Wills Family - Idaho

NO CHILD LEFT BEHIND – THE FOOTBALL VERSION

2009-09-03T08:58:00.002-06:00

NO CHILD LEFT BEHIND – THE FOOTBALL VERSION

All teams must make the playoffs and all MUST win the championship. If a team does not win the championship, they will be on probation until they are the champions, and coaches will be held accountable. If after two years they have not won the championship their footballs and equipment will be taken away until they do win the championship.
All players will be expected to have the same football skills at the same time even if they do not have the same conditions or opportunities to practice on their own. NO exceptions will be made for lack of interest in football, a desire or lack of desire to perform athletically, or genetic abilities or disabilities of themselves or their parents. All players will play football at a proficient level.
Talented players will be asked to workout on their own, without instruction. This is because the coaches will be using all their instruction time with the athletes who aren’t interested in football, have limited athletic ability or whose parents don’t like football.
Games will be played year round but statistics will only be kept for the 4th, 8th and 11th games. It will create a New Age of Sports where every school is expected to have the same level of talent and all teams will reach the same minimum goals. If no team gets ahead, then no team gets left behind. If fans do not like this new law, they are encouraged to vote for vouchers and support private teams that can screen out the non-athletes and prevent their players from having to play with bad football players.

Kicking Cancer's Butt

2009-06-18T23:07:00.002-06:00

Please visit http://www.ikickedcancersbutt.org/ and follow Aubri's cousin ride a bike from Reno, NV to Salt Lake City, UT for cancer research. Mike Nelson and his son Taylor are part of a group of great guys who ride to raise money for the Huntsman Cancer Institute. More than the money however, is the fact that they would sacrifice themselves on behalf of others. Thanks guys!

A Father's Reflections

2009-04-24T11:06:00.004-06:00

I found this column and found that it matched my own feelings and experiences perfectly...

I suppose that the general Dad experience is one of anger and helplessness. Dads are supposed to be the protectors of their families. Burglars, thieves, cutthroats, and murderers lurk outside the gate, and will be dealt with summarily if they chance to invade our kingdoms. There is a powerful fantasy of defending the castle against all comers, even laying down our lives to keep our children safe.

A diagnosis of a grave illness is sneaky, however. A spy, an assassin that has entered our lives through the sewer grate. Suddenly we realize that the princess is held captive in her own room, with a knife at her throat, and we are standing helplessly, stupidly, in the courtyard with useless weapons in our hands.

At the moment of our daughter's diagnosis, my wife and I set out on different journeys to rescue our child. More like two different takes on the same mission, two complementary approaches. For Mom, it was about comfort. Make our baby comfortable, make our family comfortable, share feelings and insights with visitors, things she was willing to do 24 hours a day at the expense of her own health. For me, it was about facts. What, exactly, is the diagnosis? What are the odds of complete recovery? What will be the results of the surgery? Where will we stay? What about the insurance people? Who will feed the dog?

Interestingly, the doctors told me not to read books. Current therapy and practice are advancing so rapidly, that a book is far out of date the day it’s published. So I went to the medical library at the hospital and read current periodicals and extracts. Good news. I asked tough questions at the doctor's conferences. Good numbers. I wrote regular newsletters so that we wouldn't have to tell the same stories over and over. Good work.

Meanwhile, my wife sat by our daughter's bedside and watched her sleep. She sat out in the hallway and talked to visitors, nurses, doctors, strangers, patients, janitors, technicians, maintenance men, pizza delivery guys until she was exhausted, and I knew we had to have a plan.

1. Analyze your strengths. Nancy was the caregiver, I was the utility player. She stayed at the hospital during the week, supervised our daughter's daily fight, and I stayed home and played Mom.

2. Allow your friends to help. When someone asks you what you need, tell them. Our friends did our laundry, mowed our lawn, cleaned our house, cared for our other children (took them Trick or Treating, swimming, to games, to sleepovers)

3. Try to keep the good and ignore the bad. While Mom was gone to the hospital all week, the other kids slept with me, had dinner with me, watched TV with me, and generally treated me with care. It was our job to be as normal and happy as possible.

4. Try to get some rest. Once we had established our plan, it had to produce good results for the patient. I told my wife that she was allowed to cry when she was not in the patient's presence, but she needed to be healthy and cheerful whenever she went in the room. Personal care is necessary for the patient's benefit. Take time off to sleep, shower, eat, and return with a good attitude. I came for the weekends; that was my time to relieve my wife, and take my turn on watch.

