ANOTHER GRADUATE

Check it out. . . I have another who graduated from college!!

My niece, Kristen, has been attending Loyola Marymount University in Los Angeles and she graduated two weekends ago. My sister sent me a few photos to share.

Here she is on graduation day with her husband, Mo, and their baby, Adrian. They are a precious family!

And here she is with her little brother, Kevyn. Isn't it funny how "little" brothers get so big?!

There's a cool family connection with LMU. Kristen's grandpa still teaches at LMU and I got to participate in the Research Experience for Teachers (RET) program there two summers ago.
It's a gorgeous campus with terrific programs.
Kristen got her degree in education and I don't think she'll have too much problem landing a job. From what I hear from her proud momma, she's gotten rave reviews as a student teacher. And she's cute!

Another generation of teachers in the family...watch out world!!

THE GRADUATE

Last weekend we had the joy of traveling to Albuquerque to attend the graduation and accompanying celebrations for my nephew, Johnny. We skipped the big ceremony at The Pit (Johnny's choice) and attended a wonderful reception and ceremony at the Department of Physics and Astronomy.

John walks in the lecture hall with his UNM posse. I'm so proud of this young man -- he received his B.S. in physics and has been accepted to Boston University where he will pursue his doctorate in physics. He's a brainiac for sure! (And ruggedly handsome.)

These are the Three John Ogrens.

My nephew, John I., on the left,

my dad, John R., in the middle, and

my brother, John M., on the right.

I think they are adorable.

The Cousins.

Here's John after graduation at his casa with his cousins (my kids) and his little sister, Anna. The only one missing is his brother, Sam. Where's Sam?

Posing with Parents.

On the left are John's grandparents from Los Angeles and on the right are his parents

I love this picture!

I can hear my dad saying, "Now, now," as he holds back mom who must have said something crazy to the grad. That's the way they roll!

And the way my kids roll...

Mitchell and Catherine put together a banner to congratulate Johnny on his accomplishments.

A white sheet, a little spray paint and a bit of creativity are put together in Uncle John's garage.

Congratulations, Dawg!

We realized that in high school, Johnny was a bull dog, at UNM he was a lobo and at BU he will be a terrier.

So the question was posed, "Who let that dog out?" Woof!

It was a wonderful Saturday in New Mexico and a day of celebration!

I'm very proud of my nephew and pray he continues to learn and grow and find success (and not be afraid to fail) as he continues in Boston.

TAKE ME OUT TO THE BALLGAME

Celebrations for John continued into Sunday as the gang gathered at the Isotopes baseball park.

The Isotopes team is a triple-A affiliate of the Florida Marlins.

<----The mascot is Orbit.

It was a beautiful and warm day at the ballpark. We got to see the 'topes hit a grand slam, the opponents blow an infield fly, and a message of congrats on the announcement board for Johnny.

Pictured above are half of the family and friends that showed up at the ballpark.

Sam was there for his big brother's celebration.

Anna and Carolyn cuddle in the 80+ degree sunshine.



Mitchell and his Dodgers hat.

Albuquerque used to be home to an affliate of the Dodgers, but the Dukes moved to Portland in 2000 and were renamed the Beavers. In 2003 the Isotopes moved in to Albuquerque.

Johnny and his significant Maddi and another gal who graduated with Johnny but I don't remember her name.

We sure enjoy our baseball!

Maybe it's the thrill of a homerun, the sunshine pouring down, or the warmth of sharing the afternoon with loved ones. For whatever reason, baseball has been a part of my family since I can remember.

It turned out there was a double-header for us, but some of us had to catch a plane back to WA.

Before leaving the ballpark, it was important to me to get a picture with my Dad and brother. I sure love them and am so grateful to have been with them this weekend.

On the flight home Catherine and Stephanie catch up on some homework.

I tried to sleep the whole flight.

CATHERINE'S FINAL

Catherine signals from second base that there's one out or that they have one more game to play.

Oh, yeah...that's the "one out" signal.

Catherine tracks a popup (it's the little dot at the top of the picture) in the infield.

At the end of a season that involved 8 games cancelled due to rain, we enjoyed a cloud-free afternoon at the 7th Avenue fields.

How do you finish a season in which the weather has won more games than you have?

Catherine's up to bat and the team lines the dugout fence. Steve takes a stand and Stephanie sits bundled in a blanket at Catherine's elbow. (It was cloudless but not necessarily warm.)

Catherine gives this one a ride! She smacked a nice double, driving in a run and giving the Monarchs a two-run lead in the bottom of the 6th. This was a very good thing as in the top of the 7th, Ridgefield came back and scored one. Catherine's RBI ended up being the difference in the game and the Monarchs finished the season with a win!

SOFTBALL PICTURES

CLICK the picture to enlarge it and get a closer look at the kids.
(It works like that for me!)

