The Weekend Round Up

Ah the busy weekend, the bane of daily (or semi-daily) bloggers:

Friday Night Lights:
The boy is in 8th Grade but in the HS Marching Band (percussion) so he plays at all the home football games. They get to the High School right after school (3:15) and are there till after the game (10pm this Friday). As the dutiful parents we are we attended the game and watched our boy play and watched our team go 5-0 on the season. HS football was not that big in NY and we are enjoying the 'big event' every Friday. It is fun, the boy loves it and we get to see many families we know from Scouts, baseball, school and work. So it is actually win win for us. We just need those seat cushions as the metal bleachers are killer!

Saturday in Cincy:
After the late night Friday the boy and I woke early (7am) Saturday so we could get back to the High School for practice and competition, in Cincinnati. I dropped him off at 7:50am and then went home and relaxed. I did some laundry, played on the PC and worked on the line ups for Sunday Baseball. The wife got home around Noon and we hit the road. We had a nice lunch and did some shopping at Costco, Half Price Books and Comp USA. We then hit the road for the 2 hour trip to Cincy and the competition, our boy went on at 7pm. Well I went by the directions the band gave us and not mapquest, as the wife had suggested. While following the band directions I missed the exit and ended up going 20 miles out of the way. The wife found a south route for us and we used that instead of traveling 20 miles back and when we hit 74 to Cincy at 6:15 we were 60 miles away, remember the boy plays at 7pm SHARP!
Needless to say I broke a few speed limits and we were about 3 miles from our exit at 6:50 when we see a police officer standing next to his car with the radar gun, then jump into his car quick as lightening. I stop immediately and get my stuff ready, as the officer approaches the car and starts to ask if we knew why he stopped us I hand him our info and say "Yes sir I know I was speeding but my son has a band competition that starts in 5 minutes at BLANK High School (I forget the name now), we drove all the way from Indianapolis and I have his sparkley thing here." At this point I pick up the glitter band sash that the boy left in the car in the morning and we had found when we left earlier. The officer takes our info and tells us he'll be right back. When he returns moments later he lets me off with a warning, tells me to do the speed limit, the high school is just up the road and good luck to our son. With that we thanked him and left, by the way 89 in a 65.

We get to the High School, park, run to the stadium, buy tickets, find a seat and as we sit down we hear: Please welcome Hamilton Southeastern High School, and they come marching onto the field. PERFECT. The band results:

• Grand Champion Small Bands
• 1st Place: Class "AA"
• 1st Place: Outstanding Visual Performance
• 1st Place: Outstanding Musical Performance
• 1st Place: Outstanding General Effect
• 1st Place: Best Auxiliary Performance
• 1st Place: Best Field Commander
• 1st Place: Best Percussion

Let's Play Two:
I pick up the boy from the High School at 1am and he and we are beat. During the car ride the wife and I finished the lineups for Sunday's double header. We get to the fields at 11:30 and the team played a fantastic first game and a pretty good second game. We won the first 13-1 (the boy caught and pitched a 1-2-3 inning). The 2nd game we lost but were in it until I left a pitcher in too long and he walked too many batters. I wanted him to work it out and he did but it was too late and we never caught up. My fault entirely and I made sure the pitcher knew that. Next week I am going to use that as a perfect example of how even the adults can make mistakes and that if we can learn from them and use them then it will make us a better ball player and person. I like to add those little life lessons as this is an instructional league and the parents have liked my little 'stories' (I have already talked about Babe Ruth and Ted Williams).

Wrap:
After the games (Noon till 4) and dinner with the family we got home, I mowed the front lawn and we collapsed on the couch and watched Amazing Race and went to bed EARLY. And the week ahead is no easier.

Hope everyone had a great weekend, either running around or sitting in the backyard with a book and the dog!