Kennedy Ballpark Tour: Florida ("This is the lifetime!")

The Kennedy Ballpark Tour hit the road a little earlier this year. Rather than our usual summer timing, we planned our trip for Spring Break, in hopes of capitalizing on milder temperatures and to spread out the fun of our other summer travels. When I saw that the opening home stands for the Marlins and Rays coincided with our break, it was meant to be. With these two ballparks, we have officially crossed of #18 and #19 (and adding #20 for the old Atlanta stadium). Here comes the re-cap!

loanDepot Park - Miami Marlins

Tropicana Field - Tampa Bay Rays

Day 1 (Friday, March 29th): Traveling to Florida

Our first day of Spring Break was Good Friday, and on Thursday after work, we picked up the rental car from Enterprise. Like last year's trip to Cincinnati, we opted for a rental car to save the wear and tear on our (already aging) vehicles. We got a free upgrade to a Jeep Cherokee with all the bells and whistles, a hybrid with less than 4000 miles on it. Practically brand new! We did as much packing as we could Thursday night, but inevitably there were still lots of little tasks on Friday morning before we left. We pulled out of our driveway around 8AM. To make a game of our long day of traveling, I told the kids that we were going to have a meal in each of the three different states along our route, and that is just what we did: breakfast in South Carolina, lunch in Georgia, and dinner in Florida near our final destination for the day. The kids enjoyed eating in the car and watching movies on the DVD player from Aunt Megan. Emmy declared: "This is the lifetime!" (as in, "This is the life!") It quickly became a tagline for the rest of the vacation. We were finally off the road a little before 7PM in Titusville, Florida, near the Kennedy Space Center. We had dinner at a nearby restaurant called Kelsey's Pizzeria & Eatery. Then it was a quick change into pjs and off to bed. Despite the many hours in the car, neither kid had taken a nap! After we got them settled down from exploring the hotel room, they quickly fell asleep. This year, we finally had to make the change to two queen beds: boys in one bed and girls in the other. Boomer and I got kicked quite a lot by our sleeping companions, but the kids seemed to sleep just fine. I think this arrangement will be the new norm for our travels in the future (...but hopefully with less kicking!)

Day 2 (Saturday, March 30th): Kennedy Space Center

Our stop in Titusville was a great way to break up the trip, plus we were able to check out the Kennedy Space Center. From our hotel, it was just a short drive over the bridge to Merritt Island where the KSC is located. When we left in the morning, we packed all of our things, since we would be traveling on to Miami at the end of the day. We arrived at the KSC Visitor Center around 8:30AM and posed for some photos before the gates officially opened at 9AM. I had not done a lot of research beforehand, so we kinda winged it. We started with the bus tour over to the Apollo/Saturn V Launch Center. After spending some time there, we returned to the main Visitors Center, where the kids enjoyed their favorite attraction, Planet Play, a three-story indoor playground. After lunch at the Orbit Café, we hit the 12:30PM showing of Deep Sky in the IMAX Theater. We then went to Atlantis, which was the first reusable space shuttle that has traveled to and from space over 30 times. We ended with the Gateway exhibit, although the line was too long to do the shuttle launch experience. We thought it best to make our exit while everyone was still in good spirits. All in all, it was a very smooth day. We left the Kennedy Space Center around 3PM and continued south. Along our route to Miami, we made a stop through Lake Worth, where we were able to see my old house, along with my grandparents', and have dinner at Bud's Chicken & Seafood, a restaurant I remember from the rare times we would have fast food growing up. Their corn fritters were still just as good as 30 years ago! We arrived in Miami around 8PM and settled in for the next two nights. 

