Bottom of the 7th inning. We're down by two. This one is for the championship of the summer league. This team has challenged us and kept us on our toes all season, but we can handle this. Three runs and we're done. It's a breeze. We've got it in the bag.

We've played this team four times already. Lost two, won two. Each game was won or lost within one point. The innings of this game mimicked the same. We're up by one, we're down by one. VERY CLOSE! This could be anyone's game.

First batter . . . out! Second batter . . . out!

Is this the end? Are we going to settle for second place this season? Could it be done for us? Will our name slide down a slot?

The tension is thick. The infield is buzzing with strategy. The dugout is hot with encouragement.

Third batter . . . on base! Fourth batter . . . on base, and third batter made it to third base. Fifth batter . . . on base, and the third batter made it home! We're down by one and we have two men on base.

Sixth batter . . . brings them all home! We win by two. The dug out roars in excitement.

We did it. We won, again! We held our place. What an intense game. What a relief. Final score 23 - 21, Crowe.

Both teams had an awesome season and enjoyed the challenge we offered one another.

Next Tuesday, new season.

Why is it that every time you come down here, a hurricane follows?

That was the first line of an e-mail I received this morning from a highschool friend in Miami. That's right . . . I snuck down to Miami for the weekend. Didn't tell anyone in my family I was coming. Showed up Friday night and let myself in the house since nobody was home (and I have a key!). My family (mom, dad, niece & nephew) arrived home within 10 minutes of my arrival. I opened the front door to see them all getting out of the family van without any hurry or curiosity as to why there was an unidentified car in their yard. Then my niece looks up to see me standing in the door and an uncontrollable giggle ensues. The parentals look up to see what is so funny and with a squint to confirm that their aged eyes have not mistaken them, they say "What are you doing here?" To which I thought "Glad to see you too." They were thrilled and excited by the surprise they encountered in seeing me standing in their doorway Friday night.

The following day, my middle brother called home to talk to my mom. She said, "Guess what I found at my house when I came home last night." This began the conversation explaining to him that I had surprised them, to which he responds "How come she has a key?" My mom (who HATES to lie) said "She forgot to give it back the last time she visited." This was to spare his sensitive "middle child" feelings. After the phone conversation ended I asked "Why don't you just tell him the truth?" "I'm the favorite child and that's why I have a key to your house." To which she laughed and said "I could never tell him that because his feelings would be too hurt and I don't want to deal with that." Funny how I must have forgotten to give the key back again after this visit, because I still have it :)

Anyhow, my visit was GREAT. Had a party for my dad's birthday. My niece (six years old) told me that she loves when I visit, because I always plan a party. It's so nice to know that she associates me with a party every time I visit. Usually it is me throwing the party, because that's the easiest way for me to get all of the family together in one visit, but this tiime, my mom had the party planned before she knew that she'd have me as an unexpected visitor. So I can't take credit.

I loved spending time with my niece and nephew and some of my smaller cousins. We made Shirley Temple cocktails for them, complete with fancy toothpicks to spear their cherries as garnish and we concocted a fun candy mix. It started out as candy corn and lightly salted peanuts, then the next day we added peanut butter m&ms, followed by the addition of raisins. The final product was irresistable. The kids brainstormed of other things we could add to the mix to change it up and keep it exciting . . . eggs, chicken, marshmallows. They are quite imaginative! Fun times.

Softball

Next Tuesday is the last day of our Summer league. Our team is in first place and stands a good chance to win the season, again. You can check out our standing at http://www.nashvillesportsleagues.com/sports_detail_standings.cfm#. Crowe is our team name, since that's who sponsored our league fees.

I'm not bragging, because I'm an all-star softball player. Actually, I'm mostly lousy. I stand about a 75 percent chance of getting on base each time I'm up to bat. I'm bragging, because I have an awesome team that I'm so excited to be part of. Not only do they play really well, but they are so funny and so much fun to hang out with every Tuesday. The jokes, the camaraderie, the foul ups. . . Tuesday nights are a highlight in my weeks.

Last night, the league held a cookout at the ball field with two local restaurants providing all the meat and the teams all brought condiments, chips, etc. For the occasion, I made a cake. My team doesn't expect me to bring something store bought, and I felt I couldn't let them down. Plus it seemed like such a fun excuse to get out my decorating tools and attempt to create a cake masterpiece. . . something I don't do very often at all because it's so messy.

I was quite pleased with the outcome and Madison (my number 1 fan) was impressed enough to compliment me with "Mommy, you're a good cake artist." How fun is that!

