Finally Home + Noah's Birthday

We are home! Our Spring Break travel adventure has finally ended… almost 48 hours after the time we were supposed to be home, we are finally done.

It’s all fun and games until you get stuck in Charlotte without your luggage. ⁣

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We had a great time in Bradenton, Florida for baseball spring training. I went to a couple of the Pirates games with Morry, Evan, and Noah, but what I would do was drop off the boys early. Then, I’d head to the beach or river for a while and come back to see the last part of the games. ⁣

We played mini-golf, ate a lot of good food, played on the beautiful white sandy beaches with turquoise water, and more.

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We were supposed to get home on Thursday, the 18th. There was bad weather in both Charlotte and Dallas that apparently caused lots of issues for both airports. We knew there was going to be bad weather in Charlotte and we even got a warning from American Airlines that our flight might change. But American wouldn’t let us change our layover to a different city even though they knew that the bad weather was coming through Charlotte. Well, that was unless we wanted to pay an extra $400 something dollars per person.⁣

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So after our first flight from Orlando to Charlotte was delayed, we eventually landed in Charlotte, a lot later than planned. We turned on our phones to an email that our next flight home to Austin was canceled.⁣

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After a couple of hours of trying to figure out how to get home, we realized there were no options that night.  We even tried renting a car to drive home, but there were no cars available. 

The kids and I took the hotel shuttle while Morry stayed at the airport a little longer hoping to get our luggage.

As soon as the boys and I checked into our hotel room, around 10:30pm, I ordered a couple of pizzas from Domino’s.   

We waited and waited for our pizzas. I even called to check on them and was told they would be coming soon.  

In the meantime, Morry came to the hotel finally but without our luggage.  American said our luggage would be sent to Austin the next day on the first flight out.

After two hours of no pizzas, and completely exhausted, I finally called to cancel our pizza order and get a refund.

We ate snacks from the gift shop for dinner at almost 1am and then went to sleep.

We woke up at 6:30am Friday morning to head back to the airport to try to get a flight home.

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After a crazy day, trying flight after flight to fly standby we eventually were able to get on a flight to San Antonio. 

Only one of our suitcases (mine) made it to San Antonio.

The cheapest way to get all of us back to Austin was with a rental car. So funny thing about the rental car. We just wanted to get home last night from San Antonio and they said for $30 extra we could have the BMW and drive it right then, otherwise, we would have to wait about 10 minutes for another car. So we went with the BMW, although it took us about 10 to 15 minutes to even figure out how to start the car and put it into drive. We had to actually Google it.

We finally got back to our house around 8:30pm last night.

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This afternoon, the other suitcase was delivered to our house. ⁣

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Our kids were troopers. All of the airline staff were super friendly and helpful. I don’t know how people did it with young kids or even babies. What a mess!⁣

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After Evan’s baseball game this afternoon, we drove back to San Antonio to return the rental car.  We had to return it to SA or pay a large fee for not returning it at the pickup location.⁣

Since we had such a crazy last few days, we are celebrating Noah's birthday today and tomorrow rather than packing everything in in one day.

Today, he chose Wholy Bagel for lunch and Black Rock lavender lemonade to drink.  Wholy Bagel made his sandwich wrong, so I had to go back out to pick up the correct one after we got home.  They threw in several desserts to make up for it.

When we went to pick up the car in San Antonio, we stopped at Genghis Grill on the way home.  Noah loves that restaurant, but we no longer have one in Austin.

When we got home, he Facetimed with Michael, Jen, Maya, and Artie and then Grandma and Papa.

Florida + Noah's Birthday

We went to Florida for baseball Spring Training on Friday and got back yesterday.  Two families met us there.  Everyone had a great time.

Today, for Noah's birthday, he chose bowling, lunch at Panera's, Big Top Candy Shop, sushi at Kura revolving sushi, and the bookstore.

Here are some pictures from our trip and today.

Back From Our Trip

Hello everyone, this is Morry.

The boys and I got back from our annual trip to Bradenton for Spring Training.  We flew in Friday, ordered pizza and got some food for the rental house at Publix.