5. Accept the reality of your new life. One of the strangest results of our new routine was an incredible sense of peace for me. On the scale of values, weeds and bills sank to an all time low, and time at the hospital rose right to the top. At my most helpless, I found the strongest sense of God's presence. In my weakness, my only weapon was my time, my patience, and my support. As a man, it was humbling, as a father, it was transforming.

I don't mean to take away from the pain and difficulty of this experience; it was both painful and difficult. But I do believe that while this illness can destroy a family, it also has the potential to build one too. I think the bottom line rests with Dad. Dad's job as the warrior is to lay down his wants and desires, to fight with himself, and make the noblest sacrifice of his time so that his family might survive. In the end, it may be the best thing that you have ever done.

Joe, father of a childhood cancer survivor

Sarcoma Awareness Foundation

2009-04-16T18:50:00.004-06:00

We are in the process of creating a Sarcoma awareness Foundation to help Aubri help others. She feels so greatly blessed by all the kindness, generousity, and prayers on her behalf that she wants to share with those in her same situation. We plan on having a yearly dance/dinner each summer, as well as other events to help raise money for the Huntsman Cancer Institute (specifically for Sarcoma research) and for others that have needs to help with their individual treatment. If any of you have ideas or would like to help, please let us know at erickwills@yahoo.com

Here is her foundation logo.

Aubri in the news

2009-03-11T13:32:00.000-06:00

Here is a recent story about Aubri.

http://www.localnews8.com/Global/story.asp?s=9809219

Pride

2009-02-06T08:37:00.004-07:00

Another lesson learned...

This week as my wife and I were watching the local high school basketball game broadcast over the internet (http://www.eisnlive.com/), we were caught off guard by a halftime guest. The broadcaster was interviewing my father-in-law on a subject they called "serious and sensitive." It was regarding our daughter Aubri and the cost of the treatment she has undergone and will continue to endure over the next year. He mentioned that a fund had been setup in her name at Zion'z Bank and that they would be holding other fundraisers on her behalf.

A flood of emotions hit me during the broadcast. Embarassment - I thought, "man I should be able to take care of myself and my family" (a recurring theme in my selfish, prideful mind.) Anger - why had noone told me they were doing this? Sadness - I thought again for the billionth time about what my daughter would have to endure in her young life. Happiness - to know that we had friends and family who cared enough to want to help.

My wife and I have been told many times that people want to help, but don't know how. My mother-in-law and sister-in-law have scolded us (nicely) that we need to let them, for their sakes as well as ours. We are trying to listen.

So, thank you. We love you all, we love the help, we love the thoughts, we love the prayers. We are touched by your compassion and love. I only hope that someday we can repay the kindness. God bless you all.

Aubri Update

2009-01-15T15:16:00.002-07:00

Aubri went through surgery this morning. It was set to take 2 and half hours and went a little over 3. The doctor said there was a lot of scaring from the firt surgery, but they took out what they could including the skin that had been exposed. He said the chest scan was clear as well. Other than a little radiation and a MRI/CT Scan every 3 months, she is free and clear. There is always a chance that it could reoccur, but this was best case scenario. Thank you for all your prayers, thoughts, cards, care packages, meals, and financial help. We have been overwhelmed with emotion at all the friendships that have been strengthened and developed. We love you all.

Daughter With Cancer

2008-12-17T21:39:00.002-07:00

Cancer. Never thought I would hear this word spoken in relationship to one of my children. My daughter Aubri found a large lump under her arm near the middle of the bicep. After antibotics for what the doctors thought was infection, anti-inflamatory medication for the swelling, an ultrasound, and several doctors visits they decided to take it out. After it was removed and sent away for pathology work the results came back inconclusive. They said is was an "Atypical Spindle Cell Neoplasm". That's doctor speak for an unusual growth made of spindle cells. After further stain testing they determined it was fast growing and nondiferentiate (what ever that means), but still could not determine where it came from, what is was made from, or whether is was benign or malignant. It has now been sent to the Mayo Clinic and to the Huntsman Cancer Institute for genetic testing to determine it's origin. We also visited a specialist at Primary Children's Hospital in Salt Lake City and they performed some tests and took an MRI of the arm.

