Happy Holidays

Sorry that I haven't updated my blog in awhile, things have been kinda crazy! Gary's grandma, after 90 great years went home to Jesus! We packed up the car and headed back to Florida for her "celebration". It was a sad reason that we made the trip but Mema had her way of getting the family together around the holidays! It was great to see everyone and spend time family!

We headed back to Georgia and tried to carry on Mema's (and Grandma Sylvestri's) Christmas Eve tradition. I even bought a pizzelle maker and attempted to make Mema's cookies. Dominique and I followed Mema's receipe and I think that they came out pretty good! We had some close friends come over Christmas Eve and had the Italian Christmas dinner, Chicken Parm, Sausage & Peppers, Baked Ziti, Ziti with Broccoli, garlic and oil, artichoke hearts, caprese, fresh bread, etc.... I even made Aunt Donna's famous chocolate truffle for dessert!

Christmas Day was a little weird without Danielle, Nicholas and Grandma James with us in the morning. It was though the first really cold Christmas that I can remember in a long time, it actually felt like Christmas. We did Christmas morning with just the 4 of us and then headed over to our good friends Tammy and Damir's for Christmas dinner. They had a typical "California" Christmas dinner, grilled asparagus wrapped in bacon, TriTip (a select cut of meat that is very popular in California but hard to find anywhere else), baked potato's and salad! We missed all of our family very much but are very grateful to have meet such great friends!

I hope that you Christmas was wonderful and I hope that you all have a Great New Year!

TGIF - I MISS MY GIRLS

I am so glad that this week is over! I woke up Monday with a sore throat and feeling achy, Dominique wasn't feeling well and it Vinny's allergies were acting up! Ended up at the Doctor with Dominique who turned out to have a sinus infection, so we started medicating her to get her better. I let her and Vinny play hooky today and stay home to be spoiled by Grandma! I wanted to stay home and be spoiled to but of course that didn't happen!

Of course they stayed home from school today but tonight we are going to the school to watch Gary coach the wrestling match and then we are going to Sal's for pizza. Thank goodness we found an authentic Italian, making real pizza in Cumming, Ga. Dominique has her last soccer tournament this weekend so I will make sure she gets to bed at a decent time tonight, takes her medicine and has alot of vitamin C so she can "suck it up" and finish her soccer season strong!

We are slowly trying to get the house decorated for Christmas. Its bittersweet, I love the change of season here and the cold really makes it feel like the holidays but I miss all of my buds in sunny south florida! I was looking at pics from our night out before I left and wished that we could all go do it again! I hope to get down there to visit with everyone soon!

Well better to get wrestling! I hope you all have a great weekend!

I'm Stuffed!

What a great Thanksgiving Day we had! Aside from the fact that we miss all of our family and friends back in South Florida, our first official Thanksgiving in Georgia was a great time! We got up this morning and headed to the football field to play our 1st Annual Turkey Bowl. Of course we haven't had rain here in months, we are in the biggest drought ever, they say we only have like 80 days of water left and wouldn't you know it poured all night long and was still raining this morning when we woke up!! Thankfully the rain stopped before we started our football game. The game was played and no one was injured, well not enough to were we had to go to the ER. After the football game we all went our separate ways to clean up and then all of us headed over and met up at Coach Hepler's house. We roasted a turkey, fried a turkey, had ham and all the southern fixins! I am so full I am about to burst!

We have so much to be thankful for this year, God has truly blessed us with a great place to live and work and a wonderful group of new friends. We miss you all that aren't with us very much and hope that we will get to see you soon!

First Annual Turkey Bowl

'Twas the night before the Turkey Bowl and all through the south
the referees weren't stirring - too busy stuffing their mouth.
Their flags were hung in their lockers with care,
In hopes that a bonus check soon would be there.

The fans were nestled all snug in their beds,
While visions of replays danced in their heads.
But way up in Cumming old football players were strapping on pads,
with the hope of reliving the dreams they once had.

When out in the locker room there arose such a clatter,
I sprang from my desk to see what was the matter.
Away past the training room I flew like a flash,
and ran past a man requesting Turkey Bowl tickets with cash.

The bright moon shown on the newly mown field
And in the middle was that intimidating West Shield.

When what to my wondering eyes should appear,
but and eager lot of football players with very little fear.
And a little old QB so agile and strong,
I knew in a moment it must be Coach Tjong.

More rapid than Bulldogs in red and black they came,
He whistled and shouted and called them by name.
Now Frankie! Now Coral! Now Josh, Robert and Coach Frank!
On Vinny! On Dom! On Dalton, Elizabeth and Hank!

Run faster Cole, Caroline, Josh, Jason, Kyle and Dan!
Jump higher Hannah, Adam and Addison! said Stan.

To the top of the bleachers they ran to get psyched,
Eagerly anticipating the first Turkey Bowl hike.
Like the TD passes the West Wolverines let fly,
This group's QBs planned to command all the sky.

So down to the field the whole wild group flew,
with a ton of bravado and a trick play or two.
And then, in a twinkling, I heard on the track
the prancing and stomping of their Under Armor, click clack.

As I closed up my mouth and was turning around,
Down from the press box came Gary with a bound.
He was dressed in Steeler colors all gold and black,
and Alisha followed, saying "Me and Hines got your back!"

Behind him was Heidi with a star on her chest,
She dressed like the Cowboys, who she thinks is the best!
Matt and Meredeth they followed all ready for the game,
Bringing with them big hopes for a shot at Turkey Bowl fame.

Soon after that came our cheerleader, Tricia, her hair in a bow,
Followed by Jennifer with her two kids in tow.
Paige came next, bubble gum in her mouth,
wearing a jersey she got from Hannah's big game at South.

