I was one of those millions who fell in love with Josh
Hamilton last season after hearing his story and seeing his Home Run Derby
performance.  I made 25 of those 2.4 million
votes for Josh Hamilton in the All-Star Game voting, knowing the whole time
that his performance hadn’t be so good up that point and that he hadn’t even
played enough to deserve the spot.  But I
was fascinated by Josh Hamilton’s story of redemption and his amazing feats at
Yankee Stadium last season.

So quite naturally when I went to Yahoo! Sports and saw Josh
Hamilton’s photo and a headline about him as the highlight of the page, I had
to click.  And this is what I saw:

"Josh Hamilton’s
ongoing struggles with addiction just experienced a little more turbulence with
the self-revelation that the Texas Rangers
slugger slipped up from his recovery and drank
alcohol in an Arizona
bar earlier this year.

On Saturday morning,
Deadspin posted 12 revealing photos of Hamilton
on what the website said was a wild night in a Tempe, Ariz.,
bar before the season. In the shots, Hamilton
is pictured with several young women and can be seen without a shirt in several
of the photos.

Hamilton is never
pictured drinking or doing drugs, but he can be seen lying shirtless on the bar
while the women cover him with whipped cream and do body shots off his
stomach."

SOURCE: (http://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/blog/big_league_stew/post/Josh-Hamilton-s-long-journey-takes-another-twist;_ylt=AtsnYz7J_GO_TgX_BrDap045nYcB?urn=mlb,181651)

First thought: wow, what a disappointment, Josh!  How could you honestly do such a thing?  Haven’t you learned your lesson?

Seems like that’s what the majority of the sports world was
thinking.  A few select "gems"
from the 410 comments to that story:

"He is a
jerk!!!!!!!!"

"Yep, Josh found
God all right. Thanks again for screwing over the Rays and good luck keeping
your life straight, "hero". You need it."

"what a total
idiot!!!!! married with kids and his poor wife outta divorce him now while she
can get money off his ugly butt now!!!!"

"He should be
kicked off the Rangers Baseball Association. We only want and respect good
christian quality players. He isn’t batting worth a crap anyway this year. He’s
a loser and a liar now. Just looking for symphathy while he goes around doing
stuff like this and then trying to buck it off as "I’m only human"
bull crap. Besides he’s married with children. His wife should divorce him and
take him to the cleaners."

"Anybody who does
not think this is a story is a moron. Hamilton himself realized it was a story
by addressing the issue. The part that makes it a story isnt the fact he is drinking;
it is the hypocrisy of saying how "god" helped him quit. Wen he quits
its godfs work, but when he fails it is a slip up? No , god has nothing to do
with either, since there is no god. He does not help you win the game (if there
was a god do you think he cares who wins), and he does nto keep you on or off
drugs. Grow some balls and take control of your life Mr Hamilton"

"Hamilton is a phony."

"Once an addict
always an addict. Where ‘s that Jesus Christ he’s always talks about every time
his addict face is on TV…what a lying scumbag. I hope he relapses on the H
and overdoses. Accept Satan as Your Lord"

Now my first thoughts weren’t that bad (especially compared
to that last comment); I certainly wasn’t about to stop being a Josh Hamilton
fan over this.  Was I disappointed?  Yeah, definitely.  He’s my favorite baseball player, so of
course I was.

I didn’t even look at the photos (though I watched
SportsCenter that night and saw two of them). 
What exactly was on them was irrelevant to me.  Josh gave into temptation and slipped up;
that’s all that really matters.

Soon after those first thoughts, my perspective switched
back to where it should be.  Not only am
I a huge Josh Hamilton fan, but I am also, and more importantly, a Christian.  Yes, I was disappointed, but there was far
more to be taken from this story:

1. Josh’s actions after the incident in January were very
mature and showed that he was truly sorry for what he did.  The next day he called his wife and the
Rangers organization, told them what happened, and apologized.  Athletes mess up all the time, but how often
do you see one fess up to what they did like that?

2. Josh messed up ONCE. 
He’s human.  Humans mess up.  Yes, even Christians.  Being a Christian doesn’t mean you’re
perfect; it means you’ve been saved from the punishment you deserve for your
sins (hell) and that you’re being sanctified by the Holy Spirit, moving in a
direction of holiness.  This doesn’t
somehow make Josh any less a Christian. 
In fact, as Josh said in his press conference after the story broke,
"It doesn’t say anything about having a relationship with Christ.  It just lets me know I need one more than
ever."

3. Once an addict, always an addict.  Addiction is an everyday struggle; it’s
something Josh is going to have to deal with everyday for the rest of his
life.  This just shows recovering addicts
how important it is not to give in to any sort of temptation.  Josh decided he could handle one drink.  That turned into two, which snowballed into
who knows how many.

4. For Christians, it shows how important it is to keep your
relationship with the Lord as your first and foremost priority.  Josh was focused on training for the upcoming
season, and he slacked off on that relationship.  He said that’s what caused this to
happen.  He wasn’t staying focused on
what (more like Who) got him from where he was—being hopelessly addicted to
alcohol, crack, and cocaine—to where he is—an All-Star outfielder for the
Rangers, even after all the years of abuse to his body and time away from
baseball.

Much more could be said, but those four thoughts are
sufficient.

So how should one respond to this story?  Stop rooting for Josh Hamilton?  By no means. 
I’m as big of a Josh Hamilton fan as ever; in fact, the way he handled
this situation might even make me a bigger fan of his than I ever was—and trust
me, I was a huge fan.  Minnesota Twins
fans don’t just cheer for a player on another team (in effect, also cheering
for the whole Rangers team) for no reason at all.

Non-Christians are going to hear this story and call Josh a
hypocrite and say all sorts of nasty things. 
Some will even increase the heckling that Josh deals with standing in
the outfield every game.  But Christians
have to look at this in a far different manner. 
First off, we’ve got to forgive Josh as his wife Katie has, and more importantly,
as Christ has forgiven us.  We’ve got to
pray for Josh, Katie, and their children. 
They need and appreciate the prayer. 
We’ve got to pray that somehow God gets the glory from this, and I
believe that He will.  He always does.

Now we just need to move on, enjoy the rest of the baseball
season, and stay focused on Christ at all times.

I personally will be rooting for Josh to have a stellar
remainder of the season, and more importantly, I will be praying for him and
his family.

Go Josh!

NOTE: For Josh’s comments on what happened, go to http://rangersblog.dallasnews.com/archives/2009/08/hamilton-transcript.html. For his wife Katie’s comments, go to http://rangersblog.dallasnews.com/archives/2009/08/here-are-some-of-katie-hamiltons-thought.html

Bri’s
2009 Yellowstone Travel Journal

(All times are in
Mountain Time)

July 6, 9:43 p.m.

Ah…
vacation at last! Hopefully, I have a good time, but hey, even if it
isn’t great, at least I get to be away from home for a few days,
which is always great. Now driving over 400 miles in one day is not
so great. We’ve got 361 to go until Billings. If we wouldn’t have
left almost a whole hour late, we’d be even closer. I wish there was
some crazy teleportation system that could get you to your
destination in a matter of seconds. Since that doesn’t exist
unfortunately, I am listening to the sweet Humble Tip album I bought
with Coke Rewards points last week. One of the major Christian rap
labels needs to sign him; he’s great. But back on topic: we’re now
going through road construction. *sigh* As if I need a delay in the
already way too long drive. Oh well. I’ve been writing for over ten
minutes, so I’m going to end this and check in later—probably
after lunch. Au revoir!

July
6, 11:06 a.m.

It’s
not lunch yet, but I figured I’d check in. I haven’t done much since
last update. I’ve been doing sudoku puzzles. I finished the Humble
Tip album and put my iPod on shuffle. We just left Painted Canyon,
which we stopped at for a stretch and bathroom break. Fun stuff.
Now I’m really hungry and it’ll be a while until we hit the first
decent-sized Montana town. Until then I’m going to go back to my
ridiculously hard sudoku puzzle, which I hope to solve without
cheating.

July
6, 1:57 p.m.

