Hey, Batter Batter!

Over drinks a couple weeks ago, my friends learned that I haven't seen several classic baseball movies. I saw Field of Dreams for the first time last year, but I haven't seen The Rookie, The Natural, Bull Durham, or Major League. So, being good friends, they decided that a baseball movie night was in order. I jumped at the opportunity to host a theme party and the date was set for Sunday night (after the Bengals travesty).

I might have gone a little overboard with the planning. I wanted to have a hot dog and nacho bar, so we boiled the hot dogs and set out the toppings (sour cream, onions, shredded cheese, lettuce, tomatoes, salsa, queso, guacamole, refried beans, ketchup, mustard, Skyline chili, and barbeque sauce). I bought some Cracker Jacks, peanuts, and Big League chew to give our apartment the ballpark feel.

I made a banner sign that said 'Concessions,' filled Wheat's old baseball glove with peanuts, and printed out a cute sign for decoration. Wheat helped with the decorations by hanging some of his old Orioles and personal memorabilia around the apartment. I really can't handle his cute little league baseball card from 1996. I also bought the guys small packs of baseball cards and they had fun proposing trades that weren't accepted.

My favorite part of the night, however, was busting out my french vanilla baseball cupcakes.

We decided to watch Major League and if I'm being totally honest, the movie was just alright. The company, though? They're pretty awesome.

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This #Blogtober prompt deserves a post of its own, but I'll do my best to be succinct. My Dream Vacation is almost impossible to narrow down, but I'll go with one I've been fantasizing about recently. You might think I'm cheating, but my dream vacation is a blitz through western Europe with Wheat. I'd really love to see Greece, but I think that'd be a trip on its own.

I may or may not have already planned out a loose itinerary.

Okay, I have. Here it is:

- We'd start in Amsterdam, enjoying all that the city has to offer. We'd tour the Anne Frank house, rent bikes to cruise along the canals, check out the Van Gogh Museum, take a cruise on a canal boat, and walk along the Red Light District.

Amsterdam via

- Next, we'd make our way to Germany. We'd stop in Berlin to learn about the Wall and see Checkpoint Charlie. We'd admire the gorgeous feudal castles, take a cruise on the Rhine River, and walk through the tiny villages in the Rhine Valley. We'd stop in Munich for some history, some beer (I would force myself to drink it here), and a trip to the Dachau concentration camp. We'd get pictures of Neuschwanstein Castle (the inspiration for the famous Disney castle) before heading to Venice.

- We would spend a decent amount of time in Italy, of course. Venice would be filled with getting lost along the canals, admiring St. Mark's Basilica, and taking a gondola ride. Next, we'd travel to Florence, where we'd admire David in the Accademia, eat gelato, peruse the markets, and tour the Uffizi Gallery. We would do so much in Rome and the Vatican. Wheat would give me lessons while visiting the Colosseum, the Roman Forum, the Pantheon, St. Peter's Basilica, and the Vatican Museum.

- We'd spend a day in Cinque Terre to lay on the beach and take a proper vacation. But then we'd head straight to Switzerland to see the gorgeous Swiss Alps. We'd spend a day hiking through the mountains before traveling to France.

- We would explore Paris, admire the works of art in the Louvre, tour the Notre Dame Cathedral, share crepes, walk along the Champs-Elysees, and of course, kiss at the top of the Eiffel Tower. After a couple days, we would board the Chunnel to London for our final stop.

Paris via

- London would be filled with even more history - trips to the London Bridge, the Tower of London, and Buckingham Palace. We'd see a Broadway show, take in the view from the London Eye, and take a cruise on the River Thames.

I'm not opposed to staying in hostels along the way, but money isn't an object in this fantasy vacation. That's the beauty of daydreaming.