Team Turner

1st Day of 3rd Grade

2010-08-24T10:39:00.003-04:00

It's hard to believe, but Briana started 3rd grade today. Here is a little video showing her the 1st day of school from Kindergarten to today.

Reds Game

2010-08-12T19:06:00.003-04:00

While we weren't able to take a big family vacation this year, we did do a weekend trip down to Cincinatti (I love you, IKEA!). We took the kids to the Cincinatti Reds baseball game. It was a blast! Check out our pics below!

Summer 2010

2010-08-12T18:51:00.015-04:00

The Turners had a lot of fun this summer. It started with Brian's Sport Management Club doing their annual fund raiser at the Clippers Stadium. Briana got to meet a famous Buckeye, Marcus Freeman. She was more excited that Marcus was one of Daddy's students. The famous Buckeye part was just a bonus. Right after this picture was taken, Alex had a bad spill off a picnic table bench and let everyone in the stadium know it through his wails. Marcus won't forget the Turner family anytime soon!

Alex and Brian went to touch a truck at the Hilliard Park. As you know, Alex LOVES trucks! He was excited to see the real, life size versions. Briana and Alex got their first baseball gloves and for a while, catch was a regular activity in the evening. Once our evenings regular hit 95 degrees, catch kind of slowed down. I am sure this fall it will resume. We took Briana and Alex to the fountains at Easton to play. Alex enjoyed it very much until he saw the minature train display. He quickly lost interest in the water and watched the trains for some time. Briana got to attend three different camps this summer-Hilliard rec camps where she swam and played games, Apple camp where she made a movie, and Ohio State Soccer Camp where she honed her soccer skills.

Early in the summer, Briana and I got to travel to Wisconsin for my cousin Elly's wedding. Brian and Alex stayed home in Ohio. We didn't quite think Alex was ready to sit through a wedding ceremony. Briana and I had a lot of fun reconnecting with family. We also got to go tubing on the lake with my brother Scott and his wife Deanna. It was a blast! Deanna's daughter Jamie and her friend were also tubing with us so we had a lot of fun on the boat. It was a fun afternoon. Dinner on the restaurant patio with grandma and grandpa after was another highlight of the day. The wedding was beautiful and the trip was a blast.

Cheerleading

2010-02-27T10:47:00.002-05:00

Our precious little girl has decided once again to cheer for Upward. Upward is a great Christian based athletic organization. Briana cheered for two years along with Alyssa, a friend from school and the cheer coach's daughter. She loves it, although next year she has said she may play basketball instead of cheering for it.

Christmas 2009

2010-02-27T10:37:00.002-05:00

I think the pictures say alot about how great our Christmas was this year. We felt very lucky to be able to spend part of Christmas with our new nephew, Mase and Ricky, Cari, and David. We had a snow and everyone got to go sledding! It was wonderful.

Meeting Santa

2009-12-12T09:02:00.000-05:00

Last Saturday, we got to take some pictures with Santa. They really came out good. Here's Briana and Alex.

Briana hugging Santa

This is my absolute favorite; Alex looking up at Santa

And finally, our family with Santa

Help us win a contest

2009-11-27T10:50:00.000-05:00

A couple of months ago, I submitted this picture of Alex for a contest sponsored by Nationwide Insurance:

The picture was selected as a finalist and the public gets to choose the winning picture. Please help us win by voting (you can vote once a day until the contest ends on Dec. 9th). You do have to register the 1st time you vote, but after that, you just have to enter your email address. Go to www.onyoursideline.com, then click on "vote now" in the upper right. Enter your email address (and your personal info the 1st time you vote). You then might have to click on "Switch to Finalist Gallery". Alex's picture should be the 4th one from the left on the top row. Also, if you could, please forward the information to anyone you think would help. We would really appreciate it (and would love to be at the Rose Bowl in January.

Halloween in Hilliard 2009

2009-11-14T11:15:00.000-05:00

We had trick or treating on Thursday, Oct. 29th (the cities around Columbus agree to have a standard day, especially when Halloween falls on the weekend). It's a huge event in our neighborhood. This year, Briana went as an Ohio State cheerleader, Alex was an Ohio State football player, and I (as usual) was Coach Tressel. The neighbors loved our family theme (Gretchen stayed back to pass out candy, but she was wearing an Ohio State sweatshirt). This was Alex's 1st year to walk to houses to get candy; he loved it!

Miley

2009-10-10T10:18:00.001-04:00

On Wednesday, I took Briana to the Miley Cyrus concert at Nationwide Arena. I had never been around so many screaming young girls. The show was outstanding and we had a great time together.

Briana got to take a "virtual" picture with Miley.

I'm just now getting my hearing back.

It's official

2009-10-01T09:34:00.001-04:00

Today is my 1st official day as an associate professor at Ohio State.

Our little man turned 2 yesterday

2009-09-27T14:53:00.001-04:00

Hard to believe, but Alex had his 2nd birthday on Saturday. He woke up to his own train table, then opened his presents in the basement.

At night, we had his cake (Cars). Briana had to help blow out the candles.

I love Alex more and more each day. His personality is really starting to develop. He is working extremely hard in his speech and OT classes and he started riding a "big bus" this past week to a school that will help him develop even more. I can't wait until he's old enough to go to games with me.

Briana's 1st soccer game

2009-09-21T20:41:00.004-04:00

Even though she has been playing soccer for a year, Briana played her very first "real" game last Saturday (the 12th). Prior to this season, she played in a league where her "team" just divided up and played once a week (and practiced another day during the week). This is also the 1st time she had her very own uniform.

Although they don't "officially" keep score in her league, Briana's team lost 13-1. She did have a couple of good shots on goal that were saved by their goalie. Her team played a much closer game this weekend, losing 4-2. Briana played a quarter at goalie and had several saves. She is really playing hard and we are very proud of her. Most importantly, she is really starting to have fun playing the sport.

Our Labor Day Vacation!

2009-09-08T20:08:00.009-04:00

Briana, Alex, and I flew to Wisconsin for Labor Day weekend. We wanted to go to the summer picnic at Aunt Kathy and Uncle Tom's house. Since it was a quick trip, Brian stayed home so he could get ready to go back to work on Tuesday (first day back since summer break). He also got to stay in his man cave and watch football all day on Saturday! The kids and I had a blast at Grandma and Grandpa's house. We went to the picnic on Saturday, Old World Wisconsin on Sunday, and hung out with my brother Scott, his wife Deanna, my sister Heidi, her daughter Samantha and her boyfriend Marty on Sunday night. We had a lot of fun in a short amount of time. It was great to see everyone.

Alex and Briana were so excited to be on the airplane to Wisconsin! We had a small plane with only two seats to a row. It was an exciting flight. Alex did OK until the last 20 minutes or so. Then, he gave the other passengers plenty to talk about!!!
Alex and I got to share a seat. Briana wanted to take our picture for the memory books!

Briana was so excited to see her grandparents!

Alex settled right in the very first night. This was his favorite spot in the house, right next to Grandpa!
Alex got to sleep in a big bed!

The first person that the grandkids went to at Aunt Kathy's house, Great Grandpa!

Alex had fun just wandering around and looking inside the coolers on the deck. Briana had lots of fun swimming in Aunt Kathy and Uncle Tom's pool. She also was introduced to tennis for the first time. It wasn't too bad since they were playing four on four.

We went to Old World Wisconsin with Samantha and Grandma (Grandpa had to stay home and dog sit). It was lots of fun.

Briana loves school-even schools from the olden days.

Alex and Grandma both liked the tram at Old World Wisconsin the best.

The kids really enjoyed visiting the last night on the porch with Heidi, Marty, and Samantha. It was a nice night to eat pizza and relax!
Just laughing with Aunt Deanna and hanging out on the porch. What a great summer night!
Don't worry, it's empty! The boy just gets into everything.

Uncle Scott sure has a way with babies! I guess it was all that practice with his own.

This is the dinosaur that has been in the family since before I was born. It now "lives" in Scott's backyard and decorates Deanna's flower garden.

Daddy was glad to have us home! (although I think he enjoyed his weekend "off", too)

Briana's 1st football game

2009-09-04T17:42:00.000-04:00

Last night, Briana and I drove up to Bowling Green to see them play Troy University. One of my longtime friends, Maurea Crain coaches at Troy. I have known Maurea since 1986. He played basketball for me in high school, then after playing football at the University of Iowa, came back to University High School and was a coaching colleague of mine for a few years. Here he is in action before the game:

This game was pretty special because it was Briana's 1st football game. She has attended many other sporting events, but we have waited for football (it tends to be longer and much more crowded; plus it is a whole lot more expensive). Since Bowling Green has a smaller stadium and it wasn't crowded, it was a perfect "test" to see if she could make it through a whole game. They had a photo promotion before the game:

After the game, we waited for Coach Crain:

Briana was glad to see him:

I look forward to many more football games with her in the future.

I love our new camera

2009-08-27T10:24:00.000-04:00

Briana had her 1st soccer practice of the season last night so I took our new camera to try it out on action/sports shots. I love it! Here are some sample pictures:

We're going to be able to get some great pictures this season - stay tuned.

My brick at Ohio Stadium

2009-08-26T10:47:00.000-04:00

Last Christmas Briana and Alex purchased a brick for me at Ohio Stadium. I received a replica then, but the real one was finally installed at the Stadium last month:

The brick is just outside the south end zone gates. We will see it at every game.

What a great gift!

1st day of 2nd grade

2009-08-25T10:52:00.000-04:00

Briana started 2nd grade this morning. Here she is with her teacher, Mrs. Bragg:

The annual picture by her buckeye tree:

In her "smart girl dress" (that's what she calls these types of dresses):

At her desk:

My little baby is growing up quick. We are really proud of her!

We are ready for football season!

2009-08-24T10:16:00.000-04:00

College football starts in less than 2 weeks, so the Turner family decided to take some family pictures on campus. It was a beautiful day in the low 70s and we took pictures by the stadium and Mirror Lake (in our Ohio State jerseys, of course).

New camera

2009-08-19T19:21:00.003-04:00

This weekend, we purchased our 1st DSLR camera - the Nikon D60. It is very different from the digital cameras we have used in the past. First, it has removable lenses (we got a package deal that included a lense with a better zoom). It also has many more options that we are going to have to learn. Here are a couple of our 1st pictures. I'm sure there will be many more to come.