John and Juli were all ready to plan and scheme,
Hoping to claim a victory for their Turkey Bowl team.
Last to pull in were Ken and Becky from that state to our west,
where their hopes for a #1 Bama ranked team just won't let them rest.

A wink of my eye and a twist of my head,
Soon gave me to know I had nothing to dread.
My team was all ready - eleven brave, strong and sleek.
The others were no match - wimpy, tiny and weak.

I sprang to my huddle, to my team gave a play's name
and away they all flew to start this first Turkey Bowl Game!

I hope you all have a great Thanksgiving! I will take lots of pictures of our game to share with all of you. We miss everyone so much and can't wait till we can be together again!

Soccer South Carolina Style

We had a great weekend in Greenville, South Carolina. Dominique played in the CESA Tournament there and we took the two hour drive over on Friday night. It was a busy soccer weekend, but was a mini reunion of sorts! Mom was with us and Auntie, Uncle Don and Chris drove over to spend the weekend as well. Dominique came away with no injuries and a good time was had by all!! Enjoy some of the pictures...

Its a God Thing!

Before we left Florida, Gary was on the board of FCA (Fellowship of Christian Athletes) and worked with a girl named Jeanine Davis. When we got the job in Georgia, Gary went to the FCA board and told them that we were moving and thanked Jeanine for everything she had done and told her that he was going to head up FCA at West Forsyth High School. Once here in Georgia, Gary met with Davey Bales who is the Area Director for FCA in northeast Atlanta. Davey is a great guy who has helped us get rolling at West and has been there for us whenever we need him. Last week Gary got a phone call from Davey asking him if he knew a Jeanine Davis. Gary kinda laughed and said "know her, we worked together in South Florida, why?" Davey told Gary that he had posted a job on the FCA website for a female director in our area and Jeanine had answered the ad. While Davey was talking with Jeanine she asked him if he by any chance knew Gary Sylvestri that she knew he had moved to Georgia but not quite sure where. Davey said "are you kidding, he and I have been working together at the new high school". Long story short, Jeanine, her husband Josh and their beautiful baby girl Gracie came up this past weekend to take a look around the area, they came over our house last night and Jeanine had her interview with Davey this morning. Davey brought Jeanine over to the school so she could check it out and of course when he brought her into my office I asked him if he offered her the job yet!!! I think she is in...
Last night we sat around talking about how God always has a plan and it amazing to see what God has in store for all of us. I will keep you all posted but I really think we will have another Florida family up here with us very soon!

What a Season!

Well it is about 35 degrees outside and my fingers are almost frozen but I couldn't wait to thaw out before I told you all how the game against East Jackson ended up! Of course it was our last game of the season and we had been spoiled all year with all home games except for this one. Can I just tell you we headed out to the game at 4:35pm and got there right before kickoff at 7:30pm talk about an away game! We were way out in the middle of no where but you would never know it by the amount of fans we had on our side of the field! OK, the score Wolverines 40 - East Jackson 21!!! That ended our first ever football season at West Forsyth and what a great first season it was. We ended up 9-1 when everyone thought that we would probably go 1-9 the first year! The kids up here are great and it was so nice to be back together with all the Florida coaches at the same school! Gary also is in charge of FCA at our school and has an average of 150 kids at every meeting. We hosted the national FCA "Fields of Faith" and had over 350 kids come and at the end of the night 31 came forward and accepted Christ! It was awesome!

Vincent's middle school football team "Vickery Vipers" finished their season undefeated and won the county championship! Overall a great first football season for the whole family here in Forsyth County! I am sad that football season here has come to an end but was ready to have my husband back for awhile......unfortunately the wrestling schedule just came out and they start practice on Monday... yep that's right Coach Sly is coaching wrestling as well!!!! GO WOLVERINES!!!!

Lets Do It!!

Sounds like a nike comercial but that is what our life has been like for the past year. We left everything we know in Florida and moved to Georgia to start all over again. I am trying hard to keep in touch with everyone but it is very difficult, especially when cell service isn't that great here! So, I figured what the heck, everyone else is blogging why not DO IT! I figure I this might be the only way to communicate while sitting in jail if HRS ( they call it DEFACS here in Georgia) comes to get me. You all know the favorite saying in our house when it comes to thinking you are hurt right, "suck it up"! After weeks of complaining that her toe hurt and Gary and I telling her to "suck it up" she took her sock off after a soccer game and her big toe looked groser than anything I could ever explain. I take her to the podiatrist the next day, he asks me how long as her toe been bothering her, "ughhhh I am not sure a while now I guess, but she has been playing soccer fine" he gives me a look, pulls out a needle and a knife and procedes to cut out a huge ingrown infected toenail! Ok so maybe I should have checked it sooner but at least I did take her in after I looked at it!!! Two weeks later at yet another soccer game she gets slide tackled and I see her head bounce off the ground but she got back up and continued playing. I did notice that she was a little slower than normal the rest of the game but she "sucked it up" and kept on playing. After the game she said her head hurt and she was a little nauseas so I put ice on her face, gave her motrin and told her to "suck it up".... She woke up the next morning and I asked her how she felt and she said that her head still ached a little but she felt better so I gave her more motrin, told her to "suck it up" and sent her on to school. Well wouldn't you know the school nurse calls me a few hours later to tell me that she is in the clinic, dizzy, nauseas, headache and a little foggy she thinks she might have a concussion and I should probably take her to the doctor. Guess what, the doctor confirmed that she if fact did have a concussion and wondered if it had just happened while she was at school. Imagine the look on his face when I told him "oh no, it happened last night and took her home, gave her motrin and put her to bed".... That's it I am going down!!!!! I am happy to report that she is feeling much better and is going to be able to play in the soccer tournament next weekend in South Carolina!