This was one of those days that I love - the kind that leaves you so tired at the end of it that you fall into bed with a thump and a sigh, with just enough energy to think about how much fun you had. Of course, spending a full day with my kids will always leave you tired, but this was above and beyond…

I got up early with Alex and Leah and let Anne sleep in. The kids and I snuggled on the couch in our pajams under a blanket and watched “Benji”. Yes, the one about the dog. I hadn’t seen it for years, but I ran across it while looking at the “Family” section at the video store, and well, hey - it’s a classic. The kids loved it, and I loved watching it with them (and I think we all got a bit choked up during the scene where Tiffany got her leg broken by Mitch - forgot that part? Go rent it…
After movie time, I jumped into action and did a quick lawn mowing and yard cleanup. It’s getting to be that time of the year when the lawn seems to be growing twice as fast as usual - not what I grew up expecting from fall time, but the grass out here has 2 growing seasons (spring and fall), as opposed to the steady growth that our lawn out East had.

After the lawn got finished, I had just enough time to jump into the shower and get ready to go to the final Mariners game of the season. We all packed into the van (all four of us plus Paul), and drove downtown to Safeco Field. It was one of those transcendant Seattle days - sunny but not hot, clear but you could still feel the water in the air, with the sights and sounds of the city and the waterfront all around us as we drove down along Alaskan Way.

We got to the stadium in time to get some cotton candy and lemonade before the game started. It’s been a tough year to be a M’s fan — 99 losses does not a playoff team make. However, on this day, the stadium was packed. We had history to watch — the last day of the season, the last at-bats for Edgar Martinez, Ichiro striving to extend the all-time single-season hits record. It was an exciting place to be…

Ok, so we lost 3-0. And Edgar went 0-4. But Ichiro got 2 more hits to set the record at 262 hits for the season, we all clapped and yelled and tried to rally the team when we could, we had popcorn and hotdogs and beer (not the kids), and we enjoyed the day.

Then, to top it all off, Anne and I spent some more time working on the yard after the game was over, raking and overseeding. Then, Alex and I ran over to the golf range and hit a bucket of balls. This was all followed by a family dinner and an early bedtime.

You know, in retrospect, that was a lot to cram into one day. But the funny thing about it is that it didn’t seem rushed or overloaded. Maybe it was because we all spent it together as a family. Who knows — but it was a day that will linger in my memory for a long time. Good times…good times…

Categories: Family