My Atlanta Baseball Weekend!!! (a teeny-weeny TR!) -- COMPLETE 5/11!!! About This Page:

[elbug10]

Hey, Sarah, I was wondering where you went last weekend! Enjoying the TR so far. Sounds like you got off to a bit of a rocky start; bope the rest of the weekend was better, despite the weather.

On a side note, I don't remember cutting my own hair when I was little, although I DO remember polishing my own fingernails onece... up to my wrists!

[loobyoxlip]

Oh, no. I think a little girl cutting her hair is a right of passage. I know I did, too What a cutie she is.

[DopeyGirl]

<font color="blue">DAY 2: April 30, 2005 ---- Shopping, prizes and wet baseballs!</font>

Emilie was up, bright-eyed and bushy tailed, at about 8am . . . and Mike was nice enough to let me sleep until 9am! Notice I said MIKE did . . . not so for Emilie!!! She told Bill he had to come wake me up with her so the next thing I know, Emilie is jumping on the bed and Bill is saying “Come on, girl! Get up and let’s go!” Well, I did end up getting up after about 10 minutes, but I was pretty pouty about it . . . [img]http://smileys.*************.com/cat/36/36_19_5.gif[/img] I got showered and made myself look presentable to the public, grabbed this photo . . .


<font color="blue">Emilie and Bart (Mike’s aunt and uncle’s 125 pound Weimeraner)</font>

. . . got Emilie dressed and then we all headed out to show Bill the Big Chicken!!! I first saw the Big Chicken in September and I thought that Mike was pulling my leg . . . I didn’t realize that there was ACTUALLY a 5 story chicken built on to a KFC!!! We HAD to show Bill, according to Aunt Sue!


<font color="blue">The Big Chicken --- Marietta, GA</font>

Then we headed to the Town Center at Cobb mall. First order of business on my agenda for this trip . . . well, The Disney Store, naturally!!! Since we don’t have one here, it’s been MONTHS since I was in one, and we had a little extra money in our pockets for the trip, I managed to find lots of good stuff to buy!!! I got Emilie some cute new plates (one with Mickey, one Nemo, one Ariel and one Stitch - for $2.50 each) and a placemat to match them . . . a couple of sets of PJ Pals (at 2 for $20) . . .

. . . a cute mix and match Ariel outfit (the pieces were 2 for $14!) . . . and my Mother’s Day gift . . . a “Mickey Through The Years” snowglobe that was on sale for $39.99 (down from $68)!!! [img]http://smileys.*************.com/cat/36/36_1_21.gif[/img]



My total cost at the Disney Store was $90 and change, which I thought was REALLY not too bad!!! I told DH I could have done MUCH worse, but restrained myself!!! We went across the way to Hot Topic where I made yet another mental note of things I want to buy . . . Bill was going to buy me (and his "sometimes" girlfriend) each a "Vote for Pedro" shirt since she and I are big Napoleon Dynamite fans, but they were see-through white . . . not for me thanks!!! We wandered a bit more, stopping into every sports themed shop along the way, of course! Bill was in search of a nice Atlanta Braves jacket or pullover and a new cap . . . Mike was just in search of "just something to buy" as he put it Emilie was getting antsy so as soon as she saw one of those little coin operated merry-go-rounds and asked to ride . . . we HAPPILY obliged!!!


<font color="blue">Riding the little merry-go-round . . . one well-spent dollar to get the grumpy girl to be happy for 5 minutes!!!</font>

Our last stop of the day in the mall was Build-A-Bear Workshop . . . they didn’t have any of the Disney costumes out, which made me wonder if maybe that is just a Halloween and Christmas time thing? [img]http://smileys.*************.com/cat/23/23_29_121.gif[/img] We gave Emilie $15 and the choice of getting a new outfit for her BAB monkey Ginger or getting a new stuffed animal. She opted for the new beige velvet teddy bear (which is also asthma friendly!) --- she stuffed her, cleaned her and named her Grace!

