Sunday, August 2, 2009

NaviGuessing, Warm Beer and Physics...

As of 1700hrs EDT the house is scrubbed down, the clothes are washed and the snacks are prepped for the BucketListVacay! Hubster and I are heading out in the morning, for this somewhat spontaneous road trip. I say spontaneous due to the fact we were supposed to be on our way to Seattle for the week. It would have been a little bit of biz for Hubster and all-playtime for me. I have told him numerous times, Seattle is the only city he could convince me to leave my lifelong home for. However, the boat is delayed, so the trip was postponed until later in the month. So, as I watched the All-Star Game, it struck me...I've got the time off work, let's go on a wacky road trip...so the BucketListVacay began!

I am the world's worst navigator, thus I have received the title of "NaviGuesser". Yep, we are fully aware of those little gadgets called GPS, but c'mon...have you any idea the places we've seen, due to being lost? I read the MapQuest directions backwards on one trip, which only took us two hours off track. And then there was the time we were on the opposite side of town, when attempting to visit the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Ahhhh...I could go on, but I won't!

The next week is all about experiencing new baseball stadiums. BallParks, we have never stepped foot in and may never visit again. Ahhh...boiled hot dogs with warm beer and a CrackerJack shooter. Yummy! Organ Music, The Wave and grown men making obnoxious amounts of money for running around a diamond. Have I mentioned, I. Love. Baseball.

Physics. Baseball is a game of physics. Did you know.....
*The collision of a ball on the bat lasts only about 1/1000th of a second
*That a batted ball should be able to travel no farther than 475 Feet
*That a 90 mph fastball can reach homeplate in 400 milliseconds
*That a baseball weighs 5.12 ounces
*That peak forces a bat can put on a ball can exceed 8300 pounds, enough to stop a mini Cooper rolling at 10mph!

So I leave with a tune:

Take me out to the ball game
Take me out to the crowd
Buy me some peanuts and crackerjack
I don't care if I never get back
For it's root, root, root for the home team
If they don't win it's a shame
For it's one, two, three strikes
You're out at the old ballgame!

For the next several days, I won't be online much...however, I am asking you guys to do me a few favors...

#1 Pray for MudPuppy. He is quickly coming to the end of his year long deployment in Afghanistan. MudPuppy is coming home! I ask that you join me as I lift him in prayer daily; pray that he brings MomTears to the eyes of his mom, that he knows a gentle transition into 'our world' and that he remains a strong, faithful servant for the greatest nation in the world.

#2 Please pray for David. I have recently happened upon and followed the blog Ward57. This blog is the journey of a young soldier and his wife. David stepped on a landmine in Afghanistan on 5.11.2009. Please take a few moments to read their story and lift this brave soldier and his strong wife in prayer.

#3 Praise God for the family who have the remains of Captain Michael "Scott" Speicher. For twenty years, this family has been waiting.


As General Douglas MacArthur stated,
"I shall return"

12 comments:

Wonderful World of Weiners said...

Have an absolutely fantastic time!! Can't wait to hear all the details!!

Hallie

Sarge Charlie said...

Michael "Scott" Speicher has been in my thoughts for 20 years, along with his family. let them have peace.
You will like my post.

Julie D said...

Have a great trip and safe travels!!

Coffeypot said...

Needless to say the prayers are always there, and I just finished reading about David. He is courageous, but his wife is even more so. It has to be incredibly difficult to stay positive with all that pain and suffering. God bless her and all those who have helped the two of them.

And I hope you find the ballpark before the game is over.

Tami said...

AM~
Have a wonderful trip. I can't wait to see pictures and hear stories when you return.

God Bless and Safe Travels,

aam

Mariana Soffer said...

But I bet the poor young man was never ever able to come back, neither to get near where he once had happy times

MightyMom said...

and I want posted pictures of you at each of these ball fields....and you really SHOULD catch yourself a fly ball atl east once!! I mean it IS a bucketlistvacay and all!!

HeartBass said...

You have to come to our chorus show on 10/3 -- we're singing "Take Me Out to the Ballgame" as one of our new songs! In fact, we're going to sing it TWICE -- once in honor of the Nats and once in honor of the O's! Have a wonderful trip! You know how jealous I am!!

CI-Roller Dude said...

A trick I teach grunts on the ground for figuring out where you're going....
Always know your directions. There are 4 basics- N, S, E & W. If you loose track of those, forget it. Then I often use the W.A.G. method of getting around.
Wild
Ass
Guess

My biggest fear in Iraq was: Crashing in the desert on a CH46 and not having my bones ever found.

Evansmom said...

Have a great time. Sounds like a wonderful vacation to me! I didn't used to like baseball but having a baseball-loving son converted me. We have been to Fenway, the old Yankee Stadium, the old Mets Stadium, Cleveland, Baltimore, Philly, Toronto and Tampa.

Can't wait to hear all about it.

christian soldier said...

you may be interested in this:
http://carolmsblog.blogspot.com/2009/08/west-point-top-ratingsagain.html
C-Cs

Fragrant Liar said...

Like you, I have found all kinds of places I never would have found had I known where I was going. You'll be like modern-day explorers without a GPS.

Praying for all the boys and girls in the military and their families.

Be safe and have a great time.