Daddy's Kids

Daddy and his kids 

So here we all are, with James holding Emily. A nice looking picture. So Daniel started complaining about his head last night, had a temperature. So I gave him some Tylenol, then he woke up around 10 just kind of crying, gave him some Ibuprofen. He managed to sleep through the night, waking up when I got up, came and crawled in bed with Kim and went back to sleep. So I was able to get James to school, then went to Kings and picked up a thermometer (our old ear one just isn't that reliable). When I got home Daniel had a temp of 100.6, I called the nurse and she said it was probably just a cold, if we stay ahead of the fever he should be good, and not a danger to the baby provided he isn't holding her, coughing in her face etc.

Yesterday was a tough day for Kim, when we got home she was in so much pain from cramps, the stitches, her back and from Emily not latching properly that she was in tears most of the night. But I think she turned the corner during the night because she got up with Emily both times and was able to feed her. And she appears more energetic today, less in pain. I am just very glad I am able to be home and help with cooking, cleaning laundry and especially Daniel. She had pretty bad post partum with James but not as much Daniel. I think she will be okay, especially with me being around to relieve the stress.

The boys are ready

In the car, going to get Emily

One of the adjustments the boys have to make is James at least will have to sit in the back of the van. And Daniel wants to be with his brother so here they are. James has been great about everything so far. And Daniel is slowly getting the picture and is taking to it. This morning I was sitting on the coauch feeding Emily while Kim rested. And Daniel cuddled right up to me, draped my free arm around him and sat there. Making sure that he was still a part of things. Which is normal, and to be expected. I think my being able to stay home these 2 weeks will help get him started as far as realizing this is a good thing, not a bad thing.

Well baseball is over, very frustrating end to the season, you never like to swept. But there are worse things that can happen, ask any Red Sox fan. When the season started, or even at the All Star Break no one would have expected the Rockies would be in the World Series. So here's a salute to them and all of their achievements. And hopefully they will be back in a few years like the Cardinals after getting swept by the Red Sox and take it that time.

Why is this Rockies fan Smiling?

 

Because he has been reminded what is important in this world. There are so many great things about kids. But for me one of the best is that they provide a reminder of what is actually important in this world, perspective. One of my fondest memories is of the Super Bowl where the Rams choked and lost to New Egland. At the end of the game I turned and picked up James, who was only a few months old, gave him a kiss and announced that it's just a game. And while I am still a fan, and want the Rockies to win, at the end of the day, it's just a game. And even if the Rockies had been in the midst of a sweep of the Red Sox, and the shoe was on the other foot, it wouldn't have changed how I felt at that moment, clutching my babygirl. So Go Rockies! Win a game or don't, in the great big scheme of the world, it's just a game.

Baby Emily's Arrival

 

Dady & Emily, Emily

So last night I went over to a firend's house, got home and got to sleep aroun 11:30PM. Then around 2:30 I was awakened by Kim htting me in the head with a pillow, only to hear her announce:
2:30 AM "She's gotta be just like her brothers!" Which meant that Kim's water had broken, on a Friday night/Saturday morning, just like her 2 older brothers.

So I got up, got Kim a dry pair of underwear and sweats, then got dressed myself and called my Dad. Then Kim and I got the last few things together that we might need, and got the boys clothes together while we waited for my Dad to arrive.

3:41AM: Arrived in Hospital room, after short Triage. Kim called her siblings and her Dad while on the way to the Hospital. The admitting woman is the same from Tuesday night, our false alarm night. Our nurses name is Judy G. and she will be excellent the rest of the night. Kim is experiencing contractions, looks like she won't have to walk this time.

4:30, still experiencing good contractions, just chatting away.

4:55AM, we request the Epidural from the Nurse, she starts the preparations.

5:05AM Conie arrives, contractions are getting stronger and closer together, will the Epidural come soon?

