Random thoughts and lists........

RANDOM SIGHTS AND SMELLS

2009-11-14T13:32:00.000-08:00

I was feeling kind of yuck this morning. There are some things going on in my life, that made me feel just "eh". It was going to be a beautiful Fall day and was already 65 degrees, so I decided to go for a walk. Oh, by the way, days like this are a GIFT in the Midwest. I love Fall and am so glad I got out of the house. I had my iPod with me, but decided not to to plug in just yet. I also had my camera, which I take everywhere. The air smelled like Fall. If you're from the Midwest, you know what I mean. As I began to walk, there was the strong smell of leaves.

You know the smell, right?

A little more than a mile into the walk was the smell of Christmas. The path was lined with pine trees.

Then there was the smell of burning wood. I love that smell. I love the smell of burning leaves too, but we can'd do that anymore.

About 3 miles into my walk, there was the smell of manure. Probably made by this guy.

There was a farmer harvesting the last of his crops.

His field was lined by these "dusters".

There were lots of trees that still had their leaves.

This guy was getting his bird feeders read for winter. He reminded me of my dad. My dad always fed the birds and would definitely be outside "putsing" around in the yard on a day like today. God I miss him.

I came upon these abandoned train tracks.

I guess I could have stopped for lunch, but this combination laundrymat/restaurant my my only choice. I passed.

It looks like nature is getting ready for Christmas too. These trees are planted next to each other and the berries seem to be reaching for the pine trees.

It's been 8 miles and I can't believe the things I've seen and smelled. Seriously, this day is a GIFT. Honestly, I am just amazed.

I had a half mile to go and I look down and saw this.

So what I didn't tell you is that I didn't sleep much last night. So about 5:00am I said a prayer and asked God for "peace". I'd say my prayer was answered and then some.

HEARTIEST DANDELION IN NW INDIANA

2009-11-13T10:24:00.000-08:00

THANK YOU!

2009-11-11T06:32:00.000-08:00

Thank you doesn't seem like nearly enough. Please
know it is said with my deepest appreciation.

TIME

2009-11-10T06:34:00.000-08:00

11.10.09 Time can stand still, I'm convinced
of it..... - John Banville

"Moon in the Morning"

2009-11-03T06:16:00.001-08:00

THE PARK

2009-10-27T07:21:00.001-07:00

All this picture needs is me and a good book!

True Story!!

2009-10-26T08:51:00.000-07:00

Caption: It looks like someone is reminding us it's Breast Cancer Awareness Month.

As I was getting ready for work, I noticed the sky was beginning to brighten. I looked out the window and saw the sun was just barely coming up. A minute or so later I noticed the sky was a bit brighter and was a very, very pale pink. I got my camera, went upstairs, removed the screen from the bedroom window, leaned out and snapped this picture. I closed the window and went back downstairs. I then decided I should get a safety shot. I grabbed my camera and went back up stairs. Although it had been less than a minute, the sky was now grey. There was no hint of the pink sky I had just photographed.

THERE WAS A CROOKED TREE......

2009-10-21T09:26:00.000-07:00

365 Project/October 2009

2009-10-04T13:06:00.001-07:00

I got a bit behind in posting my 365 pictures. Blogger can be a bit persnickety with pictures, but I'll do my best. Think it'll be easier of I categorize them by month. Enjoy!

11.1.09 It's an apple tree with no leaves,
but a lot of apples.

10.31.09 Beautiful Halloween Sky!

10.30.09 It's raining again. In fact, it's rained 19 days
in October.

10.19.09 This was taken at the Peninsula Hotel in
Chicago. Tomorrow is the last day of Breast Cancer
Awareness Month. Maybe this will be the year for a cure.
Special thanks to Christine Hearne for tell me about these ribbons.

10.28.09 I hope I'm not boring you with all the Fall pictures,
but soon all of these colors will be gone and I'll miss them.