We
finally ate! I was starving already when we passed Glendive, but we
waited until Miles City to eat. And to top it all off, Wendy’s was
super busy. I had two crispy chicken sandwiches and fries. They
were good, but they were a little too filling. And now we have 134
miles to go. Hooray! Not. I am now going to do more puzzles. They
are keeping me occupied, but they are a tad bit annoying. Oh well.
Adios!

July
6, 8:35 p.m.

I
haven’t had a very great time since the last update. We arrived in
Billings and checked into our hotel room. While hanging out in the
room, the fire alarm went off. It turned off in a couple of minutes;
someone just must’ve pulled the alarm. That is the second time that
has happened to me at a hotel. A little bit after that episode, we
went to Rimrock Mall. We didn’t go into any stores; I’m so not your
typical teenage girl. After that we went to Del Taco. While there,
Eric decided to tell me that a store at the mall had tons of sock
monkey stuff. Thanks for telling me, Eric, when we had already left
the mall! I would have loved to check it out; I have a sock monkey
obsession. But anyway, back to Del Taco. I ordered a Macho Combo
Burrito. It was good, but it was way too big. I ended up throwing a
lot away. After that we drove to Geyser Park, a mini golf place, but
my three family members decided to go back to the hotel because there
were storm clouds. Boo hoo. I wanted to wait fifteen or so minutes
because it looked like it would clear up soon. They didn’t trust my
meteorological skills, though. Oh well. And thus we found ourselves
back at the hotel, where I struggled to get the hotel’s Internet to
work for a long time. It is horribly slow, but it works now. I am
watching the box score for the Texas Rangers game while writing this.
My favorite baseball player—and
possibly favorite athlete period—Josh
Hamilton is making his return from surgery and a long trip on the DL.
He is 2-2 so far with a single and a double. Go Josh! Well, I’ve
written a lot and I’m sick of writing, so I’m going to end this.
Sayonara!

July
7, 10:19 a.m.

We’re
on the way to Yellowstone! This morning was relatively uneventful.
I woke up at seven, got ready, and went to breakfast. The hotel we
stayed at has free hot breakfast. You get a choice of meat, a choice
of bread, and two of the following: pancakes, waffles, eggs, and hash
browns. I ordered bacon, wheat toast, two over-medium eggs, and hash
browns. They messed up and gave me scrambled eggs instead, but
everything was good. After breakfast we packed up and checked out.
Now we’re on Highway 212 on the way to the always lovely Beartooth
Highway. I can’t wait for my mom to freak out like she always does.
And ouch, my foot is asleep! It feels like a hundred pins sticking
my foot over and over. I better end this now because I have little
else to say. Auf wiedersehen!

July
7, 3:43 p.m.

A
lot has happened since last update. We drove through Beartooth
Highway. Beartooth Highway es muy bonito. I almost want to move
there. Sure, that would be lonely after a while, but it would be
beautiful and adventurous. Speaking of adventure, I need to mention
the loveliness that is Cooke City. My mom had to go to the bathroom,
so we looked all over town for one. That was quite unsuccessful, as
the town’s public bathrooms were portables. Yuck! Finding lunch was
another adventure. Cooke City has no fast food places. It only has
cafés—and very few at that. I ended up buying some spicy chicken
soup from some café to-go. It was decent. And now, we’re finally
in the national park. First stop I’m guessing is Tower Falls. I’ll
update later on that and any other things that happen. Arrivederci!

July
7, 7:22 p.m.

I
was wrong. The first stop was some overlook of the Yellowstone River
and then was Tower Falls. My dad and Eric (my mom stayed behind)
walked the trail as far down as it went and then walked down to the
shore of the river. We stayed down there for a while and got chewed
out by Mom for being inconsiderate for being down there so long. I’m
hoping that won’t be a regular occurrence. I should mention that
walking back to the parking lot was not fun. I had to take a short
break because I was breathing so hard, When back at the parking lot
area, we went into the store and got stuff to eat. I had Moose
Tracks ice cream, which was good. After that we left, and now we are
on the way to Norris Junction. Ciao!

July
7, 8:55 p.m.

I’m
bored and annoyed. We’ve been stopped 25 minutes for road work, and
the man who stopped us said it would take about 20 minutes. Other
than that, I don’t have too much to say. We stopped at Virginia
Cascades, but we stayed for a very short time because there was a
ridiculous amount of mosquitoes. We also went to Artists’ Paintpots
but didn’t walk most of the trail for the same reason. And yes!
We’re moving again! I don’t think I have anything else to say. I’m
expecting to write one more entry tonight about supper, and that
should be it. Kwaheri!

July
8, 10:46 a.m.

I
was too tired and lazy last night after supper to write. Supper
wasn’t very exciting. My dad and Eric went walking to find a place
to eat because we didn’t want to lose our parking place at the hotel.
Apparently they found a Subway and tried to call me, but get thus,
my dad forgot my cell phone number, so they just guessed what I
wanted. They guessed decently, but they didn’t order three things I
wanted: black olives, banana peppers, and spicy mustard. Oh well.
Now on to today. I just had an interesting experience. We were
stuck in very slow-moving traffic for something like 30 to 45
minutes. A couple minutes ago, we were stopped by a nest with a bald
eagle. I figured I could get out, take a photo, and catch up to the
van fairly easily. Turns out I was wrong. I got out, and as I was
walking closer to the nest, the traffic started moving at a normal
speed again, and I had to rush back into the van without getting a
photo. So I’m wondering if it was one bald eagle that delayed us for
so long. If so, that is pathetic. Now we’re on our way to Firehole
Canyon Drive and various geyser basins before making our way to Old
Faithful. Adeus!

July
8, 7:41 p.m.

I
can tell that this entry will take a while. First I have a lot to
write about. Second my hands are frozen, so it is difficult to
write. Nevertheless here we go. We went to Firehole Canyon Drive,
Fountain Flat Drive, Fountain Paint Pot, Firehole Lake Drive, and
Midway Geyser Badin before deciding to go on to Old Faithful and
temporarily skip two geyser basins because Eric had to go to the
bathroom. When we got there, we checked when Old Faithful would
erupt, and it was going to be a while, so we had a very late lunch.
I, though over 17 and a half years old, had a kiddie meal consisting
of a cheeseburger, fries, and a drink. After lunch we waited for Old
Faithful to erupt. Meanwhile storm clouds had moved in, so after Old
Faithful erupted, we decided to go inside Old Faithful Inn. After
checking it out for a while, we went back outside, and since it
looked like it could possibly rain, we decided to go back to the van
and check out the two geyser basins that we skipped since their paths
were shorter. Mom stayed in the van since she isn’t feeling well,
and my dad, Eric, and I checked the two Basins—Biscuit and Black
Sand—out. After that we had a big decision to make—go back to
the hotel early, eat, and swim or go back to Old Faithful and hope we
don’t get rained on, or worse, get caught in a thunderstorm. We sat
for a few minutes in the van doing nothing and then finally decided
to return to Old Faithful, Mom stayed in the van again. Eric, my
dad, and I walked the geyser loop and then watched Old Faithful
again. I didn’t get to do two things I wanted to do
unfortunately—walk up to Observation Point at the top of the hill
overlooking Old Faithful and watch Castle Geyser since it was
predicted to go off within a half hour. Oh well. I’ve just got to
learn how to handle not getting my way because it happens all of the
time. Now we’re heading back to the hotel to eat and possibly swim.
I’m not going to promise like last night, but I might write once more
tonight. If not, I will tomorrow on the way to our first
destination. Hasta luego!

July
9, 9:51 a.m.

It’s
a good thing that I didn’t promise to write last night. I just
didn’t feel like writing. For supper last night I had chicken
strips, mashed potatoes, mac and cheese, and a biscuit from KFC. KFC
in West Yellowstone is stupid; it doesn’t have snackers, and that is
what we all wanted. Now on to today. The bald eagle just held us up
for several minutes again. Now we’re finally back to normal speed.
Today we’re going to one cascade (Kepler), two waterfalls (Lewis and
Moose), one geyser basin (West Thumb), and Grand Teton National Park.
We’re still over 20 miles away from our first stop. Until then!

