Take Me Out to the Ball Game...

Hey all my home run hittin', hot dog eatin', strike pitchin' peeps! Tis' the season I hear for the Ol' American past time game of baseball! I know, I know I apologize I am a few weeks late in welcoming the start of it's season, but I am ready to go out on a limb on this one, and I am going to speak out in faith that my Daddy's favorite team, the Dodgers, is going to be in the World Series- that is a very important game, life lesson #192. So I wanted to impress my Old Man with my Dodger knowledge so I have been researching some of the awesome Dodger players of all-time. I am going to do a Top Ten List... you can call me London Letterman!

Note to y'all before we begin the countdown, these Dodger players are from the L.A. franchise not Brooklyn... Let us continue... Coming in at #10 is Kirk Gibson! Kirk only spent three years with the Dodgers but it has to be his World Series Homer that placed his team ahead 5-4 that helped to leave such a historic impact for him in relation to the Dodgers! Can we get an arm pump?

#9 on London's Top Ten Dodger players of all time is Mike Pizza... what was that Dad? Ohhhh, Piazza, my bad! Did you know that Mr. Piazza is the best-hitting catcher in baseball history?! That's something to be proud of!

I am getting motivated to learn this fascinating game! I even got my very own Louisville slugger out! Papa Rich got me my first Louisville and had my name put on it... I am totally like in the MLB! Getting back to our list, coming in at #8, is Fernando Valenzuela. Yea, the dude pitched a lil' funny but he did have a NO Hitter game against the St. Louis Cardinals and in 1986 he struck out five consecutive batters in the All-Star Game... perhaps his non-conventional way of pitching could be adopted by some.

I am getting so into this Baseball talk that I feel like I need to chew some gum like the major leaguers do... but I am still working on teeth so I will have to settle for my Dodger Paci. Uncle Ryan this Dodger is on the list for you Dude... #7 is Orel Hershiser. Let's go back to 1988, the guy was pretty much a solo act in carrying his team to the World Series title. Good choice in Dodger Heroes Uncle!

#6 on tonight's Countdown is Steve Garvey... not to be confused with Steve Harvey the comedian. Garvey was an EIGHT time All-Star and won FOUR golden gloves!

These guys were amazing at this game... I thought I was doing good at being able to pick the baseball up! Halfway through our list and placing in at #5 is Maury Wills. Wills is known for bringing stealing the bases back to the game... I wonder if he ever gave them back?

#4 on the list was not only a player for the Dodgers, he was a scout, coach and manager... if you guessed Mr. Tommy Lasorda than you win a high five because you are spot on Team Homerun!!! Lasorda REALLY liked this team! Random info, did you know that Tommy was the godfather to one of Piazza's brothers? Maybe a lil' family pull getting Piazza to bleed some Dodger blue, eh? 

The one and the only Vin Scully comes in at #3. Arguably the greatest sports broadcaster in history. He is known for his memorable calls, just the way he can phrase a play or a moment in a game can turn it nostalgic instantly. Scully once said, "I would come home to listen to a football game- there weren't other sports on - and I would get a pillow and I would crawl under the radio, so that the loudspeaker and the roar of the crowd would wash all over me, and would just get goose bumps like you can't believe. And I knew that of all the things in this world that I wanted, I wanted to be that fella saying, whatever, home run or touchdown. It just really got to me." 

#2 on London's researched and compiled list of greatest Dodgers, is Don Drysdale. Drysdale was a dynamic pitcher, he was half of a dominating pitching duo during the 1960s... just a lil' before I was born. #1 on the countdown...drum roll please... is the other half of that dominating pitching duo Mr. Sandy Koufax. Koufax is one of the best left-handed pitchers of all-time. Koufax led the Dodgers to two World Series titles. These guys make me feel exhausted just discussing their accomplishments!

I hope y'all enjoyed my Top Ten List of the Greatest Dodgers of All Times. Hey Daddy, are proud of all my Dodger knowledge? I can't wait to learn more about this game from you Pops! Maybe someday I will be in the Hall of Fame, but for now I will practice picking up my Dodger baseball and rolling it to my Dad... the Great's had to start somewhere!

