April 2026

Welcome back to the Rakoz Blog!

This was April Fools Day. I am fortunate to have the bathroom across from my office at work, which always provides fun stories. My co-worker set up an amusing prank. Get it?

April was completely jam-packed with Baseball, Volleyball and Softball, so that is what most of the pictures consist of. You have been warned.

Before the craziness of sports this month, however, Teague whisked us away to Lincoln City for the first half of Spring Break. The weather was FABULOUS! We all had an amazing time.

We've been passing by Burger 101 in Lincoln City for YEARS. We finally stopped in for their smashburgers and absolutely loved it! Why have we not tried them before now??  They even spelled my name in their secret sauce (it was spelled wrong, but I appreciated the gesture anyway).

After dinner we headed off to the beach to walk off some calories before hitting the hot tub.

Gorgeous Lincoln City view. Gorgeous Baby Girl

If only this was my view everyday when reading!

I can't believe this kid is almost done with high school. Where has the time gone?

I got a few pics of Maddox this month. Spending extra time with him was one of my favorite parts of the trip.

My boys men (sniff, sniff)

Teague always captures the most flattering moments

Dylan kept up his conditioning by skipping rocks in the ocean. He's actually pretty decent at it.

All 5 of us took a day trip to Newport. We walked around all the beach shops, enjoyed the entertainment of the sea lions on the pier, and wrapped up the excursion by introducing the kids to Arctic Circle. It was just as tasty as I remember.

Our best meal was dinner out at Pelican Pub and Brewery. 

Heading home from our Lincoln City trip, In-n-Out is a necessary midpoint stop

Our fave navy-man Cooper was home for a brief break before he shipped out to Greece. Luckily we had an opportunity to hear about his adventures in the service and wish him the best of luck in his new assignment.

It also provided an opportunity for a mini reunion

Mt View High School Class of '90

Softball Highlights

Presley has been discovering her strength in the outfield. She spent most of this month starting in Center Field, but doesn't see a whole lot of action. When something comes her way, she grabs the pop fly for the out and tries to throw to infield quickly for a chance at a double play.

She's also gaining a lot of confidence at the plate and is not easily intimidated by the faster pitchers in high school. She has great contact and several RBI's this season.

Volleyball Highlights

Although a random pic, I saw (or heard, rather) this squawky friend during a walk break in between volleyball games at one of Presley's tournaments. He was huge! I tried to get him to open his tailfeathers, but didn't want to agitate him too much. Are peacocks aggressive??

Her team is pretty skilled and Presley gets a lot of playing time. I can't wait to see this experience transition to high school.

In-n-Out is also a favorite post Volleyball Tournament dinner stop before the hour-long drive home

April 23rd is Administrative Assistant (formerly Secretaries) Day. My fantastic Admin team gifted myself and the other secretarial/clerical staff with an electric blanket, lottery tickets and a coffee giftcard. They are the absolute best!

Dylan's new side hustle is mowing Grandpa's yard every couple of weeks. He didn't mind riding this thing at all.

During the first attempt at Senior Assassin, these 2 boys used Dylan's location to find him at a baseball game. While trying to be covert in their recon operation, they asked a couple of girls nearby if Dylan was in the area so they could get him out. The girls looked at each other and one of them replied, "You know this is his sister, right?" Aha! Now we know who is trying to get Dylan out. I snapped this pic and texted Dylan in the dugout so he would be prepared when leaving the game.

Baseball Highlights

Dylan's team is doing pretty well this season. Dylan's main job is to pinch run for some of the batters. This is a perfect spot for him; he is easily the quickest and best base runner we have. He's stolen many bases this season.

This is his featured Instagram post that all seniors get

For Senior Night, the 7 seniors did their pre-game warm up throws with the first person they ever played catch with. Both Presley and I got pretty emotional watching Daddy and Dylan on the field together for the very last time

Not only did this team sweep the last series in their league play, but they clinched the #1 spot in their District! 

Introducing your District Champs!

That's it for April!