We are in the midst of a six-hour bus ride as I type this! It's been quite an exciting week-and-a-half since we rejoined up for this last leg of the tour. I haven't written since we went on break, so I'll back up and cover that first.
After the last leg of tour ended I went home to Houston! I don't think I have ever been so excited to feel heat and humidity. It's a comfortable feeling; it's home! I'm fortunate enough that my dad is still able and willing to catch me, so we planned our days around pitching once again. I had some good workouts while at home, and I am finally feeling comfortable on the mound again.
While I was home, my family went to an Astros game. It was nice to catch a game live; but more importantly, it was refreshing to see there are still some major league baseball players who will take a second to make their fans smile. We had fairly good seats in foul-ball territory down the right field line. We were only four rows back, so my littlest brother, Chris, stood down by the field waiting to see if any of the starters stretching would come over to sign for him. Most give a courtesy wave and head into the dugout. Hunter Pence, on the other hand, finished stretching and as my brother called his name he jogged right over and signed my brother's ticket! He proceeded to signed for a few minutes, and you wouldn't believe how many little boys walked away with huge grins.
I wouldn't ever compare the fanfare of USA Softball to that of MLB, but I know they get hounded. It was just nice to see him take a few minutes out of his pregame routine to make my brother and others leave the game with a huge memory. Some nights when my mom tucks my brother in, he looks at that ticket and smiles before falling asleep. I guess I now come second best to Hunter Pence! ;)
Majority of our NYC group outside Radio City Music Hall. Photo Gallery
After a few days at home, I went to New York City to join up with seven of my USA teammates. We all decided to vacation up there for the Fourth of July and it ended up being quite a trip. We began by having a delicious lunch at Arriba Arriba, and then we took off to be tourists: we went through the city, including through Time Square, and found all the best places for shopping. We had a time set to get back in order to shower and get ready for the Broadway show we were going to see. We actually made it back to the hotel an hour earlier than planned and everyone passed out for a nap!
We saw "In the Heights" on Broadway. It won the 2008 Tony Award for "Best Musical" and I highly suggest seeing it if you get the chance. The music and dancing are a little more modern, and the story line is a good one. I would go see it again if I go back and the cast is amazing! I am definitely a fan.
We celebrated July 4th at Yankee Stadium. We had tickets to the Yankees-Red Sox game. On top of good seats to a good game, we were fortunate enough to be honored by the Yankees. They have a countdown going of how many home games are left to be played in the stadium, since it's going to be torn down after the new one is completed prior to next season. Each game they let someone pull the lever to make the game countdown one less. Our team was chosen to do this honor and we really enjoyed it, and I have to admit, we looked pretty good on the Jumbotron!
After the holiday, we flew to Portland, Ore., to start the tour again, and we've spent more hours on the bus than we have liked. We went from Portland to Spokane, Wash., and then from Spokane all the way to Rapid City, S.D. Thankfully, we broke the long trek up into three-day segments. Day one included nine hours of driving and brought us to Yellowstone National Park where we stayed in cabins overnight. It really wasn't camping, per se. If you call what we had "roughing it," it just means living without a TV and Internet.
Alicia, Dre and I in front of Yellowstone Lake before exiting the park. Photo Gallery
The next day we got to tour through Yellowstone. We saw a bear on the side of the road, watched Old Faithful do her thing and enjoyed the beautiful surroundings. I bought a new camera before this trip (a Cannon Rebel XSI) so I captured some really awesome shots! Check out the gallery. After our tour of the park, we headed to Cody, Wy., which also happens to be the only place I think I've seen where a rodeo has taken place on the same night as a motorcycle rally. We went downtown to eat and there were bikes galore down there. Alicia (Hollowell) and I insisted we'd find a couple of bikers generous enough to give us rides back to the hotel, but Coach Candrea wasn't a fan of that idea. I'm not so sure why!?
After finally arriving in Rapid City, we all went to bed not expecting what was to come. We had a scrimmage in the morning - which isn't unusual - but after a weight workout, we being were rushed to get ready: a whole day of sightseeing had been planned for us. We went to an Air Force base that was nearby where, not only did we get to see a B1 bomber, but we were taken on a Blackhawk helicopter ride over the Badlands and Needles. Our pilots had some fun with us. They did a couple of nose dives and added some spins to make our stomachs turn. They made it feel like one heck of a roller coaster ride! =) We also flew by Mt. Rushmore and Crazy Horse and then landed, but we didn't know we still had more left to do.
Alicia, Monica, Finch and I at Rushmore. Photo Gallery
After landing, we were taken up to Mt. Rushmore National Park. We all took pictures in front of the landmark, and really enjoyed the view. I kind of became the team photographer, taking quite a few posed pics with the Presidents! After Mt. Rushmore we drove to Crazy Horse. The Crazy Horse project was originally started by the assistant of the Mt. Rushmore project, but since his death, his family - his wife and 10 kids - have taken on the project themselves. It's a slow process, but when it's done, it will be quite an unbelievable site. We were in awe of the project itself, of course, but also of the story behind it. I have some Native American ancestery, and this visit sparked a little bug inside me to find out more about it.
They also made sure to feed us an authentic Native meal of fried bread tacos while we were out. After being on our feet and running around most of the day, we had no problem enjoying the food!
Our games are going great! The team is playing well together, and picking each other up with ease. It's unbelievable to see how our offense can unload. I don't just mean by hitting home runs, either. Our offense connects for some scorching hits in crucial situations; and for the pitchers, it's comforting to know our team can back us up!
We practiced in Oklahoma City this morning, and then jumped on the bus to Springfield, Mo. I've already watched the movie "Shooter," which was really good. I'm glad someone suggested it to me. I'm in the middle of "Batman Begins" right now, and will finish up season four of "Grey's Anatomy" within the next few days.
Our departure for China is right around the corner and each day we get more and more excited. Words can't describe the experience of being at the Olympic Games. Our team is ready to head over and take on the world!
Until next time …
Cat
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