A fabulous sports weekend

In addition to getting to attend the Reds game on Sunday, the entire weekend was full of fun sporting events.  Friday evening was the first Friday in weeks that Andrew didn't have to attend the high school football game.  We enjoyed the Reds game on TV, but losing to the Pirates is NOT what we had hoped for.  Saturday we watched ESPN's College Game Day live from South Bend.  That afternoon we flipped back and forth between the Michigan/Rutgers game the UC/Oklahoma game.  Neither game went the way I had hoped.  That evening, we started watching the Reds game and were delighted when they jumped out to an early 9-0 lead.  That made the eventual 13-12 loss all the more crushing!  And of course, we watched OSU score with only a second left to defeat Notre Dame.  This is literally the only time I ever root against the Buckeyes, but rooting against them I was!

After we had a blast Sunday afternoon, we were able to watch the Steelers game that night.  We hadn't even realized that it was a Sunday night game so that was great planning!  I didn't stay up for the entire game, but Andrew did and was very pleased the Steelers were victorious.  The Bengals were also on national TV last night and won their first game of the season.  The Reds beat Cleveland tonight, and that guarantees them a .500 record after losing 100 games last year.  Their is still a mathematical chance to make the playoffs as a wild-card, but time is running out.

I'm so grateful I enjoy these sports and these moments.  As I pointed out to Andrew on Saturday, life is pretty good if the biggest disagreement is which college football game to watch!

A fabulous afternoon of family fun and memories made

Our family had a really wonderful afternoon.  Last spring, I had won tickets to a Reds game in an auction.  It wasn't until the middle of the summer I remembered that I needed to redeem them and pick a game.  I decided a Sunday afternoon would be the best because I wouldn't miss any college football that way.  I didn't realize at the time that the Steelers are playing this evening so that is perfect as well.

I also didn't really think about it at the time, but it was the last home game of the season.  It's so hard to believe, after losing 100 games last year, that the Reds are still playing meaningful games in late September!  With both kids taking class and not working right now we were pretty sure they'd be available to go with us, and they were.  It was so wonderful to have a few hours to spend together.

On Friday, I realized that with it being the last home game, there is a very good chance it would be the final home game of Joey Votto.  He came up in 2007, and my kids don't remember the Reds without Votto.  As he came up to bat the first time, the fans gave him a standing ovation and timeout was called so that he could acknowledge the fans.  It lasted a good amount of time, and fans were chanting his name.  It was a bit emotional, and the manager mentioned later that the team has some emotions as well.  Unfortunately, he struck out.  In his fourth and final at-bat of the game, he got a hit, and was pulled for a pinch runner.  That allowed the fans to stand and chant again, and he gave a "curtain call" by coming back out of the dugout.  Catherine doesn't love sports, but she knows about Joey Votto.  And Thomas definitely calls Votto his favorite player and was feeling a little sad about it.  Baseball is a game that transcends generations.  It's a game where our earliest memories of the game are often memories made with our parents and grandparents, and that is why I'm so grateful we were able to share this today as a family.

There are other things from this weekend I want to write about, but those will be another post.  I wanted to make sure I always remember our special afternoon!

Sundays are different

I've realized in the last year that Sundays are different than they used to be...and it's not in a bad way.  I remember when I was first out of college, and I absolutely dreaded Sundays.  I realize now it's because I had a job that I really didn't like.  Staring down an entire week of being at that job was somewhat overwhelming, and I didn't like those Sundays.

Even when I was a stay-at-home mom though, I didn't like Sundays.  Andrew and I have always been very protective of keeping our Sundays protected with little-to-no outside activities happening.  We didn't see Sunday as a "hang-out-with-others" time, although we've been willing to have early dinners with family or friends.  Sunday evenings still felt overwhelming, as though the week ahead was daunting.  I've never been a morning person, and I never look forward to having to wait until the next Saturday to sleep in.  I didn't necessarily dread going to work each day because I loved subbing, but I still didn't enjoy Sunday evenings.

Last year, I remember looking at Andrew and telling him that I found myself enjoying Sunday evenings.  I found them relaxing.  I enjoyed the peace and quiet of the end of the weekend.  I wondered if that would change this year with Thomas being home.  I'm very pleased that hasn't happened.  Sundays aren't quite as quiet, but I still enjoy them.  Part of it, a big part of it, is that I really do enjoy my job.  I also realize that my kids are adults and are responsible for the parts of their weeks that only involve them.  It's also true that because my kids are graduated, I don't have the evening commitments for their activities that I used to have.  So my weeks, overall, are just a little less busy.

I'm grateful for more relaxed Sundays.  I'm especially grateful for Sundays with gorgeous weather, and Sundays with football!

This was exactly the Saturday we needed

It's been a long week in this house.  My poor husband had a sporting event every evening except Wednesday.  He even had to work the JV football game this morning.  It was a lot for him.  I developed a cold early in the week, and it has lingered.  Not awful, but enough to feel absolutely worn out.  Work has also been a bit crazy, but that isn't really anything new.

