Her first softball game was scheduled for 6:00 Friday evening. I'm not sure she entirely understands the difference between practice and game. To her, just getting to toss & catch, bat the ball, and run the bases is fun, whether there is a score being kept or not. However, she was aware that she was supposed to wear her uniform Friday, because immediately up arriving home from school, she went upstairs and put on her knee-high green and white striped socks, her green t-shirt, and her black visor. She proudly paraded into the kitchen, proclaiming how cool she looked in her visor and turning around to show me the back of her shirt, pointing at it and saying "one". She apparently is thrilled to be #1
My parents drove up from Carlinville (roughly a 50-minute drive), bringing along my Grandma and my Aunt Donna, to see the game. We watched the girls go through their warm-up drills, giggling and ready to play. Then, right at game time, the rain came swooping in. It wasn't heavy, but it was steady, and there had been a bit of thunder and lightning as well. So, the game was called off. It was the right call to make, but I was disappointed for Shaling and all of the girls, as they were definitely ready to take the field.
We did end up having a great meal with my family at a local restaurant (Top Cats), so at least their drive up wasn't a bust, but it would have been so much nicer if they could have seen her game too. She has a practice tonight and her next game is scheduled for tomorrow (Tuesday) at 6:00 p.m. in Chatham.
Well, the rain kept up for much of the weekend, so we had to do stay indoors. On Saturday, I took the kids to see "Soul Surfer". It is based on the true story of Bethany Hamilton. You may remember the news stories from when she was 14-years-old and attacked by a shark. She was an extremely talented competitive surfer and lost her left arm in the attack. She eventually worked her way back up the competiting surfing circuit and is now a professonal surfer. The movie kept the story "real" -- showing her pitfalls AND her toughness. It also incorporated her faith in God in a believable way.
Go.
See.
It.
After Sunday school and church on Sunday, all four of us went to Carlinville for the afternoon. We met my dad and stepmom, along with a niece and nephew, at a Chinese restaurant on the square. The owner there has met Shaling and has actually sent food home with my mom for her several times. Shaling enjoys getting to speak Mandarin with them. The food there is delicious and we ate well...some of us perhaps too well.
Then, we attended a band "pops" concert. This one was special. The band director is retiring. His first year at Carlinville coincided with my freshman year of school. He had a lot to do with me continuing on with my music, eventually becoming a member of the Marching Illini at U of I, which is how I met Brock. Had I not met Brock, I wouldn't have either of my kids. The fun part for me was being part of a handful of guests who got to join the high school band for the last two songs of the performance. I got to play my school song and shout out "C-A-R-L-I-N-V-I-L-L-E, RAH!" and for a few minutes, I felt like I was 14 instead of 40.
It was so cute between songs when I looked out at the audience and saw Preston and Shaling waving at me and giving me thumbs up signs. That reminded me that I was 40 and not 14, and also reminded me that it isn't so bad being 40...in fact, it's really quite GOOD.
When we arrived home, Shaling turned on the television and began to watch a recorded cartoon that she had begun to watch earlier in the day. However, after a few minutes, she changed her mind and for the first time since probably February, she popped in a DVD that we brought home from China with us. It has episodes of a popular cartoon in China titled "The Happy Lamb" or "The Pleasant Goat". It was fun listening to her sing along in Chinese as she watched.
However, for many reasons I'm still ready for this rain to go away, and I'm sure she is as well.
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