We made our way out of the mall and noticed that it was approaching lunchtime, so we pulled around behind the mall and went to The Varsity!!! There are a few locations (the original being on the GA Tech campus) but since we were right by this one, and had been here before, we decided to stick with what we know!!! I had a bacon double cheeseburger and fries, Emilie had a regular cheeseburger and fries, Mike had 2 chili-cheese slaw dogs (yes, hot dogs with chili, cheese and cole slaw on them!) and Bill had 2 chili cheese dogs. The general consensus was that everything was FANTASTIC!!! AND the meal for the 4 of us, with a chocolate shake and 3 sodas, came to UNDER $20!!! [img]http://smileys.*************.com/cat/12/12_1_102.gif[/img]


<font color="blue">Having lunch at The Varsity ---- "What’ll ya have?"</font>

After a quick stop into The Sports Authority, where Bill found the jacket he was looking for . . . and I found some cute Teva flip flops, we headed towards Dave and Buster’s to play some games before heading down to Atlanta for the game. A couple of hours, 2 sodas, a beer, $60 and 1,056 game tickets cashed in later . . . we walked out with a giant stuffed cow, a cute flower shaped pillow for Emilie’s princess room, a stuffed Patrick Star dressed as a pirate, a bubble blower and 56 tickets left to use the next time we visit a D&amp;B!!! It was a lot of fun too!!!


<font color="blue">Emilie and her dad playing the HyperBowling game . . . we all 3 played together and collectively bowled a 107! </font> [img]http://smileys.*************.com/cat/513v.gif[/img]

After our fun at Dave and Buster’s, we realized that it was about 4pm and we weren’t sure what to expect downtown, since Mike had never driven down there and neither Bill nor I had been downtown in Atlanta at ALL! We figured we had better get moving that way, just in case we got lost!!! Those dum-dum’s didn’t listen to me when I told them that the exit on I-75 for Turner Field was 246 . . . they should have listened though!!! Instead, Mike convinced Bill “you take 248 and turn right”. We ended up passing the GA State capitol building . . .


<font color="blue">Driving by the Georgia State Capitol building in Atlanta</font>

. . . then we got lost somehow and were just driving around . . . at one point we drove by CNN Center . . . I was SO lost!!! Good thing we decided to go down there early, huh? [img]http://smileys.*************.com/cat/36/36_5_11.gif[/img]

We eventually figured out where the parking lot that we had a pass for was . . . Emilie and I changed shirts in the car . . . and we were on our way into Turner Field!!!

<font color="blue">CONTINUED IN NEXT POST</font>

[DopeyGirl]

<font color="blue">CONTINUED FROM PREVIOUS POST</font>

Upon walking through the first gate, I got a little bit of a Disney feeling when I saw that they had the big painted baseballs representing each of the Major League Baseball teams on display!!! It reminded me of the 75 Mickeys!!! The giant-baseball sculptures were created and painted for last year’s All-Star Game and are now a permanent part of Turner Field!!!

[img]http://smileys.*************.com/cat/36/36_7_20.gif[/img]


<font color="blue">Welcome to Turner Field --- Home of the Atlanta Braves!!!</font>

Once we had come through the turnstiles and had my bag searched (geez, that sounds a little Disney-ish ), we looked around a little bit and then decided to get something to eat. Emilie wanted pizza so we grabbed her a slice at one of the stands in the Plaza, then us “big” kids went and got pulled pork sandwiches (at $8 a pop ) at the BBQ place. While we were sitting there eating, we started talking about different major league ballparks throughout the US we had been to. Bill had NEVER been to a Major League Baseball game, so we were very honored to be inaugurating him!!! Turner Field was the 5th MLB park I have been to and, I think the 7th or 8th for Mike . . . and the 3rd for Emilie


<font color="blue">Chowing down on a $5 pizza slice . . . then [img]http://smileys.*************.com/cat/25_4_77.gif[/img] with Scooby Doo!!!</font>

As we were walking through the concourse heading to our seats, I just couldn’t resist taking this photo of Emilie walking . . . it was just too cute!!!


