Changes in the air

My street was extremely busy this morning...it was exquisite.  Today is the first day of school, so there were excited kids walking and running and talking and laughing....It has been an awesome spectacle. (listen to me..."exquisite, excited, spectacle" woo hoo...teehee)  Any way,  I have been watching out my kitchen window, and I just could not help myself...I have been smiling and laughing with them.  It has brought back so many memories, of getting my kids ready for school...crayons, papers, supplies, back packs and on and on.  I love it.  It is such a good transition really.  Having a break for summer, lazy days, and barbeques....fireworks, and vacations.  But it is also so good to bring back that schedule.  You know?  Kids (and grown-ups) sleeping in, changes overnight to getting up early and getting on a schedule with things to accomplish.  I feel as though I must keep this up...be a bit more disciplined in my own life.  It feels very...right.

One of my favorite memories....taking the kids down for their first day of school, standing outside and talking to the other mothers...some years we would all be crying and some years laughing and "high-fiving"! (yes!...we made it through!...believe me there are those years....) then usually we would have an impromptu get together..."let's go to breakfast!"  and off we would go,  throwing all other obligations to the wind.  A necessary time together to talk and share about our kids and lives.  Last May when I went  home to be with Kindle and her new baby, a few of those friends called me for a breakfast date.  It was just like old times.  They strengthen me just like before.

When I see these guys...I don't know whether to cry or to start "high-fiving"!  Love them all so much (and so many others not pictured)  It all comes back and I'm just thankful to have been able to make my journey through this life with them.  OK...soooo... breakfast anyone?

Ooohhh Yah.....

 We have been going to this little market near our house that is awesome!  They have the most beautiful heirloom tomatoes that are just...well....I don't know a word that is enough!  Just imagine the most fantastic tomato ever and that is what they taste like!  Plus, they are so colorful and pretty.   We got a big bunch of fresh basil for a buck,some olive oil, and some fresh mozzerella.....I like it that it is so simple, too.

Is there anything better than this? 

Take me out to the ball-game....

Last night, we went to see the Oakland A's game.  YAY!!!  We had an eventful time.  The A's were hosting an LDS night at the stadium.  Ya...that's what I thought, too.....really?  (but then Rob was laughing on the way there that it was probably also PETA night and CIA night as well...)  no....I'm pretty sure it was just Mormon night.  I think it was the first time at the stadium that the sales of candy were more than the beer....but only by a slight margin.....just sayin'.
We got there just a little late...I didn't realize that parking was going to cost a whopping $17 bucks in cash...and we didn't quite bring that much cash...so a run to the ATM was mandatory.  Which also made us miss the full time missionaries singing the national anthem, as well as the opening pitch and the first run of the game made by the A's.  "What the...."  are you kidding me?  all that just because we were a couple bucks short?....oh man....
OK...no worries, the show was just getting started.  So here's what happened...we sat in our seats.  There were kids to the right of us, kids to the left of us, and kids in front....all of them eating junk food like there was no tomorrow.  There was a dating couple sitting behind us eating dinner for twenty...not kidding.  And also these 4 drunk guys (one looked just like the young Billy Joel)who's whole objective was to heckle as loud as possible...more about them later.

They have these guys running up and down the isles selling food...not just a few items, either.
They sell: kettle corn, ice cream dibs, ice cream sandwiches, cotton candy, churros, licorice, hot dogs, pizza, pretzels, every kind of soda, plus lemonade, coffee, and hot chocolate (Mormon night?) This is only a sampling of what the guys running through the isles are selling.  If you go up yourself to the concourse, that is where you get the serious food...and of course the beer.

Also, one of the most important aspects of the game...are the foul balls.  Who knew?  So every time there is a foul ball, there is a guy on either side of the field who is in charge of those.  He picks up the foul ball and usually throws it into the stands, or gives it to a kid... and when this happens, I'm telling you everyone goes crazy and rushes to the front trying to be the one he throws it to.  They all have their mitts in hand and start shouting and stepping on other peoples heads and beers...it was awesome.  Only one problem, the guy on our side of the field kept giving all the foul balls to this one sexy girl in the front. At first it was funny....by the 3rd time he got booed so long and loud that the players on the field stopped to figure out what was happening.

Seriously, people...I would love to give you a play, by play....but let me just tell you a few of the cool things that we saw:
1. Coco Crispy (real name of player) made the most amazing catch ever...got a standing "O" for that.
2. The 1st base guy seriously caught a throw while doing the splits to get the guy out. (super cool)
3.  Fly Ball directly to 4 drunk heckling guys who were too drunk to catch it and popped right out of their gloves to the sober Mormons behind us....ya...I peed just a little on that one...
4.  kids beside us had  to go to the bathroom 6 times....
5. Girl a couple rows in front tossed her cookies...rrr...um...churros and hot dogs....for like 10 minutes.  (it was like watching a Monty Python show.  (I tried to look away, but just couldn't)
6.. Tampa Bay hit 2 homers for a total of 3 runs.
7. Oakland hit 0 homers, but played magnificently and brought in 4 runs to win.
8.  We had a blast.

Tweets...rrr...twits.....

       Last weekend, the Dread Pirate and I drove to Hermiston for his class reunion....I know...right? I figured it was my wifely duty to just suck it up and endure the day on his behalf. It went OK, I mainly just smiled and nodded and followed Rob around like a Labrador.  Going to someone else's class reunion is one of those things that you have to just make yourself get through, kind of like waxing your eyebrows....
      Anyway, we also just hung out at his mom and dad's house, which always makes going to Hermiston great.  We are in the midst of remodeling Bonnie's kitchen (after all these years? praise-be!) ...so Rob ripped out cabinets and did electrical, and Jay and Jo prepped and painted walls. 
      Bonnie and Warren have taken to building bird houses all over the yard.  Right above the patio, there is a family of tweeters....3 babies keeping their parents very busy all day long.  It was great fun to watch....and a lot more fun than say....waxing your eyebrows.

Wishing I were there....

Today is Sweet "D"s 1st Birthday!  Oh, how I am missing my Sweet!  

I would love to be there to give the sweets Grandma kisses...

I would love to make her first Birthday cake like this:

I would love to be there to watch Sweet "E" open all her presents before she

has a chance...( It's all good....)

...and I would love to see her be more interested in the balloons than in all the fuss we've made...

I would just love to be there....

Today I will be "D" dreamin.

Happy Birthday Sweet.