After seeing the UK Baseball team playing their Regionals in Gary, my love for UK Baseball quickly grew to more than it already had been. I stayed diligently by my computer on draft day to see how the Bat Cats would fair. I was ecstatic when, at the end of the day, a record nine Wildcats had been drafted! UK Baseball season was over so I was adamantly able to follow not only these nine players in their minor league seasons over the summer, but also the nine players who either played for the prestigious Cape Cod League or the USA Collegiate National Team. It was a lot of baseball to keep up with and in the end I had to pick and choose just a few players to follow closely.
When I was trying to get some of the Wildcats to follow me on Twitter after Regionals, the first to do so was Senior Catcher/1st Baseman, Michael Williams. He had impressed me greatly during Regionals after not only catching the entire 21 inning game against Kent State, but also every single inning of the three games later that weekend. As I read his tweets, I learned one more thing...he was a man of great faith and he wasn't afraid to share it. Many times, he would tweet inspirational quotes or even Bible passages that seemed almost too perfect for my current mood or situation. I looked forward to his daily inspiration and he quickly joined the ranks with Brian Littrell as a Christian that I looked up to. As a still rather new Christian myself, it is great to see that dedication in others and have those people that can teach you how to become a better Christian.
I started to tweet him occasionally to thank him for his inspiration. Often times, he would happily tweet me back to thank me. Michael quickly grew to be my favorite player that had been drafted from the Wildcats. He not only was a great player, but he was a genuinely good guy. What was there not to like about that?
I started to follow Michael's minor league team, the Hudson Valley Renegades of the New York-Penn League (affiliate of the Tampa Bay Rays), on a daily basis. Do you know what made this team even better than having one Bat Cat on it? How about having two former Kentucky Wildcats? Wildcat teammate, Luke Maile (a junior Catcher/1st Baseman), had also been drafted to the Rays and the two had been put onto the same team. It made my dedication of trying to follow all of the drafted Wildcats a little easier. I was very thankful for the technology that allowed me to listen to and follow their games on a daily basis online. My husband even began to make fun of me because I would come home from work to listen to the Renegades play. He told me I was like an eighty year old man listening to baseball on the radio. I wasn't about to let that stop me from listening and cheering on my team.
After the Kentucky baseball season was over, I did some research to see which players I could possibly go watch during the summer while they were playing with either their minor league teams or the summer league teams. Unfortunately, not a single player was playing on a team even remotely close to Northwest Indiana. It looked like I was going to have to just deal with listening to games and following all of the players through social media. Then one day, when I was looking at the Renegades schedule, I made a realization. They would be playing a series against the Tri-City ValleyCats in Troy, NY (where the ValleyCats are located) in early September. A good friend and sorority sister of mine, Michelle, just so happened to work for the ValleyCats and I hadn't seen her in years. I could go visit her and watch Michael and Luke play! The series just happened to start on Labor Day so that would be one less day that I would have to get off from work (in the end this didn't really matter because I left that job the month before and wasn't working at the time of the trip). I asked my husband if I could go on the trip and he agreed. I would be taking another trip in 2012 by myself.
As I started to make travel plans for the trip, I realized one thing. I would more than likely be coming back home on a Thursday and had scheduled to take my General GRE test to get into grad school for that Saturday. This meant that I was going to have to use a part of this vacation to study for the test. My friend had informed me that she would have to be at the ball park all day on game days so she would not make a very good hostess. I told her that would actually be perfect because I could then use that time to study. I then had to make a decision on how to get to Troy (located just outside of Albany). It would be a minimum 12 hour drive. A flight was going to cost me about $100 more than the cost of driving. Then I looked at a third option...Greyhound. The trip would be longer than driving (18+ hours) but about the same cost. Plus, I could use that time to study, which I would not have been able to do while driving. I made the decision that the Greyhound bus was going to be my way to Albany. It would be the first time taking this particular mode of transportation and I knew it was going to be an adventure.
Michelle contacted me a few months before the trip to inform me that she was looking at taking a trip to Brooklyn on the Sunday that I was to get into town. That made the gears in my head start to turn. Why? Another drafted Bat Cat, Tim Peterson, just so happened to be on the Brooklyn Cyclones and they just so happened to be playing on that Sunday! I contacted her to see what her particular plans were for this day and suggested that we might go to this baseball game. She happily replied back that that had been the plan! I was super excited because I was going to be able to see three former Wildcats on my trip now!
Personalized Renegades Gear
If I was going to be cheering on the Renegades, I was going to need Renegades gear. Once I got the gear, I knew I needed to show my support for those Wildcats for which I was making the trip. I also made sure that both Michael and Tim knew that I was making the trip for them (unfortunately, Luke does not have either a Facebook or Twitter account).
Saturday, September 1, 2012 - It was finally time for my trip! I had been looking forward to it all summer as I followed the Renegades online. If there is one thing my readers should know by now, it is that I just don't sleep, especially when I have something exciting going on the next day. I remember still being awake and making a trip to Walgreens at about 3am on this morning so I am sure I probably only got 2 or 3 hours of sleep. At least I was going to be able to sleep overnight on the bus ride (or so I thought). To start the trip, I had to take the train to get to the Greyhound station in South Bend. Luckily, the Southshore train runs right by my house and to the South Bend regional airport, where the Greyhound station is also located. The rain outside kept me from walking the few short blocks to the train station on Saturday morning but while I waited for the train, I did what I was going to have to get used to doing all week...studying for the GRE. Once I got to the bus station, I did more waiting and studying. It was already turning out to be an interesting travel choice as I did some people watching, as well. The bus finally pulled up and I was going to start the long trip to Albany.
