Lucky Kid

Tonight we took Drew and his friend Jason to a charity hockey game in Newark. Rutgers Medical School “Medwings  vs Bitewings” – (Doctors vs Dentists.) This year’s game supported Smiles Across Bangladesh, a fund that provides aid to children and adults afflicted with oral and maxillofacial disorders in Bangladesh. Friends of ours have a son who we have known since he was a little kid. That little kid, is now a doctor and plays for the Medwings so we go to support him and the charity.

Drew looks forward to this game every year, partly because it is fun but mostly because of “Chuck a Puck.” This year, he was a winner again and so was his friend!

For those of you who don’t follow Drew’s lucky sport streak, it is a bit uncanny. He has caught or won so many things I have lost track! He has a World Series ball, 1995 team signed NJ Devils stick, game worn Devils jerseys, baseball cards, broken baseball bats from when he was a BatBoy with the Newark Bears, too many baseballs to count, and so many game used hockey sticks, we could build a small shed in the yard with them. At least three New York Giants have given him their gloves after games ….and after tonight, he has a team signed NY Islanders cap to add to his collection.

Somehow tonight some of that luck rubbed off on his buddy who won an autographed hockey puck but as for my puck, which I had him toss for me, that of course was not a winner.We have tried giving him money to buy us lottery tickets, but unfortunately the luck doesn’t transfer to us. Maybe when he’s old enough to buy lottery tickets of his own someday, he will remember us when he is a big winner!!

Where Did it Go??

 

What happened to summer? How can it be Labor Day already?  The “official” end of summer.  I don’t even felt like there was a summer this year.  We were lucky to have avoided the heat and humidity that New Jersey is famous for.  That was actually a blessing!  Yesterday and today have been most humid days of the summer but because of that, it really felt like summer never arrived.

Since I work for most of the summer, I don’t get the “summers off” like many people believe teachers get every year.  Working through the first week of August and then having this procedure that has kept me off my foot, (well it was supposed to keep me off my foot,) took up the whole summer!  This kept me from the pool.  It has been three weeks since I went there.  That may also be a part of why summer didn’t seem “real” this year.  We used to call our pool the bargain of the summer because we were there nearly everyday.  Now, I have to drag my kids to come along!

This happens to me every year.  I think I am going to get soooooo much done, but don’t.  Yet, now, as I sit back and recap the summer, we may not have traveled much, but we did do quite a bit.  College tours, summer baseball for Drew, concerts in the park, get together with friends and lots of photography work filled our days.  It was our first summer without The Newark Bears around. Unfortunately that organization folded during the year.  Drew had been a batboy for them for several years.  Many, many of our summer nights were spent at the ball park.  I missed that more than I realized.  We did take in a few minor leagues games at other fields though.  That was fun.  It is always something the boys love to do.

One thing we didn’t get the time to do was visit the Poconos or go down the shore.  Hopefully, September will stay warm enough for us to maybe get a day on the beach before it gets too cold.  We live so close and never took advantage of it this year.

The sleeping in and going to bed late has been nice though.  My boys are going to have the toughest time readjusting to that.  There are always conflicting feelings at this time of year.   Not feeling ready to go back to work, but excited at the same time because I get to start a new school year with a fresh bunch of children. Even Drew said that today at breakfast.  He told me how “weird” it felt to be excited and disappointed at the same time.   He wants to go back to school and meet his new teachers and see his friends, but isn’t quite ready for the school work and rigor to begin. 

So, since we can’t stop time… bring on the new school year!!

So Proud of You

Last night my boys went to the NJ Devils game with my dad. When they got home, DJ said, “Drew, are you going to tell mom what you did at the game tonight?”  I replied, ‘Uhoh, what…” and DJ said, “No mom, it is good!”  We all laughed and Drew got embarrassed and told me this story,

You know how I always go up to the glass for warm ups?  Well, I went there tonight and I was hoping that a player would toss me a puck after practice.  There was this kid standing near me who had special needs and he was wearing a Toronto jersey.  He reminded me of that girl we saw at The Newark Bears Game.  That was the kind of special needs he was.  Well, he wanted a puck so badly but he didn’t get one and I guess he got tired of standing there because he and his dad went back to their seats.  Then, I got a puck and I went over and gave it to him instead of keeping it. The kid was so happy!  Later, the dad and the kid came over to our seats and thanked me.  At the end of the game, I went up to where the referees leave the ice and NJ, (the Devils mascot,) tossed me the game puck!

I was so proud I nearly cried.  DJ was just nodding his head the whole time telling me that really happened.  My dad told me how proud he was of him.  I had to share it – I was so filled with joy that he had done such a generous thing.  For anyone who knows him, he is a collector and giving up a puck was probably not the easiest thing for him!!  I shared the story on Facebook before I left for work this morning.  I got home this evening and found that there were just under 200 likes and almost 50 comments about it!  Comments saying others were going to pay it forward today after reading it.  Comments about how he is growing up into such a kind young man.  Comments about how Dave and I “must be doing something right!”

