We have been so blessed to be able to have Luke play for a travel select baseball team in The Woodlands, Marucci Elite North Houston. We have been playing with this organization since 2018 and we have poured our time, money and effort into this organization and Luke's growth as a baseball player and man. This year our baseball team decided to go to Panama City Beach, FL to participate in the Ripken World Series Experience.
We have highlighted our daily activities and travels through Panama City Beach as well as the surrounding beach and town areas. These blog posts have tips, tricks and pictures to help you plan your own vacation to Panama City Beach. Once again, we appreciate your continued support of our blog by clicking on the daily posts. We wouldn't be as popular or successful if it weren't for you all. Thank you so much!
This turned out to be NOTHING like we had planned, hoped or even dreamed of. But it sure was a TEST from God. Each and every single day we found a new trial and issue. And I cannot even say we passed this test... Nope, we failed! But I still want to give Him all the glory for this opportunity! Thank you Jesus for this week and for your blessings upon our family. May we be a light for YOU daily!
James 1:2-4
2 Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds,
3 for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness.
4 And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.
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 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.
Panama City Beach- Day 2 The Day From Hell Sunday, June 5, 2022
It's show time and #LuketheDuke is READY!
Morning Despite the comfortable conditions, I did not have a very good night's sleep at all. I was so anxious and nervous about the car that I was up and down all night long. I was getting sick in the bathroom nearly every 30 minutes. So much so that I went to the 2nd bedroom as to not keep waking Chris up when I had to go to the bathroom. Thank God for this extra bedroom so I did not have to sleep on the couch.
Chris woke up around 7AM to went and checked on the car and see about the anti-freeze he put in late the night before. As we expected, all of the coolant was not in the reservoir and we did not see a pool of fluid under the car so we were once again at a loss for words. I decided to go to the nearby Winn-Dixie and get some stomach medications as I was so nauseated I could not stand up.
I was able to go to Winn-Dixie and get more sunscreen, water and Pepto to hold us over for a few more days with little to no issues with the car. Upon my return to the condo, Chris put more coolant in the car and we got ready for the Opening Ceremonies at the Ripken Experience.
What a GORGEOUS picture of my babies and the emerald waters of Sunnyside, FL.
The start of our daily baseball picture from our balcony!
A view towards the WEST Florida panhandle from our balcony. The FAR top left may (or may not) be Destin.
Since we had not made our way out to the Panama City Beach Publix Sports Complex yet, we decided to leave the condo very early to get a feel for the traffic and scope out the complex prior to our weeklong tournament. We left the condo at 9:15am for a 10:30am call time. We were at the complex with nearly an hour to spare so we sat in the shade of one of the concession pavilions.
TIP- The Panama City Beach Publix Sports Complex is a brand new state of the art baseball park that features 13 fields. The facilities are ALL turf and the dugouts are very nice and well kept. However, there is hardly any shade at all in this complex. There is a small bleacher section that is covered with awnings at each field but it is very limited seating and often times the shade is non-existent. Be sure to bring a canopy shade or at bare minimum umbrellas for sun protection. Furthermore, this facility is so large that if you are playing at one of the back fields (7-8-9), you will be walking well over half a mile just to get to the field. Let's just say we got our steps in every day at the ballpark! There is no gate fee and nobody checks your bags so you can literally bring in whatever you want to the field, but no alcohol is allowed. This was a HUGE bonus compared to other ballparks that check for outside food and drinks. But at $355 ($420 team fee to pay for the coaches too) per player tournament entry fee, we definitely payed for this in the long run.
The entrance to PCB Publix Sports Complex.
My #2 is ready for his Florida World Series debut
And big sister is ready to cheer him on... Loud and Proud!
According to the schedule, we thought we had to be there at 10:30am for the Opening Ceremonies but in reality the Opening Ceremonies did not even begin until 11:30am. This meant we were at the ballfield for an extra 2 hours before we needed to and the Florida heat was a killer. It was almost as if we were sitting in a sauna.
Once all the team arrived, the boys got lined up and ready to take the field for the Opening Ceremonies. This was a really special event where the boys took the field with 40+ other teams made up of 9U to 14U players from all over the southeast United States. Each team was announced on the field and the tournament manager explained many of the rules and procedures to the players, coaches and spectators.
Marucci Elite North Houston- 9U Codrington
Then the Guest Speaker, Andruw Jones, came to the field and spoke to the boys about this tournament, baseball in general and how to be successful in life. This was SO COOL as I literally grew up watching him play for the Braves with Chipper Jones. This guy was a complete class act and I was highly impressed with him. He told the boys to keep practicing, keep giving more than 100%, stay in school and stay grounded. Keep your head high because you are on your way to success.
