For the Love of the Game

Have you heard? The Cubs are playing in the World Series! No one is quite sure who they are playing because the country appears to be having a love affair with "Flying the W" while shouting, "Go Cubs Go!" Okay, I'm stretching this a little bit because really, everyone knows that Rick Vaughn is only one win away from glory. It's playoffs season and while I spent a lot of hours wishing, hoping, and praying for my team to pull through and win, things didn't exactly pan out for my Lovable Losers. Sigh, another season, a fresh start- 31 years as a Dodgers fans teaches you the meaning of patience.

At any rate, I love this time of year because a season full of hard work is finally culminating in the ultimate victory. And as I've sat watching game after game of October ball, I found myself trying to explain to Hot Stuff that baseball isn't just a game. Because to those of us who bleed blue (or whatever your team is), it's so much more than that. It's all your hopes on a line that your dad will finally get his championship, that a city will swell with pride, and that for the first time in your adult life you will be victorious! Okay, so maybe I'm being just a smidge dramatic. But it is that drama that makes baseball the best. You haven't seen crazy and dramatic until you've met someone who's drunk the baseball Kool-Aid.

Example 1:  When we were kids, the Dodgers won, and dad took us to get ice cream. When we lost, dad said he was taking us to get ice cream but took a half hour detour as he was lost in thoughts. It's these childhood experiences that teach you not to always think with your stomach.

An ice cream starved girl with her 1988 Championship tee.

Example 2:  We are ridiculously superstitious. Most recently, we were playing well right after I had finished combing my hair. I proceeded to hold on to my hair brush for the rest of the game because I was convinced that changing any of my behavior would somehow influence the outcome of the game. I've changed shirts, not washed shirts, sat in identical positions for hours, refused to send texts, you name it, I've tried it. Because as far as the fates are concerned, there is no messing around.

Rolling on the field for good luck because, why not?

*Also one of my favorite pictures of my mom :) 

Example 3: We take rivalries and competition to a whole different level. Let's just say that people have threatened to not show up to the family Christmas dinner due to a loss against a rival team. And I won't even begin to tell you how many Cubs fans I've unfollowed on Facebook due to their incessant whining...kidding! Whether it's someone glaring at your hat on the subway or me shouting, "Go Dodgers!" to you from across the gym (true story), team pride is the badge we wear with honor.

Boo Giants aka "The Midgies"

Example 4: Baseball fans are purists. We like to actually sit and watch the game, and we never leave early. We get angry when you buy shirts with our team's name on it because you're nothing more than a bandwagon-er.  We take trolling comments on social media to heart and we only support other teams when we're cheering for someone else to lose.

My sister: Not on a bandwagon. Baby, she was born this way.

Example 5: Losing hurts. It hurts badly. And sometimes it even makes you cry. So when your team has just gotten killed by the Cubs, it really means something to have your Cubs-loving colleague bring you a latte to soften the blow.

A show of sportsmanship before the Playoffs began.

So despite all this craziness and drama, what is it about baseball that is so important to me? Well, I like to think of baseball like the glue that bonds my family together. It has always been something we do together, and in the case of my dad, virtually the only thing he ever talks about. There's just nothing better than going to your first game of the season in the spring, stuffing your face on Dollar Dog Night, and singing "Take me Out to the Ballgame" like you're Harry Caray. In many ways, to me (like Benny "The Jet" Rodriguez), baseball is life. So will the Cubbies win it all? Only the goat will tell. Play ball!

The Pursuit of Perfection

The fall is absolutely flying by! Maybe it's the days starting to get shorter, but whatever it was, I've spent a lot of time feeling like I'm doing sprints on a hamster wheel. And when I start feeling like this, I wonder why we are always pushing ourselves to do it all, and have it all, in hopes that we might someday capture this notion of a perfect life. Whether we know it or not, pursuing perfection is something we all seem to do. You know, the goals that we all have- a good job, a happy marriage,  a healthy lifestyle, a plentiful savings account, and on and on. I want life to be good, no, better than good. I want life to be perfect. Or do I?

