I am back home, and Alex is back at school. The move was pretty easy this time, and I could have gone home sooner but I needed a cheap flight so I cam home Monday. Alex and I left on Friday for an early evening flight from Indy. We left in plenty of time, which means that getting there, checking in, and passing through security is a breeze, of course. We had plenty of time to kill and to get something to eat at the airport, and then the flight was even delayed a half hour. Scott came and picked us up at Sea-Tac and we got dinner, and by that time it was pretty late by Eastern time so Alex and I just went to bed (crashing at Scott's apartment). Scott had to work Saturday so he left early, and Alex and I headed out to do some shopping at Target and get him checked in to the apartment around noon. It is a nice apartment, like a townhouse with the bedrooms upstairs. He shares the place with 4 other guys. It has a small deck, fireplace, fair kitchen, entrance on the main level and the upstairs, and close to campus (between the apartments he had the last 2 years). We made 3 or 4 trips back and forth to the storage unit and got him all moved in and set up by around 4:30 or so, then got dinner at Zaucer's. I headed to Scott's, then worked on getting the backup camera installed in Alex's car (very frustrating). Sunday, Alex and I got breakfast (Scott was working early again) and then looked around for something to do, not finding much open yet... in the end I got his bike out of storage and went for a bike ride around Redmond while he went back to the apartment and did computer stuff. Later on we went to the city center to browse and to dinner at a cool burger place called Tipsy Cow. After dinner Alex dropped me off at Scott's since he was taking me to the airport early in the morning, and I crashed pretty hard... Scott said when he got home Sunday night he found me sound asleep on the bed, fully clothed, lights on, glasses and Kindle next to me, and he just left me to sleep. I woke up early enough to wake up Scott to get me to Sea-Tac on time, fortuitously since neither one of us had remembered to set and alarm. Again I sailed through check-in and security and had time to kill. And the flight (on Southwest, paid for using the voucher they gave us for losing our luggage) had stops in Oakland and Las Vegas, kinda like the Raiders. Back to Indy by around 8:30 and home by around midnight. Alex started classes today.

Last Tuesday, Beth and I went to the CCAC to watch the game for the other FCC softball team. We saw them win relatively easily, which meant they keep playing. We couldn't stay for the subsequent games, but I found out later they won 4 games in a row that night and therefore won the tournament! Cool, they thrashed us last week....

I had to run over to Natalie's new place today. She has moved out of her now ex-boyfriend's house where she has been living for the past year or so. Apparently, she got tired of the cheating and left him, and is now living with friends in Fort Wayne. She had a doctor's appointment in Warsaw though and asked if I could get her and bring her to it. I did so. I figured she really needed it because she does need meds and I do want her to be all right. Luckily the doctor she sees also has an office in FW so she can go there from now on. 

The softball season came to an ignominious end on Tuesday. The other FCC team, as we were hoping, lost their first game of the day so they immediately turned around to play us. However, the metaphoric wheels came off. We were tied 1-1 after the first inning but then started dropping fly balls (it had been cloudy all day, and one of the outfielders didn’t bring sunglasses, so of course it cleared up completely as the game was starting) and they hit it harder and farther than they had all year. By the end of the 3rd inning we were trailing 24-1 and the game was ended. We only batted around once. They just destroyed us. 

Missy is back at school. We took her back to Muncie to move into the dorm on Thursday. I took the day off, and we drove both (loaded) vehicles down to Muncie just around lunchtime. Our old friend Mikey who lives in Columbus drove up to meet us for lunch (we went to Cammack Station) so we got to see and visit with him for the first time in years! The kids didn’t have any memory of seeing him last time, which was 2008, when they were 4 and 5. We had a good lunch catching up, then Beth and the kids hit Wal-Mart while we stayed and talked some more. When they were done, we all headed to the dorm and started unloading, and Mikey headed back to Columbus. Then we did the unloading and loading and unloading to get everything to the room and get it set up; I think by evening she was ready for us to get going. Beth didn’t even cry this time. Missy’s classes start Monday, I think this weekend is all just moving in stuff. 

On Friday a guy from TruGreen was in the back yard aerating the lawn (although I don’t think we have the back yard in the plan) and apparently ran over a nest of yellowjackets. I was at work but Beth texted me about it, and said that the guy was covered in stings. On his face, ear, shoulders, and several times on one arm. I guess the aerator came too close for them. He just left the equipment and ran, and someone else came and got it later. Beth asked if he needed to go to the ER or anything, and he just said no, it’s just part of the job.