5:30-5:55AM Kim is given the Epidural, diffeerent procedure this time, I am the only guest in the room, and I have to just sit still and watch. But the anaesthesioligist is excellent, very efficient and friendly. After the process is complete Nurse Judy G. checks Kim: she's very close, 9.5 CM. A call to the Dr. is made

6:15AM Dr. Lalonde arrives, Kim is put into position, and we start pushing.

6:31 AM 3 contractions and maybe 10 good pushes from Kim later, Emily arrives and makes her first scream, what a set of lungs!

So special thanks to the Nurses and Doctors who made the process so efficient and friendly. Also thanks to Dad for watching the boys and getting them fed. And to Connie for helping coach.

Baby Emily has arrived!

Emily Mae Ruch arrived this morning, October 27th, 2007 at 6:31AM

Weighing in at 6 lbs. 15 oz., 19.75 inches long

Mother and Daughter are both fine, resting at the Hospital, both should be released to come home tomorrow.

I will go into more detail later, with pictures.

Fight For Kisses

This is just a laugh out loud commercial

Absolutely fabulous stuff.

The MythBusters Answer Your Questions

Some great answers to some good questions

In case you haven't watched it The Mythbusters is a great show where they take commonly held beliefs or so-called uraban myth's and put them to the test. Everything from could a swordsman break the sword of their opponent (not really) to how did the Hindenburg really burn. The show is quite interesting, and some of the things they explore are quite fascinating.

One of the best things in there Q&A is the Audiophile point. One of my co-workers and I talk about this all the time, and it would be really interesting to see them figure out how to test it.

What happened?

To the Rockies bats? They seem to have forgotten how to hit.

To my visitors? No visits yesterday

To the pending early arrival of the baby? Another day of normal work for Kim, still no baby. We keep busy and active and still nothing. Nature can be a cruel tease sometimes.

The worst thing about the Red Sox success as that when you couple it to the Patriots, Boston College and the possible Celtics success is that sports fans from that area can be among the most obnoxious. Not as bad as New York fans, but close.

Bloggin' With Hawk

More from Coach Hawk and his wide ranging surces of inspiration:

I especially like this quote he put on there:
"Therefore be at peace with God, whatever you conceive Him to be, and whatever your labors and aspirations, in the noisy confusion of life, keep peace in your soul. With all its sham, drudgery and broken dreams, it is still a beautiful world. "

I think I will add that to the faviorite quotes section.

Rockies game and more

1. Well there is no joy in Mudville, but this is the big difference between baseball and any other sport. It is so dependent on the matchups with pitchers and the fields. You can absolutely clobbered in a game and it doesn't have a huge impact beyond, yeah you lost the game. In the NBA or NHL, if you lose a game like that it probably means you are overmatched. But in baseball a hot pitcher can shut down a team for 1 game but they can still lose the series. If any team knows this it's the Red Sox, as they lost something like 17 to 8 in 2004 before coming back from a 3-0 deficit to win the ALCS. So the Rockies just need to focus, play loose and pick up a win tonight and boom they have home field.

2. Took the day off yesterday so I could get some rest, then Kim & I went and picked up some supplies for the boys Halloween costumes. Just trying to keep Kim active. She worked last night and will work the rest of this week and following days until the baby decides to come. Basically we have decided to stop being so on our toes about the whole thing. Let Nature take it's course.

Ruch Boys

 

James and Jim, Mike, Peter and Daniel. An excellent shot of 3 generations, even if Daniel was ready to get down and go play. This was taken at James' 6th birthday party.

False Alarm

So we had a false alarm last night, resulting in a 2 hour trip to the hospital. We were not the only one's there. When we arrived there was one group already waiting for triage, and 2 others came up as we were checking in. In the time that we were there at least 2 others came. Must have been the weather change or full moon or something. But Kim's contractions eased off to nothing more or less as soon as we checked in.

So she will see the Dr. today, and then barring anything dramatic will actually go in for 4 hours of work tonight. I stayed home today so I could a little more sleep, help with the Dr. appointment etc.

Go Rockies!