Let's start with the basics- a good job. It's where we spend most of our time so we should probably feel pretty happy there right? Well, I'm a few months in to my new job, and so far, so good. In fact, when one of my friend's was asking me how things were going, he laughed and said, "Wow, that's the first time I've heard you say positive things about your job since we've been friends!" Yikes! Well, I guess the change was a long time coming. Yet I still catch myself wondering, is this what I'm supposed to be doing? Do I have a better work-life balance? Do I have a supervisor who sees my potential and encourages my growth? Am I getting paid what I'm worth? Is my work effecting others in a positive way? Because if I don't have definitive answers to these questions, I manage to talk myself into searching for yet another new job. This makes me tired.

Okay, what about your health? Well, thanks to a pedometer challenge at work, I've become quite obsessed with how many steps I get in a day. I love how this has made me much more aware of the time I spend being active. It has also made me aware that I need more comfortable work shoes. At any rate, monitoring steps is good, but what experts also tell you to monitor is your blood pressure, cholesterol, blood sugar levels, heart rate, water intake, calorie intake, stress levels, and sleep cycles. That's a lot. That also explains why so many people have a Fitbit. It seems like a healthy lifestyle should be easy to maintain, yet there is constantly something that makes you fall off the horse...like french fries. And cupcakes. Why must these taste so good? And why must the couch be so comfortable? Ugh. This makes me feel defeated.

If you still don't think there's enough out there to perfect, let's add in some relationships. You've got to have your family time, your husband time, your girl time, your time with other couples, your time with his friends, your time with your friends, and then with whatever there is left, you get time for yourself. And don't forget that everyone else is also doing this at the same time and only by some miracle beyond time and space, the stars align and you actually get together for an evening. And when this happens, it's so much fun! You laugh, you tell stories, you get the scoop on each other's dirt, and you remember why you are so grateful to have these amazing people in your life. It makes me wish that it could happen more often, which in turn, makes me a little bit sad.

Tired, defeated and sad...sounds a little less than perfect, right? But while I have these less than stellar feelings, I just have to remind myself that it's all about a change in perspective. So, going back to my original statement, should we all be searching for that perfect life? I think maybe not, because quite frankly, I'm not sure it exists. I'd rather be fabulous and happy, ready for the hanging curve that I can hit out of the park, than constantly searching for the best and feeling defeated when I miss. My wisdom says take a walk, ask for the raise, hug your husband, always eat the cupcake, and you'll be just fine.

Bangkok Has Him Now

Sa-wat-dee Kah! If you read the previous blog, you know that Hot Stuff and I packed our bags and headed to Thailand for some much needed R and R and honeymoon fun. The Land of Smiles was Hot Stuff's first journey to the Far East and we both quickly fell in love with the people, the food, and the beautiful landscape that is Thailand. 

Our journey began with the longest day of travel that I've ever completed- 2.5 hours to Seattle, 10 hours to Seoul, and another 6 to Bangkok. Feeling exhausted, and rather swollen from the airtime and turbulence,  we arrived to a rainy Lebua hotel, home to the Sky Bar of the Hangover 2. While we didn't see Bradley Cooper, we did manage to score a pretty sweet view of the city. 

We began our trip by heading to the biggest sites in the City of Angles, the Grand Palace and Wat Pho. I can honestly say I've never seen anything like this in my life. There are numerous mythical animals, temples, pagodas, and statues throughout the Palace that were so intricate and detailed, it was impossible not to be in awe. 

When you think Thailand, you don't necessarily think England, right? Well, when you walk around the Palace, you notice a lot of British influence.  We learned that the movie The King and I was based on a real Thai King who had a British teacher that influenced not just his learning of English, but also the side of the road that they drive on as well as architecture and government. However, the movie is actually banned in Thailand because it presents the idea that the King falls in love with Anna, so most Thais have never seen it...crazy right? Irregardless, I'm guessing this is one of the few places where you can pose with an elephant statue and a guard.

After checking out the grounds of the Palace, we moved over to Wat Pho. Wat means temple, and there are several throughout Bangkok, but this one is famous because it is home to the second largest reclining Buddha in Thailand. This one was also incredibly impressive, right down to the pearl ridges in Buddha's toes. Just remember not to point your toes at the statue, cover your shoulders and knees, and save the PDA for later.

Our next day of sightseeing took us to the places that gave Bangkok it's nickname- the Venice of the East. We traveled about 100 km outside the city to check out the markets. I've definitely seen my fair share of markets throughout my travels, but nothing prepared me for the Maeklong Railway Market. The shops are literally set up all around the railroad tracks to clear a pathway for people to walk. Then suddenly, the people part, the shop owners yell at the clueless tourists, and a train barrels through. Hot stuff was a little close for comfort...