Rather be Muddy Hiking, Than Clean at a Shower

Hey all my Yosemite hikin', bridal shower goin', may the force be with you awesome Peeps! So this past weekend I went with my Mama and Noni to a Bridal shower... not just any shower, it was my soon-to-be Aunt Monica's Shower... In case you are wondering it is called a shower because everyone HAS to take a shower before they show up! Life lesson #134. 

This is me spick and span and ready for the shower!

And then it hit me like a ton of Lego bricks... my Daddy and Uncle Ryan were not going to this gathering... THEY were going up to YOSEMITE!!! Hold everything! What kind of Jedi mind trick did they use on me? 

I would have loved to eat a chicken sandwich and record on a Sony Action Cam! Now I am just picturing in my Patiwan mind what it would have been like to be in Yosemite with "The Guys"...

I mean, think about all the awesome footage we could have got on the Action Cam of me and The Yosemite Fall! 

Ahhhhh, those would've been great memories!

Well, enough about showers and a fall, I have made a realization while Jedi Mickey and I were hanging out... every year on May 4th, I celebrate Star Wars Day! For those who might be confused... May the FOURTH be with you... haha, hope you get it. But now, since Uncle Ryan is getting married on that day, now I have 2 things to celebrate!

Celebrate good times come on!

Jedi Mick and your Patiwan nephew are real happy for you bud! May 4th is coming up quick and we're super duper excited! Oh yea, and if you hear a fog horn sort of noise on your Big Day, it will not be Chewbaca, it will be me cheering for y'all!!!

I have just one more thought before I hit the crib-ster...

When you get back from the moon with your honey I say we pack up and hit the ol' trail! I need to pick up some of those cool wooden shades bro... I mean Uncle.

Uncle Rye... May the Fourth Be With You.

A First Easter Bunny Tale!

Hey all of my egg colorin', basket fillin', carrot leavin', best dressed in your Sunday best, Bunny watchin' Peeps... not to be confused with those yellow chick marshmallow Peeps I just learned about on Sunday... HAHA!!!

I am about to tell you a tale of long ago... well, actually it was only two days ago... just trying to sound like my friend Charles Dickens.

Where did I leave off? Oh yes...

It all began on my First Easter weekend and it was Egg-mazing- definitely sounding more and more like Dickens! It was a weekend full of fun adventures and new discoveries... including this bunny suit Mama picked up for me... the cotton tail was cool, the ears resembled that of a cat more than a bunny and they did not help me hear any better, but it was still rad to pretend I was the hippity-hoppity Easter Bunny!

Mommy wanted me to be festive while we colored my very first batch of Easter eggs.

 I was not too sure about this whole coloring perfectly good grub with artificial color...

But I gave it a whirl to please the Folk-sters... those kids are always workin' on somethin'!

And it turns out, Yours Truly became EGG-static about coloring un-hatched chicklings!!!

Are y'all ready to check out my master pieces? NO, they are NOT hiding in my Dad's beard silly! What do you think this is, an Easter egg hunt???

TA-DAAAAA! #POW!

Mama and Noni had EGG-stra fun decorations to spruce up these cute lil' eggs... we would not have it any other way than Mickey style of course!!!

After egg coloring I got plum tuckered out! But Mama and Daddy told me that we had to put a carrot out so that the Easter Bunny could have a yummy snack when he hopped to our house to drop off a basket full of goodies for ME! So I gave the furry guy one of my mini carrots... told Mama not to blend up this one!

And if I did not see it with my own peep-sters, I would never have believed it... I awoke Easter Morning and this is what I saw...

YEA... I KNOW!!! This Bunny actually took a bite out of the carrot... HE IS SO REAL!

That's not him... That's just me taking a break from this story to eat some breakfast carrots with a mask on...

See! Had you guys going for a second! Now where was I...

You have got to be kidding me!  Mom says the Easter bunny is in the front yard!  It's time to get dressed for the Big Day.  I hear you have to dress your best to get a chance at seeing old mister bunny.  Here is good ole mom helping me put on my snazzy hat!