I know the statistics both good and bad, but not knowing what this is and what we can do about it drives me nuts. So now we sit and wait for a couple of weeks.

Season of Life - Building Men and Women for Others

2008-12-02T10:03:00.004-07:00

I read a book recently that I wish to share. Not very often does a book reach deep into my soul and touch something that seems so familiar to me, yet so foreign to what we are taught each day by the world. Please read "Season of Life: a football star, a boy, a journey to manhood"by Jeffrey Marx. Hopefully all of us will look to Build Men and Women for Others through increased selflessness instead of the self-centeredness that society teaches.

More than a quarter-century after they first knew each other as a professional football star and a ballboy for the Baltimore Colts, Joe Ehrmann and Jeffrey Marx once again crossed paths. The outcome was a remarkable journey through the greatest football season of all. It was really a season of life more than anything else.Joe was now a white-haired minister who also coached high school football and ran a program called Building Men for Others. He was changing lives by teaching boys how to be men of substance and impact by focusing on relationships and a cause beyond themselves.

Jeffrey quickly realized there was much to learn from his old friend. But he never could have foreseen the gift of his own transformative experience. He never could have imagined that Joe would ultimately help him open doors to his own dad.

Rewards of coaching

2008-11-07T14:39:00.002-07:00

I just wanted to share a picture with you that sums up why I love coaching.

mmmmmm... chocolate!

2008-09-19T09:47:00.007-06:00

mmmmmm..... chocolate. I love this time of year. My wife is putting togehter he chocolate orders and I can already taste the seasonal treats. Don't get me wrong... football is still the Wills' family fall tradition of choice. (at least for me and the boys) But chocolate comes in a close second.

My wife's mother has always made her own holiday chocolates. My wife now spends 2 days with her mother and sister in late October making chocolates. They even spend a full day making fondant(sp) for chocolate covered cherries. As part of this candy making process my wife and her sister have taken over the family tradition of buying and selling Guittard chocolate to fund this chocolate fest. It done this time every year and causes my mouth to water from now until the finished product is available.

My favorite creation is the chocolate covered NutterButter cookies. Man, I gotta run to the store, because I am jonesing for some chocolate.

Why Men Are Scared...

2008-09-12T08:59:00.004-06:00

Yesterday was garbage day and my wife was upset becuase my daughters did not put a new roll of toilet paper in our master bathroom. A friend of mine sent me this email today and it was entirely fitting. Not because my wife would get this upset, but it was garbage day, I just changed a couple of light bulbs and the toilet paper issue all in the same day. Enjoy!

How many women does it take to change a light bulb?

My Wife's Response: One! ONLY ONE!!!!

And do you know WHY?... because no one else in this house knows HOW to change a light bulb! They don't even know that the bulb is BURNED OUT!! They would sit in the dark for THREE DAYS before they figured it out... And once they figured it out, they wouldn't be able to find the #&%!* lightbulbs despite the fact that they've been in the SAME CABINET for the past 17 YEARS! But if they did, by some miracle, actually find them, 2 DAYS LATER, the chair they dragged to stand on to change the STUPID light bulb would STILL BE IN THE SAME SPOT!!!!

AND UNDERNEATH IT WOULD BE THE WRAPPER THE FREAKING LIGHT BULBS CAME IN!!! BECAUSE NO ONE EVER PICKS UP OR CARRIES OUT THE GARBAGE!!!! IT'S A WONDER WE HAVEN'T ALL SUFFOCATED FROM THE PILES OF GARBAGE THAT ARE A FOOT DEEP THROUGHOUT THE ENTIRE HOUSE!! IT WOULD TAKE AN ARMY TO CLEAN THIS PLACE! AND DON'T EVEN GET ME STARTED ON WHO CHANGES THE TOILET PAPER ROLL!!

I'm sorry. What was the question?

Year round school... and other random thoughts...

2008-09-08T07:35:00.004-06:00

We have started school and I just thought it was time to vent. I hate starting school 2 weeks before Labor Day for a couple of reasons. The best time of the year for me is August and September. The weather is pleasant and the scenery is beautiful. Secondly, you just get into school and then have a holiday. Just start after the holiday for goodness sakes. The even worse thing, is that here in Idaho we have a thing called harvest break. We get out of school for 10 days in the middle of October, so less than 10% of our students can help harvest potatoes. Not that I am complaining about breaks, but why not start school 3 weeks later or better yet 6 weeks later and then stay in school until mid June. June weather is horrible here in Idaho. We play softball in snow for Pete's sake.

