Baseball, Birthdays, and The Man From U.N.C.L.E.

September 04, 2015

Some weeks fly by faster than others. Some are more filled with simple pleasures and everyday adventures. I just experienced one of those weeks when my mom came to visit for a week. She lives in California, so we’re lucky to see each other once a year.

We started by anticipating the pleasure for several months leading up to her visit. Anticipation is a great simple pleasure, don’t you think? After we made airline reservations, I started making lists of things I wanted to do while she was here. Mostly what we wanted to do was talk and be together, so we didn’t plan activities for every day. We spontaneously chose to do what we felt like doing, whether that was taking a swim in the pool, shopping, or going out to lunch. I put aside my usual chores and activities so that I could sit and talk. And watch movies in the afternoon—decadence!

Some other highlights:

We had a family gathering so she could reconnect with my husband’s family who live locally. We used this get-together to celebrate two milestone birthdays: my son’s 21st and my father-in-law’s 80th. They share the same birthday!



We headed over to St. Petersburg for a Tampa Bay Rays baseball game. My mom loves to go as much as I do, and Nick joined us. The Rays have been having an up and down season, but they won the day we went—go Rays! (Maybe we should go more often?)


Entrance to Tropicana Field

Nathan Karns pitching

We all went to Cinebistro for dinner and a movie on my son’s actual 21st birthday (Cinebistro is a 21-and-older establishment), one of our favorite outings. (We saw The Man From U.N.C.L.E.—a fun movie we all enjoyed.)




Now Mom is safely home, and I will be playing catch up on household chores and writing tasks. I feel refreshed from slowing down and enjoying the moments we spent together. It’s September, so I’ll be thinking about how this year has gone, and what I still would like to accomplish in 2015. (After all, September is the New January.)  And trying not to think about how long it will be before I see my mom again.

Mom getting ready to go home. Isn't she cute?

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6 comments

  1. Laure FerlitaSeptember 4, 2015 at 9:25 AM

    Hi and Bye to Mom! Sounds like you had a fabulous visit. And Happy 21st Birthday to Nick! The days may be long but the years are getting shorter and shorter!

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  2. Kathy A. JohnsonSeptember 5, 2015 at 11:58 AM

    Laure--We did have a great visit--very satisfying. I'll pass on your birthday greetings to Nick. And yes, the years are getting shorter. How is it possible that my baby is 21?!

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  3. Cheryl GebhartSeptember 5, 2015 at 4:02 PM

    Glad you had such a good visit with your mom. Happy birthday Nick. I remember when my son turned 21 - 12 years ago! He had just started his semester abroad, so he was in Italy. We didn't get to share it with him. And he said it was a bit of an anticlimax, since the drinking age in Italy was something much younger than 21!! Hah!

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  4. Kathy A. JohnsonSeptember 7, 2015 at 9:31 AM

    Thanks, Cheryl. I'm sure it will seem a matter of moments before our son turns 33...

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  5. Deborah NolanSeptember 8, 2015 at 3:11 PM

    Dear Kathy what a lovely post. So glad to meet your mom. I am sure her visit flew by. These times always do. Take care and stay cool. Hugs

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  6. Kathy A. JohnsonSeptember 9, 2015 at 10:38 AM

    We had a lovely visit, though it did whiz by in an instant. Doing my best to stay cool--we've felt a touch of fall in the air now and then (in between torrential rain and oppressive humidity), so I'm enjoying that.

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