Afternoon with the OSU Football Players

2009-08-05T18:41:00.005-04:00

The Ohio State football team had a charity event this afternoon and Briana and I attended. The team was raising money for CMT (a rare neurological disease) by having an NCAA Football 10 video game tournament among the athletes. The president of OSU's chapter of Uplifting Athletes was one of my students, Kurt Coleman. Here he is with Briana.
A majority of the team attended the event and Briana got over 25 autographs on this football (she also took the picture).
She wore her Terrelle Pryor #2 jersey and got to take a picture with the Buckeye's starting QB.It was a great daddy/daughter afternoon.

Home Theater

2009-08-01T11:49:00.003-04:00

I have always wanted a theater in our home. A couple of weeks ago, my dream became a reality! As a reward for me getting tenure (and us staying in Hilliard), we decided to go ahead and install one. We had a consultant from Best Buy come by to recommend equipment; they came out to set everything up a couple of weeks later. We have a 52' LCD TV, a receiver (with 2 wireless speakers behind us), and a Blu Ray player. I am absolutely amazed at the picture quality of Blu Ray players (vs. DVD players). We joined Netflix so we would have plenty to watch (our Blu Ray player also downloads some movies/shows so we don't even have to wait for a disc to arrive). I also have my Xbox 360 connected to the system. We still would like to add some nice theater seats, but I'm sure we will in the near future.

I will be spending a lot of time in my home theater, especially when college football starts in another month!

Texas Trip

2009-07-24T20:52:00.013-04:00

We've been back a few weeks, but we've been so busy we haven't blogged about our Texas trip. So, here is a recap:

Wednesday, July 1st - We left in the morning so we could spend some time in St. Louis. We had a nice, downtown hotel (thanks to Hotwire) that was just a few blocks from the arch and Busch Stadium. We were worried about Alex riding in the cart that gets you to the top of the arch, so I stayed down with him.

That night we went to see the best player in baseball, Albert Pujols. We were amazed at how many fans had his jersey and name on t-shirts.After the game, we went to the rooftop swimming pool. There was a fantastic view of the arch. You could also see directly into the stadium.

Thursday, July 2nd - We got up for the 2nd (& longer) leg of our trip. We got to Waco around 7 pm and had one of my favorite meals waiting (Bush's Fried Chicken). We got to meet Briana's and Alex's nephew Mase for the 1st time.

Friday, July 3rd - We visited my brother Ricky's school. He became South Waco Elementary principal last school year and we had never seen his school.We ate at another one of my favorite places in town (Krispy Chicken), then went to the children's museum on the Baylor campus.

Saturday, July 4th - We celebrated the 4th of July all day long. It started with a parade in Uncle David's neighborhood. Alex seemed to enjoy it (in his Woody Hayes hat).David and Briana actually got to walk in the parade.And we got a nice family picture.We got to eat at another one of my favorites, Krispy Taco. We spend the late afternoon (and ate dinner) at the Connell's. Briana and Alex loved swimming in their pool!
At night, we went to a (surprisingly good) fireworks show in Speegleville.

Sunday, July 5th - We were all worn out from our busy 4th of July, so we took it easy most of the day. We had a gathering with all of my aunts and uncles (and a few cousins) later in the day.

Monday, July 6th - We all took a trip to Dallas. Ricky and I went to take a tour of the new Cowboys Stadium, while the rest went to the American Girl Store. I have been to many sport facilities, but Cowboys Stadium is the most impressive that I have ever seen. Here is the famous scoreboard (over 50 yards long).
I took a picture in one of the field-level luxury suites ($5 million a year to rent).After the tour, we drove over to catch up with the family. Briana bought the newest American Girl, Rebecca Rubin. On the way home, we stopped at the outlet mall in Hillsboro.

Tuesday, July 7th - Ricky and I golfed in the morning and got a tour of Baylor's new on-campus football facility (very nice). We packed so we could leave early in the morning. Around sundown, we went over to the pond in Ricky and Cari's development to take some family pictures. They turned out really nice; here are a few:

Wednesday, July 8th - We decided to extend our trip a day by stopping in Tunica, MS. We arrived around dinner time and checked in to Harrah's. They had a babysitting service, so Gretchen and I got to go in the casino. Overall, we didn't do well gambling, but we had a great time.

Thursday, July 9th - We went to a very nice children's museum in Memphis. They had a lot of interactive activities that Alex and Briana enjoyed.

For a late lunch, we ate at Gus's World Famous Fried Chicken. We saw the restaurant on Man v. Food on the Travel Channel. It was definitely worth the trip. That night, we gambled a little more and got ready for the last leg of our trip.

Friday, July 10th - Finally, the last day of the trip. The ride was pretty uneventful (thankfully). We got home around 5 and were worn out. We had a fantastic time, but we were ready to get back home.

Soccer Camp

2009-06-20T10:16:00.004-04:00

Last week (Monday - Thursday), Briana attended her 1st real sports camp. It was a half-day camp put on by the Ohio State Women's Soccer program. She learned a lot of new skills and had a great time. Here is her team picture:And here she is with the head coach, Lori Walker:

Briana met President Gee

2009-05-17T19:41:00.002-04:00

Yesterday, Briana and I visited COSI, our science museum. My school at OSU was opening an exhibit, "Labs in Life". The president of Ohio State, President Gee, was there for the festivities. Along with Coach Tressel and Archie Griffin, President Gee is one of the most recognizable and famous residents of Columbus and now Briana has pictures with all 3.

She also took a picture with the cheerleaders...

and Brutus

My Baby Turns 7 Today

2009-05-13T07:00:00.000-04:00

Happy Birthday Briana - WE LOVE YOU!!!

Happy Mother's Day

2009-05-10T21:10:00.003-04:00

We had a busy Mother's Day. We gave Gretchen her gifts in the morning, followed by swimming lessons in the afternoon and soccer at night. We ended the day eating out at Steak & Shake.

Poetry

2009-05-02T19:50:00.003-04:00

Briana is really starting to enjoy poetry. She loves reading poems and writing them. On Friday, her class had a poetry reading with all parents invited.

She received a lot applause for her poem "Alex and Me". Here it is:

I love my baby brother Alex.
He is the best.
I play with him everyday.
Now I need a rest.
He is the smartest baby I know.
Good night, Alex.
It's time to go.

Briana & Alex on Big Ten Kids

2009-05-01T19:21:00.002-04:00

There are several pictures of Briana and Alex on the Big Ten Network's Big Ten Kids site. You can click here or here (permanent link) to view them.

Happy Birthday Uncle David!

2009-04-22T08:21:00.002-04:00

Your gift will be in the mail (shortly).

One Shining Moment

2009-04-07T19:36:00.003-04:00

The NCAA basketball tournament is my favorite sports event each year. One of the Edison/Turner traditions is to have a family tournament bracket challenge each year. We started back when Gretchen and I lived in Waco in the mid-90's and have held one each year. Cari won the challenge last year and David won back in 2003 (thanks to his pick of Marquette). Gretchen also won one year. I have been lucky enough to win all other challenges, including this year. I say "lucky" because there is so much luck involved in winning. For example, Gretchen came in 2nd this year (Villanova really helped her out) and had a real good chance to win it going into the Final Four; she watched 0 games during the season. Also, Briana came in 5th by just choosing the names of teams she liked. Alex went "chalk" (i.e., he chose the favorite in each game) and tied for 3rd (David also went chalk and I'm calling shenanigans on that). I really enjoy filling out the brackets and finished in the 95th percentile on ESPN's challenge. Three years ago, I finished 66th out of several million entries (99.9 percentile) on ESPN. David bought a trophy for the family winner at Christmas, so I guess it will reside in the Turner household until next year's tournament.

After watching the championship game, I really love watching "One Shining Moment". It was extremely special 3 years ago when I was at the Final Four and saw it played live on the scoreboard in Indianapolis. I get chills every year I see it. Here is this year's version - enjoy:

Tenure

2009-03-30T19:16:00.003-04:00

Today, I received a letter from our dean stating, "I am delighted to inform you that Executive Vice President and Provost, Joseph A. Alutto, has completed the university level reviews for Promotion and Tenure and is recommending you for promotion to the rank of Associate Professor with Tenure effective October 1, 2009...Please accept my personal congratulations on this tremendous accomplishment."

In academia, tenure is like a lifetime contract (unless I do something highly illegal). I submitted my tenure materials last August, so it is a very long process. The school faculty has to vote on you (I had unanimous approval there), then the school director has to make a recommendation. The college committee then makes a recommendation to the dean, who in turn makes a recommendation to the provost of the university. Finally, the provost makes a recommendation to the university's board of trustees who ultimately approve the recommendation. I have been extremely anxious over the last several months, even though everyone told me I had nothing to worry about. I wasn't going to feel safe until I heard about the provost's decision. This has obviously been a goal of mine since arriving at Ohio State. I am excited to know that we will be staying in Columbus for the foreseeable future (I will also be getting better football tickets after next season!!!).

Happy Birthday Gretchen/Mommy!!!

2009-03-25T08:58:00.003-04:00

We love you!!!

Happy Birthday Aunt Cari!

2009-03-20T06:00:00.000-04:00

Your gift is in the mail.

Somebody got his 1st haircut

2009-03-15T20:00:00.004-04:00

On Friday, we took Alex to get his 1st haircut:

Alex before

Alex during

Alex after

Alex got a certificate (including his picture and pieces of his hair) to acknowledge his very 1st haircut.He really looks a lot older now!

Alex Update

2009-03-02T19:31:00.003-05:00

I had a special request from Grandma to put updated pictures of the boy up on the blog. I guess we've been neglecting his updates-you know he is a second child. Since I only have one baby picture, obviously Grandma wasn't so worried about my updates when I was a child :) I know, I know-different time. And yet, there were like 100 baby pictures of the eldest in the family. Hmmmm.

As you can see, Alex is doing quite well. He is handsome, even with his crazy fuzzy hair that sticks up all the time! He does still have his medical issues. He continues his Physical and Occupational (like he could have an occupation?) Therapy and is making great progress. He is crawling on his hands and knees much more frequently than ever before and he pulls up and cruises along furniture. He already broke a table and a lamp! I think that will be just the beginning with this one! He has recently been diagnosed with asthma and food allergies-milk, egg, & soy. We see an allergist this week to get more info. Right now, he is drinking Rice Milk, which I never really knew existed until this diagnosis. I am grateful that this is all we are dealing with. He is a bundle of joy.