Now who ever came up with year around school should be shot. No, not literally, but what a stupid idea. I was in third grade when my school district experimented with it. I couldn't remember which week I was supposed to be in school and which week I was supposed to pretend it was summer. Another thing that is horrible are all the different ideas on daily class schedules for high schools. Some go to class 7 periods a day 2 semesters a year, others go to 4 classes one day, the other 4 the following day for 2 semesters and yet other schools go to class 5 periods a day for 3 trimesters. Is one better than the other? Who knows? Who cares? The point is no one is the same, but they all think they have the best idea. It's kind of like driving on one side of the street in one country and the other side in other countries. Just get over yourselves and conform.

Well, at least I feel better now. Hope you and your kids have a great school year.

Dad's Kitchen Sink Cookies

2008-07-21T21:18:00.002-06:00

My kids are making me post my favorite cookie recipe. I came up with it one day when I was bored with the same old toll-house recipe. Here you go. Let me know if you enjoy them.

Blend Together:

1 cup Butter (salted) I can't stand margarine, so I have never tried it.
2 eggs
3/4 cup sugar
3/4 cup brown sugar
2 tsp vanilla (use only 1 tsp with real vanilla)
1 tsp lemon juice
1/2 tsp almond extract

In a separate bowl mix:

1/2 cup oatmeal (I prefer it blended or grounded)
6 oz grounded milk chocolate chips (you can use a simple milk chocolate candy bar)
1 1/2 tsp baking soda
2 1/4 cup flour
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp cinnamon

Blend both mixtures together and add:

2 cups semi sweet chocolate chips
1/2 cup almonds

refrigerate for 30 minute (optional)

Bake at 350 degrees for 11 minutes

Eat with large glass of milk. :)

Crazy days of summer

2008-06-24T12:33:00.003-06:00

Anyone ever feel that summer is more busy than the rest of the year? Between baseball games, basketball camps, girl's camp, Martin's Cove Trek, guitar lessons, cheerleading practice, softball and misc projects our lives are as busy as ever. I'm not complaining mind you. Having the kids outside and playing instead of infront of the TV is well worth it. Rock Band for the Wii comes out this week though, so we may be spending a few nights indoors. :)

Nicknames

2008-06-21T07:34:00.005-06:00

Who doesn't have a nickname or family pet name? I'm not going divulge the private embarrassing names that my parents, fellow teammates or mad coaches made up for me during football season. But I bet just the previous sentence made most of you think of those same names you've been stuck with.

While traveling this week to a basketball tournament the girl's decided that everyone needed a nickname. You see, I am the type of person that loves to come up with those sarcastic teasing nicknames just to lighten a persons mood or get a point across. For instance in the middle of a game last weekend I had one of my players coming to the line for a free throw. It was a close game and I could see a bit of tension building. So as she approached the line I yelled knock 'em down Leprechaun. Not all the funny as a nickname by itself, but take into account that she is 5'1", redheaded and full of fire, it made quite the impact on her and the bench. She immediately glared at the bench as all the rest of the girls on the team fell to the floor in gut wrenching laughter.

So, now everyone has to have one. We have Baby Bop or Tiss (short for tissue and always emotional), we have Nessy (he name is Janessa and she disappears for long periods of time), we have Ping (she looks like the girl on Mulan and she hated her original nickname of Flower because of her skunk'esc black and white hair), there is Snuff (I watched a lot of Sesame Street as a kid and she reminds me of Snuffaluffagus), there is Peetry and Ducky (two friends that reminded us all of the land before time characters), ChitChat (shes the girl that naver talks -- we shortened hers to Chit, but it sounds very bad when I yell it from the bench "What were thinking Chit?"), there is Snapper (she always has thing habit of snapping her fingers when she wants the ball), my personal favorite is Dora (she needs a map to find her way around the court), there is JJ (Judge and Jury on the court and her name is COURTney), Sticks is a tall skinny post(her sister used to be known as Twiggy, so this fit), Jayco is a post thatlvoes to "Camp" in the key, there is Willy (my daughter and no one could come up with anything more creative), and then finally Lucky (short for Lucky Charm or Leprechaun).

