Whole (Five Minute Friday)

Welcome to another edition of Five Minute Friday: the online blogging community where we get a prompt, write for 5 minutes flat (no edits / no backtracking) and then link up together and encourage the others who write alongside us.

Join  us here at Kate's place.

This week, the prompt is WHOLE.

We have been waiting the whole offseason for this: the return of baseball to our town. The Nationals opened Monday on the road in Atlanta and Thursday afternoon at home here in DC. The countdown has been on since the season ended.

We had the perfect storm of everything on Thursday tryin to derail our game plans. This mama and my 2 girls would have none of that. We were GOING to get to this game. We had to leave later than we planned because A had her school performance that day. They do 2 shows during the school day (she did both) and one for parents at night (I went to the afternoon show and we skipped the night one. Her dad was away and I videoed it and it did not count for her grade in the evening). So on we go to baseball .

First adventure: TRAFFIC.  We were stopped awhile so I got this lovely shot of the Washington monument. We drive by it on the way to nearly every game. usually traffic is moving so we only see it. But this day we got to park. And photograph while we waited. 

We normally arrive WELL BEFORE the game, so we can see the opening day festivities. there was a flyover (we saw it standing in line at the gates to get in). There was a big flag on the field (friends got lovely photos). The Clydesdales were there (the kids don't even know this, because I didn't want the whining that they missed it). BUT: we made it to our seats before first pitch. I will count that as a WIN.

the view as we waited for the teams to take the field

 We had 1 1/2 innings of crazy. Marlins jumped out to 3-0 lead. Nats tied it up in bottom of the first (thank you Daniel Murphy). Then after 1 1/2 innings the skies opened up. Downpour. Hail. So fun. (not really. except we made it that way). We scrambled for cover ... the girls chose the landing zone. The bathroom. Of course. There was space ... and we were not *in a stall* - there is room to hang out. Of course we had just gotten our dinner, so yes, we ate pizza in the bathroom. It was dry, we were safe, the pizza was delicious and some friends came to hang with us in the bathroom. (Of course the ladies room, so some other friends were disappointed that they could not join us. I will plan better next time. Of course, we would rather not have a rain delay, but anyway...)

Then we came out and hung out under an overhang with some more friends and then the skies behind the park started to clear. And we were treated to a beautiful rainbow. A loved it so much she would not even turn around to smile for the photo. She had a point...

The grounds crew cleared the tarp and got the field ready to resume the game. And the skies cleared and the runs resumed, and the night grew cold. The Marlins were ahead 6-3 and then Bryce Harper hit a HR and it was 6-4. Somewhere in there we got ice cream, even though it was about 25 degrees colder than when the game had started (because when you have waited since October for ice cream at the ball park and you are a kid ... you get the ice cream anyway) 

after the storm

being silly (AKA how we roll all the time)

then it drizzled some more. and was windy. and the kids were TIRED

 The game went on, later than planned (thanks rain) and the kids grew tired. A (the little one) started begging to go home. S said "mama, we stay the WHOLE game. And she's right ... 95% of the time we stay for the whole game. But little sister was exhausted from her day, and it was well past bedtime at the end of the 7th inning ... and look at this face.  So we left, much to S's chagrin.

But, just before we headed out, an old friend from my Vanderbilt band days stopped by ... 20 years later we are still repping our school with pride, and enjoying our newly shared love of the Nats as well.

While we didn't make the whole game, we had a whole day's worth of fun packed into the time we had. And we will be back Saturday ... and many days after that. Because the season is new and we have a whole summer of fun ahead of us.

When Words Might Not Be Enough ...

Where do you start to write the goodbye that you don't ever want to say but you fear is standing right in front of your face? How do you begin to say thank you for someone who does so much?

I don't really know. And my words aren't likely to be eloquent or brilliant like so many others are. But I've got to say it. I've got to get something out before I can't even speak.


Dear Ian,

We've watched you grow up before our eyes. You've gone from being just a short stop to being the heart of our team. You've made DC a priority and you've made people a priority. We love watching you play. How you give your all every single time you take the field. How you play every single day. When the team is doing great you support them. When they're struggling you carry them. There is not ever a day I've watched you play and thought that perhaps you could have done more. You never hold back. You never shy away from telling people like it is, or from owning the struggle when it's yours. You talk to the media, face down the hard times and set an example for everyone. You allow others to shine. You make people feel welcome. You embrace the new guys and sing their praises. Even when it might be the very player who eventually takes your place on the field. There aren't many men who do that.

