(LG and I getting ready to watch Twins vs Rays)
I keep hearing stuff on the news, reading things online, etc about individuals who are getting bullied for one reason or another. Bullying can come in the form of both physical and verbal ways—neither are okay. I just want everyone out there who gets or has gotten bullied to know…. you are an amazing person. Don’t ever let anyone tell you otherwise.
Don’t be embarrassed to let someone know what’s going on. The only thing that is embarrassing is the way that someone else is acting. IT’S NOT OKAY.
You are special. You are unique. There is NO ONE else out there exactly like you. Have the courage to be yourself and never look back.
I’ve wanted to make a mix cd for all of my friends for awhile now… so here we go—a digital one! I know most of these songs are dated, BUT I think they are amazing and they bring back great summer memories….
The player isn’t going to show up on here, so just click this link and listen to the stellar jams below: http://www.playlist.com/playlist/23290983179/standalone
1. The Drug In Me Is You - Falling In Reverse
2. Keep On Bringing Me Down - Forever The Sickest Kids
3. Jamie All Over - Mayday Parade
4. Hit or Miss - New Found Glory
5. Trade Mistakes - Panic! At The Disco
6. All Signs Point To Lauderdale - A Day To Remember
7. The Only Hope For Me Is You - My Chemical Romance
8. Dark Blue - Jack’s Mannequin
9. God Wears Gucci - Blessthefall
10. I.D.G.A.F. - Breathe Carolina
11. Therapy - All Time Low
12. The Quiet Things That No One Ever Knows - Brand New
13. Reinventing Your Exit - Underoath
14. There’s A Class For This - Cute Is What We Aim For
15. Where Is Your Boy Tonight - Fall Out Boy
16. Car Crash - Artist Vs Poet
17. Boys of Summer - The Ataris
18. Cute Without The E - Taking Back Sunday
19. Say Anything Else - Cartel
20. The Middle - Jimmy Eat World
21. Ohio Is For Lovers - Hawthorne Heights
22. The Great Escape - Boys Like Girls
23. Voices - Saosin
24. Punk Rock Princess - Something Corporate
25. Misery Business - Paramore
I have had this blog written for days, but completely forgot to post it since I have been running around like crazy. #StoryOfMyLife
I saw a quote Jose Molina posted on Twitter this morning that said, “Things may not turn out the way we expected, but at the end we’ll see that what we have is better than what we wanted.” I felt like it was a great way to sum up this trip. There were a few things that Ally and I weren’t able to fit into our schedule like visiting Mood, seeing the Statue of Liberty and the 9-11 Memorial… but what I did get to experience and how everything turned out was way better than I could have imagined.
I think the only place that is appropriate to start is at the beginning.
Saturday, April 21- I arrived to LGA and met up with Ally. We dropped our suitcases off at a luggage storing facility so we could explore the city without any issues. Then it was time to surprise our friends at the MLB Fan Cave. We were sooooo excited to see everyone after a month and a half or so…. and we were so proud of all of them. The Cave was open for tours so Ally and I walked right in and saw nine of the best people ever. We watched a few games with them and they showed us around. We got to see White Sox pitcher Phil Humber throw his perfect game in the best place imaginable (aside from seeing it live). Time went by wayyy too quick. The place we left our suitcases at closed at 11PM so we left the Cave around 10:20PM to go pick them up. Long story short, we ended up in Brooklyn. We recovered our suitcases, and all was well in the world.
(LG and I getting ready to watch Twins vs Rays)
Sunday, April 22nd - I went to visit my family in New Jersey. It was really good getting to see everyone, and they made me a DELICIOUS dinner! Chicken stuffed with some kind of fantastic spinach mix. YUMMMM.
Monday, April 23rd - Ally and I headed to Time Square (not Brooklyn) to meet up with our friend Mapes! It was awesome finally getting to meet him in person after having talked to him via Twitter and Tiny Chat during the entire Fan Cave process. The temperature was a very warm negative fifty degrees. Jk. It felt like it! I think it was about forty. I was bundled in almost my entire suitcase. I was introduced to a place called Shake Shack…. and I wanted to try a shake so bad…. BUT it was way too cold and I knew if I had one, I would go into hypothermia mode. I did have some fantastic hot chocolate from Starbucks! We went to Central Park where we successfully LoMoed…. and I Longoed to show my #Rays pride on top of some giant rocks.