He and I just read the comments together and he is embarrassed – self-conscious perhaps, but I can tell he is pleased with himself.  It is so nice watching him grow into such a kind hearted boy.  Many of the comments mentioned “great parenting.”  I had great role models to follow, and now my children are following in those footsteps as well.  We talk all the time about how easy it is to do the right thing and last night, Drew demonstrated that perfectly.

Finding the Good Moments in 2013

Yesterday I tried to sum up 2013 in my blog.  A rough year, but there were still a lot of happy moments so today, I am going to share some photos of “The Best of 2013” because despite all the sadness we experienced, there were still a lot of really good moments.

We celebrated Father’s Day and all the great dads in our lives!

Although I was not a big fan of them, the cicada out break this spring was pretty interesting.

The new porch construction was a great addition to the house!

Celebrating dad’s 68th birthday with the family was a great day.

DJ getting his driver’s permit

A quick overnight to Atlantic City with a few of my coworkers.

Visiting my college roommates

Drew graduating from elementary school.

Grammy turning 98

Mud Runs like The Dirty Girl and The Muck Fest!

Drew and baseball, baseball, baseball!  Playing, watching and being a batboy for The Newark Bears.

and truly there were so many, many more.  Including joining the coaching group I am in where I have made some amazing friends this year, spending tons of time with extended family…I could truly go on and on.  Sadly, those terrible moments of 2013 have overshadowed the good ones, but when we looked back upon this year, it was really nice to find so many happy memories amongst the sad ones.  I am looking forward to making more happy ones in 2014!

Happy New Year!

Rained Out

Today started out hot and sunny.  Drew was bat boy for The Newark Bears again.  My best friend Kelly was meeting us at the game with her kids.  It seemed like it was going to be a perfect day.  I have not seen Kelly in a few weeks since she started her new job.  Not even a half hour into the game, rain began to fall.  Very slowly at first so the game went on until it started to pour.  Then came the thunder and lightening.  It was by far one of the biggest storms we have had in awhile.  Kelly waited around for awhile, but it did not look like it was about to let up.  She decided to head out with her kids while we waited for an announcement telling us whether or not the game would be played.  Drew would have to stay anyway, so we hung out in a dry area for awhile.

Finally an announcement was made that the game would be canceled.  Drew was upset because he only has one more game left in the season.  I was sad because I finally had the chance to sit and catch up with Kelly and that did not work out.  We drove home through torrential rain and I joked with DJ asking him if he wanted to practice driving.  We could barely see a few feet in front of us and the highway had flooding along the shoulders.  I have not seen rain like this in quite some time!

The kids were hungry and I had to go to the grocery store.  We parked and ran through the parking lot.  I could not help but smile as I watched the boys splash in the puddles like little kids.  We were soaked by the time we reached the store and then were freezing the whole time we were in the air conditioned store.  It was almost comical, seeing the boys with their hair soaking wet.  I cannot even imagine what I looked like as my soaking wet hair stuck to my face.

The minute we got home, the boys put on their pajamas.  It was the middle of the afternoon!  I cannot even remember the last time the three of us spent an afternoon like that.  Right now, chili is simmering on the stove, my brothers are coming for dinner and the kids are hoping that they’ll stay and turn the night into a “family game night”.  Perhaps the rain that made our day so miserable earlier in the day, turned out to be a blessing.  With only a few more days until school is back in session and the pressures of homework, sports and other commitments taking up our weekends, it was a day we were forced to sit back, do nothing and enjoy it.

“America’s Game”

It is the last week of summer vacation, at least for me.  The kids don’t go back to school until September 9th.  I return next Tuesday.  I will be in and out of school this week trying to get my classroom ready for a new batch of Kindergarteners.  I look forward to this time of year every year, although I find the first two months of Kindergarten the hardest two months of the entire year.  I am never as exhausted as I am in September!

Our last week of Summer will be filled with a lot of baseball.  Drew will be performing his bat boy duties for the last few games of The Newark Bears Season.  There is a game every day or night this week!  He cannot get to all of these games though because he has his own practices to attend for Fall Ball.  We put out an “all-call” on Facebook to all of our friends and family to join us for a game if they are around.  Tonight, my sister and her family are going and my dad will join us as well.    I know that Drew self-esteem is boosted when others show up to see him hard at work!

