Everybody is a V.I.P.

Joining the High Noon Media Softball League was perhaps the best idea I had all summer! It was a great excuse to spend the evenings outdoors, hang out with my coworkers outside of our dark cubicle land, and get a little exercise in!

It was my first time playing softball, and as it turns out, I'm OK at it! With supportive teammates and a fun non-competitive spirit ("Hey, we might even win a game this year," said our coach, Clif), it was the perfect situation to learn to play ball.

I started as a screaming hitter, literally wailing "OoOH" and "YAhh" everytime I hit the ball. I may have even closed my eyes when catching my first few flying hits. But after getting a few games in under my belt--a few catches, a few stingers, a few hits (and a few extra practice rounds at the batting cages)--I started getting psyched about our Tuesday games.

We had plenty of talent on our team. The boys caught hard hits from the outfield and the girls really stepped up to the plate. It was fun to cheer each other on, slapping high-fives and pounding fists, like when John made a stellar catch at short stop.
Jules: "You're our V.I.P!"
Teammate: "You mean M.V.P."
Jules: "Oh yeah. Right."
What? Bottle service and limousines have no place in baseball? I guess I'm Rookie of the YEAR! haha.

It was definitely fun to learn some basic rules in softball: don't run if it's in the air, but once it touches the ground, go go go; sometimes you have to tag people, sometimes you don't; careful not to get forced out; and you can and can't get out if your foot's on the base.

It was also fun to play with Kim, another Korean adoptee, and confuse the opposing team. Sure, I didn't mind being congratulated for Kim's home run. But, my favorite moment would have to be when we had a runner in a pickle between second and third--everywhere he turned, he had a cute Korean girl in his way! haha.

All in all, a great season. We even won two games, which is a fair accomplishment compared to last year, so I'm told.

Way to go Rough Cuts! Thanks for making some summer fun!

Encore

Another fishing trip...this time, within city limits. Fishing at Cherry Creek Reservoir was a true slice of city fishing, with party boats blasting pop tunes, ski doos zooming in circles, and noisy dam car traffic behind...All, for like $8. I much prefer to skip away to the mountains, where the fishing is free and you get some peace and quiet!

But I do love my new camera, don't you??

Fishin' and Campin'

Everyone needs a good excuse to play in the mountains...

Birthday Celebrations!

Big week last week...It was Dave's Birthday! And, as great birthdays often go, it all started with sushi. While Dave and I often like to "make it at home," it was fun to sample Sushi Sasa's menu for a change.

Before long, we were stuffed to the brim, in serious need for a stroll around town. We ventured over to Lo-Hi and found room in our bellies to split a classic chocolate cone (unsalted, bla!).




But this was just the beginning of the birthday celebrations...although Dave didn't have the slightest clue what was in store for him! While he still had high hopes of planning his own birthday party, his buddy Kevin and I decided to take matters into our own hands; We threw Dave his first-ever surprise party!



Dozens of Dave's friends gathered on the patio at Vine Street Pub and eagerly awaited to surprise Drage Against the Machine. And Dave was unsuspecting, to say the least. When he arrived with Kevin, we screamed "SURPRISE!" and you could just see the confusion on his face. He went from: "Cool, somebody must be having a surprise party" to "Hey, I know some of those people," to "WHOA, this is party is for me! I've been tricked!" It was classic.




And, Dave's good friends Brian and Kim, owners of Boulder's Tee and Cakes, kindly brought dessert: Delicious Birthday Whoopie Pies, and one with the DRAGE font!


Even though Dave felt it was such a "non-descript age," I think he will remember this birthday forever.



On Saturday, we slept through our hangovers and by lunchtime, we were headed to Pine Valley Ranch to go fishing! It was a beautiful day to catch some fish. The only thing was, we had to catch them!

Seeing them jump up out of the water made us hungry for dinner! We didn't want to be suckers, or catch a sucker for that matter, but we were really optimistic about our odds. We thought today would be the day that Dave would break in his new fishing pole and fishing vest and catch a nice prize for dinner.

Three hours into it, we were nearly defeated. We almost threw in the towel. As the sun was going down, the mosquitoes were having a feast, and Dave and I considered ordering McFish Fillets at McDonalds. That was about the time when a good luck charm stepped foot onto our deck. "Catch any fish?" I ask the passerby. "Lots," he replied. At the very moment I revealed our empty cooler, Dave calmly exclaims, "I think I've got one."

YESSSSS! Dave caught a rainbow trout!

And it was tasty!



The next morning, we realized that the Dave weekend would not be complete without a trip to Famous Dave's restaurant. Sure, we'd never been there before, but it just so happened to be the restaurant chain's anniversary, so they were offering a free meal to anyone named David, Dave, or Davey!

The food kicked ass too, by the way. We'll be back.