Family Album  My nephew Brandon came to visit two separate times recently. I hadnt seen him in a few years, believe it or not, and i cant believe how much he’s grown since the last time i had seen him. of course,t he rest of the family was quick to pawn him off onto me, so i did my best to keep him entertained.

at first he was reluctant to simply go outside, but we dragged him out to des moines park to go dig up some sea life as the tide was out. despite that, he still wanted to play with his lego. like his dad, he’s frightened of crabs. lulz.

later that evening, since we are seeing hints that he doesnt go outside to play much, his grandparents and i got him started playing some tee-ball. within minutes, he was totally into it, which spawned one of my least thought out plans i’ve probably ever had... why not take him to a Mariners game?

So, with “Miss Meg’s” help, we bought a few seats in the terrace club down the third base line and took him to his first Mariner’s game at the Safe. He did drag me to the candy store a couple of times, ate my pizza, and sampled just about every other concession available at the park. despite that, he was a good little trooper. I got him his first Ichiro Mariner’s jersey to help him properly root for his new favorite team and player, as seen in the photos. The funniest part of the evening also happened while i was away, grabbing him a soda. Apparently he sneezed, and Miss Meg wasnt paying attention. he subtly says, “i think someone forgot to say ‘bless you’.” she let me know when i came back to the seats, informing me that sarcasm must be genetic and that he’s obviously my nephew based on that.

During the game, as we walked around the park a bit, some of the ushers recognized Meg and I since we have been getting seats in the same section for most of the season. They were especially cordial when i introduced my nephew to them. when they learned that it was his first Mariner’s game, they brought us to guest services to have the event memorialized on a certificate. they asked Brandon for his name and for the name of the person who brought him. When they asked for the latter, his response was, “you dont know my uncle mark? everyone knows him! he’s the best uncle in the world!” to be honest, i never want kids of my own, but that felt pretty awesome.

after the 7th inning, things slowly deteriorated as he got tired, but that was to be expected. he promptly passed out in the car before we even got out of the garage. Special thanks to George and Naomi, the two ushers who were especially welcoming to my nephew when they recognized Meg and I from previous games. BTW, it was a Tuesday night game against the Cubbies and the M’s won, 2-0. this definitely wont be his last time seeing the M’s play.