Take Me Out to the Ballgame

There's nothing like spending a summer Sunday afternoon at the ballpark. Brian headed off at 11AM with four of the children to catch the bus at church. It was Will's first ride in a big yellow schoolbus - very exciting for him since we homeschool. The laundry was still drying and I was sure I was going to miss the bus. I did indeed, but decided to get there under my own steam. I followed about 1 hour behind, but realized my wallet, and ticket was with Brian and the kids... I rang ahead to the stadium to let them know I was with the group and to see if they would let me in. The nice lady at the office said she would leave my name with the ticket office.

After writing down the driving directions, I packed Sophie into the van and thanked God that I had full tank of gas! During the hour-long drive, I gave good St. Christopher a workout and he rose to the ocassion - getting us there safely and in good time! We couldn't park at the paid lots since my wallet was now INSIDE the stadium. Mercifully, I found a perfect spot for the van at a school about one block from the stadium. Sophie and I arrived at the ticket counter and I gave my name. The delightful youg lady not only took me at my word, but handed me a general admission ticket to get into the gate AND the location of my group's section. The ticket taker was delighted by the Paw Sox's newest fan, all snuggled into her sling. I made my way to section 6 and was greeted by five delighted smiles at our arrival.

Brian bought hot dogs and chicken fingers for lunch and we enjoyed seeing two fine Boston RedSox players ply their trade (Trot Nixon on rehab and Kevin Youkelis keeping loose for the next call-up) . We sang, cheered and clapped with the music and were ammused by the presence of Mrs. Rhode Island - resplendent in her tiara (who knew it would go with pedal pushers and flip-flops?) - and her lovely family.

Following the PawSox victory over the Rochester Red Wings (5-2), we made our way to the field where Brian and the kids ran the bases, receiving a high-five from Paws the Mascot. To our great relief, the van hadn't been towed from it's spot so we climbed in and made for home. It was a quiet drive - everyone fell alseep but me. Better to stay awake when you're driving, I find... We stopped for ice cream sundaes before arriving home to bathe the children and put them to bed.

Yes, indeed - a beautiful way to spend a summer Sunday afternoon!