The Sports Guy: Exactly how the Sox Drew it up

The exact moment when he became insufferable

First it was the Patriots columns, celebrating their dominance from this year. WHich at least I could share the glory in because I have Tom Brady and Randy Moss on my fantasy team.

And I cannot begrudge his celebrating his team. But this column points out the point where I might begin sending hate mail. Because if he adopts the same smugness (after 2 columns from last week basically ceded the series to Cleveland) after a defeat of the Rockies it might push him into hated columnist territory. I'm not saying the Red Sox will win, just predicting his response if they do.

I would love nothing more than for the Rockies to win would be for him to have to eat his words and arrogance.

Sports Updates

No baby yet By the Way...

1. Well it comes down to this, Rockies v. Red Sox. World Series, I never thought I would see the Rockies in the World Series. And to have them matched against the Red Sox, the shining example of the best team money can buy, well I will hope for the best. I don't know enough to come up with a detailed analysis. But I do think the Rockies have a chance, just because the Rockies hitters match up real well against the Red Sox pitchers and vice versa. Plus the Rockies defense should make a big difference.

2. The Broncos finally won again, but it was closer than it should have been. I think Jay Cutler really needs some more seasoning, he has the potential to be great, he just needs the experience. And I think the defense will be better at the end of the season than the beginning as they get used to the new system.

3. The Buffs have stumbled a little, I still think they can get to a bowl game, but it certainly looks like a Big 12 North championship is out of the question.

Weekend Update

No baby yet... I know that she is still not close to the due date, but from Kim's feelings it just seems like the baby is more than ready.

1. So this weekend I had the fun of dealing with 2 things only parents get to cope with. On Friday night James was complaining about his ear, said there was something in it. Well once we got home and I looked he had the tip of a colored pencil stuck in there. I have no idea how he did it. We were able to get it out, and it didn't damage anything, but we did have to give him a lecture about sticking things in your ear.

2. Then on Saturday I took the boys to Wal Mart while Kim was at work, we were in the toy area, Daniel was looking at the young kids toys on the back wall while I was looking at the legos with James. I yelled for Daniel, and he didn't come, so I walked over and he was gone! So I started looking down aisles, getting more and more frantic. Finally I notified a clerk, who had them broadcast a 'Code Adam'. For those of you not familiar with this mechanism, which originated in Wal Mart but is now kind of industry wide, 'Code Adam' means that the entrances to the store are blocked and all clerks immediately start looking for the missing child. Well to make a long story short a clerk found Daniel pretty quickly, but in Produce, on the far side of the store. So I learned to keep a much closer eye on Daniel in stores. I don't know if he had actually wandered that far in that time or if he had some 'help', but I will be far more careful in the future.

Added to the Xmas list for me & the boys

Baby Einstein for the Sports fan

This just looks fun to have, Plus it would help the enjoyment of the sport.

Updates

So no baby yet. Kim is back at work today, working an 8 hour shift today and then tomorrow. We will see if working that shift has the same effects she was having last week before her forced time off.

Tomorrow is James' last soccer game of the season, at the Palmer HS tennis courts. I think the team has improved over the course of the year, they just lack any kind of offensive personality. We are planning for James to take some time off and not play any sports until spring.

Otherwise I have a number of projects to take care of around the house. So should be a busy weekend either way, baby or no baby.

Billy Jack for President!

The Official Website.

Tom Laughlin is running for President as a 3rd Party candidate. While not everything on this webiste can be taken seriously, it is intriguing. Not everyone I know even knows who Billy Jakc is/was. So I don't exactly think the big candidates are shaking in their shoes. But I have always advocated 3rd party candidates, and short of Jesse Ventura/Colin Powell throwing their hats in the ring he might be the most recognizable person out there. So here it is, for better or worse.

The Case for Open Immigration

This guy says it better than I ever could.

I have felt this way for a long time, but could not put my argument in the right words or find the proper justification. I know that it's hard to counter deep set fear and xenophobia with emprical fact. But I think that the smarter people who oppose immigration could learn from reading this article and the book by this writer.

