Graduation Day & Chilly Baseball

1) Bella and her diploma

2) Bella overlooking something

3) Dad at baseball

4) Jimaken at baseball

5) Jacob about to score from third

Wednesday looked nice enough, but now that we had most of the rain behind us, I was really hoping for some warmth. Sadly, though, that wasn’t going to be the case. We’d be fortunate to hit 65 at best. Saturday’s predicted to be our first day over 70 degrees in quite a while.

I overslept considerably. I checked the clock around 5:15 and saw I had another fifteen minutes of sleep time. Next thing I knew it was 6:00am. Darn it! I scurried about making my way down the stairs and beginning my routine. Often, the first thing that gets cut in such situations is meditation. Today was no exception. However, as I type this, I realize how important it is to meditate on days like this. A dichotomy.

I readied for my run and was heading out the door by 6:45am. Still doing the abbreviated run of three miles, I knew that I‘d recoup the rest of my time by runs end. And that I did. I was back by 7:10am preparing my breakfast and throwing together my lunch. Once again I packed a garden salad – the last of it. I threw a few slices of baked ham in with it. In addition, I packed the traditional fruit medley & mixed nuts.

Jacob and I set out for the bus stop at 7:55am. Again, it was lovely save for the chilly temps. Neighbor Pat & I chatted as we so often do after the bus departed. I was on my way to work by 8:10am. The day’s plan called for me to leave work at 9:30am and head to Bella’s year end pre-school presentation/graduation. I was at work for only an hour.

I arrived at the pres-school by 9:55am. Gloria arrived a few minutes later. She told me that she waited as long as she could for grandson Joe to arrive to pick her up. She ended up driving herself figuring that he overslept. We sat in the front row. The ceremony lasted only 30 minutes. Keeping in mind that it’s 3, 4, & 5 year olds, their attention span isn’t too long. There’s always plenty of unplanned humor at these presentations. Today was no exception. One child kept singing well after all the other kids had stopped. In yet another song, two kids, a boy & a girl, sang ridiculously louder than all the rest, to the point of screaming. I noticed Jimaken made it sitting two rows behind us. As Bella accepted her diploma, I pointed out her daddy and suggested she go show him, too.

As always, there’s cake served for everyone afterwards. I had an 11am staff meeting to make at work. I stayed long enough to see the cake and say hello to everyone but had to bolt. I was on the road by 10:45am.

The rest of the work day went smoothly. We had our previously mentioned staff meeting at 11am. It lasted almost two hours. Because of this, I worked straight through. I did stop and eat my packed lunch but worked while eating. Jacob had a ball game just around the corner slated to begin at 6pm. Mindy earlier intimated that she wouldn’t be there, but she still invited my Dad. Jimaken would be taking Jacob.

I left work at 5:35pm and headed over to the ball diamond. I saw my dad’s vehicle. We were on the SW diamond meaning that we had to walk across the fields to get there. I carried two chairs. I spotted Jimaken easily, but my dad was not anywhere to be seen. But as I turned around, I spotted him walking towards us with his own camp chair over his shoulder. As long as the sunshine landed on us we stayed fairly warm, but once again it sunk behind the trees it was pretty chilly for the third game in a row. Jacob had a great game. He got three hits, scored two runs, and made a few nice defensive stops/plays. Coach recognized this and awarded him the game ball. He was more than excited. Too, they were passing out the baseball pictures we had taken a few weeks ago as well.

As the sun dipped behind the trees, it got really chilly. All three of us were pleased when the game ended. Jacob wanted to ride with his daddy. Jimaken willing obliged him. Since it was on the way, I stopped at Lee’s RV & Boat storage to hopefully pay my semi-annual storage bill. Sadly, they were closed. Note to self, perhaps I’ll stop by Thursday at lunch time.

I arrived home five minutes later. Mindy willingly got both kids a bath. I microwaved a plate of KFC leftovers. I was ravenously hungry. The chicken & mashed potatoes hit the spot. Mindy & I watched the two-hour American Idol finale. It was very entertaining, just as the finales often are. Our favorite contestant won. But in reality, they’re all winners. We went to bed immediately after.