July
9, 3:07 p.m.

I
have a lot to write about. On the way to West Thumb Geyser Basin, we
stopped at Kepler Cascades and a spot that crosses the Continental
Divide and also has numerous lily pads. Next was West Thumb, which
is a sweet geyser basin adjacent to Yellowstone Lake. I was really
hungry by the time we finished there, so we stopped at nearby Grant
Village to eat lunch. It was a little pricey there, so I had the
cheapest meal, which was a quarter-pound hot dog with fires. It was
good, but a little bit too much to eat. The next stop was Lewis
Falls, which was quite an adventure. After taking some photos of the
falls, I told my mom that I was going to catch up to Eric on a trail.
While on that trail, Eric and I found a way to get really close to
the bottom of the waterfall. We took some photos, tried
unsuccessfully to self-timer a photo of us in front of the waterfall,
and went back to where our mom was. Turns out we were gone so long
that our dad had gone to look for us, which in turn made us have to
look for him. It was Sylvan Lake all over again (referring to a
similar episode at Sylvan Lake in the Black Hills of South Dakota).
The episode made our mom really crabby, so we decided to be
especially nice, which we should be anyway. Next we stopped at Moose
Falls, which none of us recall seeing in our previous Yellowstone
trips. It was really neat. I was able to go right up to both the
top and bottom of the waterfall. Now we’re on our way to the Grand
Tetons, and we’re encountering delays and construction yet again.
Later!

July
9, 7:19 p.m.

Time
to write about the Grand Tetons. First stop was Colter Bay where we
picked up some park information and went down to the bay. As always,
I had to step into the water, and as always, it was really cold.
Then on the way to Jenny Lake, we stopped at various overlooks of the
Teton Range. The scenery out there is incredible. We stopped at
another overlook called Jenny Lake Overlook where I once again went
in the water. The view was marvelous again. We made a quick stop at
the Jenny Lake Visitor Center and another overlook, and now we’re on
our way back to the hotel. We had to stop again for construction a
moment ago, but we got lucky and only had to wait two minutes.
That’s great because we’re trying to get back to West Yellowstone by
10 p.m because most—if not all—of the restaurants close by then.
It’s going to be quite a close call. And now, I’m done writing for
the night; I’ll update on supper tomorrow morning. Hasta mañana!

July
10, 9:58 a.m.

Well,
we made it back in time last night. Turns out McDonald’s is open
until midnight, so we could have made it back later. I had a double
cheeseburger and fries for supper. Now we’re on our way to Canyon
Village, stopping at some other places—Gibbon Falls, Monument
Geyser Basin, and Artists’ Paintpots—on the way. Soon we’re going
to hit some of the always lovely (not) construction. Adios!

July
10, 7:38 p.m.

It’s
been almost ten hours since I last wrote, so this should be quite
long. We started by going to the two places we skipped the second
day because of mosquitoes—Monument Geyser Basin and Artists’
Paintpots. Next we went over to Canyon and drove North Rim Drive,
stopping at all the trails and viewpoints. The first two—Brink of
Lower Falls Trail and Red Rock Point—were very difficult. The
former drops 600 feet in 3/8 of a mile, while the latter drops 500
feet in the same distance. The way down was easy, but the way back
up made me pant for breath. After those two difficult trails, it was
nice that the other trails were very short and easy. When we
finished driving North Rim Drive, we went to Canyon Village to eat at
the cafeteria. My meal of an egg roll, fried rice, carrot cake, and
chocolate milk was delicious—especially the cake—but expensive
($8.90). Worse, the rest of my family was way cheaper, which made me
look selfish and expensive. After lunch we walked the short Brink of
the Upper Falls trail and then drove the South Rim Drive, stopping at
all the trails and viewpoints. My dad, Eric, and I were looking
forward to Uncle Tom’s Trail because it consists of more than 300
steps and gives a spectacular view of Lower Falls. Unfortunately it
was closed due to falling rocks that had compromised the integrity of
the stairs. We still got to see both waterfalls—Upper and
Lower—and the canyon from several angles. The whole canyon area is
beautiful. After finishing South Rim Drive, we decided to go south
to see Sulphur Caldron, Mud Volcano, and Fishing Bridge. Mud
Volcano was especially interesting; on the half-mile loop we got
within a few feet of a buffalo. It was scary, but cool at the same
time. After checking out Fishing Bridge, we decided to take the long
way back to West Yellowstone that goes by Yellowstone Lake in order
to avoid the construction between Madison and Norris. We’re still
approximately 54 minutes from our hotel. Eric wants to swim, but
unless we’d skip supper—which I refuse to do—we won’t be able to.
It’s so nice to be basically done for the day. My legs hurt from so
much walking, and I am very badly sun-burnt. My forehead hurts from
sunburn, and I look like Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer. Great
stuff—especially since I have senior photos very soon. Hopefully I
don’t get much more burnt tomorrow on our last full day in
Yellowstone. This is long enough, so I’m done writing for the night.
Buenas noches!

July
11, 9:49 a.m.

Bald eagle time! How
exciting! Before I get to writing about today’s destinations, I’ll
write about last night. Though I was ridiculously sore and tired,
Eric talked me into going swimming with him. Meanwhile my dad walked
to Subway to get some subs. Mom and I shared a ham foot-long. Soon
after we went to bed, and luckily I fell asleep before my dad started
snoring. Now we’re on the way to Norris and stopped at the stupid—I
mean beautiful—bald eagle place. After we get through this, we’ll
have construction delays between Madison and Norris. Today we’re
going to Norris Geyser Basin, Roaring Mountain, Sheepeater Cliff, and
Mammoth Hot Springs. We’re hoping to finish earlier today, so we can
walk around West Yellowstone. Au revoir!

July
11, 7:08 p.m.

It’s been almost ten hours
again since I last wrote, and I only have approximately 20 minutes to
write. Our first stop was Norris Geyser Basin. Mom only walked a
little way, but Eric, our dad, and I walked a total of almost two
miles. My legs were sore from yesterday, and it was really hot out,
so it was a little difficult at times. The next stop was Roaring
Mountain. The mountain wasn’t steaming much, but there was a buffalo
on the other side of the road, which was cool but freaky as well.
Next was Sheepeater Cliff, which was really cool. It is a cliff of a
bunch of fallen rocks and rocks that are still in their original
formation that people can climb to the top of. I made it to the top
fairly easily. One part was difficult in that I had to put my knee
up on a rock, lift my other foot up, and support myself with
not-so-good grips on both hands. It’s kind of scary climbing up
because some of the rocks could be loose, and they could fall when
you’re on them. On the way to Mammoth Hot Springs, we also stopped
at a waterfall and a sweet bridge. When we got to Mammoth, we ate
lunch. I had the same as I did at Old Faithful—a cheeseburger,
fries, and a drink. After lunch we walked the Lower Terraces, Only
a couple of the terraces were active, but those that were active were
beautiful. After walking the paths, we crossed the street to look at
Opal Terrace. A few elk were there and my family and some strangers
were taking photos when a park ranger drove by in her red car and
yelled at us, saying that they were dangerous. Sorry, but I felt
more unsafe by the bison at Mud Volcano. Whatever. After that we
drove Upper Terrace Drive where there were more terraces and springs
to walk to and see. The Canary Spring area was especially beautiful.
After that drive, we went east a few miles to see Undine Falls and
then headed back for West Yellowstone. We got lucky with the road
construction again (I forgot to mention that we got lucky this
morning also). So much for the Madison-Norris construction being so
horrible! We just arrived in West Yellowstone. I’m assuming our
plans tonight are to walk the town, eat, and swim. Ciao!

July
12, 11:50 a.m.

