30 Day Baseball Card Challenge

Tuesday, April 23, 2019

Away From Keyboard

Not sure if anyone noticed... but I've been away from the keyboard the past few days.  On Saturday my family, extended family, and some of our closest friends got together at my mother's service to celebrate her life.  My favorite part was listening to everyone's favorite memories of her.  I'm sure she was smiling down on all of us that evening.

The next day, my dad asked my sister, nieces, and sister-in-law to look through my mother's jewelry and take out items they were interested in keeping for themselves.  One of the items sitting in her jewelry box was this:


It's a Little League pin from back in the late 70's to mid 80's when I played baseball.  I'm not 100% sure... but I think it's the pin given to her for being the team mom for one of my teams.  I've regretted dumping all of my Little League memorabilia from my childhood, so I was pretty excited when my sister asked me if I wanted to keep it.

I was also pretty excited when I hit this jackpot at the Suncoast Hotel the night of my mom's service:


Mama Fuji sure has been my lucky charm the past few days, because this was one of five $100+ jackpots I hit over a four day span:


Sure I lost a few dollars here and there, but I ended up driving home with over $700 more in my wallet.

And the icing on the cake was my brother and I went out and played bingo with my mom and dad's best friends last night.  We pooled our money together, but didn't win.  On the other hand, my dad's friend Larry won $1,000 on the last game of the session.  He tipped the waitress, his girlfriend, my brother, and me.... $100 each.

I'm not sure what I'm going to do with my winnings.  Part of me considered putting it towards a 1973 Topps baseball set that would complete my run of 1972 to 1986 Topps baseball card sets.  On the other hand, maybe I'll spread it out over the next six or seven months or just throw it into my rainy day fund.

Anyways... I just wanted to let you why I've been away from my keyboard the past few days.  I'm looking forward to sitting down and catching up on your blog posts.

Happy Tuesday and sayonara!

13 comments:

Dennis said...

I'm glad you had a nice gathering for Mama Fuji, and also that she brought you so much luck! If I ever get back out there I'll go gambling with you.

shoeboxlegends said...

Great that you had that get-together with family, and congrats on those jack-pots. Welcome back!

Johnnys Trading Spot said...

Family time is always good, even better than baseball cards (most of the time, lol).

Jon said...

We always notice when you're not around, Fuji! It's unfortunate that you were only able to do so after your mom's passing, but it's still kind of neat that you were able to get that pin, I would have to imagine that it's now one of your prized possessions. And is it just me, or do you seem to win on the slots every single time you go to Vegas now?

acrackedbat said...

Fuj, you do seem to be a lucky fellow, not just in slots either. You are blessed with good family and many friends. Your mom would surely want you to have the pin. It's wonderful she kept it all these years; a lovely way to remember her.

Sean said...

That pin is a wonderful thing to have found! I'm glad that you got to spend some quality time with your family!

The Lost Collector said...

That pin is an awesome keepsake!

Rob said...

Holy cow - that pin - I used to have one of those! What a find and great memory to hold onto.

SumoMenkoMan said...

Nice that you are recharging the ol batteries. Cool pin!

CaptKirk42 said...

Wow that is a great find.

Matt said...

Memories with family and friends are always worthwhile...hitting the jackpot is not too bad either!

Peter K Steinberg said...

It sounds like it was a warm and wonderful celebration of your mother's life. Welcome back.

Fuji said...

dennis - yeah... let me know. i do at least 3 or 4 weekend trips per year.

shoeboxlegends - thank you. it was great to spend time with my dad and siblings. but i slept for over 11 hours when i got home yesterday. i even missed the sharks game. smh

johnnys trading spot - yeah. family will always come first, but this hobby is right up there on my priorities list ;)

jon - lol. i've actually been on a crazy run since my trip in november when I hit the $1200 jackpot. i didn't mention that i won over $200 two weeks ago, when i went for a quick trip to vegas to hang with my dad. and this past trip, i hit at least one $100 jackpot from thursday to sunday. the only day i didn't was on monday... and that's when my dad's best friend tipped me and my brother $100 each. that being said... i put plenty of money back into the machines, but when i was all said and done, i took home over $700 in winnings this past weekend... and that includes paying for gas and my room at the casino for five nights. sure hope the lucky streak continues. it's by far the luckiest six months streak i've ever had in regards to gambling. it's also been the roughest two months streak in regards to tragedy.

acrackedbat - yeah, i'm so happy that she kept it. definitely one of my favorite pieces in the collection

sean - the family has definitely gotten much closer since her passing. i'm sure she's smiling down on us for this.

the lost collector - yeah. figuring out the best way to display it.

rob - i remember getting one every year i played. i'm kinda bummed i didn't keep them. but even if i had, this is the one that would be the most special to me.

sumomenkoman - lol. that trip was far from recharging my batteries. i was so exhausted when i came home yesterday. the good news is i have the rest of the week off. planning to hit up my first flea market in months tomorrow morning :)

captkirk42 - thanks. definitely the epitome of "priceless"

matt - yeah... it was really nice seeing people i hadn't seen in years. one cousin attended who i hadn't seen in decades. i hope to stay in touch with her through facebook.

peter k steinberg - it was really nice. my mom was well loved by many people and it was nice to see and catch up with those people. that being said... it feels good to be back at the keyboard.