Saturday morning, we went to one of our staples, Popi's, for breakfast.  From there, we drove straight to the Pirates game.  Evan wanted to be there when the gates opened.  We were second in line.  When we got in, Evan went out to left field to shag balls during batting practice.  He got a few.  Our seats were just to the right of the dugout.  A player popped out of the dugout and threw a piece of unwrapped gum at Evan.  Evan chewed that gum for more than 4 hours and saved the wrapper.  The player also threw gum to Noah.  Several players flipped balls to Evan as they came off the field.  By the end of the game, Evan and Noah had collected 8 balls.  They actually had 9 but gave one to a girl.  We went to a seafood restaurant for dinner and then to the movies to see A Wrinkle in Time.

Sunday we went to miniature golf.  We played two rounds and then drove up to Dunedin, FL to see the Pirates play the Blue Jays.  The boys didn't get any baseballs, but Evan was able to get a few autographs.  For dinner, we went to the Shake Pit.  After we ate, we got ice cream there.

On Monday, we met the Allinsons at the game.  Bryan Allinson was a coach for Evan's team in coach pitch and then he's the one that started the Marauders.  They are Pirates fans.  They had moved to Orlando and so they came down to meet us.  Evan and Jake ran around the stadium the whole time collecting more balls and getting autographs.  We went with them after the game to get ice cream.

Our flight on Tuesday was later, so we were able to do some things. We went to Quarter Cup Cafe for brunch, then we played a round of miniature golf at the the same golf place, but in a different location.  Then we went to Pirate City and watched 3 innings of a minor league game.  From there, we went to Mixon's Fruit Farms and the boys got orange ice cream.  Then we drove back to the airport in Tampa and came home.

Today, the boys stayed home.  I dropped Rachel off downtown to do some South by Southwest stuff and I went into the office.  I picked her up (although it was tough due to road closures) on the way home.

After I finished working, I picked Cooper up at his house and took the boys to Oak Hill for Home Run Derby.

Following Home Run Derby, we met Rachel and Noah at HEB and got ground beef, corn and shrimp to make for dinner tonight.  Cooper is staying over tonight.

The boys are upstairs messing around.

Until next time...

Spring Training

Hello everyone, this is Morry.

The boys and I are back from Spring Training.  We were back yesterday but we didn't have time to write.

The boys and I were able to see three Pirates games.  Evan got 5 baseballs while we were there and Noah got one.  During one of the games, Evan was in the outfield for batting practice and got three home run balls.

While we were there, we stayed at a house with a pool.  The boys were able to do a lot of swimming.  The house was very nice and was easily the best place we've ever stayed in Bradenton.

On Sunday, in addition to seeing a baseball game, we made our annual trip to the miniature golf place.  And in the evening we went to see the King Kong movie.

While we were in Florida, Rachel was busy going to a ton of SXSW events.  She was able to get a ton of free stuff and basically eat for free for 4 days.

Last night, Evan stayed over the house of one of his teammates from TRPD.  They hung together all day as well and went to the trampoline place, Altitude.

The last two nights, we've been able to eat outside on the porch.  The bugs are not out yet and the temperature is quite nice.

Until next time...

Back From Spring Training

Hello everyone, this is Morry.

The boys and I are back from Spring Training.  We left on Tuesday and returned mid-day today.  Zayde flew with us to Tampa, but returned back to Philadelphia today after his two-month Austin stay.

We didn't leave until late Tuesday afternoon and got in the evening in Tampa and then drove to Bradenton.  On Wednesday, the Pirates were playing about an hour and 45 minutes south of Bradenton in Ft. Myers against the Twins.  On the way, we stopped at a restaurant called Quarter A Cup Cafe.  Every time the filled your cup of coffee it was a quarter.  The food was very good.  Noah ate well there.  The Pirates won the game.  One of Evan's favorite players, Gerrit Cole, started the game so Evan was excited.  He got one autograph there.  After the game we went to a Steelers Bar and Restaurant called Nick and Stella's.

