Spring Break Day 1

This year for spring break, we decided to take a baseball road trip adventure. Over the winter, I gave the girls the choice of a staycation - where we would get a nice hotel in DC and tour the smithsonians and do Nats games, or a baseball road trip. The road trip won hands down.  We even picked a hashtag to accompany us. Welcome to our #FieldOfSpringBreakDreams

Our plan:
Philly
NYC
Boston
Niagara Falls
Toronto

Day 1 we drove north to Westchester PA to start with some old timey baseball. Our friend Mr Swampy and his team play baseball that matches the rules of the 1864 era. We've seen them play once before so the girls and I were glad to go back. I learned a little more about the nuances this time. Including the tidbit that 1864 is sort of relished as the sweet spot for highlighting old rules. This was the first year that balls were called in addition to strikes, so walks became a thing, instead of pitching forrrrreverrrrr.  And yet the fly ball rule wasn't change until 1865, so you still have the bounce effect.  (Swampy may groan at my summation of the rule here... ) The way it works is: if you catch a ball on ONE bounce, it's still an out. But, the tag up (as we see on flies today) only applies if the ball does NOT bounce. One bounce, and runners can advance without tagging. Caught in the air - you still need to tag up. It makes for some interesting base running and also some creative fielding strategy. The other fun rule I learned this time was about batting order. You need to know the player on the batting team who makes the last out of an inning ... because it's the next guy in the lineup who leads off the next inning. Example: if there are runners on 2B (4th in the lineup) and 1B (5th in the lineup) and the guy at bat is 6th in the lineup.  There's 1 out.  The batter hits a one-bounce to left field (taht's out 2) and then the guy on 2B is thrown out trying to get to 3B (that's the 3rd out). The player who was on 1B would lead off the next inning. Even though the 6th guy in the lineup already hit in this inning. (He'll get to go as the 2nd batter next inning).   These rules are fun (although it does add to the challenge of teaching my girls the game, since they're not the same as now).

After we watched a few innings (it was cold and WINDY), we headed for our hotel. The evening agenda was the Nationals-Phillies game at Citizens Bank Park. Our first of 5 games in 9 days. We met up with some wonderful friends, and had terrific seats down the 3B line. 5th row. Too bad the game was not as excellent as the view. Although, we did witness history - the Nationals had their worst inning in franchise history, which yielded a deficit of 12 runs at the end of the first inning. WOOF. The final score was 17-3. Not excellent baseball, friends, but still fun.   See below for some photos from Day 1. We walked back to the hotel (hooray for convenience) for a good night of rest and then the start to Day 2.

Day 1 mileage: trip odometer read 0 miles when we pulled out of the garage.  171 miles when we arrived at old timey baseball.  200 miles at Citizens Bank Park.

ready to roll out!

Mr Swampy!

hotel room view

meeting up with our friend Mike

the line up lady. She was at the desk where we got our MLB passports stamped. 

with Mr Eric

fading fast with a lopsided score

rally beard! (we managed 3 runs.)

part of the crew! 

this was a slice of the between inning entertainment. it was ... odd
also, you can tell how close our seats were ... it's a no zoom photo. 

passport stamp day 1. yes I still need to fill in the details. and no, I cannot figure out how to turn this photo right side up yet. 

Friend (Five Minute Friday)

hello friends. It has been way too long since I shared some words here. I have done a lot of journaling. I make it a practice that if my post shares some specific details about other key folks in my life, I ask them before I post. So I have a lot of thoughts from these past 3 months that live in my journals and not elsewhere out of respect for those decisions.

Tonight I am exhausted from a long and crazy week. I sat down for just a few minutes and Kate's tweet popped up, with the prompt of friend. And then I knew I had to write. Because for me, this five minute friday place is full of a bunch of friends. I've only met a few of them in real life, but they're friends just the same.

And even in the months of absence, they reach out. A tweet or a DM or an email ... how are you, jen ... we miss you around here. It's so nice to feel loved, and missed, even from people I've never actually hugged.

Like an old friend, when you can pick up right where you've left off even months before, this community is here. Loving and smiling and welcoming. So, for this week - hello old friends, it's good to see you and read your words.  Hope you all have a terrific weekend and maybe soon we will see signs of spring emerge from under this latest freaky freeze.

Waving hello from the dusty keyboard in Northern Virginia ....

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This post is a part of Five Minute Friday. Link up with us over at Kate's place and say hello to someone new.

What Will We Do On Wednesday?

3. More. Days.

I see the light at the end of the tunnel. Or do I? This election season, more than any I can remember in my 40 years on this earth, has brought out the nastiness and vitriol and a general lack of respect for people's opinions like nothing I've ever seen.

At the end of the day Tuesday, the votes will be cast. Here's hoping that everyone who can vote actually DOES vote. And then one candidate will have prevailed over all the others. And we will go to bed late Tuesday night ... and awake Wednesday morning with the rest of our lives ahead of us.

Whether your candidate wins or loses ... whether my candidate wins or loses ... from the top of the ticket to the lowest position on the ballot ... wide sweeping reforms won't happen overnight. Big broad changes won't be in place by Thursday.  And I have news for you: no matter who wins, whether you supported them or not, those wide sweeping changes you crave (or fear - depending on who wins and where you stand) won't happen for awhile. If at all. Change on a broad scale can take time. There are obstacles. People need to get organized and make plans and write bills and enact them.

You know what doesn't take waiting for a long time? One someone choosing to do one something. As one person, I might not be making widespread national impact changes on Wednesday. Or on any other day. But I am making a difference.

