the fourth inning. The Braves lost 9-1.
The girls also visited some sites in Warm Springs, GA, including The Little White House. I remember visiting TLWH when I was young growing up in Georgia. What I remember the most was the big goldfish.
There's also a Wild Country Safari in Pine Mountain, near Warm Springs. And they visited the Atlanta Zoo, to see the new baby pandas that were born there last fall. You can visit the Panda Cam during the day to see the pandas live!
The girls also went to the top of Stone Mountain. I was really proud when I saw the pictures, impressed that they walked all the way to the top, and wondering how my dad got them to do that. Later, I learned that they rode the tram to the top and walked down!
So, thanks to Bear for a great week!
So, this is part one - Georgia.
Kennedy and Natalie left home on June 7th to visit Barry and Cathy for about a week. I (Michael) took them, and stayed a couple of days.
We visited the World of Coke, basically a tribute to Coca-Cola and all of their products from the past and present. The highlight of the tour is the "Taste It!" room, in which about 70 different Coke products from around the world are offered. Some were fruity, some were traditional soda drinks, and some were downright awful! I recommend you try the Beverly at least once. You probably won't try it again :).
That night we went to a Braves game. Unfortunately, Alfonso Soriano (Chicago Cubs- boo) hit a home run on the first pitch of the game, then another one on the first pitch he saw in the second inning, and another one in the fourth inning. The Braves lost 9-1.
The girls also visited some sites in Warm Springs, GA, including The Little White House. I remember visiting TLWH when I was young growing up in Georgia. What I remember the most was the big goldfish.
There's also a Wild Country Safari in Pine Mountain, near Warm Springs. And they visited the Atlanta Zoo, to see the new baby pandas that were born there last fall. You can visit the Panda Cam during the day to see the pandas live!
The girls also went to the top of Stone Mountain. I was really proud when I saw the pictures, impressed that they walked all the way to the top, and wondering how my dad got them to do that. Later, I learned that they rode the tram to the top and walked down!
So, thanks to Bear for a great week!
Sunday, April 29, 2007
National Music Federation
Kennedy just participated in the local Music Federation's competition. She's been taking piano lessons for almost three years now, two with Dr. Diane Earle in Owensboro, and this year with Martha Stork, in her home in a neighborhood right behind our house.
Before she started lessons this year, I described the competitions I had been in while I was taking lessons with Ms. Carley back in Griffin. She seemed interested, and I asked if that was something she'd like to do, and whether I should seek out a piano teacher willing to do that. She said she would, so that was one of the questions I asked Ms. Stork before we started lessons.
Kennedy prepared two pieces for the competition. The less difficult was entitled "Gypsy Earrings," the more difficult, "The Notorious Pirate." She had her pieces picked out just after the Christmas holidays, and had them ready to go in mid-February, so her teacher had her put them aside until just a few weeks before the competition.
I (Michael) took her to the event, held at Harrison High School here in Evansville. This is the kind of event where musicians on various instruments play before a judge and receive a written critique and a numerial score, which is then translated to either: Fair, Good, Excellent, Superior, or Super Superior. A perfect score of all 50 points ranks you at Super Superior, with 5 point degradations below that.
She signed in and got her room assignment, and then we headed down to the room, 30 minutes before her allotted time. When we arrived, the room monitor said that no other person with times before her had arrived, and she was welcome to go on in as soon as the judge returned from a lunch break. She said she was ready.
She was nervous. Waiting for the judge to return wasn't too bad, but when Kennedy saw the judge enter the room, she mentioned that she wasn't feeling good. Butterflies big time. I reminder her of the basics: take her time getting ready, say hello to the judge, get the bench in the right place, take a deep breath before each piece, and say thank you to the judge before she left. That seemed to calm her enough. She went in.
It was my turn to be nervous. There is no feeling like standing outside a classroom, listening to your daughter play piano through the door, knowing she's being judged on every little movement. But I digress; this isn't about me.
Her teacher had recommended she start with the easier piece. Good advice. She played absolutely perfectly, at least to this dad's ears. Not a mistake, great tempo and tempo changes, dynamics perfect, not a note out of place. Same thing on the second, more difficult, piece. Great expression in every dimension. She lost herself every so briefly on two occasions on the second piece.
The music ended. I breathed a heavy sigh of relief. The door opened and out she came. The room monitor went into the room, and we had a few moments to wait until the score came out. I told her how beautiful the pieces were, and that I was proud of her, and what she said next is priceless, worth every trip to every lesson, every reminder to practice daily (some more trying than others), worth all of it. What she said was, "I know. I'm proud of myself."
Out came the score: Superior. She was smiling from ear to ear. She played so beautifully. We went to the "music store" that someone had set up near the registration table, and Kennedy picked out a nice portfolio to keep her music in, which we bought to celebrate her big piano day.
