Hello from a very wet Forney. When I got up this morning, our 5 inch rain gauge was overflowing.
The weather also played havoc on Josh’s running Saturday as he proved he is still human. Josh and his Forney Jackrabbit teammates traveled to Grapevine to run in the Southlake Carroll Invitational. The meet was held with a pouring rain and the mud was deep. As it turned out, it was not mother nature that got to Josh, but rather stomach cramps. He finished in a disappointing 33rd place with a time of 17:16 for the 5k course. He stayed in the top 10 for the first mile, but when the cramps started, he fell off the lead pack. We must have a stomach virus going through the house as both Mom and Dad have been battling it this weekend too.
The winning time was a very fast 15:05 which turns out to be the fastest 5k in the state right now. If Josh would have been able to match his 16:05 from last week, he would have finished fourth. We knew the Southlake meet would have a very fast field and they did with some of the top runners in the state. Josh said he was embarrassed and disappointed with his results because he really wanted to put up a good time. I told him it is still early in the season and he will get another chance to run against some of the top guys in a few weeks at the Nike South Regional’s at the Woodlands.
As a team, Forney finished in 8th place behind seven 5A schools, so they were the top 4A team.
This coming Saturday, they will be going back to Norbuck Park in Dallas for the Lake Highlands Invitational which should also have some very good teams. As always, we will let you know what happens.
Until next time;
Sunday, September 13, 2009
Thursday, September 10, 2009
Cross country spotlight: Forney's Josh Taylor
Josh was highlighted in the Dallas Morning News this morning in their Cross Country Sportlight. Follow the link below to see the article.
http://www.hsgametime.com/dfw/sharedcontent/dws/spt/highschools/crosscountry/stories/091009dnspohsXCspotlight.3c70e26.html
http://www.hsgametime.com/dfw/sharedcontent/dws/spt/highschools/crosscountry/stories/091009dnspohsXCspotlight.3c70e26.html
Monday, September 7, 2009
Josh take 1st place at Tyler Lee Meet
Hey All; 
Many more weekends like the one just completed and we will have to cut a hole in the doors so Joshua’s head will fit.
It all started Saturday morning at the Tyler Lee Cross Country Classic held on the campus of the University of Texas at Tyler. When all was said and done, Joshua was the first to cross the finish line and set a personal record for a 5k (3.1 miles) course. His time was an amazing 16:05, almost 30 seconds ahead of the second place time of 16:34. To put it in perspective, Josh ran the same course last year and finished in third with a 16:47. The winning time last year of 16:35.
Following the race, Josh was contacted by two different college coaches…UT Tyler and Lon Morris. There was a college race prior to the high school races. After talking to those coaches, he was interviewed by a reporter from the Tyler Telegraph. You can fine the story on the Sunday online edition at http://www.tylerpaper.com/ and then go to the sports page and look for the headline, “Forney Boys Dominate Lee Cross Country Meet.” By the way, four of the Forney runners finished in the top 10 and as a result, Forney took first place in the team totals.
The excitement continued Monday afternoon as the family was sitting on our boat at Lake Tawakoni when Josh’s cell phone rang. We could tell by his excitement that it was an important call. We all got quite and listened
to what Josh was saying. Deshonna and I first thought it was another college coach calling, but it didn’t take us long to realize that it was probably a newspaper reporter. After answering several questions and being on the phone for about 15 minutes, Josh hung up and let out a scream that could be heard around the lake. It turned out to be a reporter from the Dallas Morning News who informed Josh that he has been selected as the DMN Cross Country Athlete of the Month. The story is suppose to be in the Thursday edition of the Morning News.
Earlier last week, Josh got another telephone call from one of the coaches at Sam Houston State. He has also been shown some interest from Stephen F Austin, Texas A&M and Baylor. Needless to say, Josh is very excited about all the attention and is even more determined to continue to push himself and get better and faster.
Oh, I almost forgot. It is still very early in the season, but Josh’s time Saturday puts him in eight place in the entire state of Texas and second in Class 4A according to Txrunning.com. Something tells me it is going to be a very exciting fall.
