What I learned this weekend …

… cheaters never prosper.
OK, so I didn’t JUST learn that, but still, the point was driven home.
On Saturday, I participated in a softball game with some fellow church members. It was the church I grew up in and another church in my hometown that combined to form a team while two churches from the next town over combined to form a team for a good, clean game of Christian fellowship. The idea was to have a lot of fun and we accomplished that – I think. But the good, clean game, we need some work on.
Our opponents made up rules. They didn’t have an umpire and to top it all off, they were the ones who “called us out” to go over to Lumberton to “get a whoopin’.” To give you all a little bit of background info, my mama’s whole family, the Joneses, have been playing softball since they were sharecropping. Add to that the fact that some of our teammates are people we’ve been playing with forever. Where some folks would have pick-up basketball games, we had pick-up softball games. In short, softball is what we do.
Needless to say, we beat the tar outta that other team – in the name of Jesus. After all was said and done, the score was 31-13. I think we proved our point, “don’t mess with us when we weren’t messing with you.” LoL! I think the teams have agreed to do this at least twice a month during the summer months and I’m going to try to make it as often as I can. Maybe the next time they’ll play by the real rules and stop tryna stack stuff in their favor. Humph!

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… I am not 16 anymore.

After the aforementioned softball game, I made it home to my dad’s jacuzzi tube where I damn near drowned myself after I fell asleep there. Now, I’m not sure if it was the game that took so much out of me or if I’ve developed age-induced narcolepsy. Either way, a chick woke up blowing bubbles.
As of late, it seems that any time I sit still, unoccupied for longer than five minutes, I fall asleep. I don’t mean a little cat nap, I mean, if I’m undisturbed, I can get into full on REM sleep, snoring and everything. Like, I’ve lost time. One minute I’m watching TV in the middle of the day, the next minute, I’m waking up and the news is coming on. WTF is that?!
I wonder if this is pay back for picking at my dad my whole life. For as long as I can remember, my dad has been able to and does quite often fall asleep anywhere. When I say anywhere, I mean church, doctor’s offices, driving. You name a place, I’m pretty sure my dad has fallen asleep there. He says it’s not narcolepsy, but I don’t believe him. Is that contagious? I think he gave it to me.

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… my daddy is the best date EVER!

So, last week, I was a lil’ upset that my dad had to break our annual “date” in honor of my birthday. For as long as I can remember, my dad has been taking me to the same restaurant for my birthday. It’s a local family owned restaurant that is known throughout the county for its buffet filled with all kinds of good food designed to clog your arteries and give you a heart-a-stroke.
Granted, neither of us have any business eating there, but it is tradition and hey, how often do my dad and I get to hang out, just the two of us? I realized today that I miss being around him all the time. My dad is a funny guy. We talked about everything from free speech to crazy people to how we’re going to deal with tomorrow (my late nephews birthday) to men I’ve dated to a family friend who is on the plump side who was recently in a horrible car accident.

*side note* She was at the restaurant with her family. She escaped the accident with mostly bruising and lacerations. This woman stopped by our table to chat with a plate stacked super high. When she got outta ear shot, my dad leans over and says, “That wreck sho’ didn’t slow down her appetite, did it?”

I can truly say my dad is my best friend, but in a different way than how my mom is my best friend. I have conversations with him that I wouldn’t be able to have with anyone else – that I don’t want to have with anyone else. When I’m with him, I feel safe. I feel protected. I feel comfortable. I feel loved. For those reasons, God help any man who attempts to come at me talking about relationship stuff.
Though my daddy is only 5’4 with a size 6.5 shoe, that dude, whomever he may be, is gonna have big shoes to fill and my dad WILL NOT make it easy for you. #manup
*gushes* I love him so!