Just the other day, she had her first piano lesson after the competition. Ms. Stork had a blue ribbon for her and a certificate indicating her accomplishment. But, more importantly, she had the judge's original score sheet, which was Kennedy's to keep. Looking at the scoring, we discovered that her two foibles had cost her only one point, and that was the only deduction on the entire sheet. She had performed one point away from a perfect score!
So, we are so proud of her, and like I wrote above, even more importantly, she came away with a very positive experience and a great foundation for future adventures.
Before she started lessons this year, I described the competitions I had been in while I was taking lessons with Ms. Carley back in Griffin. She seemed interested, and I asked if that was something she'd like to do, and whether I should seek out a piano teacher willing to do that. She said she would, so that was one of the questions I asked Ms. Stork before we started lessons.
Kennedy prepared two pieces for the competition. The less difficult was entitled "Gypsy Earrings," the more difficult, "The Notorious Pirate." She had her pieces picked out just after the Christmas holidays, and had them ready to go in mid-February, so her teacher had her put them aside until just a few weeks before the competition.
I (Michael) took her to the event, held at Harrison High School here in Evansville. This is the kind of event where musicians on various instruments play before a judge and receive a written critique and a numerial score, which is then translated to either: Fair, Good, Excellent, Superior, or Super Superior. A perfect score of all 50 points ranks you at Super Superior, with 5 point degradations below that.
She signed in and got her room assignment, and then we headed down to the room, 30 minutes before her allotted time. When we arrived, the room monitor said that no other person with times before her had arrived, and she was welcome to go on in as soon as the judge returned from a lunch break. She said she was ready.
She was nervous. Waiting for the judge to return wasn't too bad, but when Kennedy saw the judge enter the room, she mentioned that she wasn't feeling good. Butterflies big time. I reminder her of the basics: take her time getting ready, say hello to the judge, get the bench in the right place, take a deep breath before each piece, and say thank you to the judge before she left. That seemed to calm her enough. She went in.
It was my turn to be nervous. There is no feeling like standing outside a classroom, listening to your daughter play piano through the door, knowing she's being judged on every little movement. But I digress; this isn't about me.
Her teacher had recommended she start with the easier piece. Good advice. She played absolutely perfectly, at least to this dad's ears. Not a mistake, great tempo and tempo changes, dynamics perfect, not a note out of place. Same thing on the second, more difficult, piece. Great expression in every dimension. She lost herself every so briefly on two occasions on the second piece.
The music ended. I breathed a heavy sigh of relief. The door opened and out she came. The room monitor went into the room, and we had a few moments to wait until the score came out. I told her how beautiful the pieces were, and that I was proud of her, and what she said next is priceless, worth every trip to every lesson, every reminder to practice daily (some more trying than others), worth all of it. What she said was, "I know. I'm proud of myself."
Out came the score: Superior. She was smiling from ear to ear. She played so beautifully. We went to the "music store" that someone had set up near the registration table, and Kennedy picked out a nice portfolio to keep her music in, which we bought to celebrate her big piano day.
Just the other day, she had her first piano lesson after the competition. Ms. Stork had a blue ribbon for her and a certificate indicating her accomplishment. But, more importantly, she had the judge's original score sheet, which was Kennedy's to keep. Looking at the scoring, we discovered that her two foibles had cost her only one point, and that was the only deduction on the entire sheet. She had performed one point away from a perfect score!
So, we are so proud of her, and like I wrote above, even more importantly, she came away with a very positive experience and a great foundation for future adventures.
Tuesday, April 24, 2007
Soccer Update
U10 Mutiny Soccer Update:
Kennedy's team has played several games. They're about .500 right now, but the key is, they are improving every game. I've enjoyed the coaching aspect of the game immensely, and my understanding of the game at this level has improved quite a bit.
The fun of coaching this level is this: the idea is to keep the forwards in front, the backs in back, and the mids in-between. Invariably, the players on my team will get one message from me and a different message from their parents. Especially forwards. I try to teach them to play "offense, offense, offense," yet parents insist that their daughters move back almost all the way to the penalty box to help out on defense. Así es la vida.
The other point about coaching at this level is that they are more apt to listen to their coach (yeah!), which makes their parents yell all the more loudly!!!
U8 Fire Soccer Update:
Natalie's team is doing well. They've had several games, and are probably not up to .500 for the season currently. We very seldom have all our girls at any given game. Last Saturday we had five girls total show up to play five positions. They were worn out by the end of the game.