5 games in 10 days

2009-02-08T09:45:00.000-05:00

Between last Tuesday (Jan. 27th) and Thursday (Feb. 5th), I attended 5 sporting events! I went to an NHL game, an NBA game, a men's college basketball games, and 2 women's college basketball games. Here is a recap (along with some pictures):

Tuesday, Jan. 27th - Columbus Blue Jackets
Four words to describe this game - All you can eat! My colleague (Dr. Chad Seifried) and I got tickets from one of students working for the team. A recent trend in sports is to have all you can eat sections. This was my 1st time having a ticket in one of these sections and I really enjoyed it. Everyone in the section could eat all the hot dogs, brats, tenders, popcorn, and peanuts that wanted (along with free soft drinks). It was the best hockey game I had ever attended; the Blue Jackets beat the defending Stanley Cup champion Detroit Red Wings in overtime. I also got to sport my new personalized "Turner #99" jersey (compliments of Cari and Ricky).

Wednesday, Jan. 28th - Ohio State Men's Basketball
Chad's college coach at Penn State is now an assistant with the "M" team, so we had incredible seats right behind the bench (2nd row). School was canceled that day because of snow, so I was surprised to see such a great crowd. The Buckeyes won, beating M for the 9th time in 10 games.

Sunday, Feb. 1st - Ohio State Women's Basketball
After a few days off from games, Briana and I attended the game with Chad (one of his high school teammates is an assistant coach with Indiana). Our seats were even better than the M game (1st row!). I taped the game and you could see me and Briana throughout. The Buckeyes won and Briana got to meet her favorite player on the men's team - Evan Turner (also pictured above from the M game).

Tuesday, Feb. 3rd - Cleveland Cavaliers
Chad and I took several Sport Management students to see the Cavs play. We got a tour of the arena from one of our graduates, then saw the team win their 23 straight home game this season. We also got to see Lebron James score his 12,000th NBA point.

Thursday, Feb. 5th - Ohio State Women's Basketball
This was the annual Daddy/Daughter game. The Buckeyes defeated Purdue and we had a great time. Briana caught a t-shirt from the cheerleaders (a little big right now) and got to go out on the court after the game. She also met one of the players (Maria Moeller).
What a great week and a half. And, the home team won all 5 games!

Briana is a real cheerleader

2009-01-18T11:24:00.003-05:00

Saturday, Briana started cheering for Upward, a Christian-based basketball league. You could really tell that she had a great time (she loves being in front of crowds). Here are a couple of her cheers.

The Holiday Season

2009-01-02T13:58:00.008-05:00

We enjoyed a wonderful holiday season with family and friends. It has gone by so quickly. I've always felt like the "holidays" start with Thanksgiving (or really Halloween for shopping purposes). We kicked off our Thanksgiving with a quick but special visit to Wisconsin to see Grandma and Grandpa Auten and the rest of the family. It was really nice to go home and hang out. Football was on TV and Grandma had lots of cookies and other snacks. We never go hungry while we are there. We got to spend a lovely Thanksgiving day in Green Bay at my Aunt Kathy's home. She lives in a beautiful historic Victorian home. There have probably been at least a hundred Thanksgivings celebrated in those walls. The one that Kathy and Tom hosted was fantastic. There was football, food, and family-everything Thanksgiving should be. The meal was divine. Briana and Alex got to see their Great Grandpa-something Briana looks forward to every visit.

As soon as we got home, it was time to pull out the Christmas decorations. With Thanksgiving and Christmas being so close together this year, we were anxious to get everything out so we could enjoy it. Brian's brothers, Ricky's wife, Caleb-David's friend, and Brian's Aunt were all coming for Christmas so we wanted the house to be ready. We had a Christmas tree in almost every room. We decorated the outside with lights and put out our Nativity set. We were ready for the season!

The visit with our Texas family was great. Punky, Brian's aunt, had never been able to travel to see us, so having her was particularly special. She hadn't met Alex yet, since we didn't go down last summer. He really warmed up to her. Briana loved having everyone. She has a special love for family that is very sweet and childlike. I hope that never changes. Naturally, she loves her Uncle David's antics (see previous video post). She is also very excited about adding a cousin to the clan. Ricky and Cari are expecting in May and Briana is super excited about having another family member to visit.

The New Year has been peaceful and relaxing. Brian took Briana to a movie on New Year's eve but they were still home by 7:45. We then played Guitar Hero (our latest craze) and Wii Bowling (I won!). Briana tried as hard as she could to stay up until midnight, but she threw in the towel at 11:30-so close! Maybe next year.

Briana goes flying

2008-12-26T10:17:00.004-05:00

This is a video of Briana playing with her Uncle David on his visit.

She was fine after flying through the air.

Merry Christmas!!!

2008-12-25T10:00:00.003-05:00

We are way behind on our blog. Hopefully, over the next week, we will be able to post some updates on Thanksgiving in Wisconsin and Christmas here in Ohio. In the mean time, MERRY CHRISTMAS!

Priceless!

2008-11-23T11:59:00.004-05:00

My 1st "M" game was all I expected (and more). Despite a slow start (it was only 14-7 at the half) and a bitterly cold temperature, the Buckeyes prevailed 42-7. The win was the largest Ohio State has had in 40 years and clinched another Big 10 championship (tied with Penn State). It was the team's 5th straight win against M, the first time they have beaten them 5 times in row in the history of the series. It also gave M their 9th loss making them the worst team in M history, and the worst team in the history of the rivalry. A colleague told me this week that Ohio State is the only major college football team to have never lost 8 games in a season. I checked and the Buckeyes only lost 7 games in one season, and that was over 100 years ago (1897)! The Buckeyes will also become the team with the most appearances in the AP poll at the end of this season (passing M). Still a lot of scenarios as to which bowl the team will play in, with the worst case being the Buckeyes "settling" for a New Year's Day game. Overall, it was another great season.

I also got to try out my new camera. Here are a few pictures from gameday.

The Turner family getting ready to go to the game (except for Alex, who had a babysitter).

An OSU fan saluting M.

Gretchen anticipating the exciting game.

It was Senior Day. This is my student Marcus being introduced.

During the Senior introductions, one of the loudest ovations was for Tyson Gentry. Tyson was paralyzed during spring practice a couple of years ago.

Marcus and the defense preparing to stop M on the goal line (our seats were really close to the field).

All-American defensive back Malcolm Jenkins

After the game, fans stormed the field. The officers made a triangle to protect the goal post (OSU also greases up both goal posts to make it nearly impossible to hang on. You could see the material from where we were sitting).

The team singing Carmen Ohio (our school song) after the game, led by freshman sensation Terrelle Pryor (#2).

It's "M" Week!

2008-11-18T20:41:00.002-05:00

This week in Columbus, we celebrate the greatest rivalry in sports (according to ESPN) - Ohio State vs. M (remember, we don't say the word in our household). The atmosphere is electric in town. Since Gretchen's school does not have athletics, they celebrate "Spirit Week" to coincide with The Game. Briana's after school program also celebrates the week. Everyone in town will be wearing Scarlet and Gray this week. You really have to experience this week to fully comprehend it's magnitude. Ohio State has won 4 in a row and 6 of 7 and will be heavy favorites this week (M is 3-8). M has never lost 8 games in a season before this year and hopefully the Buckeyes can put loss #9 on them. The best thing of all - I HAVE TICKETS! One of my former students emailed me on Monday and offered me his extra tickets. The seats are great; we will be very close to the field.

It's hard to believe this is the Buckeye's last regular season game (football season has flown by). It has been quite a run for the team. With a win, the Buckeyes will clinch their 4th consecutive conference title. They have not lost a regular season road conference game in over 3 years (15 games) and have gone 10-2, 12-1, 11-2, and 9-2 (to this point) over the last 4 years. It is so great to root for a team that you know is going to win most of their games. I have really only been nervous and thought we might lose a couple of games this year (although I will be nervous for The Game this week). It's going to be an emotional game because it is also Senior Day and some outstanding players will be playing their last game in Ohio Stadium. There is still a great chance Ohio State will be playing in one of the 5 BCS games; at a minimum, they will be playing in a New Year's Day bowl game.

To get you ready for The Game, check out this run by Beanie Wells against Illinois last week. Go Bucks!

Road Trip

2008-11-10T07:45:00.002-05:00

One of my graduate students is interning with the Northwestern football team. Since Ohio State was playing the Wildcats this weekend, a colleague (Dr. Chad Seifried) and I made the trip to Evanston to do a "site visit". Since the game kicked off at noon (11 am Evanston time), we had to leave Columbus at 4 am. Evanston is a great little suburb north of Chicago and we arrived there around 9:15. We had to park near campus and walk about 20 minutes to the stadium. Weather was an issue because it was in the mid 30s and very windy (the stadium is basically on Lake Michigan). However, it never really rained (as was expected) and only drizzled a small amount. We met my student and he gave us some really good tickets (around the 35 yard line, 35 rows up). It's a small stadium (around 47,000), so there really aren't any bad seats; but, it seemed liked we were really close to the action. The Buckeyes played a great game, winning 45-10. We got to go out onto the field after the game and chatted with my student for a while. We then went and waited for the Buckeyes to leave their locker room and head to their bus so we could talk to a few of the players that we had in class (traffic was so bad, we were not going to be able leave fast; it seemed like there was only 1 major road that left Evanston to get to the highway). We then journeyed back to my car and started the trip back. We stopped in Indiana to eat dinner and to catch the end of the Penn State game (Chad is a graduate of PSU). We made it back to my house just after midnight. To say I was a little tired would be an understatement. I was up for just over 22 hours, but it was well worth it; we had a great time and it was a fantastic road trip. Here are a couple of game photos.

The Tooth Fairy (and our 100th blog post)

2008-11-09T18:39:00.002-05:00

Last week, Briana lost her 1st tooth and had a visit from the Tooth Fairy.She was really excited because many of her classmates had already lost teeth. She was also happy to add to her savings.

This is our 100th blog posting. Hopefully, there will be many more to come.

Trick or treat

2008-10-31T18:52:00.003-04:00

Since Halloween fell on a Friday this year, Hilliard and some other Columbus suburbs designated Thursday as the night to go trick or treating. For the 1st time, Alex went with Briana (for a short time). He went as an Ohio State football player (of course):
I went as Coach Tressel (of course) and got plenty of attention:
And Briana went as a firefighter (not sure why):
I took Briana and her friend Avery to every house in the development (around 80), so she got plenty of candy. One neighbor actually cooks hot dogs and brats for adults, so we all had a great time.