Day 3 (Sunday, March 31st): Miami Marlins' Game

When we woke up on Sunday morning, it was a special surprise to see that the Easter Bunny had visited us. He found us all the way in Florida! Emmy discovered the note in the bathroom, and then there were treats too! After a slower morning at the hotel, we got ready for the baseball game. A few weeks before our trip, I had reached out to my Aunt Glenda that lives in Miami, and she picked us up from our hotel around noon and joined us for the game. We drove by the Wynwood Walls, a colorful district of Miami where our hotel was located. There are several blocks of painted buildings and lots of outdoor markets and restaurants. We arrived at the ballpark at 12:30PM and took our time getting to our seats. First pitch was at 1:40PM. Like in other more recent games, Boomer got tickets in an upper section, the highest most row. We had plenty of room to spread out. With the tickets, there was a hotdog, drink, and popcorn special, and then Boomer also got a Cuban sandwich with plantain chips. The Marlins took an early lead, but sadly they lost to the Pirates in the 10th inning 9-7. Two firsts for the Kennedy Ballpark Tour: extra innings and running the bases afterwards. Since it was a Sunday game, the kids got to run the bases, and it was really neat to be down on the field. After the game, we had dinner at Pollo Tropical, a Florida version of Chipotle. Yum! Aunt Glenda dropped us back at our hotel around 7PM. It sure was special to get to see her while we were there. 

Day 4 (Monday, April 1st): Tampa Bay Ray's Game

On Monday, we left Miami to head toward Tampa, about 3.5 hours northwest, somewhat in the direction of home. Aside from a little bit of backseat bickering, the kids did really well during all of the car rides. We spaced out snacks along the way and made one stop for gas and Dunkin Donuts. (To add a little bit of excitement to our trip, the gas light came on during Alligator Alley, a stretch of the turnpike with no exits! We were so glad to make it to the gas station!) We arrived in Tampa around 2:30PM and had a late lunch at Red Mesa Mercado, which was recommended by our Tampa-native friends, Trey and Lori. I got the fried shrimp tacos, and Boomer got the you-pick-3 with a crunchy taco, soft taco, and empanada. There is definitely a strong Latino influence in Florida, and we enjoyed all the food there. After checking in at our hotel, it was a short 0.3 walk to Tropicana Field. First pitch was at 6:50PM, and we arrived about an hour before to explore the stadium. There is an actual stingray tank in center field which is neat. Also it is completely indoors, so the temperature was very comfortable. Trey and his boys, Drew and Asher, met us at the game. We watched the first 7 innings in our seats out in center field, but then we moved down to the lower section, 3rd base line, to finish out the game. We brought the Rays some good luck in the bottom of the 7th with two homeruns, but unfortunately they lost to the Rangers, 9-3. The kids asked if they could run the bases...they were a little spoiled from our Marlins experience! 

Day 5 and 6 (Tuesday, April 2nd and Wednesday, April 3rd): Traveling Home

To break up the drive home, we only stayed one night in Tampa, and on Tuesday morning, we checked out of our hotel, oh but not before hitting up the continental breakfast. Boomer, who was the breakfast maker and fetcher, created pancake masterpieces for the kids. This particular hotel in Tampa had quite the selection of toppings! After leaving our hotel, we met Trey, Lori, and their youngest, Eliannah, for lunch at Buoy's Waterfront Bar & Grill, right on the water in St. Pete. I got the fried shrimp po' boy with truffle fries, and Boomer got the shrimp and grits. We got on the road around 1:30PM and started to make our way north. We stopped for the evening around 6PM in Kingsland, GA, just across the state line. The kids had asked to swim at the pool, and although the water turned out to be a little too cold, we enjoyed a pizza picnic poolside. On Wednesday morning, we hit the road around 8:30AM for the final 6 hours of our journey. We spent a lot of hours in the car over the six days, but truly the kids were great travelers. Even the time on the road made for special memories together. 

I am sad to report that the Kennedy Ballpark Tour has hit a slump of losses from our time in Florida....hopefully we can come out of it in 2025! We are already looking forward to next year!