U8 is still in the realm of what I call "magnet ball." Imagine that the ball is a magnet, and all the players are iron shavings. They are totally and irresistibly attracted to the ball. We have been able to keep two defensive players on the defensive side of the field for most of the game. The danger there is, they are usually chatting or daydreaming when the ball comes down toward the goal they are defending. That makes for exciting moments.
We have just three more weeks of soccer left to play. And no fall soccer, considering the girls' league plays only in the spring. So, we're going to enjoy it while we can.
Kennedy's team has played several games. They're about .500 right now, but the key is, they are improving every game. I've enjoyed the coaching aspect of the game immensely, and my understanding of the game at this level has improved quite a bit.
The fun of coaching this level is this: the idea is to keep the forwards in front, the backs in back, and the mids in-between. Invariably, the players on my team will get one message from me and a different message from their parents. Especially forwards. I try to teach them to play "offense, offense, offense," yet parents insist that their daughters move back almost all the way to the penalty box to help out on defense. Así es la vida.
The other point about coaching at this level is that they are more apt to listen to their coach (yeah!), which makes their parents yell all the more loudly!!!
U8 Fire Soccer Update:
Natalie's team is doing well. They've had several games, and are probably not up to .500 for the season currently. We very seldom have all our girls at any given game. Last Saturday we had five girls total show up to play five positions. They were worn out by the end of the game.
U8 is still in the realm of what I call "magnet ball." Imagine that the ball is a magnet, and all the players are iron shavings. They are totally and irresistibly attracted to the ball. We have been able to keep two defensive players on the defensive side of the field for most of the game. The danger there is, they are usually chatting or daydreaming when the ball comes down toward the goal they are defending. That makes for exciting moments.
We have just three more weeks of soccer left to play. And no fall soccer, considering the girls' league plays only in the spring. So, we're going to enjoy it while we can.
Thursday, March 22, 2007
The U10 Mutiny - First Practice
Kennedy's soccer team, the U10 Mutiny, had its first real practice this past Saturday. I say real, because we practiced Thursday, but only for about 30 minutes (it was super cold and a little bit rainy).
So, Saturday was not rainy, at least. It was a little cold. And a tad bit muddy.
I (Michael) am coaching the team. My first foray into coaching soccer; I was an assistant for Natalie's U6 team last spring. Of course, U6 coaching basically consists of a) tying shoe laces, and b) pointing them toward the correct goal every now and then. U10 is different. So, this season, I'm focusing on developing better technical skills primarily, and we'll do some basic tactical skills.
See, I've learned the lingo. In soccer, there are two categories of skills.
This Tuesday's practice was a different story. It rained all day Monday and Tuesday, and let up just in time for practice. Take into account that our field is low and flat. No drainage. Basically, we practiced in 1 inch of standing water. Some places had grass and others didn't (mud). The girls had fun anyway, even if the balls didn't roll very well.
There was supposed to be practice today, but I cancelled it. Practicing in mud is fun, but you can only do so much with it. Saturday might be better. We'll see.
Game schedules are due out this weekend for both Kennedy and Natalie. I'll post those here, and you're welcome to visit us and see a great game!
So, Saturday was not rainy, at least. It was a little cold. And a tad bit muddy.
I (Michael) am coaching the team. My first foray into coaching soccer; I was an assistant for Natalie's U6 team last spring. Of course, U6 coaching basically consists of a) tying shoe laces, and b) pointing them toward the correct goal every now and then. U10 is different. So, this season, I'm focusing on developing better technical skills primarily, and we'll do some basic tactical skills.
See, I've learned the lingo. In soccer, there are two categories of skills.
- Technical. I define these as what you do with the ball by yourself, or almost by yourself. Dribble, pass, shoot, throw-in, things like that.
- Tactical. This would be things like, learning positions on the field, expectations for each position (forward, midfield, back, keeper; left, right, center), finding open space, triangles and diamonds, types of attacks and defense, etc.
This Tuesday's practice was a different story. It rained all day Monday and Tuesday, and let up just in time for practice. Take into account that our field is low and flat. No drainage. Basically, we practiced in 1 inch of standing water. Some places had grass and others didn't (mud). The girls had fun anyway, even if the balls didn't roll very well.
There was supposed to be practice today, but I cancelled it. Practicing in mud is fun, but you can only do so much with it. Saturday might be better. We'll see.
Game schedules are due out this weekend for both Kennedy and Natalie. I'll post those here, and you're welcome to visit us and see a great game!
Saturday, March 3, 2007
Indiana's My Home
This past week Kennedy was featured in a program at Highland Elementary School, where the girls attend.
