My Second Debut on a Baseball Field: First Pitch and Meeting Managers

     In junior high, it was the popular extra-curricular to sing in the choir, Sounds of Salem, and although my voice can be glass shattering, I belted it with what we called gusto.  I am not sure what year it was and all of my picture proof remains in storage at home, but one year, we were given the opportunity to torture a large crowd by singing the National Anthem at a St. Louis Cardinal's baseball game.  I still remember walking out on the field and seeing a large, brand new player with a name I could not  pronounce "Pujols" (SPIT......hey, if the players can spit all the time, I can spit the times when I hear his name).  Looking around at the crowd from that standpoint and being pictured on the gigantic screen was surreal.  Growing up in Cardinal's country makes that experience all the much better; we are true baseball fans!  I never thought that I would be given that opportunity again, so being the braces-wearing teen that I was, I lived it up, sang that du-wop-ity song, and headed for my hotdog-eating, soda-drinking, cotton candy-sticking location in the nose-bleeders to cheer on my favorite team.
     Lucky enough, that was not the only chance I would have of standing on the field of a baseball stadium.  As an aside and to my young readers out there, a piece of advice: make really awesome friends!  Because, you see, PDub and I have already traveled twice for weddings of really awesome friends, and this summer, one of our really awesome friends shared the opportunity of throwing out the first pitch and meeting the managers and umpires at the Nationals vs. Mets game.  Yes, you heard it correctly; I made my second debut on another baseball field!  Instead of the nose-bleeders this time, I headed for the green seats behind home plate; still got my hotdog but with an adult beverage(s) this time.  Oh the beauty of professional baseball....

They made me change my hat to meet the coaches and give the line-up to the umpires.  I played by the rules.

Feeling extra-confident....and looking snazzy!

We always make fun of the kids that can't decide on a team, so like PDub, they wear two (Cards shirt and Nats cap).

THE ball.

A lovely couple.

Warming up....wouldn't want to pull anything on the first pitch. 

The dugout....and the first pitch ball, which wouldn't stay out of the picture for some reason.

The Zhaoster with his catcher, labeled "Wingman."

The Preparation

The Pitch.

The Follow-Through

Screech the Eagle high-fiving The Zhaoster for a real bouncer of a pitch. 

Whoo hoo!

The dug-out with some real playas.

Randy Knorr, the Nationals manager, and the JDub (I mean who's the bigger deal here?)

Confession of a Cardinals fan.

Waving and smiling to a camera.

On the Jumbo/Mega/Big Screen.  It's the largest I've ever seen myself.

Handing over the line-up to the head umpire.

Meeting the Mets (did you know that Mets is short for Metropolitans?) manager, Terry Collins. 

An important group of people.

The Diamond Club bar.

Hot-dog-nacho bar.  Not sure which bar is more important....it's a toss up.

Four ice creams please and keep them coming.

The presidential race....Go Abe!!

View from our seats.

The damage that we didn't pay for.  Thanks to United points and The Zhaoster who seems to have unlimited miles!

Extra:  The father of the family sitting in front of us caught a foul ball.  His 5y/o son proceeded to ask if he could have it.  The father responded, "No.  You can have it when I'm dead."  Classic!  I hope to be a parent like that one day.....we can only hope!

9/11 Memorial

     Generation after generation will have those memories of historical happenings, knowing exactly where he or she was and doing at that moment.  In addition to many others events, my parents have the assassination of JFK.  Thankfully, in my lifetime so far, I have only had one of these occurrences and that was 12 years ago today.  I was a freshman in high school sitting in first hour biology class when we heard a knock at the door.  My teacher proceeded to answer it and then run to turn on the television.  At that time, I had no clue what the World Trade Center was, but I knew that whatever was happening was history and would affect our nation forever.
     Last year, PDub and I were able to visit the 9/11 Memorial.  Where the twin towers used to stand are now twin pools lined with the names of individuals who died in those buildings or in the planes that day.  Not only is it a memorial of remembrance but also hope; you can see the new WTC buildings going up in the area.  Additionally, the "survivor tree" which was found amongst the rubble and still alive was replanted at the memorial.  Today on its anniversary, let us remember.

