Birthdays & Awards & the ER...Oh My!

WOW...what a weekend it's been, as I'm sure you can tell from the title of this post!

It all began on Friday with a luncheon and an awards presentation. For the past two months, we've had a summer program at my hospital where high school seniors have rotated through various departments in the hospital.

The program is an amazing one as it gives each student a chance to see what areas of medicine they might be interested in and what areas they might not be interested in. I sure wish a program like this one had been around when I was in high school! Fun fact: As a junior/senior in high school, I volunteered at the very same hospital where I am currently employed! Fun times!

Each month of the program, the students voted a favorite physician and an employee of the month. For the month of July, I was nominated as the employee of the month! What a fun honor!

On Friday night, my brother and his wife came into town for a little birthday celebration. My mom's birthday fell on Friday and my brother's birthday is this week, so we combined the two celebrations!

Two birthdays means two cakes!

So good!

Jason worked this weekend, so my friend Kim volunteered to watch Brayden while I went out for my Saturday morning long run. I wanted to add a few extra miles to my long run to see how it would go. I've been keeping at 6 miles on Saturdays since May, so I added a few extra for a total of 8 miles.

Along the way, I spotted lots of beautiful flowers and a few yard ornaments, too! These birds scared me at first because I thought they were real!

They were kind of hiding behind the brush and the flash of pink made me do a double take!

The humidity and heat kicked my TAIL on Saturday. I felt gross by the time it was all said and done and my legs were so sore. Thankfully, I have plenty of time to train before January and Dopey Challenge but I'm not gonna lie, Saturday's run worried me a little bit...

It'll all pay off in the end, though!

After the run, I brought Starbucks home for my friend Kim and I to enjoy.

Not long after we ate, Brayden was walking down the hallway and wiped out. His feet got tangled beneath him and he hit the ground HARD and lost consciousness. It all happened so fast (pretty sure it was no longer than the span of 30 seconds), but after re-evaluating the moment, we think he actually held his breath and passed out. I was on the phone with 911 when he came to. I did a quick neuro check on him and although I knew in my heart and mind that he was 100% ok, I still wanted another set of eyes on him and maybe even a CT Scan. (I told the 911 operator that we would be driving him to the ER instead since he was screaming by that point.)

My friend Kim rode with us to the ER to keep Brayden awake in the backseat because (of course), all of this took place around nap time. After being evaluated in ER, we were told that the fact that Brayden lost consciousness warranted a non-contrast CT Scan (non-contrast meant no IV)! He also didn't have to be sedated as they allowed me in the room with him (with a lead apron) and they had all of the equipment to strap him to the table.

Brayden cried from the moment they attempted to put the hospital bracelet on him until we walked out of the door. I thought it was funny that we were put in "room 5" aka the room at the VERY end of the hallway!

Within a very short time frame - seriously it was less than 90 minutes from start to finish - we were given the green light and were discharged home.

Am I glad we went? Absolutely. We were given excellent care and the peace of mind knowing everything was ok was completely worth it.

After we returned home, we watched a little Lilo and Stitch and hung out for the remainder of the afternoon.

On Sunday, the bow tie returned as we had church to attend! 

These two crack me up! What a pair!

After church (and during Brayden's nap time), I watched the Baseball Hall of Fame induction ceremony with my second favorite Astro, Jeff Bagwell!

It seems so crazy that just two short years ago, we were in Cooperstown to watch as my all-time favorite Astro, Craig Biggio, was inducted into the hall! I was so excited to watch Jeff's induction via the MLB Network this year! Such a fun time to be an Astros fan! :)

Well, that was my weekend in a nutshell! How was your weekend? Any exciting things happen?

Baseball Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony

Happy almost-Labor-Day-Weekend! I'm definitely looking forward to three days off with no plans to do anything of any significance! It's going to be fabulous!

Welcome to the 4th and final part of my Baseball Hall of Fame Induction Weekend recap! Today's post covers everything you need to know about the Induction Ceremony itself!