Michigan City, IN -> Albany, NY -> Brooklyn, NY - 919 miles
First, this particular bus was one of the older Greyhound buses. This meant there would be no WiFi access and much smaller seats. This particular bus was packed solid! I had found a seat all the way in the back but gave it up when I saw a family with a small child looking for three seats in the same vicinity. My backpack was full of GRE study material and wouldn't even fit in the luggage rack above our heads or under the seat in front of me. Therefore, I had to sit with my feet propped on the backpack. There was barely any room to move, let alone drag out the study materials. I seriously started to regret my decision of this mode of transportation. While I couldn't study, I at least got some entertainment of the people sitting around me. The guy that had been with the small child that I had given my seat up for had started discussing his drug using days with a fellow passenger. The guy sitting in the seat directly next to me (I was in the window seat) and I started chatting. I had managed to get out some of my study material and he started to question what I was studying. When I started talking about taking the GRE, he asked how many years of school I had left. When I told him I had been out for four years, he seemed surprised. He informed me that he would have only guessed me to be 21. I was very flattered, especially since he was the first of about three people I talked with that weekend that thought I was much younger than I actually am. There were also several people who just could not grasp the concept that I was traveling alone.
It was still raining as we drove. Remember how I said that this was an older bus? Imagine every one's surprise as the emergency exit in the roof of the bus started leaking and rain began to stream down into the bus from the leak. I was so happy that I wasn't sitting there. Eventually the bus started to empty. However, I always had someone sitting right next to me. The next person to sit next to me was a guy, who I later discovered was 21. He had a thick southern accent and I discovered he was from Kentucky. Not only was he from Kentucky but he was a University of Kentucky fan! I found out that he had served overseas (I'm pretty sure it was Army but I don't remember off hand) when he started telling me a very detailed story about the first enemy he had shot when he was over there. That was interesting to hear. It was even more interesting when he pulled out a bottle of Kaluha and started drinking it straight from the bottle. What in the world had I gotten myself into?!
The end of my 22 hour bus ride with no sleep
Boy was I thankful when we got to Cleveland, where I was scheduled to transfer buses. I hoped that we would be getting one of the newer buses, which we did! I was finally able to stretch out with the larger seats on this bus. There were also not very many people on it. I started studying away but could only do it for short periods of time before I started to get nauseous from the movement. It was something that I had not accounted for when I made these plans. The frequent stops on the route helped so that I could take some study breaks. During one of the stops, a young college guy behind me asked to borrow my phone so he could find someone to pick him up from the Syracuse station. This led to a long, late night conversation. We talked about many different things. He talked about how he hadn't always made the best decisions in his life but that his faith had helped him to change his ways. I talked about how my faith had been influenced by Brian Littrell. He is one of the few guys that didn't mock me when I had told him who Brian was. As a matter of fact, he was very interested in looking at all of the pictures of me with Brian and the rest of the Backstreet Boys. We were still talking at about 2am and would get several different people int he bus who were trying to sleep telling us to "shhhhhh." I was kind of disappointed when he had to get off in Syracuse while I continued my journey. Needless to say, I wasn't able to get much studying done in the dark but I also couldn't sleep. I still had hours of my trip to go but I was just too excited for the days ahead of me. This was when a twitter conversation started with one of my followers that used to live in the Syracuse area since the new bus had WiFi (albeit not very good WiFi).
Freedom Tower under construction
Sunday, September 2, 2012 - We pulled into the Albany station early on Sunday morning. I had gotten zero sleep on the bus, was on about 3 hours of sleep from the night before, and had been travelling for 22 hours already. Michelle picked me up at the station and wanted to hear all about my Greyhound adventures. She had known I would come away from that bus with some good stories to tell her. She took me back to her apartment where I showered and changed so that we could make the three hour drive to Brooklyn, more specifically Coney Island. I was exhausted and it was pure adrenaline from the excitement of the game that was keeping me going. Michelle and I caught up with one another during the three hour drive and she showed me all of the sites of New York as we went through the city. From the car I got to see Ground Zero, Freedom Tower, and the Statue of Liberty. Maybe one day I will return to actually visit the sites on foot. Before we knew it, we were pulling into the parking lot of the baseball stadium with plenty of time to play at Coney Island.
The Cyclone
Since we were going to be seeing the Brooklyn Cyclones that evening, it was a must for us to ride the Cyclone. This historic wooden roller coaster was opened to the public in 1975, declared a New York City landmark in 1988, and put on the National Register of Historic Places in 1991. We made the decision to ride in the very back cart even though the ride operator warned us that it was an extremely bumpy ride in that particular car. Wow, was he right! Both Michelle and I had bruises the next day from the ride on our arms. It was a fun ride though even though I was asking if it was over about half way through the ride.
We walked along the boardwalk and took in all of the sites of Coney Island. We couldn't help but laugh at the huge, bent nails sticking up among the boards of the boardwalk along the way. We visited a small shop to learn some Coney Island history and walked by the The Parachute Jump, a defunct ride since 1968, where riders were once strapped into a two person canvas seat, hanging below a closed parachute. The riders were hoisted to the top of the ride, where a release mechanism would drop them and the descent was only slowed by the parachute. Shock absorbers at the bottom would cushion the landing and each parachute required three cable operators which made labor costs high for the ride.
1. Historic Fun 2. Parachute Drop
Walking down the boardwalk, I saw some cool architecture (guess my husband's architecture schooling has worn off on me slightly). The building pictured below was once a Childs Restaurant, one of the first national dining chains in the US, peaking in the 1920s and 1930s. This particular building was built in 1924 and is considered a New York Landmark, although it is now empty.
1. Childs Restaurant 2. Me with Coney Island in the Background
Finally before heading to the game, we had to make sure to stop at the original Nathan's Famous for some hot dogs. Built in 1916, this is the location of the Nathan's Hot Dog Eating Contest since the early 1970s.