On Thursday, we again, had to drive south, but not as far, only about an hour, to Port Charlotte to see the Pirates vs the Rays.  Before we went, we went miniature golfing.  Evan did very well.  He had a string of a hole in one followed by 4 two shots.  From there, we went back to the Quarter A Cup Cafe for breakfast.  Unfortunately, the Pirates lost.  The game wasn't a very good game.  For dinner we went to the Longhorn Steakhouse.

On Friday, we drove to Pirate City to watch the Pirates minor leaguers.  Evan really seemed to enjoy it.  At one point I asked him if he was ready to go and he said he wanted to stay longer.  We then went to Popi's for lunch.  Then we went to the field to see the Pirates play the Phillies.  Our friends from Austin, Evan's coach from last year in baseball and his wife, and their sons who played baseball with Evan met us at the stadium.  Evan and Carter particularly had fun with each other.  My cousin, Aaron, also drove down for Tampa for the game.  It was nice seeing everyone. For dinner we went to the Anna Maria Oyster Bar with the Merrimans.  We enjoyed our time with the them.  The adults ate at one table while the four boys ate at another.  It started off well, but they got progressively louder as the meal wore on.  All in all, I think everyone had fun.

Today, we got up at 4:30am Eastern, and drove to Tampa.  The boys and I had to fly to Dallas first and then to Austin.  Our flight from Dallas to Austin ended up being delayed.  It was good to be home when we got here.  Lizzy was very excited to see me and Calvin was very excited to see the boys.  Rachel said that Calvin was clinging to her all week long.  I think he's now used to the attention he gets from the boys.

The boys are in the shower now and about to go to bed.

Until next time...

Back from Spring Training

Hello everyone, this is Morry.

We got into Austin last night around 10:15pm after a flight from Tampa to Dallas and then the drive into Austin.  The boys fell asleep on the drive home and we put them to bed.

Thursday night, we drove up to Dallas.  It was a long drive because of construction, but nothing too bad happened.

Our flight to Tampa was at 12:55pm the next day.  The boys were very good on the flight.  When we got in we rented a car and drove to Bradenton.  The boys were a bit cranky and hungry by that time so we picked up pizza at Joey D's Pizzeria.

The next day, we had to drive to Sarasota.  I forgot my computer charger and had to run to Best Buy.  From there we drove to McKechnie field.  We had brunch at Popi's which is right outside of the stadium.  Evan refused to eat there though.  When we finished, we went into the stadium. The boys insisted we go to the store first.  Noah got an Andrew McCutchen t-shirt.  Evan got a Roberto Clemente t-shirt.  They both got an Andrew McCutchen Lego figure.  I was not aware they made one, but apparently they did.  When we finished, the old Pirates pitcher-turned-broadcaster Steve Blass was signing a book he had written. Evan insisted we stand in line and have him sign a baseball.  He seemed genuinely happy to see the boys and talked to them a bit.  Then Evan wanted to get autographs out ont the field.  We stood on the first base line near the Pirates bullpen.  Evan got several autographs including a Pirates star from when I was a kid, Mike Lavalliere.  Unfortunately just as Andrew McCutchen was nearing Evan, he was called away.  Evan seemed perfectly happy with the autographs he did get.  Also, one of the coaches threw a ball to Evan.  At first Evan reached out for the ball but the coach said "I want to see you use your glove" and made Evan catch it.

On Sunday, we went miniature golfing in the morning.  Noah won us a free game in our first round.  They have something called a "mystery hole".  If you happen to get a hole-in-one on that mystery hole, you win a free game.  In the second game, both Evan and I had great games.  Evan got three hole-in-ones and I actually was one-under-par.  I think it was my best game of miniature golf ever.

Then we drove to Sarasota to see the Pirates play the Orioles.  As we were walking outside of the stadium to go into the stadium, the Pirates' bus pulled up and the entire team got off.  They all walked right by us on the sidewalk and most smiled at the boys and said hello.  All three of us were fairly mesmerized.  In the stadium, the usher was super nice to us.  He got two balls from the field and gave one to each boy.  In the 6th inning he moved us down to the front row.  It was a really nice time.

