Fond memories and new friends

I've always said baseball is a nine inning vacation (well, someone else said it and I just adopted it as my own), so it's appropriate that I have squeezed some baseball into my vacation. This trip to Texas was planned because of a wedding, but I couldn't resist a trip to the ballpark or the offer to have dinner with some fellow Kameron Loe/Ranger fans.

My heart always starts beating a little faster when I round the bend on Randol Mill Drive and Rangers Ballpark comes into view. That place holds such happy memories for me, mostly from the 2005 season. That was the year I fell in love with baseball and the Rangers and subsequently attended more than 30 games. It ended up being my last season with Amy, as well, and some of our best times were had in the confines of those walls. Times I'll hold onto for the rest of my life.

So I felt a bit nostalgic as I parked my rental car and strode toward the door to the Grand Slam Gift Shop. Of course, once inside, I was instantly transported to the present and future. There are some fabulous new Rangers clothing items in there, especially for women. I'm so glad MLB has realized not all women like pink. I actually like pink a lot, but when I'm wearing Rangers gear, I want it to be the true team colors. I browsed for a long time, and could have spent much longer in there if I didn't have other friends. When I finally left, I was in possession of a new red Rangers shirt that I can't really describe and my new player tee for 2008 -- a Josh Hamilton player tee. He certainly didn't take long to win me over.

After my shopping, I had a quick coffee stop with my friend, Amber, and then headed for my next baseball-related event --- dinner with the Rangers Fans of the Year for 2007, Kam's Snake Pit. I can't even put into words how nice it was to have fellow Rangers/Kam fans to converse with. I'm pretty sure I bore my family (though they try to be impatient) and other friends with my Ranger ramblings, so it was awesome to have someone to talk with who was interested in what I had to say as well as their own tidbits/views to offer. Craig, Erin, Aubrey Rose, Vikki and Heather were great dinner companions, and I look forward to meeting up with them for a game sometime soon.

After dinner, I went back to the Snake Pit headquarters for a very special meeting with Angel (whom Craig and Erin's family is caring for in Kam's absence). I'll be honest, I was half-excited and half-nervous about this concept. I had never even touched, let alone held a snake. And had certainly never been close to one Angel's size. She was a pretty neat snake. I'm not ready to rush out and get one myself, but I don't mind her too much.