Annunciation basketball family!
I’m sure the girls (and you all) are getting bored and stir crazy by now... I heard from a few of you and the girls, so I figured I’d send them a few photos and videos of life in New England and a little history for their entertainment and education. I’m not a huge social media sharer so this seemed more up my alley. I’m sending all of them a big virtual hug!
"Chronicles of Coach Matia”
Chronicle #8 - May 10
Hi Everyone,
I wanted to quickly reach out and say Happy Mothers Day to all of you inspirational moms who have raised such great kids and role models to me. I hope the girls and the rest of the family have spoiled you all rotten today since you all deserve it. Big virtual hugs to all of you from me.
This was the first mother's day that I was able to celebrate with my mom in 5 years, so we went on a walk around the neighborhood and have been FaceTiming my brothers throughout the day. Our cousins all participated in a family virtual trivia night as well, which was pretty fun. If you’re looking for a family game, I highly recommend one of the online trivia game nights you can do with families in other houses. My brother’s daughter even participated and learned how to wave hi to us. 😍
This week was another busy week at work, so my daily 5 mile runs have been the only thing keeping me sane by giving me a chance to get fresh air and see people from afar. The other day, I came across a house who apparently was celebrating a birthday. I guess lawn cards are a real thing these days.
On Friday it was 65 and sunny and I got a little sun burn on my hands and thighs while working outside… AND THEN, yesterday we had snow (!!). it’s the first time we’ve had snow in May since 1967 or something like that. It didn’t stick here, but you can kind of see the snowflakes falling into the pool. Up in Maine they got about a foot. Kids, if you want to build immunity to colds, come visit me in New England… we’re built to weather through a lot!!
On Friday my dad told me he needed help in the yard to protect his flowers before the snow came… and then I saw this meme on the Internet. I guess we’re built a bit resilient out here given the weather fluctuations….
I hope you all are staying well and happy. I’ve learned a lot about myself throughout the last two months, and one thing is for sure: I’m definitely a homebody and meant for the suburbs/rural parts than the city. It’s been nice to wake up to birds every morning and the other night I heard crickets for the first time since I was home in September. Who knows what the future holds, but I hope I can find myself back in a more spacious living situation again. Give the girls a big hug from me. I miss hearing their cute voices, but hopefully soon we’ll have a fun reunion.
Happy Mother’s Day, again!
Xoxo
Coach Matia
Chronicle #7 - May 3
Kalo Mina everyone!
I can’t believe it’s already May. The last 3 weeks have been particularly tough work-wise. I probably have been averaging 14-16 hours a day, so I’m a bit behind on catching up with friends and family, like all of you. I have a couple big presentations tomorrow and Thursday so hopefully things start to lighten up after that.
Yesterday and last Saturday I was still able to escape to Maine with my parents. My dad and I finish the woodworking project we started a few weeks ago. I’m a bit sore today, but we finally finished our bridge so that we don’t have to trudge through water. Woodworking is incredibly therapeutic, who knew… but kids don’t try this type of woodworking at home. 😜
Last weekend we got half way done and yesterday we finished. My job was to nail the planks with these 10 inch nails and hold the log steady or make fixtures to hold them while my dad makes the planks. We’re quite proud of our project and honestly, I’m pretty impressed by the structural integrity of it. My 7th grade woodworking project making a model bridge paid off, so kids, don't skip those elective classes… you never know when they’ll come in handy. 😉
I’m not sure about how all the girls are holding up not being in school, but I know the kids around here really miss their classmates, teachers, and being in school. My mom’s kids tell her all the time. The other day I was running my route and when I passed my elementary school, I noticed a bunch of parents and kids getting ready to do a parade thanking all of the teachers. It was a really nice gesture to witness and it seemed they were having fun with it as well.