On Monday, we drove over to Pirate City.  That's the Pirates' training facility.  We got to see a Pirates pitcher recovering from Tommy John surgery working out in front of the coaches.  We also saw many minor leaguers.  Each boy got a ball there.  Then we drove over to the stadium, again had a meal at Popi's (Evan ate this time) and went into the stadium.  Once again, we had to stop at the store and the boys both got a Pirates' hat circa 1971.  Those were the hats that Roberto Clemente wore.  Evan told me he wished Roberto Clemente was there.  And once again, we went out to get autographs.  This time, Noah stood with Evan and got some autographs.  Noah had pretty much given up by the time Andrew McCutchen came back, but Evan got him this time.  He was super excited.  We stayed until the end of the game.  The Pirates won in walk-off fashion.  That's what the boys love.  They were ecstatic.  They were jumping up and screaming and cheering.  They loved it.

We drove back to Tampa in the rain on Tuesday morning and then got on the plane.  Again, the boys were good in the flight.

In Dallas they played football with Grandma.

Today, Noah went to school but Evan had spring break.  Rachel and Evan went to HEB in the morning.  When they picked Noah up they went "sledding" in the park again.  Both boys had a good time.  Rachel said Noah was going super fast for some reason.

This evening we took a walk.

The boys are finishing up a shower and we're about to put them to bed.

Until next time...

Back From Florida

Hello everyone, this is Morry.

Rachel suggested I post about Evan and my trip to Florida with Zayde/Jack. It was a very fun trip and Evan really seemed to enjoy himself. Evan came back with a full load of stuff including, two baseballs that had been used, a game-used bat, a hat, two t-shirts and a Pirate Parrot stuffed animal.

The first night in Florida, Evan convinced Zayde to get him crab. Evan and Zayde share crab at Anna Maria Oyster Bar. Then, to top that off, Evan was able to coax some ice cream out of Zayde as well.

On Saturday, we drove to Clearwater, Florida to see the Pirates play the Phillies. We stopped at Perkins for breakfast where Evan got a balloon sword and parrot. He seemed to enjoy the game, especially when Neil Walker hit a homerun. He was really cheering. They also had a playground at the stadium and Evan played there a lot. After the game, Evan got change from Zayde and threw it in a fountain outside. For dinner, we went to a pizza place.

On Sunday, the prediction was rain. Rain woke me up in the middle of the night, but it was a beautiful day when we got up. We went to Smugglers Cove Adventure Golf to play some miniature golf. Evan had an absolute blast. We played two round and Evan was extremely enthusiastic after each hole. It was a lot of fun watching him play golf. He even got a hole-in-one and just missed on a few others.

At the game, Evan fell in love with the Pirate Parrot. He made us follow the Parrot around the ballpark. At some point, the Parrot obtained a water gun and he shot Evan with it. Evan thought that was hilarious. He then made us find the Parrot again where he proceeded to convince the Parrot to shoot me - which he obliged. Evan was laughing so hard at all of this. We sat next to a nice woman who was trying to become a baseball reporter. A player at the Pirate City training facility had given her a ball and she gave it to Evan. Evan was very excited by it.

Today, we went over to Pirate City. There are 6 fields, but four of the fields come together at their home plates. You can sit and watch all four fields. The minor leaguers train here. As we were walking in, a player yelled "Here you go" and tossed a ball to Evan over the fence. Then, as we sat watching batting practice, a player came out and walked up to Evan and handed him a bat. A real bat used by one of the major leaguers. It was cracked but it had the players name engraved in it and his number written on the top and bottom. It was still sticky from whatever resin they put on it. Many people were very jealous of Evan for getting a bat. It would not fit in my suitcase so I had to ship it home.

The flight home was uneventful, but Evan seemed to have had a great time in Florida.

At the airport when Evan and Noah saw each other they were giggling and jumping up and down together. They were so hyper. They hugged and hugged until they both fell down. The first fight between the two didn't occur until we were almost home.

They are now in bed.

Until next time...