Time for a new poll! Brenden’s official due date is Aug 4, but I’ve read only about 5 percent of pregnant women actually deliver on their due date. When do you think he’ll arrive?
Duck Derby!
Jenny’s final big project, the first-ever SWA Duck Derby, is now complete! We dumped 5000 cute rubber ducks with a SWA paint scheme into the lazy river at SeaWorld San Antonio and let them race 1 lap. Each one represented a SWA employee who had paid $5 to sponsor a new hire, providing a welcome message, t-shirt, and lanyard for them. In return, if the sponsor’s duck was among the first 25 ducks to finish, they won a great prize, such as a SeaWorld vacation package or Wii bundle. Jenny and her team worked on it for months, and it finally came together with great results. Around 200 SWA employees and guests came to cheer on their ducks and had a great time. One couple even made signs for their ducks, like those you’d bring to a hockey game for your favorite player. We were exhausted by the end of the day from the work and heat, but it was worth it. Jenny got a chance to sneak away and feed a dolphin before the race began, which was one of the highlights of the trip. I’ll have pictures for you soon. This weekend is NUTS with work, birthing class, our first baby shower, and limited amounts of sleep.
It Ain’t Over Yet
We went to Game 4 of the Western Conference Finals tonight thinking it would be great to win but emotionally prepared for a sweep by the mighty Red Wings. We were happy just to be there watching the Stars in the finals for the first time in so many years. A couple we met from our apartment community joined us for their first professional hockey game EVER. The Stars decided to play their own game instead of chasing the Red Wings, and the result was one of the most exciting hockey games I’ve ever attended. Regular season games are fun, but playoff games are so much better. I took a couple of pics after the game:
If by some miracle Dallas advances and we go to one of the games, Jenny promised to paint a big green star on her belly. Go Stars!
Take Me Out to the Ballgame
Some friends of ours gave us tickets to the Rangers-Mariners game Monday night. It was a perfect night for baseball – a nice breeze, temp in the mid-70s, a few clouds. In elementary school and junior high I followed baseball closely, especially the Rangers and my hero Nolan Ryan. I remember being really upset one night in 4th or 5th grade because I had all this math homework to do and couldn’t watch the game with Mom and a cup of Blue Bunny strawberry frozen yogurt. I read two or three of his books plus his wife’s book, and even met his wife at a Christian bookstore one afternoon. After Nolan retired, my interest gradually waned. Before last night, I hadn’t even been to a Rangers game in a few years. We had a great time once again sitting in the Ballpark, which I am THRILLED to note is now named Rangers Ballpark in Arlington – not Ameriquest Field or some other lame name chosen by a company who paid millions for the naming rights. Stadiums should be named after people, places, or teams, not companies. Anyway, two Rangers homered while we were there, setting off fireworks and the wonderful theme song from The Natural. Hecklers, cheeseburgers, Dot Race tickets, The Wave, kid-sized baseball gloves, and overpriced Cokes all made an appearance. As a sign that I’m truly a grown-up now, I was actually more focused on talking with our friends about our children than on the game itself. I’ve never discussed pediatricians at a sporting event before. When they left in the 4th inning to take their tired and fussy baby home, it didn’t seem weird, especially since we waddled out in the 5th so Jenny could get to bed and I could go to work. I wondered whether Brenden would be a baseball fan or even a player someday, imagining myself at a tiny Little League field watching him play shortstop. The Rangers’ ad agency was right – I could use some baseball.
Happy Mother’s Day!
I want to wish all the current and future moms out there a very happy Mother’s Day! We took my mom and grandmother out to Babe’s Chicken Dinner House tonight and will have lunch tomorrow with Jenny’s mom. Friday night I took Jenny out to Red Lobster and gave her a pedicure. She says I have mad toe-painting skillz. And she is correct. Next time you see her, ask to check out her feet.
I also want to give props to my mom for being such a fantastic CARES volunteer. We have lots of great volunteers, but Mom normally helps with at least one event per month, sometimes more, and she would help more often if we asked her to/let her. Even on the day before Mother’s Day, she gave up her Saturday morning to cook french toast and sausage at our breakfast event. She rocks! Our residents love her, too. She’s so cool that a couple of residents even ask about her when she’s not there! Thanks again for all your help, Mom.
Mailboxes
This week we spent 3 afternoons passing out sweets at our apartment complex mailboxes – ice cream on Tuesday, brownies Wednesday, and cookies Thursday. Imagine us in BRIGHT ORANGE shirts standing there as you walk over after work to pick up your mail. Here’s what we found:
- Each day, more than half of the people we talked to took something. On ice cream day (individually wrapped ice cream sandwiches, dipped cones, etc) and brownie day, the ratio was 2:1 or greater.
- Each day we had a few people who didn’t want to talk to us, either because they were already involved in a cell phone conversation or just thought we were weird. They went straight to their mailboxes and never made eye contact.
- A few people had a vague idea of who we are and asked for more details, which we were happy to provide.
- Many people were surprised to see us and didn’t seem familiar with CARES, which makes me wonder whether they get our event calendars on their door, whether they read them, and whether the calendars are an effective tool.
- A few of our regulars came and hung out with us for a while, which was lots of fun. We really have made some good friends through CARES!
- We met several people on their way to/from the gym or the running trail. Some of them turned down our goodies. Others figured they would burn off the calories and took a cookie as a reward. CARES does a lot of things for residents, but helping them lose weight isn’t one of them. =)
- One couple felt sorry for us out in the May heat and brought us bottled water, which was extremely nice of them.
We enjoyed the chance to tell lots of new people about CARES and invite them to our breakfast on Saturday. In future months we want to find a better balance of “you come to us” like pancake breakfasts and “we come to you” events like this.