Take Me Out To the Ball Game

Yesterday the Miracle League was invited to attend the Atlanta Braves game for the second year.

Despite getting a later than promised start ("leaving at 8:00 a.m. SHARP" should mean just that to this OCD girl!) the trip was a huge success!

I was in charge of Bus B. Though Bus B lead the way.  That meant I had to do all the talking. Thankfully Miracle Mary had given me the guy's name before we left. That will factor into the story later.

 

 

We had a wonderful brunch at Golden Corral in Douglasville Georgia and this year everyone was seated and eating in record time! I assume GC learned quite a bit about large groups since our last visit.

I had nearly a whole plate of crispy, yummy bacon, but THIS from the desert bar caugh my eye.

 

Yes, that is yummy, blue raspberry Cotton Candy!

 

We had a little trouble getting to the stadium this time. The route we took last year was blocked and circling around the are brought us to yet another dead end.  We could see the stadium. It was close but yet too far away for many of our special needs folks to get to.

 

After dropping the name of  the Head of Braves Security at numerous Sheriff's deputy and Atlanta PD barricades, (including this specimen of Atlanta's "Finest" Officer Rodreguiz)

we were finally  on our way.

 

Though last year's seats were pretty awesome for free seats, the full sun was too much to take for our group. This year's seats were MUCH better. 

 

The combination of  being under the balcony and the slight breeze made this year's game much more tolerable.

 

I had to venture out to find the big baseball that I had my picture with last year. I needed to see if I could tell just how much weight I had lost over the year. I remember that I thought I looked pretty good last year.

 

You tell me

 

 2013                                    2014  

 

 

Wow, what a difference!

After Pitcher Dan took this, we realized the exact baseball was across the courtyard, so I took this one too.

 

 

The Braves rallied several times, I feel in part, due to the excitement of the crowd. We did the Tomahawk Chop several times.

 

But, alas, it wasn't to be. The Braves lost to the Diamondbacks, 1 to 3.

 

The Braves loss was disappointing, especially after having the bases loaded on several occasions.

The announcer invited all kids to come run the bases after the game. We were told that our kids could bypass the long line that was forming. Many of our more able kids waiting patiently in the long line while our wheelchair folks were ferried down to another gate to join the group.  The rest of us went back to the buses to wait.

 

It was well worth the wait as many of our players bragged about running the bases at a Major League Baseball stadium. Each recieved a t-shirt and certificate for the feat.

Our wheelchair folks didn't get to get out on the field at all. They were given their shirts and certificates and sent on their way.

 

The trip home was was quiet...so quiet that I fell asleep. We arrived back at the park at 6pm

I had gotten stiff riding the bus and discovered that my left knee was roughly the size of a softball. I made it into the house and onto the couch and did not move for the next 3 hours, when I got up, slightly sunburned, swollen, and sore and put on my nightgown and fell into bed.

 

No sooner had I drifted off, then the neighbors behind me started shooting very large, very loud fireworks! For the second night in a row, they started shooting them at nearly 10 pm! I felt like I was in the middle of a war zone! Good thing I don't have PTSD!

 

The barrage went on for an hour before the night went silent.

 

Thank goodness for work today....things will be "normal" once again!

 

~En-JOY!