Girls Weekend

We have had a busy and fun end to the month of March. Last weekend, I had a girls weekend in Winston with my BFFs. We hung out Friday night at Carrie's, with take-out and other junk food and snacks. On Saturday morning, I joined back up with them for brunch at Mozelle's, the cutest little bistro in downtown Winston. Kelly and I went halfsies with the Eggs Benedict with a side of cheesy grits and the tomato pie with succotash. Yum! After brunch, we went to Lash & Blade, a beauty salon and boutique, where we each got permanent bracelets. There were several options of styles, both in silver and gold, and even though we each got something a little different based on our personalities, we all added in seven gold hearts. I love mine! Later that evening, we had dinner at East of Texas, where we watched some of the March Madness basketball games, followed by drinks at Easy Talk. It was such a fun day from start to finish. The other three Kennedys had a very fun Saturday, too. Boomer, Emmy, and Eli went to our friends', the Mastens, for an Easter egg hunt, complete with a bouncy house. Then, that night while Grammy watched Eli, Boomer took Emmy to the ACC Gymnastics Championship at the Greensboro Coliseum. Wake doesn't have a gymnastics team, but there were four other ACC schools there: NC State, UNC Chapel Hill, Clemson, and Pitt. Even without the Deacs, Boomer and Emmy had a fun time watching all the gymnasts. Boomer sure embraces the role of a girl dad, and the two of them made some special memories. 

One day this week, I got this super cute picture from my sister. It's a before-school snapshot when Emmy is with Aunt Megan until the bell rings. I sure am grateful that Emmy has Aunt Megan close by during the school day. Both Emmy and Eli have had lots of fun activities at school in anticipation of the upcoming Easter holiday. 

One last bit of excitement for our week, Emmy wrote to our mail carrier, and he wrote back! Thank you, Mr. Brad!

Fan Favorite

There's no doubt that Eli loves baseball. He has been wearing his glove around the house for months, and he loves going to play in the backyard. He especially loves being pitched to and hitting the balls. After weeks of waiting, the day finally arrived for his first t-ball practice. I picked up both kids from school, and we did a quick change in the school bathroom. For this first practice, we went all out with the full uniform. (I know now that athletic pants and regular socks are okay for practices!) The green socks were Eli's choice. And he wore his Daddy's old Orioles hat. Once we got to the field, Eli became a bit shy. Okay, full disclosure, there were some tears, but after I peeled him off of me, he smiled and participated the rest of the practice. I was very proud of him! Practices continue through the month of March, and then games will begin in April. It should be quite entertaining, to say the least!

Eli's teacher Mrs. Judy said that he is a "fan favorite" (her words) in the Bluebirds class. I loved hearing that. Hopefully it wasn't just a euphemism for being too chatty or boisterous! :) It made me smile, because he is certainly a fan favorite with us. This past week, somehow I had to take Eli to the store not once, but TWICE, and both times he chose the monstrous kid shopping cart, which made for the fun task of navigating the tight aisles and the check-out. But look how happy he is!

Emmy has started her practices too. In the machine pitch division, each week they have field practices and cage practices. Before that first practice, Boomer took her to a batting cage nearby so she could get used to the ball coming at her. Already we have seen a big improvement in her stance and swing. During the field practice this week, Emmy was noticeably more comfortable being out there. She is doing a great job stopping the ball with her glove or going after it if it gets through. We are especially proud of her desire to learn and improve. She will often ask Boomer or her coach questions to clarify a skill or a set of directions. 

At the end of this week, Boomer had a conference in Wilmington, and we certainly missed him. I missed him tonight as I hustled to get both kids to their respective fields for practice at 6PM! While in Wilmington, Boomer got to have dinner with Kyle and Carlin. He doesn't get to see them often, so it was nice that his conference brought him to their neck of the woods. 

Since we will be traveling over the Easter Holiday, we dyed our eggs a little early this year. Grammy had everything set up for us last Saturday when we arrived: 36 eggs in total. Each of the kids took turns putting their eggs into the color of their choice. In between dyeing eggs, they were back and forth playing ball in Grammy and Grandpa's front yard. It was such a beautiful day that we moms didn't fight to keep them inside. We finished up the last of the eggs and had a dozen each to take home. It will be a different Easter this year not at church and with our whole family, but hopefully the Easter Bunny will find us at our hotel in Florida. 

I am looking forward to the weekend ahead. This week has been a doozy, as I have coordinated two different field trips. For a field trip to Appalachian, we took a larger bus with a bus driver. But for the second field trip to a local business fair, we took this smaller bus. Enjoy this photo of me behind the wheel for the first time!