We Have HOW MANY hours to go? Friday, June 10, 2022
Goodbye Pinnacle Port and PCB! We loved you!
Morning We woke up at 4:30AM and were packed, loaded and on the road by 5:30AM. Before we could even go 10 miles, our car started dining that we had a low tire. We got to a gas station as we turned north to go back to I-10 and all the tires look fine. The car was saying that it was the front-right tire but it was reading 37. Finally, we checked the back-left tire and it was reading 24 so we put air into it. But in trying to figure out which tire was low, we over inflated 2 of the remaining 3 tires. We traveled about 15 miles more before we stopped and purchased a tire gauge (since we left ours in Chris's car) and got all the tires aired up properly.
We got to I-10 and merged WEST towards Texas but then the temperature gauge on the car started to creep up again. My heart just sank as I knew we needed to get home the following day for Luke's 10th birthday and then Natalie left for youth camp the following day. As we continued to travel, we noticed the temperature gauge dancing between 210 and 230(ish) and just kept praying to get home. Around Mobile, it got fairly hot at 230 but we kept pushing.
I paid $1K to get this to stay LOW... C'mon Buick! Hang in there!
See you later Florida. WE WILL NOT MISS YOU!
As we approached Baton Rouge, we grabbed a late lunch and noticed the tire low again so we put more air into it and just kept praying. This turned out to be the longest and most stressful drive I can honestly remember in my adult life. We tried to drive at the speed limit or even 5 mph below the speed limit to help with the temperature rising and the crazy over-inflated and under-inflated tires. We finally pulled in to our driveway 11+ hours later. If I never had to make that drive again, it would be TOO SOON!
GOD BLESS TEXAS... I am not sure I have EVER been THIS EXCITED to see this sign. Just 100 miles to go!
This trip started and ended with drama and stress. In fact, the entire trip was just a ball of stress all around. All four of us LOVED the gorgeous turquoise waters of the Florida Emerald coast and we would go there again but not in the near future. Plus, I would like to go there for a family vacation... not a baseball tournament. That was a LOT of miles for a tournament.
And that, ladies and gentleman, is how we started our summer. A little wild. A little crazy. And VERY stressful. I can only hope the rest of our summer proves to be better!
We weren't sure this 15 year old would survive the week without us! THANK YOU GOD for keeping Oxford alive, once again!
Thanks again for following along! I hope we have been able to provide even a little taste of Panama City Beach, FL and what it is like to attend a major select baseball World Series. I tried to keep this as politically correct as possible but it still came back to bite me in the butt. That bothers me... I feel as if I should be able to share facts and details about our experience without being belittled or completely shut out. But that is not how the world works this day and age. People really only care about "me, myself, and I" and that is ok. I just pray I can bring up my children in a way that is loving and Christ-like so when they are in this situation (on either side of it) they can find joy in their trials knowing God will take care of them. I hope I will have raised them well enough for them to be a light for others. I have been a Christian for over 35 years, and I still struggle with this... near daily (obviously).
As I mentioned in a previous post... In the end, it doesn't matter if Luke got mound time or got to play the infield or what position he batted in. In the end, we will ALL bow down, Kings, Presidents, royalty and every day people like you and me to the Almighty God. I just have to prepare my kids for that day.
Jesus, give me the discernment, leadership, love and kindness to do this each and every single day! Thank you Jesus, for this amazing opportunity! I want to give you all the Glory.
Thank you for following along! We appreciate your support!
Up Next... The rest of Summer 2022. Be on the lookout for our return to cruising on the Carnival Vista blog!
Panama City Beach- Day 7 It's Not How You Start but How You Finish Friday, June 10, 2022
Let's DO THIS!
Morning Game 6 vs Scorpions Black 10U For our bracket game on this day, we had a bright and early game time of 8AM. This game turned out to be against the #2 seed in the tournament, the Scorpions Black 10U team from about 5 miles from our practice facility. This is a rival organization we had played frequently, but we had never played this exact team. We expected to not win this game, as this organization is known for being very good and their pool record was great. However, Luke's team came to play and we ended up winning this game and were headed to the CHAMPIONSHIP game immediately following this first one.
