I just installed a nice little tool on this site called Snap Shots that enhances links with visual previews of the interactive excerpts of Wikipedia articles, MySpace profiles, IMDb profiles, Amazon products, videos, RSS, MP3s, photos, stock charts, and more. Sometimes, Snap Shots brings you the information you need without your having to leave the site, while other times it lets you "look ahead" before deciding if you want to follow a link or not.
Should you decide this is not for you, just click the Options icon in the upper right corner of the Snap Shot and opt-out.
I was going through my Google reader this morning and happened upon this blog entry: "No Shoes Mommy." Go read it - it's pretty funny and will just take a few seconds. I couldn't help but think of a similar incident, kind of, that occurred with Evan, when he was about five years old. Evan had not yet started school.
We were visiting my parents in Cherokee, Iowa (it was our annual, summer-long visit). I woke up one morning and walked into the living room, expecting to see Evan watching TV. Brett was still in bed asleep, but Evan had apparently already gotten up.
The living room was totally silent. No TV blaring, no Evan. I picked up a piece of paper that was on the floor, and threw it away. I could see that Evan wasn't in the kitchen. I ran downstairs to the play area and my dad's office. Nope - nobody there.
I ran back upstairs and out the front door. Both of my parents' cars were gone, and there was no Evan. I ran to the backyard. Nothing.
OK, so I'm trying to not freak out, but I was freaking out. I finally decided that, duh, Evan was with my dad! So, I made myself calm down and sat down to wait for them to come home.
About an hour later, my dad walked in the door...alone. I said, "Where's Evan?" He said, "I don't know." I asked, "Evan hasn't been with you this morning?" "No," he said.
All heck broke loose.
Lots of screaming, running around like chickens with their heads cut off, hearts pounding, desperation, nausea....At some point, Evan walks in the front door with my dad. "Where have you been????!!!!!!" I demanded to know. "I went to Evan's house!" (Evan was my Evan's age and lived across the street from my parents.) "You know you can't just leave the house," I said calmly (it's true! I was calm...). "But I left you a note telling you where I was going!"
Now, this made me pause. Evan was not yet reading or writing. I didn't know quite what to say, not wanting to make him feel worse. So, I'm standing there looking into little Evan's precious face, and I vaguely remember a piece of paper on the living room floor. I went to the trash can, took out the paper, and looked at it. Letters of the alphabet were scattered across the paper. I asked Evan if the paper was his note. "Yes," he said. "See? 'I'm going to Evan's house'," he pointed to the letters as he read.
Oh, my goodness! How cute was that!! That child never ceased to amaze me!
I still had to discipline him. He was so confused. "But, I left you a note!"
Many moons ago, my parents and my brother, Timmy, took the kids on vacation to Colorado at the time of the 1998 All-Star Game festivities. Evan and Brett were thrilled to be going to FanFest. Bethany looks happy, so maybe she was thrilled, too. I was thinking about this photo while Evan and I watched the Home Run Derby last night (the All-Star Game has ended tonight, but I'm still waiting for people to show up so that we can watch the recording. I accidentally saw the score, so, grrrrr!!!!!).
During last night's Home Run Derby, Prince Fielder hit a 503-foot home run. My dad informed us today that, when he was playing baseball back in the day, he once hit a 510-foot home run. This was determined by the opposing team, so it's surely true!
When the kids were little, we would spend the summer with my parents - Lincoln, NE, Cherokee, IA, and Larned, KS. I think it started when Evan was almost two (1986) and continued until 1998, which is when we moved to California. I wish it had never ended, but I think it's twice as far from out here. In any case, those were fantastic summers. I was thrilled to get home for these visits not only to spend time with my family, but it was the only way the kids were going to get to know their Grandma and Grandpa and uncles (it was too far to make more than one trip each year).
Every summer now, Evan flies home, usually at the end of May or first of June. This year, however, was different. Since Evan graduated from college, he had to do some job hunting before he could come out. I didn't know when he'd make it out here, so I wasn't talking much about his flying out yet. I guess, because of my silence, he decided to once again try to convince me to let him drive out. His plan, since graduating from high school, has been to drive from Houston, through Kansas (to visit Aunt Ann like we always did back in the day), go on up to Omaha to spend a couple of days with Grandma and Grandpa, see Uncle Jerry Mark and Uncle Tim, the other Aunt Ann, and Jordan and Jessica. After a couple of days, the trip would continue on to California. I have never let him make this trip. Until now. I don't know what came over me.
