All In Just One Day

Mom and her friend, Angel, made hair bows for all the girls.
10 a.m.: We rush to get ready for Emily's volleyball game. It's at St. Wenceslaus, which is about a 15-minute drive from our house. This is one of the few times we are glad we don't live in Bellevue (a 25-minute drive away).

10:30 a.m.: Mom instantly becomes very popular when she pulls out a box full of beautiful blue hair bows she and her friend, Angel, made for the team (complete with volleyballs on the ribbons).

11 a.m.: Emily's team is on a roll immediately and you can (partially) thank Dad for the momentum. He offered $1 to any girl who can serve up 10 consecutive points. Less than 10 minutes into the match, Laura has done it - serving 13 consecutive points. Game one goes to the Sparatans.

11:15 a.m.: Emily plays in the second game. After a few defensive lapses (like letting four balls drop in front of her), she rebounds with some great serving of her own. She'll finish the match with eight points served.

11:20 a.m.: Olivia is quite comfortable, sitting in the front row (Olivia is pictured at right, sitting on the left). She has her personal TV going and is working on an art project with her friend, Layla.

11:30 a.m.: Time for the friendship game - and for once, we're not playing to save face and win one. Dad watches this one from the scorer's table, since the regular score keeper took off (she either though the match was finished or she was tired of putting up all the points for Emily's team).

11:45 a.m.: Dad pays up, handing off a dollar to Laura. Somewhere, someone from the Nebraska School Activities Association is reading this and making a note that Laura lost her high school eligibility in fifth grade for being paid to play volleyball...

Noon: We stop off at Sortino's for lunch. It's surprisingly quiet. The girls learn golf terms (birdie, bogey, par, etc.) while we watch the President's Cup on the big screen TV.

1 p.m.: Now we know why no one was at Sortino's. The Nebraska football game is on. (Only a radio broadcast this week.)

That's only half the day! But we sure packed a lot into it.

Click above to watch Emily serve up two winners.