Then it was off to Citi Field for a double header between the Mets and the Giants. Ally is a HUGE Giants fan and so the three of us sat in a huge group of black and orange—most of them were from Finnerty’s—a bar for San Francisco Giants fans in the NY area. This was seriously one of the most fun groups I have EVER sat with during a sporting event. I joined in their chanting, and it was a great night. The Giants won both games. We stopped by the Fan Cave on our way back and collected our friends.
Tuesday, April 24th - The MLB Fan Cave and Logan Morrison of the Miami Marlins organized a tour of NYC for baseball fans. Ally and I were lucky enough to be a part of the experience. Make sure you check out the video!
Then it was off to meet my cousin Lauren for lunch at Katz’s… it’s a famous deli, I guess. They had photos of all kinds of celebrities decorating the walls. We then headed off to meet up with Amanda Rykoff who wrote an amazing article about the female baseball fans that were vying to be apart of the Cave this season. We wound up at Foley’s—the best possible bar for any baseball fan. It had such amazing memorabilia that I could have seriously spent hours looking at it. My favorite part was the Tampa Bay Rays American League Champions ring from 2008 when they squared off in the World Series against the Phillies.
It was also amazing and a super cool honor that Foley’s asked Ally and I to sign their Guest Book while we were there. The two gentlemen that run the bar were beyond great people. It turns out that one of them used to live in the Tampa Bay area so we shared some stories about the Trop, the players, and the game. Amanda took us to the perfect spot! Go check out Foley’s if you are ever in the NYC area (18 West 33rd Street).
Wednesday, April 25th - Went to see the new Zac Efron movie, The Lucky One. Then we made our way to Dangerfield’s Comedy Club. Good thing we got a great deal on our tickets for the show because they charged me $15 for two (2) Shirley Temples! Ally’s Irish Coffee was $16… ouch. The comedians were pretty funny. We didn’t get picked on during the show—which I’m guessing is because we look really young and they weren’t sure how well that may get over? Or maybe they just liked picking on the four drunk ladies from Atlanta :o).
Thursday, April 26th - It was time to check out the infamous Brooklyn Bridge! I think we were hoping for the opportunity to walk across it, but the rain put a damper on our potential plans.
Daughtry was also performing at the MLB Fan Cave this evening so we made sure to get back over to 4th and Broadway in time to check out the performance. It’s always really neat to see any kind of musical artist perform—I am a big concert junkie… not that you didn’t know that already. After we saw the band perform we found a grocery store and picked up a few essential items. We decided to bake a cake for the dwellers for being so kind to us during our visit. One problem… we had no measuring cups. I’m pretty sure we looked like we were going crazy as we tried to search for something that would be “about a cup” in the kitchen. We brought the cake to the Cave and told everyone that we weren’t sure how it turned out but it LOOKED pretty. Kyle decided to be brave and try it… it passed the test and tasted like cake. Score one for Megan & Ally! hahaha. We went downstairs to the the VIP couches/bar/ball pit area to write messages on the wall. I decided to keep mine simple and to the point.
Friday, April 27th - Being a big fan of music, I wanted to check out Strawberry Fields to honor John Lennon. Music wouldn’t be what it is today without his contributions. It was beautiful to see so many people paying tribute to his talents.
Shake Shack part 2 happened! I think my body was starting to get used to the colder weather so I was able to finally have a shake—it was good! Then *drum roll* it was off to Yankee Stadium! This was my first time at the new Yankee Stadium and it was an absolutely gorgeous ballpark. Finally saw Verlander pitch in person—but the Tigers fell to the Yanks. I’m sure both Brad and Jay who are huge Detroit fans, would have preferred a different outcome. It was a really great game tho!
Saturday, April 28th - Home! I didn’t want to leave New York. Amazing Time. Great experience. I was able to see and hang out with so many wonderful people in the matter of a week. Hopefully we’ll all be able to catch up again soon. If anyone ever wants to take a trip to Florida…. you know you always have a place to stay :o)
Everyone needs to go to MLBFanCave.com and vote for their favorite Cave Dwellers. These kids are working their tales off in New York and need your support in order to stay.