And one point he doesn't address in the article and may not be in the book is the economic gains that could be realized by changing the focus of the Border patrol away from stopping illegal immigrants to just stopping contraband. The efficiency of the border patrol in stopping things such as illegal drugs would be that much more greater because that is where their focus could be instead of scattered all over.

What is a criminal?

American lawbreaking: What is a criminal? - By Tim Wu - Slate Magazine

A fascinating series of articles. Dealing with a range of topics fom drugs to Porn to YouTube to the Amish. If anything the set of articles taken as a whole are an excellent demonstration of how our justice system works.

Thoughts for the day

First, no baby yet, although Kim does see the Dr. today so we might get a better idea of where we really are.

Second, here at work we have a guy who keeps lots of candy at his desk, and one of the things he has is these little dark chocolate Dove candies. Not only are the chocolates addictive, the wrappers have these pithy little sayings, well I have been keeping some of these on the wall of my cubicle and I thought I would share some of them and what they mean to me today.

'Go to your special place.' Always good advice to have a special place, metaphorically if not literally.

'Don't think about it so much.' Very good advice in every day life, and not always the easiest thing for some people, especially me. I always tend to think, overthink, then think again about things. In fact one of the reasons I started this blog was to express my thoughts on 'paper' so I didn't always sit and dwell on them.

Bloggin' On with Hawk

More comments from Coach Hawk...: "“The ultimate freedom in life is to determine one’s attitude in a given set of circumstances” – Viktor Frankl, Man’s Search for Meaning."

Coach is just a deep Dude, he understands that while football is his profession that football can mean more than just a game. Man, he is just so cool!

Ch..Ch..Changes

How do you like the New look? I removed the huge picture from the Header, moved the link for My Picasa Site, and changed the colors. Please vote in the Poll and let me know what you think.

Rockies win the Pennant!

Wow! I never thought I would see the day, much less be this excited about it. I'll say this for baseball, sometimes all it takes is a local team done good to draw you back into it.

It's been weird being excited about baseball again, I was a fan back in High School and College, then the double whammy of the Strike, then my favorite team (at that time) trading away their best home grown player, killed my interest in the sport. But the recent playoffs have been dramatic enough, starting with 2003, to start drawing me back in. And now that my local team is doing so well, I'm pretty much all in.

One of the best sub plots for me is that the guy who hit the critical hit last night was an Ole Miss graduate. Which is just very cool. Anyway, I am not holding my breath for a World Series win, who knows what happens next. But it is still great to have a team to root for for reasons other than hating the opponent.

Tivo and Networking

So I finally got my wireless network setup, and connected my Tivo box to it. The process only took about a week. But it is finally working.

So now I can access all of my pictures that are on my PC from my TV. And also access music that I have downloaded or ripped from my CD's to my PC. This is really cool, for example if I have a party (too late for the birthday parties we had the last 2 weeks) I can just set up a slide show to run on the TV. So people can see our pictures whenever they want without having to logon to the PC. Or, if I want to listen to music on something other than our junky little stereo I can just link up to the PC and listen to music over our surround sound system.

I learned a lot doing all of this, and if I ever get a laptop I could then connect it to my network and blog while watching TV. Which would be really cool.

Weekend Update

Still no baby...

So the Rockies are on the verge an LCS sweep, and a birth in the World Series. And for the first time in 15 years I am actually paying attention to baseball enough to talk about it in the mornings. It is very exciting. I am under no illusions about the Rockies ability to beat that AL team, but you never know with this team...

All of my sports focus for the weekend was spent on the Rockies, although I did watch the New England Patriots demolition of the Cowboys. I would say they are looking very tough right now. Probably won't really know how good they can be until that game against the Colts.

