Baseball's homerun

Maybe it's because we celebrated husband's birthday at the game this year, maybe it is because we had a game on while I was in labor with Benji (this is true, believe it or not), maybe it is because we got a new HD Television, or maybe it is because this summer watching the game in the evening while doing the bedtime routine became habit, but either way I have become a huge fan of our hometown baseball team.

I have always liked baseball. I remember watching the Cubs in the evenings at my grandparents house in the summer time. I remember my other grandma also being very knowledgeable about baseball. I played softball most of the way through my childhood. But this year it became something more. Recently I was able to quote a player's batting average accurately. I know names, positions, and many more rules than I ever have. Now when my dad and brother, Nate, start to talk sports with husband, I can contribute to the baseball portion with knowledgeable comments.

No matter how interested I have become, however, I have never done what I did tonight. I, wondering why the game was not on (and with Jff gone), went to MLB.com to find out.  I actually had to laugh while I was in the process at how proud husband would have been of me AND how far my baseball "phase" has progressed.

Do you speak cupcake?

 Fun article: http://www.nytimes.com/2009/09/23/dining/23cake.html?_r=1&em

I love how something so simple as a cupcake crosses cultures but also melds with them.

Tidbits

It's been awhile... mostly because working and trying to be a mom to a 4 month old is a little like patting your head and rubbing your belly at the same time: at first you do neither very well, and once you get the hang of it, you don't want to add anything else to the mix lest you lose the rhythm.

Here are some of the latest tidbits:

My long-time friend and buddy in all outdoor adventures just got his PhD AND is completing the Wisconsin Ironman on Sunday. The PhD was a long road that started the year I moved out of Wisconsin. Training for the Ironman started in earnest last year, although he had been competing in some tris for a while. Both are amazing accomplishments, but at the same time: A-MAZING. Maybe just working and being a mom at the same time isn't that hard.

Tomorrow I am running a retreat for 35 students from 9 am until 11 pm. I am excited to see all of my returning students (yay!) get to know the new students (fun!), and do really intentional work with them to make this year really great. I am also a bit nervous... I am hoping they all like each other (hmmm... how to make a group out of a bunch of very different people), I have a lot to cover and to facilitate, and oh yeah, I will have to find time to pump all day long. Luckily husband is bringing Benji up to visit during lunch, otherwise I wouldn't see him at all tomorrow (what a great husband to support me so much in my job!)

We were up at the cabin for Labor Day Weekend and had a great time with the family. It was great to have BOTH of my brothers there, especially A since we have seen him rarely this summer. He is at a bit of a crossroads in life and it was helpful to hear a little bit more about it from him. I think he is about to make a huge leap and move to Hawaii to see about a girl. It is a risk, but really when it comes down to it he needs a breath of fresh air, he needs to be on the road to find out, and he needs to make a break from the parents for a while (they have too many opinions that are shared too often). I am praying for him that he can make his own decision and ultimately finds happiness no matter what happens in the process.

I have been feeling really lonely lately. Working and moming leaves little time to see friends or to generally socialize. It is so darn isolating when the routine is the only thing you have time for!  Plus, our group of friends that we see has shrunk considerably since we are now with child and most of our friends are not. I was really afraid of this and it has come true, sadly. Many of the people we used to hang out with make little or no effort towards us, and even though it makes me sad, I am becoming more at peace with it. Instead I have been incredibly thankful for the friends who do continue to reach out and remind me that I am worth calling, even if my life is a wee bit different now. These friends are, of course, the ones that who have always been there through life's stages and changes. I think for a moment I thought that I had encountered a big enough change that it had shaken even my most ardent buds off, but to my great relief, it is not so. With all the crazy of returning to work I had forgotten, how many great people I have in my life. Thank you to the gals who have shown me so much love lately! Also some great new friends have emerged in the process of becoming a mama, and for that I am also thankful.

In two days ultimate frisbee, fall edition begins. Yippee! After years of playing every season, I was out from last November until now. I am thankful that I am going back for the best season- sunny fall weather, close to home, and my favorite team that has been around for quite a while now. Benji will be in good company on the sidelines with all the other kiddos and happily I will once again be out on the field once again running around! Can't wait.