Our bracket play started on this day bright and early at 8am, so our alarm was going off at 5:45AM. For whatever reason, Luke did not feel well when he woke up and did not eat breakfast. We arrived by 7am and got the batting cages for warm-ups with the team but Luke was still not feeling well. We gave him some Pepto and he pressed through it like he always does!
Our morning ritual of balcony time and a picture!
Game 5 vs Navigators
This was the same team we faced the day before and got destroyed and lost 13-0. This team expected an easy game and their fans even made a few trash talking points to our boys: "Do you smell that? It smells like victory". That was pretty low... especially for 9-10U baseball.
We had hoped Luke would be able to pitch in this game but with it being bracket play and not pool play, we were not going to hold our breath. Good thing... he was not called up to pitch. In fact, at this point he was literally the only one on his team that had not pitched. Luke is new to pitching and still has a LOT to learn but has been working hard (especially the last part of the season) to have the opportunity to pitch when possible. We have several really good up & coming pitchers on our team so they got a lot of mound time and Luke was an afterthought most of the season. But I still thought everyone would pitch at a World Series environment with 6-8 games being played. I guess I was naïve to think the coaches would put him in just to have the experience. It was a fairly emotional game for me as I just want what is best for my kid. We don't need the spotlight or special treatment but it does hurt when your kid gets overlooked. God was trying to teach me a lesson for sure! I held my head high knowing that He will provide.
He floated around on this game but had an incredible tag out at third to hold this Navigator's team in the 2nd inning. He also played in Right Field and ended the game behind the plate catching. He had his last strike out of the tournament his first at bat. Only striking out twice against all of these 10 and 11 year old's, is a HUGE accomplishment in my book. During his 2nd at bat he hit a bomb RBI single to tie the game. Marucci heard those trash talking remarks and came to play. We walked away with a WIN.
Marucci Won 5-3 and was headed to the semi-finals the next day!
#LuketheDuke
Check out Luke's Game 5 at Ripken Experience 2022
Way to go Luke... Getting Marucci back in the game!
After the game and team meeting, we presented Luke and his team with Luke's birthday cupcakes and sang happy birthday to him. This was a special moment for Luke as he really does not like that much attention and never wants a "party". This was a perfect moment for him. TIP- The Publix cupcakes were GREAT for store bought cupcakes. Even the adult dads who took one mentioned how tasty they were. Luke was so happy FINALLY getting a win and then celebrating with his teammates.
Luke loved getting to celebrate his 10th birthday with his baseball buds! Thank you Traci for initiating the singing! I think if I would have started it, he would have been more embarrassed!
Mom... Stop. Taking. Pictures!
DISCLAIMER and Full Discloser- Since writing/publishing this post we have been told that since we were unhappy with Luke's playing status and wrote about it in this blog (very politically correct, I might add), we have now been removed from the Marucci team.
Afternoon
We made our way back to the condo to eat Ramen noodles before heading to the beach right before noon. Chris and the kids ran straight to the water while I enjoyed the peace and serenity that the beach chairs and umbrella provided. It is amazing how at peace I am when at the beach. After a few hours I finally got in the water and traded off with Chris who was in and out of the water all afternoon. The water was not near as calm as our first few days and the waves were FIERCE! The waves would knock me over at some points and I am not a "small girl" by any means. Even after just 30 minutes, I felt like I ran a marathon and decided to get out. We all wore different swimwear this time around to help with sun burns and we applied sunscreen about every 50-60 minutes... But we still got BURNT! Mine and Natalie's legs were CRISPY to say the least!
This brings me so much peace... doesn't matter the beach or destination! This truly is my happy place!
Even Luke enjoyed some relaxation time in the beach chairs!
The kids were also getting tired of the beach so they went to see how many people were at the pool and then came back and told us. TIP- This was a huge plus as we could literally see them go to the pool from our beach chairs in the sand. I LOVE the Pinnacle Port beach area. It is so nice and secluded but still family friendly.
The waves and water were SO choppy on this day!
We started to see clouds and a possible storm roll in so we opted to go to the pool for the remainder of the afternoon. Shortly after we moved to the pool, PCB sheriff came and changed the flags to DOUBLE RED which meant the ocean was "closed". We spotted lightning about 30 minutes into our pool time so called it quits and went and got changed in the condo. Unfortunately, Pinnacle Port was still dealing with water issues and we did not get much water pressure to take showers and by the time Chris got to the shower, the water had stopped. We notified the property manager but not response or reason was given.
The Double RED flag at Pinnacle Port... We were so lucky to have been able to get in even for a little while!
We saw this from our balcony... A sheriff having to turn on his siren to get people out of the water!
And then we saw this message on a plane!
