A Lovely Lowcountry Day

Today was as busy as it gets for this family - I think it's fair to say we like to stay close to home as much as we can. There is some comfort for all of us in piddling around the house. Perhaps that's why days like today are such a treat for us - unless it's a marathon trip to Kiawah on a hot summer day, we don't typically stay away from home all day long. Today was the exception; and a fun one at that.

We had an early morning start at the baseball field where the Biggby Coffee Tigers put together a great game against a formidable Crowfield team. Great game for everyone, including W who had a few base hits and survived a "grazing" by a baseball bat while playing catcher one inning. This Mama sprang up from her seat in a millisecond as I saw and heard the impact...he was just fine, Thank the Good Lord.

Winston is really fun to watch; he is still learning the strategy and rules of this new sport and every now and again he'll show some football moves of his...and no, he hasn't tackled anyone yet but instead of throwing the ball for an out, he'll sprint after an opposing player and attempt to tag a runner out at the bag. It's pretty funny. We couldn't feel more fortunate to be part of this team - our coaches are exceptional and the team Mom continues to give me the warm and fuzzies with her detailed and frequent email communications. Ahhhh...the sweet, sweet joy of someone as OCD as me!

We came home in time to clean off the red dirt stains from the baseball field and head back out to see the Blue Angels fly in the Charleston harbor. The day was absolutely gorgeous and perfect for spending it outside by the water. We parked ourselves on a blanket in Liberty Square; Winston quickly found some boys to join him in a game of football and Lil began what was a very long afternoon of finding and naming ladybugs. Super sweet that girl...I so enjoyed just watching her walk around peaking in the grass for new friends. She had quite an attachment to two ladybugs and named them Jillie and Chrissy. Winston also got to spend some time with his buddy Hampton which is always a bonus.

The most random surprise of the day.....I morphed into a paparazzi for a few minutes when Lilly and I stumbled upon a pretty familiar political figure while we were waiting to see the Blue Angels too.

Crazy huh? I was super happy about my nifty camera and its ability to zoooom in for some great pictures. Actually we weren't that far away but it was nice to get a close up picture. McCain was there to see the Blue Angels too! If Lilly and I would have hung around, we would probably have gotten a handshake but Lilly was more interested in finding ladybugs than discussing politics....a fine choice if you ask me!

So the Blue Angels....

Crazy unbelievable, those pilots. I will be the first to admit I don't really have an appropriate appreciation for the skills required to maneuver an aircraft, any aircraft for that matter, but these dudes (and dudettes?) are MINDBLOWING with the things they do at such high speeds with such massive aircraft. Powerful....loud....astounding.....I am so glad we braved the crowds/traffic (which neither were bad at all) as it was quite a sight to see GREAT STUFF.

Flying 500 miles an hour, about 50 ft from the water....a walk in the park......GOOD GRIEF! And I was nervous about my 7 year old playing catcher in Little League!! Wonder what the Mama's of these pilots think about all of this!

We lingered for quite a while after the show enjoying the sea breeze and lovely sunshine. More football tossing and ladybug finding before we finally packed up, headed for Daniel Island and enjoyed a lovely dinner outside. The weather was perfect to sit outside and since no cooking/cleaning was involved on my part, I was especially happy about the way we ended our day of adventure.

We are home with squeaky clean children, full tummies and lots of happy moments to think about as we drift off to dreamland after this very wonderful Saturday in the Lowcountry.My guess is we'll hardly leave the house tomorrow except for church - and as fun as today was, a day spent in the comforts of home with my people will be more than enough fun for me!

Close to Home

Last year about this time, the kids and I spent a Friday evening at our local high school's track with some good friends walking laps in honor of cancer awareness, cancer survivors and for those who have lost their battles to the disease. Little did I know that one year later, we'd be walking that track again...only this time with more purpose, more emotion....more hope.

Winston had some Relay for Life activities at school today - they walked their own laps this morning and he made a "tile" in honor of his Granddaddy. We were excited to find the BHES tent tonight and for Winston to show us his artwork in honor of a special person in Danville, VA.

Thanks to my sweet friend, the kids had special shirts made to show just who they were walking for. We walked the track searching high and low for the luminary bags we had made; it's a pretty powerful experience to read all those names...so many names....fathers, mothers, children, grandparents, friends....all with their own stories to tell.

We spent time with some friends and enjoyed the fellowship of hundreds of others....all in honor of a special Dad and Granddaddy. Keep fighting Dad - We love you!

(almost) Chatter-Free Catch Up

Lots happening in the tiny Grant corner of the world....

Last Easter Egg Hunt at Bethany

Handbell concert by a precious group of Fantastic First Graders:

Easter Egg Hunt - 1st Grade Style

A Day in Charleston with some VA friends...FINALLY!

Easter Bunny's Loot

A Beautiful Easter Day

A little QT with Grandma in her flower garden

Sleeping in foam curlers.....a first for Lilly

Movie time with Grammy and the curlers

6am trip to the pier to see what's biting.....

First toe-dip of 2010

And a little sneak peak of what's to come in May...

