Catch up

So, it's been a tough week, but a good week. I haven't posted since the fourth of July, so I have to share some things from that. We were in Dallas for the fourth. On the third...we got to do something SO FUN!!! Casey's cousin, Jeff Niemann, is a starting pitcher for the Tampa Bay Rays. They played in Dallas over the fourth. We got to go see him. It was so weird to be trying to talk to him and have all of these people yelling his name and trying to get him to sign stuff!

I haven't gotten to spend much time with Jeff. While Casey and I have been together/married (13 years) Jeff has spent most of that time playing college ball (pitched for Rice when they won the world series), playing for the minors (most recently the Durham Bulls), and now for the Rays. He hasn't been in Texas much. All that to say Jeff was so amazingly gracious to the hordes of family, friends and neighbors that descended on the Ballpark in Arlington to see him. He was so excited we were there!

Jeff didn't pitch that night, but we did get visit with him before the game. Of course, they had great fireworks on the 3rd after the game!
Then we headed back to the hotel to wait for Jeff to get there from the Ballpark. Did I mention that Jeff is 6' 9"?
We got to visit with him for quite a while. It was such a neat time. Casey mom, sister and her husband, Jeff's parents, some close friends of ours were all there. We sat around and ate pizza (at 11:00 pm, Little Man was asleep in my lap the whole time) and talked. It was a fun time.

Jeff asked if we were staying in town and coming back for the game on Saturday night. Sunshine and Little Man weren't up for it, but Eldest and Casey headed back Saturday night. They had an amazing father/son time together. It started with an Air Force flyover at the Stadium and ended with some SPECTACULAR fireworks. But the best part came in the middle.

Jeff is the rookie on the team. That means when they have to shift pitchers around to get everyone back on their normal schedule, Jeff gets bumped. We had hoped to see him pitch against the Rangers, but he wasn't in a starting slot during the series. Eldest and Jeff's dad, Steve, walked over to the bullpen during the game to see what Jeff was doing and wave to him. When they got over there, they both got VERY excited. Jeff was warming up! Casey said it was amazing to see that big door in the outfield open a little while later and to see Jeff come jogging out across the outfield. He was coming in to close! The Rays were down by several runs and Rangers' bats were LUCKY. Every hit went to just the right place. Jeff pitched well, but wasn't able to save the game. But it didn't lessen the experience. Ryan was watching his cousin pitch in the Bigs. It was a night he will never forget! We got to watch it on TV from my mom's house (which was also cool...we haven't even been able to get a game on TV in Arkadoo)

We got to experience this weekend with some very dear friends from College Station who came and stayed with us at my mom's house. It was such a precious time with them. We don't get to see them very often, but they are the kind of friends that you may not see for months and, once you are back together, it feels like you never left.

Here's part of the reason Little Man had such a good time!