Saturday Walk

Today we went and dropped the van off to get brakes and then went to the Starlight for Lunch with the boys and Connor's friend Jack. The van wasn't done so the 3 boys and I decided we would walk home. Here are some fun pictures and I have to tell you it was very enjoyable.

Connor walking down the middle of the street. He said he felt proud doing this. Can't you tell by his posture.

Jack and Luke

Waiting for the bus....

I love this pose

A bunch of Monkeys!

Here we are walking through the woods, through the Park. The boys thought it was kind of leery.

I told the boys we should do this more often, take long walks. They laughed, talked and just acted goofy the entire way.

"Life is not measured by the breaths we take, but by the moments that take our breath away."

Uptown Friday Night

Heather and I

I went to Uptown Friday Night, last night, with a Group from Artistic Strands Hair Salon. We were what they call "Guest Servers". The Cedar Rapids Jaycees put on this event to raise money for local charities. Here is a link http://www.uptownfridaynights.com/about.php. It sounds easy but it's not. You get a pitcher of beer and you walk around the event and fill up glasses for a token or you sell the entire pitcher. Well, my first pitcher I am walking around, I fill one glass but I could of sold the shirt off my back 10 times by now. We had bright green shirts that said "Chemically Dependent" on the front and Artistic Strands on the back, get it our hair is chemically dependent. Anyway, I see other little green shirts running back for more pitchers and I can't even empty the first one. I finally empty it and I walk back and I asked "How long do I have to do this?" It had been like 20 minutes and I had a couple of hours to go. So, I get my second one and some guy says can I buy the pitcher, I said sure 4 tokens please......I was excited so I go to get my next one and I tell them I sold an entire pitcher for 4 tokens and come to find out they can get a pitcher for 3 tokens at the tent, so I guess that was a tip....I haven't waitressed for like 20yrs so what do you expect. It was a good time and I think I would do it again:)

Denise, who is on the right, owns Artistic Strands Salon & Spa, and our kids actually go to school together.

More "Chemically Dependent" Guest Servers. I don't remember all the names but I told them to smile because I was putting them on my blog.

Heather and her Husband....I think she is trying to take a picture of me:)

Can you see how our shirts stood out in the crowd...

Parkersburg Tornado

This just frightens me. Before the interstate, as a child we would drive through Parkersburg to go up to see my Grandma in Osage. I remember a little corner store and a gas station we used to stop at.

This is an aerial view of the destruction of the tornado that went through Parkersburg.

The tornado destroyed the High School.

I did this post mainly for my cousin Clare, out in California, because she is still an Iowan at heart and knows this area. Anyway, this little town is in my prayers!

Mid-America Sports Memorial Day Classic Champions

The Perfect Game Prospects, that is the official name of Luke's Team, won their tournament. We weren't sure if we would even get it all in because the forecast said rain. Luke Eldred and Luke Gradoville after the big win!
One of my favorite pics of the weekend. Coach VanScoyoc with his son Spencer after the big win :)

Another favorite, Coach Eldred keeping a watchful eye on Spence while he warms up. He was our starting pitcher the Championship game and he was AWESOME!!

Luke and Spencer each hit a HOMERUN today. It was a first for our team. Yah!!

Luke had to give his Mom a big hug after the HOMERUN. How sweet is that?!!

Luke even pitched today, and he did great!! I love this action shot:)

Here is Connor playing with Mason. He was great today entertaining the little guys :)

Not only did Connor play with the little guys but he even helped with warm up. He is such an AWESOME young man.

I have so many fun snap shots but I will end with this one.

Freezing at the ballpark

First off who would of thought that on Memorial Day Weekend we would need blankets at the ballpark?? I wore shorts because the weatherman said the high was going to be 72. Well it was about 50 with major wind blowing :(

Luke is going to kill me for this one but here he comes running out of the woods before the game. Does anyone know what he was doing?? I constantly bother him about going to the bathroom before a game because otherwise you will see him doing the potty dance and it is a distraction. Ths kid does not want to miss a thing so he holds it until he has to explode!!

Coach Whitey, giving Luke some encouragement at third.

Some of the boys chillin' between games.

The strength of the group is the strength of the leaders.-- Vince Lombardi

Fun Friday

My Friday wasn't too eventful and I don't know how fun it was either cleaning the kitty litter, laundry, vacuuming, and just cleaning up around the house. That is after I finished spending my day with 2 wonderful Alzheimer's ladies. One talked my ear off the other slept most of the time.

Anyway maybe this will liven things up, fill in the blanks:
1. There is absolutely NO way you can get me to _____!
Jump out of a plane
2. _______ reminds me that summer is almost here!
School is almost out
3. I cannot live without my _____.
Sugar-free carmel non-fat latte
4. _____ and _____ are two things I'd like to try.
Riding RAGBRAI & scuba diving
5. When life hands you lemons _____.
Pray and move on
6. _____ is my favorite childhood memory.
4th of July at my Grandma's in Osage
7. And as for the weekend, tonight I'm looking forward to _____, tomorrow my plans include _____ and Sunday, I want to _____!
resting-baseball & a team get together-go to more baseball

That was kind of fun but I had to think on a few of them. Enjoy your Holiday weekend.