10.27.09 All this picture needs is me and a good book.

10.26.09 Looks like someone else is reminding us it's
Breast Cancer Awareness Month.

10.25.09 It's a ladybug.

10.24.09 Shhhhhhhhhh.........Myles is sleeping.

10.23.09 It looks like a photogram.....sort of.....

10.22.09 My boss had a birthday and we had cupcakes.
Yes, this tasted as good as it looks.

10.21.09 The people at the Wrigley Building
want to remind us it's Breast Cancer Awareness
month.

10.20.09 This building is across from my office.

It's so odd looking, in a cook kind of way.

10.19.09 Everyone is enjoying Grant Park today.
What a beautiful day.

10.18.09 Pink and white balloons that represented the
finish of a 5 mile walk for Breast Cancer. (Walked for
a friend's husband who was recently diagnosed).

10.17.09 Wish these Fall colors lasted longer. They're

so beautiful.

10.16.09 Trying to figure out why they had all of
these popsicle sticks in the doctor's office.

10.15.09 Here's what I learned today.

10.14.09 Two months ago I didn't know what this was,
but now I do. It rolls up the hand wraps I wear for
kickboxing quite nicely. Who knew?

10.13.09 Fruit and fun lighting.

10.12.09 The Republic (Golden Lady). She's 24 feet high,

gold leaf on bronze replica. The 1893 original was 65 feet

high....gold leaf on plaster.

10.11.09 It must be a good book. He's been sitting here
a long time.

10.10.09 I'm sure this is the last rose of the year.

10.9.09 It's me, in the morning, at the Bean, in the rain.

10.8.09 It's all about being coordinated,
even in the rain.

10.7.09 Beautiful Fall Day. Hard to decide on

the picture of the day today.

10.6.09 This is actually what the sky looked like

this morning.

10.5.09 I pick up pennies.

10.4.09 Reading & eating candy corn. (Feeling better).

10.3.09 It's Saturday and I'm sick. :(

10.2.09 I was going to wear this to the Chicago Olympic

celebration, but I think it works for Rio too.

10.1.09 My ruffled blouse.

2009-10-04T12:57:00.000-07:00

9.30.09 The Bean in Chicago.

9.29.09 The smiley face never goes out of style.

2009-10-04T12:51:00.000-07:00

9.28.09 I'm in this elevator. You can kind of

see me.

2009-09-27T14:37:00.000-07:00

9.27.09 City of Chicago from Navy Pier.

2009-09-26T12:36:00.000-07:00

9.26.09 "Ummmmm......quack?"

TODAY'S RUNNERS UP.

2009-09-25T11:51:00.000-07:00

Someone got up early and painted the sky for us.

Statue on lower Michigan Ave. walkway.

Just a cool looking pipe. It kind of looks like it's throwing up.

2009-09-25T07:55:00.000-07:00

9.25.09 It's a tugboat!

(Walked from my office to the Lake. Took

more than 20 pictures. This is today's winner.)

2009-09-24T09:59:00.000-07:00

9.24.09 Yay!! Winston is back from Machu Picchu.

He is one of my all time favorite people.

2009-09-23T07:50:00.000-07:00

9.23.09 Homeless. This makes me sad. It was taken across the

street from the Museum of Science and Industry

in Chicago. He was washing his clothes as

joggers ran by...

2009-09-22T14:33:00.000-07:00

9.22.09 Fall began at 4:18 today. Poor Heather.

I love this shot!

2009-09-22T14:00:00.000-07:00

Over saturated NY skyline.

365 Pictures in 365 Days!

2009-09-22T10:56:00.000-07:00

I began this project on September 9th, 2009. I've been posting the pictures on Facebook, but not on my blog. I know, I can be a knuckle head sometimes. So here are the first thirteen days. I'll be posting them regularly after today....I promise.

9.9.09 Time Square

9.10.09 Statue of Liberty

9.11.09 Pigeon at top of the

Empire State Building

9.12.09 Grand Central Station

9.13.09 Saying Good-bye to

New York

9.14.09 Twins: Jose & Johnny

9.15.09 Plant on Michigan Avenue

in Chicago. (Taken from my car. I was

stopped at a red light).