In the end... this is ALL that matters. It doesn't really matter if he got mound time, played infield or sat the bench the entire time. In the end, we will all meet Jesus face to face and all bow down before Him. I am so glad we are raising our children in HIS ways!
Field 9B where we played our 1st game had a huge POND with alligators in it! They would go swimming after foul balls thinking they were food.
Luke spending some time at 3rd base.
One of the baby alligators in the pond!
Luke played 3rd base for most of this game, although he did play 1 inning behind home plate as the catcher. He was still batting 10th out of 11 and was able to get on base with a walk, a catcher's interference and then a very hard hit ball pop-up his 3rd at bat. Unfortunately, he still did not get any mound time.
Game 7 vs Diamond A's As soon as this game was over, we went to the main 10U field for the Championship game against the Diamond A's, the very first team we played in the tournament. This was a really neat experience as the tournament treated this game like a REAL MLB game and played the Star Spangled Banner at the beginning of the game and called out all of the players at the beginning. Despite all of the emotions, tears and frustrations... this was a very special moment to this mama! A moment I may never get to experience again...
This was really cool!
Luke was feeling very overheated at this point and did not eat the hotdog offered to the team and wasn't even able to keep Gatorade or water down. He started the game in right field but had to sit out the next 2 innings since he was not feeling well and dizzy and feeling heat exhaustion. By the 4th inning, he came in and played at 3rd base, where he would end his season. He was still batting 10th out of 11 and had a ground out in this game. Overall Luke had a .375 average for this tournament and only TWO strikeouts. That was one of the better statistics on the team and more importantly his attitude and effort were far and away impressive.
Luke playing his last inning at 3rd base.
This team was VERY GOOD and we lost 15-0.
After the game, there was a trophy and ring presentation and Ripken Baseball did a phenomenal job with this and the entire tournament overall! I would HIGHLY recommend any Ripken tournament event.
Congratulations Luke!
Ripken Experience World Series, PCB
Marucci 9U Codrington
I am so very proud of Luke
Luke the Duke
Proud family!
This boy was so happy... and that is all that matters!
Way to go Luke the Duke
This girl right here... WHAT AN AWESOME BIG SISTER! She was his biggest cheerleader the whole week and NEVER complained!
I am so proud of you Luke!
Afternoon Once the tournament was complete, we grabbed lunch at Jimmy Johns and then went back to the condo to spend literally as much time at the beach as possible. We stayed at the beach from 1:30 to 6:30PM before our beach chairs and umbrella were taken from us. The kids LOVED being able to bounce back from the beach to the condo pool. This was a perfect afternoon of rest, relaxation and family time!
A view looking WEST from our condo balcony!
Finally, true rest and relaxation!
Picture Perfect!
Even the kids LOVED these chairs and umbrella on the beach!
We just got done with baseball... and here he is working hard again!
Evening Since our previous seafood restaurant outing was so bad (see that post ), I wanted to go to a local seafood place for dinner. I found a few closer to our West end of PCB but each of them had an hour to 90 minute wait just to get a table. Even though I was REALLY frustrated with not being able to have seafood on our last night in PCB, we found an AMAZING pizza place called Bubba's Pizza. This was some of the best pizza I have had outside of NYC and Chicago! The prices were extremely HIGH but so worth it!
Dinner time!
After dinner we stopped at Publix to get water, gas and snacks for our 9-10 hour trip home and then went back to the condo to finish packing and do a quick load of laundry. We ended the night watching The Office in the condo and went to bed early. We planned to get up and get on the road BEFORE 5AM.
This was a day filled with excitement as Luke brought home a ring and a medal for his team's effort in this tournament.
We were not even an hour outside of Baton Rouge and these two were already acting silly!
As we traveled east I began to notice the car doing what it did the day before and rising about 210* and "dancing" between 210-250*. I told Chris and he said to watch it as I drove and then he would check the anti-freeze when we got to Foley. We made many stops for restrooms and then hit decent traffic in Mobile getting to the tunnel. The trip from Baton Rouge to Foley was about 3:50. While we were in the tunnel in Mobile, Chris noticed the car reading 250* and he knew there was a real issue.