Evan made it to Aunt Ann's house in Hutchinson, had car trouble (I don't think a relative of Evan's father has ever made the trip from Houston to Nebraska, Kansas, or Iowa without car trouble, one of the reasons I've dreaded the thought of the whole "road trip" idea), had his truck fixed, then drove on to Omaha. He and Grandpa have played several ABPA baseball games (I think Evan has won every game. What happened, Daddy??!!). This afternoon, Evan and the 'rents trotted on over to Jerry Mark and Ann's house for a visit. They took pictures!
Aside: Yesterday, I texted Evan: "Don't forget to take pictures." Evan's reply: "Of what?" Really, Evan?
I still have to deal with Evan's driving through the mountains to get here. You know, just last week it was snowing in the California mountains. And then, in several weeks, I have to deal with his driving back to Houston. Through the desert. You know what happens to lone travelers in the desert, right? No? You must not see many movies. I am so wishing he would have just flown home!
The whole week has felt weird to me, knowing he's with my family. I keep thinking, "How did it happen that Evan's old enough to drive himself around the country?" The kids should all still be little, I should be sitting in my parent's living room cross stitching or working one of my mom's jigsaw puzzles, my dad should be taking Evan and Brett for a walk around the lake or to buy baseball cards, and Bethany should be chewing on the coffee table (at which time, I would pick her up, set her down, and hand her a baby toy). After dinner, Daddy and I would be going for a ride to look at clouds, old barns, cemeteries, or picking Queen Anne's Lace. Yes, those were the days.
We'll be calling you today - I don't know when, because I'm trying to get as many of us here as possible, and right now, I'm the only one at home. It will be during this phone call that your gift will be announced. I tried to find Putsy Caballero's baseball card to no avail. Sorry 'bout that!
One of the advantages of having an ex-baseball player for a dad is that you end up knowing a lot about baseball - even if you're a girl (what am I saying! I'm more athletic than either of my brothers!). Now, my boys may take issue with that because, for the last few decades I haven't watched a lot of baseball - except for them, when they were in Little League - and they think I'm clueless. But if they could have known me when I was growing up, they would discover I knew just as much as them about, not only the rules of the game, but about who was playing and how they were doing. With just the one TV, all we watched on the weekend was sports - and any other time of the week that they were on. I was familiar with basketball and football, too, but since my dad specialized in baseball, that's what we played just about every day after supper, in good weather.
As an aside, I don't know if Evan and Brett remember, but I was the assistant coach one year for their baseball team. Their dad was the coach. He didn't know diddly about baseball, but with my instruction and guidance, he learned quite a bit - as did those kids he coached. :)
Each summer, my family embarked on a vacation. Many of these vacations included a major league baseball game. (They also often included visiting Indian places, i.e., Anadarko, because Jerry Mark was into that. I don't think we ever took a vacation based solely on my interests, but I wasn't one to complain.) During our Haysville era, we went to quite a few Wichita Aeros games (AAA). I loved those games. Every night, I listened to the Aeros game on the radio. If I got in trouble, one of the punishments was grounding me from listening to the game. Torture!!
It was in Haysville that the Kansas City Royals acquired George Brett and Hal McRae. I loved these guys. (In fact, Brett is named for George Brett.) We often watched/listened to the Royals games, so, with Brett and McRae, they became my official team. I also liked the Pirates and the A's.
After Haysville, we moved to Norfolk, NE. My dad bought the APBA baseball game. Each player selects a major league team to manage. Mine was the Royals, of course. My dad's was the Phillies, of course. Timmy also had the Royals, Jerry Mark the Dodgers, and my mother, the Rangers (although, she rarely played, and why she picked the Rangers, I have no idea). Because I don't remember having trouble with this game, I purchased the game myself a couple of years ago. Well.....there are so many rules!!!! And playing with Tim! Bless his heart. He's not just a few decades behind - he never did baseball. Oops. I'm sorry. He saw the Senators play back in the 1800s when just a wee lad. That's about it.
So, I'm still the Royals. I don't know a single one of the players. I've been told they've had terrible teams the past few years. Tim's the Phillies. Now, we do know a little about some of them - we did watch the World Series last year. But, you know, I have to explain the infield fly rule, errors, pass balls, home plate, etc. We're trying to finish our first game. I can't wait for Evan to get out here to deal with all of this. We've gone three innings in a week. And, I curse myself for not learning how to do the scoring back in the day.
You know, nothing unusual stands out in my mind about those games we used to attend. I do seem to remember some drunk guys a couple of times. More recently, Tim took Bethany, Erica (Tim's daughter) and me to a Dodgers game. The people sitting above us were seeming to be dropping an excessive amount of debris down on us. At first, it was just popcorn and trash. Erica (27 at the time) had never been to a ballgame before. She wasn't appreciating this. I was a bit surprised, myself. I had to explain this wasn't normal. Indeed, it wasn't happening anywhere else. Erica took her place turned backwards in her seat, looking up, warning us as things fell down. As time went by, she began to get a bit upset.