9.16.09 Lake Michigan Sunrise

(Taken from my car, while driving).

9.17.09 Road I take to the train.

(Taken from my car, but this time

I was a passenger hanging out

the window...kind of)

9.18.09 This could be why

Indiana is ranked #6 in air quality.

More like "disgusting" air quality.

9.19.09 This maybe be the reason

I can never find jeans long enough.

Hmmm......

9.20.09 My son Billy. He is my

hero. There is no one I admire

more.

9.21.09 Yes, I'm in advertising

9.22.09 Fall began at 4:18 today. Poor Heather.

9.23.09 This makes me sad. Take across from the

Museum of Science and Industry. He was washing

his laundry as joggers ran by....

9.24.09 Winston is back from Machu

Picchu! Yay! He is one of my all time

favorite people.

9.25.09 It's a tugboat.

9.26.09 Ummmmm......."Quack"?

9.27.09 The City from Navy Pier.

9.28.09 I'm in this elevator. You can

kind of see me.

9.29.09 The smiley face never goes out

of style.

9.30.09 The Bean in Chicago.

THINGS THAT MAKE ME GO HMMMM?????

2009-09-22T10:28:00.000-07:00

2009-09-18T08:01:00.000-07:00

So you all know I am not a food blogger. My passion is photography. However, I do LOVE, LOVE, LOVE to eat. So, inspired by the movie Julie and Julia and my love of food, I made Julia Child's bruschetta (which is pronounced brus-ketta....who knew). Seriously, I think this is the best thing I've ever put in my mouth. The flavors were heavenly.

Ingredients:
A loaf of quality rustic bread like focaccia or crusty baguette, sliced into one inch slices
One clove garlic
Olive oil to coat your frying pan, or as much oil as you like!
An assortment of ripe tomatoes, cut into smallish chunks

fresh basil leaves, torn or cut into pieces
Olive oil to dress the tomatoes
Salt and pepper to taste
Finely grated Parmesan cheese - optional, but I highly recommend

Method:
Mix the tomatoes and basil. Drizzle on olive oil and toss gently; then salt and pepper the tomatoes. The more salt you use, the more juice will be released. Let this marinate while you prepare the bread.

In a skillet, brown the bread slices in the olive oil on both sides, until it's a nice golden color. Remove the bread from the pan. Cut off one end of the garlic clove, and rub carefully over the hot bread slices. The garlic "melts" into the bread by using this method.

Now pile on the tomatoes, and and enjoy the juice running down your chin!

It's like a Christmas present for your taste buds.

2009-09-16T12:07:00.000-07:00

Where grocery carts go to die.

2009-09-15T12:19:00.000-07:00

Angel in St. Patrick's Cathedral.

Dan at the Irish Famine Memorial in Battery Park.

Dan holding up the Empire State Building.

It was tipping a little.

Me. Not sure what you call this pose.

Statue of Liberty

Wonderful New York

2009-09-11T13:50:00.000-07:00

My husband and I are spending some time in New York 8 years after 9.11. We're from Chicago and consider ourselves pretty hearty. One has to be, to survive Chicago winters. However, people in New York take it to a whole new level. They're just incredible. They're friendly and kind, and direct and have great smiles. They're helpful and warm and emotional and caring and they love their city and their country. Visiting New York is like getting a big, warm hug and it feels great being here.

One funny story before you look at these few pictures. I planned our entire trip and knew what we were doing each day, including how to get there, which can be challenging in New York. So today, we had been walking for more than 2 hours, when we decided to take a cab to Grand Central station, take some pictures and then walk the 4 or so blocks back to our hotel. It was raining, so it took several minutes to flag down a cab. We flagged down a cab who cut over three lanes of traffic and screeched to a halt across the street. We ran over, hopped in and with all the confidence of someone who has spent the last 48 hours giving addresses (and cross streets) to cab drivers I said, " Grand Central Station please." The driver gave me a very strange look and said, "what?" I said, "Grand Central Station." He said, "It's right there, on the next block." Me, "Oh! Thanks. Sorry. "We're not from here." (Something I probably didn't have to tell him). We thanked him several times and got out of his cab. We then walked the less than one block to Grand Central Station laughing about how un-cool we are. Here's what we've done these last 48 hours: Time Square, eaten NY pizza, Statue of Liberty, Ellis Island, Ground Zero, Irish Famine Museum, Irish Pub, Rockefeller Center, St. Patrick's Cathedral and Grand Central Station. Okay, time for a few pictures.