Nathan's Famous - Yes, that would be bacon on my hot dog!
My signed Tim Peterson photo
After filling our tummy's, it was time to head to the ball park to see the Brooklyn Cyclones play. Unfortunately, Tim Peterson is a relief pitcher so I wasn't sure if I was going to actually get to see him play or not. Even if he didn't, I was still going to have a great time and I hoped that I would get to meet him before or after the game. After we found out where our seats were, Michelle and I headed to the bullpen area to see if I could catch a glimpse of Tim. I did but I was not able to get his attention. As we headed back to our seats, Tim and the rest of the pitchers were joining the team for the National Anthem and he was signing autographs as he walked along to the dugout. I was able to get him to sign a photo I had taken of him pitching during regionals in Gary. I wasn't sure at that time if I would get to actually meet him after the game or not.
The Brooklyn Cyclones play at MCU Park, which is a very cool park at night because of the amusement park in the background. Unfortunately, not only did the Cyclones lose to the Staten Island Yankees, but Tim did not pitch. I still had a great time watching the game and that is what is important!
Me and Michelle
Tim Peterson - warming up
Birds chilling on the field in the middle of the game
MCU Park, surrounded by Coney Island
Tim Peterson (RH Pitcher - Brooklyn Cyclones - #22) and me
After the game, Michelle was a sport as she let me be my crazy self and wait for the team outside of the ball park so that I could have the chance to talk to Tim. It seemed like we waited forever as both teams slowly exited the ball park. One of Tim's teammates even asked me if I was waiting for him (he was obviously very observant of my UK sweatshirt and hat). Finally, Tim made his way out and I caught his attention right away before some other fan could snatch him. After a quick hug, I first had him personalize the photo I had asked him to autograph before the game with my name. Then, he happily took a photo with me. He brought up the subject that I would be going to go see Michael and Luke play the next few days, which meant that he had been reading my tweets and Facebook posts. He also asked me how long my trip had taken. He seemed shocked when I told him that my total trip had taken 25 hours to get to Brooklyn. We spent the next few moments chatting away, including him informing me he would be back in Lexington after the season to take some more classes (he had just finished his junior year when he had been drafted). Overall, it was a great exchange. Tim was incredibly nice, just as Corey had been when I had met him during regionals. I could not have asked for a more pleasant conversation and Michelle had been great to let me have that experience.
Michelle and I headed back to Troy and I had to fight to stay awake. By that point, I had been up for almost 36 straight hours. However, you better believe I perked right up when "I Still" by the Backstreet Boys came on the radio on the trip back to Troy. I was super excited because, believe it or not, it was the first time I had ever heard that song on the radio! I was a little more awake after that. By the time we got home and we finally went to bed, I had been up for about 39 straight hours!
Monday, September 3, 2012 - Since Michelle works for the baseball team in which the Renegades were playing against, she was required to be at the ball park all day. We had decided that I would go to the park with her in the morning and study at the local college that literally shared a parking lot with the ball park. Since it was Labor Day, no classes were in session. I found a nice gazebo with picnic tables and set up shop to begin my studying for the GRE. It was an activity that I was going to have to get used to while I was there. I joined Michelle for lunch in the ball park, which is provided to employees on game days. I met a lot of her coworkers who made comments on the Hudson Valley Renegades shirt I was wearing, but they were all super nice to me. I then decided to stay in the park after lunch to study while I waited for the Renegades to get there. The park had a nice picnic area which I made my study spot from that point forward. Once the team got there, I stopped my studying and watched batting practice from my seat right behind the visitors dugout. Michael saw me while going into the dugout from his batting practice and said hi. Once batting practice was through, I grabbed dinner thanks to the fan appreciation picnic the ValleyCats were having and thanks to the ticket that Michelle had gotten me.
Top Left: Luke Maile warming up - Top Right: Michael Williams warming up
Bottom Left: Michael Williams batting practice - Bottom Middle: Luke Maile batting practice - Bottom Right: Michael Williams infield practice
The Renegades ended up winning this one in extra innings (2-1), but neither Michael nor Luke played this particular game. After the game, I headed out to the bus to wait with the rest of the few Renegades fans that happened to be there. Luke came out first and I got his autograph of the photo I had brought that I had taken at regionals of both Michael and him. I thought it was such a great photo of the two and it worked out perfectly since they had both been drafted to the same team.
Autographed Luke Maile and Michael Williams photo
I also gave Luke a little photo album of all the photos I had taken of him at regionals. Since he didn't have a Twitter or Facebook account, I couldn't share the photos with him like I had been able to with the rest of the team. I wanted to make sure he had the opportunity to see them as everyone else had been able to see theirs. He thanked me and got onto the bus. I hadn't even thought about getting a photo with him!
Me and Michael Williams (C/1B - Hudson Valley Renegades - #35)
Michael eventually came out and made his way over to me as soon as he saw me. He gave me a hug right away and thanked me for making the trip. He truly was a complete sweetheart! I had him sign the same photo that Luke had and then he asked me if I wanted a photo with him. For once, it was the player doing the asking and I thought that was way cool. I found someone to take the photo and Michael made sure I looked at it to make sure it was okay. It was taken from a bit too far away so we decided that another photo was needed. After the photo we chatted for awhile. He asked if I had talked to Luke already, he asked how my meeting with Tim had gone the night before, and we talked about my wish to go to the University of Kentucky for grad school. Right before he got on the bus, I gave him a gift as a thank you for being such an inspiration. I knew from past tweets that he listened to some Christian music so I thought I would share with him the man who had inspired me to become a Christian in the first place. I made a copy of Brian Littrell's Welcome Home album and wrote in a card why I was giving this to him. I honestly don't know if he's ever listened to that album or just discarded it, but I at least gave it a shot.
