Spring and Sunday Baseball Games...

Few things make me smile as much as a lazy Sunday, complete with a either a baseball game or a nascar race with Dan. Well... today I got a little bit of everything I love and more. Friday afternoon after a grueling week and an ungodly number items on my "to-do" list... I found myself holding four tickets to today's Angels game (thanks Boss!!). Small gesture, but the hint was noted... I needed a break. A quick call to Dan, who agreed to forgo his usual Sunday of riding and working the horses & Miss Jenna-bug cleared her schedule of grading papers... and we were all set. We listened to the race on the radio as we headed down the 91 and educated Jen on the finer details of the great sport of NASCAR. And we spent the afternoon watching a great game (Go Angels!) and laughing a lot. And for a minute... I forgot that my best friend (Jen) is going to be moving in 7 weeks. :(

Cool breezy days and close friends near... after several years in pursuit of something... education, experience, stuff, etc... I'm still in pursuit of adventure and success... but I can only do so because of the days off like today. Good friends are a bit like a good baseball game... both are full of highs and lows, cheers and wake-up calls... and both are there when you need a break and a good time.

And so now I sit... wondering how to send my friend off on her next adventure that shows how thankful I am for all the days like today that I've gotten to have?

Gardening...

Gardening...

When I was younger one of the quickest ways my parents could punish me was to have me outside, in the heat, pulling weeds, planting, trimming, spraying, etc alongside of them. I hated it. I could never understand why anyone in there right mind would spend a perfectly good weekend doing such arduous chores. Until now...

I've lived with roommates, on my own, and now with a roommate (my younger sister... ). My love of plants and flowers has always existed, I just never liked the chores that went along with it. Until now... unfortunately this drives my sister nuts. While I think they add lovely colors along the path to our door... to her, they are a waste of time, and a encourager of bugs.

I wish I could explain to her that I do not plant to annoy her... it is my quiet time. Fountain sounds creating a relaxing audible background for a Sunday of digging, potting, etc... is a nice exchange from phone calls, no-shows, and sitting in traffic 5 days a week.

Strange how it is now her instead of I that finds all of this annoying... but now I also understand why my parents must also enjoy it. It is a quiet opportunity to reflect and figure out what went wrong the week before, what can be done (if anything to fix it), and how to do things differently going forward. I wonder what other traits that used to bother me I'll adopt??