THESE FLAGS CONTAIN THE NAMES OF EVERYONE

WHO DIED ON 9.11.02

THEY'VE RE-OPENED THE ISLAND AND YOU

CAN NOW GET UP CLOSE TO LADY LIBERTY.

IT'S HARD NOT TO GET EMOTIONAL WHEN

YOU SEE HER. SHE TRULY IS MAGNIFICENT.

THESE LIGHTS WERE FIRST DISPLAYED

6 MONTHS AFTER 9.11.2001. THEY WILL

STAY ON THROUGH TONIGHT. IT'S

HARD NOT TO GET EMOTIONAL WHEN

YOU LOOK UP AND SEE THEM.

2009-09-07T15:36:00.000-07:00

THE GONZALEZ FAMILY

RICH, CHRISTINE, RUSS, LUKE, BEN & CAMILLE

THESE ARE SOME OF MY FAVORITE PICTURES!

2009-09-07T15:32:00.000-07:00

Stole this picture from my niece's Facebook.

Cropped and changed it to B&W. Love doing this.

101 Things To Do In 1001 Days - ITEMS COMPLETED...SO FUN!!!!

2009-09-02T07:54:00.000-07:00

Through the years I've created lists of things I want to accomplish during a specific time period. Sometimes, I would accomplish everything on my lists and sometimes, I would forget about the list shortly after it was created. This list is by far my most challenging. I've told so many people about it that I HAVE TO POST IT. I'm committed to finishing everything on this list. Completion Date is: Monday, April 23, 2012. This is not an original idea. I was inspired to do this by a friend I met on twitter and subsequently convinced her to do the 40 mile Avon Walk for Breast Cancer with me. Thanks SarahInMI for being such an inspiration. Here goes....

1. Bake cookies for a neighbor.

2. Do 100 sit-ups everyday for 3 months.

3. Do the Avon Walk for Breast Cancer in 2010.

4. Give a co-worker flowers anonymously. DONE 7/30/09

FORGOT TO TAKE THE PICTURE WHEN THEY ARRIVED, SO THEY'RE A LITTLE ON THE DEAD SIDE. :(

5. Read 100 books.

6. Launch my website.

7. Buy a kayak

8. Serve food to the homeless on a holiday.

9. Write a letter to my son Billy and tell him wonderful he is and how I feel about him.

10. Write a letter to my husband Dan and tell him how wonderful he is and how I feel about him.

11. Take a picture everyday for 365 days. Started 9.9.09

12. Renew my passport.

13. Travel to Ireland.

14. Explore New York. Done 9/9/09-9/13/09

15. Go without TV for one week.

16. Sell 10 photos on Etsy or iStockphoto.

17. Learn Spanish.

18. Journal everyday for one year.

19. Take the train to work for 6 months.

20. Bring my lunch to work for 3 months.

21. Start a blog. DONE 7/22/09

22. Go to Carthage and visit Barbara and Tom.

23. Go to Carmi and visit Gerarda and Dave.

24. Have a gallery showing of my photographs.

25. Give up Starbucks for one month.

26. Take creative photography class.

27. Buy Starbucks for a stranger.10.2.09 DONE

28. Buy $10 worth of lottery tickets for a stranger.

29. Take a martial arts class. FIRST CLASS WAS 8/19/09. SIGNED UP FOR 6 MONTHS. OMG! I AM SO SORE, BUT IN A GOOD WAY. OKAY, THAT'S A LIE.

