Some call it "Misery"

Summer of 2009, I was one of the people who called Missouri, "Misery". I was living in Springfield doing Summer Sales, selling Dish Network and Directv Satellite programs. It was pretty miserable down there that summer, but my love and respect for the state changed drastically when I met the love of my life.

So for the last week and a half, Kasey and I got to spend an AMAZING trip in Missouri! This was our 3rd trip to Missouri just this year and this time it was for her older Sister Amanda's wedding reception. Kasey and I drove out there on a Sunday with her Mom Jackie, Dad Wyle, Brother Ryle, Sister Kelby, and Friend Jackie; and we flew back on Tuesday a week and a half later. The drive was long and a little cramped due to 7 people being in the car, but it was very enjoyable and actually went by very quickly. We spent the next 2 days catching up on sleep and just taking it easy, and then... the clocks, watches, pens, and planners started to come out! It was grind time! The weather was good for the most part, but had some crazy Missouri storms while we were there. There will be a little video clip below that I took during one of the storms!

Ryle had a High School Basketball Summer tournament that week. He had 10 games scheuled in just 2 days!! The tournament needed another team of girls, so Kelby and some of her other 8th grade friends joined, and they played 10 games as well in those same 2 days! Not only that, but Kelby and those other 8th grade girls were going up against High School JV and Varsity girls!! We had 20 games to watch in 2 days. We juggled and hopped between 3 different cars, from gym to gym, game to game, and at the end of the 2 never-ending days when all was said and done, Ryle's team stood victorious having won ALL 10 GAMES! And Kelby's team... well... they did AMAZING too! They won all their games except for 1. All I can say is they both did great and it was an awesome tournament. The sun finally went to sleep as did the rest of us, and it arose the next morning to absolute madness! It was the day of the reception! I look back at it, and I feel like I was a tiny gold fish that just got bought, and my new owner had been shaking me up in that bag of water the whole way home to my new fish tank! I was lost, confused, dizzy, and had no idea what to do. When I got a second to sit down with Kasey and breath, I laughed and told her how we were all like the family on Home Alone when they woke up late and everyone starts running around and freaking out! It was awesome!

The reception came and we kept busy; greeting and talking with friends and family, and making sure that everything went smoothly. We made it through the rest of the weekend, and on Monday... it was Home Alone Round 2! There was so much going on and so much that needed to get done! At the end of the day, Ryle had one last basketball game that Kasey and I could go to. So we went. The gym was ghetto and hotter than the extra EXTRA hot drop of hot sauce from that episode of Spongebob Squarepants!! The game starts... the teams jump, run, play, battle, and Evan gets ejected from the gym.... "WHAT!?!?" Fact!
It turns out the ghetto school also has a little ghetto buddy! And he was their referee! He was probably 5'9", "just a little guy", he wore his shorts down to his ankles and a XXL striped referee shirt. He wanted to be "one of the gangstas". He favored his ghetto boys so he could feel cool and try to fit in. All of us real sports fans were shouting and trying to get him to make the right calls. One ridiculous call after the next, I got sick of him being so biased, so I shout, "Let's blow the whistle Eminem!!" He does in fact know how to blow the whistle, and then says, "You're out! Out of the gym!" I stand and reply, "Oh so we can't be fans anymore?" Eminem says something that didn't make any sense and didn't fit the current situation. I'm walking down the bleachers and say, "You're here to ref. the game, not the people, and you're doing a horrible job! Go take some reffing courses or something and learn a thing or two." His pride got offended and so while I was standing just outside the entrance to watch the game, he goes to the drinking fountain to get a drink of water, and as he walks away, he says, "I'll F.. (swear word) you up". He couldn't even be a real man, he had to say it under his breath as he walked away. I nailed him again saying, "You're not black or a rapper, fool. You got nothing." Harsh? Yes... It's not normal for me to throw down on someone like that, I'm usually a very peaceful and relaxed guy, but given the circumstance, I couldn't sit quiet. A hot gym, a hot head, a bad referee, some call it Misery.