five things, september 27

1. I think it's pretty funny that I like to cook different and creative things when all my family wants is meatloaf and sloppy joes. Ha! Joke on me, right? It's all good. Callum really will eat anything I put in front of him (the spicier the better), but we had both meatloaf AND sloppy joes this week, and the gusto with which both my men gobbled up those dinners, not to mention the glee? Well, lesson learned. When they're happy, I'm happy.

2. I think  I've been thinking some about how outsiders see us lately. Outsiders? Wrong word. For the next few weeks, we'll have a young woman living with us while she's in Virginia working on efforts for the gubernatorial campaign. She's a recent graduate of the college Neel and I attended (where we met, actually), and she found us through the alumni directory. She needed a cheap place to stay for a short amount of time (just through the election), so we had a family meeting and decided, why not here? She got here Tuesday, and she's been nothing but a delight ever since.

You can't help but wonder, though, how someone new will see you. After Neel told her to be sure to have cash for the Chesapeake Bay Bridge Tunnel, I said, "Okay, Dad..."  Are we fuddy? Are we mainstream? Quirky and fun? Does she even give us a second thought? Only time will tell, I guess. At least the guest room was ready for her. I hope she's cozy.

3. I think  I really appreciate the nudge that Christine gave me with this post about shooting in black and white. I tried to do it for most of the week, and I'll share some of those photos on Tuesday if you care to have a look. I'm not sure I'm getting it yet, but I'll keep trying!

4. I think  I'm still not completely out of my funk. I'm getting there, but two of my classes didn't go (not enough students), and even though I've been reassured left and right that it's not personal, it's hard not to feel it, you know? Baby steps, I guess. Perhaps I need to read more of those articles about jumping back from failure. Or not. I've been thinking about friendship too. I'm enjoying some deepening relationships very much, but I've been hurt lately too. How do you let go of a thrum of anger when you feel you've been let down by someone you love?

5. I think it's good that I was "off" these last two weeks. Well, "off-ish." I'll tell you more about what I did next week. I wasn't offline as much as I wanted to be, and I didn't get things straightened out quite the way I wanted to, but where things were slipping into chaos, they're now merely busy. I guess that's a good thing, right?

weekend recap, september 23

1. Friday hike | 2. Night light | 3. Day light | 4. First Landing | 5. In a row | 6. Autumn at the Beach | 7. Lucy meets the water  | 8. First at bat | 9. Making it matter | 10. Cocktail | 11. Breakfast sandwich | 12. Sweet ride | 13. Cal | 14. Buster | 15. Easy Sunday

It was good. We all seem to have nabbed Cal's slight cold, but otherwise, I'd clock this weekend as a good one. I'm back on my hike routine with my dear friend Tracy and that was pretty much the highlight of my Friday. I wish I could take you guys with me sometime. Wouldn't that be fun? 

Neel came home from work to find a new stretchy leash sitting on the counter. When he asked what it was for, I said, "I'm taking Lucy to the beach tomorrow. You're more than welcome to come with me if you want." It was at least the 3rd weekend that I'd wanted to go for a walk on the beach and we hadn't. I was tired of that. So we got up on Saturday and took Lucy to the beach.

I loved it. 

She remains uncertain. 

Saturday afternoon Cal had his first baseball game of the season. He's playing Little League Fall Ball, which is pretty low key. It's an instructional league, and it's giving Cal some much needed at-bats. His team had only had two practices before Saturday's game, and, well, it showed. But here's the thing. Our kids (boys AND girl) are a bunch of scrappy 13 and 14 year olds playing against SIXTEEN YEAR OLDS. Need I say more?

Those big kids had a lot of swagger. They sauntered up to the plate. They jawed with their coach (not impressed). They jawed with the smattering of parents and friends in the stands. There weren't many of us there, and since at the start of the game the sun was shining directly on the bleachers on the 3rd base side (where the visiting team generally sits)  a lot of us were sitting on the 1st base line. Parents from both sides chatted and talked. It was all very friendly; these games are more often than not.

One of our kids drew a walk, and I cheered. (To be honest, there was little to cheer for for our guys, so we were taking what we could get.) The catcher from the other team (yes, you read that right) , takes off his mask and says to me, "Wait, are you for them?"

"Yes. I am." 

"Why are you sitting on this side? You should be sitting on that side," and he cocks his head back to the 3rd base line. 

Do I need to remind you that this is the TEENAGE PLAYER FOR THE OTHER TEAM?

Perhaps, given the distance, he didn't see my eyebrows go up as I said, "I can sit anywhere I want, darling." 

Cal was next at bat.  

It's possible that I embarrassed myself with how loud I whistled and cheered when he batted in two runs with a double that went over 300 feet. Perhaps.

Boy earned himself some wings for dinner that night. And you know what? Even he and his teammates noticed how disrespectful that other team was to their coach during and after the game. They lost, but they learned a lot and they improved over the course of the afternoon, even. I'll take a loss like that, where our kids hold their heads up and respect the men who come to coach them over a sloppy win any day.

Back to the beach Sunday morning. This time to meet my friend (and photographer crush) Kim and her husband and their dog Buster. Lucy is still uncertain, but she's getting there. We might even let her off leash next week. She can't run too far, right? 

Back Friday, my sweets! This is my last week off. Promise! XOXO