Lunch with Uncle Si plus Baseball and NASCAR

Texas Rangers

Baseball beauty!

It was a busy weekend.  Friday started off early for me, getting ready for the Texas Rangers Opening day.  There was of course, the required trip to get tailgate supplies.

Ready to leave 

I tried to find a new shirt to wear because I always like to start Opening Day off fresh.

All blinged up 

I had my baseball bling all working for me and Don't tell my husband but the reason I insisted on a blue diamond was that it went with all my Texas Rangers swag.  Yes, I, a 44 year old woman used the term swag!

At the most beautiful place for baseball

Happily, after driving around in my season coupon lot forever, I found a spot and we were able to hike over to see my friend Travis and play for a little while....

Travis playing his bagpipes 

Make that watch him play.   Opening Day is like a corn hole party that doesn't stop.   Everything is shiney and bright and the season is new.

Tailgaiting with my beautiful friend 

Trish and I went in together on a mini-plan this season for a lot of reasons, we both got married last September and our lives have become a lot crazier more filled with blessings.   We both knew getting to a ton of baseball wasn't as possible as when we were single but we didn't want to miss out.   Sometimes the husbands will come with us, and sometimes, they won't.   Still, baseball friends are a good thing to have and Trish and Jan (who I saw on Saturday at the race but I forgot to get a picture with her)  are great and supportive friends both at the park and in life. 

Rangers Royalty...yes we have them. 

The ceremony for Opening Day was perfect as always.

Proud Americans 

Check out that grass.  How can anything be more beautiful than a sunny day at the ballpark?

Flyover 

And remind you of your blessings?  Freedom.

Think we were boring the guys behind us!

We had a great time with the Rangers and while I had a lot of other friends at the game, I didn't manage to see them for one reason or another (yet, but I will soon).   Mostly because I forgot to turn the brightness down on my phone and my charge was out by around the 2nd inning so I couldn't text anyone to go say 'hi'. (Also why my photos stop at the start of the game.)

My schedule collection from Opening days 

Every year on Opening Day the Rangers give away a magnetic schedule.   My fridge is full of all the Opening Day's I have been to.   I am happy to say this was my 6th year in row at Opening Day.  I even have one (see the one that says LITE in the bottom right hand corner?) from the 1st Opening Day ever at Rangers Ballpark in Arlington (then just The Ballpark in Arlington).  I have been to many games both in the old Arlington Stadium and Rangers Ballpark and have a lot of great memories.

Here are a few baseball favorite Memories over the years, most from Opening Day. 

I have made several 'Baseball Buddy' friends over time and spending Opening Day seeing everyone (when your phone doesn't die in the 2nd inning) is always a blast.  Oh by the way that picture 2nd from the right top is me with Chuck Morgan the Rangers PA guy.  That was a tailgate I went to a few years ago with some Rangers fan site. I don't recall which.   I met my friends Micah and Lacy that day, both had come in from other states. (Iowa and California respectively)  I am pretty sure that is one of my favorite memories....Chuy's with the girls and Colton our cute, young waiter begging me for my cupcakes.  (I made cupcakes people, what were you thinking?)

But this is my favorite memory ever, my honey asked me to marry him last Opening Day 3/31/14
I said yes! 

But nothing will compare to last year because I got engaged.   Hubby even remembered our "anniversary of sorts" this opening day.   :)

Duck Commander 500

Hubs and I-he is always so happy!

Saturday was my first NASCAR ever.   Okay truth time, take everything you think you know about NASCAR, if it was me then it was basically Taladaga Nights.... and throw it out the window.   It isn't all rednecks and most of the fans actually have teeth. I only saw one chubby guy without a shirt and not one pair of Daisy Dukes...sorry guys.   In fact, if you had taken the Jimmy Johnson/Jeff Gordon/Junior  hats and shirts off and put baseball shirts on I would have sworn I was at the ballpark....right up until the race starts and then OMG are those cars loud.

Hubs and kid

Texas Motor Speedway where the Duck Commander 500 was happening.   It is a nice racetrack with so much parking you wouldn't believe.

Texas Motor Speedway

Junior's Car

You walk around a lot...for hours actually and they let you bring a cooler in with ANY beverages you want.   Oh and you get to sit in race cars and meet your favorite driver.

Jeff and hubs

Okay, sort of meet your favorite driver. If Jeff Gordon actually walks around like that I would be tempted to pull some music out from the King and I and make him dance!

Finally he is smiling!

My family had a great time and everyone was all smiles.  We even decided that we will keep the 11 year old wearing the Danica Patrick shirt despite her questionable taste in drivers.

Gordon Shirt and Junior hat 

I changed about halfway through the day from my Rangers stuff (which there was plenty of at the TMS) to my Jeff Gordon T-shirt I got at the TMS and the Junior hat.  I have always been a fan of Gordon because I consider him a Indiana boy.  Okay, so his family moved there when he was a teen because of racing but that's good enough for me.    I picked Junior for the wise reason that, I graduated high school in 1988.  LOL that's logic.



Duck Commander

Willie Robertson 

So being the Duck Commander 500 means that your favorite Redneck family the Robertsons from Duck Dynasty were in full effect.   That's as close as I got to Willie, Korie, and Jessica (that's Jessica's head, Korie was to Willie's left).  We did however manage to get some autographs. 

Martin, Godwin, Si, Jase, and Reed 

Martin, Godwin, Si, Jase and Reed Robertson all signed my cap which I forgot to upload a photo of but I will include it later in my Favorite Things blog this week.

Reed, Jase, Si, and Godwin 

This is Si actually signing my cap...believe it or not.

The kid and Si 

This is Si posing with my kid.  We stood in line for over an hour and ate turkey roll ups waiting to meet Si and Jase!

Jase who is my favorite, except Miss Kay

And Jase who was really quiet.  Actually they were all really quiet except for Godwin and Martin who were very funny.

Gentlemen start your engines 

And then the race started...

The track is amazing 

I have video for this but the cloud is not wanting to import anything so you know, technology bites.

The long and short of it it, NASCAR is amazing.  Yes, there is a period of time in the middle where you feel like you are watching cars go around and around because, well let's face it you are.   The cool part is watching them pit and seeing who gets out first.  There is actually more to racing than having a fast car and that is something I learned by being there live

The other thing I learned is that it is a big party.   There are parties in the parkinglot that make Opening Day look tame.  There are bands playing all day both outside the concourse and in.   They have an opening act and everything, like a music concert.  Our opening act was The Casey Donahue Band which is probably right since it was a Texas race and a Texas Band.   They have these trucks full of souveniers and then there are all the give aways.  You would  NOT believe the free stuff you get at the races.   Truck loads of stuff from anti-perspirant to, BBQ sauce to spray caulk.  I am not even kidding.  I made the kid get me some free caulk.  That stuff is always useful!  

Okay, that's 2/3 of my weekend.  Sunday was relatively boring with me running erands and working in the yard.    I planted herbs in pots and I am really excited about that but that isn't as fun as baseball and NASCAR.

I would love to know if you have ever experienced something like NASCAR that wasn't what you thought it was going to be but was so fun you can't wait to go again?