Tailgate!

The weather at yesterday's baseball double-header left a lot to be desired, but, because we are gluttons for punishment awesome parents, we managed a rockin' tailgate party despite the 45 mph gusts of wind.

Or, maybe because of them; hard to tell.

Anyway, the boys appreciated our effort, as did the coaches and other parents, and we can now scratch Take RV to a sporting event off our bucket list.

As for the games, (you know, the actual reason we were there to begin with), the boys played their hearts out and ended up splitting wins with the home team. The teams were pretty evenly matched, which made for some exciting baseball, and we got a chance to see almost every player shine in one moment or another.

The Man-Cub hit a triple, which was awesome.

Coach was especially tickled (he's really been working with the Cub on his hitting) and made it a point to celebrate with the Cub once he hit third base.

Then, it was just a matter of the Cub waiting for his teammate to bat him into home, which, he did.

We also had some exciting plays in the outfield as well as at first and third, so, like I said; it was a good day for the entire team.

Once the games were over, we loaded up the RV and headed home, driving through an ugly storm that missed the games by mere minutes; a fact for which we were quite thankful.

The RV handled the storm like a pro, further proving that the $9000 investment was worth every penny, so, despite my initial reservations (I wasn't entirely enthusiastic last summer when Hugh called me to say, "Hey, guess what I want to buy!"), I am now an RV convert.

Also, I'm kind of sad that we only have a few more baseball games left; RV tailgating is way more entertaining than eating out of a cooler.

Friday Favorites: Indie Market Edition

I have had the nicest day!

I didn't work, which started things off on the right foot; I mean, not that I don't love my job, but, yeah, day off! Whoot-whoot!

I went to Neighboring City to pick up a couple of hundred dollars worth of groceries at the Super-Duper Hellmouth, which, probably doesn't sound like a lot of fun, but, I actually enjoy the warehouse shopping experience. Because I am weird, obviously.

Anyway, after the SD Hellmouth, I went to the Lobby of Hobbies, where industrial-style metal letters were on sale for half-off. Half-off, people!

If you think I left that store without a giant M in my cart, well, you don't know me at all.

I'm going to hang it in my scrapbooking room, because, of course I am; where else in the house would a giant metal M be appropriate?

I also picked up a giant B for Queen B, whom I met for lunch at Noodles and Company later in the day. If I had been thinking, I would have also picked up a giant Q, but, if you think I am that smart, again, you don't know me at all. I did, however, encourage her to run by the store to pick one up on her own.

(It also just occurred to me that, had I kept her B and my M, there would, actually, be one other room in the house where they would be appropriate. And, now you are thinking potty thoughts. My work here is done)

After lunch, I stopped at Sprouts to pick up a healthy snack...

... and then I returned to Petticoat Junction to off-load the groceries before heading into Hooterville to attend a pop-up flea market, where I scored a vintage wicker chair for the porch and a sign made by one of my fellow Booster moms, which is, of course, also for the porch.

Then, I ran through the Starbucks drive-through, and, because my drink was made incorrectly the first time (hot, instead of iced), I got a free drink (plus, they gave me the hot one to take home for later, so, I got, like, two free drinks!)!

It's been awesome! I'm telling you.

Later this evening, I am going to help Hugh get the RV ready for tomorrow's double-header baseball game; we are planning to drive it to the games so we can set up the ultimate tailgate party for the boys and their parents. It should be fun.

In fact, I'm planning on tomorrow being as awesome a day as today has been.

I'm optimistic like that.

Girl Logic

Look at all the cool stuff I bought for the garden I haven't yet decided to plant!

If I do decide to plant a garden, I will have a fun sign to hang on the gate! And, slate markers with which to mark the rows!

I picked up seeds for many of my favorites: beans, beets, carrots, and lettuce, which, if I decide to plant a garden, I will supplement with pepper, tomato, and squash plants.

I'm also thinking about getting some sunflower seeds because, if I decide to plant a garden, it will be nice to have their sunny yellow faces greet me when I go outside to pick veggies or to pluck weeds.

Heck, if I decide to plant a garden, I might even plant some zinnias for color and to attract the hummingbirds and bees. You know, for pollination purposes.

Not that I'm going to plant a garden; I'm still thinking about it.

But, if I do decide to plant one, I will be totally prepared, and, it's good to be prepared.

A Night in China. Or, Japan. You know, One of Those Oriental Countries

Prom 2016 was a success. It was chilly and rainy, but that didn't seem to bother the kids very much; they grabbed colorful umbrellas and headed out into the sleet like champs.

The Man-Cub opted for a black umbrella with which to shelter his date; he thought it would go with their chosen attire, and he was not wrong. Score one for the color blind kid!

The Cub and his date looked adorable. With his new haircut, and wearing a white jacket, he reminded me a lot of the photos of my dad taken at his and my mom's prom. It really is funny how genetics work, but, in this case, I sure am grateful.

I didn't get a lot of pictures this year, but I'm pleased with the ones that I did get. The kids were great sports about standing in the freezing cold while I took the pictures that I did, and I didn't want them to turn blue before the Grand March, so I sent them off fairly quickly. Then, I met Hugh, QB, the grandparents, and some friends at the school to watch the Grand March.

The Prom theme, according to the tickets, was A night in China, however, the decorations at the school were decidedly Japanese, so, I'm going to call this one An Evening in the Orient; I like to cover all my bases.

The decorations were really lovely; they featured Japanese lanterns, a silhouette of Mount Fiji, Japanese cherry blossoms, Chinese symbols and a couple of pagodas to pull it all together (apparently, the kids also like to cover all the bases). The lighting, while nightmarish for photography purposes, was also flattering to the décor.

Apparently, the spotlight that the school usually uses for the Grand March was not functioning correctly-it was creating a bullseye effect on the couples (not kosher in a climate of fear thanks to school shootings and general violence), so we had to make due with runway lighting, which, as I said, was a nightmare to photograph. I did my best, though.

After the Grand March, I gathered the Cub and some of his friends for pictures, and, they were on their best behavior, posing in a calm and appropriate manner...

...until they weren't, of course.

The Cub even humored us with some pictures with his parents-always a treat.

And, one that I don't take lightly. I was super careful not to do anything to embarrass him.

Ok, no I wasn't. He survived, though.

After the Grand March, we said goodbye to the kids and joined four other couples for a late dinner at Applebees before heading home to wait up for the Cub. He was home by 2:30, which, is practically early in Prom-time, and I was able to crawl into bed for a good night's sleep.

Another awesome memory made.