College Gameday

2008-10-26T19:07:00.004-04:00

ESPN's College Gameday was back in Columbus this Saturday and for the 4th time, I was invited as a VIP for the broadcast (for securing volunteers to the event). I always have a great time at Gameday, seeing what goes on behind the scenes and talking with Chris Fowler, Kirk Herbstreit, Desmond Howard, and Lee Corso. But, there was a very special guest for this broadcast - Lebron James! He walked right past me on his way to the stage:
After the broadcast, there is a meet and great where you can talk to the on-air talent and get their autographs. Desmond Howard, a Heisman trophy winner from the University of Michigan, was asked by someone if he was worried about his alma mater (they are 2-6 right now). He replied, "I'm not worried about Michigan; I'm worried about my portfolio." I almost fell over laughing.

Soccer

2008-10-10T19:33:00.004-04:00

Briana is playing her 1st team sport this fall - soccer. The sport is really big here and she plays at a huge complex. Friday nights are more of a practice, while Sunday nights are "games" (they divide the girls up into 4 teams then play, usually 4 on 4). Many of the girls have played for several years (even though it is an Under 7 league), so Briana started out a little behind the others. She has improved quite a bit over the last month and seems to enjoy playing.

She also has gymnastics on Wednesday nights, so she is quite the busy young girl. She has improved even more in that sport. There is a short "recital" next week, so I will have pictures/videos on the blog.

My class was mentioned on an NCAA blog

2008-10-09T19:40:00.005-04:00

One of my graduate students, Marcus Freeman, is a key player on the football team. Marcus graduated last December, but still had a year of eligibility, so he started graduate school. I found out last week that he writes a blog for the NCAA (they have student-athletes from a variety of sports write weekly blogs; Marcus is 1 of 5 football players at the FBS level chosen to write). In his latest blog he talks about a class (marketing) that he is taking - the course is mine! You can read his blog here.
Marcus is a super young man and a joy to have in class (he is the one that showed us around the Woody Hayes facility).

Alex is getting even bigger

2008-10-03T19:12:00.005-04:00

Alex had his 1 year old doctor's visit today. He is up to the 97th percentile for height (32 in.). Even though he just turned 1 last Friday, he is in 2T clothes because of his height. He is 1 ounce short of 20 pounds (only the 20th percentile, but improving). He also has 6 teeth, with 4 more about to appear. He is growing so fast!

We live in the #1 sports town in America!

2008-10-02T19:50:00.002-04:00

Technically we live in Hilliard, but the research conducted by Scarborough Sports Marketing found the Columbus DMA (designated market area, which includes our city) to be the #1 sports town in the U.S. Two-thirds of Columbus residents are avid sports fans. Also, Ohio State has the highest percentage of fans in their home city of any college football teams. To read the full report, click here.

Birthday Cake

2008-09-28T13:26:00.004-04:00

Alex had his first birthday cake on Saturday; of course, it was Ohio State:
The store where we bought the cake also gave a "smash" cake to those celebrating their 1st birthday.

It took him a little while to get the idea of using his hands, but he finally did.

He really liked eating his cake.

Thanks for all of the great gifts! Alex will enjoy using/playing with them.

Happy Birthday Alex!!!

2008-09-26T08:00:00.001-04:00

This past year has really flown by; today, Alex turns 1. He is really starting to get around on his own (to places he probably shouldn't be).
When we found out we were having another baby, I really wanted a girl. Briana was pretty easy to take care of when she was young, and I was used to taking care of a girl. I thought raising a boy would be much harder. I have to admit now that I was wrong wishing for a girl; I couldn't be more happy with our "little man". There is just something really special about Alex; I can't put my finger on it, but I just know great things are in store for him in his future. The first word that comes out of everyone's mouth when they see him is "handsome." He has been going to physical therapy for the last couple of months because he is a little delayed in sitting up and crawling (not a real surprise since he was born a month early). He has been working extremely hard in PT and we can see the improvement in his strength. We can tell he is trying to do what the therapist wants and we are so proud of him. I'm sure it's not going to be long before he is walking everywhere. This next year is going to be so much fun seeing him grown and learn new things. We love our little man!

I'm home

2008-09-25T21:30:00.003-04:00

I arrived back in Columbus around 9:30 on Saturday morning. We went straight to Ohio State to see the Buckeyes take on Troy. An old friend and colleague (and former player I coached), Maurea Crain, now coaches at Troy and got us some very good tickets. The Buckeyes prevailed 28-10, so coming home early was worth it. We got to catch up with Maurea after the game and he was his usual, happy self (even with the loss).
I wasn't able to include pictures on my blogs from Friday (since I was in airports and hadn't downloaded the pictures yet). I had 2 presentations on Friday at the Korean Association of Health, Physical Education, Recreation, and Dance conference and the Korean Society for Sport Management. Both went well.Here I am with one of the organizers (on my right) and an owner of one of the professional baseball teams in Korea.Me with the other presenter (Dr. Paul Batista from Texas A&M). The guy in the white shirt was pretty much my "gopher" for the trip. He took me to the airport later that day.Me presenting in front of a packed crowd.

There is a chance I will be going back to Korea in December. I really had a great time and am hopefully of getting to go back in the future.

Friday night in LA

2008-09-19T21:02:00.001-04:00

At least LAX. It's pretty amazing that I also spent Friday night in Seoul. I landed back in the U.S. around 3:30 LA time and don't leave until 11:30, so I have plenty of time to kill. Right now I am watching Baylor beat UConn, 14-7 in the 2nd quarter. I also have some school work to do. I hope to sleep on the red eye to Cincinnati. This is my 1st post from my cell phone, so I'm not sure how it is going to look online.

10 minutes 'til boarding

2008-09-19T06:55:00.002-04:00

I will be boarding a plane for the U.S. in 10 minutes (LAX first, then Cincinnati, and finally Columbus). It was a fantastic day. I had 2 presentations and both went well. I was really treated like royalty while I was here. I received several nice gifts today and 3, crisp $100 bills! I can't post pictures now, but I believe I have several from my presentations (one of my hosts said he took some). As soon as I land in Columbus, I will be headed to Ohio Stadium to watch the Buckeyes take on Troy (and a former colleague and great guy, Coach Maurea Crain). I plan to summarize my trip when I get home, but unfortunately I start back to work full-time Monday morning and I have a lot to do before classes start on Wednesday. I'm sure the time zone changes back and forth and my lack of great sleep in Korea are going to catch up with me soon, but I had an incredible time this week in Korea!

Korea - Day 4

2008-09-18T17:06:00.004-04:00

Thursday, I had another great host (he did his Ph.D. at the University of New Mexico). He brought along his younger brother, a sports writer. I learned more about the Korean culture from those 2 than I had in the previous 3 days. For example:

The host said when he was in high school, he attended from 8 am until 11 pm. Students take 8 classes and after that, they are expected to stay and learn/study some more. There are no summer breaks and although there are no classes on weekends, they still have to go to school to study.
Every male has a 2 year military obligation they must complete after high school. They can defer immediate enrollment (typically for college), but must complete it by the time they are 30. The only exception is if they have a handicap, in which case they only have to serve a year.
There are no guns in Korea (except for the military/police), so crime is very low. I think I only saw a policemen once.
There is a strong emphasis on technology from the government. The host said the internet is incredibly fast. He said he could download a complete movie in about 5 minutes (he knew from his time in New Mexico, this would take several hours in the U.S.). There are no copyright laws in Korea, so people can download all the movies they want from sites that are illegal in the U.S. Also, all software is "free" in Korea.
There are over 12 million people in Seoul. Most live in apartments. They must buy them as there is really no renting. There are also no mortgages, so people have to pay cash. The only other method is to put down about half of the cost of the apartment. The owner collects the interest and gives you your money back after you leave (typically around 2 years).
There is little drug use and when caught here, it is a serious crime.

The conference I am attending is actually put on by a couple of different groups. There was some serious miscommunication on our schedule for the day. After breakfast, we went to a Korean market (think flea market). About 20 minutes after we arrived, our host received a phone call saying we (myself and the professor from A&M) were the only invited speakers not at a lunch. Our host (and I) thought we had the day free. Well, we had to rush back, get dressed and attend the lunch. After that we were able to go back to the market. This time, we took the subway. The host mentioned that Seoul had one of the best subway systems in the world, and I was impressed with it. On one of the transfer lines, the subway had a wall to separate the track from the people (doors opened when the train arrived). The host said this was to prevent people from jumping onto the track and committing suicide (the suicide rate in Korea, especially among women, is very high; he said it averages around 45 per day). He said that if you ever hear of an announcement saying there are "technical difficulties" it is because someone jumped onto the track. Here is what the market looks like:
Even though I have not seen any overweight Koreans, check out this sign:
My host said there was a place that sells cheap prescription glasses (he said he bought 10 pair for just over $200). I went and looked at prescription sunglasses. I found a pair I liked and the salesman got my prescription by using my current glasses; he said they would be $70. My host told him I would pay half that; we settled on $50. He then said it would take 2 hours, but my host told him that was too long, so he said come back in an hour. We did and they were ready (can you imagine getting a pair of prescription sunglasses in the U.S. for $50 in an hour?). I got Briana a few items then we headed back to the subway. When we were close to the hotel, we heard an announcement on the subway. Guess what it was? The subway was having "technical difficulties". We waited about 5 minutes, then took a cab ride the rest of the way. We saw what the difficulties were. There was a group on a bridge (that our subway went over) that was protesting and threatening to jump. I'm not sure what the outcome was, but I bet the police won (either the protesters jumped or they were put in jail). There was a night reception then I talked to a former classmate at Ohio State (Harry Kwon) for a couple of hours in the hotel restaurant. Harry is Korean and just got a job back in Seoul.

A couple more thoughts/observations:

While there was a lot of merchandise for sale on the streets, there are a few huge, multi-story buildings with an unbelievable amount of vendors. You wouldn't believe how crowded it was. The aisles were barely wide enough for 2 people. I asked my host's brother is the vendors were independent. He said yes, and the operation was run by the mafia (I don't think he was kidding).
I saw an amazing tae kwon do demonstration at the conference. Guys were breaking boards held around 10 feet in the air.

This has been a tremendous learning experience for me. I am so glad I was selected and had this opportunity. This will be my last blog from Korea as I am scheduled to leave tonight. I will definitely not forget my time in Korea.

Korea - Day 3

2008-09-17T19:14:00.005-04:00

My host today didn't speak English as well as the previous two hosts (his doctorate was from Korea), but again, he was very nice and helpful. A professor from Texas A&M (and a graduate of Baylor Law School) that I have known for a while arrived this morning, so I spent plenty of time talking to him. After breakfast, we went to the Korean Folk Village. The village gave good examples of how Koreans lived throughout history. There were many performances, including a Korean "drum line", acrobatics using a teeter-totter, and a tight-rope performer.

