Road Trip ...

Tomorrow I am heading off on a road trip. We are driving from my house in NovyLand to NJ. I will be flying home on Sunday evening. I am pretty excited - I love to travel and this is definately an adventure !

I just printed out my tickets to Saturday's Yankee game ... Can you believe I am admitting that? I am VERY anti MFY ... but I have always had a dream to visit every MLB ball park ... and since this one is closing after next season, I needed to take advantage of this trip.

I want to wear one of my Red Sox hat's but MG refuses. He doesn't want to have to get in a fight while we are there ... are MFY fans really going to start something with a girl from the midwest? I guess I won't get to cheer at this game ... I will try and sneak in some hoots for the Royal's though.

Also, it is NO secret that I used to be a big ol' Johnny Damon fan ... so, maybe he'll be playing - there won't be any "I love you Johnny"s being yelled ... but maybe just to see his non-smiling face. We all heard the trade rumors - I would not be surprised if they pawn him off ... I'd be happy actually !!

Wish me luck and a safe journey ... I will pray my hardest to have them the MFY's lose ... and the Royals win ... but I don't know that my prayers will be enough ...

~ secrets ~

i keep them.

i keep secrets from a lot of people so as not to disappoint them.

i am an adult, and i should not have to keep things from my family and friends for fear of them being upset with my choices in life.

am i making a mistake with mg? i don't think so. it is not as if i went out and married him or anything. i have not made any drastic, rash decisions. we are only spending time together. "playing house" so to speak.

what is the harm in that? is it that at one point in my life i was afraid of him? i don't mean i feared for my life, not really. he was just verbally abusive from a distance of one thousand miles. half a country.

if i can forgive him and move forward, why can't others let me be happy?

Jumpin Jack Jon Lester !

YAY FOR JON LESTER !!!!

His return to Red Sox baseball produced a much deserved win for the BoSox last night ...

We had fast, hard pitching and heated bats last night ...

Did I tell you how excited I am for Lester ???? This kid deserves lots of praise !

You can read article on last night's game HERE

** another little article about Lester's return to the big leagues can be read

HERE

~ Mini Rant ~

I can hear my mother saying "If you don't have anything nice to say, don't say anything at all..."

My emotion this morning is that I am pissed at the world ...

Happiness ...

There are a lot of things that bring me happiness:

• The DS


• My Family


• The Red Sox


• Friends


• Scrapbooking


• Reading


• Movies


• Music


• Sports

Right now I am beaming about Gabby ... what an amazing night he had - he pitched a

SHUTOUT !!!! It was the first shutout for a Red Sox rookie since Paul Quantrill on July 4, 1993, at Seattle.





I love what Gabbard & Tek had to say when the were asked what worked so well ...





Gabby ~ "Having Varitek back there," Gabbard said. "We went over the hitters before the game like we always do. And you know, he's so good at that ... as a pitcher, I think it makes it a lot easier to pitch."



Tek ~ "I don't pitch," said Varitek. "It's about [the starters] executing pitches, actually. I just try to put them in a situation that's going to make them successful. I'm still not the guy with the ball. Just an aid. And he did the work."



Wakey's up tonight - praying for his 4th win in a row ... GOOD LUCK TIMM-EH .... I Wuv You !

So - I am working half a day today - I gots a date this afternoon ... I am looking forward to it!

Jere the author ...

Imagine my pleasant surprise getting this email today:

Hall of Fame Press to Publish Red Sox Mystery

Hall of Fame Press is proud to announce that it will be publishing in 2008 a Red Sox mystery authored by acclaimed mystery novelist Mary-Ann Tirone Smith and her son Jere Smith. For Mary-Ann Tirone Smith, it will be her 10th book and will feature the return of Rocky Patel, the Boston homicide detective who first appeared in her novel SHE SMILED SWEETLY. Jere Smith is a fourth-generation Red Sox fan and first-generation Red Sox blogger. This book is the first in a planned series of baseball mysteries to be written by the Smiths and published by Hall of Fame Press.

Mary-Ann Tirone Smith has published nine books since 1985. Following the success of her acclaimed memoir, GIRLS OF TENDER AGE, which NPR named one of "The Year's Best Books: Mystery and Nonfiction," she welcomes a return to mystery, and to Boston cop Rocky Patel. Smith is currently working on a Civil War novel and one of her main characters is Captain Abner Doubleday, First United States Artillery, Fort Sumter, 1860-1861, who may have invented baseball after all. She has lived in Connecticut all her life except for the two years she served as a Peace Corps volunteer in Cameroon.

Jere Smith spent the first 29 years of his life in the one county in New England that gets the Yankees on TV, but not the Red Sox. He's got a 10-game plan at Fenway and regularly travels to watch the Sox in other cities. In 2005, he moved to Manhattan where he wore his Sox cap proudly, and worked with the elderly. He's written about the Red Sox on his own time since April 2004 on his blog, "A Red Sox Fan from Pinstripe Territory" ( letsgosox.blogspot.com). He recently moved to the Boston area, where he has fulfilled his life-long dream of getting to see the Red Sox on TV every night.