Hello Mississippi... Two states down and TWO to go!
Sweet Home Alabama... This was a GREAT rest stop BTW!
One of ONLY TWO US Military Medical Ships... Parked in Mobile Bay! Luke was SO excited when he spotted this!
We did not arrive in Foley until about 11:20am, just 20 minutes after Lambert's opened. I got in a line about 50-70 people deep and that was just to put our name on the waiting list. Let's just go ahead and say that Chris was already not impressed. We were quoted a 45 minute wait but that allowed Chris to go and get anti-freeze for the car. He checked the car and the anti-freeze was practically gone so we knew there was an issue but thought putting in more antifreeze would work.
Me and at least half of Alabama was in line... TO PUT OUR NAMES ON THE LIST!
Chris's direct words were and I quote "Give me three hours and I will tell you the definition of overrated". Needless to say he was irritated with the wait!
We got seated within 35 minutes and started our experience at Lambert's. They were "throwing" the rolls like advertised but they were really more of a soft toss. Eventually, Chris asked the waiter to go to the other side of the restaurant and throw it to him and he agreed. The service was sub-par but the food was excellent. Each of us had at least 3 MASSIVE rolls as well as almost all of the "pass arounds".
Lambert's Menu is extensive and there is something for EVERYONE!
Leave it up to Luke to get a $30 steak as big as this pan! He ate "almost" all of it!
Natalie's Chicken and Dumplings was very fulfilling!
The chicken fried steak was PERFECTION... The potato salad and carrots left much to be desired!
We all got various sides but we all agreed the "pass arounds" were better than the sides. We all enjoyed the fried okra and fried potatoes the most. We all left FAT AND HAPPY and the entire bill (with tip) was $120.
Even with the wait time and sub-par service, Chris enjoyed this and would do it again he says! The other 3 of us LOVED IT! Thank you Lambert's for fulfilling a 17 year dream of getting Chris here!
This was SO WORTH the 17 year wait! Thank you Chris for going "out of our way" to make this happen! I love you!
Afternoon
After lunch we had to go to Walmart to get anti-freeze to put into the car. We got the anti-freeze and Chris put it in the car and we thought we were done with this fiasco as we refilled the coolant.
Never a dull moment with us... Man I miss cruising! No worries, no stress... NO COOLANT!
We filled it up the fill line... Let's go!
Tell me you're in the south without telling me you're in the south. DQ and Piggly Wiggly on the left and Winn-Dixie on the right! The kids thought "Piggly Wiggly" name was hilarious!
I drove us the rest of the way and even when on the interstate going 75-80mph, the car was still going back and fourth with the temperature gauge. Once we turned south from I-10, the car was not going back down to the normal 210* and it stayed above 245* the entire time. In fact, about 20 minutes outside our Sunnyside condo, the car was at the RED overheating point and we nearly had to pull over. Luckily, God heard our prayers and allowed us to get to the condo without it overheating but I will say it was scary and was incredibly stressful. Thank You, JESUS, for getting us to Pinnacle Port safely!
We made it... WE FINALLY MADE IT! Hello Sunshine State!
A view of Pinnacle Port from the west. A perfectly situation condo complex with private beach access!
Evening
As soon as we got to Pinnacle Port in Sunnyside, we got checked in at the gate and then made our way to our 9th floor condo. Before unloading, Chris tried to look at the coolant level. Much to our surprise, it was all still there from our trip from Foley. So I guess there was not a leak after all. We were a little relieved.
The view from our condo balcony was ABSOLUTELY gorgeous and we were already in love. Saturday at 4PM is check-in time for this condo complex so there were people everywhere and the elevator situation was sketchy. We had to make 2 trips to the car to get all of our stuff but the whole ordeal only lasted about 30 minutes. We were all unpacked and headed to the beach shortly after 5PM. We got the beach and enjoyed the water until about 7PM and then spent a bit in the HUGE pool before heading back upstairs.
A view of TOWER A where we were staying.