I’ve put this entry off long
enough, and I need to do something or I’ll fall asleep. Last night
the boys went swimming while my mom and I went shopping in West
Yellowstone. In the first store we entered, I found some necklaces
with sweet pendants on them that would be great for hemp jewelry. I
decided to keep shopping and come back if I hadn’t bought much else.
We entered a few more stores, all the while searching for a store
that we liked last time we were in Yellowstone. We eventually found
it. Mom bought huckleberry jam, and I bought a grab bag. The grab
bag wasn’t the greatest (it was better last time), but it was only
four dollars so oh well. Next we went to the drink and snack stand
I’ve been wanting to buy an Italian cream soda from all week. I had
a huckleberry one, and it was really good. I love Italian sodas; I
want one now. Anyways, after that I went into the first store to buy
one of the necklaces while my mom stayed outside holding my cream
soda. I chose a pendant that has something that looks like a purple
flower inside. I plan on taking the pendant off and making a hemp
necklace with it. When I went to pay, I took out six dollars, gave
it to the man at the cash register, and said something like “Here’s
the six dollars. I’ll get the change out.” He told me to forget
about the change. Granted the change was only 17 cents, but that was
still really nice. We went back to the hotel then, and I drank my
Italian soda and used the laptop while my dad went to get pizza. He
brought back a Canadian bacon pizza from Pete’s Rocky Mountain Pizza
Co., which was delicious. That’s about all that happened last night.
This morning we checked out of the hotel and drove over to the
Yellowstone National Park sign to get photos in front of it. Then we
drove over to an Old West photo place that we went to last time we
were in Yellowstone. Mom and I dressed up as saloon girls, and the
boys dressed up as outlaws. Dad held a rifle, Eric held two pistols,
Mom held nothing, and I held a whiskey bottle. I know; that sounds
just like me, After that we took off for Billings by the way of
US-181. We’re going to stop in Bozeman to go to Macy’s and to eat
too I think, Until then!

July
12, 3:08 p.m.

I’m getting lazy with
journaling. We’ve been out of Bozeman for a long time, but I didn’t
feel like writing. Like I wrote earlier, we went to Macy’s. Mom
tried to find me a dress for senior pictures, but she couldn’t find
anything. I did buy three shirts (as if I actually needed more
clothes). Meanwhile a storm moved in, so we decided to hurry out of
town as fast as possible, which meant that I had to find somewhere to
eat quickly. The first place I saw (other than Taco Bell, which I
did not want) was Burger King, so we went there. I had a Whopper Jr.
and fries. Now we’re about a half hour away from Billings (according
to Myrtle, our GPS), and I’m planning on listening to my iPod and
staring out the window as long as I’m actually able to stay awake.
Arrivederci!

July
13, 11:22 a.m.

I’m
finally making another update. Last evening was interesting to say
the least. I thought we were going to go to ZooMontana in the
morning, but we went yesterday, so we could get home earlier. It was
miserable at the zoo; the temperature was almost 100 degrees. The
zoo itself was just all right. There were peacocks all over the
place (some mating), which was cool. After the zoo, we went to Best
Buy because Eric wanted to finally be modern in his music listening
and buy a 32 GB iPod Touch. They were sold out, but we spotted a
Walmart nearby to check at. Before going there, we went to the mall
to check out the store with sock monkey stuff. Unfortunately
everything was way too expensive, so I didn’t buy anything. Then we
drove over to Walmart where Eric bought his iPod and a case. I
looked at the case and told Eric that he probably wanted a different
one with a belt clip on it. Thus we went back to Best Buy where he
found one. Next we checked in at the hotel, checked the radar, and
decided to go mini-golfing. Remember how mini golf didn’t happen the
first night? Well, it didn’t happen again. The place closes really
early on Sundays. We couldn’t go today either because it didn’t open
up until 1 p.m. I just realized that I forgot to mention that
between the zoo and Best Buy, I started to feel sick, which is
important in the rest of the night’s events. So with a stomachache,
I had to order from Del Taco for supper. I ordered a chicken soft
taco and a churro. The taco was smaller than I expected, and I was
starting to feel better while I was eating, so I was still really
hungry afterward. Then I went swimming with Eric. Well, it was more
like standing in the water because I wasn’t feeling well again. I
didn’t stay very long. At 9 p.m., we went to Raid the Refrigerator
(something the hotel holds every night), and I had two cookies.
That’s about it for last night. This morning I had the same thing as
last time for breakfast at the hotel. We checked out and headed for
Pompey’s Pillar where William Clark carved his name in rock. We
didn’t stay long because all of us want to get home quickly—my
parents because of bad weather, Eric because of his iPod, and me
because of the Home Run Derby. Go Albert Pujols! Right now Myrtle
says that we are four hours and 37 minutes from home. With no stops
and adding an hour because of a time zone change, we’d get home
around 5:30 p.m. There will be some stops for food, gas, and the
bathroom, though. As long as we are home by seven (when the Home Run
Derby starts), I’m fine. Adios!

July
13, 2:13 p.m.

All that has really happened
since last entry is eating and driving, In Miles City, the boys got
a pepperoni pizza from Little Caesar’s, and I had two pieces of it.
I also had a crispy taco and some of my mom’s nachos from Taco
John’s. That’s about all there is to write. I’ve just been
listening to my iPod and staring out the window. Shalom!

July
13, 4:18 p.m.

This entry will be primarily
focused on closing comments. First I’ll mention that on the way
home, I got an ice cream cone from McDonald’s. Second we’re now less
than an hour away from home. Now on to my closing comments. Overall
I had a really good time on this vacation. I don’t really want to go
home; I’d love to stay in the mountains and forests. I’m not a huge
fan of North Dakota scenery except for the very west. Yellowstone
scenery reigns far supreme over everything in North Dakota. It is
beautiful and fascinating, as evident by my several hundred photos.
There were two thoughts that constantly entered my mind when looking
at the scenery—whether it be geysers, waterfalls, canyons,
mountains, forests, or so on. First I felt horribly small. In an
urban area, it’s not a common feeling, but out in nature, it’s a
different story. I’m so small in comparison with Yellowstone (and
far more, the universe), but God loves and cares for me nonetheless.
That brings me to the second feeling. I wondered how people who
believe in evolution and the Big Bang and not God could possibly
think that all of Yellowstone (and the whole universe for that
matter) could possibly have come about by a series of random
accidents. As one who believes in God as the Creator and Sustainer
of everything, the grandeur of Yellowstone speaks clearly to me about
God’s majesty and glory. I don’t want to leave such a place. I hope
to return soon, but with me going off to college in a little over a
year, I don’t know how feasible that is. Well, that’s about all I’ve
got to say. I’ll write one final entry the second we get home.
Hasta pronto!

July
13, 5:21 p.m.

We’re home!

]]> http://bripoeticjustice.wordpress.com/2009/07/14/bris-2009-yellowstone-travel-journal/feed/ 0 Bri http://bripoeticjustice.wordpress.com/2008/12/11/talking-about-youtube-tim-tebow-story-2007-heisman-trophy-speech/ http://bripoeticjustice.wordpress.com/2008/12/11/talking-about-youtube-tim-tebow-story-2007-heisman-trophy-speech/#comments Fri, 12 Dec 2008 00:34:01 +0000 Bri http://bripoeticjustice.wordpress.com/2008/12/11/talking-about-youtube-tim-tebow-story-2007-heisman-trophy-speech ]]>

 Go Tebow!

Talking about YouTube – Tim Tebow – Story & 2007 Heisman Trophy Speech
 

]]> http://bripoeticjustice.wordpress.com/2008/12/11/talking-about-youtube-tim-tebow-story-2007-heisman-trophy-speech/feed/ 0 Bri http://bripoeticjustice.wordpress.com/2008/11/09/talking-about-youtube-the-shocking-youth-message-paul-washer/ http://bripoeticjustice.wordpress.com/2008/11/09/talking-about-youtube-the-shocking-youth-message-paul-washer/#comments Sun, 09 Nov 2008 22:56:32 +0000 Bri http://bripoeticjustice.wordpress.com/2008/11/09/talking-about-youtube-the-shocking-youth-message-paul-washer Continue reading →]]>

If you’re young and you call yourself a Christian, you better have a listen to this sermon by Paul Washer. What you hear might be a shock to you because it’s so radically different from anything you’ve ever been told. Consider Washer’s words carefully and examine yourself. That’s my challenge to you.