Helped the Burson's move on Saturday. They are moving into a much larger place than their tiny condo. Bob was there helping as well, and he brought a clever and handy strap rig that two people use with harnesses and a wide strap that connects to each - which transfers load to your shoulders and allows 2 people to fairly easily carry heavy stuff. We used it to move dressers, a couch, antique hutch, a buffet... it worked so well and it was the first time he had ever used it. It was kind of amazing what we could lift easily with it.

I rented a pressure washer from Menard’s this weekend, and unlike last time, this time was a very disappointing experience. As with the last time, the first one I brought home simply did not work, and I had to return it right away since I was burning daylight. The second one I brought home did work, as well as it does, I guess. Maybe the last time, they were renting out more powerful units, but this one didn’t have the same kind of pressure as last time. It had barely enough pressure to take dirt off the concrete in the patio, and then not easily or quickly. I did clean the wastebaskets around the house and the cat litter boxes, which was really the driving force behind me renting the thing this time, but it was disappointing that I couldn’t clean the patio. 

Today was the kickoff for the new men’s ministry at church. It’s still in the planning and setup stages, I think, and we’re still figuring out exactly what it’s going to be. But there seems to be big interest in it, as evidenced by the fact that it was probably the #1 thing identified as lacking in the vision meeting a couple months ago. Anyway, it was at the Haughee’s farm, and was attended by at least a hundred men, I think. Probably more. There was a cookout first, grilled hot dogs and associated items, then we went to the clearing in the woods where the bonfire was and there was an introductory message about what this was and what we want to do with it. Then the kickoff activity, which was to divide into teams of 5-7, go back to the field, get a pallet, crowbar, and hammers, disassemble the pallet and reassemble it into a stretcher-like device, and use it to carry one of the team members from the field to the clearing. First one back wins. Well, not to brag but my team got the pallet turned into a stretcher in mere minutes and had our guy carried back before there was a second place team even attempting a lift. It was several minutes before second place showed up. Then, there was a worship service and a message, followed by some more fellowship time. Overall a good time and I’m hopeful for a good ministry. Only downside was there were sweat bees everywhere.

The softball team got dropped into the loser’s bracket this week. The tournament started and right away we basically got nothing going against Fellowship Baptist. We didn’t play bad, just not really good either, and lost 15-8. Since we lost, we played again right away, and we picked things back up again for the 2^nd game. We played First Baptist and beat them 8-7, so we are alive to play some more next week.

I wrote checks (electronically) for both kids to go to school this semester. It was on Judy this time, she’s been helping a lot with the money. Between the two, the bills for tuition and housing came to over $33,000.

Beth and Missy picked up Missy’s framed puzzle on Friday in FW. The puzzle is amazing looking. Unfortunately Beth left her wallet at the Hobby Lobby so she had to go trek back there to get it the next day.

I finally got the "new" truck back from the shop on Monday. Everything is fixed and working, and it does run smoother (I noticed a slight scraping noise that was always there somewhere in the front is now gone. I'd thought maybe it was just truck noise because it was always there.) So I hope that this is the last repair work that needs done for a while because it cost $2100, even with a family pricing that they were nice enough to give me. But it seems ok for now, fingers crossed.

Softball had the last game of the regular season Tuesday, against the first place and undefeated team (Shepherd of the Lakes) which is loaded with young players of actual ball. This was to make up a rainout game a few weeks ago. It may sound weird to say, but I thought we played really well against them and held our own...weird to say because we lost 20-8, but we did play well. They just crushed the ball pretty much all the time. Tournament next week, which is our regular season...

I finally had a good day to ride with the Wednesday evening group B at Trailhouse, and made it on time. Rode with 3 others that I don't think I'd ever met before. We went out for about 28 miles, a good ride out towards the west and back.

The "un-garage sale" that Beth's work place puts on every year was this weekend. They've been working pretty hard to get it set up. It's gotten big enough that they had to stop taking donations a few weeks ago, and it was being set up in the gym at Presby instead of wherever they did it before. The deal is, everything is free. Racks and racks of donated clothes, toys, games, housewares, everything that goes into a garage sale, is donated from the community and it's all given away for free. Beth and I worked the sale, the first few hours checking kids into and out of the free child care area, and also cleaning up afterwards. The whole place was packed, and over 800 people did shopping there. It seems you have to get there early to get the best stuff, though...and several people asked me incredulously, this is all free? Everything? Even this? And this? All free? And yes, yes it is. It seems you have to get there early, though, because the good stuff went fast. Obviously. There was still a lot of stuff at the end, though, and I helped pack it all up and haul it away to Goodwill at the end of the day, which was still a big job. Amazing.