I feel the only person who could understand my actual excitement at this point would be my dad or my sister. All three of us used to lay in the den of my parents house and watch him each and every single night! This was SO COOL!
After he was done speaking I got up from the very front of the field where I was sitting and ran onto the field to try and get him to sign the Ripken Experience hat that was given to all the players. However, I did not have a pen for him to use so I shook his hand and told him how much I loved watching him instead. I was so upset I didn't get his autograph. I walked back to our team near the back and told them the story and a mom gave me a sharpie to get him to sign my hat. I took her son's hat too and literally ran back on the field with the other 100+ 13 year old's and got in line for him to sign out hats and he did! Thank You Andruw Jones... You truly are a CLASS ACT!
Only Luke and 1 other teammate got their hat signed by Andruw Jones! I have news for Luke... This hat is now MINE!
After the Opening Ceremonies was the Skill Competitions. Our team started at the Home Run Derby and we cheered on one of Luke's friends Kyle before moving to the Infield and Outfield relays. Luke participated in the Outfield Relay as well as the Turn-2 relay as the catcher and he did exceptionally well. Unfortunately, Marucci Elite did not place in any of the competition events but the boys had fun!
Luke during the Outfield Relay. He did so well!
Marucci Elite North Houston Outfield Relay 2022
Marucci Elite North Houston Turn Two Relay 2022
OUR OPENING CEREMONY EXPERIENCE
Afternoon As soon as the Opening Ceremonies were over, we knew we had to get the car looked at but it was Sunday so our best chance was an AutoZone Store near the ball field. We found a worker who was an Ex-GM mechanic and he told us to take it to Pepboys Auto as they are open on Sundays. We drove a few miles to Pepboys and their mechanic was looking at our car within 20 minutes. The mechanic came and told us "I do not see anything wrong with it". The car had stayed at the 210* all morning and afternoon so we were at a loss as to what had happened. At first he was going to just send us on our way but I was adamant about him taking another look! GOOD THING... He dug deeper and found a leak in the water pump.
An hour into our wait at Pepboys... Good Lord, will this day EVER END???
From there we quickly made a reservation with Enterprise Rental Car at the airport so we could get around the next few days. Pepboys estimated it would only take 1 day to fix the car but we reserved the car for 2 days just as a precaution. The drive from Pepboys to the Airport was nearly an hour but we had to feed the kids as Luke was already HANGRY!
Once we got to the airport and got to the Enterprise Car Counter we were told they did not have any cars, even though I had reserved one nearly 2 hours prior to this. Chris was LIVID and nearly "lost it" (which he has NEVER done in all our years of being together so you know this was serious). He moved over a counter to Hertz and they were able to get us a small Ford Escape for 2 days at an even cheaper cost (Thank You God). Hertz... You just made a customer for LIFE!
Evening It rained hard for over an hour while we were traveling back and forth between Pepboys and the airport and back. By the time we got back to Pepboys to drop off the Buick, it was after 6PM and we had been dealing with this car since 1PM. The kids were DONE! Poor Luke was in tears just trying to get to the beach! But we MISSED THE RAIN! We finally got back to the condo at nearly 7PM and quickly got changed for the beach but we noticed the condo AC was set at 72* and it was 76* in the unit. We knew something was off so we sent a message to the property manager.
Nooooooo... This is miserably hot! We need a BREAK today!
We enjoyed the beach until sundown and then a little pool time before going back to the condo to make dinner. We made sloppy joes at 9PM in the condo and the AC was not working very well at all but it had got down to 74* so we called that a win after the day we had. The property manager finally answered my text around 10:30pm stating there was a large tower issue with all units ACs in the condo complex. But no help or fix was given. Lucky us...
FINALLY... We made to the crystal clear waters and all was well again!
This is truly my happy place!
The kids are happy again!
Frisbee time
Frisbee at the beach!
The kids tried to bury Chris... It was comical!
We all had way too much fun with this!
Me and my boy... Be still my heart!
At least our day ended at the beach!
We stayed up a little while just to try and forget about this awful "vacation" day and hoped the AC got colder as the evening progress. Chris ended up turning the AC off for 20 minutes and then turning it back on and that worked wonders. By the time we went to bed, it was 71* indoors and we were satisfied with that.
Luke found these MEGA stuff Oreos in Florida... This kid was hooked!
It was a long, terrible, no good, very bad day but it was OVER! Now we are ready for the rest of this trip and for the real baseball fun to begin with Day 1 of Pool Play for Marucci!
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!