Before Game 2 of the series in my right behind the
dugout seats
Tuesday, September 4, 2012 - This day was not so different from the day before, except that I did my studying in the picnic pavilion in the ball park. It was such a quiet place to study and overlooked the ball park. I truly was amazed at exactly how much studying I got done before the teams went out onto the field for batting and fielding practice. This game, both Luke and Michael would be playing, with Luke behind the plate and Michael at first base. I actually met a few other Renegades fans that were sitting just down the row from me so I moved to an empty seat next to them...don't worry I was still right behind that dugout! We started chatting about my trip out there and they wondered how in the world I had become a Renegades fan being from Northwest Indiana. I informed them of my love for Kentucky baseball and that I was there to see Luke and Michael. They were amazed at my dedication. I had also chatted with the people behind me who were just at the park to have a good time...they were drinking quite a bit. At one point, one of the guys saw my photo of Brian Littrell on my phone and commented that I had a Backstreet Boy on my phone. He then started singing "Show Me The Meaning of Being Lonely." I was incredibly impressed with the fact that 1) he knew it was a boy band member on my phone, 2) he knew this specific boy band member was a Backstreet Boy and not a member of that other 90s boy band that I refuse to name, and 3) That it was "SMTM" that he started to sing and not "I Want It That Way," since that is the go-to BSB song. That guy stole a little piece of my heart by knowing this information AND singing my favorite BSB song.
A very happy Renegades team
Michael has an amazing game this evening. He was hit by a pitch, had two doubles, and walked. He also had an amazing scoop at first base and attempted some pretty difficult defensive plays. I was so incredibly happy that I had gotten to see him have such a good game.
1. Michael Williams holding a fellow Wildcat alumni, Neiko Johnson, at first 2. Michael Williams to bat 3. Michael Williams at first after a walk
Luke's game wasn't nearly as fantastic but he still made an impact. While he struck out on his first at bat, he threw out a ValleyCat stealing third base. He then singled at his second at bat. He then grounded out, but received an RBI in the process. Luke did reach 1st base during his fourth at-bat, after having his hit lead to a force out for his teammate at second. As always, his catching abilities were top notch.
1. Luke Maile to bat 2. Luke Maile on Second 3. Luke Maile behind the plate
Unfortunately, the Renegades ended up losing this particular game, 3-9. The Renegade's pitching coach was also thrown out during this game, as the umping behind the plate was NOT great that evening. Actually, it was just flat out bad.
Me and Luke Maile (C/1B - Hudson Valley Renegades - #21)
After the game, I got my photo with Luke that I had forgotten to ask for the previous evening. Then I got a photo with both Michael and Luke, "my Kentucky boys," as I called them while getting ready for the photo. What really made this photo special was the fact that after I had put it on my Facebook page, Michael then put it on his with the caption "Our biggest fan." That truly made me feel special and I was so happy to get that recognition from him.
Michael Williams, Me, and Luke Maile
Wednesday, September 5, 2012 - Wednesday brought more of the same...studying and then watching batting practice. I ran into Michael quickly before the game as he was getting something from the concession stand and asked him if he was going to be playing that game. He informed me that neither Luke nor he would be starting that game. I was super bummed. I had traveled all that way to see the two of them play and I was only going to get to see them play the one game. Don't get me wrong...it was an amazing trip but I know it would have been SO much better if they would have played more than the one game.
Michael ended up catching in the bullpen that evening and Luke did eventually go in to pinch hit, where he grounded out to the second basemen. The Renegades ended up winning 3-2, which gave them the league's best record that season at 52-24, only one game above the ValleyCats. This record also meant that they would have home field advantage for the playoffs, which started just two days later.
I didn't get to talk to Michael as much after this game, as I had the previous two because there were some other people he knew that were there. I did get a chance to tell him goodbye and he wished me a safe trip home that evening (my bus was leaving at about 11pm that night). I still feel so incredibly happy to have had the experience I did to meet and talk with Michael. He is just a genuinely good guy that deserves all the success in the world.
Since this was the last home game for the ValleyCats, Michelle brought me to the little get together that the staff was having before she had to take me to the bus station. She was ridiculed a bit for bringing in "the enemy" but, overall, everyone that worked for the ValleyCats were extremely friendly people and made my experience a great one.
Thursday, September 6, 2012 - I pretty much slept on and off the entire bus ride home. Luckily, we had one of the new buses for the entire journey and since it was a week day, the buses were not nearly as full as they had been on that bus I had first taken on Saturday to get to New York. I got absolutely no studying done on the way home and I also did not have the opportunity to meet some characters, like I had on the trip there. So, while I had taken full advantage of studying time once I got to NY, I did very little studying on the bus trips to and from my destination. So, in retrospect, I probably could have driven to my destination without much of a negative impact on my studying. However, then I would not have had such fun tales to share here!
Michael William's game-worn Hudson Valley Renegades away jersey
Post-NYC Trip - As discussed in my 2012 Birthday post, the Renegades went on to win the 2012 New York-Penn League Championship, where they met up with the Tri-City ValleyCats once again. At the end of 2012, the Renegades revealed a new color scheme and logo for their team. This meant that they would be getting new uniforms and were selling off the old uniforms for a charity, Pitch for Kids. It took some time but eventually a #35 jersey was finally put onto the site to be bought. I wanted it so badly but I couldn't exactly afford it at the time that I saw it. By the next day, the uniform had been bought. I was so incredibly sad about this, as I had wanted it so badly. Not only had it been Michael's jersey, but it had been the away jersey that they had worn when I had seen them play. I really wish people could have seen my face when on Christmas morning I unwrapped the gift that had been sent from my mom. Within the package, contained that #35 Michael Williams jersey! I was beyond excited, so much so that words cannot even begin to describe how happy I was. The only thing that could truly make it even better is if I could get Michael to sign it for me. That piece of sport's memorabilia will truly remind me of that wonderful week in New York, watching some great ball players as they climb up the ladder of success!
