Battle of I-70

The second trip of the summer is now history...

Patty kept the pups. They generally enjoy their time with Aunt Patty and Uncle Jimmy, this past weekend was no disappointment to them.

I made my way North on 75 by way of West US 400 and 80 miles of countryside that I will hopefully never see again...

Friday night Greinke was pitching for the Royals. I'm assuming that LaRussa knew we were outmatched going up against the 2009 Cy Young award winning pitcher for the AL. So he played pretty much he second string. We lost, but Terry had a good time and since he was driving - well it worked out.

Saturday's game was a scorcher. LaRussa used the bullpen exclusively for the pitching staff - beginning with the starter. The rest of the team was the A-Team and we won!

The games were incredible. I won't go into the boring detail since you can always hop on over to mlb.com and get that for yourself.

The time spent with family was cherished. Terry has an incredible family. Three very active children, Scott, Macy and Morgan. There is never a dull moment at that house. I had the privilege of watching Scott play baseball. Louie and Aunt Ellen came also, and it was fun visiting in the 100 degree heat with them.

The weekend was too short.

Long days and pleasant nights.

Ups and Downs

Everyone that has known me for more than a decade knows that I have had my ups and downs with my weight. It is generally tied to my current emotional state and what is going on around me at the time.

Due to the events of 2009, I took a very serious look at myself. I looked in the mirror and did not like what I saw on the outside nor the inside.

The explanation to that is...

I didn't like that my clothes were getting tight and it wouldn't be long until I had to purchase a size larger.

I didn't like that all my life I had been on yo-yo diets with no real focus. There were pills and diet plans designed to drop weight fast. But I always came back to the cheeseburgers and pizza. Braums drive-thru and Mazzio's delivery are simply too convenient.

So as a Christmas present to myself, I bought a cheapo treadmill and it arrived the day after Christmas. By chance I found a co-worker that became my biggest cheerleader and unofficial coach. She is an exercise freak compared to me. The first week was hell. I couldn't even walk on the treadmill for 2 minutes without thinking my lungs were going to explode.

At the same time, I began ridding my kitchen of anything that was processed or contained white flour. Walking to work became almost the norm a couple times a week. The toughest times were those days that I had to wear three layers of clothing and hiking boots then avoid the cars sliding down the mountain on the ice. Co-workers have become so accustomed to seeing me walk that they only slow long enough for me to acknowledge the wave.

In April my employer announced a biggest loser competition. I was asked to join the first team that formed. Still not happy with my weight and the fact that the scale didn't seem to be moving.

Our team captain has been a champion in giving me pointers and teaching me how to overcome obstacles. Everyone at work that is participating in the challenge is a winner.

We had our mid challenge weigh-in last week. Today I found out that I was the second biggest loser. My goal is in sight. The next goal is set. The ultimate goal is to be healthy the next 44 years.

long days and pleasant nights

Father's Day

Today is the day each year that we set aside to say thanks to all those men that have left the fun of their lives to become a super hero, horsie, guidance counselor, t-ball coach and overall Greatest Man on Earth.

It only takes a small amount of sperm and 2 minutes to Father a child.

To be a Daddy it takes years. A Daddy is always there for the tears and the joy. Your daddy stays up all night December 24 putting together that new train set and making sure it works while eating the cookies left for Santa.

Daddy takes your dog to the vet when you notice he isn't just quite right before school. Then is waiting for you after school crying because there was nothing the vet could do to save him.

Daddy comes home after 14 hours on the road hauling plumbing supplies and spends 2 hours trying to get you to understand the concept of x=y. Then takes time to go talk to the teacher to get any pointers on how to help you get it.

Daddy gets up at 2am on Saturday morning and makes sure you are on the bus and off to the next speech competition. He is sitting in the back of the room hearing all those nights of practice run through his head as you act them out for the judges. His arms are waiting when you win to celebrate; when you are told you didn't make it to the final round to wipe the tears.

Daddy is the one that always seems to know how to make your car run better. He eats those horrible first time recipes and never complains that it isn't fit for even an animal to eat.

My Daddy made sure my values were in the right place. He is always there when I call and even when I don't know I need him, he is there.