<font color="blue">Emilie’s a little conflicted . . . she was wearing her Cardinals jersey and waving a Braves flag all night!!! </font>

We were seated in section 406 for this game . . . in the upper deck, but located ALMOST behind home plate. (You could see the pitches pretty well during the game from our vantagepoint, so Mike was arguing strikes the whole time!!! ) We had to take a small flight of stairs up to the next level, then we COULD have taken an escalator up to the upper deck, but the guys argued that it wasn’t for "us" and we ended up walking up about 6 ramps!!! My legs were TIRED and Emilie just about crawled up the last one!!! Eventually, we got to our seats and settled in . . .


<font color="blue">Inside of Turner Field (from our upper deck seats)</font>

. . . and the guys started consuming alcoholic beverages . . . which were $6.50 apiece!!! Talk about giving me a heart attack!!! When I heard that I just about keeled over!!!


<font color="blue">The boys (and the girl ) in our seats . . . then the guys with Turner Field in the background (Bill on the left, Mike on the right) </font>

The game started at 7:05pm . . . the national anthem was sung by a local church choir and the first pitch thrown out by the director of the Duluth, GA youth baseball/softball association. St. Louis was up to bat first and scored a run, then another in the second inning. The Braves scored in the second then it started to drizzle. The drizzle gave way to "sprinkles" and the "sprinkles" gave way to just plain RAIN!!! We moved up into some empty seats under cover in the WAY upper deck until just after the Braves tied up the game with a run in the 7th inning and the rain stopped. Raul Mondesi hit a home run in the 9th to give the Braves the win!!! Mike wasn’t a happy camper . . . but Bill was!!! I was just happy to be getting dry and warm ---- at that point, I didn’t care who won!!!


<font color="blue">Scott Rolen . . . to quote Mike . . . "He’s a total stud!" </font>


<font color="blue">Albert Pujols at bat for the Cards</font>


<font color="blue">The manager, Tony LaRussa, skulking back to the dugout after he was ejected from the game for arguing a call. He was right to argue it though . . . it was a totally BAD call the ump made!</font> [img]http://smileys.*************.com/cat/18/18_7_23.gif[/img]


<font color="blue">Scott Rolen . . . "the stud" . . . at bat for the Cards</font>


<font color="blue">When I was in high school and playing softball, this guy was my hero . . . Chipper Jones --- #10 --- Atlanta Braves </font> [img]http://smileys.*************.com/cat/36/36_22_1.gif[/img]

As we left the parking lot, we asked an attendant for the best way back to I-75 north . . . he told us just to follow the mass of cars headed out. I don’t know what he was thinking though because we couldn’t figure out WHERE we were (again ) and ended up driving all around until we found a sign directing to I-75! I guess you could say we are directionally challenged!!! I don’t even know WHAT time it was but we got back to Marietta safe and sound and Emilie went straight to bed . . . she was asleep before her head even hit the pillow!!! I was right behind her. Mike and Bill stayed up about an hour watching the news and ESPN for highlights, which I didn’t understand because we were JUST THERE and saw it IN PERSON!!! BOYS!!!

<font color="blue">NEXT UP: Waffles, baseball history and we go home!!! </font>

[lauren-roxy]

Sounds like a really fun day Sarah!!The Varsity seems like a good, cheap place to eat!! Your pictures of the game are awaesome!! Can'at wait to read more!!!

[DrDolphin]

Sounds like a very very busy day in Hotlanta!!! I love the pic of emilie with the flag!! too cute!!

[loobyoxlip]

That driving smilie is hilarious

Aww, poor conflicted Emily. What a cutie picture that is of her with the flag Sounds like she's a trooper; that sounds like a long day!

[statelady01]

Great report Sarah- just having time to catch up with it!!

[katspjs]

Great update and pictures! We saw Chipper Jones in the early 90's in Richmond when he played for the Richmond Braves.

[Tara O'Hara]

Great update Sarah and awesome pictures!! !! I love the Emilie flag picture too and I also love the big chicken dude!!