This coming Saturday, Josh and his teammates will be running at the Southlake Carroll Invitational at Meadowmere Park in Grapevine. This race will feature some of the top runners in the North Texas area including at least the number three runner in the state since he is from Southlake. I wouldn’t be surprised if the number one and two runners in the state are there too. Josh’s coach had originally signed the Forney team up for the “regular” varsity race, but after Saturday’s performance at Tyler, he was going to see if he could move them into the “Elite Varsity” race which of course would be the best of the best. As always, we will let you know what happens.
I have attached a couple of pictures. One is of Josh running about half way through the race and the other is him with his first place trophy and medal. You can see more pictures on my Facebook page.
Until next time…
Many more weekends like the one just completed and we will have to cut a hole in the doors so Joshua’s head will fit.
It all started Saturday morning at the Tyler Lee Cross Country Classic held on the campus of the University of Texas at Tyler. When all was said and done, Joshua was the first to cross the finish line and set a personal record for a 5k (3.1 miles) course. His time was an amazing 16:05, almost 30 seconds ahead of the second place time of 16:34. To put it in perspective, Josh ran the same course last year and finished in third with a 16:47. The winning time last year of 16:35.
Following the race, Josh was contacted by two different college coaches…UT Tyler and Lon Morris. There was a college race prior to the high school races. After talking to those coaches, he was interviewed by a reporter from the Tyler Telegraph. You can fine the story on the Sunday online edition at http://www.tylerpaper.com/ and then go to the sports page and look for the headline, “Forney Boys Dominate Lee Cross Country Meet.” By the way, four of the Forney runners finished in the top 10 and as a result, Forney took first place in the team totals.
The excitement continued Monday afternoon as the family was sitting on our boat at Lake Tawakoni when Josh’s cell phone rang. We could tell by his excitement that it was an important call. We all got quite and listened
to what Josh was saying. Deshonna and I first thought it was another college coach calling, but it didn’t take us long to realize that it was probably a newspaper reporter. After answering several questions and being on the phone for about 15 minutes, Josh hung up and let out a scream that could be heard around the lake. It turned out to be a reporter from the Dallas Morning News who informed Josh that he has been selected as the DMN Cross Country Athlete of the Month. The story is suppose to be in the Thursday edition of the Morning News.Earlier last week, Josh got another telephone call from one of the coaches at Sam Houston State. He has also been shown some interest from Stephen F Austin, Texas A&M and Baylor. Needless to say, Josh is very excited about all the attention and is even more determined to continue to push himself and get better and faster.
Oh, I almost forgot. It is still very early in the season, but Josh’s time Saturday puts him in eight place in the entire state of Texas and second in Class 4A according to Txrunning.com. Something tells me it is going to be a very exciting fall.
This coming Saturday, Josh and his teammates will be running at the Southlake Carroll Invitational at Meadowmere Park in Grapevine. This race will feature some of the top runners in the North Texas area including at least the number three runner in the state since he is from Southlake. I wouldn’t be surprised if the number one and two runners in the state are there too. Josh’s coach had originally signed the Forney team up for the “regular” varsity race, but after Saturday’s performance at Tyler, he was going to see if he could move them into the “Elite Varsity” race which of course would be the best of the best. As always, we will let you know what happens.
I have attached a couple of pictures. One is of Josh running about half way through the race and the other is him with his first place trophy and medal. You can see more pictures on my Facebook page.