The teams enjoyed the fun of the cake and by 11:00 as our games were finally wrapping up, some of the remaining pieces of cake were found being smushed in the faces of some of the players. I'm only glad it wasn't my face!

Laboring on Labor Day.

It never fails that the long weekend we've all come to know as Labor Day which is supposed to be our break from laboring turns out to be one of the most productive laboring times I experience all year. Six years ago, I labored for 42 hours and 20 minutes (not that I was counting) and delivered a healthy baby girl. Every year since, I spend that weekend laboring in preparation for her birthday party. This year was no different. In typical Amber fashion, I continued to add projects to my already long list of projects for the weekend. I've come to realize that I don't experience a lot of stress as most people recognize stress. Instead I keep myself in a constant stream of what everyone else would consider stress and if that stream were to stop, I'd probably feel stressed about the lack of stress. How's that for making sense?

Madison wanted bunk beds for her birthday. So in her absence (she was with her dad Friday, Saturday and half of Sunday), I purged her room to prepare for the new bunk beds. Saturday I assembled the bunk beds (by myself because I'm a big girl now) and re-assembled her newly purged room. I ran a million errands and began working on the 24 foot (diameter) crop circle in my back yard that will soon become an above ground pool. At midnight, my friend Andrea and I ran to WalMart to pick up plastic ware, ice cream and the like. While there I decided that I'd buy some plain jeans and a plain sweater for Madison and visit the craft section to pick up some faux fur and other trims to embellish these otherwise plain articles to create an entirely new and exciting outfit to present to her the next day on her birthday. Crazy? Yes, but that's the fun of my life! So, after retiring to bed sometime after 1:00 a.m., I woke about 4:30 and got started on the new outfit, which looked fabulous & was a HUGE hit with the misses. Did I mention that my sewing machine refused to sew the denim and I had to hand stitch it all? That didn't stop me though.

The outfit got done, the bunk beds and room got done, my cork project in my kitchen finally got completed, my house got cleaned and decorated, Madison got made up into the diva that was required of her for her Bratz birthday party (see picture - WHOA!), I finished sewing the little hand bags that each girl would receive as their goodie bags, I got all the grass removed from my crop circle, filled in every hole that existed in my back yard (and there were plenty of them), trimmed my hedges and pruned some over grown trees, mowed my grass, and even managed to squeeze in a much needed pedicure. Plus I caught a concert of Jaggered Edge (www.jaggerededge.com). Three of my friends play in the Rolling Stones tribute band, and the show was great.



My three day weekend felt like a week off from work, because I feel like I've accomplished in three days the amount of work that would ordinarily take at least a week. Where most people would feel completely stressed from so much, I feel exhilarated. I'd be stressed had I spent the weekend relaxing and accomplishing nothing.

Here's the lyrics to a new Country song by Terri Clark. A friend of mine said each time he hears the song he thinks of me. I finally heard the song the other day and found it to be so sweet and relative in many ways. Thought I'd share it here.

I hope that at some point in the future (not the near future) the last verse will hold true for me.

Thanks Natie for sharing!

He said goodbye from the edge of the porch
like she'd been some casual friend
he said "you're better off with out me
i'm not what you need"
like her momma had said about him
he started the car
pulled out of the drive
didn't waste any time lookin' back
she watched him go
thinkin' even a stranger
would show more compassion than that

she could've cried but she didn't have time
she had a baby to feed
a pink blanket to find
to rock their little one to sleep
she could've laid in bed for hours
giving misery the power
but she didn't have time

she got a sitter, she got a job
'cause she had a promise to keep
her day was a factory and evening survival
at night was exhaustion and sleep
sometimes she felt life was passing her by
and watching was all she could do
her friends said "you gotta get outta the house
and maybe you'll meet someone new"

she could've tried
but she didn't have time
she had a five year old to feed
she had ballet class, piano lessons
and t-ball little league
she could've laid awake for hours
giving lonely nights the power
but she didn't have the time

not time where would she find the time
to trust a man again
not time for that flat tire
a crowded parking lot and then
not time to just have coffee with the man
who got her tire fixed
she was thinking gosh he's handsome
when he asked do you have kids

she could've lied
but she didnt have time
all she said was "she's five"
he said "i saw the car seat I love kids
does she have your eyes?"
and they sat and talked for hours
giving destiny it's power
she could've been afraid
to fall in love that night
but she didn't have time

she could've been afraid
to fall in love that night
but she didn't have time