I'm A 4.0 Student - Who Knew?

Well to fill you in from our Christmas letter - I did start school in January. I am hoping to get in the Radiology Program at the College of Technology through the University of Montana. I loved my first semester. Wasn't quite sure what to expect but I loved it. Loved all of my instructors. Loved everyone I sat by. Was sad to see the first semester end. But I did end up with a 4.0! I was super stoked!

I am taking one summer class. A math class. It's a 10 week class. I go Monday through Thursday from now till the end of July from 11-12. It's a lot but I will be glad to have it over with too.

I am very concerned about my fall classes. It is a very full schedule and some tough classes. I know there is no way I will be able to work especially with Dan on the road and all three kids in different schools next year. So I am trying to take it easy this summer and just get somewhat calm, cool and organized in my everyday life so the fall will not be too bad.

My Daughter Is The Coach's Daughter

Why do I let my personal emotions get so involved? Well, I guess first of all because I am a woman. That is what we do. But secondly some people are thinking negative thoughts about my family and I'm a Mama Bear and want to protect them.

It has come up recently that Hannah gets special treatments because she is a daughter of one of the coaches. I guess coaches children may get a little special treatment but I feel Hannah deserves the playing time she gets. That girl practices almost everyday. People don't realize that since they don't have practice daily that softball does not happen for Hannah daily. That is not true. Hannah wants to be a pitcher in college softball. If that is what Hannah wants, Hannah needs to pitch daily. Hannah pitches almost daily. And because she is the coach's daughter she doesn't get a break. Dan wants to go 24/7, Hannah not so much. But they compromise and they are throwing, pitching, even practicing hitting...pretty much every day.

Why do I let it bother me what other people think anyway? People are gonna think what they want to think. That is human nature. I know my daughter is a good player. I know she practices to keep her spot out on the field. What is the difference if her Dad stepped up to the plate and volunteers time to help coach her team? There isn't and there shouldn't be. Hannah deserves her time and place.

I'm A Coach's Wife

I'm the coach's wife. It's not easy. It's not a job I asked for. Not a position I am trained for. I don't love it. But I need to be supportive. I need to stand behind my man. And this also means my husband has stepped up to the plate (no pun intended since I am talking about softball). He is involved. He is doing. And did I mention he does it for free??

Dan has coached for years. I've always thought he would be a good football coach for a high school team. He coached Emily's YMCA soccer team for almost 5 years. He had pretty much the same group of girls through those years. For the last couple of years he has helped coach Hannah's softball teams and then last year he stepped up even more and is, I guess you would call an assistant coach.

I will be the first to admit this is very hard on me. Dan does not do this job half assed. He goes full throttle. (Mmmmmm - make me think of the drink. Sounds good but that's an energy drink and I need to sleep tonight). Anyway - this has caused friction in our marriage. This takes a lot of time away from our family and family time. Daddy doesn't get to go to all of Emily and Benjamin's activities if Hannah has practice or a game. Did I mention this is for two teams? The city league and the travelling team Hannah is on. Did I mention that they practice all year long? Inside in the winter, we live in Montana after all.

But this is what Dan has signed up for. This is what Dan wants to do. I think Hannah, the middle child, loves having this connection, this time, one on one with her Dad too. I need to be supportive. Stand behind my man.

Have I mentioned that Dan has a very, very competitive side? Oh, he does. If you have ever played a sport with Dan or even a game of Rummy you know. Dan wants his teams to win. He wants the team he is affiliated with to succeed. Dan can be intense. Is this a bad thing?

I am hearing criticism this year on Dan's style of coaching. Out of four coaches one has to step up and use some authority. Be somewhat harsh - encourage but really push. Dan is that coach. It's hard. I had always wondered if being a coach's wife meant that I had to sit somewhere else just so I couldn't hear what others were saying. I didn't. I'm a people person. But now I'm wondering if I should. Or should have. When Dan coached Emily's soccer team he was 10x more intensive than he currently is and this was with younger girls. No parents ever said anything - they loved that he was pushing their girls to be the best. Push themselves. He has stepped back and tries to think before he "coaches". But still some moms are upset. I find it interesting too that it's "moms". Yes it is a mom's job to keep our children safe but they also need to learn to be tough, especially when they are playing sports. Are the dads okay with this style?

Hannah is on competitive teams. Not YMCA teams where everyone plays,no one wins and every player gets an atta girl at the end. This is different. The girls are to be competitive. Have a drive. Want to win. They try out and are picked for these teams. They practice all year long. They are to earn their spot on the field. I get frustrated watching sometimes. I guess I have a competitive side too. I want to win. I want the girls to catch that fly ball. I want the girls to hit that ball over the fence, or at least swing at it. Sometimes I think a coach needs to step up and show some emotion. Tell them they gotta get that next time. Not well shucks, maybe next time.