Some of you may be wondering how I ended up doing on my GREs. My verbal and written portions went really well. My math, which is what I had studied the most while in New York was about average. Math is my worst subject so I was incredibly happy with what I did get. I had planned on applying to grad schools in the fall...until I got this new job. One of the main reasons I had been thinking about going back to grad school was because I had been so unhappy in the line of work in which I had been. This new job, even though it is just part time, is MUCH better and I am happy doing what I am doing. GRE scores are good for five years so there is still a chance that I might just make that decision to go back to school after all. For now, I am happy doing what I am doing.
Well, this entry actually wraps up the last of my 2012 events. It only took me 3 months into 2013 to catch-up! However, I have some 2013 adventures coming up that I can't wait to write about.
*Title Credit - "Poster Girl" - Backstreet Boys - Never Gone*
Call off the search party, I'm alive! First, I would like to apologize for not writing in MONTHS! This year has been full of work, big life changing decisions, and lots of travel. I know I still have to finish my 2011 cruise review and do my reviews on the UK baseball regionals, UK basketball championships, my cruise reunion in Washington D.C., and a trip I took to New York to see some former UK baseball players play. However, with my first post back, I just couldn't go without writing about my birthday weekend last month. It was a weekend full of my favorite things and favorite people, a weekend that will forever stay with me in my dreams.
September 15th was my birthday. I had been super excited when it was announced that there would be a University of Kentucky Alumni Charity basketball game on September 15th, which would bring back former Wildcats who are currently playing in the NBA. Well, any University of Kentucky athletic event is to my sports world as the Backstreet Boys are to my music world. To make things even better, there was also a UK football game that day AND my husband was actually willing to go with me for once. I was totally ready for a day full of Wildcats!
And then something happened that completely changed my course of action...Leighanne announced that there would be a Wylee Party on Saturday, September 15th in Roswell, Georgia. Now I was completely torn. Lexington, Kentucky was only 6.5 hours from me and would entail an entire day of festivities. Roswell, Georgia would be at least a 12 hour drive and the Wylee Party would only be five hours. To some this would seem like an easy choice, but I was presented with two options and I had to make a choice. No matter which I chose, I knew I would have a great time. I discussed my options with my husband and my friends and took suggestions. I guess my husband really knows me best when he told me, "Go spend your birthday with Brian." He was right. There would always be another UK game but spending my birthday with Brian would be something that I had only dreamed of ever happening. Little did I know that even afterwards, it would seem like a dream. So I made my decision. I was going to drive down to Roswell, Georgia for my birthday.
Then some news was announced that I thought would once again change my plans. Just a few days before I was supposed to take my trip, it was announced that the Backstreet Boys would be performing in New York at an event for Old Navy on Friday, September 14th.....yes, the day before Brian was scheduled to be in Georgia for the Wylee Party. Since the Old Navy Event seemed to be so last minute, I was worried that Brian would not be able to be at the Wylee Party. Don't get me wrong, I love Leighanne and I've bought my fair share of Wylee products. However, I would really have to think about making that long of a drive without Brian being there. Luckily, there were still tickets left for the UK Basketball Alumni game if need be. There had been no word one way or the other as far as whether or not Brian would be at the Wylee event. So I decided to send out a little tweet to Brian, Leighanne, and Wylee to see if I could get some kind of confirmation one way or the other. Anyone who has tweeted Brian or Leighanne know that it can be a bit difficult to get a response back. Apparently, my birthday was going to start two days early because I received my second ever tweet from Brian Littrell...
Let's just pretend that it is my birthday that he wouldn't miss for the world...
Alright, so I was going to be heading down to Georgia after all. My plan was to drive to Louisville on Thursday night and stay with a friend so that I'd only have an 8+ hour trip, rather than 12+ hours. However, a baseball team that I had been following all summer had made it to the playoffs and were playing the championship game on Thursday. I had started listening to and following the Hudson Valley Renegades (Class A Short Season Affiliate of the Tampa Bay Rays in the New York-Penn League) as soon as I had discovered that one of my favorite UK Baseball players, Michael Williams had been placed on the team after he had been drafted to the Tampa Bay Rays. It was also very convenient that another UK Baseball player, Luke Maile, had also been placed on the team. I had actually taken a trip to New York just two weeks prior to see the two play, but that will hopefully be another blog entry at another time. Anyway, the Renegades had tied a best of three series up with the Tri-City ValleyCats and were going to be playing the Championship deciding game on that Thursday. If I drove down to Louisville that night, I was going to miss it. I made the decision to stay at home and listen to the game (yes, listen since it is only minor league baseball and not on TV). The Renegades ended up winning the New York-Penn League Championship that night! Two of my Bat Cats (UK Baseball players) were Champions and this would be considered early birthday present number two!
2012 New York-Penn League Champions - Hudson Valley Renegades
And I bet your wondering where this talk of UK Baseball all of a sudden came from? Don't worry there will eventually be a blog post about that too!
So, Friday rolls around and I am on very little sleep. I never get any sleep the night before I leave for a trip because I'm up late getting everything packed and prepared. It's the one aspect in my life that I never finish early and I have no idea why. In order to pack for Georgia, I still needed to unpack from New York two weeks prior since the vacation fairy had failed her job miserably and hadn't done it for me. Even though I was on little sleep, I knew the adrenaline of the trip would keep me awake. The fastest way to get to Georgia from the Chicago area is to head straight down to Nashville and then over to Atlanta. However, I was heading south. Lexington is south. I love Lexington. Do you see where I'm going with this? By cutting over to Lexington and then heading south, I was only going to add thirty minutes to the drive. The feelings of pure joy I get when I am in Lexington was going to make that extra time well worth it. I had been getting some suggestions of places to eat in Lexington that I wanted to try. Additionally, I thought it was very convenient that Lexington is pretty much the exact half way point between here and Roswell (6.5 hours for each leg).