I can look at the needs in MY community. Hungry kids? We can donate to the local foodbank. Cold kids? I have winter coats that my little has outgrown and they're in good shape. I can donate to the HS coat drive.  A neighbor who is sick and shut in? My kids and I can make a meal.  A mama healing from surgery? I can be the carpool brigade for her kiddos.

Know what? YOU can do the same. It's not sweeping vast public policy changes. It's close to home impact people changes. And I daresay that politics aside  ... making a difference in families right here is a much better way for me to change the world than ranting about how my candidate or your candidate did or didn't do something that they said they would.

Taking matters into my own hands. Using my voice to vote and then using what I have to give back and help someone else.

Because in my world: these are the things that matter. Empathy. Kindness. Compassion. Love.   Beyond the voting booth and into the community, I choose to make a difference, however small it may seem - it's not small to those on the receiving end.

On Wednesday - and every day - may we wake up and give back.  The light at the end of the tunnel: #LoveOn

Day 6: YOU

(posting late. Playing catch up tonight).

Dear friends,
YOU are such an integral part of my life. You who love me through hard days and you who hug me when I think I might fall apart. You who laugh with me when things are silly ... or ridiculous. You who love on my kids and welcome them into your hearts. You who call me when I never remember to call you first. You who reach out when you think I've been quiet too long. You who defend me when you think someone is doing something to me that shouldn't be done. You who watch games with me, or movies with me, or do puzzles with me. You who take me out for moms' night out and you who take the kids to give me a mom's night out. You who stop and pray for me and you who ask how you can pray and you who pray for me without even knowing what to pray for. You who send letters and emails and postcards and books. You who make time even when you don't have extra time to give. You who road trip and bus trip and train trip to celebrate events big or small. You who support charity walks and runs year after year. Some of you support with your checkbook and some of you support with your tweets and all of you support with your encouraging words and your hearts and I am thankful for each and every one of you.

I speak often of how it takes a village to raise a kid (or two) but it also takes a village to support a grown up, and I am thankful to have each of you in that village with me.  My world is a better place because of you.

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This post is a part of 31 Days of Five Minute Fridays. You can see all posts in the series here. 

Day 5: SILENCE

I watched an entire baseball game trying to decide what to post tonight. It was a ridiculous (in the best way) game. Pitchers' duel in a winner take all wild card game. (San Francisco Giants v New York Mets for you non baseball friends) The ballpark was rocking. All night long. Loud and rowdy. Cheering non stop. Much to cheer about (if you like low ... er zero ... scoring games).  And then ... top of the 9th ... Familia comes in for the Mets. I won't give you the play by play because lots of terrific baseball writers will give you that. But a couple of guys get on base for San Francisco. and then ... Conor Gillaspie (who? exactly). HOME RUN. And then ... crickets.  The ballpark that had been so loud it felt like I could hear it out my window (NYC to DC) ... deathly silent. All the air sucked out of everyone's lungs. Sure, there were still 3 outs for NY to get their chance to come back. But every Mets fan in that ballpark felt the win slip away. Their star pitcher matched the pitcher from SF for so many innings. Their bullpen was holding them even. Zeroes in the run column for both teams.  And then a series of (unfortunate events). And one pitch. And WHAM.

New York Mets: into the off season. Silent until Spring Training.  As for me, and my girls: we have baseball on Friday! Let's go Nats.


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This post is a part of the series 31 Days of Five Minute Fridays. You can find all the other posts in the series here.

Day 4:BREW

Sometimes people confess things in blog posts. This is not a giant secret, but it's a fact about me: I don't like coffee. Coffee ice cream? YES.  That is ICE CREAM. But coffee?  Ick. I am 40 and I've had one cup in my life (at my college reunion a few years ago to try it out) and it was bitter and gross even with a hundred sugars and a gallon of milk.  So . No coffee for me.

But - I love the smell of fresh brewed coffee. It reminds me of home. My daddy drinks a million (plus or minus) cups of coffee a day. (Sorry dad, I know it isn't that high any more but ... still seems like that). I have a coffee maker that I only take out when dad comes to visit - and then my house smells like fresh coffee in the morning and it lingers all day and I love it. If it weren't so wasteful, I'd consider brewing some on days when dad isn't here - I like the smell that much.

Maybe I need to learn how to make my own coffee ice cream. Then I could have the best of both worlds ... and that might tide me over until dad's next visit.

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This post is a part of 31 Days of Five Minute Friday. You can see all the other posts in the series here.

Day 3: WARDROBE

Wardrobe can be another word for closet, yes? yes. let's roll with that. I suppose it's more properly described as a free standing closet. Closets are good for hiding things - besides clothes, you can tuck all sorts of things in a closet. Shoes. Craft projects. Laundry baskets. Suitcases. Christmas and birthday surprises. Some fun things, and some boring, but necessary things.

Ever consider using a wardrobe as an analogy for your heart? Lots of things can get hidden in your heart, too. Anger. Frustration. Sadness. Joy. Love. Kindness.

You open a wardrobe and pick out what to wear - and if you're like me (or especially like my kids) you choose your favorite things more often than the other things. The pants that fit just right or the shirt that makes you smile. The comfortable things or the ones that make your day better.

If you think of your heart the same way, when you open your heart every day, what do you choose to wear? What emotions fit "just right" or feel comfortable like an old  friend? The more you wear them, the better they fit, and the more you are drawn back to those as your first, easy pick.

My goal is to have kindness and joy and love as the first ones I go to. The ones that beckon each time I look inside. Some days it's hard and I need a little reminder to go back inside and get the good ones out. But every day I do, it makes them easier to pull out the next morning, too.

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This post is a part of Write 31 days. You can find all the posts in the series here.