August 27

With the A's set to leave Oakland for good next season, tonight we checked out the city's newest baseball team, the Ballers (also cleverly known as the B's).

We headed over to the ballpark after Adam finished work, picking up Karine --his good friend from high school-- along the way.

It's definitely more of a bare-bones experience when compared with Major League Baseball, but it was fun and the team played well, notching a 13-1 win.

When we first got married, Adam and I went to lots of A's games. There were bobbleheads collected and dollar dogs eaten and lots of exciting comebacks witnessed. (And Karine, who worked for the A's at the time, was responsible for providing us with tickets that were much nicer than the ones we could've afforded at the time!) In some ways, our early 20s were defined by baseball just like our 40s have been. Pro baseball versus high school and Babe Ruth baseball, but the game is the game.

It would've been nice if the A's weren't leaving, but it is what it is. Things change over time. But this evening was a pleasant nod to what was and what could be in the future. And I'm grateful for both the look back and the peek forward.