Today I finally rested a bit, physically and mentally, from work and working out. On my leisurely walk around the neighborhood, I found so many people out on their lawns gardening with their kids, couples playing tennis, and one kid was so resourceful in practicing his football kicking skills that he created his own structure to emulate a field goal post and a fixture to hold the football. Girls, there’s always a way to practice, so I hope you guys are becoming creative in doing so as well.
This weekend was also the first weekend it broke 70 degrees and it was also when my dad had scheduled to open the pool, so today I’m finally relaxing in the backyard with my parents and enjoying a little bit of sun and very cold water. It’s days like these that I look forward to, so I hope all you kids are getting outside and playing as much as you can in that California sun. There’s light at the end of the tunnel it seems, so hang in there!
xoxo
Coach Matia
Chronicle #6 - April 19
Xristos Anesti Everybody!
Time for another chronicle, and what better day than Pascha. I truly hope everyone was able to celebrate Holy Week and Pascha filled with love and happiness with your families despite the unique circumstances we’re all in. I’m sure this will be a Pascha to remember, and hopefully with more positives than we would have otherwise thought, such as extra family time with one another and keeping Pascha traditions alive in unique and alternative ways.
This week was another “exciting” week here, at least as much as it can be given the new world order. My mom has been teaching her kids in the morning and each day she’s been having to come up with a new way to get their attention. Of course she asks me for help and advice, but I’m a math nerd, not the creative artist that my brother is. I now know where he gets his comic skills because this week was “Wacky Wednesday” and she posted this video that I think the girls may enjoy (and she gave me permission to share 😜).
https://share.icloud.com/photos/0v6r5MCiaCTyLUzZp1orzqILw
The next day she was on the hook to find old photos for “Throwback Thursday” so I helped her go through some old photo albums and we found some gems. In fact, this one really freaked me out. This is my mom (in pink) at age 27 or 28 when she finally went on her first vacation with her best friend to Hawaii. I always wanted to go to Hawaii because of my mom’s stories from this specific trip. But what is the trippiest part of it is seeing what she looked like, or who she looked like for that matter… remind you of anyone you know!? I guess the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree.
So for those who haven’t figured it out yet, spring in MA is very bipolar. Yesterday was snowing and today was 65 and sunny. You guys really miss out on the fun weather changes, I’m telling you! 😜 We still went up to Maine and got our seafood for the week. You really can’t go wrong with the lobster, scallops, and haddock around here. And today, instead of taking down trees in Maine, my dad and I took down one that has been driving us nuts for years. My dad is really loving having the extra help and I’m his best help as he says… only because I listen and do what he says while my brothers just bicker with him. 😇 but the father-daughter time has been really great.
This week was also my youngest brother’s fiance’s Air Force Academy graduation. We went last year for my brother’s graduation and it was one amazing spectacle, so it’s really sad that this year’s class couldn’t get the same as any other class in the 62 years of the Academy’s history. However, it was a special ceremony because of a few things. First, it was pulled up to April 18th, which is also the anniversary of the Doolittle Raid during WWII, which was one of the most elite air raid’s in American history. April 18th is also when Paul Revere did his famous ride to warn John Hancock and Company that the British were coming to arrest them (Revolutionary War time)… That happened right here in my backyard in Massachusetts. And finally, their graduation is also the only live graduation in the country this year. Since the senior class cadets have all be quarantined for 36 days together, they were able to make it happen. This year also marked the first sworn-in class into the Space Force, which is a new thing for the military. So, if anything else, this 2020 class will have something memorable to tell their kids someday.
It’s been very hard for these seniors to be locked up in their jail cell-looking rooms and unable to leave only to do their school work. Their food was even delivered to their doorstep on trays. Not only that, they'd get demerits if they were ever caught within 6 feet of each other, which would mean they likely wouldn’t be able to graduate. So if you guys think you have it bad, I’m pretty sure these kids had it worse. But I’m so happy for Hannah to get a ceremony to celebrate, even if it was alone without family and friends there. I’m glad the Academy put on a nice ceremony to make it feel somewhat normal for these kids who have worked so hard to get to this point. They even had the Thunderbirds fly over and VPOTUS Mike Pence gave the commencement speech in person. I took some fun screen shots during the live stream, take a look.
