Marching On

March ran through like both Lion and Lamb – with both a whirl of activity and very quiet, meaningful moments. So many experiences deserved their own blog entry, but I was too busy experiencing life to stop and write. Here is a brief recap.

Baseball

Hitting a line drive

Our son started baseball season, something he has been asking to do for years. He played a little T-ball a couple years ago, but this year he is in 5-pitch, which means the coach actually pitches the balls to the kids.I try not to gasp too loudly from the grandstand when the coaches accidentally hit the kids with the pitching.

Over the years we have watched our kids participate in many soccer and basketball games. It has always been a little difficult because they were so content to just wear the uniform and run around the court or field.  Actual contact with the ball was rare.

And to be fair, I was always content to cheer on, or zone out, depending on the situation, during the game and praise them for their little successes. But as they got older it became apparent that other parents were more involved and didn’t always appreciate my laissez-faire attitude. When they quit asking to be on sports teams, I was happy.

So it was with reluctance that I registered our son for another season of Little League. But the funny thing is, we have discovered this time that he is actually a great hitter. His coaches call him Little Slugger and he has already hit a few home runs. And while I would happily support him every time he struck out, it’s kind of nice to have a winner in the family.

Girl Scouts Cookies

Our daughter sold girl scout cookies again this year. And while it wasn’t a big deal, over the month it began to take a big chunk of the calendar as she wanted to participate in every grocery store front table that was available. Glad she had the experience. Glad it is over.

Grandpa Jerry

Kip’s dad came to town for a medical conference and we spent a week running around LA, hiking, sailing, taking him to our favorite restaurants, visiting my brother’s new food truck. It was a busy week and deserves it’s own blog entry. But in the interest of time I’m going to include a few of our favorite moments in pictures and let that be it.

I think Grandp Jerry and "Gage" are telling a story

 

 

 

hiking at Solstice Canyon

Grandpa Bob and Nana visit

Just a few days after Kip’s dad left, my parents came for a week. Once again, our visit deserves a whole blog entry. I had so many thoughts about our time together. Once again it was visiting my brother’s new food truck, checking out a museum, sailing, and just spending quality time together. They were here to cheer me on during my third LA marathon, which also deserves its own blog entry (and may get it.) And once again I was deeply grateful for the wonderful parents God gave me. The world would be a far kinder place if everyone had parents like mine.

After the Marathon

My dad and my brother Tim in front of the Flatiron Truck

Coffee at the Commissary in West Hollywood. The Flatiron usually parks here on Sunday mornings for brunch.

Life Beginning and Ending

On Monday one of my dearest friends told me she was pregnant, an unexpected blessing celebrated by all her friends, and then on Wednesday another friend told me that her mom had taken a turn for the worse. The hospice nurses expected her to pass that day. When Kip came home from work I dropped by my friend’s house to spend a few hours with her and her mom. I ended up spending the night, a night I will never forget. But I will save that story for the next blog update.