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!
A day that starts AND ends at the beach is a GOOD DAY!
Morning
We were able to sleep in a bit and catch up on our sleep which was fabulous. We made some breakfast in the condo and then hit the beach before 8AM. The beach was not crowded at all at this time and we were able to sit in our chairs we rented from Burke's Beach Service. TIP- Be sure to rent your beach chairs ahead of time if possible. This company was sold out on Monday and I called and immediately booked 2 chairs and an umbrella for the remainder of the week for $142. The cost for a full week rental was $240. I know some VRBOs/ ABNB offer FREE beach service with their rentals but not all.
This is absolute perfection!
I could start the day right here EVERY DAY!
This is my happy place for sure!
While the kids were swimming and enjoying the insanely calm waters, we were able to spot a pair of dolphins very close to the shore. They kept jumping up and it was so cool. The kids were even closer than us as they were 20 feet into the water on a sand bar. We also saw several F35(?) flying above from a nearby Air Station in Pensacola, FL.
We loved this morning at the beach!
Look closely and you can see the pair of dolphins jumping out of the water!
We stayed at the beach for a little over 2 hours and then hurried back to the condo to get ready for our Double Header day at the ballpark. We made some sandwiches to go and we were out the door by 11AM. The traffic to the PCB Publix Sports Complex was a bit heavier during the day and our commute was 28 minutes plus the 12 minute walk to our field!
Morning picture on the balcony before baseball!
We are ready for this DOUBLE HEADER!
Afternoon
Once at the ballpark Luke made his way to the cages to warm up with his team and then went to Field 9 for our first game. While he was getting to the field, he was stung by a wasp just below his left eye. He was in a lot of pain but toughed it out as we have trained him that there is "no crying in baseball". We gave him some Aleve and Benadryl from our Team Nurse mom and he was ready to play. WAY TO GO LUKE for being so TOUGH! We are so proud of you!
Game 2 vs Gulf Coast Marlins (Gulfport, MS)- Luke the Duke
During game 1 Luke sat out the first inning so he could catch the 2nd inning, which he did. He also was able to play 3rd base (his favorite position) in this game. He was moved up in the line up to bat 10th. He got on base 2 times with 2 walks and then a RBI single to tie the game. This was his biggest clutch hit of the tournament. Unfortunately Marucci was not able to walk away with a win but rather ended the game in a tie.
Luke the Duke Game 2 Highlights
He was SO PROUD of this hit to TIE THE GAME!
He LOVES playing 3rd base!
Game 3 vs Fungeauxs (Covington, LA) - Luke the Duke
During game 3 Luke shared his time between catching and 3rd base, including resting innings prior to catching. This Fungeauxs team was a well-developed 10UAAA team and their pitching was fast and precise; however, Luke did well against these pitchers and got a line drive single and a hard hit ground out.As the game progressed, we were hopeful Luke would be able to pitch but he remained at catcher since the 3rd inning so we knew this game/ day was not going to happen. Hopefully he will get to pitch at least an inning or two during the week long tournament. We paid a LOT of money to be here. Marucci came up short again and lost 6-4.
Check out LUKE the Duke Game 3 highlights!
Game 3 was hard fought but we came up short!
One of the BEST pictures of the entire week! Safe by a MILE!
Luke's best game behind the plate! Way to go Luke the Duke!
It was insanely hot at these games and despite all of us drinking LOTS of water, we were all very dehydrated and weak. Especially Natalie who was suffering from a severe sunburn. Her and her friend, Kate, stayed under the main concession pavilion the entire time to avoid sun exposure but she was very weak and lightheaded. The walk back to our car felt much longer than the .52 miles it really was! It was SO HOT!
We are so grateful for Kate and the Haberkamp Family!
Big sister cheerleaders of Marucci! Natalie, Kate and Abby Claire!
They survived the DOUBLE HEADER in the 100*+ heat index!
Evening
By this time it was nearly 5PM as we made our way back to Sunnyside to our condo. We stopped at Publix to get more items for our Taco Tuesday night in the condo and order Luke's birthday cupcakes for Thursday. Once back at the condo we got changed and I made an easy taco night dinner. TIP- I was not really excited to cook while on vacation but this saved us a LOT of money. Prices for restaurants in PCB were $25-40 per PERSON. We decided to cook 3 of the 7 meals in our condo and this really did save us a lot of money. Luke was in an exceptionally good mood and that made for a very pleasant evening.
