Saturday, March 10, 2012

A Much Needed Break

Spring Break is just about over. I can’t believe how fast it went. The past few years, my mom and I went down to Clearwater, FL for Phillies Spring Training. This year, though, I just went back to St. Louis for the week, and it ended up being perfect. It was so nice to just relax for a week without running around. I got some homework done and got everything ready for the upcoming SAB E-board elections. It was also beautiful to be able to sleep in until noon. I haven’t had the opportunity for that in quite some time. At night, my mom and I hit our favorite restaurants around the city, my favorite being Chimmichanga’s. It’s a very authentic Mexican restaurant in St. Louis, and my mom always makes me order in Spanish when we go. It’s pretty silly and embarrassing, but I have secretly come to enjoy this tradition. Don’t tell my mom, though ;-)

I kicked off break by going to a concert by The Ataris. They are one of my favorite bands of all time, and I’ve been seeing them play shows for about 5 years now. I couldn’t have picked a better setlist myself, and I was able to get a spot right up front. It was perfect timing that I just happened to be home when they came through.

(Me with Kris Roe, the lead singer of The Ataris.)
One thing about this break that was memorable is the weather. It was beautiful! On Tuesday, a few of my sorority sisters from here at RU and I went back to our high school in St. Louis (Urusline Academy) to visit our old teachers. It’s always nice to go back, but every year, I’m surprised by how much has changed. Some things never change, though, and it’s always great to see my favorite teachers again. It was too gorgeous that day to spend all of my time inside, so my boyfriend and I went to the zoo. The penguins are my favorite, and there was even a baby penguin! Adorable.

(Penguins at the STL Zoo. They don't even look real!)
The highlight of my break, however, was meeting my childhood hero, Cal Ripken, Jr. He recently released a children’s book that focuses on the issue of bullying, and he was promoting the book at the St. Louis County Library. As I’ve mentioned in previous posts, I was born in Maryland and lived there until I was 8. My earliest baseball memories are of seeing Cal Ripken play in Camden Yards. I used to go to a sports camp after school when I still lived in MD, and we got to pick our own jerseys. I HAD to have the number 8 jersey, even though it came down to my ankles. I couldn’t really even play in it, but it didn’t matter. All that mattered was that I had Cal’s number.

(Me and Cal Ripken, Jr.)
After meeting him, my admiration is as strong as ever. He was such a nice guy- really relatable and genuinely appreciative of his fans. He spoke for a little bit at the event and he acknowledged how important it is for him to be a good role model. This is one of the reasons I always liked him, and the fact that he is using his fame to gain attention about such an important issue as bullying is just awesome. I think it’s really important to have good role models. Cal Ripken joins my mom and Fr. Curran (president of Rockhurst) as my major role models. Especially with everything changing in my life right now, the example of these people help me keep everything in perspective. I have to say that my break was perfect. Low key, but absolutely perfect.

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