YouTube – The Shocking Youth Message (Paul Washer)
   

]]> http://bripoeticjustice.wordpress.com/2008/11/09/talking-about-youtube-the-shocking-youth-message-paul-washer/feed/ 0 Bri http://bripoeticjustice.wordpress.com/2008/10/22/visitor-information-poll/ http://bripoeticjustice.wordpress.com/2008/10/22/visitor-information-poll/#comments Wed, 22 Oct 2008 23:22:49 +0000 Bri http://bripoeticjustice.wordpress.com/2008/10/22/visitor-information-poll ]]> Please take my visitor information poll. It is only 10 questions long and it won’t take long. I appreciate everyone’s response.

Click here to take it.

Thanks!

Here’s a little something I had to write for A.P. English 11.  If you notice some symbolism and allegory in this piece, it’s because I intended for it to be entirely symbolic.

The
Maze of Darkness

            Esperanza’s
dream had been especially lucid. 
She felt as if it was all real—the seemingly never-ending maze with its
immeasurable amount of dead-ends, its inescapable darkness, and its many
obstacles awaiting her at every turn. 
She had simply been living life and searching for pleasure when her
dream world’s light began to vanish.  The
darkness augmented and, at once, she found herself at the beginning of a
maze.  She turned around and there was a
wall behind her.  There was only one way
to go.  “How bizarre,” she
thought.

            She
began to walk forward through the maze, turning randomly and hoping for the
best.  After a while, she met a man,
dressed in all black, who said, “I can show you the way out, if you only will
follow me.”  She had never been a fastidious
person so, instead of contemplating her choices, she blindly followed the man.

            They
walked for what seemed like hours until finally they stopped at a dead
end.  Before Esperanza could ask what
they were to do, the man had vanished and she was all alone, weary from the
long walk and frightened that she would never find the way out.  As she sat down to cry, she thought, “Why do
I have to be such a gullible person?”

            As
her tears fell to the rocky ground, another man approached.  This man was adorned in all white
garments.  He said, “I can show you the
way out of this darkness and bring you back to the light.  Just take my hand and I will lead you.”  Even though the offer seemed good, Esperanza
did not want to accept.  She feared a repeat
of what had just happened to her.  “But
this man seems different from the other one," she thought.  "He seems sublime, while that
other man seemed suspicious.”

            “All
right, I guess,” she said as she rose to her feet and took his hand.  At once, the darkness dissipated and she saw
the exit before her.  The man smiled and
said, “I will be there whenever you need me.” 
Just then, she awoke from her sleep. 
She whispered the word “wow” and began the day anew.

First, do you consider yourself a Christian?: YES, I’m saved by grace through faith.
If not…
What religion/faith do you associate yourself with?: N/A
What are your views on Christianity?: N/A
What are you views on Christians?: N/A
If you are a Christian (even if you’re not you can answer these)
What denomination to you associate yourself with: Reformed
Do you listen to only Christian music?: YEAH
What are your views on Secular music?: Secular music is, for the most part, sinful and ungodly and shouldn’t be listened to by Christians. Some isn’t that bad, but Christians should listen to God-glorifying music.
Synopsis of your views on abortion?: I’m definitely pro-life. Abortion is murder.
Separation of church and state?: Separation of church and state has become stupid. Because of it, now atheism is basically the official religion of this country. That doesn’t seem like separation either.
Gay Marriage? (i know, its orriginal, just wait): It’s wrong. The Bible clearly speaks against it.
Evolution?: Evolution is one of the biggest lies ever made. It sounds incredibly dumb too. I don’t know how anyone can believe it.
The Holy Spirit?: What about it? I believe that the Holy Spirit is the third person of the Holy Trinity.
How old do you think the earth is?: You can laugh at me but somewhere between 6,000 and 7,500 years. I believe radiometric dating is flawed. Call me crazy; I don’t care. I believe the Bible is infallible.
Speaking in Tongues?: I haven’t done extensive study on the gifts of the Spirit, but I believe they have ceased.
Do you believe that once you’re saved you’re always saved?: If you were truly saved, then yes. It’s called Perseverance of the Saints and it’s clearly found throughout the Bible.
Is there free will?: The more I learn about God’s soverignty, the more I believe that free will is an illusion. We definitely have no free will when it comes to salvation. God chooses us.
Your opinions on healing?: Again, I haven’t really studied healing extensively and I’ve never experienced a healing at any time. Therefore, I don’t really have an opinion.
Is it ok to kiss before marriage?: I guess so, but no further than kissing.
Views on purity?: Premarital sex is wrong. People should remain a virgin until marriage.
End times?: I have never really studied Eschatology so I’m not sure what exactly I believe and what is biblical. All I know is Jesus is coming back and by the looks of things…
End times continued? (if needed): …maybe very soon.
Pre, Post or Mid trib rapture?: No idea. Like I said above, I don’t know enough about Eschatology to have an opinion.
Do you think that this generation (the millenials) will change the world?: Yes
Why or why not?: I think this generation will change the world in a bad way by making it become even more sinful and even more deceived. I look at other teenagers and that seems possible.
Tithing?: I don’t think there’s a required amount today, but I do believe we should tithe generously.
Have you read 40 days of Purpose?: Nope
Favorite worship song?: Hmm.. I’m not sure, but "God of Wonders" is what popped into my head and that’s definitely one of my favorites.
Views on Media?: The media is leading this generation astray with its promotion of money, sex, looks, popularity, etc.
Do you agree that Jesus is the only way to God?: Yes
Why or why not?: "I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me." (John 14:6)
Do you believe that many Christians or "Christians" are hypocritical?: Yes, definitely. Those who are hypocritical really give nonbelievers a bad, incorrect view of Christianity.
Is it necessary to attend church?: It’s not like attending church is necessary for salvation, but all believers really should be a part of a church so they get fellowship with other believers.
Views on home church?: I don’t think the type of church matters as long as it’s teaching biblical doctrine.
How powerful is prayer?: Very
Your opinions on TV evangelists?: Almost all of them are greedy prosperity gospel preachers with false, heretical doctrine.
Your views on tolerance?: Tolerance of what?
Is it necessary to read the Bible every day?: Yes
Why or why not?: God’s Word is so crucial to the Christian. Through it, we learn about God, grow in holiness, learn what good and bad behavior is, and are strengthened against temptation.
Should Christians drink?: Christians can drink, but not excessively. And if their drinking is a stumbling block to other believers or it hinders their witness, they shouldn’t drink.
Smoke?: My views on smoking are about the same as above. I don’t think it’s necesarily bad in itself, but I don’t recommend it to anyone because of its effects.
What is the worst Christian cliche?: "Pray this prayer and you’ll be saved."
What Bible verse has been so overquoted that it has lost its meaning to you: John 3:16
Are you going to go re-read it now?: No, I’m going to finish this.
Any other comments about Christianity?: Since this survey didn’t mention witnessing, I’ll just add that following the Great Commission is so important. All Christians should share their faith.

Fill out this survey yourself
Find a different survey
Brought to you by Bzoink
]]> http://bripoeticjustice.wordpress.com/2008/08/23/christian-theology-and-opinions-of-and-just-some-random-questions/feed/ 1 Bri http://bripoeticjustice.wordpress.com/2008/08/03/whats-going-on/ http://bripoeticjustice.wordpress.com/2008/08/03/whats-going-on/#comments Mon, 04 Aug 2008 02:53:05 +0000 Bri http://bripoeticjustice.wordpress.com/2008/08/03/whats-going-on Continue reading →]]> Just a little update on what’s been going on and what’s coming up next for me:

July 13th-18th:
I was at Business Challenge, which is a week-long program dealing with business and entrepreneurship held at Dickinson State University.  The days were filled with activities and they didn’t leave a lot of time for sleep so I was really worn down by the end of the week.  I had a great time for the most part, though.  Some of the speakers and activities were boring, but overall, Business Challenge was fun.