After dinner we waited 30 minutes (wink, wink) and then went to the beach around 7PM, just in time for the sunset. The kids had a great time playing the sand and burying Luke plus the boys played football. The sunset was absolutely PERFECT and it was a GREAT evening!
Time to bury your brother!
A view from our condo's beach!
This is my happy place!
Absolutely NO FILTER needed!
God sure does paint a pretty picture!
It had been a bumpy ride thus far but we LOVE PCB!
My whole heart!
The kids and I waded in the water near the shallow sandbars until the sun went down and then we made our way to the pool. Pinnacle Port was hosting a Family Movie Night with a HUGE projection screen at the pool area. This meant a LOT of kids, many of whom were loud, rude and unruly. I tried REALLY hard to ignore it all but eventually after some teenagers kept jumping over us to splash in the pool, my TEACHER VOICE came out and I was done! (On a side note... What has happened to parenting today? I mean it is almost like it doesn't even exist.) These kids were literally RUNNING or sprinting around the gigantic pool playing tag and kicking or tripping other kids and adults. Their parents... Who knows where they were or on their devices on a lounge chair. THIS is what is wrong with society today!!! Trust me... I see it in the classroom too. Each and every single day! C'mon parents... STEP UP!
I really appreciated the effort put out by our Condo!
After our annoying time at the pool we decided to change and then go "crabbing" at the beach. Once we got back to the condo the AC was set at 72* and it was 75* in the condo. I quickly let the property manager know who requested a technician come and take a look at the unit.
I am SO TIRED OF THIS! This is miserable!
We didn't know when the tech was going to come so we left to go crabbing. Luke had been looking forward to this for a while and we had hoped to be able to do this with teammates but since we were all staying at various locations and beaches it was hard to narrow down a time and place so we opted to try it out on our own first. This was so much fun! I mean a little terrifying at first but it was so much fun! Chris and Luke found countless small crabs and several LARGE crabs. Not to mention we were there when another lady found and caught a baby stingray! This was one of my favorite nights of the trip! TIP- Be sure to have a large net for crabbing and LOTS of lights! We had 1 light and then the lights from our phone but really wish we had an additional flashlight or two!
We had no idea what was coming at this point!
We were looking for "Mr. Crab".
This was so much fun!
Check out our crabbing adventure at Pinnacle Port!
We had so much fun with this!
Once we returned to our condo around 11PM, we learned that the technician had come and looked at the AC and said there was a sliding door that was left cracked open which what was causing the AC issues. This seemed a little odd to me since Chris is so anal about shutting the doors but mistakes were made. By the time we were getting into bed around midnight, the temperature on the AC was reading 73* so we were moving in the right direction.
We saw this note in the elevator lobby! More issues at Pinnacle Port... Good Greif, we need to catch a break! I guess it will be early beach and early showers tomorrow morning!
It was a long, hard and HOT day of baseball but ended with the gorgeous crystal clear waters of the Gulf!
Up Next was Marucci's last game of Pool Play and another fun day in PCB!
Panama City Beach- Day 3 Welcome to the Big Leagues, Kid Monday, June 6, 2022
It's the day we had been waiting for... And Luke was READY!
Morning The alarm went off bright and early at 5:45am and we were up and out the door by 6:30am. The drive to the PCB Sports Complex was a breeze and without traffic it was less than 20 minutes. We arrived at the complex by 7am but didn't even get to the batting cages where our team was meeting until 7:10am due to the length between the parking lot and the back fields. I measured the distance with my Fitbit and it was .47 from the parking lot to field 8 at PCB Sports Complex. We definitely got our steps in on this trip.
The view from our balcony was INCREDIBLE... Even at 6AM!
Our rental car Ford Escape! Thank you Hertz!
We are here and ready to cheer on Luke the Duke!
Our first game of Pool Play was at 8AM and we were facing the Enterprise Diamond A's from Enterprise, Alabama. They were a 10U MAJORS team and we had our hands full from the get-go as we were a 9U AAA team. In fact, we were the only true 9U team in the tournament. This was a 9U-10U tournament and there were 2 teams that were mixed with 10U and 9U players but we were the only ones with a true 9U team. In fact, all of our players were 9 years old (Luke is the oldest on the team and was a week from being 10 at this point). Some of the players on other teams were already 11 or about to turn 11. Those 18 months difference between our guys and these guys became very apparent as the week progressed.