Then things just go back to normal and you can go back to buying your dinner. Delish!

We also got a chance to climb into a boat and head through the mazes of the floating markets. Here, you battle other long tail boats to get to everything from snacks to paintings. Word of the wise, it's probably best to avoid drinking an iced coffee from a women without shoes or a reliable source of ice...can you say Buddha belly? 

We soon headed on to the next part of our trip, the southern island of Phuket, otherwise known as paradise. I mean, what is not to love about white sand beaches, lush tropical forests, and our own personal villa complete with personal pool and breakfast delivered daily? We climbed the crazy hills of this island where the locals called us, "Mister Dan" and "Madame Ming." It was the part of the trip where you just cycle back and forth between the beach, the pool, and the cabana while dining on coconut smoothies and food, glorious food! Are you sensing just how much I loved this place yet?

Also, we really liked the bathroom in our villa. There were flower petals floating in the bathtub everyday. Is this real life?

A highlight of our time in Phuket was when we decided to rent a motorcycle. This was equally exhilarating and terrifying all at the same time. Nothing like curvy, steep roads to test out the brakes of a rental and the abilities of a driver on the wrong side of the road. Despite the fear that came with every turn of the corner, it was pretty awesome to see the "Elephant X-Ing" signs.

While not moonlighting as Wild Hogs, we took a trip into Old Phuket Town where we had our best meal of the trip. I said no spice in my curry, which didn't appear to mean anything to the cute little man taking our order. Luckily I had a Thai iced tea to put out the fire. Hot Stuff had some amazing noodle bowl complete with all the chilies you could think of, I guess you could say we have different tastes. All this deliciousness for $9. Incredible.

I'll admit that I was pretty sad to leave Phuket, but was excited to check out some of the smaller surrounding islands. Our next destination was the small and isolated Phi Phi Island. After experiencing our first monsoon (I'm talking DOWNPOUR) while driving to the port, we hopped onto the ferry boat for the two hour ride dotted with tiny limestone islands along the way. The island is so small, there are no roads, so they wrapped our suitcases in plastic where we got on yet another boat to coast to our hotel. The tides were crazy here and came in and out twice each day. So we were greeted by a tractor that drove out on the beach to pick us up.When in Rome?

I wasn't quite sure what to expect from this island that has a reputation for being a "party island," but overall, I was very pleasantly surprised. We stayed in a little hut, just steps from the beach where we spent the day on the sea kayak in water that was so turquoise and clear you wanted to dive right in. We also took a bumpy speedboat trip to visit the infamous Maya Beach where I white-knuckled the rails on the side of the boat as the waves picked us up and threw us down repeatedly until it felt like we all had a slipped disk. It was all worth it though as this was by far the most beautiful island I've ever been to. Diving off the boat and snorkeling around the coral made for a much smoother ride back.

After all the eating, touring, and traveling we had done, we were definitely ready to do as the Thais do and enjoy a traditional Thai massage. We had a massage in each city that we visited, but the one in Phi Phi was pretty much the best three hours ever. That's correct, I said three hours. We were scrubbed, rubbed, twisted, and contorted until it literally felt like you were floating. The lady even braided my hair into an immaculate updo. Seriously, if there was one thing that I wish I could've brought back as a souvenir, it would've been that little Thai lady. She was worth every penny and every minute.

Soon we were headed off from the island, but not before I managed to find Phi Phi Bakery which was supposed to be home to amazing coconut donuts. Sadly, they were a bit disappointing, but the Thai iced tea did not disappoint.

Alas, all good things must come to an end, and we made our way back to Bangkok for one last night. After listening to some epic 90s hits in the shuttle, we checked into our hotel and headed up the river to Asiatique, a neighborhood filled with shops and restaurants for one last fill of Thailand.

The next morning we headed to the airport to begin our long journey back home. We were both sad to leave and agreed that we'd be back someday. Thailand was an incredible trip for me, not only because it was our first as husband and wife, but because it was so wonderfully unexpected in every way. Food, friendly people, beautiful vistas, amazing history and culture, they truly have it all. One night in Bangkok and the world really is your oyster.