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!