Dan Doyle, Founder and Executive Director of the Institute for International Sport ( http://www.internationalsport.com/ ) at the University of Rhode Island, conceived Hall of Fame Press with the objective of publishing high-quality sport-themed books. "Mary-Ann Tirone Smith is one of the most respected mystery writers in America," Doyle said. "The Red Sox mystery will be the first in what we plan to be a series of annual baseball mysteries written by the Smiths. One of the many exciting aspects of this announcement is the notion of an annual 'rite of summer' in the form of a first-rate baseball mystery. The series will bring much joy to thousands of baseball fans and other readers. It will also be great fun to see which franchise Mary-Ann chooses each summer as the base for that summer's mystery."

So, where do I sign up to preorder this book? Reading Jere's blog for more than a year now, I must say I can't wait to read this book ...

I am home - just barely. There were 2 awful storms on my drive home yesterday. I couldn't see a foot in front of me and at one point I started to cry it was so scary.

I had a wonderful time. I had my cousins girls for an entire day on Wednesday. I got to visit my friend Mike and his beautiful daughter. I went to the DS's paternal grandparent's house for a birthday party in his honor on Thursday - we put the houseboat in the lake - and we went out for a nice dinner.

Friday I had a nice day to myself. The DS and Papa went fishing so I could get ready for my reunion - I left the house at 4:45 and returned Saturday morning at 10:00 !!! What a fun time I had. I saw a lot of people I haven't seen in a long time and got to spend time with those I don't see as often as I would like.

Saturday we had our own party for the DS - I was a bit hungover, but nobody could tell thank goodness ! We also went out on the houseboat for dinner and to watch the fireworks display.

The weather was HOT - and I am very glad to be home.

I missed my Novy Raw home .....

Quick Rambles from the Iron Range ...

OK ... how exciting is it to see that Okajima is now going to the All-Star Game ???!!!! YAY !!! I love that Boston is representing in high numbers ... we are superb !!!!

Tampa Bay was swept under the rug ... and in a big way today !!! THANK YOU !!!

Today is the DS's birthday ... my little boy is 8 ... *sigh* we had a very fun day.

I went riding around on my dad's go-kart for about 3 hours today while the DS was with his dad. I went down to the lake, and took the trail into the woods ... then when I went to pick up the DS I drove the go-kart instead of my car ... the kids LOVED it ...

I am having a wonderful time at home ... tomorrow I have some of my non-local friends coming to stay the night ... we are going to party it up like it's 1999 !!! Well, it is my 10 year reunion tomorrow night - so maybe it's 1997 ... :)

Nighty Night.

I'm ready ...

I am feeling overwhelmed today.

I am ready to go on my vacation - counting down - only 88 more minutes until I hit the open road. Open road makes me laugh - it's 4th of July weekend - the highways are going to be busy!

My new phone came today - thank goodness. It's not that fancy-schmancy iPhone - it's just the new Razr - which is a step up from my last one .... I'm happy with it.

Bags are packed, car is loaded .... I did forget something at home, so I will have to swing by on my way out of town. That's ok - I live right off the route I am taking so it is not like it is going to take me out of my way.

Can you believe 5 of our beloved boys are on the All-Star team?? Congratulations to:

• Josh Beckett
• Jonathon Papelbon
• David Ortiz
• Mike Lowell
• Manny Ramirez

I voted for all of our boys ... so I am happy that we got 5 in ... that's great. Now let's vote for Okajima !!!!!

~ religious humor ~

A new priest at his first mass was so nervous he could hardly speak.

After mass he asked the monsignor how he had done.

The monsignor replied, "When I am worried about getting nervous on the pulpit, I put a glass of vodka next to the water glass. If I start to get nervous, I take a sip."

So next Sunday he took the monsignor's advice.
At the beginning of the sermon, he got nervous and took a drink.

He proceeded to talk up a storm.

Upon his return to his office after the mass, he found the following note on the door:

1) Sip the vodka, don't gulp.
2) There are 10 commandments, not 12.
3) There are 12 disciples, not 10.
4) Jesus was consecrated, not constipated.
5) Jacob wagered his donkey, he did not bet his ass.
6) We do not refer to Jesus Christ as the late J.C.
7) The Father, Son, and Holy Ghost are not referred to as Daddy, Junior and the spook.
8) David slew Goliath; he did not kick the shit out of him.
9) When David was hit by a rock and was knocked off his donkey, don't say he was stoned off his ass.
10)We do not refer to the cross as the "Big T."
11)When Jesus broke the bread at the last supper he said, "Take this and eat it for it is my body." He did not say "Eat me".
12)The Virgin Mary is not called "Mary with the Cherry".
13)The recommended grace before a meal is not: Rub-A-Dub-Dub thanks for the grub, Yeah God.
14)Next Sunday there will be a taffy pulling contest at St. Peter's not a peter pulling contest at St. Taffy's.