What a night!

Well color me pleasantly surprised! Everything I thought would be wrong with last night's ball game didn't happen. Not only did it not rain, but it turned out to be a clear, gorgeous evening with a full moon rising in right center field. The Reds won easily and even hit three home runs in one inning. To add to the surprises, my friend that got the tickets escorted me to my seat in the front row directly behind the Reds dugout. I sat with my feet propped on the dugout while I enjoyed the view and a great game. The Reds players were no more than 15 feet from me every time they entered or exited the dugout. To cap off the surprises, the barbershop quartet I used to sing with sang the national anthem. Strange, huh? The whole night was a very cool experience. One I will not forget for a very long time.

Rain

You all know the song. Sing along with me... Rain Rain go away, come again another another day. Little Mickey wants to play...

Ok. Why the silliness about rain? Because I am going to the Reds game tonight and the forecast is for rain and thunderstorms (some of which may be severe). No big deal, right? Baseball games get rained out all the time, right? That's correct no big deal. Baseball games experience rain delays all the time, right? That's correct also. I'm sitting in my chair as I type this and thunder is rumbling outside and the rain is pouring down. I am laughing quietly to myself because I have always joked that every time I go to a Reds game, it rains. I went to only one game last year and I sat through a two hour rain delay. I need more than two hands to count the number of times I've gone to a Reds game and it has rained... and I usually only go to one (maybe two) games a year. Obviously it is an exaggeration to say it rains EVERY TIME I go to the ballpark. However, it does seem to be a very strange coincidence.

On a brighter note... the Reds stink this year. They are playing the Atlanta Braves (a team that stinks worse than the Reds). It is a rainy Monday night. There will likely be very few people in the stands and the chances of moving down to seats close to the field are very good. The opportunity to snag a foul ball will be greatly increased due to the relatively low number of people in the ballpark tonight as well. Heck, I love baseball and even if it rains, it is always fun to take a field trip to Great American Ballpark. I am likely to get wet. I am likely to see a stinker of a game. But hey, it's baseball and that's all I care about!

A good report

Abby reports a successful trip to Mexico. The work projects and Vacation Bible School programs went very well. Abby was the leader of one of the VBS programs and people from our church have told us she did a wonderful job. I have no doubt about that. Abby also reports that her conversational Spanish is really coming along as well. We got to witness this first hand last night. After picking up Abby at the airport, we went out for (what else?) Mexican food. I watched and listened in amazement as she carried on a full fledged conversation (IN SPANISH!) with the Mexican employees of the restaurant. I am quite proud of all that Abby is doing with the Mexican people and with her progress in becoming bilingual. It is so good to have her home. A large part of her wishes she was still in Mexico, but I'm still happy to have her back.

Home Safely!

Abby arrived home safely from Mexico last night. I am currently getting ready to walk out the door for church, but will post an update later today.

Three!

Elliott was born on his mommy's birthday. Today Elliott turns 3 and his Momma turns 32. My eldest daughter is 32???? Boy, do I feel OLD!

Happy Birthday to wild man, Elliott, and his wonderful mom.

We will be attending the big birthday bash this afternoon and then Abby returns from Mexico this evening. It's going to be a big day for the Meyer family.

Yes

The answer is yes. Yes, I would live here. For reasons that most people wouldn't understand, I would live here. I would obviously want Tami by my side. I don't want to be a hermit... I just enjoy quiet and solitude.

Pokemon Go

The Pokemon craze came into childhood vogue long after I had become an adult. However, my kids liked Pokemon, collected the cards, and played the video games. I never understood the appeal myself. For those who don't know, Pokemon is short for Pocket Monsters. It involves an imaginary world and the goal is to capture all the Pokemon. Their catchphrase is, "Gotta catch 'em all!"

In the last ten years or so, the fad began to fade into virtual obscurity. Then Nintendo (the creators of Pokemon) came out with Pokemon Go. This is a game where Pokemon creatures "appear" in the real world. You can only see them using a Smart Phone and they are only imaginary. You can't REALLY see them. The object is to get people to get up and "GO" (i.e. walk around everywhere) looking for various Pokemon. This silly game has captured the attention of the world and it is causing problems everywhere. People are trespassing onto private property looking for Pokemon. People are putting themselves in dangerous situations looking for Pokemon (I have heard people are walking into trees and into traffic while their noses are buried in their phones). People are looking for Pokemon while driving (DISTRACTED and DANGEROUS). People are neglecting their work in order to play this game. And yes, some people are using it correctly and are having a good time with it. I am astounded at how this game has exploded on to the scene and seemingly taken over the world. I, for one, will not be chasing imaginary monsters with my phone.

Manners

I know it's only a handwritten sign, but it certainly does say a lot...

Unfortunately, nowadays manners are the exception rather than the rule.

One at a time

When it comes to eating, people have some very strange habits and methods. Some people don't like their foods touching (corn cannot come into contact with mashed potatoes etc...). Some people refuse to eat something if it's not piping hot. Some people will not eat things simply because of texture, color, or smell. None of those things describe me. My particular food quirk is that I only eat one thing at a time. For example, if the meal consists of roast beef, green beans, biscuits, and salad, I will eat all of the roast beef first, then all the green beans, then a biscuit, finally finish with the salad. My family has ridiculed me for years about this. I have no idea how or why I started doing this, but I know I've done it for as long as I can remember. I do know I have a very logical reason for eating this way. Hear me out before you laugh at me.

Here's the reasoning... I always eat my favorite part of the meal first. Then my next favorite and my least favorite thing last. That way if I get full, the food left on my plate is my least favorite and I don't miss out on something I really like. I know this sounds strange, but I'm willing to bet there are other people who do the same thing.

Now if you'll excuse me, I need to go eat my steak, and then my baked potato, and finally my salad.

Happy Birthday!

July 11, 1997. It was 19 years ago today that Abby was born. Abby is the baby of the family and she is an adult. It's such a strange feeling when all of your kids are grown up. There are no longer little people that rely on you every day. I guess that's why God gave us grandchildren.

Happy birthday today to my sweet little Sugar Lump. I know you are in Mexico serving the Lord, and you probably won't be reading this today. But I just want you to know I am thinking of you and I love you very much.

I remember the day Abby was born and how I almost missed her birth because of a roast beef sandwich. Tami was in labor and the doctor said it would be quite a while before the baby would arrive. I went to the hospital cafeteria to grab a sandwich. I was on my way back to the maternity ward Sandwich in hand) when my oldest daughter came running down the hall. She grabbed my sandwich and yelled one word. "GO!"I knew what she meant. I sprinted to the delivery room and saw Abby's birth with only a couple of minutes to spare. I can't imagine the guilt I would have felt for the rest of my life if I had missed my daughter's birth because of a sandwich. Thankfully, 19 years later, I am not living with that guilt.

Abby, I was there 19 years ago, I am here for you now, and I always will be. You are now, and forever will be my precious (and ever chatty) Sugar Lump.

Happy Birthday!