After touring the village, the host took us to lunch (at the Outback!). They served an extremely strong lemonade (I believe they used carbonated water). We were scheduled to present at Dankook University at 2, but were running a little late. On our trip to the University, I realized this was a much larger event than I anticipated; there were placards on the highways directing people to the event! I have been an invited speaker at the University of Louisville and the University of Miami, so I expected a similar situation (although the Miami students were still bitter about losing to Ohio State in the National Championship game a couple of years before I spoke there). I couldn't have been more wrong. The seminar was sponsored by an initiative from the Korean government, called BK 21. The host said this stood for Brain Korea in the 21st century. Basically, they were trying to improve programs to make Koreans more competitive globally by focusing on specific areas; at Dankook, the area was sport marketing. There were a couple of hundred people in the audience, including some dignitaries from the University. The seminar lasted until around 6; unfortunately, I was the last speaker so I had to wait quite a while. We ended with panel discussion with questions from the audience. I actually had a few questions, including one from the dean of the graduate school at Dankook. The event was videotaped and there was a photographer taking hundreds of pictures (my host said he would get copies and send them to me.
After the seminar, we left to have a traditional Korean meal. In the parking lot, my host handing me 5 new $100 (U.S.) bills for presenting. I was amazed at the meal. I was not hungry because of the large meal for lunch, but the people just kept bringing out more food. I tried a few things and would have probably eaten more if I hadn't have been so full.

More thoughts/observations:

I talked to my host on the way back to the hotel about the GPS systems in Korea. There are cameras on the highways and those speeding will be photographed. The GPS alerts you as to where the cameras are! The system also tells you which lane you should be in at all times (for upcoming turns).
I could never drive in Korea. I told you how erratic the driving is, but yesterday took it to another level. I realized that staying in your lanes is not very important to Koreans. Drivers weave in and out and often times take up 2 lanes (even on the highways). At many intersections, 3 lanes can turn left; however, there is no way there is room for this many cars to turn (and there are not really lane guides for them to turn).
Parking is at a premium in business districts. We drove around quite a bit to find parking for lunch, going through many alleys. The alleys are so narrow (and people walk on them) that our drive "bumped" a few individuals. I was shocked that these people didn't do anything.
The reverence for elders is unbelievable. Basically, the younger faculty members were servants to the older ones. They waited until the elders were seated, took their coats, and served their drinks. They treated guests the same way.

Korea - Day 2

2008-09-16T16:09:00.003-04:00

It's just after 5 am on Wednesday in Seoul and once again, I didn't sleep a lot last night (probably 4-5 hours, but I did get a nap yesterday afternoon. I'm really not tired, but I haven't slept normal hours since leaving Columbus. It will probably catch up with me by the end of the week.

Yesterday, I had a different host (a graduate of Florida State) who was very nice (just like the one who picked me up from the airport), but didn't speak English as well as my 1st host (so the conversations were not as good). We took a tour of the Korean National Museum; the facility was amazing and the country has a very unique history. I didn't know much about Korea, but the most interesting thing I found was the country had only been independent from Japan after World War II (in 1945). Korea was attacked by communist North Korea a few years later, starting the Korean War. After the museum, we went to a market area. I wasn't surprised to see McDonald's, Burger King, Starbucks, and KFC, but was to see Outback Steakhouse and Cold Stone Creamery. Every block had several clothing stores and I was approached by at least 5 people asking if I wanted a custom suit made. There were also several stores selling NFL jerseys (counterfeit ones I'm sure). There were some deals on some items, but I didn't buy anything. We then went to the Seoul Olympic Museum (in the same complex as my hotel), but it was closed. Hopefully, I will get to visit tomorrow. This is me in front with one of the Olympic mascots in front of the museum.
Some thoughts/observations on my trip so far:

I am absolutely shocked I have not seen a wreck. Drivers here are very aggressive (an understatement) and the traffic laws are very different from the U.S. For example, on all major roads, there is a U-turn lane. Cars make U-turns just about anywhere, including roads that have 5 lanes going each way. You hear a lot of horns walking down the street. Also, cars seem to pull over to the side of the road quite often, including highways; I don't think I have seen a no parking sign. Of course, this often times causes a lane to close and backs up traffic.
Speaking of driving, both of my hosts had the most incredible GPS devices I have ever seen. The screens were probably around 8-10 inches diagonally and the displays were very elaborate (they even showed traffic lights and one of them sounded a warning when the driver was over that speed limit in the current area; it adjusted itself based on the road). Most unique to me was the GPS could also display TV and movies. I was amazed that this was possible, and even the hosts admitted it was very dangerous.
There are no drive-throughs in Seoul; there is just no room. However, the McDonalds close to my hotel delivers (I haven't ordered there yet)!
Korean Sprite is so much better than what we have in the U.S. It is a whole lot sweeter and I have ordered it at every opportunity. My guess is they use a different type of sugar (or put more into the drink).
I am a giant in Korea. On my plane and walking around in Seoul, I am probably a head taller than 90-95% of the people here (maybe that's why all of the tailors were asking me if I needed a custom suit). The one exception to this was a professional volleyball team is staying at my hotel. I saw a couple of Koreans that were about my height and one that was a few inches taller. Also, I don't think I have seen an overweight Korean; everyone is about the same size.
I have a lot of channels on the TV, but most are in Korean (I even saw an episode of Spongebob Squarepants that was dubbed in Korean). There are a few channels in English (Korea is fairly close to Australia and there is an Australian channel), including the Disney Channel. All shows I have seen are in English, with Korean subtitles.

I'm actually going to have to work today. I speak at Dankook University this afternoon at 3. However, it is going to take us about 2 hours to get there, so it is going to be a pretty full day. I will try to report on my presentation tomorrow.

My first international blog entry

2008-09-15T15:20:00.004-04:00

I am typing this blog from my hotel room in Seoul, Korea (at 4:30 am). Earlier this year, I was invited to be a guest speaker at the Korean Association for Health, Physical Education, Recreation and Dance annual conference and I left Columbus yesterday morning. Besides Canada and the Bahamas, I had never been to a foreign country, so I was pretty excited. I dreaded the 14 hour flight from Chicago, but it really wasn't bad. Korean Airlines is by far the best I have ever flown. The plane was huge, with 9 seats in each row, and probably 50 rows of seats. My seat was one of the middle three; luckily I had an aisle seat and there was no one seated next to me. When you get to your seat, there is a bottled water, a blanket and a pillow. Before the flight took off, the attendants brought by a package with slippers and a toothbrush. Every passenger in the economy section had their own monitor like this:The screen is showing one of the menu options that allows you to track the path of the flight. I assumed we would just fly over the Pacific Ocean, but we actually flew due North through Canada and the Northwest Territories, then headed west. We flew over Russia and China before arriving in Seoul. The flight track also told you how far we were (in miles and hours/minutes). You could also listen to CDs (the system had an extensive collection) and play games (I played some blackjack and golf). Best of all was the movie collection. There were 33 recent releases available. I watched 21 and Forgetting Sarah Marshall on the way here. On the way back, I plan on watching Speed Racer and Iron Man. There are also several TV shows to choose from (I watched an episode of Two and a Half Men).

When I picked up my bags in Seoul, there was a huge yellow lock on one of them. One of the security workers removed the lock and asked me if I had a knife in the bag. I had purchased a letter opener for the president of the organization that is paying all of my expenses and I showed it to him. He examined it for what seemed like a long time, then let me go. I was a little nervous being 6,000 miles from home and being detained by security in Korea, but everything was fine.

My host picking me up got his Ph.D. from Texas A&M (I had met him a few years ago), so we had plenty to talk about on our hour and a half journey to the hotel. My first impression was it is a very populated area. In the downtown area, most building are skyscrapers, with a majority being apartments. My host told me the economy is really bad here and some of the 3 bedroom apartments are sold for over $1 million (U.S. currency).

Tuesday, I will be touring in Seoul. Wednesday, I give a lecture at Dankook University (they asked me to come a day early and speak to their students). Thursday is another day of touring and I believe the opening of the conference. Friday, I give a speech in the morning, then another one in the afternoon. I leave here Friday night and get back (hopefully) to Columbus Saturday morning, in time to see the Buckeyes play Troy at noon. I will try to blog some more (with pictures, if possible) while I'm here.

800

2008-09-06T21:40:00.004-04:00

Today, Ohio State became only the 5th school ever to win 800 football games. However, it wasn't as easy as was expected. The team actually trailed going into the 4th quarter, but ended up winning 26-14. I believe the team could have been looking towards next week's game against #1 USC (and even Coach Tressel said the same). The team was flat most of the game. I was never really worried about losing the game, but I definitely wished they had played better.

We had an alumni event before the game, and Briana got to meet the most famous Buckeye player in history, Archie Griffin (the only 2-time Heisman trophy winner). I am going to enlarge this picture and try to get Archie to sign it for her (just like Coach Tressel did this week). I have a former student who works for Archie, so hopefully she can get it signed for me.
Briana got to play in the kid's area before the game:
It is amazing how much support the band receives. Everyone stands will they perform Script Ohio (sorry for the bad angle):
Hopefully, the team will be prepared for next week's game in California. Archie did tell us that Beanie Wells will be ready for that game (a huge relief since he didn't play today). I do think you will see a much more focused Buckeye team against the Trojans. I hope they play well since I'm leaving the next morning for Korea (I really don't want to get on a 14 hour flight in a bad mood).

A Tour of the Woody Hayes Facility

2008-09-04T19:45:00.004-04:00

One of my graduate advisees (Marcus Freeman) is a star player on the Ohio State football team. When I met with him earlier this summer, I mentioned that I had not been inside the renovated football facility (named after the famous OSU ex-coach Woody Hayes). Today, Marcus gave me (and a colleague) a great tour of the complex. It is an unbelievable facility! It includes many historical artifacts and is a true shrine to the Buckeye football program. About half-way through the tour, Marcus said, "Oh yeah, Coach Tress wanted us to stop by." I was absolutely shocked! We went to Coach Tressel's office and he immediately stopped what he was doing (unbelievable since I know he was preparing for Saturday's game against Ohio University). He remembered me from the book signing in July and began talking about a variety of subjects. We talked to him at least 10 minutes in his very spacious office. I had brought this picture from the book signing, just in case we met him:If you can't read his autograph, here it is enlarged:We are definitely going to hang this prominently her room. He is as nice and genuine a man as you'll ever meet. After leaving his office, we finished the tour. The locker room and weight room were 1st class (we actually ran into 2 other star players - James Laurinatis and Brian Robiskie and ex-Buckeye coach Earl Bruce). The player lounge had pool tables, XBox 360s and a Playstation 3, along with a room with computers. It also had a bar, with Gatorade dispensers behind it.