The weather this week has been beautiful since a front came through on Tuesday.  It's been almost chilly at night, and I've been able to light a candle and I'm even sitting here with a blanket in my family room.  It's still a bit early for fall decorations, but we are getting there.  Today I tried to hang out some laundry, and I think it's just a bit too late in the season for it to dry successfully.  It's really delightful.

And it's not just the delightful weather that is awesome...it's the best sports time of the year as well!  Not only has the NFL begun, but Saturdays are full of delightful college football.  Next week is the big OSU/Notre Dame game.  It's in South Bend, and I think ND has a legitimate shot to win the game.  And have we mentioned that there is MEANINGFUL baseball happening for the Reds?  I mean, it's the middle of September, and these games MATTER!  As of yesterday, the Reds were tied with the Diamondbacks for the final wild card spot, but the Reds hold the tiebreaker against them.  It's an exciting time to be Reds fan, and so very unexpected.

I've done almost nothing today, and this is exactly the Saturday that we needed.  Andrew came home and took a nap, and we've been watching football and baseball.  This is the kind of day that absolutely feeds my soul.  I love this time of year!

Apparently she had only used eight lives

 I wrote two weeks ago about the fact that it seemed as though we no longer had any of our outdoor cats.  I can't believe I never wrote a follow up, because the story wasn't over!  The VERY NEXT DAY, Thomas was in our detached garage working on getting some things ready to take to the scrapyard.  Andrew and I were sitting inside (probably watching a Reds game).  Thomas texted us to tell us he had found the outdoor cat and she was alive!  It turns out that she had been stuck in our detached garage for an entire week!  It was even the week where we had heat warnings.  We have no idea how she managed to survive, although we suspect she might have eaten some mice.  We also aren't sure what she might have peed on or pooped on, but amazingly, she seems to be just fine.  We've been going back to our schedule of feeding her, and she is continuing to hang out on our patio.  I guess she hadn't used all of her nine lives yet!

End of the lifeguarding era

In March of 2021, Thomas took lifeguarding lessons.  We knew it would be a job he would enjoy, as that kid loves the pool.  For fourteen months, he worked at the local university.  He never had a lot of hours, and some of his shifts were a little ridiculous of just two hours or so.  Last summer, he started his job at the city pool, which was absolutely ideal.  He was leaving for school in the fall, but so were most of the kids, and the pool would be closing.  He worked a crazy number of hours, and in fact received an award for the most hours worked.  We were really proud of him, and he made a good deal of money for just eleven weeks of working.

Last school year, he worked as a lifeguard at the university he was attending.  To say that it was not a positive experience is a bit of an understatement.  They were so desperate for lifeguards that they scheduled him right after interviewing him.  While that seems great, it meant there was no orientation or training of the procedures and policies.  It began to feel like he was always doing things wrong, but he had never been told the "right" way to do things.  None of us were sad that his job came to an end when the school year did, and since he isn't returning to school, no one has to worry about that anymore.

He worked at the city pool again this summer.  He really loves working at the city pool, and what 19-year-old wouldn't?  I really wanted him to have this summer.  He didn't work nearly as many hours as he had last year, and there were even entire weeks where he wasn't scheduled at all.  He still really enjoyed it though, and was able to work right up until this past weekend when the pool closed for the season.  As he came home Sunday, he was officially "retired" as a lifeguard.  It could happen again, but not if things go according to his plan.  It was a great job for him in his teen years, and I'm so glad he enjoyed it.  For now though, it seems as though the lifeguarding is a thing of the past in this house.

It's always nice to have an extra day in the weekend

I am never sad when our weekends have an extra day.  It was very, very much needed, and gratefully, rather uneventful.  I'm also happy knowing that when I go to work tomorrow, it will already be Tuesday!

We had gorgeous weather last week, especially at the end of the week.  Thursday morning was almost chilly, and it was absolutely delightful.  Andrew had to work athletic events Wednesday and Thursday evenings, and then he had football stats Friday evening.  Thomas's girlfriend was home for the weekend, so they hung out here for a bit.  I only worked 1/2 day and then worked at church, so it was nice to have a fairly quiet evening.

By Saturday, the temp was trending up again.  Andrew and I attended a truly lovely wedding of a friend of ours from church.  It was a beautiful setting, but unfortunately it was all outdoors.  By the time we ate, it was all I could handle.  We were supposed to go to another gathering, but we just couldn't drag ourselves out again.  We had missed the OSU and the Notre Dame games, but there was still good college football on for our Saturday evening.

Yesterday was even warmer, but it we didn't have any major plans.  After church, we made a quick trip to the grocery.  Catherine arrived last afternoon, and shortly after Andrew and I took our sweet pup to have her picture taken.  It was a fundraiser for the local humane society.  When Thomas got off work, we made Mexican food for dinner, and then we played our family's new favorite trivia game.  We have so much fun!  There is tons of laughter and it is a fabulous way to spend a family evening.

Today has been a day to do laundry, yard work, and clean the house.  Everyone chipped in, and it's lovely to start the week with a clean house and being well rested.  Catherine even decided to stay here until Wednesday, which is always a treat.  Today is the last day of temps in the 90's in ten day forecast, and that is delightful as well.  I'm feeling ready for the week!