And lastly but not least, Easter today was quiet but nice. My parents and I had a nice meal together and we facetimed all of my brothers while we ate. I miss my brothers a lot and wish they could have been here with us, but I’m hopeful I’ll get to see them this summer at some point. My aunts and uncles came over for dessert today, so I finally got to see them for the first time since I’ve been home. Don’t worry, we all had our own table with plenty of space between us. It was nice to get outside and use the deck with everyone, which felt a little like normal. We even had some great koulourakia and kourambiethes, but I always go for the chocolate chip cookies and brownies. 😜
I hope you all had a wonderful day today and the girls are keeping their spirits high. I miss them all and can’t wait for the day we can all see each other again.
Xristos Anesti
xoxo
Coach Matia
Chronicle #5 - April 12
Happy Palm Sunday and Blessed Holy Week Everyone!!
I can’t believe I’ve been home in MA for a month and we’re already in Holy Week. I hope everyone is able to enjoy Palm Sunday and do something unique you all can remember as a family.
Over here in Massachusetts, we have an incredibly beautiful sunny and warm-ish day, so no complaints! I hope you all watched church service today and had your palms in hand (Thank you Father Stephen and team for a lovely service). Over here, I have the New England version of palms aka pine tree branches. They even have the shape of the cross and smell amazing, so I think we did alright.
It’s definitely smelling like spring because we have several bunnies and squirrels running around as well. I bet ya never seen white squirrels before? I couldn’t catch a picture of the white bunnies, but white squirrels seem to always fascinate visitors here - and they run around all day giving everyone a show. It’s pretty funny to watch.
As you can guess, we went back to Maine this weekend. We finally stopped at a tiny lobster shack on the way home and grabbed ourselves these guys for dinner. Gosh, I miss getting lobsters for $6, especially these two pounders that we were able to find. The lobster shack was exactly what you can imagine… a shack, but that’s where you find the good stuff. Kids, one of these days, you’ll have to make a trip out to Maine to get lobsters right off the boat, boil them for 15 minutes, and they’re ready for butter-lemon dipping sauce. Delicious!!
There was a little bit of snowfall the other day, but it didn’t stop us. This week, the project was to make a bridge so that we can easily cross the ravine with our tools. Honestly, I’m pretty impressed with our resourcefulness and structural engineering skills. We used a long branch as our measuring stick, my dad’s chainsaw, and a large hammer and nails. The sludge hammer was a bit too heavy, but we tried it anyways.
This is what it looked like before we started:
And here we are in action (notice the 10 inch nail and me balancing on a log that is suspended over the ravine … those barre classes are really paying off for my balance 🤪).
https://share.icloud.com/photos/0JhCzZb-TOL65UyV9VcORAd9g
We have been super blessed to have good weather each week, and this week is no different. Here is a little snippet of our serene and pleasant drive home (I just realized the song in the background - perfect message! 😜).
https://share.icloud.com/photos/09Mc1EFHicFW94t8gdSZYeQtw
And in commemoration of Palm Sunday, we still have our Palms from last year and they’re holding strong! Now, we’ll need to put our new palms/pine tree branches in the trucks for this year.
I hope everyone is able to enjoy the week and stay healthy! This Holy Week will certainly be one to remember and I hope you all find something unique to do with each other that you can look back on and smile. I miss all of you girls and can’t wait to see you soon!
xoxo
Coach Matia
Chronicle #4 - April 5th
Happy Sunday everyone! I miss all of those girls and can’t wait to see their faces again. I hope all the little ladies are getting themselves active. If they need/want more bball videos, I’ll be glad to make some.
Over here in New England, we’re really starting to get ourselves into a routine. Strangely, I’m getting pretty used to it too and it’s not so bad.