In the entrance there is an atrium with several trophies. Below is the "Ring of Champions"; it lists Ohio State's 7 national championships.
This is me with Troy Smith's Heisman trophy. There are actually 7 of them placed in a semi-circle display (Notre Dame is the only other school with 7 Heisman winners).

Touring the facility and spending time with Coach Tressel got me even more fired up for Saturday's game. I can't wait to see the Buckeyes win their 800th game.

It's Here!

2008-09-01T09:40:00.004-04:00

College football is back! The Buckeyes had an easy win over Youngstown State on Saturday. The only negative was the injury to the Heisman Trophy favorite (according to most experts), Beanie Wells. More information on his injury should be out later today. The team probably doesn't need him this week, but will next week against USC. We have an alumni event this Saturday and will be at the game that day against Ohio U. With a win, Ohio State will become only the 5th team in the history of college football with 800 wins (and we'll be there to witness it!). In my 10 years as a Buckeye fan, the team has:

1 national championship (2002)
finished 2nd in the nation twice (1998 & 2006) and 4th twice (2003 & 2007)
been to 9 bowl games, including 6 BCS games
beaten the "M" school 7 times

It's been a great 10 years and I'm looking forward to many more great seasons. The team is ranked 2nd or 3rd in the nation (depending on which poll you use) and is picked to be the 1st team in Big 10 history to win 3 consecutive outright conference championships. It's great to be a Buckeye fan!

Happy Blog Anniversary

2008-08-28T08:00:00.005-04:00

One year ago today, we posted our 1st blog entry (appropriately Why blog?). Shortly after that first blog, we announced the name of our baby and documented his birth. We have enjoyed keeping you updated on the Turners and we hope to continue doing so in the coming years. More than anything, it helps us record the history of our family (we really need to print out all of the blogs and put them in a notebook). This next year, we hope to blog about Alex walking and Briana's many activities (including her 1st team sport - soccer). We have tried to update the blog as much as we could, but sometimes we fell behind; we will try to write more this upcoming year.

Our blog by the numbers:
81 - total number of postings to date (including this one)
18 - number of posts last September; the busiest blogging month (we had to keep everyone up to date on Alex)
2 - number of posts last December and February and March of this year; the slowest months of blogging (winter was not a good time to blog I guess)
4 - % of space we have used out of our allotted 1024 MB for pictures

A Day at Ohio Stadium

2008-08-24T13:35:00.005-04:00

Briana is a member of the Buckeye Kids Club and yesterday the club held a special kick-off event at Ohio Stadium. There were several activities for Briana, but the best thing was just being able to go out on the field. We took some great pictures (over 90) and video that you will definitely see at the end of the year on the annual DVD.

Our family in the north end zone

The cheerleaders adored our handsome young man (and his big sister)

I really like this picture of Alex in his Woody Hayes hat behind a football helmet

Gretchen took this picture of the stained glass "O" in the north rotunda on our way out of the stadium; I think I am going to get it blown up and framed

This was a great family day and the Turners are ready for the start of the football season this week!

1st Day of 1st Grade

2008-08-23T18:19:00.004-04:00

Briana started 1st grade on Tuesday. Here she is getting ready to leave:

In front of her classroom:
With her teacher, Mrs. Klochak:

She really enjoyed her 1st week of school. Several of her kindergarten classmates are in her class and she has made some new friends. We are so proud of her.

My thoughts on the Olympics

2008-08-18T07:59:00.005-04:00

Being a sport management professor, I have a strong interest in the Olympic Games. I'm also a huge fan of some of the sports. Here are some of my thoughts after the 1st week:

I'm really not liking the time difference. Prime-time events in Beijing are early morning here. Luckily, I am home with the kids and get to watch basketball every morning. However, to see some of the swimming and gymnastics (and softball), I have to stay up late (1 or 2 a.m.). Twenty years ago, the games were in the same time zone (Seoul), but there was no internet and events could be shown on a tape-delayed basis. I'm actually going to be in Seoul in 4 weeks so I will experience that time zone first hand.
There is no way possible that all of the Chinese girl's gymnastics team is over 16. It's not even close with a couple of those girls.
It was great to see Americans go 1-2 in the all-around gymnastics competition. I was particularly impressed with Nastia Liukin. Shawn Johnson received all of the attention heading into the games, but Nastia handled the pressure and won the gold. It seems like she has a great relationship with her dad (who is also her coach). Gretchen noticed how much taller she looked than the other gymnasts so she asked me to look up her height. She is all of 5'3".
Michael Phelps might have put up a performance that we will never see again. NBC's ratings have been phenomenal, largely in part to Phelps. Seeing the race where he won by .01 seconds was amazing.
Speaking of NBC, they are broadcasting more hours of coverage than all prior summer Olympics combined! They are broadcasting 3600 hours (2200 online and 1400 on TV). Our cable provider (AT&T) is a big Olympic sponsor so we have many channels showing the Games, including a channel with video on demand. We even have a channel broadcast in Korean and one in Chinese.
I'm going to miss having softball in the 2012 Games. Watching last night, Team USA scored 9 runs in the 1st inning. I enjoy watching softball and hopefully it will be reinstated for 2016.
Hopefully, the 2016 Games will be awarded to Chicago. Being in sport management, I think it's probably a long shot, but I'd love to have it here. Plus, it's only about 6 hours from Columbus and I think I could finagle a volunteer opportunity and get to work the Games.
We got to witness the world's fastest man - EVER. Usain Bolt set the world record in the 100 meters even though he coasted the last 10 meters or so.
The USA Women's basketball team has dominated the competition in pool play. Their closest game has been 36 points! Hopefully, they can win 3 more games and bring home the gold. I have a Katie Smith autographed Olympic basketball shoe (she is a former Buckeye).
Finally, for my favorite sport - men's basketball. I will not miss a Team USA game. I really like the make-up of this team. My favorite player, Dwyane Wade, is showing everybody that he just might be the best player in the world. There are 2 Texans on the team (Deron Williams and Chris Bosh) and 2 Ohioans (Lebron James and Michael Redd). I still think Kobe is shooting the ball too much, but overall the team has played better than expected against a couple of strong teams. After today's game with Germany (UPDATE: US beat Germany by 49), the medal round will start. I am still concerned because one loss and you're out of the tournament. However, if the team plays like it has the first 4 games, they will win the gold medal.

I am looking forward to the last week of the Games. Obviously, basketball is at the top of my list, but I also look forward to track and field this week. It has been a great Olympics so far.

Gretchen made it

2008-08-17T20:00:00.001-04:00

I blogged about Briana climbing the rock wall last week. We had to go buy soccer equipment for Briana (she starts on Friday) and of course Briana wanted to climb again. I found out the one she climbed last week was actually 47 feet! The one we went to this time was only 42 feet. Briana made it again (easily).

Gretchen followed her and made it this time!

No more training wheels!

2008-08-16T19:49:00.003-04:00

Briana learned to ride her bike without training wheels this week (thanks to Uncle David for buying her bike for her 6th birthday). It took a few days of practice, but now she is pretty comfortable riding around our neighborhood. Thanks to TurnerCam (i.e., me riding beside her on my bike and videotaping her), here is some video of her riding:

My little girl is getting big.

5 years of Briana & the Ohio State Cheerleaders

2008-08-12T07:00:00.000-04:00

As I mentioned in the previous post, we have been to OSU Day at the Zoo each summer for the past 5 years. So, I thought I would post pictures of Briana with the cheerleaders from each year.

2004

The 1st picture is still probably my favorite. I have a12" X 16" print hanging by my office at home.

2005

You can really tell how much she grew from age 2 to 3 in this picture

2006

This year we were only able to take a picture with 2 cheerleaders

2007

Another one of my favorites. We were able to get the whole group again, partly because the cheerleader in the back row on the far left of the picture is one of my graduate students (he is from Texas and got his undergraduate degree from Tarleton State)

2008

There weren't as many cheerleaders this year, but Briana did get to use her new outfit

OSU Day @ the Zoo 2008

2008-08-09T21:16:00.005-04:00

We couldn't have asked for better weather at the annual OSU Day at the Zoo. This was our 5th year attending the event and by far the best weather we have ever had (high 70s - low 80s). We ended up staying over 4 hours. We started by going over to the area with the OSU displays. Briana played a couple of games (throwing footballs and softballs), got some autographs from the women's basketball team, and rode a few rides in the new amusement park area. We also met Brutus.

We had lunch, then rode the boat ride. Alex really enjoyed it.

We walked around for a little while then headed back to the amusement park area and rode a few more rides. Gretchen and Briana rode the log ride and got a little wet.

Alex and I watched and had a great time.

Guess who climbed a rock wall...

2008-08-09T21:11:00.002-04:00

... and it wasn't one of the older Turners. We were out shopping and went in to Dick's Sporting Goods to look for a book for me and Gretchen (Briana is learning to ride on 2 wheels and we told her we would go riding with her once she learned). The store has a rock climbing wall and we went up to the 2nd level to get a better view of the people climbing. There was a young looking girl (we later found out she was 9) that made it to the top and Gretchen and I were impressed. This must have made Briana mad so she said she was a good climber and wanted to do it. Gretchen had always wanted to climb one so we went down and paid for 2 climbers. Before they climbed, the little girl's brother tried and stopped about a third of the way up (and started crying), so I was a little nervous for Briana. I shouldn't have been.

Mother & Daughter before the big climb

Briana took an early lead

Briana just after she reached the top

I was so proud of our little girl. The wall is probably around 30 feet and she made it easily (much faster than the older girl; Briana didn't really stop once). Gretchen didn't quite make it to the top (she made it about half way). In her defense, she was on a tougher course and plans on going on the easier one next time.

For her accomplishment, we bought her a shirt that said "I Rock".

Another day, another legend

2008-08-08T09:12:00.003-04:00

In the last couple of months, I have met Cal Ripken, Jr., Coach Tressel, and the 1st round draft pick of the New York Jets, Vernon Gholston. So far Coach Tressel has definitely been the highlight, and unless Michael Jordan comes to town, will probably remain so for a long time. However, I did get to meet my favorite baseball player of all-time last night - Johnny Bench. I started playing and watching baseball in 1975 and the Cincinnati Reds immediately became my favorite team. They had a lot of stars on the team (Pete Rose, Joe Morgan, Tony Perez, Dave Concepcion, George Foster, and Ken Griffey, Sr.) and were exciting to watch. With all of those stars, I chose Bench as my favorite. I can still remember reading a couple of books about him in elementary school. It's hard to believe that was 33 years ago! It was great meeting my childhood idol.