Update, James' Birthday Party

No Baby yet. Contractions are still coming, but not close enough or intense enough to merit going to hospital. Since the baby would technically be premature at this point it's okay for her to wait. But don't tell that to the woman who is 9 months pregnant, cannot get comfortable, and is just plain ready to get that baby out.

New folder on Picasa site, James' 6th birthday party. The party went well, his friends had a good time, James got lots of good presents. There are some pictures of us assembling his Lego vehicles. And presently he is playing his new Lego Sta Wars II video game on the PlayStation. So nothing planned for today, just a relaxing day with no big plans. Maybe a walk to see if we can start something with the baby...

The Gonzo Way

The truth about Hunter S. Thompson

Sounds like an interesting book. I liked Hunter, even have his Gonzo symbol as a tattoo. While I grew tired of his style over the years, and may not have agreed with his politics entirely, I still like what he wrote. And I agree that while his style wasn't the easiest to read, it was never a question of the facts being wrong. He knew what he was talking about, even if I didn't always agree with his conlusions.

And it wasn't just politics, it was also sports, a subject he knew a lot about. One of my favorite stories about Hunter was that he actually once spent a 30 minute car ride with Richard Nixon, a man whose politics he hated, talking non-stop about football. I have always held that story as an example of how sports is a great common denominator in our culture.

Let's abolish the Electoral College

Finally a well reasoned editorial on this.

I have been trying for most of my adult life to convince people that the Electoral College should be disbanded. And here at last is a well thought out elequent defense of my position.

Baby Update

Well no new news. Kim is still not working. She was able to assist with James' school field trip yesterday, which did mean some walking. Which did almost start something. So the reality is all it would take is one really energetic day and she'll be in the hospital. But now we just have to hope that the baby waits another 2 days, get past James' birthday.

So tomorrow is James' birthday party, with kids from school and family. Should be a fun experience (providing it doesn't send Kim into Labor).

Go Rockies!

Save Friday Night Lights!

An Unintended result of playing Sim City

A Coal/Nuclear/Solar Energy Faceoff That Is Almost Real

I've played Sim City for years, although haven't played it recently. But one of the first things I did when I played it was to use Nuclear Energy. While the game may not be as accurate as 'real life' but you wonder if playing a game like this might help people better undertstand how much is really involved in running a city. For example, I sincerely doubt Doug Bruce has ever played a game of Sim City...

Baby update & other health news

Still no baby, Kim intermittently gets some contractions but no consistently or for very long. She is officially not allowed to work until at least the 17th n order to avoid her going into labor. So life will get a little more hectic/calm with her around the house, but not exactly a ball of fire.

Saw the Orthpedist today for a follow up, the inserts I bought at his request 3 weeks ago had no effect. So I got a cortisone shot, and get to see if that will allow my foot to actual respond to the inserts.

Baby update

So last night Kim called around 8 to say that she thought she was going into labor, but she was going to take her lunch and see if things calmed down, which they did. But she had trouble the rest of the night as her job basically entails standing and walking around, which can induce labor very easily at this point.

And she had a rough night as far as sleep, so I stayed home to take James to school, and then call the Dr. to see if they wanted her to just take the remainder of the week off, in which case she would need a note from the Dr. So I got into work late and will work later to compensate. But it is all guess work at this point, she gets periodic contractions all the time, but not consistent or very long.

So I am trying to keep the household on an even keel, especially James, in the midst of pending chaos. Wish me luck.

Baby status

So Kim saw the Dr. this morning, she is 2 CM dilated, although the cervix is not elongated. As she is only 37 weeks though so the Dr. wants her to take it easy. Which might be tough with her work, but she has a note to request short breaks as needed. So she might make it past James' birthday party, but unlikely she will last past next week.

I will post updates as needed.

Bloggin' On With Hawk

Coach Hawkins latest entry

I especially appreciated this excerpt:

Ease up on the Denver Broncos- they have one of the great coaches in the game and a solid organization. I’ll bet you have had some rough spots in your life too, that’s when people need the most support. Be strong when it’s easy to be weak. The Bronc’s will get through it.

