We originally were going to go to two Padres games Labor Day weekend, but considering the traffic and outrageous cost for hotels, we opted to wait. The kids had earned a ticket for an exclusive autograph signing at the Sept. 26th game, so we decided to head down to this game instead.
We left early Saturday morning and got to SD by noon'ish. We got in line in front of the stadium at the Padres store. and they began processing everyone from the official invite list around 12:30. We didn't know whose autograph the kids were going to get, so we were making our guesses as we waited in line for the next hour. At 1pm the line was ushered into the park, out onto the field leading behind home plate and into the Padres dugout. As people walked past us leaving, they were saying it was Matt Kemp. We were super excited now.
The kids were allowed one item to get autographed. Matt signed all the kids' hats, but he also signed Wiggy's jersey too. We thought that was cool. When he saw that it said "Mrs. Kemp" on the back he laughed and as he signed it said, "okay, okay!" Mr. Kemp...you are a cool cat.
After waiting in the sun for an hour and getting the autographs we headed over to Cheesecake Factory a few blocks away, where I proceeded to drink way too many glasses of raspberry lemonade. My kidneys were not happy with me. I could practically hear the stones swimming in sugar. Ha ha.
The game started at 5:40. We were able to upgrade our tickets, so we were field level. We played the Arizona D-Backs and we won! It was a great way to end our season. The Pads didn't play as well as we'd hoped, but we had a great time going to all the games this season. We made a lot of memories for sure and I really hope we are able to do some games next season.
On Sunday morning we grabbed some breakfast and then Luke thought it would be cool to drive the kids down to the border. We got off at the last exit and drove around. We could see the two HUGE Mexican flags waving and the fence separating our two countries. The kids really liked it. Luke and I don't have our passports, but maybe when we do we can take the kids over sometime.
Next stop.....Grandma Strickland's house in Linda Vista.
Aunt Thelma and Uncle Dennis met us over there to visit for a little but. My grandma is 96 in October. She's had a hard time lately. She was just out of the hospital two weeks before we were there. She couldn't see us real well and slept in her recliner a little while we were visiting with Thelma and Dennis. She didn't know who I was when I got there but I think after a few minutes she remembered me.
She really enjoyed hearing the kids and she asked them questions. I wonder what she was thinking when she saw them. I don't know if she knew really who they were or if she thought they were someone else. My Uncle Jim passed away when he was a few years younger than Tubbs, so I wonder if she saw any similarities. She did hug them and hold their hands. It was very sweet to watch and I wondered if this was going to be the last time I see her here on this earth. She seemed so tired and weak. She's on oxygen now 24 hours a day.
Bubba told grandma he wanted to be a professional baseball player. She is still quick witted and sarcastic. She says exactly what she thinks. She told him to dream big and something else sassy. It made me laugh.
We were thankful to end our trip with a visit with our SD family. We love them very much and hope grandma continues to get some energy back.
That Stop Wasn't On My Itinerary....
So the Hogue's made it to Florida for our first official family vacation. It was Sawyer's first plane ride....and Simon's first plane ride that he can remember. We were excited....the boys were stoked. We had everything we needed! But it seems that Sawyer packed something with him that wasn't on our checklist: a big case of pneumonia. Yes, the little fella made it almost one whole day in Florida before he started heading downhill fast. Our 2nd day in Orlando we were in the Urgent Care south of Cocoa Beach. (By the way, to see a doctor more quickly, it helps if you vomit all over the waiting room in front of the receptionist. Little tip for ya) After chest x-rays they advised us to head to the ER in Melbourne, where they eventually admitted him to the hospital. So, we had 3 night deluxe accommadations at the Holmes Regional Medical Center. The little whipper snapper was a trooper though! The nurses loved him, thankfully, and made us all feel right at home. We were going to send postcards out with pictures of the hospital since we spent 40% of our trip there...but they didn't have any. Imagine that!Hmmm.....maybe its something they should consider.
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