I'm off work the next two days, + weekend, + Memorial day, so I have five days off in a row! LF's last day of school is tomorrow and we're gonna party like it's 1999. When he and Ed were off for spring break, they worked on the house. ICK! I'm gonna take him swimming, to Indiana Jones, Narnia, lunch with Mom, lunch with Ed, and whatever odds and ends I can think of that we can't normally do.

We had a great time at Pigeon Forge. We shopped, swam, sat in the hot tub, played (individually) in the jacuzzi tub (LF built a bubble wall), ate, drank, and were generally merry. We went to Gatlinburg the next day. I don't know why, Ed likes it for some reason??? that I can't fathom. I think he just likes Karmelkorn and that's only place left to get it. We did go to the Ripley's Believe it or not museum which is kinda cool, but that was it. It wasn't hard to convince him to get back in the car to escape the throngs of people congesting the tiny streets.

I've told you before of our adorable baseball coach (he made certain to get "Audrey" to home plate), but he's more than a baseball coach. This guy gets kids. And I bless the day we ended up on his team. Mind you, it's the place to be and there were people changing to his team at the beginning, but he finally stopped taking players. The cliquish part of it is nauseating to me. There's a "queen bee" who some of the other mothers hover over. Those of us who didn't "petition to be on the team" don't play the acceptance game with her and it's always odd to see their little gang sitting on tiny bleachers and everyone else milling around talking and interacting in better ways. But I digress. He's a fantastic guy with a great heart. His objective is to teach them baseball in a fair, fun way. At the end of every game, he gives the game ball to someone after asking the kids what they thought they did well. LF has been dying for one. I didn't tell him he would surely get one (he's fair right? And he's gonna give one to everyone, I feel certain), but he'd have to do a better job of paying attention (he's fair, he's not going to give it to the kid picking clovers in the outfield). LF has been working on his attention game so hard, that he started seeing balls and, consequently hustling harder, to get to them. He wants that ball! Increasingly, he's on target, looking forward with his glove out and ready. He stopped everything that came his way last night. He even stopped one with his face, ouch! I really really wanted to go check him out, but coach saw me in the stands gave me a knowing nod. I knew he was in good hands. At the end of the game all the kids were saying, G making amazing catches out the air, or good hitting were why they did well. Coach said "Yes, but, keeping the ball infield and stopping plays can be even more important (outfielders are an important part of the team, yea! He's so smart). Paying attention and hustling is what we need. And LF gets the game ball.". Even more heartening, the kids cheered; they were truly happy for him. He tells me he's gonna pay attention every time now. Good life coach. Way to go and I love you dearly!!!