And The Award Goes To...

There was a time in my sweet husband's life when his dream would have been to pack up everything he owned, move to Boston, and play baseball for the Red Sox. Actually, if he hadn't made the team, he would have probably been content to be the water boy. Anything to be a part of the Fenway/Sox experience.

Thankfully, he's no longer obsessed with the Greatest Baseball Team in the World...but he's still got a big soft spot for the Red Sox. So you can imagine his joy when he opened his birthday gift from Rebekah and Kevin back in March, and it was two tickets to the Red Sox and Braves game in Atlanta for this past weekend. (And if you can, imagine my reaction when he saw the tickets and immediately exclaimed, "Awesome! Who am I going with?")

I still give him a hard time about that one. Obviously.

Now I'm not much of a baseball fan. If the Red Sox are playing, I'll cheer for them over anyone else, but I probably wouldn't sit down to watch a game on TV just for the fun of it. With that said, though, the Red Sox do hold a little sentimental spot in my heart because of this...


That's us in Fenway Park back in August 2004. You see, I, too, gave Josh Red Sox tickets for his birthday...only the circumstances were a little bit different. The tickets were for his 26th birthday, and we were making a full-blown Boston vacation out of it. But most importantly, about 24 hours after opening his gift, we received a gift far better than anything we could have bought...

We found out we were expecting Abigail!!! I was about six months pregnant with her when we made the trip, and it was such a special time for us. Now fast-forward almost five years, and here we are for last Saturday's game between the Red Sox and the Braves.



Our seats were fantastic. The temperature that day was in the high 90s (with a heat index into the 100s), but our seats were about 10 rows back under the level above, so we were in the shade the whole day. Here's the view from our seats...


And here it is from a slightly different vantage point...


The team's really nothing like it used to be when we saw them last. So-and-so's been traded here, what's-his-name left to go there...but there was still one familiar face out there in a Red Sox uniform.




And it didn't take long for me to remember one of David Ortiz's trademark characteristics...which brings me to my first award of the day.

The award for the Slowest Runner in Professional Baseball goes to DAVID ORTIZ.


I mean, seriously, he was in an all-out "sprint", but he looked like he was running through a field of super-glue. Of course, he's not a little man, and I can imagine it takes a lot to really get a big boy going.

The second award goes to the player with the World's Weirdest Batting Stance. And the winner is...



Is he getting ready to hit the ball or is he trying not to tee-tee in his pants?

The Braves Permanent Fixture award goes to CHIPPER JONES...


...while the Four Players' Combined Age award goes to BOBBY COX.


This next award is for the gentleman who can do very strange things with his body. Pitcher TIM WAKEFIELD wins the Bendy Man Award.


Not to be underappreciated, the award for Tandem Dirt-Scraping/Exceptional Pattern-Making goes to the TURNER FIELD GROUNDS CREW.


And the final award for the Red Sox game is for the Fastest Photo Taken at Center Field Before Being Asked to Leave the Permit-Only Area, and it goes to ME!


I would be remiss if I didn't make note of a few other rewards that were given out during the weekend as well. The Junior Bendy award goes to ISABEL LEWIS for her exceptional interpretation of "If You're Happy and You Know It" in which she uses her feet to point out that her "Face is Surely Showing It" (all while buckled into a five-point harness car seat).


And the Planet's Worst Traffic goes to the entire city of ATLANTA (although Mary Crouch is sure to argue that Highway 280 has I-75 beat).


The award for the Happiest Little Ones to See Mommy Again goes to these guys...


(Josh and I stayed downtown after the game and enjoyed a fantastic dinner out and a quiet night with no baby monitors. He let me sleep in the next morning while he picked the kids up and brought them to the hotel. I clearly had the shutter speed WAY TOO SLOW for these pictures, but I think you catch the idea!)

And a very important award goes to GRANDPAM and PAPAW for keeping our little ones safe and happy (very happy!) during their overnight stay.


As we're rounding out the awards, we have one for the Easiest Traveling Baby, but the jury is hung in regards to who the recipient should be. The nominees are shown below. All votes are welcomed and encouraged.


And finally, the award for the Most Pooped Little One is a three-way tie.


GO SOX!!!