Until next time…
Wednesday, March 4, 2009
Josh's 2009 Track Results
Feb 28, 2009 Pirate Relays @ Wylie High School
1600m 1st Place 4:44
Distance Relay 1st Place. Josh ran the anchor 1600m in 4:39
Feb 20, 2009 Richardson Coed Meet @ Eagle-Mustange Stadium, Richardson
3200m 1st Place 10:07
1600m 1st Place 4:43
1600m 1st Place 4:44
Distance Relay 1st Place. Josh ran the anchor 1600m in 4:39
Feb 20, 2009 Richardson Coed Meet @ Eagle-Mustange Stadium, Richardson
3200m 1st Place 10:07
1600m 1st Place 4:43
2009 Forney High School Track Schedule
Feb. 20 Fri. Richardson Coed Meet @ Eagle-Mustang Stadium -- Richardson
Feb. 28 Sat. Pirate Relays @ Wylie
March 7 Sat. Clay Jones @ City Bank Stadium - Forney
March 14 Sat. Beverly D Humphrey Invitational @ Lancaster
March 21 Sat. Spring Break (TBA)
March 28 Sat. Bulldog Relays @ Royse City (boys and girls)
Jesuit (qualifying boys)
April 3 & 4 Fri/Sat. Texas Relays @ Austin (Varsity Only)
April 11 Sat. Lancaster Pre District Tune Up @ Lancaster
April 15 & 16 Wed/Thurs District @ Lancaster
April 24 & 25 Fri/Sat Regional Qualifiers Meets
May 1 & 2 Fri/Sat Regional Meet @ Denton
May 15 & 1 Fri/Sat State Meet @ Austin
Feb. 28 Sat. Pirate Relays @ Wylie
March 7 Sat. Clay Jones @ City Bank Stadium - Forney
March 14 Sat. Beverly D Humphrey Invitational @ Lancaster
March 21 Sat. Spring Break (TBA)
March 28 Sat. Bulldog Relays @ Royse City (boys and girls)
Jesuit (qualifying boys)
April 3 & 4 Fri/Sat. Texas Relays @ Austin (Varsity Only)
April 11 Sat. Lancaster Pre District Tune Up @ Lancaster
April 15 & 16 Wed/Thurs District @ Lancaster
April 24 & 25 Fri/Sat Regional Qualifiers Meets
May 1 & 2 Fri/Sat Regional Meet @ Denton
May 15 & 1 Fri/Sat State Meet @ Austin
Wednesday, December 17, 2008
Christmas Letter 2008
December 6, 2008
Greetings friends and family;
Another year is upon us and the Lord has blessed us abundantly. There is never a dull moment in our house...and with six growing kids our house is full of teenage hormones and funky smells. As I was once again taking a cold bath, I thought…I guess I won’t have hot water again for the next six years…funny because I can remember thinking to myself “will I ever be able to even bathe by myself?” I can say the first day of kindergarten brought on much excitement but it is hard to believe they are now in the sixth grade.
Joshua is a junior this year. As most of you know he made it to State in cross country. I think he has reached his height potential at 6’3” and although he only weighs 145 lbs he has stated he is concerned he has gained 5 lbs since cross country ended. On Thanksgiving he ran the 8-mile Turkey Trot in Dallas finishing 136 out of 7,258.
Kenedy continues to do well in school and has expressed her wishes to become a doctor. At the end of the first six weeks Jacob, Jonah, Zachary and Aleksi were all standing in the kitchen discussing how they had done. Kenedy walked in the house, slammed her report card down and stated “Straight A’s again” and walked off……if looks could KILL.
Jacob now has bragging rights as the tallest of the five. He is a very sweet and loving boy….very tender hearted. He remains very close to Kenedy and Aleksi. He hasn’t shown much of an interest in sports and for that I am thankful since he only has one kidney. His blood pressure remains stable
Jonah has red kinky hair and he is a ball of fire. He should be a comedian. He keeps everyone laughing and is sometimes just goofy. Joshua said “Mom he is not of this family”. What we are learning with Jonah is every family should be blessed with a child with ADD. He adds more excitement in the family and you have to learn patience with him.
Zachary has decided he is going to be a traveling nurse and travel all over the country. He has already asked about how he is going to bank his vacation time and travel first to New York, Alaska, and Hawaii. He has also informed us he is going to have three sons named Charlie, Elijah, and Patrick. We will see what his wife has to say about that.
Aleksi remains attached to her dad. She is the quietest but is loud enough to be heard. Much of her shyness has left. She and Kenedy are often found together giggling. Brent’s sister tells us this won’t stop until they leave home. Aleski also has some curl to her hair. I find it very difficult to manage. In the morning’s she looks like a lion.