He has such dreams of seeing himself out on the field as a player some day.  We have been watching The Little League World Series all week.  Drew is astonished at what some of these boys are capable of doing.  His mood swings from awe, disbelief and wonder, to him being completely down on himself because he feels inadequate and not good enough.  But despite how he feels about himself as he watches, he critiques, evaluates and gives his own commentaries throughout each game.  He is glued to the television and does his own “research” on line to see what he can find out about the players, teams and their equipment.  Now, if only I get him to be so enthusiastic about school…

A Drop of Kindness

Now that Little League has ended, we are back to going to The Newark Bears games so that Drew can do his job as Bat Boy. He loves it. It keeps him busy and gives him responsibility. I only wish he would work half as hard at home keeping his room clean, as he does keeping the dugout spotless – but that is a whole different blog!!

The stadium is quite close to our home, just a quick fifteen minute drive. We drive through an area where for the last few years, we often see the same homeless man standing on the corner with a sign asking for money. I have written before, that I won’t give money to people who beg on the street, but when I can, I try to bring a small bag of food for this man.

Tonight I had a bag all ready for him. It had a banana, a few apples, a granola bar and a bottle of water. Hopefully enough to sustain him until he can get another meal. Unfortunately he was not in his usual spot. I saw all of his “stuff, ” but not him. I will bring it home and prepare another one for him the next time we come.

We never know what gets a person to the place they are in their lives and who are we to judge?? There are many stereotypes people have towards those who are homeless. I have no idea what this man’s story is, but if giving him a few bites to eat can make even the smallest difference in his life, then I am glad to do it. Most importantly, my kids get to be a part of it and see how they can help those less fortunate and appreciate what they have.

Happy Father’s Day

Happy Father’s Day to all the dads – especially to my own dad and to Dave.

We spent Father’s Day rather quietly.  Dave plays soccer on Sunday mornings, so this Sunday was no different.  It is his favorite way to spend his Sundays!!  We then met up with my dad, brothers, grandma and sister’s family at a local pub for brunch.  Then Drew, who is bat boy for The Newark Bears, had an afternoon game, so we got to spend our afternoon relaxing at the ballpark.  Tonight, Dave had a softball game.  He’s been playing on a team with a bunch of guys he’s known for years.  The team has had numerous members over the years, but it started when he was a senior in high school, and a bunch of the same guys still play.   While he had his game, I took the boys to my aunt and uncle’s house, where the rest of the family met up again for pizzas and some swimming in their pool.

For my dad, I am sure it was a sad day without my  mom around, but he was kept busy with brunch and dinner, plus he got so see my niece in her recital so he spent the afternoon with the other two grand kids.  His favorite thing to do is spend time with family.  That has always been what is most important to him…”Family Time”.

What better way to spend for Dave and my dad to spend their Fathers’ Days – doing what they love and being with their family.  It is a day that is well deserved.

A Ball Game with Dad

Dave and my boys love going to minor league baseball games.  We have a few local teams here where we live, in fact Drew has been a bat boy for The Newark Bears for the last few summers and loves it!!  Dave and the boys try to catch as many minor league games as they can in the summers and I join them as often as my job allows.  It is a great way to get in lots of baseball without the major league prices!  This year, we started off the “2013 Summer Tour” with a game at the Scranton-Wilkes Barre Rail-Riders while we were in Pennsylvania.

Dave’s dad lives in Scranton.  It has been several years since we have seen him.  We are in touch via Facebook, but don’t get a chance to catch up very often.  We sent him a message letting him know that we would be in the area and if that if he were around, perhaps he would want to meet up at the game.  It has been so long since the kids had seen him, he did not think that the kids would recognize him!  We have seen him in photos on Facebook, so Dave and I were prepared…he has grown a full beard and it is white.  He said, “you’ll recognize me as the guy who looks like Tim Allen in The Santa Claus movies”.  He did!!  Drew said that he did not remember what he looked like, and when we thought back, the last time Drew saw him, he was probably only six or seven, so that made sense.

We got to the game about half an hour before it started and he was already there.  He was waiting for us by our seats.  I almost walked right by him!  Even with the photos, I did not recognize him right away.  He has lived in Pennsylvania for over twenty years now, and we have probably only gotten together, (either there or in New Jersey), a handful of times.

Growing up, Dave had a very different relationship with his parents than I did with mine.  Whereas my family did EVERYTHING together, (and often to an extreme), Dave’s was quite the opposite.  There was a lot of alone time, and I think Dave grew to like that.  I think it took him a long time to get used to the way my family “worked”.  He didn’t get the idea of nightly family dinners and could not believe that a typical family gathering for us, was never less than 25 people.  My parents and I rarely go a day without talking, whether it is on the phone or in person.  My mom and I used to talk a few times a day.   This again, has always been quite different with Dave’s family.  We have gone months without seeing or talking to his mom, and it has been even longer with his dad.

So today, was really nice.  A last minute plan, when we realized that we were going to be so close to where he lives.  A quick message on Facebook, led to a really nice afternoon catching up at a ball game.   Dave’s dad is not a baseball fan at all, yet he still took the time to come out and see us.  That meant a lot to all of us and now that we realize how close it actually is to the Pocono house, maybe this will lead to us meeting more often.