Update from me....

Then again, isn’t every post on here an update from me?

So I know I’m a little late to this party, but did you see the fight last week between Jeremy’s Nationals and his Marlins? If not, there is a video and write up of it here. A lot has been made over the fact that he stole 2 bases in 4th inning of an 11 run game. Here’s the thing, at the time it was HIS team that was down 11 runs. Would I have called for a steal in that situation? No. But it is what it is. He got hit by a pitch, went down to first and then stole the bases. It would be very different if his team was UP by 11 runs at the time. Having said that, this guy seems to attract trouble. And while I don’t believe everything I read (even if I wrote it) I have to say all the stuff I’ve seen written about this guy makes him sound like an A-hole. Really, you have to watch the video. There are times in baseball when teams fight because they “have” to. Then there are times (like this one) when teams fight because they are pissed off. There were some real punches being thrown in this fight.

Results from the I’m just sayin... football predictions:

JI won!!! (I was right... and I was also ticked off Thursday night because I didn’t get to watch the game due to technical difficulties. I did, however, get to watch it on Friday).

South Carolina won (I was right)

Summerville beat Berkeley (just like I said they would)

Stratford didn’t get the job done (missed this one)

Ft. Dorchester lost (missed this one, too)

Clemson won (I was right)

Auburn won (right again)

Army won (I missed this one)

Charleston Southern won (got this one right)

Navy lost (didn’t get this one right)

So I ended up 6-4 for the week.

Labor Day Weekend was great (as always). Here’s the thing about Labor Day, it’s my favorite (non-religious) holiday. It’s the time of the year that I get to see my Labor Day Family. My Labor Day Family is made up of my Mom’s college roommates and their families. Not everyone was able to make it this year, but we still had a good time. I can’t wait for next year, because we’ll all be staying in the same house for the first time in almost a decade. With the exception of one (maybe two) years at Winthrop, I have seen these people every year. It’s a tradition like no other. There are some years when we get together more than once (if there is a wedding or a funeral)... but we always get together on Labor Day Weekend. Anyway, we had a great time. For those of you scoring at home, here are the main characters for this ongoing chapter of my life:

Mom, Janie, Claire (The Roommates)

Dad (married to Mom... funny how that worked out), DG (married to Janie), & Paul (married to Claire)

Under Mom and Dad we have:

Sonny, Terry, Allison & Austin

Doubting Teri, Brent, Leah, Ansley, & Meredith

Me, The Wife, Mary Ruth, Susie, & Baby Tres

Under Janie & DG we have:

Chandler and her husband Taylor

Jane and her husband AJ

Sally, her husband Will (who you will remember from my post about my funeral), Mac, & Annagray.

Under Claire and Paul we have:

Jason, his wife Julie, Kenneth, Reece, & New Baby (who, rumor has it, will be born this month)

Ruth and her husband (I can’t remember his name right now... they haven’t been to this gathering... at least not in a long time).

**A quick note: my first memories of this gathering are from when Claire was married to Ted. Ted was blind and had a German Sheppard. I don’t remember the dog’s name [Max maybe?] but I remember I loved that dog. I mean LOVED him. I was probably around Mary Ruth’s age at that time. There is a picture somewhere [probably at my parent’s house] of me hugging the dog. If I find it, I’ll post it. Anyway, I think Jason and Ruth were in their early teens when Paul married Claire. For selfish reasons, adding Jason was great for me because at the time me and Sonny were the only boys in the group. End Note**

Perhaps one day I’ll sit down and give you a history of our Labor Day Weekend’s together. Until then, I will tell you a little about this year.... On Saturday, I played golf with Sonny, DG, & Paul. Last year, Sonny & I teamed up and crushed DG & Paul. This year, we again divided into teams me/Sonny vs. DG/Paul and went at it. That was the good news. The bad news is we played best ball (instead of captain’s choice). For those that don’t know, best ball means each person plays their own shot and then the lowest score on the team is what you use. It saddens me to say it, but Sonny couldn’t get the job done and DG & Paul were able to squeak by for the win. To be fair, DG & Paul were playing from the senior tees which were about 150 yards ahead of the white tees (where we were playing from). To continue being fair, DG & Paul have probably played a combined 1,000,000,000,000 rounds of golf in their lifetime while Sonny and I have combined for about 20 rounds. Not to mention I was playing left-handed and we had to play the whole round sober.