This week marks the 2nd week in a row where my friends in CA and I have been playing virtual trivia. It’s becoming our Thursday evening ritual and let me tell you, they do not mess around when it comes to trivia. This week there were 79 virtual teams playing all across the country, with 5-6 people per team. We even had a Greek round in commemoration of Greek Independence Day. Our hosts are our good friends Eoanna and Jeff (I met Eoanna the first day I came to church 5 years ago and have been friends ever since) and they would change costumes between rounds as well as create the content of the questions. Talk about dedication to keeping ourselves entertained for 2 hours every week. You may recognize some of the faces on our team as well as Eoanna. Our team name is the Social Distancers because we really are social distancing from SF to Chicago to Boston. My parents even played this week.
Being back in Boston is nice to reconnect with family and friends, but it’s also great because I’m able to see my cousin on Boston’s syndicate of ABC news. He recently got hired full time for ABC Channel 5 news here in Boston from the smaller market in Albany. Considering he’s only been out of college for 4 years, he jumped pretty quickly to a primetime market like Boston. We’re super proud of him. This week he covered small businesses during corona virus and how they’re making extra cash given the circumstances. He used a local Boston Greek restaurant as his example report. By the way, if you’re wondering, yes he’s one of 4 Peters in my family - my 2nd bother being one of the 4 as well. 😜
As part of our weekly routine, we did indeed go back up to Maine this weekend and my dad and I covered some more ground in our tree cutting expeditions. We’re making some real progress now that the chain saw started to work a couple hours into being there. All those hours spending time with my mechanical engineers at work came in handy when fixing a chain saw with teeth too big for its track, but my dad and I finally got it to start working.
However, I’m still utilizing the axe and handsaw, while my dad has the real power, so I’m getting the true workout, and it’s surprisingly very cathartic to whack at trees (btw, don’t do this at home or until your parents allow you to 😊). Here’s a short video for your entertainment:
https://share.icloud.com/photos/0YE9sltjmzYca5p9cGKPbJPmw
For those girls who don’t know where the term “tail-gate” party came from, here is the true definition of a tail-gate party. My dad has a nice truck bed that we utilize all too often as our dinner table. 😂 the tail of the truck bed is called a “tail gate”. We had our own little tail-gate at the entrance to the property on Rt.1. Rt 1 on the east coast is similar to the one on the west coast in that it goes down the entire east cost from Maine to Florida! Who knew my brothers would end up living on one of the the oldest interstate highways in America haha.
On the way home, the most wild thing happened. Because there are no cars on the road, all of our wildlife animals are having a field day, literally. My dad didn’t see them at first, but I did. We approached 50 turkeys head on in the middle of Rt 95 as well as a herd of deer. My dad had to make a complete stop on the highway to let them pass. This would be equivalent to making a complete stop on Rt 101 or Rt 5 in California - mind you, at 6pm in day light! There were no cars around for at least a mile which is so unbelievable. Only thing is I didn’t get my camera up in time to get the full effect, but here is what I could catch.
I haven’t shown you guys this yet, but there is a bridge that connects NH to Maine. It’s always been my favorite bridge to go over as a kid and college student. On the way home from college, it always meant that I was almost home. Here’s a quick snippet as we approach the bridge and a little tutorial of the city of Portsmouth.