I think back to all my coaches. I don't remember any of my coaches not pushing me or my teammates to be the best we can be. To try harder next time. I don't feel it's a coach's job to baby the kids. It's the coaches job to train the kids to play the sport. To learn the sport. To be tough. I can't think of one soft coach I had. They all were in your face coaches. Spit in your face because they were so upset. I survived. I still try to play sports. I'm not damamged. Not that this is Dan's style. I'm just sayin.

I'm a coach's wife. It's not easy. It's not a job I asked for. Not a position I am trained for. I don't love it. But I need to be supportive. I need to stand behind my man. And this also means my husband has stepped up to the plate (no pun intended since I am talking about softball). He is involved. He is doing. And did I mention he does it for free??

The New Adventures of the (same) Old Hirnings

How does that old 70's song go "Oh, what a night?". Well our theme song for 2009 should be "Oh, what a year". It has not been the best year for this group of Hirnings but as Dan and I reminisce it has been quite the adventure.

One of the most adventurous things we did this year was take a drive 2,000 + miles to the East (and then 2,000 + back West). We headed back to Erie (PA) for my 20th Class Reunion. I know, I don't seem that old! In July we got in our trusty mini van and headed to Bozeman, MT for the softball state tourney that Hannah was pitching in and then as soon as we were done there we headed out on the road. What an adventure it was...we didn't have a set schedule for the trip. I mean we knew when we needed to be there and when we hoped to get home by but no real schedule. We stopped and saw the Spam Museum in Minnesota (very entertaining and free) , we spent time at the National Football Hall of Fame in Ohio and also went past Erie to take the kids to Niagara Falls. On our way home we spent time in Chicago, IL and went to Mt Rushmore (in South Dakota). Did I mention that we camped in a tent almost the whole trip? We even got to spend a week in Erie and had so much fun catching up with old friends and family and for me to be able to play tour guide and really show them all what my hometown has to offer! (The Erie Zoo, chicken wings, Wahldameer, Smith hot dogs, the dock, The Plymouth for a lunch or two, pepperoni balls, Whippy Dip, ...)

This year with the way the economy is we decided it would be more beneficial for us to put our house on the market. After five long months it sold. We spent Thanksgiving break moving to a rental where we know reside (125 B Grandview Way, Missoula, MT 59803. Phone number stayed the same 406-251-2143) and yes, it is the same street we lived on before we built. Kinda funny.

This fall we had to put our Sadie Girl down. Our chocolate lab, who wasn't even five yet, started having seizures that just continually got worse till she was just so out of it. It was a horrible experience and very hard on all of us. The kids have never known life without a dog and it is still hard. I miss that big goofy dog and you never know how much a dog really cleans up your floor till they are gone!

I am still in search of the perfect job for me and for our busy family. With some changes that have happened this year - I have made a huge decision and will be partaking in the BIGGEST adventure as I will be starting school in January. I am hoping to become a Radiology Technician but have some prerequisites to attend to before I really need to pick a field or major. Nervous, anxious and excited - all at the same time.

Emily turned 14 yesterday and I registered her for *gulp* high school last week. She is still playing her oboe and also continued to play soccer and softball this year. She started volleyball and is really enjoying that. She also was on the Honor Roll. She continues to push me to the limit but she's a teenage girl - that's her job right??

Hannah is now 11 and started middle school this fall. She is in a quartet with her cello and is also taking cello lessons. This summer she got involved in the Lady Osprey which is a travelling softball team. Almost every weekend we were sleeping in a tent in some town in MT while Hannah pitched her little heart out. (we even camped in the pouring rain for a whole weekend and survived). Hannah continued to play soccer and basketball. She has joined Student Council and also was on the Honor Roll! We are very proud of the young lady she is becoming.

Benjamin will be 7 in February. Where did my Baby Boy go? I showed him a picture last week of this cute little baby boy that used to live with us. He was like "Mom, that's me", I explained to him it couldn't be that he was too old. He is in the first grade and has become quite the reader. His teacher told me he hurries through his work too fast. She said "I can't be mad at him though. He doesn't do it to disrupt the class. He does it so he can get back to reading a book." He played soccer and t-ball this year. Even though t-ball bored him too much - he is ready to get kids out and run to second base when he gets the good hit. Next year little buddy! He has really become the sports fan this year and cheers on the Steelers, Broncos, GRIZ, Gators, Cardinals and still loves Nascar - see he is quite the fan he can't even pick a team! Oh, he also become a Boy Scout this year and is loving it!

