While John was at baseball practice, Andy and I made a quick spin to the river. It was a beautiful view, but my heart wasn’t in it. It happens sometimes.
Illinois Blumes
It was only an 18-hour visit, but we made the most of it with the Illinois Blumes. Best of luck at your softball tournament, Avry. We miss you all already. We love you!
Done!
Thank you to Andy for spray painting the frame black so that it matches the rest of our living room frames. The Missouri map complete with family pictures is done and on the wall. I love it!
Mistakes
“You don’t need a ticket to see some of the best baseball in the world. You just need to drive one of the players to the game.” – Unknown
It was a tough day for this kid at the ballpark today. He was tired and just out of sorts. He made some mistakes and dropped some easy catches. I could tell he was so frustrated and, yet, he couldn’t seem to get it together. The ride home was heartbreaking because he cried so hard about those mistakes. All the words in the world from this Mom just didn’t help. I even pulled out a story from my old volleyball days, when I started crying on the floor because I made a big mistake that cost us a set. I was 14 and a freshman in high school. I remember it like it was yesterday. It was my first varsity game and I stood completely still and missed my set. The ball hit the floor with a very loud thud. I stood on the floor for a few seconds in disbelief that I hadn’t moved at all. I walked off the floor to my coach, Sue Hembrough, looking at me. She said, “It’s a mistake. Forget it. We have to win Game 3. Get out there and show them that isn’t who you are.” Sometimes, you forget that they are kids and that they can’t always deal well with these emotions they feel. Letting your friends and teammates down is hard for a kid. He cried it out and talked to his daddy. He is all good now. Tomorrow, I will drive him to the ballpark for the best baseball in the world and he will get out there like today didn’t happen. Maybe someday though, he will look back and remember a coach saying, “Mistakes happen. Let it go.” If he learns nothing else, I hope he learns that.
Home is Where the Heart Is
I am finally getting around to putting the pictures with the Missouri map. This represents years of fun at different spots in Missouri. Thank you to Ridgeway FunDay for the great Silent Auction item! It will remind me every day of the fun we have had in this great state.
Nest
Andy found this in one of our hanging baskets out front. The bird nest was not there yesterday.
Independence Day
Happy Fourth of July! We spent the day doing what we wanted, meaning that Andy rode 100+ miles while I rode 16 miles and the kids just hung out and relaxed. It was a great way to spend the holiday. After much deliberation, we decided on Columbia for fireworks. The kids really wanted to watch fireworks with our neighbors.
So, we headed downtown and made our way to the Lucky’s Market parking lot. We got great seats! This is the “pre-show.”
The fireworks show lasted about 15 minutes, but it was still one of the best that we have seen from Columbia. I also have to say that this Google Pixel 2 phone certainly lives up to the reputation for taking the best phone photos!
Happy Independence Day, everyone!