It's a joy to watch you play and to know that when my girls look up to you, they see someone who does it right. Who always takes the high road and who puts the team first. That's a legacy of which you can be proud.

But for us... For me... It's more than just baseball. I'm so honored to have had the chance to work with you. To stand alongside you and make a difference for people beyond baseball. The work you've done at the Nationals Youth baseball academy is tremendous. The kids in DC love spending time with you. Thank you for giving so much of your time to be in the community. Thank you for making these kids feel at home, safe, welcome, and for encouraging them. They notice. You've changed lives.

Closer to home for me: thank you for the gift of hope. You used your time, your resources, and your name to make a difference for those fighting the battle of a life with NF. The campaign last May raised so much money.... And it spread the word. We can't fight what we don't know exists. There are good people doing good work to find a cure and the #EndNF campaign that you started here is helping with that. Not only the money and the time last year though... The event you hosted on the field in Atlanta. Thank you for letting those kids come down, hang out, take in BP and meet you. Thank you for taking time out of your day and your routine to spend some time with them. Thank you for providing passes and access and for being genuine with them. For asking about their circumstances. For sharing a moment with each of them.

And thank you for giving me the gift of a friendship with Ethan, Jan, and Rick. I may never have met them, except for the #EndNF campaign last year, and today I don't know where I'd be without them. Ethan challenges me to think differently, and he's the bravest young man I know. I am blessed to know and love him. You made that possible.

As I watch what may be your last game wearing the uniform of the team I love, please know that wherever the Lord leads you next, you'll always be loved here in Washington. We are proud to have had you as a leader on this team. I'm a better person and a better servant in the community because of you. Thank you for everything, both on and off the field. My kids and I wish you, Chelsey, and the boys the best of luck and much success always. You're in our hearts forever.

With love from Natstown,
Jen
@vandygirl1998

Favorite (Five Minute Friday)

Welcome to Five Minute Friday where I write on the wrong day of the week about the prompt provided by Kate - and then link with all the folks who wrote on time to share our thoughts. Five minutes, raw and unedited.

This week the word is FAVORITE. And while I will still pour my heart out for a few, I might not stop at 5 minutes this time. Because I want to tell you about my favorite baseball player.

Lots of my friends love baseball. Lots of people love baseball. Some have favorite players and some don't. And reasons people pick their favorite are as varied as the people who walk the face of the earth. Some like players who hit, or ones who throw untouchable fast balls. Some like players with personality, pizzazz, or ones who choose particular walk up music. There are folks who like players for their good looks or for where they played college ball, or just because they're on a particular team.

My favorite player is liked for a lot of reasons by many people. For me, it's his heart. Ian Desmond, shortstop for the Washington Nationals has the biggest heart of any baseball player I know. Last year Ian led a campaign to raise money for the Children's Tumor Foundation. (I wrote about that here. And in that post are links to all the back story of Ian's friendship with Ethan and how everything got started. Hop over and have a read).

It could have stopped there. The campaign raised over $30,000 and that is amazing. But Ian did it because he cares about the cause. Because Ethan is his friend, and like a little brother. I've become friends with Ethan and his family as well, and this whole year I've seen posts about the time Ian makes to check in and see how things are. To make sure Ethan has what he needs - to offer advice about girls, and to offer advice about friendships, and to offer wise counsel about where to study in Scripture.

And it could stop there. But it doesn't. Last week I organized an outing to a Nationals-Braves game in Atlanta. We did it through the Georgia chapter of the Children's Tumor Foundation. The Braves were gracious hosts and made sure we could get our seats in the shade, with wheelchair access if needed. We had a group of 17 people come to the game. A few of us flew down from DC. Some drove in from South Carolina and Alabama. And a few were Atlanta locals.

I reached out to Ian and let him know we were trying to get a group together. And Ian, with the Nationals, hosted us at batting practice before the game. Every single person in our group was able to get down on the field to watch BP. Ethan and his family joined us, too. 21 people in the BP crowd. But it doesn't even stop there.