Brent remains at his position as a Clinical Director at Christian Care Center Home Health. He enjoys his work as it gives him an opportunity to work in his initial degree in marketing and also as a nurse. He rides his bike and often will ride along with Joshua as he runs. I remain at UT Southwestern as the manager of Staffing Services. Our schedules have given us the opportunity to spend more time together. We celebrate our 21st anniversary this year…..of course with six kids you have to add about 10 more years.
The photo was taken on our summer vacation in Estes Park, CO. If ever you can feel the beauty of God’s work, it is in those mountains. I also had the opportunity this year to take a few trips on my own for either business or pleasure purposes to Galveston. I have found sneaking away “alone” and reflecting on God’s words “Be still and know I am” as I view the beauty of HIS work, has given me a peace unknown before.
We miss you all and think of you often. GOD has truly blessed our family and given us the joy of six children unlike what few other families are able to experience. (PS-I have to tell myself this oftenJ) We pray the New Year brings good health and many blessings to each of you. Come see us if you get the opportunity.
Love, Brent, Deshonna, Joshua, Jacob, Jonah, Zachary, Kenedy and Aleksi.
Sunday, May 11, 2008
5th & 6th Grade Track Meet
Well you just thought we were through with track!!!
Our little ones had the Claybon Elem. 5th & 6th grade track meet this past Friday and it looks like we may have some future track stars as three of the five had top six finishes in their events.
Kenedy took third place in the obstacle course with a time of 34.6.
The winning time was 32.5. For most of the events they combined the winning times between both grades so they were running against all the 5th and 6th graders. Kenedy also got 6th in the hurdles with a time of 15.09. It was not the type of hurdles you are probably thinking of, but once you see the pictures you will understand. Still she had to run 100 meters.
Jonah took fifth in the 100 meters with a time of 13.13.
The winning time was 12.10. I did not know Jonah was as fast as he is. Joshua was saying that he explodes off the line and it is all he can do to catch him by the finish line. Jonah ran the anchor for his team in the 4 x 100 relay. His team finished in third place.
In the 400 meters, Zachary took the top spot with a time of 1:22.
Zachary also ran the anchor for his team in the 4 x 400 relay and ran out of gas at the finish line after leading his lap for all but the last 10 meters.
Jacob competed in the obstacle course and the 100 and did good. Aleksi ran the hurdles and the 4 x 400 relay. Her and Kenedy were on the same relay team, in fact Aleksi handed off to Kenedy.
Overall, everyone had fun. It will be interesting to see who sticks with track as they get bigger. This is the same meet Joshua had when he was in the 6th grade that made us start looking at his track potential. Unlike Josh, they added the 5th grade to the meet so the kids will have one more year before moving on to middle school.
Our little ones had the Claybon Elem. 5th & 6th grade track meet this past Friday and it looks like we may have some future track stars as three of the five had top six finishes in their events.
Kenedy took third place in the obstacle course with a time of 34.6.
The winning time was 32.5. For most of the events they combined the winning times between both grades so they were running against all the 5th and 6th graders. Kenedy also got 6th in the hurdles with a time of 15.09. It was not the type of hurdles you are probably thinking of, but once you see the pictures you will understand. Still she had to run 100 meters.Jonah took fifth in the 100 meters with a time of 13.13.
The winning time was 12.10. I did not know Jonah was as fast as he is. Joshua was saying that he explodes off the line and it is all he can do to catch him by the finish line. Jonah ran the anchor for his team in the 4 x 100 relay. His team finished in third place.In the 400 meters, Zachary took the top spot with a time of 1:22.
Zachary also ran the anchor for his team in the 4 x 400 relay and ran out of gas at the finish line after leading his lap for all but the last 10 meters.Jacob competed in the obstacle course and the 100 and did good. Aleksi ran the hurdles and the 4 x 400 relay. Her and Kenedy were on the same relay team, in fact Aleksi handed off to Kenedy.
Overall, everyone had fun. It will be interesting to see who sticks with track as they get bigger. This is the same meet Joshua had when he was in the 6th grade that made us start looking at his track potential. Unlike Josh, they added the 5th grade to the meet so the kids will have one more year before moving on to middle school.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