• Cooperstown - Getting There
• The Baseball Hall of Fame
• Awards Ceremony/The Parade of Legends
• Induction Ceremony

If there's one thing I can't stress enough to you, it's the fact that you NEED to purchase folding lawn chairs and/or a blanket and set it out on the induction ceremony grounds EARLY. Seriously, as we drove into Cooperstown on Friday afternoon (the ceremony was on Sunday), spectators were already staking out their spots on the grounds. All of them were willing to leave their chairs/blankets on the grounds and step away from them (for nights at a time), but I didn't see any problems all weekend with theft or anything like that.

Seats ARE available in the "reserved seating" section up front, but the only way to get them (to my knowledge) is to become a member of the Baseball Hall of Fame President's Circle or purchase a Travel Package for the weekend. 

Another tip is to arrive in Cooperstown early on Sunday morning. In our case, there were 45,000 fans packed into this tiny town and we were grateful that we arrived around 8:30 a.m. for a parking spot in one of the trolley lots.

Also, be prepared to WALK! Even though trolley and bus services are available for use, sometimes the lines  are crazy long - it was worth it to us to walk to our destination instead of standing in line for a bus for a long time.

While waiting for the ceremony, my dad, husband, and I decided to walk downtown to tour the Hall of Fame one last time. After our tour, we purchased a hamburger from a vendor who was selling them in town. You'll find this all over Cooperstown during the weekend - church groups, families, kids...they pitch a tent and sell different types of food/beverages and most of the time, proceeds go towards a good cause! 

The local high school was selling hot dogs on the day of the induction ceremony (at the induction site), but they ran out in no time. They also sold water/gatorade/tea at the induction site and told Kayla they sold over 5,000 bottles of water that day!

Here's a shot of a cross section of the Induction Ceremony grounds - this doesn't include the crowd behind me. It was crazy!

It's always more fun to experience something like this with a friend or family! :)

 
Once the ceremony begins, there are lots of introductions, everyone sings the National Anthem, then all of the Hall of Famers who are at the ceremony are introduced and join together one by one on the stage...

 The last of those to come on stage are the new Hall of Fame members (you can see them sitting all the way to the left of the picture).

There might be a few presentations (in our case, one by the Secretary of the Navy), then each new inductee gives a speech. 

Craig's was my favorite - I really liked John Smoltz's speech, too!

• The ceremony lasted around 2 to 2 and a half hours. 
• It takes place rain or shine, so be prepared for any type of weather! 
• Bring your sunscreen!!
• Don't forget a lawn chair.
• Arrive early and prepare to sit for a while.
• Bring a cooler with water bottles - it will be your saving grace, especially if it's a warm summer day!

After the ceremony, we decided to join the masses and walk back to the trolley lot (about a mile) instead of waiting in line for the buses or trolley.

I honestly felt like I was in the start of a WDW runDisney race again! :D

Overall, we had an INCREDIBLE time and I would do this all over again in a heart beat! I loved being there with so many Houston fans as we cheered on our hometown favorite. I also loved experiencing this with my dad and family!

If you're planning a trip in the future, I hope these posts help with the planning process and what to expect! Email me if you have any questions or need anything!! :) kren2700@gmail.com

Have a fabulous day! Play ball! :)

The Parade of Legends (Baseball Hall of Fame)

Happy Tuesday! Welcome to part 3 of my 4-part Baseball Hall of Fame Induction Weekend recap! Missed parts 1 and 2? Look no further!

• Cooperstown - Getting There
• The Baseball Hall of Fame
• Awards Ceremony/The Parade of Legends
• Induction Ceremony

Today's recap includes information on both of the events that take place on Saturday of induction weekend, the Awards Ceremony that's held at Doubleday Field and the Parade of Legends that takes place down Main Street.

