Yesterday, we were invited to a barbecue at some friends from church's house. It was so much fun! It started at 2, but we didn't get there until close to 3 because I had to work. Fortunately, that was just peachy. When we did finally get there, we walked up to the house and saw people in the back yard playing and were waved down the hill.
That's where the fun began, just like that and just that easy. It is very nice to be able to relax with friends for an afternoon of just being. Several of the wives were inside playing with the newborn baby (who is the son of the homeowners), and the guys were out on the back lawn playing a game called washers. We all spent a good deal of chatting and playing, then the host started grilling. Being similar to a pot luck, there was lots of food and we certainly ate well. The grilling was fantastic and the food was even better. Since it was only about 80, we all sat outside on the deck (with a shade for us fair-skinned type) to enjoy the food and friends.
After lunch/supper several people needed to leave for various reasons, but a few couples stayed. We played bocce ball (an Italian game) and the washer game some more. In the washer game, there were two boxes, each with a coffee can in the middle. The goal was to get a 2 in. diameter washer into the can or in the box or in front of the box, and score the points. I managed to get it in the box once, but Nat was able to get the washer into the can several times. Hopefully out children will get his athletic ability, not mine. As a group, we had a great deal of fun! I love making memories with friends and putting down roots here in Maryland.
Sunday, May 13, 2012
Wednesday, May 9, 2012
Go Rangers... uh... I mean.... Orioles?
I discovered yesterday that there are a few people in my office who are die hard Oriole's fans. That's unfortunate because we went to a game to go see the Rangers last night. Work might be a bit uncomfortable today.
The game however, was awesome! Granted, I'm not a huge baseball fan, but when Josh Hamilton had 4 homeruns and the 1 HR hit by the O's was caught by someone in our group, it qualifies as exciting. We got on TV for the O's homer, but I'm betting that most people didn't see it because it was a shot from far away.
Let me just say that I love public transit. I never really understood the need for it while in Texas, but I do now! I was under the impression that public transit was just a bus system that was scary to ride. While there is a scary element on the trains here, they don't have the same problem that plagues Texas transit. Everyone uses public transit here. Yes, I will admit that there were several bullet holes in the windows of our train car on the way to Camden Yards, but they were all on the outside. Neither going or coming did we have any crazies on our cars.
The crazies came while we were at the game. We were sitting on the first level, in left field. Behind and to the right of our seats, a guy was constantly yelling in a deep, carrying voice. Constantly. It got old quickly. He tried heckling the Rangers in left field and in the bullpen, but to no avail. It was certainly annoying though. Finally, during the last few innings, he lost his voice. It was blissful when he couldn't yell anymore. There was another person who was even stranger. After Caleb caught the HR ball, this girl decided to come up and ask to "hold" the ball, which really meant she was going to take it and not give it back. Of course, she was not allowed to handle the ball. Caleb put it straight into his bag and left it there. That was smart because the girl had to be chased off a few times. I'm fairly sure she was highly intoxicated.
Having only been to Rangers games in Arlington, I didn't realize that every single MLB game was not sold out. I know better now. There were a grand total of 11,200 people at the game last night. And that was just how many tickets were sold, not an actual count of people. I liked this though, because when I needed to go to the bathroom, I was the only person in there. Unheard of for a women's bathroom at a major event such as a game. It was wonderful! No line and a cleaner bathroom than normal.
All in all, it was a great evening. We had a great time with friends, got to know them better and made memories! Oh, and the Rangers won!!
The game however, was awesome! Granted, I'm not a huge baseball fan, but when Josh Hamilton had 4 homeruns and the 1 HR hit by the O's was caught by someone in our group, it qualifies as exciting. We got on TV for the O's homer, but I'm betting that most people didn't see it because it was a shot from far away.
Let me just say that I love public transit. I never really understood the need for it while in Texas, but I do now! I was under the impression that public transit was just a bus system that was scary to ride. While there is a scary element on the trains here, they don't have the same problem that plagues Texas transit. Everyone uses public transit here. Yes, I will admit that there were several bullet holes in the windows of our train car on the way to Camden Yards, but they were all on the outside. Neither going or coming did we have any crazies on our cars.