30. Sell my house.

31. Print note cards of my photos to sell.

32. Pay with cash for 6 months.

33. Make Cioppino (fish soup).

34. Do a will.

35. Buy a decent folding umbrella.

36. Make pie crust from scratch.

37. Take a cooking class.

38. Sell purses I don't use.

39. Drink 32 oz. of water everyday for one month.

40. Pick-up every penny I see. I'VE PICKED UP 4 SO FAR!

41. Do a triathlon.

42. Go to 2 parks and pick up all the garbage.

43. Send note, letter, card to someone every month for one year.

44. Set lofty goal for Avon fundraising.

45. Go to church.

46. Clean dad, granna and grandpa's graves and leave flowers.

47. Lay in grass and watch clouds. 8/2/09

48. Don't spend any money one week a month for 6 months.

49. Clean bags of lavender.

50. Learn to meditate DONE 9.30.09

51. Go to The Art Institute.

52. Go on romantic weekend with Dan.

53. Do random act of kindness once a month for 12 months.

7/2/09: SNACKS FOR FLIGHT CREW

8/09: FLOWERS FOR MELODY

9/09: Garrett's Popcorn for Camilla

54. Help Joe with his book.

55. Say a prayer everyday. ONGOING...

56. Get lasik surgery.

57. lose 15 lbs. 9/3/09 - I'VE LOST 3LBS.

58. Write a poem.

59. Memorize 5 poems.

60. Save $10,000

61. Have a picnic on a lake.

62. Buy a leica camera.

63. Write a letter to dad.

64. Write a thank you letter to someone in the service industry.

65. Inspire one other person to create this list. DONE 9.14.09

BONUS: Reba723; Winston Cheung; Kathi McDonnell Horn
(I HOPE 10 MORE PEOPLE ARE INSPIRED)

66. Fly a kite.

67. Take 50 pictures of Dan.

1: 8.2.09/Grilling; 2: 8.30.09/New Buffalo 3: 9.10.09 Irish Famine Memorial in NY;

4: 9.10.09/Giginos in NY. 5: 10. 9.10.09 Statue of Liberty.

6 - 9.11.09 Holding up the Empire

State Building.

7: 9.27.09 Dan standing at the

end of Navy Pier

8: 9.27.09 Dan on the ferris wheel

at Navy Pier.

68. Take 25 self portraits.

69. Buy new undies.

70. Throw or give away 101 things I no longer use/need.

71. Take pictures of nursing home residents and give picture to family members.

72. Read one of the classics I haven't read..

73. Go on the ferris wheel at Navy Pier. DONE 9.27.09

This ferris wheel is 150 ft. high.

This is me looking petrified! It as sooooo windy!

I look a little less nervous here...a little!!! Okay, maybe not.

74. Take a picture of the BEAN when no one is around.

75. Watch a sunrise.

76. Take Landmark Communication Course

77. Watch Alexis, Zoe, and new baby for Doc & Angel so they can go to dinner.

78. Watch 10 documentaries.

79. Compliment 50 people.

(1): 9/2/09:COMPLIMENTED STRANGER ON HER SKIRT. IT WAS SUPER CUTE.

80. Send flowers to an old friend.

81. Buy and drink a $50 bottle of wine...with Dan.

82. Do not go on Facebook, Twitter or my blog for one week.

83. Write a letter to the President.

84. Run 1/2 marathon.

85. Get really good at yoga.

86. Swim with dolphins.

87. Enter a photo contest.

88. Take picture of 50 people I don't know smiling.

1.Guy sitting on stoop in NY; 2. Four young guys in McFadden's (NY). Three are firemen and one is in finance. 3. NY City Piper at Irish Pub; 4. NY City Piper at Irish Pub;

5. Another NY City Piper at Irish Pub; 6. NYC Policeman (so cute!) 7. Penguin at Central Park Zoo (He counts right????) 8. Ranger at Statue of Liberty;