Also, I took a TON of photos during the trip. You can view them all on my Facebook.
I’ve had people text me and twitter me asking me about what I think of the Rays right now. I’m not an analyst, but I can certainly give my opinion based on what I see and based on what the numbers are telling me.
The team is clearly hitting, which is a good thing. Last night they out hit the Jays (10 hits to 7 hits) but didn’t come up with a W. Again, against Boston they had 7 hits compared to Boston’s 4 hits on Monday. Sunday they had 13 hits vs Boston’s 8. So on and so forth. It’s great to get hits, that’s part of how you win. BUT, you need to be able to score as well. While the team is doing a good job with hitting, they aren’t scoring. From my perspective, the team needs to have better base running and to develop strings of hits rather than the pattern which they are following at the moment.
Now for the base running that I just mentioned. They currently have one of the lowest numbers in stolen bases—tied with about two other teams, and one other team having even fewer. Last night Pena tried to stretch his single into a double. He was out with time to spare after Bautista fired the ball in from right field. Other plays that I also remember from the past week include Joyce getting picked off at first and Keppinger rounding third with an attempt to steal home…. when he was suddenly caught monkey-in-the-middle style.
It’s still the beginning of the season. I think the team has tremendous potential.
Game 162, September 2011. The comeback of all comebacks. Everything from the timing to the execution made the final game of the Tampa Bay Rays’ season magical. Legions of die-hard Tampa Bay fans had been standing up for several innings, holding their breath each time the players attempted to swing their bats. A faint mumble began spreading among the crowd. A moment later, the large screen at Tropicana Field lit up with the final score in the Baltimore Orioles vs Boston Red Sox game; the Red Sox lost! Once the entire crowd was in-the-loop, cheers began ringing off the rafters. If there is one thing that both a Yankees fan and a Rays fan have in common, it’s their mutual dislike for that wicked team from Boston. Seconds later, Evan Longoria hits one deep to left field…. it’s over the wall. The Rays came back to win the game. The Rays were going to the Post Season! Boston was out. Magic. It was magic!
The 2012 season opener between the New York Yankees and the Tampa Bay Rays picked up right where the 2011 regular season ended. The series was nothing short of amazing for baseball fans in the Tampa area. New York had their ace CC Sabathia up against Big Game James (Shields) slated for game 1. Both pitchers found themselves in trouble early. This could have been the potential game changer. If CC was on-point, that could have been the difference-maker for the Yankees. If Shields was on-point, that could have made the difference for the Rays. Carlos Pena has been a fan favorite in Tampa for years and the fans rightfully had high expectations for their beloved first baseman’s return. CC loaded the bases and like any other super hero, Pena fearlessly stepped up to the plate for his first appearance back and did the unthinkable—he hit a GRAND SLAM! The final score for game one was 7 to 6 - Rays.
Saturday and Sunday also saw the Rays swipe games two and three from the Yankees. Saturday’s score was 8-6 and on Sunday, Jeremy Hellickson showed the baseball world exactly why he was named the American League’s Rookie of the Year for 2011. Hellickson remained in the game for 8 2/3 innings. Maddon called in Rodney to get the final out, and just like that…. the Rays shut out the Yankees 3-0. Tampa’s bats were on fire which is a very promising sign for the club since it has been no secret that the team has struggled offensively in the past.
Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times tweeted a stat last night that I think speaks volumes: “Rays needed 63 innings to score 15 runs last season, have done it in 16 this year.”
If this ball club can stay on track, big things are going to happen for them. They have a solid rotation and arguably the best defense. All I know is that I am incredibly fortunate to have witnessed another great weekend of baseball magic at the Trop. Three games in and I have already had goosebumps, “OMG!” moments, and several jump-out-of-your-seat-shut-up-no-way occasions.
April Fool’s Day is obviously synonymous to pranking and being pranked. Over the years I have had my share of well thought out plans that I put into action to catch people in my life off guard. There were times that I laughed so hard that I cried. There were also times where people didn’t think the jokes were as funny as I did. You win some, you lose some.