The pool for one of the buildings; the flow of water appears endless.

The waterfall on one side of the pool.

The "survivor tree."

The placards lining the perimeter of the pool.

A serene place in the center of the business district.

One of the new buildings at the time.  In our most recent trip, it looks to be complete and makes the rest of the NYC skyline look tiny.

Batting Practice at Nationals Park

     My weekday lunches usually consist of what I can scrounge up in the kitchen and an episode of Vampire Diaries.  However, this particular day was unlike any normal weekday.  Instead of searching through the refrigerator, I jumped on the metro and headed for Navy Yard-Ballpark for some hot dogs and a little batting practice (BP, as the professionals call it), my replacement for expired lunch meat and television entertainment.

     The Zhaoster had more points to spend with United, go figure, so he bid and won on a batting practice day at Nationals Park.  Instead of having a random occasion, the Zhaoster turned it into a going away party for some of our friends; I guess we need an excuse to do fun things these days.  Anyway, 35 of us showed up to the ballpark that day to partake in a baseball tradition dating back to the 19th century.  Groundskeepers, look out; there's a large group of nerds donning helmets and swinging bats looking to tear up an immaculate field!

Da Dubs back on the field again.  I think they are considering recruiting us for at least the job of bat boy.

A wonderful, fun couple who had to move to Houston far too soon!

The Zhaoster and Teddy.  Someone should probably tell the President that his pants are a little high water.

The "cage" for our BP.

Do you think he truly needs those glasses?  Too school for cool.

Thumbs up for the spread.  Best lunch ever!

Outfield angels.....similar to snow angels.

Yes, Teddy even had a glove that we could use.

Pop fly!!!

Grounder!!!

Let's play some catch.

Got it!

Little League photo shoot.

PDub in the "cage."

The gloves, cell phones, and water bottles table.

Spitting in the dugout.

The team.....looking to take on the Nationals next year.

Ignite your natitude.....and look cool doing it.....

.....Or not.  Boys will be boys.

The call to the bullpen.

More Little League photos.

The girl must be on roids......that's the fourth homer she's hit.

PDub nabbing one of Jdub's homeruns.

Now that's the best group of people I've ever seen in a dugout.

First pitch jersey that President Obama wore and signed.

First pitch jersey that President Bush wore and signed.

The visitors' locker room where some of the greatest players have prepared for their games (not to be confused with the players in this photo).

Eglise St-Eustache and the Angelina Tearoom in Paris

     I had been in Paris for three days but had yet to feel like it.  The places we had visited were saturated with tourists, and the people we had spoken with did so in perfect English.  I love my country, its language and culture, but when I travel, I want to escape my every day and experience difference.  It took three days, but the Eglise St-Eustache (Church of St. Eustace) brought tears to my eyes with the realization that I was in Paris.

     My senses were overwhelmed that day sitting on the small, wooden chairs, watching the sun make its way through the stained glass windows, and listening to the largest organ in France echo magical notes off the arched ceiling.  Goosebumps surfaced on my arms as I thought of the individuals who had been in this very church; Voltaire buried below, Mozart during his mother's funeral, and Louis XIV taking his first communion.  Now you might see why my Parisian travels became a little more Parisian.

With late Gothic architecture the church was built between 1532 and 1632.

The gorgeous archways and tiny wooden chairs.

Stained glass windows.

The altar.

The largest organ in France.  Boy, could it sing!

For those organ savvy readers, it has 101 stops and 8,000 pipes dating back to 1854.

     After our trip to church, we satisfied our sinful appetites with the extra-thick "African" hot chocolate from the Angelina Tearoom and of course our first macaroons.

PDub really can't handle the sun; hence, the awesome face.

One of my many French addictions, macaroons.  One of each please.