The crazies came while we were at the game. We were sitting on the first level, in left field. Behind and to the right of our seats, a guy was constantly yelling in a deep, carrying voice. Constantly. It got old quickly. He tried heckling the Rangers in left field and in the bullpen, but to no avail. It was certainly annoying though. Finally, during the last few innings, he lost his voice. It was blissful when he couldn't yell anymore. There was another person who was even stranger. After Caleb caught the HR ball, this girl decided to come up and ask to "hold" the ball, which really meant she was going to take it and not give it back. Of course, she was not allowed to handle the ball. Caleb put it straight into his bag and left it there. That was smart because the girl had to be chased off a few times. I'm fairly sure she was highly intoxicated.
Having only been to Rangers games in Arlington, I didn't realize that every single MLB game was not sold out. I know better now. There were a grand total of 11,200 people at the game last night. And that was just how many tickets were sold, not an actual count of people. I liked this though, because when I needed to go to the bathroom, I was the only person in there. Unheard of for a women's bathroom at a major event such as a game. It was wonderful! No line and a cleaner bathroom than normal.
All in all, it was a great evening. We had a great time with friends, got to know them better and made memories! Oh, and the Rangers won!!
Sunday, May 6, 2012
Outdoor Adventures
Apparently, starting in May, you do not have to stay indoors. This is news to me, as a Texan. I believe the forecast for today in Abilene is 100˚. In response to that, it is currently below 70˚ in Maryland.
Nat and I went last night and bought a tent and a frisbee. Random combination, I know, but there's a reason behind it. In a few weekends, we and a few friends are going to be traveling up to the northern border of Maryland (only an hour and a half away) to go camping at a state park. We bought the frisbee because we were at the sports equipment store and have been wanting one for a while now. This is the one we got.
It glows in the dark and everything!
Anyway, we decided to take it out for a spin after church today in the 70˚ weather. (Spin pun intended.) I learned that through all the ultimate frisbee games I played in college, I never really used my left hand. But I should have. I have really good aim and distance, as well as level flight with my left hand. My right hand throws abysmally. I can't really catch with either hand, but that's a different problem entirely.
I'm looking forward to playing frisbee while we're camping in northern MD!
I'll include these comments in this post, since they're about outdoorsy stuff. One evening, we went out for a walk. There are some truly beautiful places around our apartment: lots of wooded areas, deer, and pretty little streams. Here's a picture of a little stream that's in the park behind our complex.
Nat and I went last night and bought a tent and a frisbee. Random combination, I know, but there's a reason behind it. In a few weekends, we and a few friends are going to be traveling up to the northern border of Maryland (only an hour and a half away) to go camping at a state park. We bought the frisbee because we were at the sports equipment store and have been wanting one for a while now. This is the one we got.
Anyway, we decided to take it out for a spin after church today in the 70˚ weather. (Spin pun intended.) I learned that through all the ultimate frisbee games I played in college, I never really used my left hand. But I should have. I have really good aim and distance, as well as level flight with my left hand. My right hand throws abysmally. I can't really catch with either hand, but that's a different problem entirely.
I'm looking forward to playing frisbee while we're camping in northern MD!
I'll include these comments in this post, since they're about outdoorsy stuff. One evening, we went out for a walk. There are some truly beautiful places around our apartment: lots of wooded areas, deer, and pretty little streams. Here's a picture of a little stream that's in the park behind our complex.
At the bottom, you can almost see the water running down. The yellow irises are really pretty, and bigger than I have seen them. I guess they may not actually be irises, but that's okay.
I also have never really known how pine trees actually grow. I've always known that they don't really shed their needles (hence the evergreen status), but they grow nonetheless. On our walk, I saw this! I know how pine trees grow now.
The bright green tufts were soft, new growth. It all makes sense now!
That's enough outdoorsy things for now. I'm sure I'll have more later, especially since we can actually be outside when the sun's out.
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