And no outfit is complete unless you are rockin' a very classy bow-tie!  Dad! To the front yard!  Let's track this Rabbit!

I don't believe it!  There was a bunny paw trail that went from the edge of the grass and and took a hop onto our walk way!

I was in TOTAL dis-belief! Mama and Daddy, is this a dream, or did Mr. Easter Rabbit really leave me  my very own Easter Basket???

How did he know I loved Mickey? I hope he is not offended that I like mice more than rabbits!

Mr. Bunny even filled my plastic Easter eggs with Gerber Organic Puffs that teach me my fine motor skills... he must have children.

And it wasn't long before shock wore off, and curiosity kicked into high gear!

The Disney books and blu-rays were awesome... but there was this one orange egg that got my attention!

And kept my attention for quite some time.

Not only did the Easter Bunny get me a basket, but my Papa Rich and Noni did too!!! 

WOW! This puppy was packed out! Thank you Papa Rich and Noni! If I did not know better I would think that Papa and Noni knew the Easter Bunny or something... 

Suddenly I got word that there was a Bunny sighting at my Aunt Cookie's house... grab my coat Folks... and away we GO!

Once we got there, the Fam wanted to eat a quick lunch! I couldn't believe they did not want to begin Bunny searching immediately... time is of the essence!!!!

Aunt Cookie then told me that she saw "The Bunny" in a lil' hole behind some cages that were in her backyard... guess it's better for him to be behind a cage than in it!

Lunch was finally over and now we get to go have a little "look see" like Doctor Knox would say.

You know I meant business if I lost my bow tie and coat for a minute... can't get those dirty.

And then... I spotted him! Aunt Cookie had to offer him fresh veggies, and Cousin Kirsten lured him out while Cousin Katelyn waved her sparkly crutch at him... but he finally made his Easter appearance!!!

He was a lil' smaller than I had imagined the Easter Bunny to be... but he was so awesome!!! He must have been over eating carrots after eating them all night, 'cause all he was wanting to grub on was grass.

And then it happened... I got to take my picture with The Bunny... it was strange that my Dad could hold the Easter Bunny and he had super dirty feet... but it was probably because he was hopping all over the world the night before.

I started to warm up a bit the more pics we all took...

I wanted to make sure that I was nice to him so that he would hop over to our house next Easter and leave me his paw prints and another Mickey basket!

Then I was trying to give my Mama the look as if to say, "Do you think Mr. Bunny would like to come home with us? I promise I will share my carrots everyday with him!"

POOF! Suddenly the Easter Bunny was gone! Well, my Daddy let him hop in the grass and Aunt Cookie I think gave him a lil' Timothy hay... it is kinda weird that Aunt Cookie has like all this bunny food and treats at her house... no wonder the Easter Bunny hangs out there after his deliveries!

Mama put my coat and bow tie back on and home we went. I got to sit with the Easter eggs we colored and admire our craftsmanship while eating a few Gerber Puffs.

I began to ponder... It is pretty crazy that for every major pager holiday someone comes to your house and drops off a gift... old man with a beard at Christmas (NOT to be confused with my Daddy), cupid at Valentine's and a white bunny with a brown streak down his back at Easter... totally amazing!

Side note, this here was my absolute favorite Easter egg we colored!

Man that tale was long! I am exhausted!

But I am getting a little emotional that this Easter holiday is all over and that Mama and Daddy are telling me that I need to get in my P.J.'s... yes, I am sure Dickens wore a footed sleeper too!

I sure hope that I can fit into this snazzy outfit next year... I feel like it brought me good luck... I mean come on, what kid gets lucky enough to not only see colored Easter Bunny paw prints in his front yard... but to actually touch his dirty feet at his Aunt Cookie's house?

Well, hope y'all had as awesome as an Easter as I! HEY! Just had an amazing thought, maybe next year we can invite the Easter Bunny to Church! WOOOOHOOOOOOO! Charles Dickens to the L to the J to the G signing off and to all a good night!