If you know Erica, you know this is not good. For example, when I get upset with strangers, I complain to my family. When Erica gets upset with strangers, she takes it to them. Well, when the ice and liquid started flowing down, I knew I would not be able to keep her in her seat. Sure enough, the next time - there goes Erica! Meek and mild Tim was right behind her! Little Bethany (6 at the time) and I are sitting there like, "Now, what do we do." We finally grabbed the purses - after another drenching - and went to find Tim and Erica. Come to find out, you can't go to a level unless you have a ticket for that level. That was probably a good thing. The stadium workers did get an earful! For some reason, I'm seeing Erica swinging the little souvenir bat around. Could that be right?
The reason for all of these meandering reminiscences about baseball is this You Tube video of Bernie Williams that I saw today at The Riddleblog:
(Click photos for a larger view) We celebrated the cake portion of Tim's birthday after Evan came home for Spring Break. We purchased a carrot cake, which was actually quite good. I normally am opposed to store-bought cakes, but this one was very tasty. From Sam's, in case you're wondering. Normally, I make Tim my prize-winning Coconut Cream Cake, but he found this one instead. He loves Sam's.
We opted for one candle representing each decade, and then one for each of the extra six years. Last year, by the time all of the candles were lit, the first ones had melted down to the cake. It was fun, however, to see all of the smoke. Oh, well. Little sacrifices.
We also enjoyed Molly's being in attendance. She has lost a bit of her puppy hyperactivity and can be included in most things now. She's so cute!!!! Every dog owner should have at least one Basset.
While scampering about the internet this evening, I've learned the outcome of KU's basketball game today. Unfortunately, we haven't had time to watch the game yet. I hate when this happens. At least Tim doesn't know anything about it, so he can be surprised. The good news is that KU won the Big 12 Title. Of course, this isn't shocking, or anything.
I was looking through photo albums and stacks of old photos looking for pictures of the churches we belonged to when I was growing up. I happened upon this one of Jerry Mark in his KU marching band uniform. It's an oldie, from the '80s (yes, that afro is quite natural). I thought I'd post this in honor of today's events.
It's good that none of my family frequents this blog. I can tell all kinds of secrets, and nobody finds out about anything! Now I'm going to have to act like I don't know the results. That's always fun. I'll have to have Tim put on his Jayhawk t-shirt for good luck.
Today's my mom's birthday. We spoke earlier. Everything seemed to be making for a great day - except for the -22 wind chill. I felt a bit guilty, sitting here in the mid 60s, but Mom and Dad have the Cheesecake Factory cheesecake, so maybe I don't feel so bad.
I found this picture of Mom with a birthday cake that Daddy bought her. It looks like we were living in LIncoln (late '70s - '80s). Unfortunately, this was a scanned photo with absolutely no information. I hate when that happens!
"...And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. But the angel said to them, "Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. Today in the town of David, a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord. This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger."
Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying, 'Glory to God in the highest, and on earth, peace, to men on whom His favor rests'..."
Luke 2:8-14
Christmas at Our House:
White and red poinsettias add some seasonal color the hearth, with the mantle above covered with snowmen collected over the past several years. The angel at the top of the Christmas tree appears to be ducking so that she doesn't hit her head on the ceiling. Our tree is a little bit taller than usual and is very well lit (thank you, Martha Stewart), but right now, the bottom three feet or so are hidden behind a wave a gifts. Gifts in bags, gifts in boxes, gifts with ribbons and bows. We've watched a lot of old movies on the classic movie channel lately, and a lot of movies on the Hallmark Channel. The one that's gotten the most play this year is, "White Christmas." We're ready for the Bing Crosby trivia challenge.
This year, as usual, it seemed that it would be impossible to get everything done in time. But, as it turned out, the decorations were set up, presents were wrapped, and the peanut butter fudge came out better than ever! The pace has now settled into a very pleasant state where Lori and I have stopped just to listen to our favorite songs. The whole family was up at the church for the 7:00 service.
Most importantly, we have had time to think about the good news that the angels heralded long ago that still brings us great joy today: The gift of God with us, our Savior - how great is God's love! Through these days of Christmas, may the blessings of this season find you.
I was thrilled to find these pictures in my email yesterday (click for a larger view)! I know most of the people, of course, their being relatives. There are a few that must be friends of my parents. Tim, Bethany, and I spent some time looking over all of these pretty pictures. Tim's first reaction was, "She's just a girl! And so is your dad!" I told Tim I thought my dad would be happy to hear that. Well, we all know what Tim meant. My thoughts: Mom was only three years older than Bethany is now. Crazy!
Recent Comments