Michigan City, IN -> Lexington, IN -> Roswell, GA - Approx. 733 miles
As I crossed the bridge over the Ohio River and into Kentucky, I immediately felt a sense of peace. It's the feeling I always get when I travel to or through the state. I just feel so at home there and there is a calmness that passes over me as I see that "Welcome To Kentucky: Unbridled Spirit" sign. I said so long to Indiana and hello to the place that I most want to live. I said goodbye to the miles and miles and miles of this....
This is the only cool part of Indiana, our wind turbines amongst the corn fields.
And said hello to this...
The hills of Kentucky between Louisville and Lexington
If only it had been slightly later in the fall so that the leaves would have begun to change....then the drive is even more beautiful and breathtaking.
I finally got to Lexington at about 4:30 or so. It was an odd time since it was too late for lunch and too early for dinner really. However, I had planned it so that I would be hungry at that time. I stopped at a recommended hamburger joint just off of campus called Tolly-Ho's. I ordered my burger and was just getting ready to leave when early birthday present number three walked in the door (although it took me awhile to figure this out).
I saw a young guy walk in wearing a Milwaukee Basketball shirt. I thought it was funny since one of the UK Basketball players, Doron Lamb, from the 2012 Championship team had been drafted to the Bucks. Then I noticed that he kind of looked like Lamb. He walked away to the bathroom (I'm assuming) while the two people he was with ordered and sat at the table caddy corner from me. It was then that I realized that one of the other guys looked like Marquis Teague, who was also on the 2012 Championship team and had been drafted to the Chicago Bulls (and was from Indiana). I started to get pretty excited but wanted to make 100% sure it was them before I went up and made a fool of myself. I always have a problem recognizing athletes when they aren't in their jerseys...you're just used to seeing them that way. Luckily, Tolly-Ho's calls out your name when your order is done. Then there it was.... "Marquis"....."Lamb." I started to do some major fangirling. These were like the Backstreet Boys of my sports world. Not only did I have two University of Kentucky basketball players sitting next to me, but two UK players that played for the 2012 NCAA Championship Team.....AND were now professional basketball players. They were in town for the UK Basketball Alumni Charity Game (remember that was supposed to be happening the next day). It took me a few minutes to work up the nerve to go ask them for a photo. When I did, they had already started eating. Remember, I had already finished eating when they had walked in or else I would have waited to bother them until they were done. The friend they were with (I later found out his name was Dion) asked if I could wait until they were done eating and I willingly obliged. Thank goodness the restaurant had wi-fi so I could fangirl on Twitter and Facebook for the thirty minutes I had to wait while they sat there in silence, not saying a word to one another, and on their phones. Finally, they started to get up and Marquis gave me a little nod to let me know they were ready. I told them what a big fan I was and how I had been there in New Orleans to watch them win the championship (again, another blog entry eventually). I don't think they said a single word to me. I got between them and they of course towered over me. I'm glad I got my photo but their social skills need some working on. Maybe its because I'm spoiled by the four Bat Cats that I've met, chatted with, and had photos with (three of whom are now pro in the minor leagues). The photo could have been better in so many more ways but I will gladly accept it since it was a totally unexpected part of my trip. Just think, if the Renegades would not have been in the Championship game, I would not have been at Tolly-Ho's at that exact moment to get that experience. Everything does happen for a reason.
Doron Lamb, Me, and Marquis Teague - Former University of Kentucky Wildcats (basketball)
I was walking out of the building at the same time, thanked them, and wished them a good weekend. What happened next was just weird. As I got into my car, which they had parked right next to, Dion (the friend) asked if I was from there and if I wanted to hang out with them. I explained that I was just driving through and was headed to Georgia (but really I was thinking that there was no way I was going to put myself in a sticky situation)!
I was sad to leave Lexington, even though I knew I was headed to see Brian that next day. I'm just always so happy when I am there. Because of my stop in Lexington and other pit stops along the way, my total trip to Roswell took about fifteen hours, although I did have a little motivation along the way from one of Leighanne's good friends, Jodi...
Thanks to my friend Jessica, Leighanne had been informed that I was coming a bit of a distance and I got my first tweet from Leighanne, thanking me.
It feels really good to be appreciated for my dedication
I was still too pumped from everything that had happened to me thus far to really get any sleep. It was officially my birthday by this point and I was going to get to spend the day with Brian and Leighanne Littrell. I knew the next day would go by incredibly slow as I waited for 2pm to roll around. Luckily, I had an old high school friend that lived in Roswell to go to lunch with and get my mind off of the waiting.
I showed up to the Teal Gallery about 15 minutes early and there was only one person waiting outside at the time. It made me wonder how many people were actually going to be at this Wylee party. I looked in the window and Leighanne happened to be standing right there setting things up. We waved at one another and I took a seat outside to wait for the party to start. More girls started to show up as it got closer and closer to 2 o'clock. At one point Brian came out to make a quick trip to the Wylee trailor that was parked outside. He apologized that it would only be a few more moments...imagine that, the event was not going to start on time. Don't we all know and love Backstreet time? Brian then poked his head outside again to take a photo of the group that was so patiently waiting to get inside and tweeted the photo.
That's me in the "Birthday Girl" sash
He tweeted the photo at 2:09 and I would say that we still waited another 10 minutes or so before they finally let us into the building. I would say that there were probably 20-25 people in line to get in as Brian took some video.