Thanks to Coach Hawk for reminding all of us fanatics to back off the negative talk, just support the team.

Weekend Recap

1. James' soccer game went well, we finally scored our first goal! Although we did kind of fall apart at the end. But overall the team continues to show improvement. So I have kind of committed myself to coaching indoor soccer in the spring. But we'll see, it might be a little tough to handle both boys in games at the same time.

2. Had a good birthday party, good turnout. Poor Kim was experiencing contractions all day and night, just could not get comfortable. I would really be surprised if the baby doesn't arrive in the next week or 2. Thanks again to everyone who made it or sent a message wishing a happy birthday.

3. James' Birthday party is this coming Saturday from 1-3 for the kids. He is getting pretty excited, I can just hope that the baby doesn't arrive the day before or that day. James would probably be okay sharing his birthday in the long run, but I don't think he is ready for it yet. And it would be pure hell to try and handle the birthday party at the same time as everything else.

4. As far as sports is concerned, it is clear that CU and the Rockies are monopolizing all my mojo, as the Rams and Broncos are in a ridiculous tail spin. And I am really struggling to keep my cool during the Broncos games.

Christmas present for kids...

Laptop With a Mission Widens Its Audience

This sounds very cool for kids. And I think a very worth while thing. Because it will be an important teaching tool. It is not a game center, it is a portable PC where really all kids can do is write, do some creative graphics, and share what they do with other kids. I am a very strong believer in exposing and teaching my kids about technology. Computers are not magic, they are tools, and the more familiar they are the better suited they will be for the future. And a tool like this would be a much better teaching tool than the generic toy laptops you can buy at the store, but probably more durable that a rweal laptop in the hands of a young kid.

Music 'piracy' Judgement

I don't like this at all

On the one hand I don't engage in the file sharing that RIAA is suing people for. I do not use Kazaa or Napster or any of the other zillions of similar sites. Having been friends to enough musicians in my time I understand that they deserve to be compensated for their work.

But on the other hand, I have a hard time determining how this is different from making a friend a mix tape back in the day. And in a sense music should be free. Because the reality is with the exception of the really big acts the music industry doesn't pay musicians very much. So I support bands and musicians doing this instead. Let the artists control their own work.

what to buy that geek who has everything

Self Assembly Japanese Hardwood Keyboards on Gadget Lab

This is just cool, kind of like the tooled up Steampunk PC link I found a few months back. It would look very nice on the desktop.

A Criminal History of the U.S. Dollar

Another fascinating article from the Freakonomics guys

This looks like a good book to pick up at the Library.

Good article on Mark Cuban

Who he is, what he does, and what he faces

In some sense he's a younger, Dot Com version of Donald Trump, just more interesting. But I really think he has a better grasp on what the future holds, and ways to make money off it. Now his personality is putting him into the position of not getting everything he wants, making money the way he wants. But his ideas are still money makers, witness other companies effectively taking his ideas. Sometimes you can be too much of a maverick, but when you are smart, and savvy eventually you will succeed. So I would bet money on his making one of his venures making it big.

Facebook

This is quite an interesting site. I mainly joined it so I could play Scrabble online with a friend of mine. But I just discovered that I can also post picture there. And most importantly for the readers here, I have added a link to my Facebook Profile to display my Blog posts there.

In addition you can create Groups on Facebook, allowing a kind of central place where people can see what you are doing and post events. So I would encourage people to go there, create a Profile, add me to your Friends list, then we can keep up easier.

Of course for the non Net heavy folks who rarely login to any site it may not be as useful. But I can't say I didn't try.

A political scientist in China

This could a very interesting read

I have always been interested in China, reading the James Clavell books as a youngster. Not enough to study Chinese, but I have never had blinders for Europe. And I am interested in how the ocuntry changes and develops.

BTW I love the Internet! Here I am, tkaing calls for work, reading about China and politics, at the same time I amkeeping up with the play by play on the Rockies-Phillies playoff game... Life is sweet.