Catherine playing second base for Mark Morris Monarchs.

Up at bat with the only umpire in a motorized wheelchair. I don't remember his name, but I do know he's a terrific ump and the girls are always glad when he's behind the plate.

<< Stephanie up at bat with 3-0 count. She eventually walked.

Stephanie picked up another game today, joining a team of older girls in a tournament.

It was still a cold day and we grabbed our blankets, jackets, chairs and sunflower seeds

again and had four games this time.

Tomorrow the tournament continues, but Stephanie will miss the first game due to church.

If the team loses that game, they're out of the tournament so I sure hope they don't lose. I wouldn't mind another afternoon at the ballpark!

<<There's Steph in left/center shielding her eyes from the glaring sun.

Steph played catcher during the first three games, but in the fourth her back was hurting so coach moved her to the outfield.

STEPHANIE PLAYS BALL!

Our Friday night adventure this week involved grabbing our blankets, jackets, chairs and sunflower seeds to enjoy an evening of watching Stephanie playing softball.
Stephanie managed to get a hit and cover all the bases.

Watching carefully as she prepares to jet from first.

The girls have this silly dugout chant and it requires a response from the runner, so Stephanie gives her WOO HOO while sitting on second.

Stephanie takes her lead from third and looks for an opportunity to rush the plate.

Patience pays off. When there is a passed ball, Steph races home and slides safely across the plate scoring her team's first run of the game.

When Stephanie isn't running around the bases and trying to steal home, she's busy guarding it.

She caught a really cool pop foul, flinging off her catcher's mask and tracking the ball all the way into her glove.

GIRLS SOFTBALL in the Pacific Northwest

Check out the short news story video. Makes me proud to be a softball mom.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/22425001/vp/24395349#24395349

It's such an amazing story that I've lifted the article from FOX Sports and pasted it below.

Opponents carry injured home-run hitter around bases

PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) - With two runners on base and a strike against her, Sara Tucholsky of Western Oregon University uncorked her best swing and did something she had never done, in high school or college. Her first home run cleared the center-field fence.
But it appeared to be the shortest of dreams come true when she missed first base, started back to tag it and collapsed with a knee injury.
She crawled back to first but could do no more. The first-base coach said she would be called out if her teammates tried to help her. Or, the umpire said, a pinch runner could be called in, and the homer would count as a single.
Then, members of the Central Washington University softball team stunned spectators by carrying Tucholsky around the bases Saturday so the three-run homer would count - an act that contributed to their own elimination from the playoffs.
Central Washington first baseman Mallory Holtman, the career home run leader in the Great Northwest Athletic Conference, asked the umpire if she and her teammates could help Tucholsky.
The umpire said there was no rule against it.
So Holtman and shortstop Liz Wallace put their arms under Tucholsky's legs, and she put her arms over their shoulders. The three headed around the base paths, stopping to let Tucholsky touch each base with her good leg.
"The only thing I remember is that Mallory asked me which leg was the one that hurt," Tucholsky said. "I told her it was my right leg and she said, 'OK, we're going to drop you down gently and you need to touch it with your left leg,' and I said 'OK, thank you very much."'
"She said, 'You deserve it, you hit it over the fence,' and we all kind of just laughed."
"We started laughing when we touched second base," Holtman said. "I said, 'I wonder what this must look like to other people."'
"We didn't know that she was a senior or that this was her first home run," Wallace said Wednesday. "That makes the story more touching than it was. We just wanted to help her."
Holtman said she and Wallace weren't thinking about the playoff spot, and didn't consider the gesture something others wouldn't do.
As for Tucholsky, the 5-foot-2 right fielder was focused on her pain.
"I really didn't say too much. I was trying to breathe," she told The Associated Press in a telephone interview Wednesday.
"I didn't realize what was going on until I had time to sit down and let the pain relax a little bit," she said. "Then I realized the extent of what I actually did."
"I hope I would do the same for her in the same situation," Tucholsky added.
As the trio reached home plate, Tucholsky said, the entire Western Oregon team was in tears.
Central Washington coach Gary Frederick, a 14-year coaching veteran, called the act of sportsmanship "unbelievable."
For Western Oregon coach Pam Knox, the gesture resolved the dilemma Tucholsky's injury presented.
"She was going to kill me if we sub and take (the home run) away. But at the same time I was concerned for her. I didn't know what to do," Knox said.
Tucholsky's injury is a possible torn ligament that will sideline her for the rest of the season, and she plans to graduate in the spring with a degree in business. Her home run sent Western Oregon to a 4-2 victory, ending Central Washington's chances of winning the conference and advancing to the playoffs.
"In the end, it is not about winning and losing so much," Holtman said. "It was about this girl. She hit it over the fence and was in pain, and she deserved a home run."