Around the Baseball Field

Fun Fall Photos

A First in Hughes Baseball

Timothy made his first home run. It was sweet.

Do you ever feel blah?

That's what I'm feeling today. It's pretty unusual for me. I'm usually riled up about something, or thinking on something, or doing something or going somewhere (right now I'm just entertaining myself by making my words into italics). But yeah. It's a blah day.

Don't get me wrong, I'm not complaining! I kind of need a blah day every now and again. I think today is just going to be a blah morning, because the boys have games this evening. Their games are anything but blah.

I did get to share some blahness with our middle son, though. He's kind of feeling the same way, and so we went out for a drive, just to see the countryside. It's doable now that gas is down to 2.37 a gallon. But he and I are products of our environment. We take on things that are going on around us, and right now it's just a lazy Fall day.

Enjoy your day, whatever kind of day it is, because it's LIFE, and it's all part of living!

The Waltons

My kids know who the Waltons are now! I'm so excited. So now, when I make references about how NOT like the Waltons they are, there's a glimmer of understanding.

We knew some kids who were Waltonish. It was a little bit scary, and to be quite honest I just didn't know how to react to them. I walked my kids to school every morning, and often they would be in front of us. It was 7:30 in the morning, and they were already smiling, pleasantly conversing....scary stuff. One morning I was walking close enough to hear them bid each other a good day before they split up and went to each of their classrooms. I almost stopped in mid stride. I told them they were like the Waltons. I got sweet smiles and blank stares. I mimicked the lines, "Good night John Boy....Good night Mary Ellen...Good night Jim Bob...." Nothing. It was then that I realized my kids were probably as clueless about the show as them: The modern day Waltons.

A friend of mine asked one of the parents how they do it. He smiled and replied that God gives us the children we can handle. "Well I guess God knew I could handle much more than you!" was her reply.

So....when I found the show comes on in the mornings before school starts, I took the liberty of pointing them out. The kiddos aren't impressed, and we still have the morning hurry up's and "Get your shoes and put them on in the car!" I wonder if I could bribe them for just one morning of the Waltons.

The Finger

Here is Brian Regan's hilarious bit I talked about in the previous post. I promise it's completely clean.



Enjoy.

PS. If you are interested in any more of Brian's clips, some of our favorites are Emergency Room 1 & 2, I walked on the Moon, Stupid in School (boxen and moosen are words we use in our house regularly now), and UPS.

What's Right in America

I've been ranting a bit about things that are bugging me here in the States, but I haven't given equal time to the things I love. So here goes:

Thunderstorms. We had the most awesome thunderstorm the other night, and Texas thunderstorms are my favorite. The lightening shoots across the sky in firework-like displays, and the thunder literally rolls across the sky. I remember in high school, we had a two story house with a tin roof. My bedroom was upstairs, and on nights with thunderstorms I could lay in bed and listen to the thunder and watch the displays. It's one of my favorite things.

Choice. In America, we have a choice for just about everything out there in terms of purchasing things. The cell phones I despise, food, clothing, toys, sports equipment, cars....you name it. When we have the means, we do not need to settle in our choices. We can get exactly what we want when we want it. Grant it, that ease of purchase is what has us a little bit (OK, a lot-a-bit) spoiled, but it's there.

Friendliness. I love the fact that strangers will just pop into a conversation, will wave a thank you (although a really funny comedian, Brian Regan, has a bit about this very thing. I'll try to find it and post it. It's called "the Finger" and it's not what it sounds like.), open doors for others...it does a heart good to see those type of things.

Volunteers and Charity. People like to give of their time for no pay. It's the most selfless thing, and I believe it's one of the things that makes America strong. It's surely one of the things that makes America proud. Most of the rest of the world is focused on surviving and getting ahead. But America is in a place in her history where she can do good for others without expecting or asking for pay. And our charitable giving as a nation is unmatched. I remember after the tsunami in Thailand, the American government was criticized for not giving more, but what wasn't taken into account was the amount of private donations that were given. The GOVERNMENT didn't need to give as much, because her private citizens were. Makes me proud.

Last, but not least, education. I know the school system takes a lot of heat for things, but our teachers are pretty innovative, and they are willing to do what it takes to ensure that kids are learning. Did you know that there is a teaching style that has been part of the education system for many years (round table) that England wants to implement in it's classrooms? They send teachers here to observe it in action, and the reason it's so good is that it eliminates the back of the classroom. Every student has to be involved in the lesson. England wants to make it the standard classroom setup in their schools.

While there are a lot of things wrong here in the States, there are many more things that are right. Our democratic system is one of the best in the world, and while we may not like it all the time, or there may be corruption or negligence in the system, in reality it all comes down to us and what we allow, the choices we make. In the end, it's ours, and for better or worse, I love it!