Saturday's schedule of events during the Hall of Fame weekend in Cooperstown usually looks like this:

Hall of Fame Awards Presentation - 4:30 p.m., Doubleday Field (Gates open at 3 p.m.)
The awards ceremony includes the presentation of the Ford C. Frick Award for baseball broadcasting excellence and the J.G. Taylor Spink Award for meritorious contributions to baseball writing.

Parade of Legends - 6:00 p.m., Main Street, Cooperstown
Hall of Fame members ride down Main Street in trucks provided by Ford Motor Company, concluding with a red carpet arrival on the Museum steps as Hall of Fame members make their way to the Museum for a private reception.

Again, my tip for you is to arrive EARLY! We made our way into Cooperstown around 8:45 a.m., found a place to park (in one of the trolley lots), then headed for Main Street. Our goal for the day to was to re-visit the Hall of Fame, explore the town, grab lunch, then find a spot for the Parade of Legends.

Even at 9 a.m., the crowds were already forming for the 6 p.m. parade. Most people purchased folding lawn chairs ahead of time and scoped out their spot for the parade. 

Throughout the day on Saturday, baseball legends were located all along Main Street for autographs. I overheard someone say that although they were charging for autographs, the proceeds went to charity.

A little off topic, but I have to share this really awesome story that happened to us on Saturday during lunch....

For lunch, we found a spot at a local cafe at an outside table. Before long, we knew something was up because a caravan arrived on the curb. Several Navy personnel walked out, followed by Ray Mabus, the Secretary of the Navy! 

We soon discovered that he was there to greet two Wounded Warriors who just happened to be at the table right next to us! We also heard that the Wounded Warriors were in Cooperstown as Randy Johnson's personal guests. Randy, a 2015 Hall of Fame inductee, spends a good bit of his time on USO tours and volunteering with Wounded Warrior! Not long after that, Randy's mom, sister, and brother walked up and BOY could you ever see the family resemblance! Talk about being in the right place at the right time!! It was awesome!

Ok...back on topic...

Although we didn't plan to attend the Awards presentation at Doubleday Field, we did walk over there after lunch to check it all out!

An afternoon treat of ice cream was in order as we sat and waited on the parade. We didn't have folding chairs and although we staked out our spots around 2 p.m. (for the 6 p.m. parade), we still were no where near the front of the line! This is serious business, people!

Many Houston favorites were spotted along the road such as Adam Everett, a former Astros player...

Bill Brown, Astros current television announcer...

and Larry Dierker, former Astros player and manager!

Even Jeff Foxworthy was spotted along Main Street! 

Lots of fans filled the Main Street of Cooperstown...it was estimated around 20,000 fans were in attendance to catch a glimpse of their favorite baseball legend!

The wait for the parade didn't seem terribly long as we mingled with fellow Astros fans around us!

Thankfully, we were somewhat near the announcer, so we could hear what was going on during the parade! My best tips for the parade are to arrive early, stake out your seats early, and stand somewhere near the flag pole on Main Street so you can hear the announcer!

Tom Gage (JG Spink Award Winner) and Dick Engberg (Ford C Frick Award Winner) were there - each of them were honored at the awards ceremony that afternoon!

"Casey at the Bat" even managed to mosey his way into Cooperstown!

This is where my baseball fan heart completely geeked out....

Hank. Aaron. Y'all...we were literally steps away from Hank Aaron. I die.

Frank Robinson

Johnny Bench

Texans fans were happy to see Nolan Ryan!

Ozzie Smith

Wade Boggs

Cal Ripken Jr

Greg Maddux

Frank Thomas

Joe Torre

The highlight of the entire parade for me...B-G-O! Craig Biggio

The sea of orange and navy was exciting to see!

Randy Johnson

Pedro Martinez

John Smoltz

In total, I read that 44 baseball legends rode in the parade that afternoon. As we said goodbye to Cooperstown for another day, I felt like a kid all over again.

This place just has a way of doing that to you.

Stay tuned for the 4th and final installment of my Baseball Hall of Fame Induction Weekend recap!