89. Take advanced photoshop class.

90. Tip someone $100, just because.....

91. Adopt a family for Christmas.

92. Mend a relationship. DONE 9.19.09 10:45AM

93. Learn a new word a week, okay and use it in a sentence.

94. Go to Maine.

95. Make Dan his favorite dinner (including dessert) once a month for 1 year.

96. Secret goal.

97. Spend a day alone in Chicago taking pictures.

98. Plant a tree in someone's name.

99. Buy and give a camera to 5 kids.

100. Do something that someone asks me to do that I don't want to do.

101. Keep a photo journal of completed tasks. ONGOING....

2009-09-01T15:02:00.000-07:00

MY LOVE.

2009-09-01T15:01:00.001-07:00

I JUST LIKE THIS PICTURE.

2009-08-28T14:52:00.000-07:00

Guess what I was doing? Yep, crossing Delancey!

2009-08-28T14:22:00.000-07:00

They're empty. I checked.

2009-08-28T13:21:00.000-07:00

I'M FASCINATED WITH CLOUDS! THEY JUST AMAZE ME!

STUNNING. PRICELESS. WONDERFUL. STUPENDOUS.

St. Patrick's Cathedral in New York

2009-08-23T17:29:00.000-07:00

This is the ceiling inside St. Patrick's Cathedral in New York. I love this church. I come here every time I'm in New York. It's big and old and makes me feel nostalgic and it smells like a church. I can't think of the words to describe the "church smell", but if you're catholic, you know what I mean. This church contains SO MANY things that remind me of my childhood.

The collection baskets.

The kneeler.

Old wood.

Lighting candles for loved ones. I lit the one on the top

right for my dad. I miss him so....

People deep in prayer.

When I'm here, I feel like the Saints really are watching over us. It's a good feeling.

Thanks New York for taking such great care if this wonderful old church!

2009-08-20T08:52:00.000-07:00

My 7 year old God Daughter (Alexis)

planted one seed and this is what she

got!!

2009-08-20T08:28:00.000-07:00

Things sure look different

from down here.

2009-08-06T13:50:00.000-07:00

If I go for a walk in the rain, no one will know I'm crying.

Observations of a stranger, sort of.....

2009-07-28T18:03:00.000-07:00

My nephew Bobby is an amazing baseball player. Now don't stop reading this because it begins with "my nephew Bobby." This story isn't all about Bobby or baseball. It's about, well I guess I'm not sure what it's about. You decide. I just know I watched the boys on this team, their manager, their coaches and their parents, and I was inspired. This Highland, Indiana All Star team had made the playoffs.

Dan (my husband) and I went to one of the playoff games. Upon arrival I noticed parents and kids wearing t-shirts that said, "We're playing for Shane." So, I asked my brother, "Who's Shane?" He told me Shane had suffered a season ending injury the night before while pitching. My brother said, "he's an amazing pitcher!" He threw a pitch and then just fell to ground in excruciating pain. He had broken his arm. Knowing how devastated Shane was feeling, the parents quickly organized and decided to have t-shirts made to make Shane feel better. From what I could see EVERY parent was wearing a t-shirt. I thought wow, that's pretty amazing and really a nice thing to do. I could see Shane with a cast from his shoulder to his wrist. He was in the dugout, standing at the fence, supporting his teammates. I don't remember the score of the game, but they won.

We would miss the next two games, but if they continued to win, we would be able to attend Monday's game. They won!

We arrived at the game on Monday evening. We could feel the energy from the parking lot. I observed my brother taking things out of the trunk of his car. He had a small ladder, video camera, plastic strips, and a tripod. He was oblivious to our presence. He walked over to the left field fence and began his routine. The ladder was to stand on, plastic strips were to secure the tripod that would hold the video camera to the fence. He was ready.

The team was all smiles and seemed so calm. They had that "just another day at the ballpark" kind of look on their faces. Seriously, they were so layed back. As the innings progressed, I noticed they players encouraging each other. It wasn't a yelling "C'MON" kind of encouragement, it was encouragement that came from some inner strength. If someone dropped the ball, they were encouraged. If someone hit a pop-up, they were encouraged. If someone struck out, they were encouraged.