Ian came out onto the field well before the Nationals were even due out to warm up. He came over to our group. He took photos with us, signed balls and programs, for way more people than he should have had to. But more than photos and signing, he took time with us. He stopped to visit with all the folks in our group. He engaged the kids and talked with them. Not cursory hellos, but thoughtful conversation. "What's happening. What's your name. (and then he used their names for the rest of the conversations). How are you. Do you have NF1 or NF2. Tell me your story.  Tell me about your family." And on and on.

Great to see this group from @ChildrensTumor, guests of Ian Desmond, rocking Curly W's here in Atlanta! #Nats #EndNF pic.twitter.com/vFNBNYmwlE

— Washington Nationals (@Nationals) June 30, 2015

The time Ian devotes to people - to investing in them. To making them feel special and important and welcome. To understanding what they are facing and making them feel included. THIS is what I love about Ian and this is why he is my favorite baseball player. We are lucky to have a role model on this team who puts his faith and his heart into action, and who shares that willingly and openly with the community. Because of how Ian speaks of Ethan and his heart to EndNF with the guys on the team, others on the team, including Bryce Harper and Dan Uggla, came over to say hello and visit as well.

Thank you, Ian, for making our group feel loved. For using your name to give a voice to a cause that needs more spokespeople, and for sharing your heart to #EndNF in Washington. (and Atlanta). (and across the world).

On behalf of all the folks who came out to the game last week: from the bottom of our hearts, thank you.



a few pictures from the evening are below.

 

Fear (Five Minute Friday)

Writing over a week late, but needed to get this post out there.

FEAR
I had the chance last week to laugh in the face of fear. Not everyone gets an opportunity to do that, but I did, and it was fabulous.

The Nationals hosted an event called ladies night on Thursday, June 18. I went with a bunch of my Nats friends and we had a blast. There was some chaos and confusion due to a ginormous thunderstorm, but my Nats ladies and I make the best of things - and hey, baseball, friends, and food? Nothing mixes better for me.

I added to the fun by debuting my "Nats dress" which I made. It turned out pretty well, I think - but I am not quitting my day job and taking up as a seamstress anytime soon.

We hung out at the reception. I danced with Abe Lincoln. And then while we were standing around chatting before the game, Mike, the Nats in-game entertainment host wandered by. We hollered at him and said hello. And then out of the blue, he looked at me and said "hey, do you want to throw out the first pitch tonight?"

I paused for a split second. And then I said YES. Because who says no to throwing out the first pitch at an MLB game? Not me. Why did he ask me? I'm pretty sure it was the dress. People talked about it all night. So score one for my dress.

I followed Mike and some other staff members down to the field. And then it set in. REALLY set in. Ummmm ... I have NEVER thrown a baseball before. Yes me, super fan extraordinare. So, what better way to debut than in front of 25,000 people?! HA HA. GULP.

What am I getting into?!

 What was I thinking? As we stood on the field waiting for "the time" I got to meet Mr. Lerner, team owner. He liked my dress. We took a selfie - because hey, if I am doing crazy things, why not ask for that too? My friend Michelle worked her way down close enough to the field to capture all this nonsense on camera. She's a gem. And you will see in the photos that I decided to shake off that fear - by laughing. because as my mom always says, if you can laugh about it later, why not laugh about it now?  I did a LOT of laughing that night.

My pitch-buddy was Blake Treinen. He's a relief pitcher for the Nationals. I gave him fair warning. He asked me if I was ready and I told him no. "I've never thrown before. ever. So I will never be ready, but that's ok, right?" He responded with "Just get it in the neighborhood and I will bail you out."

Blake was so kind - he made me forget about my nerves for a split second. And then I remembered about that 50 Cent pitch for the Mets. My thoughts went like this:
            Surely I can't be that bad, right?  Well, so what if I am? The worst thing that happens is the whole stadium laughs at me. Ok. My friends are up there, so that's 20 folks that will love me through the embarrassment. Good. I can do this. OH  MY WORD I CANNOT DO THIS.



Then it was time.
Step 1: don't mess up the line from home plate to first base. Ok, good, I stepped over that and didn't fall.