Video courtesy of SimplyLeighanne
I knew exactly what I wanted but I decided to look around anyway. As I looked around Jodi and pretty much all of Leighanne's family wished me a happy birthday and thanked me for making the long trip. I knew that she would have some new stuff that wasn't on her website yet. There was and I, of course, wanted it. However, I'm not made of money and knew that there was one item that I wanted more than anything else there...the Brian Cross Necklace.
I didn't see any as I looked around and had to ask Leighanne if she happened to have any with her. She gladly helped me as I became the first customer of the day. As she was checking over the necklace to make sure that it had not been damaged at all, Baylee and Prue (Jodi's daughter), came up to Leighanne to let her know that they were leaving (they were going somewhere with a family member, I'm pretty sure it was Leighanne's step dad). Leighanne asked if Baylee had visited any of the customers and told him that it was my birthday. Both Baylee and Prue told me happy birthday. Baylee then told Leighanne that I should get the special birthday discount. The boy is just too adorable and so much like his father. I would say that I was done with my purchases by 2:45 but there was no way I was going to leave that party until it was over. Brian, Leighanne, Jodi, and all of Leighanne's family (mother and sisters) were busy selling away as the crowd grew bigger. I would say at one time there were maybe 50-60 people there at one time, since people were constantly coming and going.
At about 3:00, Brian said that he would be taking photos in 20 minutes. I found some very nice fellow Backstreet fans to talk to as we waited. An hour later, Brian finally started the picture taking. He was running on Backstreet time once again but I really didn't care. I was having a good time with everyone as I waited. I got into line and started chatting with some new girls around me. At one point, Leighanne was standing next to me so I got my photo with her...
Leighanne Littrell....looking gorgeous as always
It was at about this point that Brian announced that he would really appreciate it if everyone only got one photo so that those people that were in the back of the line would get a chance to get their photos. Apparently, a lot of girls were asking for a serious photo and a funny photo. When he had started the line, I was pretty much the end of it. By the time that I got closer, there were 15-20 people still behind me. As I had waited in line, I new exactly what I wanted my pose to be. The girls in front of me said that they would be happy to take my photo for me. When I finally got up to Brian, I asked him, "Since it's my birthday, do you think that I could get a kiss on the cheek for my photo?" That was when he leaned in very close and whispered into my ear, "Now if I do that for you all of these girls are going to want that," and it just so happened that the girl with my camera just happened to get a photo of it.
He asked me if huggie pose was okay instead. Ummmm, what girl would ever refuse being in Brian's arms for a photo??? Not me....Happy Birthday to me!
Before the party, I had been trying to decide if I was going to wear something Wylee to the party or if I was going to wear my University of Kentucky football jersey because Kentucky was going to be playing later that day (and because I wanted to see if he would remember me as "Kentucky Girl" like he called me on the cruise). I eventually had decided to compromise and go with my Wylee No EGO's (Edging God Out) shirt but was wearing my University of Kentucky shoes and earrings. I had brought my jersey with me in case I decided last minute to change my mind. After my photo, I decided that it was time to show my team spirit and threw my jersey on over my shirt. I was now in football mode. In between a set of photos Brian had looked across the room at me and just kind of laughed as he shouted, "You changed!" I had to shout back "Of course, Go Cats!" I'm not going to lie, I had a huge smile on my face because 1) Brian had noticed me specifically in a room full of people and 2) He had remembered what I had on to realize that I wasn't wearing the same thing. Leighanne also got a big kick out of it. She asked me if I was trying to make it look like I was at two separate Wylee parties in my pictures.
It seemed as though once people got their photos, they left. I had kind of been hoping for that so that the crowd would get a little smaller and Brian wouldn't be so busy trying to get around to everyone. I do hope everyone that was there bought something though. If it is one thing I can't stand, it is those fans that go to Wylee parties for the sole purpose of seeing Brian. I have been to five Wylee parties and have bought something at every single one because I love her stuff. The girls I had been talking to stuck around for a little while longer before they decided that they had to get going. Once they left, I just kind of wandered around.
Brian eventually finished his photos and started interacting with those left a little more, rather than going back to selling things. I did have a few conversations with him. We talked about how I had run into Marquis Teague and Doron Lamb on my way down and got to show him my University of Kentucky shoes. He seemed to like those. I had also started a conversation about the UK Baseball team and then he called them the "Bat Cats." It made me smile because only UK fans really know them as that...at least those of us that are more than just fans of their basketball team. Then we started talking about Corey Littrell....a junior left handed pitcher that pitches for the University of Kentucky. Brian actually wasn't familiar with Corey and I had to show him the photo I had of him on my phone. Apparently, Brian did not know of this Littrell (who also happens to be from Kentucky, only Louisville). It seemed to intrigue him.
Corey Littell - Junior - LHP - University of Kentucky
It was also quite funny because as I was looking for the photo, Brian happened to notice my background on my phone, which just happens to be a photo of my favorite poster...
When he saw it, he started cracking up laughing and asked "who is that young good looking guy?" as he struck the same pose as he was in the photo. The whole situation just made me laugh.
Earlier I had overheard him talking about how he had actually flown back into Georgia that morning from New York where he had been with the rest of the guys for the Old Navy event. I asked him about it and he had told me how Kevin, Howie, and he had gone out after the event and time had slipped away from them. Before they knew it, it was 3am. Brian had to be at the airport at 6am so he only got a few hours of sleep. Once he got back into Atlanta, he got home, showered, and then basically started to get ready for the Wylee party. Sometimes I just don't know where he gets his energy! I had noticed that during this conversation that more girls had come in and were just kind of standing there. I told him that since there were some people waiting to get photos with him, I was going to let him talk to them and that I would talk to him later. I wanted to make sure that everyone got a fair shot to talk to him and get their photos with him. I knew that as long as I kept talking, Brian would probably keep listening and I didn't want to hog him. I know I dislike it when other people do that. I moved on and chatted more with Leighanne's family, who couldn't believe I was still there. I told them that I had traveled 15 hours, I wasn't going anywhere!