All of the reminiscing quickly got me thinking about my favorite moments. Not moments where I achieved something special on a professional level, or something that I did to make myself proud…. but moments where I felt invincible. One particular moment completely takes the cake for me. I just wanted to share it—rather than prank you this year. You’re welcome.
In 2007, I decided to venture down to Vinoy Park in St. Petersburg for the Vans Warped Tour, by myself. I had a bunch of friends who were supposed to go with me but as soon as it started to show signs of a storm, those friends changed their minds. That morning it rained incredibly hard. I grabbed some sunblock, a ziplock bag and my car keys and rushed out the door at the first sign of blue on the horizon. By the time I made it to the park, it was absolutely beautiful out. Fast forward a few hours and Boys Like Girls begin to play the last song in their set, “Great Escape.” As soon as the song crept up to the chorus, “…and we’ll feel so alive / throw it away, forget yesterday, we’ll make the great escape!” the rain began to pour down. I was jumping up and down with my hands in the air, feeling the rain on my face, screaming the words to the song at the top of my lungs, and I didn’t have a care in the world. I know sometimes people may not understand why I connect with music the way that I do, but this moment—to me—really sums up a lot about life. Live in the moment and have fun. Life is short. Enjoy it. It’s okay to have mud in between your toes and to just let go.
Great Escape.
Paper bags and plastic hearts
All our belongings in shopping carts
It’s goodbye
But we got one more night
Let’s get drunk and ride around
And make peace with an empty town
We can make it right
Throw it away
Forget yesterday
We’ll make the great escape
We won’t hear a word they say
They don’t know us anyway
Watch it burn
Let it die
Cause we are finally free tonight
Tonight will change our lives
It’s so good to be by your side
But we’ll cry
We won’t give up the fight
We’ll scream loud at the top of our lungs
And they’ll think it’s just cause we’re young
And we’ll feel so alive
Throw it away
Forget yesterday
We’ll make the great escape
We won’t hear a word they say
They don’t know us anyway
Watch it burn
Let it die
Cause we are finally free tonight
All of the wasted time
The hours that were left behind
The answers that we’ll never find
They don’t mean a thing tonight
Throw it away
Forget yesterday
We’ll make the great escape
We won’t hear a word they say
They don’t know us anyway
Throw it away
Forget yesterday
We’ll make the great escape
We won’t hear a word they say
They don’t know us anyway
Throw it away
Forget yesterday
We’ll make the great escape
We won’t hear a word they say
They don’t know us anyway
Watch it burn
Let it die
Cause we are finally free tonight
Taken with instagram
They got my district wrong!!! -
I’m officially a member of #District11PN. Become a citizen today. The 74th Hunger Games is coming March 23. http://TheCapitol.PN
Clearly, Raymond is going to win the whole thing.
(Source: mlb)
If you haven’t seen the news by now, I unfortunately did not make the final 9 for the MLB Fan Cave this season. However, that does not mean that you need to stop supporting the cause because I have many lovely friends who have been blessed with the opportunity and they will need your support throughout the season. Every single one of them deserves to be there (as do the other 21 of us who were cut from the team) and I know that they will do some amazing things this season. I’m soooo excited for them! I will definitely be taking a trip to New York—they better leave a couch open for me :o).
I also want to make sure that EVERY single one of you know how much it means to me that you supported me through one of the most amazing times in my life. Everyone from radio stations, news stations, news papers, online blogs, people who asked me about Fan Cave, people who devoted copious amounts of time voting for me for Fan Cave, people who tweeted about me non-stop, and all of the in between…… THANK YOU. Without you, my campaign wouldn’t have been as successful as it was. I enjoyed making so many new friends throughout the process and getting to hear about everyone’s favorite baseball moments. I wouldn’t trade any of you, or this experience, for anything in the entire world. Please know that I feel like I could never thank you enough, from the bottom of my heart.
I don’t want anyone who supported me to be upset or feel bad for me. I had the time of my life. I had an experience that 21,970 others dreamed of having. I look forward to the future, and who knows…. maybe I’ll have the opportunity to apply again next season :o).
Until then, support my friends….. mlbfancave.com
(Source: meganwashington.net)