Step 2: find a good place to stand. I knew I couldn't throw all the way from the rubber . I wasn't even sure I could step up on the mound and not fall. I was wearing flip flops. (not throwing shoes in case you wondered). OK, found a place to stand. Close enough to the mound to not be wimping out, but on the grass. I thought that was safe.

Step 3: ask Blake if he's ready. He was. He smiled. GULP. GULP.

Step 4: wind up. HA HA. I had no idea what I was doing at this point. My hands were sweaty and I was petrified. I heard a cheer somewhere.  (Turns out that was all my awesome friends cheering my name. I LOVE YOU GUYS).

Step 5: throw. ok, I survived. WHEW. It bounced once. And then was "juuuuuuuuuuust a bit outside". Well through the left handed batters box. But in the general neighborhood of home plate. At that point I just laughed. and laughed.  All the way back to meet Blake for the ball signature (THANK YOU BLAKE) and the photo with Screech. My hands were still sweaty and I was still shaking, but I did it.

I threw a baseball. In front of 25,000 people. And I did not totally embarrass myself. And I laughed about it.

And you know what? It was FUN! And it is a night I will never forget. Ever.

(all photos courtesy of either my friend Michelle or the Washington Nationals. Used with permission).

Post is a part of Five Minute Friday. Hosted by Kate.

Good (Five Minute Friday)

Five Minute Friday - where we stop for 5 minutes, throw some thoughts on the screen, and then go share in the words of friends.  You can see all of this week's FMF posts at Kate's place. And you can find us online every Thursday night tweeting with the #FMFParty hashtag.


GO.
A few weeks ago I got to be a guest poster over at Citizens of Natstown - about how baseball is always good.  So when GOOD was the prompt for Five Minute Friday this week, I was a bit stumped. It was opening day for the Nationals this week and frankly baseball has been on my mind. We returned from our Spring Break adventures and I was solely focused on baseball.

Baseball season is my happy place. Work is chaos and school is getting frantic as the end of the year approaches. And when I need a break, my beloved Nats give me what I need.

The first few games this year have been a bit rough. Some defensive miscues. Some early season rust. A few of our main guys on the Disabled list and some of the fans are restless. A few have hit the panic button. HELLO, we play 162 games. And hopefully more. So on game 3 it is not yet time to panic. Unless the stadium is on fire (which it is not. And even if it was, they would find somewhere else to play.)

And today, on my late lunch break as I was listening to the game, I found myself sucked in to the crazy. Trying to defend my team from our own fans. Fans who were calling for player benching and manager checking and marketing phrases and I don't even know what.

And then I stopped. because they were were invading my happy place. Baseball is good for me. baseball is a break from the world of chaos. And so I decided ... I am going to exercise my mute functions on twitter. I am going back to the radio to listen without the temptation of a device that can access social media if a game gets nuts. Because while I love chatting with friends online when the games are going great, I am not going to let the crazy take away my good.

So - if you don't see me online during a game, chances are it has nothing to do with me missing the game, and everything to do with me making sure the game gives me what I need.

STOP.

Nats Clubhouse Social

I was honored to be one of 27 people invited to participate in a new (and hopefully recurring) event with the Washington Nationals. The invite started as an emoji tweet about 2 weeks ago and caused some very interesting discussions wondering what might be happening. I got an email telling me I was allowed to bring one guest (a +1) and the instructions were to meet at the gate at 6pm. 21 of the 27 invitees were able to make it, so there were about 42 people there in total.

I was in the first bunch to arrive at the gate. Early, because the waiting was killing me. 

Kyle came out, introduced himself, and we headed on the unknown adventure.  First stop: check out the field. THE GRASS IS BACK! (this is exciting. Opening Day is close and after the Winter Classic and the brutal excess of snow, the grounds crew was behind... but we are looking good now!)

They had a videographer (Matt) and also a photographer (Patrick) and an interviewer. (ACK. forgot a name!) These lovely folks asked us what we thought the night was about, and we all had ideas (none of them correct) that we shared. Focus group meeting? AllStarGame twitter mission? Taste the new food offerings? No idea what was actually about to happen. I knew some of the people who were invited and some of the +1s but met a lot of new folks too. 

just this selfie alone would have been worth the trip

Then they rounded us up and took us down the tunnel. We signed waivers. We took silly pictures along the way because we had access to things we'd never seen... 