Evening
We sat on the balcony for about 45 minutes watching the storm roll in and seeing the crazy waves of the ocean before heading back to Pier Park for Luke to do the Ropes Course again. He really wanted to be able to say he did EVERY station, including the zip line. We had another evening of him facing his fears as he did in fact do the zipline (2 times) as well as every single station. TIP- I was also able to use the Ripken Free Attraction bracelet again and only had to pay $15.99 for Natalie. So all in all, we only paid $16 for all that we did at SkyWheel over 2 nights! Thank you Ripken and the PCB SkyWheel for your generosity!
He was bound and determined to DO IT ALL!
He did it... HE ACTUALLY DID IT! I have never been more proud! It takes real GUTS to face your fears!
And he did! Way to go Lukey!
The conquered the SkyTrail Ropes Course! Way to go kiddos!
Before we left the SkyWheel we all enjoyed the somewhat cooler weather and sat in the andorak chairs while the kids begged for a "fun drink" from the concession stand. Of course, I finally gave in and they got their $10 fun drink with a souvenir cup. What can I say... I figured this facing your fears moment deserved a prize!
They earned it!
After the kids got their feel with the Ropes Course, we made our way to a restaurant I had researched for Luke's steamed seafood and PCB's voted BEST mussels. This was The Sandbar. We arrived and there was a 40 minute wait but we got seated within 30 minutes. The menu was extensive and also offered many varieties of fresh oysters. We were all very excited for a night of fresh seafood at the beach, which is always a MUST DO and highlight of any beach trip for me. The service was atrocious and it took about 20 minutes just to get waters. In fact, I had to go to the bar and ask for 4 waters before "Edge", our waiter, finally showed up asking if we needed a drink. A refill was more like it. Another waitress came by and said they were short staffed but we would be taken care of real well and thanks for our patience. After about 30 minutes we finally got our appetizers ordered. Luke got his 1 pound of mussels while Chris, Natalie and I had the Cajun Oysters for appetizer.
The Sandbar menu was extensive and offered something for EVERYONE!
This boy was SO HAPPY! We finally found some FRESH MUSSELS !
The Cajun Oysters were baked perfectly and good!
The oysters were excellent and Luke devoured his mussels, requesting another serving. While we continued to wait for our main course, all of the sudden Natalie screams "Daddy, daddy help me" and we all see a small roach crawl across the table. I get up out of the booth as Chris grabs a napkin and kills it in his hand and then goes to the bar to ask for the manager. We were all royally grossed out and Luke and I were holding back getting sick just thinking about it. We were waiting for a check of some sorts or the manager to come and talk to us about the situation as we had already eaten our appetizers and even with these circumstances, we didn't want to just leave. But let me tell you... in hindsight, we should have just left right then.
Luke and I were so grossed out (in reality we ALL were but us two were not handling it very well) and we just waited for someone to come by and talk to us or give us the ticket so we could pay and leave. After about 5-7 minutes I told Chris that we would just put 2 $20s on the table and leave as I really just wanted to walk out. At that moment our tray of entrees arrived. As they arrived a young waitress came by and said she was the shift manager on duty. She explained that they were aware of the roaches and they had just sprayed for them that morning. I told her this was a health violation and I would call the county health department and she said "They already know".I was flabbergasted at how this restaurant could be open but the waitress explained it was fine. She said our meal was paid for and offered us drinks from the bar. Honey, there is not enough alcohol in that bar to get me to stay here.
The Crab Cake platter at The Sandbar
I've had FROZEN crab cakes from H-E-B that were better than these!
Our bill was going to be well over $200 with the fancy appetizers, fresh fish and tip when it was all said and done. Chris was hungry and so were the kids so we decided to at least try the main food we ordered. The kids didn't like their boiled shrimp and my crab cakes were edible at best. I was so grossed out after about 3 bites I was done. I was just trying to hold it all together when all of the sudden Luke says "OMG there's another one" and sure enough another roach was crawling on the bench above Natalie's head. I jumped out of that booth faster than Usain Bolt in the Olympics and the kids and I were in the car. Chris got Natalie out the booth and continued to eat some of his fish in the aisle while he waited to tell management. Luke and I literally ran out of there to the car and Natalie was not far behind. Chris waited a few minutes but they were so busy he just walked out... my left-over crab cake in a napkin in his hand.
This was the most disgusting and cringle-worthy meal I have EVER had. I will never forget this night nor The Sandbar. We drove back towards the condo looking for something else to eat as we knew we would be hungry but we were all so grossed out we just went back to the condo to try and catch the sunset, which we did. These are the moments that nightmares are made of! It was awful and I just wanted to sleep it off and forget all about it!
Beachin' not Teachin' The beach heels "almost" everything!
This sunset was absolutely GORGEOUS!
My mini-me and I enjoying the gorgeous waters and sunset on the beach!
This was a day laced in excitement... from finally getting a WIN on the field to the "prize" at the restaurant. But we sure did make some memories we will all never forget.
Up next... our final day at Ripken and our last full day in Panama City Beach!
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