https://share.icloud.com/photos/0eQjoMnUjzrNtA6GbsADFbc7g
Today we had some excitement and celebration in my neighborhood. Our elderly neighbor turned 85 today and I’m sure she didn’t expect to truly celebrate it given the circumstances, however, her family had something else in mind. Mrs. Constanza has lived next door to us my whole life. She would always give us the big candy bars for Halloween, so we always liked her. I’m glad she got a special treat today. Here’s a short video on her surprise. 🎉
https://share.icloud.com/photos/0lQaGQ_6h0M7OoJKBXebHr17A
And to round out the week, I finally got to see my best friends in life - of course with proper CDC approved social distancing rules in place (we were always about 10 feet apart from each other). This is Kate and Kelli whom I’ve known for 15 years or so. We went on a nice long hike/walk through some trails near where my mom grew up. It’s only about 10 miles from downtown Boston, but you’d never know it once you’re in the trails. It was so nice to be able to catch up with them and get some fresh air. I highly recommend getting outside for walks or shooting hoops with your family if the weather holds up - the fresh air really helps with my mood, at least. 😎
Chronicle #3 - March 31st
Wow, I can’t believe we’re on week 4 of this new world order. A little behind on my chronicles, but here are some good news, as John Krasinski calls it. 😁
Last week we had some decent snow fall one day and warmer sunny skies the next, which has gotten my allergies at full swing. Living here for 29 years, I never had allergies, yet I come back for a few weeks and boom, headache, stuffiness, and all the great feelings of the beginning of spring. But, the pretty snowfall was actually a really nice scene.
A positive that has come out of this whole thing is my per mile split times during my 5 mile runs. I’ve probably knocked off 40 seconds per mile over the last 3 weeks… it must be all that pent up energy from sitting around and getting force fed by my mom. She claims I got too skinny 🙄. #greekmoms
I run a route that stays away from cars and people around here and I pass by this house around the block from us that has always been my dream house. If the kids have ever seen home alone, it kind of reminds me of that house. #housegoals
Our weekend routine to go to Maine and do some manual labor has continued. This week our chainsaw was flooded so we were left with a handsaw and an axe. Let me tell you, whacking a pine tree is incredibly therapeutic. My dad and I took down about 20 or so trees and got our workout in. My mom even contributed a little. Here is a little diction lesson for the girls on what a Boston accent is (sound on) 😜
https://share.icloud.com/photos/00lPb3RW3J07UjWzuP5AX0uOQ
For those who don’t know the term “Mainer”, here is an article that sums up the pride and protectiveness of the great state of Maine. It happens to take place in the same area as my brothers’ land (Vinalhaven is an island a few miles off the coast from Camden and in the same county). I also happened to read this on the way home from Maine. Good thing no one saw our plates … 😳
Not sure if everyone can read it on Boston.com, but here it is: https://www.boston.com/news/local-news/2020/03/28/vinalhaven-maine-quarantine-incident
God bless FaceTime (and that’s not because I work at Apple). We’ve been doing a lot of FaceTime dates with my brothers and family members. I have one brother in NH, one in Mississippi, and one in Texas, so we’ve gotten pretty used to this over the years. My brother in NH also announced during our FaceTime date that they’re having another girl as well. We also did an extended family zoom date with all of my aunts and uncles and cousins. I hope all of you are utilizing technology to stay connected. Maybe we can set one for ourselves sometime soon.
Lastly, here’s a little inspiration for the girls that I found. I feel as though, Dr. Seuss would have summed up this experience perfectly.
Enjoy the rest of your week and hope you all are finding little glimpses of positivity in your days. If not, check out John Krasinski’s youtube channel for Some Good News 😜… (I’m biased a bit since he and Steve Carrell are both from Massachusetts, but we need more of this stuff.)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F5pgG1M_h_U
xoxo
M
Chronicle #2 - March 23rd (B-ball Drill Special)
Hi Everyone,
I’m glad you’re enjoying my emails ha. So far they seem to be a hit for everyone, so I’ll try to keep them going for some entertainment.
I was able to make some dribbling drill videos for the girls. They’re a bit amusing since I haven’t done them in about 12 years, but hopefully they get the idea. Feel free to join them in the driveway, garage, sidewalk, or nearby park. A solid 20-30 minutes of these drills is what I used to do, and I swear, I was once not half bad. Hopefully the rain lets up over there and it motivates them to get some fresh air a little.
https://share.icloud.com/photos/0eKywJJ4aXj2uuI52uLU7jMZA
https://share.icloud.com/photos/0RtteF7-bjM4qgZRSX5zw3mYw
https://share.icloud.com/photos/0e9Ak8P5EdRdpUhMiq80VkYcA
https://share.icloud.com/photos/0OwKOQUri--YAVo20_0K71tiQ
https://share.icloud.com/photos/0eP0H81IYA3cYDqEbfaNstg1A
https://share.icloud.com/photos/0ooHL9mPcyGWonREMNbxxatyQ
Enjoy and hope you’re all doing well.