AND THEN. The unimaginable surprise was revealed. "Come into the clubhouse, won't you?" I was flabbergasted. These are words you never expect to hear as a fan. Never. The Nats called it the #NatsClubhouseSocial and we got to see some pretty amazing stuff.  This was the view when we entered:

At first I just thought the jerseys were hung to decorate the room since the team is still at Spring Training. Then I noticed they were all the number 15. That was weird. THEN ... it sunk in as I read the names. The Nationals had customized jerseys made for us and hung them in the lockers. We each had a spot. My jaw fell on the floor. As did everyone else's. I managed to capture this picture while everyone was still processing what they were seeing.

Teddy and Bill came to hang out with us. Bill kept trying to wander to the food table, but we wrangled him back for a photo or two.

Valerie Camillo (Senior Marketing Director) was our emcee and she took us on a journey through the past 10 years and a look ahead into what 2015 holds in store. This is the 10th anniversary of the Nationals being back in DC and they are really trying to make it special.

This year is all about giving thanks to the fans and the community - celebrating 10 years of baseball in DC

80s night is on the calendar; breaking news about the giveaway = Nationals Rubik's Cube

We spent some time seeing the new advertising campaign. "10 years of ________" and here are a few of the shots:  Example, 10 Years of Memories.

We had Q&A with F.P. Santangelo (@FightinHydrant on twitter), the color commentator from MASN (Nats broadcasting). We got a tour of the updated Norfolk Southern Lounge with the new interactive scoreboard. The board will be synced with the live game action and all the parts move around like a cuckoo clock - but they are trains. And there is a new train track overhead with a model train that runs.

We returned to the clubhouse and the final guest was Mark Lerner, one of the principal owners of the team. We got to ask him how he was feeling about the season and what his favorite memories are from the past 10 years. I mostly tried to take it all in. We were encouraged to live-tweet the event, and facebook it (and instagram and snapchat - but I am not on those forums). At the beginning I was on my game. I posted a lot. And then I was overwhelmed. I couldn't catch what was happening and I was still pinching myself. So I stopped. And then caught up on the way home. 

I got to hang out with some old friends - all of whom I met through social media and Nats connections. Even my +1 was someone I'd met through the Nats and twitter.  I met some new friends. I tweet with them a lot - and had NO IDEA who they were in real life. Now I do. I went to a Nats tweet-up 2 summers ago and met a bunch of folks - but not everyone. For the Nats twitter community is large. And growing. I am thankful to be a part of that network and to have met so many people that I can now hang out with at games. 

When the agenda for the evening had completed, we had some time to goof around in the clubhouse. Who wouldn't take advantage of that?  (Pictures below)

At the end of the night, what I took away was this: the Nationals are really learning to engage their fanbase. They are listening. They want to know what we love and what we don't. And they want to make sure we love the team. It was a small group that got to go this time. Valerie said repeatedly that if it was a success they wanted to do it again. To do more. To continue to spread their message of "A SEASON OF THANKS." As a lucky participant, I hope that I represented ALL of Nats fans well. I hope that I cheered loud enough and said thank you enough. I hope that I tweeted enough of the breaking news. I hope that my interaction with the Nationals tonight was enough for them to see that this was a successful experiment. That the fans LOVED it. I hope that I did enough to encourage the Nats to do it again so that more fans can experience this: often, and soon.

The power of social media is strong, and you are an important piece of Natstown. So keep tweeting. Keep interacting. Keep cheering. The Nationals notice.

As for me, you can find me at the playground with my girls, at the Red Porch, or in section 405.

THE GOOFING AROUND PHOTOS

selfie with Teddy

how many Nats fans can we cram in the elevator at once?

sprawling on the couch (home to many Doug Fister naps)

ROARK. NOT ROARK

this is Rob, the guy responsible for the scoreboard sound synchronization, and also the National Anthem execution

my giant arms mean I can take a selfie with Bill, too 

I heard you get fined for sitting on the Curly W.
I took my chances!

Patrick the photographer

Lisa just realized she had a jersey on the wall

Laura and her jersey