Two of the Cutest Grandpas Ever

For today's enjoyment, I give to you the two cutest Grandpas ever.

Grandpa Lew

Grandpa Jake

Fun with Family Pictures...part 2

Staying with Mom and Dad for a few days means having fun looking through old pictures. Here are a few of the cutest ones we've come across lately...above is a picture of Jason and I. I think Jason was around 1 and I was 5.

Jason fishing (and catching) in the pond at Grandpa Comer's ranch in Texas.

Grandpa Comer and I playing in his pool at his ranch.

Jason and Mom in the hot tub - Jason learned early that light beer and hot tubs go hand in hand. 

Fun Day with Mom

This past Friday was "fun day out with Mom" day. We bought two tickets to the Angels game vs. Oakland, and headed out to Anaheim. The best part was on our way to the game, we were able to stop by Grandpa's place and have dinner with him. Grandpa is doing great and was very happy to see us and have some time to hang out. Every time I see him, he still asks me how my workouts are going and how much I weigh. I'm only too happy to tell him because he is starting to thin out and the point will come one day when I weigh more than he does. I always ask him if he's doing his push-ups and sit-ups, which he always smiles and fibs a bit and says yes. Grandpa knows most everyone in his living center, and has something to say about each person there (good and bad). He makes sure to walk and do his laps every day to keep moving, but will never argue against going back to his room and hanging out in his favorite chair. After a while with Grandpa, he was getting tired and wanted to nap, so Mom and I took off for the stadium.

Friday at the stadium was a big day. Every Friday home game, the Angels have a fireworks show after the game! Our trip was even more exciting because the tickets we bought were right behind the Angels' dugout, 5 rows up from the field! You have to pay attention for foul balls in those seats. There is no net, no wall, no one to save you if a line-drive foul ball comes your way. I did take the time to consider what to do should a foul ball come our way, and my decision came down to the possibility of diving in front of Mom (always protect the Mom) or breaking my hand by catching it. Lucky for us, no foul ball came our way and our lives were spared. These seats were so amazing that we didn't want to get up to get food. We each only had one hot dog and a drink and that's it. No churros, no ice cream, no peanuts...no nothing. It's like the seats were too good to leave and I wanted to soak in every single minute of being there. After the game, there was a huge fireworks show timed to music. It was great to "ooh" and "ahh" with 50,000 of our closest friends. Plus, it was a good reason to hang out in the stadium while the parking lot cleared out.

That's just reason #313 of why I love Angel stadium. Yes, Dodger stadium is closer, but Angel stadium is so worth the drive. First and foremost, the fans - the fans are the best fans ever. The fans love their team, but they are well-behaved, and more importantly, except their children and family to be well-behaved too. The stadium is very clean, the food is a decent price, the parking lot is so easy to get in and get out of, and parking is even cheaper than Dodger stadium! I love Angel stadium and have no problem making the drive to go see a game. Sadly, the Angels lost to Oakland while we were there, but they'll come around. We'll be back to cheer them on another day!

Herkimer's Heroes!

I'd like to give a shout-out and BIG THANKS to everyone who donated to Herkimer's Heroes for the Alzheimer's Walk last Saturday. The walk was a success, and we had a great time participating in it. Jason and I drove down to Huntington Beach to join up with the rest of our crew to walk on the big day.

In the above picture, team members are from left to right: Steve, Jason, Mandi, Uncle Buck, cousin Robyn, Aunt Barbara, and cousin Terri (holding sign). In the back are Jim (holding Jack) and cousin Todd (holding Ethan). Grace is front and center holding the sign.

A huge thank you to cousin Terri for setting this whole thing up for our family and getting us all organized. The fact that she got 10 of us to show up in one place at the right time is, in itself, an amazing task. Our team name - Herkimer's Heroes - was in honor of Grandpa Comer's favorite alter ego - Herkimer J. Snodgrass, III. Our team raised over $2,600, and came in 7th place out of all the teams that day for fundraising! Overall, the teams that walked on Saturday raised $150,000. If you combine that with estimated donations raised from the other half of the Orange County the week before, we are nearing a quarter of one million dollars!

After our walk, Terri, Jason and I went over to visit Grandpa. He was excited to see us, knowing we were going to break him out and take him out to lunch! We headed over to Mimi's for way too much food. Grandpa was excited to have a chicken burger, complete with avocado and bacon. He was the only one to finish his entire burger! Throughout lunch, he was excited to talk to us about what each of us was doing, and where we had been lately. By the end of lunch, I think we wore him out, as he was getting pretty sleepy. We made it back just in time to turn on football and say good night so Grandpa could nap after a big lunch. After the day we had, we all felt like we needed naps too! It was a great way to spend the day.

Thanks again, for all your help and support, from Grandpa and I both!

Moving Grandpa West of the Pecos

Road trip!

The time has come for Grandpa Comer to move west of the Pecos. (Really, if you look it up, he was living in Lubbock, TX, which is east of the Pecos River. We are literally moving him west of the Pecos. I think it's funny.) This is the end-all of road trips, with Dad, Uncle Ron, Uncle Buck, cousin Todd, and Grandpa all in an RV, towing a U-haul, driving back to Southern California. While our family in Texas is sad to see him move away, the Southern California family is very happy he will be living closer to us. More news to come as he gets settled. For now, here's Grandpa all snuggled up in the RV, somewhere in New Mexico.
(photo sent by Dad, taken with his phone)