The Last Lecture

2008-08-06T08:00:00.002-04:00

As I've mentioned before, I read a lot. I mostly read books about sports, but every once and a while I will hear about a book that interests me. Since I really hate mowing our yard, I try to use this time to "read" book tapes that I normally wouldn't get to in the near future (because of an extreme backlog of books on my nightstand). For example, last summer I listened to Game of Shadows, the book about Barry Bonds and steroids.

I had recently been noticing a book consistently at the top of the New York Times weekly best seller list and had also read an article about it. The Last Lecture was written by Randy Pausch, a computer science professor at Carnegie Mellon University. Randy was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer a couple of years ago and was given 3 - 6 months to live. Carnegie Mellon had a "last lecture" series (the name was of the series was changed to "Journeys" just before Randy's lecture) for its professors and Randy gave one entitled "Really Achieving Your Childhood Dreams". It was about lessons he had learned throughout life. The lecture became a Youtube sensation - around 6 million people have viewed it (even though it is over an hour). I downloaded the actual lecture to my Zune player and plan on viewing it on my Korea trip next month. The book is very emotional, especially when he talks about his 3 young children (2 boys ages 6 and 4 and a 2 year old girl). He made individually-tailored videos for each so they could remember him, especially his daughter because she will have few/no memories of him. For her, one of the things he wanted her to remember was he was the 1st man to ever fall in love with her. I don't want to give away many details because I highly recommend that you read (or listen to) it; it is one of my all-time favorites.

Randy lost his battle with cancer a couple of weeks ago (July 25th); he was 47 years old. ABC's Primetime did a great follow-up story on him a few days later (I'm sure you can find it on Youtube).

COSI

2008-08-05T10:00:00.001-04:00

Last Friday, we spent the afternoon at our city's science museum COSI (Center Of Science and Industry). Even though we have lived in the Columbus area for 4 years, we had never been to COSI. I was very impressed and we had a great family day. There were many different exhibits, but Briana really liked the one called "Progress". In this exhibit, you walk through a city street in 1898, then walk through a door and the same street becomes 1962.

Briana in a wagon from 1898

Briana riding a coin-operated spaceship in front of a store in 1962

Briana "reading" the news at a 1962 TV station

Briana in a submarine from the "Ocean" exhibit

We definitely plan on going back to COSI. "Sesame Street Presents: The Body" will be in town from October to January. As an added bonus, Gretchen and I always get in free as educators.

Alex's 1st baseball game

2008-07-24T13:27:00.003-04:00

Sunday, we took Alex to his 1st baseball game. We got to see my favorite team - the Cincinnati Reds. Of course, we were there on the hottest day in Ohio this summer, so we spent several innings under the stands in the shade.
We spent the night in Cincinnati, then headed to Ikea the next morning to buy stuff for our house (Briana got a new desk since she's going to be a big 1st grader next month). We also hit the outlet mall on the way home for some back to school shopping. Alex really enjoyed the "mini-vacation".

An afternoon at the zoo

2008-07-24T13:10:00.003-04:00

Last Monday afternoon we went to the Columbus Zoo. As I've mentioned before, we are members; however, we probably don't go as much as we should. We passed a bond issue last year and the zoo has had some major renovations since the last time I went. The zoo also bought the neighboring water park (now called Zoombezi Bay). Between the zoo and Zoombezi Bay, a small amusement park was build.

This was Alex's 1st trip to the zoo. He seemed to enjoy seeing the animals.
However, he still had to get his afternoon nap while we were there.
We ended the afternoon going to the amusement park. Briana really enjoys the rides (she even rode the roller coaster). Unfortunately, Gretchen forgot she gets motion sickness and got really sick after riding the Whirligigs. I don't have pictures, but I do have video (look for it on the Christmas DVD).

Meeting an even bigger legend (at least for me)

2008-07-16T21:04:00.004-04:00

Earlier, I blogged about meeting Cal Ripken, Jr. Well, tonight I got to meet my hero - Coach Jim Tressel, our head football coach at Ohio State. He was signing his new book, The Winner's Manual.
As you might expect in Columbus, there were a lot of people at the book signing (much more than Ripken's, even though Coach Tressel is doing 3 book signings in town this week). To help with the crowd, the bookstore started passing out numbered wrist bands this morning at 9. I had an appointment at that time, so Gretchen was kind enough to go and get me a wrist band (#86 - Thanks!!!). The book was released yesterday and is already #16 on Barnes & Noble and #34 on Amazon.com. Briana went with me tonight (dressed in an Ohio State dress, of course) and when it was our turn, I introduced myself to Coach Tressel. To my amazement, his reply was "Oh yeah, I know who you are."
He thanked me for working with one of his football players that graduated last December and started our master's program in the Winter (he also asked how the player was doing in the program). The player had a chance to enter the draft, but decided to come back for his senior year. I had heard Coach Tressel remembers everybody. We had never officially met, but did exchange a few short emails. He really knows how to make people feel good.
I should also point out that the proceeds from the book are going to the renovation of our main library, not to his pockets. What made the event even more special was I got to share it with Briana. She enjoyed meeting Coach Tressel, too (her favorite coach). She also got to take a picture with Brutus.Meeting Coach Tressel tonight has got me even more fired up for the upcoming season. Ohio State should be in the top 3 in the preseason polls and I am looking forward to another great year. As I have said before, we are so lucky to have such a great man as our football coach.

Uncle David & Caleb & King's Island

2008-07-08T09:10:00.001-04:00

We were lucky enough last week to have wonderful visitors from Texas! David and Caleb came to see us on David's only week off in the summer. Boy, did we feel special! We decided to celebrate by taking a day trip down to King's Island, which is an amusement park about 1 1/2 hours south of us. As you can see from the picture, we were all very happy to be there. It was a perfect day with bright, sunny weather-about 80 degrees. Lots of great family fun and bonding took place :)
This picture is right when you walk in-what a photo opportunity! We don't have too many pictures of the four Turners, so this is kind of special.

David definitely had his hands full the entire day. He got a real taste of what it is like to have children. He spent many hours reconnecting with his niece and getting to know (and love) his new little nephew.
Briana was off swimming on her own while Uncle David introduced little Alex to the water. Just look at that manly chest on our boy (Alex, I mean).

Here are the boys (and Briana) taking a break in the shade. There were lots of great spots to relax and shoot pictures.

David and Caleb took Briana on some pretty exciting rides. This one spun around while it went high in the air. She giggled the whole time while some other people screamed like little girls :). It's OK, Briana was brave enough for everyone.

We had a great visit with our Texan kinfolk. Between shopping, ice skating, and King's Island-it took us a little time to recuperate. But it was worth every minute!

Bill & Luke Walton on Father's Day

2008-07-07T20:38:00.002-04:00

This is the video I mentioned in my Father's Day blog. I particularly like the exchange at the end (around the 2:50 mark).

Dancing with Our Star

2008-06-28T21:48:00.006-04:00

Briana has been taking dance since last fall and Saturday was her end of the year recital. You haven't experienced parenthood until you sit through 3+ hours of a little girls' dance recital. Plus, Briana was only on stage for about 15 minutes, doing 3 separate routines. Here are some clips of the 3 (the Christmas DVD will include the whole routines):

"This little light of mine"

"Hey good lookin' "

Gymnastics

We were very proud of her. She definitely isn't scared of being on stage, and what I am most proud of is she really enjoys herself (as you can tell from the 3rd clip). Here are a few pictures:
Of course, we got her flowers and she was very proud of her 1st trophy!
She is moving on to gymnastics (she actually started last Thursday). Look for pictures in the near future.

Briana's getting big, too!

2008-06-23T20:40:00.003-04:00

We've mentioned several times how big Alex has grown over the last several months. His big sister is also growing really fast. Today at her 6 year old doctor's visit, we found out Briana was at the 75th percentile for height and weight (46.5 inches tall/47 pounds). At this rate, she might get close to Gretchen's height (5'9").

Father's Day

2008-06-21T10:33:00.003-04:00

Last Sunday was my 1st Father's Day as the father of 2 and I have to say it was a great day. First, I got to sleep in REALLY late (around 10 am). Gretchen picked up some donuts from our favorite donut shop and I received this great card:
I also got next season's Ohio State coaching shirt. We took it easy in the afternoon, then went to my favorite restaurant for dinner - On the Border. On the way home, we got Icees (another one of my favorites). Finally, I saw a great interview at halftime of the Boston-LA NBA Finals. Bill Walton, one of the greatest basketball players ever, interviewed his son, current LA Laker Luke. Bill won championships with Portland and (ironically) Boston, while Luke was trying to win a championship with the Lakers. You could see how much Bill loved his son and how proud he was (he had a huge smile on his face throughout the interview). At the end, Bill told Luke how he wanted him to win the championship, then Luke thanked him and wished him a happy Father's Day. Bill's response was great - "In my life, everyday is Father's Day; that's how lucky I am." What an incredible philosophy and one I want to follow. Chances are neither Alex nor Briana will win an NBA/WNBA championship, but I really enjoy celebrating their accomplishments, even if they seem minor to others (Gretchen will tell you that I couldn't stop smiling when the doctor told us Alex was at the 95th percentile for height). I am so proud of Briana and Alex, and yes everyday is Father's Day for me.

Meeting a Legend

2008-06-15T10:00:00.000-04:00

I've met some pretty famous people in my life, but it's not everyday that you meet a member of the baseball hall of fame and a true legend. Earlier this month Cal Ripken, Jr. was in town to sign his new book, Get in the Game: 8 Elements of Perseverance That Makes the Difference, at one of our local Barnes & Noble. I have been to many book signings in the past - Pat Croce (former owner of the 76ers), Dick Vitale, Steward Mandel (of Sports Illustrated), and Mike Greenberg (from ESPN's Mike and Mike in the Morning) - but the line at this one was by for the longest (I was an hour and a half early and my ticket number was 200). I waited about 3 hours and finally got to met Cal. I can't say I was a huge fan of his when he played, but I always had a lot of respect for him (how can you not for someone that played over 2600 consecutive games) and had always heard great things about him. He was extremely nice to everyone (he played with all of the kids) even after signing his book for over 2 hours. He also took the time to take pictures with everyone. Unfortunately, I didn't have a camera so the picture below is from my cell phone (and not very clear).I would have posted this earlier, but I got a copy signed for my brother Ricky for his birthday; I wanted it to be a surprise. In July, Coach Tressel has a book signing - I can't wait!