July 18th-19th:
My family went to Medora since it’s so close to Dickinson.  We watched the magic/music/comedy show put on by Bill Sorenson and Mylo Hatzenbuhler.  I’ve seen the show plenty times, but it’s still good.  I got to eat at the Cowboy Cafe.  I love that place; I get soup every single time I go there.  We also went to the national park, which is usually really fun, but I was extremely tired from the week, I wasn’t feeling well, and my arm was hurting from the night before when I hurt it going down the waterslide at our hotel.

July 24th-25th:
My dad and I went to the State Fair.  It’s kind of boring with him because we don’t go on any rides or play any carnival games.  We just eat, watch free shows, and walk around.  But I had a great time because I got to go to the Casting Crowns concert, which was my first Christian concert since I truly got saved.  The concert was amazing.  The only negative was that I had to stand for four straight hours (one standing in line, one before the concert, and two during the concert), but it was worth it because I was right in front of the stage where guitarist Hector Cervantes stood.  I was right by the speakers too.  It was strange because I could feel the bass running through me.  I hope the State Fair people bring back a Christian artist next year because it was awesome.

July 31st:
I got my wisdom teeth exracted.  I had been freaking out about it ever since I found out I was getting them extracted and each day closer to the 31st, I got even more nervous.  But I had no reason to be nervous.  God is so good.  I should’ve just trusted in Him all along because He made it go so incredibly smooth.  Today is the fourth day and I’ve hardly had any pain and swelling at all.  The only real problem has been the inconvenience.  I hated having to put ice on for 20 minutes, take it off for 10, put it back on for 20, and so on.  I hated having to eat soft foods.  When you’re hungry, you don’t want to eat applesauce, pudding, jello, etc. because they aren’t very filling nor appetizing if they’re all you’ve been eating for a few days.  Unless the areas where my teeth were removed get infected, everything should be fine and I should be almost back to normal by mid-week.

August 14th-19th:
Since we couldn’t make it to Orlando, my parents decided to take us to the Black Hills and give us money (which I used partially on a new camera today, a Canon PowerShot 1100IS).  I’ve been to the Black Hills so many times, but I’m really looking forward to it.  I’m especially looking forward to eating at Culver’s, climbing at Custer State Park, and along with my brother, beating Mom and Dad at the maze.  The latter of which should be no problem whatsoever considering how badly we beat them last time.

August 21st:
School starts!  I’m not looking forward to it one bit.  I can’t stand school.  Maybe I’ll actually make some friends this year and it’ll be a great year because of that.  Or maybe that’s just the same optimistic thought that went nowhere ever since 7th grade.  I’ve got to be optimistic and keep a positive attitude, though.  It’s going to be a tough year.  I’m taking Chemistry, Spanish III, AP English 11, AP U.S. History, Physical Education 11, Ecology, Arts & Crafts, Web Page Design, and Pre-Calculus.  Plus, I definitely need to join more clubs than just Spanish Club this year.

Well, I think that’s just about it.  God bless!

My point here is, if you’re truly saved, you will be changed and it will be evident to others.  If you think you’re saved and you’re no different than you were before you were saved, there’s something wrong.  Examine yourself to see if you’re really in the faith.

I’m keeping all my blog entries up because I feel no need to cover up my past.  Rather, I will let the past remain on here to show just how amazing and glorious God is and how He changes those who love Him.

God bless,
Bri
]]> http://bripoeticjustice.wordpress.com/2008/07/03/looking-back/feed/ 0 Bri http://bripoeticjustice.wordpress.com/2008/07/02/minneapolis-2008-travel-journal/ http://bripoeticjustice.wordpress.com/2008/07/02/minneapolis-2008-travel-journal/#comments Wed, 02 Jul 2008 22:21:20 +0000 Bri http://bripoeticjustice.wordpress.com/2008/07/02/minneapolis-2008-travel-journal Continue reading →]]>

26 de Junio, 1:10 p.m.
            How could I
not kick this off with Spanish?  How
could you expect anything else from la mujer que le gusta hablar español—i.e.
for those unfortunate people who do not speak Spanish, “the woman that likes to
speak Spanish”?

            But anyway,
this trip started in the usual fashion.  We
planned to leave at ten o’clock—I was ready to leave then—but we did not leave
until around 11:20.  How typical.  Why my dad decides to pack all his stuff in
the morning, I do not know.  Smart
people—like me—pack the night before.

            We have
been on the road for approximately two hours. 
That time has consisted of reading My Utmost for His Highest—a
great book that you should buy if you do not have it—and my 2-week Bible
reading plan’s daily reading, which was Exodus 20—that would be the Ten
Commandments if you do not know.  I also
listened to the fifth sermon in a series of six by John Piper entitled Thinking and Feeling with
God.  And now I am
listening to Fight of my Life by Kirk Franklin.  There is a stupid story with that CD.  I got it for my birthday last year, but I
have only listened to a few songs, not the whole thing.  I do that with far too many CDs.  I guess you could say I have far too much
music.  Let’s face it; I am addicted to
music.  Do not get me wrong there; music
is not the most important thing in my life—God is.  However, I do love it a lot.  I have no musical talent whatsoever, but I
love listening to music—Christian music ONLY. 
Yeah, you read correctly; I only listen to Christian music.  Most secular music is horrible.  I cannot listen to such garbage.  My music has to glorify God.

            But enough
blabbing about music from me.  It is
about time for lunch and I just want to relax until then.

June 26, 1:36 p.m.
            Hooray!  Road construction!  I want lunch NOW!  Ah… let’s just postpone lunch by having to
drive slowly.  Yep.  But I said I would relax.  There I go never doing what I say.  I better shut up now.

June 26, 3:20 p.m.
            I wanted
KFC for lunch, but we could not find one so I settled with A&W.  Maybe I shouldn’t use the word “settled”
because I love A&W.  But anyway, I
got a Coney dog and fries.  Try eating a Coney
dog in a vehicle without dropping chili and onions all over.  It is sure not easy.  I dropped an onion—a hot onion to be exact—on
my arm.  It was a good Coney dog, though,
so that little inconvenience was no big deal.

            After
lunch, we continued driving and as we crossed the Red River, I cheered because
that meant we were in Minnesota and out of North Dakota.  I hate North
Dakota!  Minnesota pwns—if you
have no knowledge of gaming terms, that means “owns”.

            Well, Eric
finished writing in his journal so I should probably stop too.  My journal dominates his!  No question about it.

            Time to
watch Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom.  I have recently become a fan of Indy and Temple of Doom is the only one I have not
seen.  Eric says it is bad, but I will
have to see about that.

June 26, 6:26 p.m.
            Well, that
Indiana Jones was interesting y un poco (and a little bit) strange.  It wasn’t bad like Eric said, but I like the
other Indiana
movies better.

            Wow, it
took ten minutes to write two sentences. 
Eric is really distracting me.  He
is really annoying everyone, but like always, my parents aren’t really doing
anything about it.

            Well, this
entry is going nowhere.  Time to turn on
my iPod to block out Eric’s annoyingness.

June 26, 9:53 p.m.
            Ah… Culver’s
at last!  Mouthwatering chicken
tenders.  Delicious mashed potatoes.  Thirst-quenching root beer.  Yum! 
Culver’s is the king of the fast food world and I sure missed it.  I last had Culver’s last August in Aberdeen—almost a year
ago.

            While
eating my amazing Culver’s food, I watched So You Think You Can Dance.  I saw Dominic perform with his b-boy crew
Quest and my favorites—Twitch and Joshua—remained in the competition.

            And now I
am watching the NBA Draft.  Why do I
watch the draft since I do not watch the NBA? 
I have no clue.  I just do.  I love seeing my Jayhawks, Tar Heels and
Wildcats players get drafted.  Too bad
Darrell Arthur fell so far.  And Mario
Chalmers in the second round?  Come
on!  Did you see him win the title for
KU?  He was amazing!  Rock chalk Jayhawk!

June 27, 10:21 p.m.
            Last night
was a night of little to no sleep.  First
off, I could not fall asleep partially because I was hot and partially because
I have trouble sleeping in hotels.  Then,
to make matters worse, the “snore king”—my dad—began snoring and making his
annoying “puh” noises.  I finally became
so frustrated that I got up and woke him up. 
But soon after, someone—I have no idea if it was Dad or Eric—began
snoring even louder.  I endured the
snoring and after trying to sleep in virtually every position and in every
possible combination of blankets and sheets, I finally fell asleep.