So I say Happy Father's Day to the Greatest Daddy on Earth...

long days and pleasant nights.

stop the bullying

Last night while watching the Cardinals, the commentators told a heartbreaking side story.

An 11 year-old die-hard Cardinals fan had been bullied at school relentlessly for most of the school year. Parents complained but the bully's were never punished. Supposedly the teachers nor administration ever saw what was happening to this child. A couple weeks ago the boy had reached his limit and fought back. What do you know, adults actually saw the retaliation. The boy that had been a victim was suspended from school - his parents called in - the instigators were not punished.

The parents took the child home and went back to work. When they got home from work they found his body in his room. He had put on his Pujols jersey and blown his head off. Yesterday would have been his 12th birthday. Instead of buying a birthday cake, the parents asked the Cardinals for permission to use their logo on his headstone.

If you have a child in school or are associated with children... please talk to them. Relentless teasing is just as bad as physical abuse - could even be worse.

long days and pleasant nights

Who Told the Reds They Can Win...

What an interesting year 2010 is turning out to be.

Not a bad year by any stretch of the imagination. The year actually can almost be called "magical."

Nicole and I had the best time in Birmingham. Steve and I have solidified what can only be considered a wonderful cousin relationship. The trip to the mountains has given me new friends and introduced me to possibly the most wonderful man since my Dad... more on that in the coming months.

To explain why it's an "interesting" year I have to take you to major league baseball. Stop complaining this is TammieLand and you know you will hear baseball stuff...

This is the year the Cardinals began with a healthy, impressive starting pitching rotation. We have Pujols, Holliday Molina, Ludwick, Rasmus and Ryan - we began the season exploding past everyone in the NL Central Division. Then May came... Two starting pitchers were unexpectedly placed on the DL. LaRussa resorted to the bullpen and a rookie for starting pitching rotation. That hasn't worked out very well. Pujols and Holliday can't seem to see the ball.

Let me explain, Pujols not being up to par on batting means he only has a .309 average - which is still way above most players. LaRussa had to pull Ryan out of a few games because all of a sudden he couldn't bat or catch or throw or even seem to stand without causing an error. I know it's only June, but the Reds have been able to take over the lead in the division. The REDS who haven't been able to win anything since Johnny Bench was catching and Sparky Anderson was managing. That's the 1970's for those of you that don't know.

On the AL side the Rangers are actually winning games and have been in the lead most of the season.

I just want to know who told the Reds and Rangers that they can win baseball games...

long days and pleasant nights to ye

Rocky Mountain High...

Just got back from a very productive business trip to the Rockies. Valerie with WeatherCall has been trying to get me to Colorado for a couple years now. Finally she accomplished at least that goal.

I had never been to Denver or the area around it. I was given all kinds of advice on how to avoid the altitude illness and still keep up my workout routine for the News Channel 8 Fitness Challenge. Drinking twice the normal amount of water was a good trick. Ibuprofen didn't hurt either.

The first night I met Elizabeth and Bill. Elizabeth and I have become friends thru the past couple years in our joint WeatherCall adventures. They have a beautiful home with a McCaw (sp) parrot named Duchess that insists you say Hi Baby before talking to anyone else in the home. Also living there is a lizard, turtle, two rats, 2 yr old poodle, baby healer and a cat. Forgot to mention the 18 yr old daughter and 2 sons ages 10 and 8. We had a wonderful time Saturday night. Bill grilled salmon, Val and her daughter came over. It was a lot of fun.

Sunday we packed up all the cars with more food than I have ever seen outside a grocery store and headed up the mountain. The cars were so full of supplies I was afraid that some of us would be walking. The question was asked "how did Louis and Clark travel cross country with only mules?" The vehicle I was in had a Hell Pony sticker on the back. So all was good.

The atmosphere and surroundings were breathtaking.

Monday and Tuesday were jam packed with business and information overload. The only real thing that needs mentioned here is the way I dazzled the NWS man with all my weather knowledge. Pretty sure Frank will not let me venture out to another seminar with fellow Chief Meteorologists unless he is with me... Did I mention I dazzled the NWS guy?

The week was good. Met some wonderful people, ate like a Queen, made some new friends... Can't ask for anymore.

Long days and pleasant nights to ye...