Game Time!

It has been many years since Marlin and I have allowed the kids to play sports. I think it may be like 6 -7 years. We decided a while ago that we didn't want to be running around and pressuring our children to play sports. We thought we would wait until they showed an interest and than do what we can to make it possible. Well, that time has come. Trey has expressed an interest in playing baseball for the last couple of months. I found him a team that plays off post, in a little community called Black River. There are a total of 4 teams and they will play each other till the end of June. Trey only had 2 practices before the game today.

He was very excited and couldn't wait to get on the field. He actually has a very strong desire to be a pitcher. However, due to the age group (8-12 year old) he was told he probably wouldn't be able to pitch. Coach started Trey on third base and he did awesome. I am telling you he total surprised his dad and me. For him just to get out there and give it a try really made me proud. Especially, since the last time he played ball with a team was when he was 4 or 5 years old. I am not sure what inning it was but I saw Coach take Trey to the side and had him throw some pitches. I thought surely they aren't going to let him pitch......but they did.

Trey getting ready to pitch!

I will admit it brought a tear to my eye. To see my son get a chance to do something that he wanted to do was just plain cool. He looked so happy to be on pitcher mound. He was able to throw some strikes and he only hit one boy (not on purpose and he does feel bad about that). He looked really good standing up there. He has a lot of practice to do but I know if it is something he wants to do he will work at it.

I would have to say the best thing we ever did for our family was to stop all the activities and running around when the kids were younger. They are now at the age that if they really want it they are more focused and are willing to work hard to achieve their goals. I am looking forward to supporting them all in their future endeavors.

The Castle Ball

Well, yesterday I realized that there are some things in life I am just no good at. For example, I spent all day Thursday trying to figure out what to do with my hair for the ball. No matter what I tried it just didn't look right. I was so frustrated. Then after heading to New Attitudes Spa and Salon for a much needed eye brow wax it hit me. There are people in this world with gifts that I don't have, I will never have, and never care to have. So after getting in my car to drive home I put it in reverse and went back in and made an appointment for a updo. Amazingly enough they actually had an appointment for Friday afternoon. When I got there on Friday for my appointment the lady asked me if I had any ideas of what I wanted her to do. I said, "No, at this point I am so out of my element that you can do what every you want just make it look nice and make it last all night". LOL She was like no problem, I love doing stuff like this. God bless her, because I could never create what she was able to. The kids couldn't believe that that was my hair.

So, with my hair done, all I had to do was paint my nails and do my make-up. By 4:30 pm I was slipping into my dress and putting on my heels. I felt like such a princess. LOL I felt so pretty. Not to mention my date looked pretty hot too. Something about a man in uniform. This man in particular makes my heart melt. :) With us dressed and ready to go, Cheyenne took charge of the camera and started the photo session. Some of the pictures didn't take really well, but we will work on that for the next dance. LOL For some reason the camera made a lot of the pictures grainy. No, big deal.

I was getting a little nervous as we headed to the ball. Well, it was my first ball. We have never been with a Battalion that had a ball before. So for Marlin and I this was the first. It won't be the last because from what we heard this Battalion likes to have balls. The next one is slotted for when the guys get back next year. So, that means I have one year to fit into the other dress I have. LOL

I will tell you once we got there and I saw what some of the other wives were wearing all my nervousness went away. I couldn't believe some of the men would let their wives walk out of the house wearing what they had on. First of all this was a formal......dress code: below the knee or to the floor gown. Some of the ladies had on short (above the thigh), see through, and even dress pants. Some of the ladies had huge tattoos over their entire body, piercings all over, and some just looked down right trashy. I had to laugh at the ladies who were pregnant. It was like they tired to squeeze their now body into a dress made for their before body. It was a sight. Now, I the majority age of Marlin's Battalion is between the age of 18 and 25. That could explain a lot. LOL

Needless to say, once again I didn't really have the opportunity to meet anyone that was my age or with children the same age as ours. We were seated a table with 3 of Marlin's soldiers 2 of which were single and one young married couple. With the majority of the company being so young a lot of them are just beginning to have families or are still in the party mode. Marlin and I are so different than we were 13 years ago. I am sure I will make connections soon. I must be patient.
We spent the evening listening to speeches, traditions, and enjoying some good food. The formal part of the ball was over around 9:30 and the dancing began. At this point Marlin and I were just sitting around the table by ourselves. I told him I wanted to dance and he wasn't sure. I had to coax him a bit but finally he got up and shook his thing on the dance floor. LOL It was so funny because I have never really seen him dance. I really don't care to dance but give me a line dance and I am in. LOL They played a lot of dance club music that I am not familiar with but we danced and worked up a sweat. :) It was all good. I love him for just getting up with me instead of sitting around the table all night (that would have been boring). It would have been a lot different if we had made some friends before attending the ball and were able to hang out there with them, but that's not what happened so we just enjoyed each other's company.
Around 11:30pm we headed home to the kids. They were still awake but clearly very tired. We tucked them in, prayed with them and I think before we turned out their lights they were asleep. LOL It has been so weird being able to go out and have a date with my husband without children. It has taken me some time to get use to this new way of life, but the kids are older now and with that comes some freedom.

7th Engineer Battalion Castle Ball

630th Clearance Company