            And so it
was a good beginning to the day… not.

            Nothing
exciting happened while getting ready for the day or during breakfast so I
won’t elaborate on that.

            Today was
Mall of America day—not really shopping today (that will come tomorrow), but
Nickelodeon Universe.

            We started
out by riding the Pepsi Orange Streak.  I
should clarify; “we” means Eric and me. 
Mom is too chicken for even the easiest ride and Dad doesn’t really like
rides.  Not that Eric and I are much
better; the Orange Streak was the only one of the four roller coasters there
that we went on.  We filled the rest of
the morning with Ghostblasters, Log Chute, Danny Phantom Ghost Zone, El Circulo
del Cielo and more Orange Streak.

            And then it
was time for lunch.  Deciding where to
eat was a no-brainer for us—Villa Pizza. 
The boys had Villa Pizza a few years back in Sioux Falls and fell in love with it.

            I knew I
wanted pepperoni pizza, but deciding on a side was challenging because there
were several good ones.  I finally went
with steamed vegetables.  It was
delicious, but expensive—$7.49 for a slice of pizza, a side and a drink.

            After
lunch, I wasn’t ready to go back on rides right away because I was full.  So Mom and I went to Macy’s.  I bought three tops with interesting
patterns.  After that, we went to Old
Navy to find a top to layer under one of the Macy’s tops.  Then we ordered an airbrush T-shirt with a
skyline and “Bri” in blue.  Finally, it
was time to rejoin the boys.

            Eric and I
went on rides for a few more hours and by the end, I really wanted to leave for
a few reasons.  First, Eric and I do not
ride a wide variety of rides so we repeated them several times.  Second, I was bored.  Third, I was tired.  Fourth, my eyes hurt.  Fifth, my feet hurt.  Yep, I am such a complainer.

            When we
finally left, we headed back to Lakeville. 
We got Culver’s for supper.  What
a surprise!  I shared a value basket
consisting of a sourdough melt, coleslaw and root beer with Mom and got a
Flavor of the Day custard, which was peanut butter cup.  Did I mention I love Culver’s?

            After
eating, I went in the pool for about 15 minutes.  I didn’t swim—I walked inside the pool—but
the pool temperature was lovely so I stayed warm.

            And now
here I am finally getting around to this. 
I have been writing for 40 minutes. 
I should probably quit.

            Twins
tomorrow!  The Brewers are goin’ down!

June 28, 11:25 p.m.
            Well, the
Brewers didn’t go down; they kicked some Twins butt.  But before I get to that…

            The day
started at the mall.  We went to
Underwater Adventures first.  Normally, I
take several photos there, but I only took two because the battery in my camera
was low and I needed the spare for the game.

            After that,
Eric and I played mini golf.  Let’s just
say that no one could mistake me for Tiger Woods.  Eric dominated me and I shot well over
par.  Of well, life isn’t all about
winning—though I love to win.  I just
wish Eric wouldn’t have rubbed the loss in so much.

            After
golfing, we ate lunch at Taco Bell.  I
shared a Big Box with my dad.  It was
nothing special, but at least I got one of the three non-diet pops (that I can
think of) that I actually drink—Baja Blast. 
I love that stuff!

            When lunch
was over, we split up.  Mom and I went
shopping and the boys did who knows what. 
I am not your typical girl when it comes to shopping.  All I bought were one pair of Old Navy
flip-flops for $1 and two more tops from Macy’s for $5 each.

            At 3:45, we
met at the exit by the parking ramp and the Metro Transit station.  After putting some things in the van, we
joined the numerous other baseball fans at the transit station.  After waiting for a while, we got our tickets
and boarded the train to the Metrodome. 
We had to stand the entire way, as there were no seats remaining.  Plus, it was very crowded in the train.

            When we finally
arrived at the Metrodome, we picked up our tickets and went inside.  And to our surprise, we actually got Michael
Cuddyer Wind-Up Walkers.  We didn’t think
we were among the first 10,000 fans.  We
also got buttons that read “Step up to the plate.  Vote Mauer and Morneau in ’08”.

            Unfortunately,
the game did not go well.  The Brewers
scored five runs in the first three innings and the Twins didn’t score until
Jason Kubel hit a solo home run in the 9^th.  Other than the home run, the only other good
things the Twins did were two spectacular catches.  While I was getting popcorn, Livan
Hernandez—the pitcher caught a ball.  A
bit later, my favorite player—Carlos “Go-Go” Gomez—made a catch to prevent a
home run.  I actually saw that one
thankfully.

            I should
mention one more little tidbit about the game. 
There were tons of Brewers fans there. 
I would estimate that the crowd of 38,693 was one-third Brewers fans.  And those fans were much louder than the
Twins fans so it felt like I was at a Brewers game instead of a Twins game.

            After the
game, it was time for the best part of the Metrodome experience—being blown out
of the Dome.  Because of the difference
in air pressure between inside and outside, you get blown out.  It is so much fun!

            Then it was
time to wait forever to get on the train back to the mall.  It took a while, but not as long as
expected.  And again—but even worse this
time—we were packed like sardines.  This
time, however, I actually was able to sit part of the way because by the time
we neared the mall, the train had cleared a bit.

            Well, I had
better end this.  I have been writing for
almost a half hour and everyone is trying to fall asleep.  I need my “Zs” as well.

June 29, 9:13 p.m.
            Today was
completely consumed by the Minnesota Zoo. 
We started out by watching the 11 a.m. bird show.  It’s a good show, but I’ve seen it several
times.  Afterwards, we walked the
Northern Trail outside since it wasn’t very hot yet.  That trail includes the exhibits of the new Russia’s Grizzly Coast.  It was nice, but far too crowded.  Never go to the Minnesota Zoo on a
Sunday.  There are far too many people.

            After the
Northern Trail, we headed inside to eat lunch. 
Dad, Eric and I ate at Tiger Wok—an Asian place.  I had cashew chicken, sweet and sour chicken
and fried rice.  It was good, but though
I had felt hungry earlier, I wasn’t very hungry.  Plus, I ate slowly so it got cold by the time
it neared the end so I didn’t finish it.

            When we
finished eating, the next dolphin show was about to start so we went there and
attempted to find seats.  It was packed
tight in there by the time the show started, but we managed to find some
seats.  Again, it’s a good show, but I’ve
seen it several times.

            Next, we
walked the indoor trails, starting with the Minnesota Trail because it looked
less crowded.  Whether it was or not, I
do not know because it was still extremely crowded.  It is a nice trail, though.  It has both inside and outside components to
it.

            After the
Minnesota Trail, we moved on to the Tropics Trail.  Normally, that trail is very nice, but
because of the crowd, I didn’t enjoy it very much.  At the end of the trail is the butterfly
garden.  Normally it is very peaceful in
there, but it was a bit more chaotic today. 
I still liked it a lot, though.  A
butterfly even landed on my shoulder.

            We spent
only a short time at Discovery
Bay—I only scanned
through the exhibits and touched a couple sea anemones in the water—before
heading upstairs to the monorail station. 
I guess several others had the same idea because by the time the
monorail arrived, the station was packed. 
Therefore, so was the monorail. 
Our cabin was full, but I didn’t feel squished.

            After the
monorail, all that was left to see was the farm.  Mom and I walked there while the boys rode
the farm wagon.  Unfortunately, the goat
contact area had closed earlier so we didn’t get to go inside the goat exhibit
and play with the goats.  It was really
fun last year so we, especially Eric—he loves goats—wanted to go in.  But oh well. 
We still were able to see the goats.

            We stayed
at the farm for a short time because it was almost closing time.  Before we left the zoo, Mom and I went inside
the gift shop.  I bought a giraffe
carving and a rain stick for my safari-themed bedroom.

            When we got
back to the hotel, we ordered a large sausage pizza from Domino’s for
supper.  And like always, I did not get
my way with the crust type.  I like thin
crust, but my dad thinks it’s a waste of money.