Game 1- Luke Davis Luke sat out the first inning (as was the usual as the season progressed) to prepare to catch the second inning. One of the coaches explained that all 3 catchers would rotate all week to help avoid heat stroke. He caught for inning 2, played right-field for innings 3-4 and then caught the rest of the game. He did very well playing catcher during this game despite Marucci losing the game 11-3. Luke had a hard hit to left field for a pop-out his first at bat and then stuck out his second at bat. These pitchers were throwing well over 60 mph and we knew there was going to be an adjustment for all of our boys.
It was already a hot one at 96* at 8:45am!
Luke doing his thing... And LOVIN' it!
Go out swinging!
Day one was DONE! Way to go Luke the Duke!
My heart was so happy... Because HE was happy!
Check out #LuketheDuke's Game 1 @Ripken 2022
Afternoon After the game we made our way back to our condo to eat an early lunch before going to the beach. We threw some frozen pizzas in the oven and we were on the beach before 11:30AM. We stayed there for the next 4-5 hours, reapplying sunscreen every hour. The kids loved being able to stand in the sandbars and ride the waves with their boogie boards. The kids had goggles they were wearing but Chris did not and got salt water in his eyes pretty bad.
Hello gorgeous emerald waters... it was just what we needed!
We spent some time in the pool as well but Chris went to check his phone to see if the car was ready and to our surprise, it was ready so we got out of the pool and changed quickly. Or so we tried... We were all sunburnt even though we put on sunscreen every hour. Poor Natalie's back was so red and it looked almost as if we didn't even spray her. Luke was ok except for his face and Chris was fine as well. The beach is one of our favorite places but it does not like us as much as we like it! I swear we ALWAYS get sunburnt!
We got changed and made our way back to the east side of Panama City Beach to Pepboys to get our car with a stop at CVS for eye drops for Chris and "Sunburnt" after sun gel for the rest of us. TIP- Sunburnt is the absolute BEST after sun car on the market. It really helps pull the heat out of your skin as goes on smooth without a weird smell or texture feeling.
$1,200 We'll Never See Again Once at Pepboys, we got the bill and it was EXACTLY what they quoted us the previous day of $986. They even took off the original $99 diagnostic fee. This was a HUGE blessing! Thank you so much Joshua and Pepboys! May God bless you for your generosity!
We then had to go and return the rental car to Hertz at the airport. We were so lucky because when we turned in the car, they prorated the cost and we walked away only paying $90 for the 26 hour rental. Once again, Hertz may have made a customer for life.
The Buick was so low on gas when we turned it in to Pepboys to fix, the "Low Fuel" light came on. I have never let it get that low. I thought I had a 18 gallon tank! I was so close to $100...
Hahaha... I love you Florida!
Evening As we made our way back towards the beach, the team notified us of dinner plans so we joined them at Under the Boardwalk restaurant at the Boardwalk resort in Panama City Beach. This was a very well laid out restaurant that allowed 5 large families to eat outdoors and the kids to play games near by. The food and service were great and we all had fun but we all got even more sun while dining outdoors.
We are SO grateful for Kate and Abby Claire (Two baseball sisters) who were in PCB to support their brothers too! Natalie had such a great time with Kate!
Luke and his baseball bud, Connor!
After dinner with the team, we ventured down to Mr. Puff's Ice Cream on Thomas Dr. This was a place that another team mom went to and raved about so we knew we had to try it! It was a "rolled ice cream" style of ice cream and we had never tried this. We really enjoyed watching the workers make our dessert! We all enjoyed this but we all agreed that the scoops style like Marble Slab is better.
Mr. Puff's Ice Cream Menu
This was a HAPPY boy!
Welcome to ROLLED ICE CREAM!
This really is a neat experience for everyone to try at least once!
You could leave a post it note on their main wall!
After our ice cream we made our way to a Family Fun park where we had hoped to play putt-putt. By this time it was nearly 9PM and it was a 2 hour wait time so we opted to make this up on another day and go back to the condo. Once we got back to the condo we did a load of laundry in the full size laundry room and enjoyed the balcony and watched Deal or No Deal with the kids! TIP- I LOVED having the laundry in the condo. This may be the way to go when planning future vacations! Also, bring more than 3 pods of laundry detergent! We had to go and buy more!
The AC was still not working at 100% and even after having it was set on 72* all day and not using the kitchen in the evening, it was still reading 75* at 9PM. Chris turned it off for about 15 minutes and turned it back on and it worked better. This became a nightly ritual to help the AC work better but it never really cooled to the level we would have hoped for as we like to sleep at 69-70*. We went to bed around 11PM and we were all wiped out.
It was a much better day and despite the sunburns, we were feeling really good!
Up Next... Day 2 of Pool Play and our DOUBLE HEADER at PCB Sports Complex.