Dan is still working for QSP (the school fundraising) and this summer worked again for our Minor League baseball team and also delivered newspapers. He says he caught a pretty big fish this summer but the picture shows another guy holding the fish he "claims" to have caught, so who really knows. He assists with Hannah's softball team and is attending Boy Scout events with Benjamin.

I stepped down from the Missoula County Public School board this year and it was the best decision ever. Life is more enjoyable now! Also, a bunch of us Soccer moms started our own soccer team and played this summer. We had a blast and I can't wait for next summer! Overall, I am just ready for 2010 to get here. It has to be a better year and I can't wait for the next adventure...

Love, Dan, Kelley, Emily, Hannah & Benjamin Hirning
the5hirnings.blogspot.com

I <3 Love this Town!

Friday night the Grizzlies were in Chatanooga getting ready to play Villanova in The FCS Championship Football game. The game was set to start at 6pm MST. All day, well, all week, people were stoked. So excited. Every morning Benjamin would wake up and say is today Friday yet?? You go out and you would see people decked out in their GRIZ gear, cars had their GRIZ flags out the windows, signs all over town were cheering the Grizzlies on...man I love this town. You get so excited. So anxious. What a season the Grizzlies had this year. 14 and 0.

Friday night I ran down to grab some pizzas and neccesities for Emily's little gathering here for her birthday. It was 5:25. The game was starting soon. I ran into Little Caesar's - they said they are more busy for a game like this than Super Bowl. I then ran into Albertsons and everyone is hustling and bustling, and wearing their maroon! It was just electric and exciting! I was in the store about 10 minutes and I saw 10 people I knew - all different people from different scenarios in my world. Just weird but again, exciting. We all had beer or chips in our arms trying to get to the check out and get home to watch the BIG game. I just love how Missoula is this great little football town and how we love our GRIZ here.

The GRIZ lost 23-21 but still was a fun way to get the town together and excited for something. Now bring on Christmas...

Where The Heck Have I Been?

I cannot believe I haven't blogged in over three months! What the heck! Where have I been? Here, there and everywhere. Life has not been super pleasant these last few months, I think that is why I haven't been around. Like Thumper says if you have nothing nice to say don't say anything at all.

We did sell the house and moved the beginning of this month to a rental back on Grandview (we lived on Grandview before we built and moved to Avon). The kids are still attending their schools even though we are now out of that area - trying hard to keep them put till the end of the school year but not sure how long it will work. We drive them to school every day and pick them up every day. Hannah has adjusted so well to middle school and is so involved in her school I seriously do not want to move her, but it may come down to that. In October Sadie started having seizures and it kind of went down hill from there. We had to, I say WE but it ended up being me, put her down a few weeks later. It was so horrible. She wasn't even 5. It's been a little easier, atleast for me, that we moved. Not use to hearing or seeing her here so that really has helped that void. Putting down two dogs in a year is not something I suggest for anyone - so not fun and so hard to do. So many other crappy things have happened. 2009 was just not our year.

15 more days in the year of 2009 - Please 2010 come quickly...It HAS to be a better year for the Hirnings. I promise to start blooging more these days...

Benjamin's First GRIZ football Game

Dan and I have had our season tickets for the GRIZ games for about 5 years now. We love them and it's quality time for us. We only have 2 tickets but I have lots of friends that have tickets for their kids. We've sometimes felt bad that we leave our kids every Saturday home game but then it is our together time. We relish it! In the past there has been a game or two that one of us couldn't make for whatever reason and usually Emily has gotten invited with the parent going. I've always thought it would be something Benjamin would love - the atmosphere, the people, the game, watching Monte...I know lots of people that just bring their little people in without a ticket, we have always been afraid to try it - I mean it's not like we can look at Benjamin and say "well, you gotta sit here on this sidewalk for 3 hours till Mommy and Daddy are done with the game" because I ain't giving up my ticket and I don't think Dan would either! Well 1st home game of the season was yesterday and Emily, our built in babysitter is out of town for the weekend and Hannah got invited to the game with Kendall so we thought this would be the time to take Benjamin for his first Griz football experience. We still get the corporate brunch tickets from Pizza Hut so we took him out to the Sky Club for a nice breakfast and then we hit some tailgates. Our friends Mary & Tim happened to have an extra ticket to the game and gave it to us in case we needed it for Benjamin. Well we did. The guy took the two tickets Dan handed him and then looked at me alike where was my ticket so I gave him the other one. I guess we can't "TAKE" Benjamin into the games! That's okay, he ended up being pretty bored and was ready to leave during the first quarter. Hannah also did not have fun and was "bored". Bored at a GRIZ game?? Are we sure these two are our kids???