Swimming – Nature vs Nurture

Greg signed the kids up for swim lessons this summer. The first two week session the kids did before we went on our 4th of July vacation. They both ‘graduated’ with a ribbon at level 2. We spent a lot of time in the pool during our vacation and Brianna took to it quickly. She was jumping to Greg or Grandma in the water either doing a cannon ball or Nestea plunge. She had no fear. Liam did much better this summer, he could ‘walk’ around in the shallow end and loved the water gun fights with everyone, but still didn’t like getting his head/face wet.

The kids just finished the last two weeks of swim class. Brianna can now float for 10 seconds on her back by herself. She can float on her front for 5 seconds by herself. She can put her hands over her head in the streamline position and kick – basically swimming very slowly either on her back or front without help. She has near perfect form for a 3 year old. She just has a natural point to her toes and kick. And she always has a huge smile on her face while she’s in the water. Liam floated on his back by himself for 1 or 2 seconds. As soon as he felt the instructor’s hands move he would tense up and pull into a ball causing him to start to sink. He won’t even put his face in the water to be able to float on his front. He does use a kick board and can kick the length of the pool as long as the instructor is right there. They again got ribbons for completing the class. Brianna ‘graduated’ at level 4 and Liam at level 2.

I can’t tell you how many people commented to either Greg or I about how well Brianna was doing and how fast she was progressing. Even the head instructor said Brianna was progressing faster than anyone she’d ever seen at her age. Greg and I think she’s going to be an Olympic swimmer or diver and we’re going to keep nurturing her love of the water. Liam will continue to take lessons until he can swim for safety reasons, but it’s not his talent. He’s going to be starting soccer soon, which Greg tells me Liam has a natural talent for – evidently he’s got really good ball control. It might have something to do with the fact that Greg loves to play soccer with Liam, so he gets a lot of practice. But Greg is the expert in this area and if he says that Liam has a natural soccer talent then who am I to say otherwise.

So while Brianna got the Boyd family love of the water, Liam got the Hogan healthy fear of the water. My dad was telling me at one of the swim classes how he never liked to swim and was no good at it, so it’s genetic and Liam just got the short end of the stick from us (Dad and I). Oh well, he can be the next David Beckham, while Brianna is the next . . . uhm Dana Torres, Greg Louganis?

By the way, Olympic positions for warm towel hander outer and crazed family member with signs have already been taken by Brianna’s aunts.

P.S. I'll post photos once I figure out how to get them from my blackberry onto my computer.

Dear Paul – You are so NOT inspiring

Every day for the past month and a half I have been receiving an email from Paul with the subject: Christ Fulfills All … After about a week, the emails started to go into my Spam folder, but I still have to go in there and empty that folder. It’s annoying and it’s been going on for so long, that evil thoughts have started entering my mind.

(By the way, did anyone but me wonder what All Christ Fulfills. It’s kind of a fun fill in the blank game. Christ Fulfills All Buckets of Water. Christ Fulfills All Politicians Dreams. Don’t try to understand how my brain works. I gave up years ago out of frustration.)

Now back to my story.

Those that know me well can imagine the graphic nature of these thoughts, but many of my family members and a lot of my dear friends are God fearing/loving Christians and very good people. Before writing this blog entry the idea did cross my mind that one of my family members signed me up to receive these daily inspirationals with good intentions and hopes that I might see The Light. They don’t realize that’s just not going to happen -- too much pagan blood flowing through my veins perhaps (although that means it’s flowing through some of their veins as well). Then I got worried that maybe my dear, sweet husband signed me up (horror of horrors), but that thought quickly left my head. He knows it’s a lost cause (although I am a little nervous about him deciding to read my blog for the first time and this is the post he sees). Before I get to my evil thoughts, I really don’t intend to offend anyone, especially the people that love me and will be praying for my immortal soul if they are brave enough to continue reading.


Okay are you ready? Take another second for one more prayer.





Now back to Paul (and not my Uncle Paul, who I originally thought the email came from before I looked at the subject line) and the evil thoughts swirling through my head. The thoughts started out fairly mundane (well for me at least) – I wanted to email him back everyday with some satanic quote, but I would have no idea where to find those types of things. Then they progressively got worse as my annoyance level went up – I wanted to send him emails with pictures of goat sacrifices or perhaps human sacrifices – that would really freak him out (wait a second that would totally freak me out). And finally ended with some God Father like scenes of Paul waking up to animal heads in his bed and 666 scrawled in blood on his alarm clock (no I don’t know why I think 666 on an alarm clock is funny except if I saw that on mine I would think I was really late).

Of course these are just thoughts and I would never, ever act on them especially because I have no idea how to contact Paul because his return email address is hidden. Oh and he’s probably not even a real person, but some virus lurking waiting for me to click the link on Psalms 23 or whatever.

Yes, I’m aware that I’m going to Hell and you know how much I love heat.

As an aside, my friend, I’ll call him M, once told me the funniest story, which I’m going to screw up somewhat because it’s been over 10 years since I heard it and we all know how I like to ...uhm change stories unknowingly (seals on kayaks anyone?). He was tired of the bible thumpers coming to his door, so one day he had enough and the girl was telling him how Christ could save him, etc. He looked her straight in the eye and said he didn’t need Christ because he had Satan and he could call up demons to come and take her soul, so she better tell her friends to stop dropping by his place because he didn’t need saving. I think she might have cried or screamed or something and I think he felt slightly bad about it after he stopped laughing.

See I just think these horrible thoughts I don’t actually act on them, so I’m not so bad right?! What? I’m still going to Hell? Damn it!