James is a senior this year at Annapolis and we hired a photographer to take some pictures of him that he could view and choose for his high school picture. We met the photographer at Heritage Park in Taylor and walked around to select locations where she and her assistant could take some very cool pictures of James and a couple of the family as well.

It was a beautiful day for pictures and the park provided a great atmosphere and backdrop with its many different areas.

Later we got these pictures to select from and James picked out one that will be in his high school yearbook. The next step was to order James a year book which was not as easy as it seemed. We did get his name on the book with the year of his graduation and a paw print representing the Annapolis mascot (cougar). There were many other options including picture holders and personalized autograph pages but we thought those were a little over the top and that the name, cougar print, and year would be just perfect.

Continue reading “James Photo Shoot For High School Picture” →

James was selected as a candidate for homecoming king at his high school (Annapolis). His parents were invited to join him on the field at half time of the football game where a small procession was held and the winner was announced. While James did not win, it was a very exciting time for the whole family and good to be out with a group of people during the pandemic in a wide open area. The crowd was sparse for a football game as one might expect, but the enthusiasm of the crowd more than made up for any lack of size. It was a perfect fall evening for an event of this type, and Annapolis won the football game as well.
Continue reading “James Nominated For Home Coming King” →

James received his chevron (also known as a rocker in the military) and we had his varsity jacket modified to display this. The Chevron represents his second year on track doing the shot put and James has every intention of being on the track team again this spring for his junior year (he already has his sports physical turned in and the first meeting is right around the corner at Annapolis).

James enjoys the jacket and keeps it in great shape. It is high quality so I don’t think he has anything to worry about but he takes very good care of it and does not wear it in poor weather. Continue reading “New Chevron Added To James Varsity Jacket 2020” →

James signed up for the Rap Off, a Poetry Slam Event and it was the first event of its type. It was held at the McDonalds on Telegraph and Colgate from 6pm till about 8pm and was alot of fun for all the kids and especially for the spectators. James based his rap on the history of McDonalds and it was very well received. James received $110 dollars for his activities (an anonymous donator enhanced all the prize money which was cool), and also received a Certificate of Congressional Recognition signed by Debbie Dingell. The event was very successful and there will be another such event probably in a couple months.

James also got a chance to meet Darren McCarty of Detroit Red Wing Fame.
Continue reading “The Rap Off” →

James made the honor roll and graduated tenth grade (his sophomore year) at Annapolis in style. He also did something he never did before – Perfect Attendance. James attendance has always been good but there were always a sick day here or a doctors appointment here or there that would mess it up. This year we paid special attendance scheduling appointments during days off at school and it paid off.

James will start back up at Annapolis in September as a Junior. Its amazing how fast the time passes as it seems just the other day he was at Annapolis orientation. Now he is halfway through High School and looking forward to driving classes in the fall.

James and his family went to the Annapolis Track Award Ceremony where the track team received awards, letters, and such. James got his letter last year so this year he received a chevron for his participation. The track ceremony was actually held at the O.W. Best cafeteria which made it a little closer to home for us.

After the ceremony there was a pizza dinner for all, along with cookies, cake, and drinks. A great time for all and a very special moment for James.

It was a well deserved moment for the whole track team who really worked through some awful weather and construction which made even getting to some of the track events challenging.

Continue reading “Annapolis Track Award Ceremony” →

The Annapolis track season ended and James had a great time participating both as a shot putter and also as a discus thrower. This year was a little more difficult logistically due to the flooding, raining, and probably most important, construction on Annapolis which made visiting some of these events nearly impossible and postponed several track meets.

Despite the logistical issues it was a fine season and James had a great time participating in his second (sophomore) season of track at Annapolis High School.

James varsity jacket came in and it was still cold enough outside that he got a chance to wear it. James only wore it the one day as the temps warmed up and James said that the jacket was very warm being leather and all. Not that we don’t enjoy James wearing his jacket but with spring here we are hoping he won’t have to wear it till after Halloween 2019.

James got his letter last year for track shot put and we ordered it from Park athletic in Allen Park, a sporting good store that was in business when James Dad was his age.

Annapolis’s Track Season officially ended today with a pizza party and awards. We were very proud of James who participated throughout the season and finished what he began, improving at the shot put the entire time. James made it to practices and events despite the weather (which seemed more unpredictable this year than most) which says much about his attitude and worth ethic.
James came home with a letter, a certificate, and a plaque with the entire team photo on it, kudos to James and Annapolis for rewarding participants like this. We have uploaded pics of all three here.

James has gotten his own shot put and plans on working out with the shot put ball and his workout bench this summer to become better in his sophomore year and continuing through his high school career at Annapolis. We have the back yard set up for him so he can measure his throws and also have those solar lights so he can throw a little after the sun sets on those exceptionally hot days.

Continue reading “Congrats on a Great Track Season” →

We are all proud of James as he performs for Annapolis JV Track Team. He is currently on the JV squad but did throw a little for the Varsity at certain events. James does the shot put and each time he throws the ball he gets a little better and better. He also is working on the Discus throw. James and Dad hope to work on this over the summer months which his coach says means he needs to strengthen his upper body as best as possible. James has gotten several exercises to do from his coach and has been very attentive and diligent in his practices both at Annapolis and the back yard. So far James’s biggest nemesis has been all the rainfall we received this spring.