Thoughts on Thursday

Aren't clouds beautiful. This was earlier in the day.

We go through each day oblivious to 80% of what goes on around us...name 3 cool things you have seen this week, describe them and why were they "cool in your eyes" to remember?


1. Our cat Criddle was in the kitchen window, this morning, tail all fuzzed up and she was hissing at the birds outside. She was so intent on this that she didn't even notice me there. I thought what is going on in her head. I thought it was crazy so I guess that is why it stuck in my head or I even noticed it at all.


2. On Monday I went to get a coffee, at my favorite place, Brewed Awakenings. As I turned down the alley there was a little old lady going through dumpsters. It was sad and I thought what do I have to offer her, that she would accept. So, I walked up to her and handed her my granola bars, that I keep with me and she was so thankful. That will stick with me because it was an act of kindness.


3. Then I looked out the window the other day and saw a cardinal on top of the basketball hoop, and my Aunt Dona popped into my head because she likes birds.

I know I have seen that little old lady before and robins in trees and my cat being crazy but I am so busy rushing through my day that they take a back seat.

These clouds are later on in the day and they just intrigue me.

In every walk with nature one receives far more than he seeks. ~John Muir

Perfect Game vs. Cougars Gold

Tonight we played the Cougars Gold Team, which is the Team Luke and Jackson, played on last year. The departure from the Team wasn't very pleasant so we knew tonights game would be pretty intense. We won 4-3, it wasn't our "A" game but we played well and Luke had a throw out at third and a great play at home.

This was taken before the game because I wanted a picture of the 2 Lukes. We have Luke "Graddy" Gradoville and Luke "Big Donkey" Eldred.

This is Jackson, who played on the opposing Team last year and was also our starting pitcher. It is bad enough to have to pitch let alone against a Team who wants to knock your socks off. Thanks Coach VanScoyoc for the pow-wow at the plate!! Jackson had a great game!!

Luke looking for signals from Coach Behn. I love him in his catching gear. Only a Mom can say that about their little boy:)

This is why I love this Team...We have such great Coaches who play many roles on this Team. Here is an example of that. This is Jackson and Coach Eldred...I would love to be a bug in Jackson's ear because I am sure that the wisdom he is getting will last a lifetime!!

Champions aren't made in the gyms. Champions are made from something they have deep inside them -- a desire, a dream, a vision.
Muhammad Ali, American Boxer

Miscellaneous Monday

This is our cat Criddle. I know there are some people out there who haven't seen this kitty since it fit in the palm of my hand.

Everytime I put clean clothes in a basket, Criddle jumps in and takes a snooze. It delays my laundry progress.

Here she is laying in the sun.

I brought some clemetines home in this box, and Criddle got in it. I thought it was darling :)

Criddle loves the water and everytime Luke showers, she is right there with him. She also has her own cup of water on the vanity in the bathroom. The things you do for your cat:)

Cat Fact:
A cat can jump six times its length without seeming to exert themselves much at all! Imagine if we could jump six times our length without causing us to even breathe hard.

More Baseball

Battle on the River 2008 Champions

It was Perfect Game vs. Ankeny Scorpions(#1 Team in the state) for the Championship game. It was a close game and came down to the bottom of the sixth. We were tied and needed one run to win and they did it!!!

If you look to the left you see Connor holding out his hands to give Luke some skin after their win. I could just cry because Connor has always been on teams that struggle and Luke is or has been on some very talented teams that are very good so I love this picture seeing Connor supporting Luke. They are both such competative boys and sometimes this is a battle because Luke has tons of trophies and medals and Connor has very few. This picture means ALOT!!

I love Luke's grin on this picture. He is walking in after warming up the pitcher with Coach Eldred. It's neat seeing your son walking next to a major league pitcher. I can't say enough about Cal Eldred and how he pumps these boys up and reassures them when their down.

Another favorite photo from the weekend. This is Coach Behn, and he has coached Luke for 2 years now. He has been an important part in Luke's improvement as a catcher and all around ball player. No one can yell at Luke, like Coach Behn can, and Luke's response is "Mom it's not a mad yell, like when you and Dad get upset with me".

If you are going to be a champion, you must be willing to pay a greater price.-- Bud Wilkinson

As I watch the games......

Besides the game here are the heads in front of me today...I thought it was quite interesting.

Here is Olyvia making sand angels at the Ballpark...how cute is that!!

Here is Luke with little Andrew. Andrew's shirt said "I'd rather be naked"

Oh, and I was actually watching Connor play ball but I had alot of distractions today :)