On Sunday, Sonny and I dropped the old guys and picked up our brother-in-law Brent and went to play a round at a cheaper golf course. We played captain’s choice because I have an unwritten rule that I’ll never play golf on back to back days if I have to play my own shots on both days. We shot a 76, which while it was 4 over par was still a good time. Who am I kidding... shooting 4 over par was a GREAT time for us. Maybe it was more fun for me because I probably had the most unused (i.e. crappy) shots.

Chandler & Sally were the only G2’s from outside of our branch of the family to make it this year (***Note: G1’s are Mom/Dad, Janie/DG, Claire/Paul; G2’s are my generation; G3’s are our children. End Note***) along with Sally’s kids: Mac & Annagray. It was great getting to see them. One memory I have from a Labor Day Weekend years ago is of riding in the front of Dad’s boat out on the lake with Chandler sitting beside/holding me to make sure I didn’t fall out. I was probably… I don’t know… 6 or 7 years old which would have put her in her mid teens. I would probably crush her if we tried to sit like that now. Haha.

I hope everyone is able to make it next year (though I must point out that the reason Will couldn’t make it this year was because he was working… which, I have to admit, was somewhat refreshing. I mean, a preacher who doesn’t just work on Sunday… how cool is that?). Anyway, if everyone can’t make it I hope they at least have a good excuse and not something like “We live in Wyoming”. I mean, we’ll all have to travel to get to the lake house… ;)

Know Your Medal of Honor Recipients:

Private First Class James Anderson, Jr. (US Marine Corps) received his Medal of Honor for his actions on February 28, 1967 in the Republic of Vietnam. His citation reads:

For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty. Company F was advancing in dense jungle northwest of Cam Lo in an effort to extract a heavily besieged reconnaissance patrol. Pfc. Anderson's platoon was the lead element and had advanced only about 200 meters when they were brought under extremely intense enemy small-arms and automatic weapons fire. The platoon reacted swiftly, getting on line as best they could in the thick terrain, and began returning fire. Pfc. Anderson found himself tightly bunched together with the other members of the platoon only 20 meters from the enemy positions. As the fire fight continued several of the men were wounded by the deadly enemy assault. Suddenly, an enemy grenade landed in the midst of the marines and rolled alongside Pfc. Anderson's head. Unhesitatingly and with complete disregard for his personal safety, he reached out, grasped the grenade, pulled it to his chest and curled around it as it went off. Although several marines received shrapnel from the grenade, his body absorbed the major force of the explosion. In this singularly heroic act, Pfc. Anderson saved his comrades from serious injury and possible death. His personal heroism, extraordinary valor, and inspirational supreme self-sacrifice reflected great credit upon himself and the Marine Corps and upheld the highest traditions of the U.S. Naval Service. He gallantly gave his life for his country.

First Sergeant Johannes S. Anderson (US Army) received his Medal of Honor for his actions on October 8, 1918 at Consenvoye, France. His citation reads:

While his company was being held up by intense artillery and machinegun fire, 1st Sgt. Anderson, without aid, voluntarily left the company and worked his way to the rear of the nest that was offering the most stubborn resistance. His advance was made through an open area and under constant hostile fire, but the mission was successfully accomplished, and he not only silenced the gun and captured it, but also brought back with him 23 prisoners.

Captain Marion T. Anderson (US Army) received his Medal of Honor for his actions on December 16, 1864 at Nashville, Tennessee. His citation reads:

Led his regiment over 5 lines of the enemy's works, where he fell, severely wounded.