Saturday, September 7th
About two months ago, I was able to reconnect with Liz after a four-year hiatus. We are still not sure what happened during that time but decided to move forward instead. I understand that things are different now and will have to adjust to them. She invited me to watch some of her kid's soccer games over the fall. Her two oldest kids play for Centralia College. She told me that there was a game on Saturday and that I was welcome to come. She gave me the time and the place and said she would meet me there.
It takes about a half hour to get to Centralia from Lacey and I wanted to get there a little bit early since I wasn't sure where I was going, since I haven't been to the College in a long time, and I really didn't know my way around Centralia all that well...I do know the basic roads to get me by. I headed down and followed my memory on how to get to the College. I wasn't sure where the field was since I came into town from the west. I just found an open parking spot and called it good. I walked over to the field.
I made my way around to the entrance and went inside. I've never been to one of these before and their new sports complex was super nice. Admission was free, but you could donate money to their raffle to win a prize. The raffle prize was sitting up in the box seats and free food and drink. I decided not to donate, at least, not this time. I grabbed a program with the players and the schedule on it. I walked over to the bleachers and Liz was sitting there by herself. I climbed up on the bleachers and sat next to her. We engaged in some small talk while we waited for the game to start. She pointed out the kids she knew on the team and which ones play with her boys on the Sunday team.
Then the people who were running the raffle asked the crowd in the bleachers to check their tickets to see if they won. They rattled off a set of numbers and the people who won didn't want their prize, so the guy asked if anyone wanted the prize and Liz was the only one who raised her hand. So, the Blazer Box Seat Raffle coordinator asked Liz and I to go with him. He took us up into the "crows nest" that gave a great view of the soccer field. He told us there would be AC, which was nice, since it was a hot, muggy day. He added that at halftime we can go to the concession stand and get a free hot dog, chips, candy bar and a drink.
Liz and I watched the game from above. The view was great, and we got to yell out the window at her kids. At one point the ball hit the side of the window and scared us. We just laughed it off. We had a great time watching the game and chatting about random things. Damian's girlfriend joined us for a bit. Then halftime hit, the raffle coordinator came up and escorted us to the concession stand inside the building. We walked up to the person running the concessions and asked what we wanted. The raffle coordinator said that we were the winners, and they get a hotdog, chips, drink and candy bar. Liz and I both chose what we wanted.
The drinks were called Lotus and I've never had one before. Liz had to tell me what they were, and which ones were her favorites. They are a popular plant-based energy drink option, offering a lend of natural ingredients for a boost of energy and focus. I got a blue one and she got a peach colored one. I took my first sip and was like, woah! It was super sweet, but I didn't stir it around before I took a drink. We got locked out of the crows nest and she had to go get the guy. A baseball player who was taking batting practice inside let Damian's girlfriend and me in. Liz and the raffle coordinator followed.
We went upstairs with our food and the raffle coordinator asked us if he could get some photos to post to the social media pages and we said sure. He got what he needed and left us to watch the game with our food.
The game was entertaining, and her son scored a goal! It was fun to cheer them on to a 4-3 victory! They even nabbed their first win of the season as well.
We grabbed our stuff and headed down to the field. The box seat coordinator asked us if we had a great time and we did. We thanked him again for the experience. I thanked Liz for inviting me out to the soccer game and I started to walk back to the Escape. I got a text a few minutes after from her saying that she just realized she could have given me a ride to my car. I told her that it was okay, and that I needed the walk. I let her know when I got home and thanked her again. She said she was glad I came down and that it was a great day and a game.
We really felt like VIP's for a day.
When I got home, I worked on the cupboard doors and drawers I brought home to work on. I was able to get the blue part of the cupboard doors that afternoon. The hardware was so layered in past paintings. I had them submerged in acetone. They aren't perfect, but they are better than they were.
Dad and Ben also finished the trench over at the rental but hit a snag when Ben broke through the waterline. Luckily, it was repaired quickly.
Sunday, September 8th
We celebrated the life of Del's dad, Delbert Clyde, at the LeMay Car Museum in Tacoma. I have never been to the museum but see it every time I drive by it when I am on I-5
I've only met his dad once. Del and Nicole were moving from Puyallup to Tumwater back in August 2020 and he and his mom were there helping pack stuff up. This was my first time to the Puyallup house, and it was chaotic with boxes, cleaning supplies and people all over the place. We had a few moments to meet everyone and to learn who everyone belonged to.
There was quite the spread of snacks, mostly finger foods, light refreshments and even a sheet cake. He said his sister was in charge of the food and said she did a great job getting that together for the event.
From what Del told us and through pictures he has shared with us, he and his dad loved spending time together, like most kids do with their parents. Del had season tickets to the Seahawks and he and his dad went to several of them over the years.
I learned that Delbert loved cars and racecars. The reason why Del had the celebration of life at the car museum. It was his dad's element. His dad had his own racecar and would race it at several different tracks around the state, mostly the one in Spanaway. While we were visiting with his family members, there were several home movies playing on the of his races. He won a bunch of awards and trophies too.
Del had many photo albums and loose photos scattered around the tabletops for everyone to look at. We spent some time getting to know his dad through those photos while asking Nicole more in-depth questions if she knew. She showed us a pretty sweet picture of Del in 5th grade sporting a hardcore mullet. Majority of the photos I saw, it looked like a typical family enjoying time together through hobbies, holidays and other family gatherings. It reminded me of my family throughout the years.
I thanked Del for inviting us to his special event he held for his dad. We all knew there wasn't anything we could say or do to make it better but what we could do was support our friend through this difficult time.
We gave out some hugs and then wandered around the museum for a little bit. That place had so many cars, automobiles, trucks, etc., that I never knew existed! We drove home and spent some time getting ready for the work week.
Next Adventure: Nicole's Bachelorette Party - Dungeons and Dragons
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