Enjoying some frequent trips to the baseball field, sneezing from all the pollen and cleaning, cleaning, cleaning.....it's Spring after all!!

It Really Is The Little Things

We've sure had lots of fun this week and there's a fun weekend and Spring Break on the horizon - lots more to post about Easter Egg Hunts, Handbells, House Awards and the Smartest Daddy
on Planet Earth; but for now, I'm still smiling at the moment I had earlier today...

It might take me 15 minutes to get to our favorite grocery store....and we might have to leave 30 minutes ahead of time to get to baseball practice or ballet on time...but being 5 minutes away from what is in my humble opinion the best elementary school in the district makes all of those trips "in to town" worth it. Winston's class got to walk that 5 minutes to our house today for an Easter Egg hunt and picnic lunch in the backyard -- I'm very aware of how lucky we are to have that luxury. But even better than that.....

Washing dishes and looking out my kitchen window to see my 1st grader during his PE time is a gift I hope I never forget. He looked over at our house and saw me watching him and well...it just made me grin from ear to ear. A glimpse into his little life at school....and he even took the time to wave to his Mom!! (He's the one in yellow/blue)

A great moment in this very blessed life of mine.....

Goose & Maverick....Mission(s) Accomplished

The big day started off chilly, windy and cloudy but that didn't stop Goose and her wingman, Maverick, from a 6 mile "dog fight".

Okay...so here's what really happened...

Joe's alarm buzzed at 4am....grrr.....and he promptly hit the road with our friends, Katie and Linda for a little jog across a bridge this morning. Brian and I headed down several hours later in hopes of seeing them cross the finish line. We arrived in time but in the sea of people, we missed them.

We found them after their finish and enjoyed a celebratory brunch at Hominy Grill. Good Times and a fantastic way to break the Yoder-Grant Restaurant curse (too much to explain here but trust me when I say - EXCELLENT MEAL with most excellent company - the curse is broken!)

Katie and Joe both did great and ended up running together with Katie leading the way and Joe as her wingman (thus the new names Goose and Maverick). Joe said Katie kicked it into overdrive up the bridge and almost left him in the dust!! She was weaving in and out of slower folks blazing quite a trail for Joe.

It was bittersweet for sure as up until 6 days ago, I fully planned to cross that finish line too but I was so very happy I got to experience the Bridge Run a little bit. After this morning's walk to and from the car on the uneven sidewalks, my ankle is not at all happy with me which further proves my decision was the best one. It wasn't how I thought it would be but we saw some funny sites and had a great day. Joe gets the Red Plate tonight -- his first 10K and at 41 years old, I'd say that's not too shabby!!

Goose and her WingMan.....all done!

Mission Accomplished!

Katie and her biggest fan

And Joe with his....

Love you both -- and congratulations to you two and all my other running peeps for a job well done!!

Not My Year

After months of hard training and many long runs, I officially flew the white flag of surrender last night. This is not my year to conquer the Bridge Run after all.

It was a quiet little project that Joe and I were focused on. We set the goal in January and have been working hard at it ever since -- we were ready for 6 miles of running tomorrow morning bright and early. Our goal had absolutely nothing to do with finish time - it was simply a goal to RUN all the way and to just FINISH the race TOGETHER. It was our little secret for quite a while, we told a few folks but for the most part, it was something we wanted to do as a team, without any fanfare and unnecessary attention. Frankly for things like this, I prefer to work quietly and diligently; the less attention on it, the less likely I freak myself out.

Last Sunday I left for a 3 mile run; my week looked light with a little bit of training but mostly lots of cross-training and rest time - I 'd done a 6 mile run successfully and was confident. I was ready. What I wasn't ready for was the Sporty Black Mustang coming straight for me; to avoid getting hit by the car, I ran up a bank on the golf course and my ankle turned on the uneven terrain and that folks...was all she wrote.

X-rays showed no broken bones but a very severe ankle injury. I stayed completely off of it for almost 2 full days. I've been wearing a gel cast and hobbling on crutches. I have followed Dr's orders and kept it elevated and iced for nearly a week. I have been hoping against hope I would simply wake up one morning (preferably by Tuesday!) to no more swelling, no bruising and no pain. Clearly God had other plans for me. I joined my friend Linda on a trip downtown to pick up our running packets yesterday and felt like maybe, just maybe, I could do it. After a few hours on my feet, I can home to find new swelling, more bruising and a required trip back to the "Land of Lortab" pills to ease the pain. I did too much...way too much...way too soon.

To say I've had a few crying fits and tantrums over this injury would be an understatement. I have worked so hard to get here and in a flash, my little Bridge Run Dream died. Bless the man's heart, Joe knew on Sunday when I hobbled back in the door and my ankle was the size of a grapefruit that my Bridge Run hopes were dashed this year - he has delicately tried to be the voice of reason for many days now but it was only last night after fresh waves of pain and swelling washed over me that I knew it was time to concede. Midway through tantrum #45 I conceded....not my year.