Schools out!!!

2008-06-14T15:30:00.003-04:00

At least for me and Briana (Gretchen works until next Thursday). Briana had a great year in kindergarten and is ready to start 1st grade in August. On the last day of school, Briana received a DVD from her teacher (Mrs. Price) that featured all of her classmates. Each child was asked "what do you like best about kindergarten?" They also drew what they liked on the computer. Mrs. Price sure is liked! This is a great keepsake and we hope her future classes do the same.

Last week, Briana attended a day camp at Ohio State. "Camp Recky" offers different themes each week. Briana attended during "discovery week"; she learned all about Ohio State and it's traditions and had a great time. This week, Briana, Alex, and me will be staying home waiting for Gretchen to finish.

Congratulations Uncle Ricky

2008-06-14T12:03:00.004-04:00

This past week, my brother Ricky was named principal of South Waco Elementary School. Good luck Uncle Ricky - we are proud of you and know you will do a great job!

Blog Update Weekend

2008-05-26T23:17:00.000-04:00

We know it has been a month since our last blog, but May is a busy month for educators. Our goal is to catch you up with everything Turner this weekend. See below for new posts.

My Very Own Bobblehead

2008-05-26T17:54:00.000-04:00

I have 26 bobbleheads in my office and another 16 (all Ohio State) at home. But last Wednesday, I received a great surprise - my very own bobblehead! We hosted our annual Ph.D. party, and one of the traditions is for doctoral graduates to give their advisors a gift. Previously, I received an autographed (and personalized) mini-helmet from Coach Tressel. However, I must say Corinne Farneti (my 1st solo advisee) gave me the most unique (and special) gift that any professor has ever received.

Picnic with Pops

2008-05-26T17:00:00.000-04:00

Since Father's Day is in June, Briana's class celebrated on Friday with "Picnic with Pops". I went to her school at 10:30 with a blanket and a packed lunch for us.
We ate on their field, then Briana got to play on the "big kids" playground for the 1st time this year. She is quite the climber and she quickly wore me out. She had a few gifts that she made in school, including a bookmark with her picture and several "coupons" that I can use (such as make breakfast, help wash the car, an hour of quiet time, and my favorite - one for hugs and kisses).

My Baby Turned 6

2008-05-26T16:49:00.000-04:00

It's hard to believe, but my baby girl turned 6 earlier this month. Time has flown since she was born 6 years ago in Bethlehem, PA. She has grown to an incredible young girl.

On the Saturday before her birthday, Gretchen took her and her good friends Hayley and Avery to Magic Mountain. She then had a sleep over with her friends.We celebrated her birthday on Tuesday the 13th. Our family tradition is the birthday person gets to choose the restaurant; Briana chose Bob Evans. We came home and opened presents and had cake. Briana received many great presents. She has been wanting a Nintendo DS, so that was our big gift to her this year.
Uncle David got her a bike, so we went outside to try it out.
I also created a custom book with pictures of her 1st 6 years (50 full pages worth!). Briana also had a sleep over with another friend Claire the following Saturday night. Overall, it was a great birthday for Briana, but they are happening way too frequently for me.

Big Boy

2008-05-24T22:55:00.001-04:00

Your favorite (soon-to-be) 8 month old is growing taller as we speak! He is now in 12-18 month clothes because of his height. My nickname for him is Big Boy and he always smiles and gets excited when I call him this. Here are a few new pictures:

Daycare Pictures

2008-05-24T20:18:00.009-04:00

Brothers and sisters can get their pictures done at our daycare together on picture day! Naturally, we could not pass up the opportunity to have our beautiful children photographed. Aren't they just adorable?

Doesn't he just look like such a big boy?

He is really growing-he used to hate being on his tummy.

Princess Briana loves to pose for the camera.

Her smile lights up the room!

She absolutely loves her baby brother. They are so cute together. I am going to save this forever so when she is 15 and he is 10, she can remember that at one time, she wanted him around.

Triple Baptism

2008-05-24T19:37:00.008-04:00

Our family had a wonderful moment on the final weekend in April. Alexander Brian was baptized into our church. Along with Alex, Briana's baptism was remembered by expressing her faith. She had never been baptized in a church-only in the hospital when she was in the NICU. Also, Brian was finally baptized into Christ as a believer! It was very special to have all three family members brought together in such a sacred way. Brian was first, so he could then be a baptized Christian when we professed our commitment to raise Alex as a Christian. Then came baby Alex, and Briana was last. Our family friend and fairy godmother joined in the sacrament and is now an official godmother to Alex and Briana (she would like to be Brian's, too-but that might be a little weird). It was truly special. Afterward, we got the best donuts in Columbus and went home to play Wii. Susan joined me in Dancing with the Stars and the Wii shootout. It was great fun!

Briana getting remembered by Pastor Ziegel.

Baby Alexander Brian being welcomed into Christ.

Pastor Ziegel talking to the congregation about the innocence of babies, and using our baby as his shining example!

My Trip to Texas

2008-05-24T19:18:00.005-04:00

It's always good to go home, but this time I got to go to Waco for free (thanks Ohio State)! Gretchen's last blog mentioned her parents coming to town when I had to leave for a conference in Texas. I presented at the largest physical education conference (AAHPERD), which happened to be in Fort Worth this year. I arrived on a Tuesday, presented on Wednesday and Thursday, then was picked up by my brother Ricky late Thursday afternoon. We headed straight to American Airlines Center to see the Mavericks take on the Jazz. It was a great game, with the Mavs hitting a shot at the buzzer to win. The crowd was really into the game (an important one for the Mavs playoff hopes) and I have to say this was the loudest game that I have ever attended. Ricky and I took this picture at an AT&T promotional kiosk.
On Friday, we got a tour of Baylor's new practice facility. This year, I had tours of Louisville's brand new practice facility along with Kentucky's renovated facility, and I have to say Baylor's was on par with each one. Ricky's friend Mark (a Baylor assistant coach) gave us the tour and knew some of the coaches I know at Ohio State. Later that day, Ricky, David, and I played golf, then Ricky and I went to watch a University High School baseball game. Saturday was pretty relaxing, then it was time to come home on Sunday. Unfortunately, I couldn't find my camera (it was hidden in my laptop back) so I don't have any other pictures to post. I bought a disposal camera at the Maverick game but haven't finished the roll yet; I will post golf pictures once they are developed. Overall, it was a great trip. I had Mexican food 3 times, Whataburger twice, and Bush's and Krispy Chicken one time each!

Thank you God for Grandma & Grandpa

2008-04-25T19:46:00.006-04:00

Briana with Annie & Newt-the granddogs

As many of you know, Brian went to Texas a few weeks ago for five days. He had a conference that was conveniently located in Fort Worth, so he took the opportunity to spend a few days with his family in Waco. In the meantime, I was going to be left alone with two kids while working full time. I know, a lot of people do it...just not me. Luckily, God invented Grandparents. My parents came down from Wisconsin and got to spend the whole week taking care of me-oops, I mean the grandkids. It was wonderful coming home to a clean house, happy kids, and a hot meal. Briana and Alex really loved the time with their grandma and grandpa. It was great to have them here. Brian goes to Canada in a few weeks and lucky for me, grandma and grandpa are coming back! Hooray and Thank you!!! The kids can't wait.

Family Pics

2008-04-06T18:42:00.008-04:00

During our Spring Break, we had some family pictures taken...

Happy Half-Birthday to...

2008-04-05T10:19:00.002-04:00

Alex turned 6 months about 10 days ago and we had his check-up yesterday. If you remember from our post in January, Alex was well above the average height for someone his age. He has grown at an even faster pace the last 2 months; he is now at the 85th percentile for height (27.5 inches). The doctor predicted he would probably be around 6'2". Gretchen will tell you that I had the biggest smile on my face when we heard this. Alex is also starting to catch up on weight, increasing to 15 lbs., 9 oz. Because he is growing so fast, we had to go buy a new car seat. The doctor said we could start feeding him some "regular" foods (mashed potatoes, yogurt, apple sauce, ice cream, etc.) and finger foods (such as Cheerios). It is amazing how quickly our little man is growing!

Briana's Report Card

2008-03-09T20:18:00.006-04:00

Briana received her report card on Friday; she did very well (see below). Her teacher, Mrs. Price, said "Briana is very kind and helpful to the other students. She is a very bright sweet girl and I enjoy working with her everday."
(You can click on each page to make it the actual size)

Blizzard

2008-03-08T19:35:00.006-05:00

We have been in a Blizzard Warning the last 2 days. We had a record amount of snow fall in a 24 hour period in Columbus. Plus, we were without power for about 8 hours today (we didn't get it back until around 2 this afternoon). Luckily, the snow has stopped but I will need to do some plowing/shoveling tomorrow.
Last Sunday, it was 70 degrees. Tuesday, we are scheduled to be in the 40s and by Wednesday the upper 50s, so we will be in a flood watch next week.
UPDATE: no school for Gretchen or Briana on Monday!

Guess who's eating baby food...

2008-02-24T11:16:00.005-05:00

Alex starting eating baby food this past week and really seems to be enjoying it. He turns 5 months old on Tuesday and is growing at an incredible rate. He has the biggest and most beautiful smile...

Mr. Mom

2008-02-03T11:51:00.000-05:00

Gretchen was at a retreat Friday night through this afternoon, so I have had Briana and Alex by myself. Along with last Friday night (she was at an Ohio School Counselor's Assocation board meeting), this is the 1st time I have had them without her help. I have had Briana many times over the years, but adding Alex is definitely a challenge. Briana has been a huge help with her little brother. It's been a pretty uneventful weekend. Most importantly, the kids are still alive (Gretchen's final instructions for me)!
In early April, I will be at a conference in Ft. Worth for 5 days, then in late May I will be in Toronto for 5 more days, so Gretchen will have the kids by herself. I don't worry about her - she does fine alone (I do worry when I'm alone). Finally, I was just asked this week to deliver a keynote address in Korea in September. All expenses are paid and one of their universities is bringing me in a day early to speak to their students (and giving me a little extra cash do to so). Because of the time difference (they are 14 hours ahead of us) and the travel time (it will take close to 24 hours to get there), I am going to be gone around a week. My 3 nights alone does not compare to what she has coming up the rest of the year.