Ketchup in Des Moines

Well the story of our weekend actually begins with two sandwiches which, due to my persistence in taking pictures of everyday mundane monotonous events, are pictured below:

I am not even completely sure what is on these two sandwiches, but Saturday around noon we packed a lunch and headed to Des Moines to see Justin play. We each packed our own sandwiches. I packed hot ham and Swiss. JB packed something with avocados, tomatoes, zucchini, and maybe mayonnaise? I truly am not sure and didn't care to ask. His creation was why I pack my own sandwiches.

Unable to drive myself due to heavy use of narcotics, JB took the wheel and proceeded to attempt to eat his sandwiches while driving. This was not the best laid plan.

First of all, some background. JB is basically known for the fact that every meal includes a stain in the middle of his shirt or the folds of his shorts. This trip was no exception. One bite in, and he had a "plop" of avocado on his shirt. Ten bites in and he had "plop" on his shorts. I then took out a roll of paper towels and coated his lap and shirt, leaving only the tips of his khaki shorts exposed. Bad move! By the second sandwich, a huge "plop" in the only exposed area had joined the "plop" family.

Now, hold that thought while I digress for a few minutes to get you up to speed.

Fast forward a few hours. After a beautiful 74 degree, three hour drive in non-existent traffic to Des Moines and a restful afternoon watching a crab fishermen show on Discovery that my cousin Josh recommended, we arrive at the ball park for Justin's game. We were excited that he hadn't pitched the night before as this means he has a better chance to pitch while we are there.

It was a beautiful field and stadium and a PERFECT night for baseball. Right around seventy degrees, slight breeze. As we watched them prepare the field, I so wished my Dad could have been there. I kept thinking how much he would love this.

I took two pictures of the baseball field (including JB studying prior to the game) before my camera battery went dead. Ugh! So this is all you are going to get.

Shortly after this picture was taken, JB decided to get a hot dog. He warned me ahead of time that even though we were going out to eat with Justin after the game, he couldn't watch a baseball game without a hot dog. (I balk about spending ungodly amounts of money on food in places like movie theatres and baseball parks, and JB was warding off the comments before they could arise.) (Notice, my use of the word "balk" in a baseball post. Quite proud of that.)

Now wearing a new clean t-shirt and clean shorts, John was extremely proud of himself when he finished off his hot dog (smothered in ketchup and mustard) without spilling a drop on himself. (I won't comment on the cement under his feet.) We jokingly celebrated this accomplishment. He had made it through his messy meal spill free.

Or so we thought. Five minutes before the game started, the ten-year-old behind us decided to eat a hot dog of his own. He was also attempting not to spill on himself, and he didn't. He spilled on John. He dropped the hot dog straight down John's back, smearing ketchup the whole way down. John laughed, picked up the fallen dog from under his seat and asked the young boy if he wanted it back. He shook his head and began apologizing profusely.

I kept telling both the kid and his father (who moments later returned from the restroom to witness the devastation) that this was no big deal. "Honestly, I spray and wash everything John wears for food stains," I said. John chimed in that he was glad, "the stain wasn't from him this time." We also noted that he was wearing his shirt from Air Force basic training which he had a few of.

But still feeling bad, the father showed up in the sixth inning with a new t-shirt. Now mind you it was an Iowa Cubs t-shirt, but it was still a great gesture. John couldn't wear it in the ballpark (as we were cheering for the "Round Rock Express") but he gladly wore it on the way home. It'll be a good story to tell when people ask us what in the world we are doing with a shirt from Des Moines AAA baseball.

Now away from stains for a moment, we actually did get to see Justin pitch. The bottom of the seventh, the Express was up 9-1, and Justin came in to relieve. He had a strike out and allowed no runs which was great! They did get a hit, but John and I blame the second baseman who made a great knockdown only to fall funny and not be able to throw it to first in time. He did only pitch one inning as the coach decided to work a few more pitchers in since they were up by so much, but it was still great to get to a game that he pitched in.

Afterwards we went out to dinner and had a great time catching up (even though John and Justin digressed into a discussion of the psychological thought patterns of serial killers for a few uncomfortable minutes.) It was well after midnight before we finally turned in for the night, but we slept until 8:30 which was great. John says the successful sleep-in was due to the fact that he got two queen beds instead of a king. I have talked before about how poorly we sleep in one bed together, but if you don't remember you can check out a past blog entitled THE BIGGEST SHEETS IN THE WORLD.

We've already decided that IF Justin is still with the Express, we will definitely try to catch a game again in June. We had a wonderful time and got a free t-shirt out of the deal.

We returned home around 1:00 as I had a "Hearts Like Hannah" Support Group meeting at 2:00 that I was hosting at our house. I haven't said that much about my Support Group on this blog, but it is an infertility group that has really been a great focus for me during difficult times. We had 3 other women attend including we 3 "leaders" (for lack of a better word), which was great.

I did want to ask for your prayers as my ultrasound is tomorrow. This is the final "green light" saying my body is ready to proceed. I have had a difficult week with the new drugs, going off the old drugs, and getting ready to start more drugs and just ask for your continual prayers for me and for my patient and loving husband.

He is currently on call until midnight. Let's see if he comes home in a clean shirt!!!