Softball on Tuesday did not go well. We could not get anything going at all, and the team we were playing had several hard hitters. They ran away from us early, and we got mercied for the first time this year. We couldn't hit, couldn't field (self included), and couldn't stop them. We lost 15-0 in a game stopped after the 4th inning. 

There was a meeting at church Wednesday for people who are volunteering to work VBS. Turns out Beth and I will have 4th grade again this year, which is good because that's what we were hoping for and Beth had thought she heard we had the preschoolers, and she was dreading it. It's "The Keepers of the Castle" this year, medieval theme it seems. Should be fun.

Missy has a new job! She's going to be working at Petsmart this summer and get as many hours as she can. Maybe not her dream job, but probably the best of all possible summer jobs she could land. Looks like she'll be cashiering, so she'll need some good shoes...

Stryper!

Tuesday, instead of playing in the church softball games, I went to Wabash with several friends from church to see Stryper in concert. I myself have never been a fan, mostly I would say that I have been aware for a long time that there is a band called Stryper that plays Christian heavy metal, but I was never particularly interested in it. In fact, Matthew asked me how much I knew about their music walking up to the venue I could tell him 'nothing,' and I heard everything I've ever heard of Stryper in that concert. But months ago when Matthew asked me if I'd like to go to a Stryper concert with him and some other friends, it sounded like fun and I didn't know it would be on a Tuesday. I probably would have declined and played softball instead. I didn't understand a single thing they were singing, and most of the songs all sounded the same. But anyway, we did have a lot of fun at the concert and it was fun seeing the pastor rock out. It was a good time but I don't think it's turned me into a Stryper fan.

The new worship minister for our church finally got his stuff moved this weekend. Saturday was his moving day, and it must have been quite a day for him because he was originally supposed to arrive in town with the moving trucks at 3, but it kept getting later and later in the day until by around 2, it became more like 6:00 before they were going to make it to town. Beth and I had our dinner for 6 Saturday, which was at 6:00 as well, so it looked like we were not going to make it to help them get moved at all. I heard there were several people who had to cancel because it got so late. Anyway, since I couldn't help there, I texted Matthew and he texted back that there was another move going on right then where they could use some help. A woman in our church getting married was moving from an apartment into a new house, and they only had 4 people and one small pickup truck. So I headed over there with our brand new 2013 F150 that isn't even titled yet, and we loaded up and headed out. It only took a couple trips, with all the small stuff crammed into the cars and the bigger stuff in the trucks, and we had her all moved by 5:30 or so. I even had time to shower before the dinner for 6.

Speaking of which, we had a very nice time. Our hostess for this month's dinner was one of the older ladies from the church, one whom I had not met before our group was put together. She hosted at her house just north of town, and I think she was very excited to be doing so. She made a roasted pork tenderloin and several desserts, and we all had a very nice evening together. One of the group is an older man who was in the marines for many years so we swapped sea stories for most of the table conversation. A nice dinner, and Beth and I are enjoying this group even more than we expected.

This weekend was the fat & skinny tire festival in Winona Lake, but I didn't do the community ride because it was rainy. Bummer, maybe next year.

The softball team suffered our first defeat on Tuesday this week, likely not our last. We were pretty well matched with them but basically they have more hitters than we do and they pulled away at the end. We lost 15-11. Next week we have a doubleheader to make up the rainout game, but I'm going to miss it...

Saturday morning was another group bike ride, we went to Larwill and back again, but this time by a slightly different route back. Smaller group this time, 6 of us altogether. One guy got a flat on the road, which makes me think I really ought to put together some sort of pack with emergency stuff like that to carry on those long rides. If I'd got a flat, I'd've been hosed. Anyway we did a good 25 miles or so, despite the fact that it was raining (well, sprinkling to a light drizzle) for most of the trip. I really only noticed it when we stopped. 

The whole family went out to Nappanee Saturday, since Beth thought it would be nice to hit some antique/curiosity/junk shops. We went to one we've been to before but it didn't seem to have much that anyone could find that was interesting this time. We were on the way to another when Missy spotted the Oliver family entering one of the shops just across the street from where we were. We went over there and visited with them for a while. Turns out, Dave has a side hustle where he finds older furniture pieces at estate sales, refubishes them, and resells them to this furniture consignment shop in Nappanee. He built a really cool end table out of a slab of wood and metal base, pieces he got at garage sales for about $15, and the table is marked there at around $200, I think. Not a bad profit margin. All of us went to a bookstore next, then they introduced us the Sweet G's ice cream shop before we parted. 

Later in the day Beth and the kids and I all went out to see the new Guardians of the Galaxy movie. That's one I've been looking forward to for a while, and I wasn't disappointed. Loved it!

Today we all went out to Menard's to buy Beth her Mother's Day present, flowers as always. They seem to be a lot more expensive than last year, but we got a decent batch to plant in both front and back yards. 

 Missy is back home again! She finished up the last of her finals on Wednesday, crushed them all, so as soon as I was done with work Beth, Alex, and I headed for Muncie. With both the van and the "new" truck, so we could load 'em up and head 'em out. Missy had most of her stuff packed up in boxes and totes already, so it was mostly just a matter of carrying everything down. Plus the bike. At first I didn't think we'd need two vehicles but it turned out to be a good thing we did, because we were both full. After she emptied out the room, she took us out to her favorite restaurant in town, a burger place called Roots. So neat that Missy has her Peanut Barrel! Then we headed home and unloaded, and Missy can put a bow on her freshman year!

We all went out to see the "Super Mario Bros." movie on Friday. Alex had seen it in Washington, but he wanted to go see it again with all of us. I will say it was a gorgeous movie, visually. I liked it, it was fun, but the kids liked it a lot more than Beth and I did. I give it a 70%. Alex and Missy LOVED it. 

With the recent improvements in the weather, the 2nd Mile Adventures Saturday rides are back on! On Saturday the A and B group rides went out, same m.o. as last year. It was a larger B group this time though, because someone I don't know had his 75th birthday and was celebrating with a 75 mile ride. The group rode with him for the first 25 miles, on a route that went from Winona Lake to Larwill and back along the same route. Good ride, I made a few more Strava connections. And I kept up even though I hadn't been on a bike since January.

Those recent improvements in the weather did not apply earlier in the week, as softball was rained out. Well, more like mudded out. It had been cold, wet, and crappy for a couple days and the fields were pretty much a mess, so the games were called off. It had stopped drizzling by game time, but I wasn't that sorry the game was postponed, it would have been awful playing weather.

Been continuing drywalling work in the basement lately, trying to get the downstairs straightened up for the kids use this summer, so I pulled down another couple sheets of paneling this week. And found the skeletal remains of a mouse. Must have fallen down into the wall sometime in the last 15 years, since the last time that wall was opened. What a horrible way to go, starving to death trapped in a cell. The mouse had also tried to escape by chewing his way through the hole in the stud that a wire passed through, but he couldn't make the hole big enough. He also managed to chew the wire insulation off all around the hole, so I suppose it is possible that he electrocuted himself, probably preferable to starving. So I had to do some wiring work too, pulling the old wires out and replacing with nice insulated ones. I got the drywall panels up, but I wonder if maybe I should have blocked off the openings at the top.