Tomorrow (Five Minute Friday)

Tomorrow is a very special day. Two of my wonderful twitter-turned-real-life friends are getting married. So, this post is for you, Sam and Elaine.

Dear "Mr. Sam" and "Miss Lainey":

We wish you a beautiful day filled with sunshine and smiles. We wish you lots of great hugs, dancing and laughter. May some of your pictures turn out well enough to hang up in your home and may the rest make you laugh enough that you want to print them too. May all the readers get through their assignments without tongue twisting. But even if we do, may everyone understand the heart behind the words if they don't sound just right. May you dance as if no one is watching, even though we all are. May you enjoy the celebration with friends and family - know that we all love you so much.

May you remember that tomorrow is about you - not about the rest of us. Focus on each other, enjoy the ride. For tomorrow begins a new journey together - may every day be an adventure. Some will be fun, some will be amazing. Some will be less fun, and some might even be lousy, but always you will have each other. There will be tough times for sure - may you trust each other enough and lean on each other to weather the storms and come through to the side of the rainbow.  And for all your days from here on out: may there be more ups than downs, more smiles than tears, more hugs than stompy feet, more kisses than complaining. Thanks for letting us share in your beginning with you.

Congratulations, my dear friends. Hugs and kisses from all 3 of us.

Love,
Jen, S & A



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Also linking at Five Minute Friday.

Relief (Five Minute Friday)

Relief. 

This is what I feel on Thursday nights when the kids go to bed. We have made it through another week of homework, piano lessons, soccer, meal preparation, school and work. I breathe easier on Thursday nights. The weekend awaits. When we can sleep in (because 7am IS sleeping in). When we can stay up late (8:30pm IS late). 

Friday nights sometimes stink in my house. Kids can be crabby. More than once we've all crawled into bed at 6:30pm and just collapsed from the exhaustion of a "regular" week. Work for me, and school for the littles. The grind of the routine  wears us out. To the breaking point. And we need the weekend to rejuvenate.

In sweet, sweet spring, we can leave it all behind and head to the ballpark.

Sometimes, we have a Friday night baseball game. And like their mama, my girls love a good trip to Nats park. The Friday crabbies don't usually come on baseball nights. There's something about nachos and cracking bats and baseballs thumping into catchers mitts. It takes the crabby away and instead we find our sweet solace. We snuggle down in the seats with stuffed animals and blankets and scorebooks. Pencils and Uno cards and notepads.  And we watch. We listen. We cheer. We sing. We dance. And on those Friday nights, relief sets in ... that our little family of 3 is in our home away from home and all is right in our little world. 

***************

Linking up over at Kate's place with the rest of the Five Minute Friday crew.

Where we get a word, we write for 5 minutes (no edits, no backtracks, typos are permitted and never chastised), and then read the words of our fellow writers, and leave them a little love.

Join us. 

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

Plan (Five Minute Friday)

I totally missed writing 2 weeks ago. And am squeaking in for last week with about an hour to spare.

Considering how well I plan other stuff, this is a habitual epic fail in how I plan to spend my time. We are in the midst of a big (to us) plan right now! In 8 days we leave for Spring Break. This year we are doing a 2-part road trip to visit some family friends in a few different cities. We will go to Blacksburg. There are some dear, dear college friends of mine. They have 3 children, the middle one who is the same age as A. We will get into some mischief, catch up on happenings and hang out with all our littles. I hope to explore the area in which they live from the perspective of the kiddos, so that way we all learn and no one is overwhelmed with too much stress. Late nights chatting over a cup of tea. (and one night of a fantasy baseball draft. Because spring break is very close to the start of baseball season.) I wonder what they will think as I mumble under my breath for the 2 hour draft with my Nats-friends league. I guess we will soon find out.

Part 2 is the trek to Nashville. There my girls will get to see Vanderbilt for the very first time. Including a baseball game (YEAH!) where we can see the updated stadium (I have not been to a game since I graduated. Way too long) and maybe we can see the National Championship trophy and we can all cheer for my the VandyBoys. We will meet new friends (hello twitter buddies). We will be staying with one of my best friends and her family. They have 2 girls, a bit younger than mine, but we will get to hang out and explore the zoo and maybe the science center. The girls will also get to see my friend in her dance recital, which seems to be the greatest anticipation for them.