[SuperKate]

Oh Sarah, you know I am totally in with this TR right? How could I not be you put in a pic of my oh so sexy Albert Pujols, and Mike is so right, Scottie is SUCH a stud! hehe as always the pics of that Emilie!

BTW: We watched two of the games in this series on TV, and I kept telling Kyle, "Look for people with Cardinals stuff on bc I know them!" Kyle was like "Kate half of the stadium is wearing red." Well anyway I DID look for ya!

[Colexis Mom]

Just catching up Sarah Great pictures

What a great time

[GoofyMom]

I've just caught up, Sarah! Boy can I relate to that directionally challenged thing!! Did you read my TR from our trip to WDW in December?! I think we managed to miss an exit every single day we were there!

Looking forward to more!

[DopeyGirl]

<font color="blue"> DAY 3: May 1, 2005 ---- Waffles, baseball history and we go home!!! </font>

May day! May day!!! I woke up around 9am with Emilie laying on the other side of the bed aslepp and Mike saying “Get up! Sue said she taking us to Waffle House. I want waffles! Get dressed!” So, I drug myself out of bed and got myself together, got Emilie dressed, threw things into the suitcase and headed downstairs. “Dang, girl, took you long enough! We want coffee and waffles! Let’s go!”, Bill says. I just couldn’t figure out what was with these boys and their waffles??? Me, Mike, Emilie, Bill and Aunt Sue all loaded up into Bill's truck and we headed a mile or so down the road to Waffle House. There was about a 5 minute wait for a table that would fit us . . . luckily, there was a family just finishing up as we came in. We sat down and everyone ordered their drinks . . . NO ONE ordered coffee, even though Bill said they wanted coffee and waffles . She brought the drinks back and we all started to order our food . . . eggs and toast for Emilie, ham and cheese omelet with hash browns for Mike, Denver omelet with hash browns for Bill, breakfast sandwich for Sue and a plate full of carbs for me (a waffle, hash browns and toast) with a side of carb-free bacon! YEAH . . . after the big deal about the desperate NEED for waffles, I was the ONLY one to order one!!! But, oh, was it good!!!

As we were finishing up our breakfast, Mike’s uncle Ed came in to meet us. He had been at church and it had just let out, so he thought he’d drop by anyways. He and Sue were headed up to see their son (Mike’s cousin, Matthew) so as we walked out to the parking lot, we thanked them for their hospitality over the weekend and for Ed getting us all the tickets. They left in their truck and we headed back to the house to pack up our stuff. There wasn’t much to pack, but we did have to just throw a couple of things back in the suitcase and take down Emilie’s tent. Anywhere we travel (driving) if Emilie has to sleep on the floor, we take the tent. She WILL NOT sleep otherwise! Once we had everything together, we packed up the back of Bill’s truck and loaded up to head back down to Turner Field for the Sunday afternoon game!

We had passes for a different parking lot this time, it was actually VERY close to the stadium (the “blue” lot). Bill also knew the right exit to take this time (after me repeating over and over the night before “You should have listened to ME!”) We parked the car then headed to the stairs that would take us down to the “Green Lot” which we’d walk through to get into the stadium. The stairs actually go down the original concrete outfield wall of the former Atlanta Fulton County Stadium and the ground in the “green” parking lot is paved and bricked to look like a baseball field in the same spot as the field was at Fulton County Stadium! (red bricks to represent the base paths and warning track, etc. If you look at the picture below, we are standing on what used to be the warning track) It is definitely a great, and interesting, tribute to the old “cookie cutter” that was Fulton County Stadium!!!