Xoxo
Coach Matia
Chronicle #1 - March 22nd
Throughout the week, I’ve been going for runs/walks, and doing at home barre and yoga classes with my mom. I highly recommend trying the same or outside to shoot hoops in the driveway or something. I’d be going more insane if I didn’t do something physically exhausting. Hopefully weather is not raining over there to get fresh air. I can make some videos of bball drills in my backyard if any of them would like that.
On Friday night, I escaped to the beach near my hometown and got take out seafood dinner with my parents. The other night was 65 degrees so you could really smell the salty air that I miss so much. It was a a little piece of serenity in this mad world. The coastal town is Gloucester and it’s known for its fishing industry. If you’ve ever seen Wicked Tuna or Perfect Storm, this is where those shows/movies are based. A HUGE Italian-Irish community… shocker! My cousins live in the town next door called Ipswich, and it’s known to have the best beach in New England, called Cranes beach (named after the Cranes family who invented indoor plumbing and spent summers in Ipswich. Thank goodness for them 😉). It’s probably my favorite place to be back here.
On Saturday, we drove up to Maine where I lived for 3 years in college and now my brothers purchased land half way up the coast of Maine. Their land is in a small colonial and fishing town called Camden. In front of their property is the ocean and behind the property is a giant state park and mountains, so it’s pretty idyllic. It was said from the town clerk that no one used this land since the 1800s, so who knows what kind of gems we’ll find over time. It’s 20 acres and my two younger brothers are splitting it and putting a road in it to get to each others houses. I think my parents will end up moving up there sooner than my brothers will since it’s so relaxing (my two youngest brothers are both in the military and have about 10 years before they get out. My third, and oldest, brother is in NH away from people, so he already has the right idea). I guess it’s the beginning of the Kostakis Apocalypse Compound… all are welcome to come to the corner of the United States and visit!
This is true social distancing. My Marine brother made this TeePee about a month ago when he came up here do some work on the property while on his leave to visit my parents. I’m surprised how well it’s been preserved through the last month’s snow and rain storms.
My dad and I spent a lot of time clearing trees and doing manual labor, only thing is, I had a hand saw and he had the chain saw.🙄
Here is a video I made for the girls:
https://share.icloud.com/photos/0nzAMG57uRGhlNnrR2SJq82Ew
Here is some of the videos I made for my brothers since they wanted to see what was going on and what we did. Don’t skip #4. They inherited a graveyard from the 1700s.
1. https://share.icloud.com/photos/0F_zisZAgwpEwcnLZWrY5JCcA
2. https://share.icloud.com/photos/0eBKXwcQJckB6nzHSkIzu3a0A
3. https://share.icloud.com/photos/0YRg8k5s4pq6LbH6DsXnQyrZA
4. https://share.icloud.com/photos/0RgbV9Ophx4LLN-PBr2CySVEQ
And this morning I went outside in my backyard after running and found the family of turkeys that live here. There are about 13 of them. Here is a video I made for the girls:
https://share.icloud.com/photos/0-JWXo_D7CoCy5ZA-EqHOLAYg
Lastly, I’ve been face timing with my brothers and friends. It’s been super helpful to see them with their dogs or babies, so if any of you are bored and want to chat, my phone is always on. Some of the girls have already called, which was such a nice surprise! :)
I hope the girls enjoy the photos and videos! I miss you all and hope you all are staying healthy and sane during this wild and crazy time.
Love from New England!
Coach Matia