Bonus: we have a new (to us) car with a free trial of XM radio, so between the books on tape from our local library and the channels available, we will not have to encounter the radio purgatory that used to plague me on my drives from NJ to Nashville when I was a student. JACKPOT!

With a week to go until we depart, now we are just planning our packing lists and then we will be out the door. (and all the girls cheer YEAH!)

Stop.

Linking with Kate and all the FMF friends.

Visit (Five Minute Friday)

Squeaking in with an hour left. Because it's been a week of snow and snow days and crazy. (Well I guess it is always crazy. That's OK).

This week the word is VISIT and I am super excited. Tomorrow I get to visit with one of my best friends. She lives in Nashville with her 2 darling daughters and her very cool husband. I don't get to see them nearly enough. And now we will get 2 visits in 3 weeks! She's up here in DC for a work trip - and has a few hours tomorrow between the end of her meeting and her flight. It's a daddy weekend for my kiddos, so I am hightailing it into the city to meet her at the airport. We are gonna snack at Legal Seafood or something and just catch up. WOO! I haven't seen her since August.

And then she will fly home (because the snow FINALLY stopped and the airports will be clear both here AND in Nashville by tomorrow night) and hug her girls. And in 2 weeks, for spring break we are taking a road trip. First stop: Blacksburg to visit some dear friends. My first time to see them since I visited them in Dublin a few years ago. It has been way too long. And the first time my girls will meet their kiddos.  And then on to Nashville, to see my girlfriend and her family. And take in a Vanderbilt baseball game, hopefully! I haven't been to a game since I graduated. The girls have never even been to campus. (mom fail).  And then at the end of that delightful visit, we will road trip back home.

Just in time for OPENING DAY. Which quite frankly can't get here soon enough. Spring training games started today, which helps, but my kiddos and I are all ready to be back at our home away from home. Nats Park we miss you!

Stop.

Linking up with Kate and the gang for Five Minute Friday.

Also, a few pictures from our snow day. We have 7 new inches on top of what didn't melt from the foot the last time, but it is not excellent snowman snow. So we settled for snow stumps. Or snow gnomes, depending on how you look at them.

Nats Park Neighborhood Eateries: Park Tavern

36 days until OPENING DAY! Folks in Natstown are clamoring for some baseball. Thankfully the team has reported, spring training is underway, and we get actual spring training games this week. (While we sit at home. in more snow.)  Time to think about summer. Ballpark food - and before / after game hangouts.  So, without further delay, here is the next installment of Nats Park Neighborhood Eateries, brought to you by Beth.

Park Tavern

200 M St. SE

Opened: April, 2013

Sigh. Oh, Park Tavern. This one is hard to write. We had such high hopes. The location is fantastic. The design is beautiful. The patio is lovely. But that’s about where the good things stop with Park Tavern.

We almost never go -- even when there weren’t many more options around. You can just tell this place lacks strong leadership. Service is usually painfully slow, the food has been inconsistent. (I will concede it’s possible this has changed recently, it’s been so long since we’ve been there for a meal and we’ve seen folks around lately because of the ice skating rink). My favorite anecdote that encapsulates Park Tavern is one time we dropped by after a game and inquired if there were any game day specials, “No” we were told. Only a “limited menu if we’re slammed.” When we looked at said menu, several prices were crossed out, in pen, with new, higher prices written in. As I said, it just doesn’t seem as if they’re making much of an effort.

Their space is a decent place for a group (it’s where I first met a lot of Nats Twitter in real life so I’ll always have that happy memory) and I remember their calamari being pretty good.

Go if you’re looking for:

• A huge space for your large group
• A selfie with a MASN personality and you’ve already struck out at Justin’s

Stop somewhere else if:

• Slow service drives you crazy
• You can find a table at basically any other restaurant in the neighborhood