<font color="blue">This is the very spot where Hank Aaron’s 715th home run went on April 8, 1974 at Atlanta Fulton County Stadium! Besides the outfield perimeter wall, this is the ONLY part of Fulton County Stadium that still exists!!! ---- Oh, yes . . . that is ME on the left of the photo as you are looking at it!!! Are you shocked!? </font>

We made our way into the ballpark and in to our seats. We walked along the same concourse as the day before, but we only had to go up one level this time!!! We were seated in section 218 and had our own little row of 5 seats so we could stretch out a little! Once we had settled in, Emilie decided she was hungry, so before the game started, and before too many people got to the park and packed the concessions lines, we headed up to get a hot dog, 2 cokes and a bag of peanuts. Emilie decided she only wanted potato chips, so we got those also . . . $20.50 just for that!!! $4 for the hot dog . . . $6.25 for the bag of peanuts that I could have bought at Publix, if I’d have thought about that! Oh, well, we’re at the ballpark and we DON’T do this often!!! Why is it that hot dogs at the ballpark are SO MUCH better than at home? I have always wondered that!

Not long after I finished my delicious ballpark hot dog, the pre-game stuff started (National Anthem, first pitch, etc) . . . then it was on with the game!


<font color="blue">The start of the game . . . St. Louis vs. Atlanta . . .take 3


The Braves’ dugout . . .


The Braves’ John Smoltz tossing a slider at the Cardinals’ Scott Rolen


One of my favorite major league pitchers of all time, John Smoltz . . .


Smoltz catches Albert Pujols with a WICKED curve ball . . . STRIKE 2!!!</font>

It was a BEAUTIFUL sunny day . . . not too warm, but not too cool in the sun. However, where we were sitting we were under shade the whole time and it was CHILLY!!! Good thing I put on Mike’s old replica 1946 Stan Musial St. Louis Cardinals jersey that morning, I thought! I probably would have been fine wearing my WDW sweatshirt over the top of THAT even! That being said, it did not deter Emilie and I from enjoying some Dippin’ Dots ice cream!!!


<font color="blue">Emilie enjoying some chocolate Dippin’ Dots!!!


She just finished her ice cream, but she was SO grouchy!!! Maybe because I got the last bite . . . ? [img]http://smileys.*************.com/cat/15/15_1_65v.gif[/img]


Emilie took the one of me . . . and then got on my lap for a couple of minutes before getting down to take a picture of the boys [img]http://smileys.*************.com/cat/36/36_13_13.gif[/img]


So Taguchi, Roger Cedeno, Mark Mulder, Jason Marquis and other Cardinals in the dugout


Chipper Jones again . . . [img]http://smileys.*************.com/cat/36/36_7_18.gif[/img]


Andruw Jones in the outfield near the wall “tribute” to a hero of mine, Braves Hall of Famer #44 Hank Aaron</font> [img]http://smileys.*************.com/cat/36/36_1_32v.gif[/img]

The Cardinals ended up losing . . . AGAIN . . . which bummed Mike out a little, but made Bill a pretty happy camper. He came away from his first major league baseball experience having seen his favorite team win 2 games . . . and we were just go happy to have been able to be there with him!!!

As soon as the game was over, we wandered out to the car and I called my mom to tell her about the weekend and that we were on our way home. She said she had great news too . . . that she and my dad had just won the lottery. Then she told me that they only won $600-some dollars (not the THOUSANDS we were all hoping it would be), but still, they won!!! I got off of the phone just as we reached the car . . . then I realized my shoe was untied and almost did a faceplant into the side of the truck when I stepped on the laces with my other foot! Klutz!!!

We all loaded into the truck, grabbed a cold drink out of the cooler for the road and headed south. We arrived home about 5 hours later, loaded up the cat, drove through Taco Bell for some dinner and headed home. Overall, we had a great weekend. We saw 2 games in COMPLETELY different weather . . . and each game was pretty good! We’re looking forward now to October . . . we’ll have tickets waiting again for the NASCAR Bass Pro Shops/MBNA 500 at Atlanta Motor Speedway and we’ve been told that next baseball season, we’ll definitely have tickets if we want them!!!

I hope you enjoyed my ramblings about my weekend away . . . baseball is a definite passion of mine and I do love to share my love of the sport with others!

Next in trip report land for me . . . working on the pre-trip for my quick trip to Southern California (San Diego and Disneyland) and long trip to visit my family in Oregon to immediately follow! Stay tuned!!!

[Tara O'Hara]

Sarah that was terrific! What a wonderful weekend you had and that Emilie is just too cute!!