Mariners Season is up and running

So yesterday I was at home thinking about going to all the Mariner's games that my family used to go to. I loved the whole structure of the day, the ritual. We had season tickets when the M's were still in the Kingdome. Out in left field right behind the Fletcher's sign, Front Row! They were amazing seats. There is nothing like the magic that the front row brings for a kid at a ball game.

The day would start out at home everyone gathering what they would need for the day. My dad would be sure to have his binoculars and his glove, you can't go to a baseball game wihtout your glove. Then into his backpack would go his jacket, peanuts, and sunflower seeds. My mom would have to put her Mariner's pencil in there and an extra just in case(she loved to keep her own score card during the game). Jon and I would grab our jackets or sweatshirts, and our gloves as well. then, we would all pile into our Ford Taurus station wagon and drive to the Bainbridge Island Ferry. We would park and then go to the walk-on passenger waiting area, with all of the other fans on their way to the game. It was always fun to see everyone else there and after a few years of doing this there would be people you recognized.

Once we were on the ferry the rule was Jon and I had to stay by mom and dad until the boat left the dock, after that, the fun started. As soon as that whistle blew and forward progress started we were off! Jon would go check out the video games and I would go check out the boys, of course! I have no idea how many laps I have done around those ferries but I'm pretty sure even a marathon runner would be impressed. Now if it were one of those games where I brought a girlfriend and Jon stayed home...well, I'm sure you all can guess that the male radar factor increased exponentially.

Once we got to Seattle, there was still more to the ritual. Next stop, the Subway on Denny. We would take the pedestrian bridge up and then go over the few blocks and start our wait in line. Then the sandwiches, Spicy Italian for my dad, the same for my mom, unless it was the Spicy Italian salad. Jon would get a meatball sub and then there was me. I would get my two, yes two, footlong meatball subs. Our family always benefited from Subway stamps. Then each person would get their tanker of drink and our trek to the dome would continue. ONce we got there, we had the line to wait in before we got to the gate, then frist priority, get mom her scorecard. After that up to the seats.

I loved batting practice. It was always a battle getting to your seats when everyone is lined to catch that home run from B.P. You never knew when you would be in the right place at the right time. Even better than a home run was a ball thrown right to you by a player. Or for my first ball, put right in your glove, by Paul Assenmacher. After that the list goes on for me. Darryl Strawberry, and Rich Amaral. There were more from players who I didn't know but each time it happened, you felt like the coolest kid in the world!

When your talking about baseball you can't exclude the National Anthem or the seventh innning stretch, or all of the chants for your favorite players. Then there are the crazy people in your section, which we had our share of, some of them we knew :)

FOOD. I LOVE FOOD. And there were so many choices at the stadium. Nachos, that was my favorite. And the best part about going to get food, more boy watching! Hey, I was a teenager.

I learned how to keep score at a game early on. After her tanker of Diet Pepsi she would inevitably need a bathroom break. She couldn't let her scorecard get neglected, so I did it, it was fun. You had to pay attention to the game. When I was feeling really ambitious, I would track the balls and strikes.

Then there's the fireworks. After the National Anthem, every homerun, and after every Mariner VICTORY! Okay, a minute to vent. Why are there no fireworks at Safeco?!?! If you can have fireworks in a dome, why can't you have them in a stadium? It just bugs me.

If you haven't figured it out, I love baseball! It's one of my great memories from childhood, something I'll always hold on to, something I want to share with my kids. Thanks mom and dad for that one. I don't think you guys know how much I looked foraward to all of that time we spent together.

So after all that, one question. Peanuts or Sunflower seeds? My choice, sunflower seeds, one big bag each game. Afterwards, my mouth would be salty and raw, and I loved it.

I love cartoons!

I was checking out one of my friends blogs, http://rainandrays.blosgspot.com , digging way deep and catching up when I stumbled on one about her favorite cartoons from childhood, and it reminded me of something...