A view from our living room balcony. The view was worth it's weight in gold (Or the cost of the week long rental)
Enough of this car mess... Let's hit the beach!
The rental included beach toys and the kids LOVED the boogie boards.
This World Series was planned since late January and I had the condo booked shortly after that. I remember researching and researching for a whole week before narrowing it down to two. I remember one being close to the ballpark we would be playing at but was a HUGE complex and the reviews stated crowded all the time and lots of elevator issues and pools and amenities being too full. The other one I had narrowed down was a bigger condo and offered a private beach access but was about 20-25 minutes and 15 miles from the ballpark. This condo was also a little more expensive. I remembered booking the closer condo (Shores of Panama) but as it turns out, I booked the further away condo in Sunnyside, FL. #TiredTeacherBrain Ooooppss!
A view of actual Panama City Beach from our private beach access in Sunnyside!
The ocean waters were ABSOLUTELY perfect and calm. There was NO SEAWEED at this time and the water was the most gorgeous hue of teal green I have EVER SEEN!
Before going back upstairs, Chris decided to check the coolant level since the car had a chance to cool down. All of the coolant was GONE. We couldn't believe it. It was all there 2-3 hours ago. I backed the car up to see if there was a pool of anti-freeze under the car... NOPE! It was so weird and we didn't know what to think.
Ok seriously... Where did all the coolant go? It was there just 2 hours ago!
We did not have any food or dinner so we all changed and then went to the nearest Walmart about 8 miles from our condo on highway 98. As we made the trek to Walmart, we noticed the car rising up again towards near 250*. It started POURING down rain as we traveled east which made for this drive even more stressful. Something was seriously wrong with the car... But what?
It was here we realized we weren't even staying in PCB, but Sunnyside, FL instead!
Once we got inside Walmart it was a complete MADHOUSE! It looked like a hurricane was coming to the coast. There were people EVERYWHERE and reaching for EVERYTHING! Nearby Walmart was the Gulf Coast Jam concert going on and we wondered if people were taking shelter in Walmart from the rain because it was PACKED!
There was plenty of workers and they were working hard trying to refill the aisles of food and supplies. People were waiting for pallets to be opened as if a natural disaster had just happened. It was weird. We didn't have any issues getting food but we were stuck with "specialty" items like low-carb tortillas, oatmeal bread and milk. This did not bother us but just a heads up. When we reached the check-out lane, the cashier said this was completely normal for summer time as most condos are week-long and check in is on Saturday or Sunday.
Chris handed over $200 for our week groceries while I decided it was best to go get Subway sandwiches for dinner. It was not AT ALL what I had planned or had in mind for our first dinner in PCB but we were all just wanting to get back to the condo and completely forget about this stressful day. When we got back to the car from groceries, as soon as we started the car it was already at 245*. The parking lot was crazy with people so we turned off the car and ate our Subway in the car while we waited for it to cool down.
We finally got back to the condo around 10:30PM and unloaded our groceries and Chris put more anti-freeze in the car just to be safe. The kids ate a few late night snacks and then went to bed in their own room. TIP- This condo was a 2 bedroom, 2.5 bathroom condo over 2 floors. It was PERFECT for our weeklong trip and I while we had issues throughout the week (more on that later), I would still recommend friends staying here. We were all in bed before midnight.
The kids bedroom with twin bunks (full size) and a queen size bed, plus a TV and a FULL wall of windows overlooking the beautiful gulf.
The master bedroom with a King bed and an en-suite bathroom, plus a private balcony.
The Master bedroom balcony overlooking Lake Powell. This was equipped with Rocking chairs as well.
The Master Bathroom with walk-in shower and large vanity.
The second bathroom upstairs with a stand-up shower and sink.
The living room and dining room in our Pinnacle Port condo!
This was a VERY stressful day and we were "batting 1.000" as far as issues but tomorrow was OPENING CEREMONIES for Luke's World Series and we were so excited for our World Series adventure to finally begin!
Up Next... Opening Ceremonies of the Ripken Experience and what would turn out to be a day from... Well, wait and see!
