Travel, Travel, Travel

As you may have read on my mom's post, I did travel up to Pennsylvania this weekend. My new friend, Skip (who is Becky's brother) invited me to the Penn State/Michigan State football game (at Penn State). I had a lot of fun at the game despite the cold and the dissappointing loss. He lives in Hershey, PA, just down the street from the chocolate factory. If the wind is blowing in just the right direction, you get a nice big whiff of the sweet smell of chocolate. On Sunday night, we went to a Trans Siberian Orchestra concert. If you've never heard them, they play heavy metal Christmas music (and some classical stuff, too). If you recall the Christmas lighting display video that floated around last year, that was a TSO song. The concert was really cool, but also very loud. There were lots of lasers, lights, and fire. I got a nice little driving tour of central PA over the weekend. Between the drive from Baltimore (where I flew in) to Hershey, Hershey to State College on game day, Harrisburg (the capitol), and Lancaster (Amish country). The landscape was quite pretty (being in the mountains and all), though I'm sure it was much prettier a month ago when the colorful leaves were still on the trees. I was surprised to see a pink rose bush right outside of Skip's apartment that still had several blooms on it (including a new bud). I had a really great time this weekend and this little getaway was just what the doctor ordered as work was really starting to stress me out (though I was quite productive the week prior to my departure).

Now I will be traveling again tomorrow morning to come home for Thanksgiving and coming back on Friday (I have a wedding to go to on Saturday). So if you count that all up. In a span of 8 days (fri to fri), I will have been on a plane 4 times. It's a good thing they're all nonstop flights. I'm sure I'll be quite sick of airports and flying by the end of the week. But no worries, I'll have recovered in time for my trip home at Christmas.

Softball Fun

Last night we had our weekly softball game. We lost yet again. The only game we've one this season was because the other team didn't show up (we'll take it though). But even though we lost, we had our best game yet. We actually made it to the 5th inning before getting slaughtered. Personally, I had a great game. Before the game, Tiffany (the coach) asked which of us girls would like to play in the infield (we had to have 2 and Tiff was already the pitcher). No one said anything, so I grudgingly stepped up and said, "I'll do it." She placed me at 2nd base. I didn't get a whole lot of action during the first couple innings, but in the third, with 2 outs, a ground ball was hit right to me (rather hard). I stopped the ball, it bounced up and hit me in the knee (my bad knee ever since the 3-Day), which REALLY hurt. But I was right next to the bag, so I bare handed the ball and just tagged the base. OUT! Then I limped into the dugout. Up to bat, I was 4th in the lineup, but we got out 1-2-3. Great. Now I'm first next inning. OK, 4th inning comes up. I take my position. Here comes the first batter to the plate. I'm thinking to myself, "if it comes to me, throw to first...play's at first." Well, the ball is hit right to me. A line drive. I stick out my glove hoping to at least just stop the ball from getting past me. The ball goes in...and doesn't come out. I caught it!!! Out #1! The next guy comes up. He hits it into the outfield. He rounds first and heads toward second. They throw the ball to me, but it wasn't quite in time to make the tag. Then I lose my balance and fall down. The rest of my team tried to blame it on the runner. But I, as well as the ump, knew that wasn't the case. Oh well. That was pretty much it for my fielding highlights. We eventually get them out to end the inning (after they score about 5 runs or so). OK, I'm up first. "Here comes the first out," I think to myself as I walk toward the batters box. Here's the pitch...I hit a grounder to the shortstop. I run as hard as I can. An overthrow at first...SAFE! The next batter is up, gets a hit, safe at second. Third batter strikes out, one out. Fourth batter...a fly into the outfield, no one makes the catch. I bolt to third. The coach tells me to keep going, so I do. Safe! I score the first run of the game! One more run was scored after that, but that was it. We ended up losing like 9-2 or something like that. But it was by far the best game of the season. Only 2 games left.

U of M vs BSU

Now THERE'S an odd matchup for this weekend. Ball State is playing Michigan this weekend at the Big House. What I wouldn't give to go to the game tomorrow. Gee, I wonder who will win. One team is 9-0 and has NEVER lost to a MAC team. The other is 3-6. I'll be surprised if the score is even close.