So next time you think your pet name is horrible imagine that it could be worse. You could have me for a coach and be named after a skunk.

One day 5 years ago...

2008-06-18T21:26:00.006-06:00

After my previous post I had someone ask me to share our experience when our son Dawson fell out of his high chair.

Dawson was 8 months old and we had one of those stupid high chairs that sit on the counter top. My oldest daughter was helping mom get the kids cleaned up from dinner. She was 9 at the time. She pulled off the tray set it aside and just then my son leaned forward. The back of his head right behind his right ear.

My wife called the doctor, because Dawson seemed fine, but she was worried. The doctor explained what to look for and suggested she just monitor him. I was in Florida on business, so I knew nothing of the whole ordeal at the time my wife went to bed and took Dawson to lay with her. About 11:00 pm, about 5 hours after the fall, my son began to throw up. My wife quickly ran him to the hospital.

On her way, she called my brother in law and friend from church, they met her at the hospital. The doctors took Dawson in for a CT scan and said the results would take about 15 minutes. Less than 5 minutes later the nurses came and took my son and told my wife to give him a kiss, because they needed to take him in for emergency surgery. Just as they took him he went limp and unconscious.

After hours of surgery the doctor came out to tell my wife that everything seemed to go well, however the head pediatrician want him life flighted to Primary Children's Hospital in Salt Lake City, UT.

Meanwhile, my wife called me after they took him into surgery, about 1 AM, and filled me in on what had happened. I was scheduled to fly out the next morning, but not on the earliest flight. I called the airline and was placed on the 5 am flight and headed off the airport. That was the longest 4 hour flight I have even flown on.

He had fully recovered and except for the scar, you would never know how close we were to losing him. We continue to thank our Heavenly Father for miracles.

Life is precious

2008-06-17T15:51:00.006-06:00

Wow. I guess my parents aren't bulletproof. Or at least that is the realization I am finally coming to. Does anyone every want to think about life without a parent, a child or a spouse? I sure don't. I can still remember my son in the hospital when he was 8 months old. You can see from the pictures how close we were to losing him.

Just yesterday I received a call from my mom informing me that my dad was in the hospital with what they thought were heart problems. It turns out that everything seemed to be fine, but the call brought back childhood memories when my dad was sick in bed and turning a bright shade of purple. It turns out he had been sick for about a week and refused to go to the doctor. When mom finally insisted, he found out he had had a heart attack (he still claims it was just a "chest pain" and not a heart attack). He had been acting tough for a week thinking it would go away. What a knucklehead. When I talked to him this morning he actually said, "I'm tired of going to the hospital and being told everything is fine. I'm not coming going in there anymore." I told him to bite his tongue and quit trying to act so tough.

Love you mom and dad. Quit being so tough and stick around a while will ya?

Basketball Irony

2008-06-15T22:48:00.004-06:00

For anyone that knows me, the irony of a Wills coaching basketball is similar to a Clinton teaching an ethics class. It just doesn't seem right. However miracles never cease.

The JV Girl's Basketball team for Madison High School has for some reason has been stuck with me as their coach. Maybe it's the fact that I am such a skilled basketball technician? Or quite possibly that my wrestling skills come into play in girl's basketball? More than likely however, it is the fact that the Varsity coach is my sister-in-law and was desperate for a coach on her staff that actually worked at the high school. Thanks Traci.

Dispite my vastly underestimated technical skills in the game, my JV team has seemed to do well this past season and my new crop this summer are doing even better. We just spent the weekend in Pocatello, ID at a team tournament and went undefeated. It doesn't hurt to have 4 girls over 6 foot tall on a JV team. :)

The best thing about the experience is the types of girls we have... bright, fun, well mannered, but getting very competitive. At one point playing against Twin Falls, a conference rival, our team was winning 71-15 and the girls wanted very badly to run it up to 100. However, cooler heads prevailed and we ended the game up 90-16. However, one our guard didn't get the take it easy on them memo and threw up a last minute 3 pointer from 3/4 court which banked in and sent the bench into a frenzy. Obviously we had the win with class discussion later that day.

What a fun weekend. Thanks girls. I look forward to a great year.

Introduction

2008-06-11T20:50:00.000-06:00

We are the branch of the Wills family in Rexburg, ID... Erick, Cami, Dani, Aubri, Connor, Braxton and Dawson.