Another thing I noticed, after each turn in the field they waited for each other outside the dugout until everyone was there. They stood as one and said, "HIGHLAND!" Then entered the dugout. They did this again when going back onto the field. They waited until everyone was standing outside the dugout, stood as one and said, "HIGHLAND!"

I honestly can't remember if it was this game or not, but one of the boys hit a home run. After rounding the bases, he made a small gesture toward Shane as if to say, "that was for you." I'm not sure if anyone noticed, but I did. Oh, and my brother caught it on his video camera.

There was a quiet, respectful confidence about this team and I mentioned this to my brother. They just seemed like really nice kids. He said, "they are." He then told me the story of the manager's son who died in 2001 from a rare cancer, neuroblastoma. His name was Michael Williams and he LOVED baseball. The field the boys were playing on was named after him. It is the Michael Williams Field of Dreams. My brother continued to tell me about the night the team was formed and their first meeting with their manager. He said, their manager, Lou Williams was talking to the boys in the dugout. The boys were listening intently. He said, the parents were curious about what he was saying, but couldn't hear no matter how hard they tried.

Mr. Williams told the boys about his son's love for baseball. He told them about his fight with cancer. He told them about his prized baseball possessions being buried under home plate. He gave them each a baseball hat with an M and the outline of a dove on it. The hats had been worn at the dedication of the baseball field they were playing on named for his son, Michael Williams, Field of Dreams. All of this being told by a loving father and manager and being digested by 12 and 13 year old boys. What they were thinking?

While my brother relayed this story, we continued to watch the game. They won!! So exciting. There wasn't a lot of screaming and yelling. There was just a lot of high-fiving, big smiles, excitement and nods of acknowledgment between dads. The next win would take them to the State Finals.

We arrived for the "Big Game" which was already filled with fans. Again, my brother had enough equipment to shoot a small film. He had now added a digital camera which he wore around his neck. (I wish I had a picture of him.) The parents looked tense. The kids seemed relaxed as they warmed up. It was going to be a good game. It wasn't a high scoring game, but it was a good game. The boys were serious, yet relaxed. They were laughing, having fun and were obviously there to win.

It was now the bottom of the 6th inning with one out to go. Everyone was standing. I ran over and grabbed my brother's digital camera. With that, the last pitch was thrown. Strike three. THEY WON!!!! UNBELIEVABLE!!!! THEY WERE SOOOOOO EXCITED!!!! The field was immediately covered with baseball hats, baseball mitts and jumping 12 & 13 year old boys. The manager had the biggest smile on his face and then he put his head in his hands. The coaches were slapping each other on their backs. The parents just smiled and watched their boys celebrate. Many had tears in their eyes. They were so excited for their children. You could actually see and feel the love. You really could.

There was a brief award ceremony and then the Highland All-Star team was given their winning banner.

This is getting long, so I'll wrap it up.

The celebration continued with the boys running around the outfield with their banner, while the manager, coaches and parents proudly watched. There was carbonated grape juice bottles popping, a few pie tins filled with whip cream delivered to the coaches by the boys and hugs everywhere. I saw my brother hugging the manager Mr. Williams. They both had tears in their eyes, as did so many parents and fans.

There was nothing brag-a-docious about this celebration. It was respectful, much quieter than I anticipated and even thoughtful. At this point, I notice the other team standing in the parking lot watching the celebration. They even had a look of admiration on their faces.

So what's my point with this post. My point is, the Highland, Indiana All Star 12 & 13 year old's had an amazing, loving once-in-a-lifetime manager. They had incredible caring coaches. They had marvelous, unique, loving parents. Each and everyone of these people put these boys love for the game of baseball first. They allowed them to be boys. They allowed them to play the game they love. They encouraged them to care and stand for each other.

How lucky are they!!!

101 Things To Do In 1001 Days

2009-07-21T19:07:00.000-07:00