The first half of the program was presented by the Highland Choir, which is an auditioned 4th & 5th grade choir, of which Kennedy is a member. They presented a program of national songs, including:
- America, Of Thee I Sing
- I'm Proud to Call America My Home
- This Land Is Your Land
- The Grand Old Flag
- Yankee Doodle's Poney
(Kennedy was 2nd from the left, top row)
The second half of the program was presented by the entire fourth grade class of Highland. Fourth grade is "Indiana" year at Highland, so the program included songs that reinforced some basic facts about Indiana.
- Indiana's My Home
- Voices of the Past
- A Few Men Well Conducted
- Song of Corydon
- From a Boy to a Man
- A Road in the Night
- What is a Hoosier?
- Indiana's Game
- Indiana, That's Where I Belong
What is a Hoosier, anyway?
It was a great program, especially for Kathy, Michael, and Natalie, who learned much about this new state in which we live.
Friday, March 2, 2007
God Is Everywhere
God is the grass we
walk on. God is the
air I breathe. God is
Everything Everywhere
the things I look at, the
things I hear, God is
everywhere.
Kennedy Erwin,
Spring 2004
walk on. God is the
air I breathe. God is
Everything Everywhere
the things I look at, the
things I hear, God is
everywhere.
Kennedy Erwin,
Spring 2004
Thanksgiving is Coming!
Thanksgiving is coming
A joyful happy day,
Coming straight to us
In other words it's coming today
Sometimes when Thanksgiving is coming
I fidget, fuss, and fight,
Until something bad happens
I get down right crazy at night
Sometimes I play with play dough,
Or play a game with family,
We all get together
Before Thanksgiving night
Before we eat our food
And before we say our prayers,
I think of the best thing in the world
And it is family.
Kennedy Erwin
November, 2004
A joyful happy day,
Coming straight to us
In other words it's coming today
Sometimes when Thanksgiving is coming
I fidget, fuss, and fight,
Until something bad happens
I get down right crazy at night
Sometimes I play with play dough,
Or play a game with family,
We all get together
Before Thanksgiving night
Before we eat our food
And before we say our prayers,
I think of the best thing in the world
And it is family.
Kennedy Erwin
November, 2004
WINTER
FROSTBITES horrible to get
HOT CHOCOLATE sweet and warm
SNOWBALL FIGHTS almost never end
ICICLES stick to your mittens
by Kennedy Erwin
January 7, 2005
HOT CHOCOLATE sweet and warm
SNOWBALL FIGHTS almost never end
ICICLES stick to your mittens
by Kennedy Erwin
January 7, 2005
Roses
Roses are black, violets are brown: the world is cruel with a big, big frown.
Roses are black, violets are brown: I feel like a mouse down here on the ground.
Roses are black, violets are brown: why does everybody push me around?
Roses are black, violets are brown: every day I say the day gets me down.
by Kennedy Erwin
January 21, 2005
Roses are black, violets are brown: I feel like a mouse down here on the ground.
Roses are black, violets are brown: why does everybody push me around?
Roses are black, violets are brown: every day I say the day gets me down.
by Kennedy Erwin
January 21, 2005
Christmas Roses
Roses are
red, Violets
are blue, It's
Christmas time
Love the homeless
people too
by Kennedy Erwin
December 5, 2004
red, Violets
are blue, It's
Christmas time
Love the homeless
people too
by Kennedy Erwin
December 5, 2004
My Sister and Me
My sister and me
We fight a whole lot,
But when we're not fighting
Our hearts do not rot.
It's true we do love each other
But I have to say,
I never want to
When she wants to play.
We don't get along
When I want to watch T.V.
But I love her
And she loves me.
by Kennedy Erwin
December 1, 2004
We fight a whole lot,
But when we're not fighting
Our hearts do not rot.
It's true we do love each other
But I have to say,
I never want to
When she wants to play.
We don't get along
When I want to watch T.V.
But I love her
And she loves me.
by Kennedy Erwin
December 1, 2004
Don't Burp with your Mouth Closed!
Don't burp with your mouth closed
If you do beware,
For if you burp with your mouth closed
It will come right back.
When you burp without your mouth closed
Do it in the living room,
So you can have some privacy
But don't do it in the cat's face.
When you do it with your mouth closed
You're sure to have burps all day,
But when you're at an assembly
You'll hope you have a little one.
I'll tell you an important fact
That when you're at the dinner table,
If you burp out loud
Watch out for your parents.
by Kennedy Erwin
November, 2004
If you do beware,
For if you burp with your mouth closed
It will come right back.
When you burp without your mouth closed
Do it in the living room,
So you can have some privacy
But don't do it in the cat's face.
When you do it with your mouth closed
You're sure to have burps all day,
But when you're at an assembly
You'll hope you have a little one.
I'll tell you an important fact
That when you're at the dinner table,
If you burp out loud
Watch out for your parents.
by Kennedy Erwin
November, 2004
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