            Well, my
Culver’s custard is here so I will continue this in a bit.

June 29, 10:32 p.m.
            Yummy
chocolate éclair custard.  Too bad it is
probably my last Culver’s of the trip and my last Culver’s for who knows how
long.

            Tomorrow we
are going to the Como Zoo and the Twins-Tigers game.  Unfortunately, my second favorite player
Michael Cuddyer was placed on the DL today.

            The Tigers
are goin’ down!  And I will be correct
this time!

July 1, 11:12 a.m.
            Due to
getting back to the hotel late last night and procrastination and laziness this
morning, I haven’t gotten around to writing about yesterday until now.

            The day
started at the Como Zoo.  The first thing
was the butterfly garden.  I had been to
the butterfly garden at the other zoo, but I still enjoyed it a lot.  Unfortunately, no butterflies landed on me this
time.

            After the
butterfly garden, we checked out the rest of the zoo.  The best part was probably the gorilla
exhibit and the worst part is that we didn’t get to see the Sparky the Sea Lion
Show.  It occurs six days a week and we
just had to go to the zoo on Monday, the only day of the week without a show.

            When we
finished walking the zoo, we headed over to the Conservatory next to the
zoo.  That place is beautiful, especially
the Japanese Garden. 
Too bad there were several people in the Conservatory.  It can be so peaceful and relaxing in there
if there aren’t many people—the perfect place for writing, photography and just
reflecting.  It wasn’t too bad, however;
I just didn’t get to take as many photos as I would have liked.

            After the
Conservatory, we were finished at Como
Park so we headed back to
the mall to eat a late lunch and pass a bit of time before catching the train
to the Metrodome.  I ate at Taco Bell
again.  This time I had a mango-strawberry
Frutista Freeze and a cheese roll-up and I shared a Mexican pizza with my mom.

            We still
had some time to kill before boarding the transit so Mom and I walked around
again, starting at Barnes and Noble.  I
love that store, but it was annoying in there with Mom.  Since I wasn’t specifically looking for
anything, she wanted to leave.  After a
stupid, argument, we did leave.  Then, my
mom wanted to find Hollister for whatever reason.  However, I had no desire to go in there.  I could care less about brand names like
Hollister and American Eagle.  Seriously,
I get most of my clothes off sale and clearance racks at Kohl’s and similar
stores.  Why spend more money just to get
clothes that everyone else deems cool?

            But anyway,
back to yesterday.  We were supposed to
meet the boys at the entrance we always entered through at 4:45.  As usual, Mom and I were there early and the
boys were late.  They just can’t quite
grasp the concept of listening and being on time.

            When they
finally came, we went to the Metro Transit station to board the train.  This time around, it was far less crowded
because the number of Tigers fans was nowhere near the number of Brewers fans
on Saturday and because it was a Monday game.

            After
arriving at the Metrodome, we walked the plaza and took photos outside.  When that was through, we went inside to find
that the Tigers were doing batting practice. 
That was a scary experience, being that we were in row 7 of the Home Run
Porch and none of us had gloves.  The
ball got close to me a few times and once, another fan hit my already-bent
glasses and bent them a bit more.  But
other than that, batting practice ended with us being unharmed.

            Before the
game started, Mom and I bought peanuts and nachos to share and pop.  Food and drinks are very expensive at the
Metrodome.  Plus, they took the cap of my
Diet Coke.  I understand that they are
supposed to do that with all bottle caps, but still… I wanted my three Coke
Rewards points.  Now they’ll probably be
thrown out with the rest of the codes on the caps.  Imagine how many Coke Rewards points you
could accumulate in a season if you took every cap they took off.  Wow.

            Now to the
actual game.  This one looked like it
would be a complete 180 from Saturday’s game. 
The Twins built a lead, but the Tigers rallied to take a 5-4 lead
heading into the bottom of the 9^th. 
In the bottom of the 9^th, the Twins has two men on with two
outs and Joe Mauer at the plate.

            I was
feeling confident about our chances, but Joe Mauer grounded out to end the game
and give the Tigers their 18^th win in 22 games.  It is unfortunate that both games we went to
were losses since the Twins have been hot lately.  I was hoping that the all-time record of the
Twins while I was at the game would be 3-0—I saw them beat the Indians last
season—but now it is 1-2.

            But one fun
part of the Metrodome experience remained. 
I bet you know what’s coming. 
Being blown out of the Dome!  It
might not be a good experience for many, but I love it.  Unfortunately, last night might have been my
last time experiencing it ever.  The
Twins are moving to a new stadium soon so my only chance would probably be to
see a Vikings games and I don’t think that is going to happen.

            After being
blown out, we went into the line for the train. 
It was short, but there was a problem; our six-hour tickets had expired
just a few minutes prior.  A man checked
our tickets and let us go through even though our tickets expired about 11
minutes previous.

            We got on
the very first train that arrived while we were waiting and Eric and I even got
seats.  That was a big change from the
Saturday game and last year’s game.  It
was nice not waiting long and not having to stand.

            The train
arrived at the mall shortly after 11 p.m. and by the time we returned to the
hotel in Lakeville, it was shortly after 11:30 p.m. and I still needed to get
ready for bed.  It was easily after
midnight when I finally went to bed.  A
long day it was.

            I should
break up yesterday and today so far into two entries so I am going to close
this and take a break.

July 1, 1:00 p.m.
            Time for a
summary of the day so far.  This should
not be very exciting.  I repeat; this
should not be very exciting.

            The day
started with my usual routine—get up, take a shower, brush my teeth, dry my
hair, put on makeup, and so on. 
Exciting, I know.  When I was done
with the exception of straightening my hair, my mom brought the hotel breakfast
back to the room for me.  I ate breakfast
while reading the newspaper and then I straightened my hair and started packing
my things.

            After
loading the van and checking out of the hotel, we headed for home.  We’ve been driving for a long while now and
it feels like we’ve hardly gotten any closer to home.  It sure didn’t help that for a long time
around Albertville
on the interstate, only one lane was open and traffic was very slow moving.

            To pass
time, so far I’ve written in my journal, stared out the window, listened to
music and read Job 38 and My Utmost for His Highest.  I’m going to stop writing now and I’m not
sure what I’ll do next—probably just relax and listen to music until we stop
for lunch.

July 1, 4:50 p.m.
            On the road
again…hooray!  Since I last wrote, I ate
lunch and went to the Scheels in Fargo,
which happens to be the world’s largest sporting goods store.

            Eric wanted
to eat lunch at Olive Garden, but I wanted IHOP.  Last summer on vacation to Minneapolis, I said we had to ear at IHOP and
we didn’t.  This time I said the same
thing.  I was not about to let the same
thing happen so I went to IHOP with Mom and the boys went to Olive Garden.

            At IHOP, I
ordered New York Cheesecake pancakes, over-medium eggs, sausage links and hash
browns.  It was delicious, but far too
much to eat, even though I hadn’t eaten since breakfast.

            After
eating, Mom and I walked over to Scheels. 
I didn’t plan on buying anything—I just wanted to check the store
out—but I saw a cool shirt for $9.99.  It
says “Smell ‘Em Minnesota
Again in ‘07”, referring to the slogan Twins catcher Mike Redmond made up about
smelling potential RBIs when runners were on base.  We also bought some taffy to take back home.

            Well, Eric
won’t stop bugging me about watching A New Hope (a Star Wars movie, of
course) so I guess I’ll have to give in.

July 1, 7:21 p.m.
            Star Wars
ended a few minutes ago, but I didn’t start writing until now because Eric and
I were fooling around with stuffed animals. 
Yes, I said stuffed animals.  And
yes, I am sixteen… haha.  It was
hilarious, though.

            I believe
we are about fifteen minutes away from home. 
I will make one final entry after this.

July 1, 7:44 p.m.
            We’re back
home!  And I guess it was 23 minutes, not
15.  Oh well.  I hate being at home, but it will be nice not
having to stay in a hotel any longer.
]]> http://bripoeticjustice.wordpress.com/2008/07/02/minneapolis-2008-travel-journal/feed/ 0 Bri