Ben is always teasing me because the kids will be watching tv and I'll sit down to do something and somehow I end up completely involved in whatever cartoon happens to be on. And just to be fair, it's not just cartoons, anything on the Disney Chanel is fair game! I end up looking just like the kids, eyes glazed over, tranfixed on whatever show, or let's throw it all out, even commercial that happens to be on. Anything that I had been doing goes out the window and I will end up sitting there with my kids watching tv for hours.

Am I the only one? Apparently Ben hasn't seen this amazing feat before because all he does is make comments and laugh at me.

One very helpful tip...

At least I thought it would be.

If you were to ever have a hamster, and your son were to ever take one of the attachments out and leave an opening in the cage say, overnight and not tell you until the next day, what would you do???

Well, it you ever run into the problem I can tell you one thing, don't go looking all over the house. If a hampster wants to hide, and it does, especially from someting that's 400 times it's size (that's a rough estimate), you're not going to find it. Not to mention everything else it wants to hide from like, children that like to play with it, dogs that would love to sniff it and who knows what else, vacuum cleaners, bouncing basketballs, remote control helicopters, and running feet, all more than enough to frighten the bravest of rodents to cowering in some unknown dark hidey-hole.

My suggestion is to put it's cage, where it knows that it has food, water, and a nice comfy, safe bed, on the floor with the door open. Hopefully your hamster would get scared of being out in the big bad world and want to be in its own little house.

At least that's what mine did. And we were fortunate enough to have someone come home while Maxie was fast asleep in his cozy cage after his big adventure in the human world.

Wow, sorta sounds like something from Fraggle Rock. (Which I just recently purchased the fist season of so I could share it my kids)

So I've finally done it! I started my first blog. I'd like to say congrats to myself for finally joining the rest of the world. Now after that, I do not promise to keep up daily or even weekly, lets face it, even if I only post something once a month, it will be more contact with everyone than I have had in oh, say, the past eight years! (Ever since I graduated from high school.)

Just to catch up....Ben and I have built a house. We have been in it for a year and a half now. Madison is seven and in first grade. Tyler is five and in kindergarten.

Both Ben and I are working at the shipyard and doing well. He has become a work leader for his crew and travels all over the place for work. He just recently returned from a trip to Japan and Hong Kong to make repairs on a ship. His travels have included Guam, Dubai, and LOTS of runs down to San Diego. I am still working as a High Voltage Electrician, although last week I was given a temporary promotion as the Electrical Construction Coordinator. I will be there until they find a permanent replacement, I'm keeping my fingers crossed and hope they select me for that as well! :)

Madison is my girl. She is my carbon copy and likely to be as much trouble as I was, probably more. She is enjoying school and likes to play soccer and basketball (Really, those were her choices not mine!). She loves to draw and to create things, even if it just paper that's been cut, colored, and taped together. She is also reading and loving it! That is so exciting for me! I love to read, it's my escape, and the thought of my daughter having the same passion is thrilling. She is also enjoying calling her cousin Madeline on the phone just to chat. We often come home to messages fom Madeline and Madison loves to pick up the phone, dial her number, and then dissapear up to her room for what seems like forever. Like I said totally my daughter, and I couldn't be more proud of her!!!

Tyler is ALL boy! When he falls, it is usually face first, and he falls alot because he never stops running! Ty is playing t-ball right now and wants to play football this fall instead of soccer. He is loving school. The other day he came home and was actually upset because he didn't have homework and wanted me to make some for him!!!! Can you believe that? I'm sure that will change...I hope not, but it most likely will. Right now with t-ball going on he loves to go outside and play with his pitchback--a net on a frame with some spring to it, the ball bounces back to you when you throw it. He is always getting into things and making messes but he's a curioius little boy, what more can I expect? He is still my little cuddle bug though, and I cherish it every minute I get, who knows how long that will last? He is very helpful and wanting to assist with whatever we happen to be doing. The other day I was pulling weeds in one of my gardens and he was insistant on helping, which was fine, until I discoverd some stinging nettle.... The other day I heard the water running and assumed he was playing in it again, I was ready to be upset until I went in to the kitchen and asked him what he was doing. His reply was simple. "I'm doing the dishes." How can you be mad at that????

Yes, I guess I'm bragging about my kids, but hey, isn't that every mom's job?