Baseballers.

For the second half of last weekend's getaway, we spent a couple of hours at the Baseball Grounds of Jacksonville, watching the Jacksonville Suns play the Pensacola Blue Wahoos.

This may not sound like a big deal to you, but it was only the second baseball game I've ever been to in my (almost) 29 years. The first was three-ish months ago—it was a spring training game here in Bradenton, and the Pittsburgh Pirates played the Philadelphia Phillies.

Full disclosure: I have been a lifelong ignorer of baseball, which I know is sacrilegious to some of you. And it's not because I don't like sports—I am actually, and probably somewhat surprisingly, a huge professional basketball fan; a result of growing up in Orlando with a pro team in my backyard and a father who had season tickets (and great seats) for years. In fact, my dad and I used to play what we called “The Players Game,” and I am not kidding when I tell you that I could name every starting player—and many second-string players, too—in the NBA in the late '90s. It was a source of pride for both of us.

Anyway, basketball was my dad's thing, and so it became mine by proxy and then by love, and because my dad didn't like baseball, I never paid attention to it, either, aside from a couple of painful T-ball games I attended because my brother played for half a second. Plus, I just didn't get baseball. Swing a bat, hit a ball—what's the big deal? That was my baseball-osophy forever.

But then I discovered that ACS played baseball for years and is an avid fan. And partly because I missed going to basketball games and partly because I was curious about this sport I'd ignored my whole life, I agreed to go to a game. And guess what? It was fun—so much fun that I thought going to another one for ACS' birthday would be cool. And it was. 
 
I don't think I'll ever be a crazy baseball fan, and I'll always love the NBA and especially the Orlando Magic (don't even talk to me about the Miami Heat). But there is something so rife with old-school Americana about a baseball game on a hot July night—sitting in the stands with other friendly fans, listening to the vendors hawking ice-cold beer and cinnamon-roasted almonds, watching the evening turn to night and feeling much-needed relief from the sweltering daytime heat, there's something about it that just feels right. It makes you want to run around, barefoot, catching fireflies in a jar after you leave the ballpark, and then sit on a white-washed front porch somewhere, watching the stars come out. It makes you want to eat all that classic summertime food: hot dogs and lemonade and potato salad. It makes you happy to be outside, breathing in fresh air. It makes you appreciate tradition. 
 
It makes you feel like summer.

scenes from the weekend + committing to...

last friday, i took the day off work and went to my first-ever baseball game at mckechnie field in bradenton (about 30 minutes north of sarasota). the pittsburgh pirates were playing the philadelphia phillies, and we had great seats: though we were right by the phillies' dugout (we were rooting for the pirates), we were only a couple of rows away from the field itself and had a prime view of all the action. on top of that, the people seated around us were so friendly, the weather was sunny and in the mid-80s (but we didn't get sunburned at all -- here's to spray-on spf 85!), and the pirates won (yay!). i've never been a baseball fan, mostly because i didn't know anything about it, but i would absolutely go to a game again (in fact, i hope to). oh, and the photos above are pictures from the day.

in other, non-baseball news, there was lots of relaxing, movie-watching, good-food eating and shamrock-shake imbibing this weekend, too. and it was all delightful.

this coming week will be busy, as well: my mom is coming to visit (she works in education and is on spring break this week), so that will be fun, and there're lots of other projects to get done. i'm looking forward to all of it. and speaking of this week, here are my little goals for next few days:

+ practice patience. i made a joke about instant gratification the other day, but the truth is i often expect it and i should work on being better about it.
+ continue to work on the sleeping thing. (i'm hoping the daylight savings adjustment period is over; i could not sleep for the life of me last week, no matter what time i went to bed.)
+ exercise and eat well (shamrock shake season has ended, thank goodness!).
+ last week's flower posts inspired me to pick up some flowers for my apartment, so yes: do that.
+ make time to take in how beautiful sarasota is in the spring. the weather is gorgeous and the sidewalks are literally carpeted with fuchsia, purple and yellow flower petals. it's beautiful and worth slowing down for.

how about you? tell me, and i'll see you back here tomorrow.

photos by me