As much as I want to do it, I can't. I can't even walk on it much less run for 6 miles, including up a 4 degree incline and back down again. A full recovery is quite a few weeks away and I have slowly (and bellingerently) come to accept that. Joe snapped some pictures of it yesterday and clearly after 5 days of rehab; it's not even close to where it should be for 6 miles.

So....I get to cheer for my man when he crosses his first finish line and cheer for my friends tomorrow too. Joe and the girls will drive off at the crack of dawn tomorrow and conquer the bridge.

As for me...I get to stop acting like a 2 year old who isn't getting her way, find some grace to be okay with God's plan for me and cheer ever so loud for my man and my sweet friends when they cross that finish line....

while I wait, ever so patiently for my year....

And I couldn't end this without a great big giant THANK YOU for your prayers, email messages, phone calls, help with my children and listening to me kick and scream about the unfairness of life! For the most part I have this in the proper perspective but make no mistake -- I've had some childish, stubborn moments and they were not pretty!!

I saw a sign yesterday at the Bridge Run Expo...it said "Bridge Run - Get Over It".....clearly this year that message means something else for me!!

Put Me In Coach.....I'm Ready to Play

A gorgeous South Carolina sky...not a cloud to be seen.....temps in the mid 70's...the perfect day to usher in Springtime and begin our first baseball season. It was Opening Day for Little League and what a day it was.

You ask him absolutely anything about football...Winston knows the answer. He's almost as well versed in the sport of basketball. Baseball is a different story ENTIRELY...we don't watch it, we don't talk about it, we just don't know much about "America's Game"...sad really. But I think that's all about the change...

Winston started baseball practice a few weeks ago. Joe's been going with him and coming home with detailed reports on Winston's progress. He seemed to enjoy it and that was the priority but he lacked alot of knowledge and wasn't familiar with the mechanics or the skills for baseball. Our first season showed early signs of promise as we have been so blessed with an awesome set of coaches and a Team Mom that makes my heart skip a beat when I receive her detailed, organized communications with schedules and times and all the things this OCD Mama needs to keep life running smoothly.

Things got a bit stressful for me when talks of a "cup" was needed for Winston to play in this particular division. A cup....for a 7 year old....really??? He doesn't exactly love wearing it either truth be told, he finds it rather...um, well....bothersome and you can imagine the constant rearranging and adjusting going on....goodness, he was just in a diaper wasn't he?? How did we get here I have asked myself!

I digress...

Because of his "late" birthday, Winston is often on the bubble for age-group divisions. He played football with 2nd and 3rd graders and the same holds true for baseball. I am always very hesitant about this stuff -- he's in 1st grade and that was planned due to his late birthday. Frankly I'd like him playing sports with the same approach but coaches and league guidelines don't always see it that way. So we press on and so far, it's all worked out. For baseball, this puts him directly into "coach pitch" and considering he's never so much as played tee ball, I worry he's not ready. He loves to prove me wrong...

We all went to practice last night and I got to watch my boy in action. He did okay catching but the throwing was quite all over the place and bless his heart, he swung and swung at that ball flying past him and just hit wind all night long. He seemed to struggle but thankfully his attitude and drive were unfettered. He was ready for today.

Fast forward to this morning...Opening Ceremonies were cute, all the teams walked the bases and were introduced along with their sponsors. (A big shout out to Biggsby Coffee!!). Charlie and Chelsea from the RiverDogs were there giving high fives and having fun with the kids. Then our first game got underway.....

We heard the coach assign Winston to left field....he proceeded to run straight to RIGHT field and tell the young man already in his correct position that he was in the wrong spot...Winston managed to incorrectly but rather effectively direct the poor boy to LEFT field. Oops....Mama got scared.....oh, I was scared. First inning was rather uneventful and then it was our turn at bat....they announced batting order. Winston was batting clean up....4th batter up....

As luck would have it, the first three batters got a base hit each...and yes, folks -- it happened.

Bases loaded and Winston was up. Pressure was on. First pitch -- swing and a miss. Second pitch....swing and POP....a base hit!! Winston's first hit and it was the team's first RBI of the season!! Unbelievable...well not really -- I call that an answered prayer. I stood behind that fence praying for that bat to connect so Winston could have a positive first day for himself, I knew he was doing his best but for this day, I did ask for a little bit more...and God heard me loud and clear!! Thank You Lord for hearing my prayer!!

Winston got to first....ran through the bases with each batter and made it to home plate before the inning was over. He played 2nd base (and yes, he really was at 2nd base!) and because he was one of the few wearing the dreaded "cup", he got to try his hand at catcher too!! They suited him up and he stood behind that plate like he'd been there before. A GREAT FIRST DAY!!

It was great fun and the icing on the cake -- his teacher, our sweet Miss Luciano, came to watch the big day. Lots of our first grade friends were playing so she was able to enjoy several of her students on opening day.

Who knows what the season will bring but for today, we're flying high and celebrating the efforts of a very determined little boy.

Go Winston and GO TIGERS!!!

Opening Day Ceremonies...Winston is right behind the coach:

A Left Fielder in Right Field...cuz that's how he rolls:

First time at Bat:

Hanging on 1st Base

Running for home

Another run

Suited Up as Catcher