Soccer

So James' soccer practice went very well yesterday, I think the kids are really improving. I don't know how much of that to credit to my assistance versus their just kind of getting used to it after 5 weeks practice. But I can see the lights in their eyes indicating they are starting to get what we are telling them every week.

One of the things that I am enjoying is the chance to also play some soccer, albeit in a very limited form. I played soccer when I was younger, in my early teens I was playing with my dad's team but never took it past that point. So now that I have so many medical issues I have been trying to think of a sport that I can play and one of them is soccer. The problem I discivered this morning is that Colorado Springs park & Rec doesn't do Soccer anymore. The only organized soccer I could find in the Springs is through the COlorado Springs soccer club and I don't know how relaxed the teams are as far as just playing to have fun. So maybe what I will do is go watch one of their Division 3 games to kind of gauge the level of play and how competitive they are. Since they are in the middle of their season I wouldn't play now, but maybe in the spring. Which would give me time to get my Cardio conditioning in much better shape anyway. We'll see...

The CU football coach may be nuts

His Monday morning Blog

Reads like weird combination of New Age philosphy, Power of Positive Thinking guru. I guess whatever works, and Boulder just might be The best place for him to be. But it's a little strange to go to a coaches site and not just read a bunch of coach speak.

Go Rockies!!

Wow, baseball is so infuriating. I understand why some people like it, although I have never quite fallen for all of the 'majesty and poetry' of it. But last night's game was a textbook example of why people like the game, but also why I have a hard time with it. Don't get me wrong, in the end it was great that the Rockies won, and I will keep watching as long as they are involved. But the constant tension, then relief, followed by tension. The revolving door of players. All of that is why baseball can drive me nuts. And why as a sport it can only hold my attention during the playoffs.

For those of you who weren't paying attention, the Rockies jumped out to an early lead 2-0, then 3-0. Then promptly fell behind 5-3. Then battled their way back to take a 5-6 lead. Then the Padres tied it up. Then the game of nerves settled in. For 4 innings both sides just could not get anything done. Then in the 13th inning the Padres took a 2 run lead when the Rockies put in the wrong guy at relief. Then they put in their star closer. Nothing looked good. Until the Rockies promptly went crazy with a double, then another double, then a triple, a walk and the game winner on a pop-fly. So the Rockies won in the bottom of the 13th, with 3 runs on no outs against the career saves record holder in baseball history. And the stress of those 6 innings when no one was scoring, and it looked like the game could be over with 1 swing of the bat... was just unnerving.

Weekend Recap & HB Alex Weimer

First, a Happy Birthday to my old friend Alex Weimer, who turn's 40 today!

Well had an eventful weekend, lots of driving, lots of TLC for children. Some good news and som bad news on the football front.

Friday night we had a good time at the birthday celebration for Marcella. The boys enjoyed themselves. But we began to see the harbinger of a problem for James.

Saturday morning we had James' soccer game, and he started off great. THe whole team played their best game of the season. But at half time James just melted down, basically refusing to play the rest of the game. THe primary cause was that his good buddy from school was on the other team and all he wanted to do was play with him. But it was also his fears and concerns about sleeping away from Mom & Dad that night. So we made the decision to not have him spend the night, I would just take him out there and he could play for a few hours and I would pick him up.

Well that meant I ended up spending a good 3 and a half to 4 hours in the car on Saturday, driving James to Yoder to play with Jon, then up to Bill & Nancy's for more family time, then back to Yoder and finally home. So needless to say I was quite pleased yesterday to not go anywhere other than grocery shopping.

Had a real up & down sports weekend. My CU Buffs pulled off the major upset, beating Oklahoma, in a game I did not watch for fear of seeing them get slaughtered. Then the Rams and Broncos both lost (not unexpectedly in the Rams case). But as the baseball postseason gets closer and the Rockies have made their dramatic run, I have found myself getting sucked into the baseball season. Which was yet another set of ups and downs.