Spring Season = Baseball Season

When one thinks of the start of spring they probably think flowers starting to bloom, the weather starting to get nicer, and spring cleaning. When I think of spring I think of two things warmer weather on its way and BASEBALL!! I was one who never grew up counting down the days until the start of baseball season, but ever since I got married to Rob my love for baseball has grown more and more.

 This year had even a stronger excitement for me since Rob and I are in Cleveland. Opening Day tickets were purchased before Thanksgiving and so they stared at us every time we opened the refrigerator. I kept looking to see if April 1st was coming any closer. I would drive past Progressive Field and see the large countdown that was posted and I would get even more excited. Some people may think that Opening Day is bigger than Christmas. By Opening Day, I felt like a little kid on Christmas Morning. It was a cold cold day, but I didn't care. I was going to sit outside and cheer on the opening season of the Cleveland Indians Baseball. By the end of the game, I had my fleece lined stocking cap on, my hoodie over that in addition to wearing gloves and my coat zipped all the way up. My feet had went numb, but it was all worth it.

The Indians didn't do too well with their opening series against the Chicago White Sox, but I couldn't complain. The Opening Ceremony was a tribute to the late Bob Feller who passed away this past winter. A sad day for any true Cleveland Indian fan as Bob Feller was one of the greatest players who ever played for Cleveland. I had tears in my eyes when Mrs. Bob Feller was escorted out to the pitchers mound to lay a baseball in honor of her late husband. 

 

Since opening day, I have been to two home games and Rob has been to three. Rob's office at school is just a little over a mile walk from the ballpark. He scored a great deal on tickets from Stubhub.com  and enjoyed an afternoon game after doing a little bit of work at school. We then used a set of our free tickets for last week's game for a Friday evening. It was Dollar Dog Night at the park, which I have decided that I don't ever want to go for ever again. The concession lines were extremely long due to everyone wanting cheap hot dogs.  I told Rob that I would rather go on a regular night and pay full price for a hot dog! He laughed but understood where I was coming from. We are headed to a game a week from tonight on the 28th of April. Great way to spend the evening together before I head out of town for the weekend. A friend of mine asked me why we don't go and buy season tickets. I thought to myself, "Why? Well because it is more fun to be spontaneous for which games to go to rather than feeling as if we have to go since we have tickets!" I want to see the Seattle Mariners play when they come to town next month. Rob will be out of town, but that is ok. If I can not find any people to go with me on the day that I want to go, then I will just go by myself. It just always is a bit more fun to go with other people.

The Indians are doing great this season so far, and I hope they keep it up!!! Even if they start to slip **knock on wood they don't**, I will still be out at the ballpark cheering on the guys to keep up the good work.  Baseball is a long season, so get out to the closest ballpark and enjoy yourself a hotdog and watch a game.

Busy Summer comes to an end....

Well like everyone else is saying...summer is coming to an end. What a busy summer Rob and I had this year!! I know it seems like every year I am saying that...but we really did have a busy summer, from moving to spending time with his family to attending various events that we both wanted to do.

Late June started the big move to Ohio. I am glad that after four trailer loads full of stuff, we are finally all moved into the house that we will call home for a year. For those of you who don't remember, Rob and I are in a western suburb of Cleveland until next summer. Rob has a one year visiting professor position at Cleveland State University. He was told to pretty much keep his bags packed, as he will not be there next year. *sigh*

This past month, Rob and I have been busy running around. I have been busy seeking employment and I have not had too much luck. Gotta love moving to a state where the unemployment rate is around twelve percent. But I hope to have something by the end of this month. We have been busy exploring the west side of town and even parts of Cleveland that Rob has not been to since he was little. We went to several county fairs, tractor pulls, baseball games, and even an NFL football game. By the end of this month we will have added a couple other county fairs, an Octoberfest, and another baseball game before the season is over. I have to say that I am truly blessed with what all I have gotten to do. 

I will admit that sometimes I forget all the things that I do and then get into a jealous mood when I find that other people are doing something cool. I have to thank my own mom for putting this all into perspective for me this past weekend. I really did have a hard time this weekend when I read the status updates over on facebook of all my friends back in Oregon headed out for one last camping trips and bbq's. I guess I was just feeling down and out since I don't really know anyone here in Ohio that is my age to hang out with. So I just had a bad attitude. I really miss being around people who actually enjoy hanging out with me. There is only so much that I can handle with spending time with Rob's parents. It's just not the same.

But I am looking forward to this fall. I love the color change of the leaves and the cooler crisper weather. So overall I had a good summer. Fall time for me equals to football, Octoberfests, and the start of the rainy seasons (well that is if you live in Oregon like where I grew up). I am sure I will have yet an eventful fall. :) Only time will tell!!

Baseball Hall of Fame

I can now say that I have been to Cooperstown, NY. What is in Cooperstown?? If you are asking this question then you must not be a baseball fan or a very serious one at that. Cooperstown is the home of the Baseball Hall of Fame. This is where I spent the majority of my day. 

Last night, Rob was asking me what I wanted to do on a Tuesday where the weather was suppose to be so nice. I told him that I didn't really know. He asked if I would like to take a four hour drive north (one way) to see the Baseball Hall of Fame. I didn't see why this would be a problem...so I agreed. I figured since it was going to be a nice day, it would be fun to just be out and about rather than sitting at home all day. 

Cooperstown, NY is out in the middle of no where. I kept thinking, "Are we there yet?? How much longer? I really have to pee!" Finally we see a sign that says we have three and a half miles to go. Yay!!! We find parking up in this itty bitty town and try to find some lunch. Easy right?? Wrong! Not a whole lot was open at 11am, and we wanted to eat before going into the Hall of Fame. We found this little bar & grill that was serving lunch. Next stop, Baseball Hall of Fame (BHoF)!

Note, if you are planning a trip up to the BHoF, I would suggest going during the week and not during the summer, especially BHoF week when all the inductees are in town for the special ceremonies. Also, please allow at least three to four hours to see everything!!! I could not believe how much stuff they had in there. The museum encourages you to take flash photography and even video!! Now how cool is that?! It was pretty quiet today, and I was not going to complain. I think in three hours, I saw only about ten different people. I loved it!! Rob and I were able to go at our own pace with out people waiting behind us or trying to shove us through or shove in front of us.

I think my favorite part of the hall of fame was the area where they showed which movies have been around a baseball theme. Wow...there was a lot!! They showed some artifacts from those movies, and stuff like that. One of my favorite baseball movies is "A League of their Own". It is based on a true story, which makes the story even better. After walking through that section, makes me want to sit down and watch some of the baseball movies we have here at the house. 

All in all, it was a good trip. I am glad that I went...but don't know if I would go back only because it is really in the middle of no where and there is really no good way or easy way to get there. If you are a baseball fan, I encourage you to go.