I was eventually able to catch Brian again and since I had changed shirts and there wasn't a line of fans to talk to him, I decided to ask him for another photo. And in case you were wondering....he did not call me "Kentucky Girl" at all this day.
With about an hour left, there were probably only about 10 fans or so still there. I realized that if I was ever going to tell him the story about how he brought me closer to God, it was probably a good time to do it. For those of you who are unfamiliar with this story, I encourage you to read about it in my You did reach out your hand post. When I had decided that it was finally the appropriate time to tell him, he was having a conversation with what appeared to be a nice couple.
At about 6:30 I saw my chance when he had finished talking with them. I went up to him and told him that I just needed to thank him. He told me you're welcome and we both laughed since I hadn't told him what I needed to thank him for. I told him that I needed to thank him for helping me make what I thought was the most important decision in my life, the decision to become a Christian. It was then that I went into the story about how God had found a way into my heart during his Christmas tour with Rebecca St. James at the Naperville show (he told me that he loved that tour by the way). I told him the whole story with tears in my eyes and rolling down my cheek....something I knew would happen if I ever got to tell him my story because of what it meant to me. He thanked me for telling him that story and that he enjoys hearing stories like that...than he wrapped me into one of his hugs and just held me for a few seconds.
I went on to explain how its been very hard for me for about the last two years since I moved back to Northwest Indiana because I don't have the same support with my faith up here like I did when I lived in Southern Indiana. I told him how I hated being back north even though all of my family (and my husband's family) is there. Then Brian told me something that I think I always knew but could never really put my finger on....he simply said, "Because you've changed." He was absolutely right. He then told me how it was okay because change can be good and that I should just keep changing, there was nothing wrong with it. He explained that now that he was out of Lexington, he was probably never going to live there again even though he loved it growing up...because he had changed.
I couldn't believe it, I was having a heart to heart life lessons conversation with Brian Littrell. And it was only going to get better...
I went on to tell him how I was diagnosed with Generalized Anxiety Disorder in 2006 and how when I get into my depressive states after my high anxiety states, it is knowing that God is there and his album that usually helps pull me out of them, especially my favorite verse of "Angels and Heroes." He asked me if it gets especially bad for me during the winter. It totally does, especially now that I am back north and the winter suck with the lake effect snow that we get from Lake Michigan. I just couldn't believe how much he just genuinely cared about everything I had to say.
There were two more amazing parts of conversations that occurred while in this conversation. However, I am sorry to say that I just don't feel like I can share them. They were stories that Brian shared with me about his life so I believe that they are his stories to share when he wants to and with whom he wants. I will say that the fact that he shared them with me makes me feel very special because he felt comfortable enough with me to share them and he was sharing aspects of his personal life with me. A Backstreet Boy was sharing a part of his life with a fan (there was actually one other fan with us and one of Leighanne's friends). I'm sure he's shared the stories with others and I am not the only one. If the stories ever come to light in the fandom then I will be more than happy to share them.
The whole conversation from start to end was probably about a good 45 minutes. That was 45 minutes of personal heart to heart conversation, with his strikingly sparkly blue eyes looking me right in the eyes as he focused his attention on me as I was sharing with him some of my stories. The fact that it was my birthday, was just icing on the cake. I'm getting goose bumps now as I even just type this. I have to believe that the conversation actually would have been longer but it was already 15 minutes after the party was supposed to end and they started to kick us out so that they could get out of the there before they were charged extra for going over their time. I said goodbye to Brian, thanked him again, and gave him one last hug. Before I left I had to say goodbye to Jodi and Leighanne as well.
Jodi and me
As I was saying goodbye to Leighanne, I thanked her as well for everything and for having the party because I had finally gotten to tell Brian my story of how I was influence to become a Christian because of him. I wish that she had also been standing there when I had told my story. She thanked me, wished me a happy birthday, and asked if I had gotten some cake (they had finger food, wine, and sweet tea the entire day....at one point when I was talking to Brian I had spilled my glass of ice all over right in front of him...only me). I ensured her that I had and realized that I have a lot of photos with Brian and a lot of photos with Leighanne, but none with the both of them together. So I asked for one more quick photograph as they were ushering us out...
Brian, me, and Leighanne
Once I got into my car, all I did was sit there for about 15 minutes and took a deep breath. I couldn't believe what had just happened to me. Even that 45 minutes would have made the 15 hour drive all worth it. I probably could have sat in that car for hours just thinking about what had just happened...but I had a Kentucky football game to watch at my friend's house and I had already missed the first 30 minutes of it, except that once I got to the friend's house, he told me that he was recording it for me. Kentucky lost, imagine that. They may know basketball but they do not "know their way around the pigskin," as Brian had mentioned earlier that evening.
Once the game was done, I went back to my hotel room but there was NO way I was going to be able to sleep. My computer at the time was broken or else I would have actually typed this whole thing up that night instead of now, one month later thanks to all the studying I have been doing for my Graduate Record Exams. At about 3am, I started to not feel too great. The next morning when I was supposed to drive back home, I was flat out sick. There was going to be no way that I was going to be able to drive home. So, I got the hotel for one more night and spent Sunday sick as a dog in Roswell, Georgia. I was just thankful that whatever it was (I'm pretty sure it was because of my dinner from the night before) hadn't hit me the previous day. I woke up Monday much better, although tired and weak and drove home in some pretty crappy weather, stopping once again in Lexington, this time to have a Hot Brown at Ramsey's.
So, there you have it....what is the the best birthday I have EVER had and a birthday that pretty much started two days before my actual birthday.
