My wife and I are currently on a trip to Orlando, Flerrida. (Author's note: My wife and I also disagree on the correct phonetical way to spell "Florida" with a Florida accent.) Our trip, according to Jenna, is a "Babymoon". I've heard this catchy slang in the past and always assumed that a babymoon was a trip a couple takes in order to get away from it all and make a baby. The Dictionary of Jenna defines a babymoon as a short trip that couples take during the second-half of a pregnancy. The goal is to travel one last time by ourselves before the baby arrives. Jenna knows more than I do; so, I'll have to give her definition the nod.
We've come to Orlando with the express purpose of seeing the Washington Nationals during Spring Training. Jenna and I came to Spring Training for the first time last year as a 30th Birthday present to me. It was so much fun that Jenna requested that we do it all again. I was whole heartedly on board.
Being here in Orlando makes me thrilled and excited for the future. I see great things to come. Shockingly, I'm not referring to the 2014 Washington Nationals campaign to the World Series. After a breakout year in 2012 - one which some analysts thought came early for the budding club - the following season in 2013 was widely regarded as a "disappointment". The 2013 season might have had unreachably high expectations set forth for the team (by their own manager, forget about the standard hype-machine Washington media). After an admirable start to the season, injuries took their toll and the team's momentum - quite literally - hit a wall. (Author's note: Every other sports writer has worked a Bryce Harper injury reference into their articles. It's about time I do the same.) With a new skipper and an improved 4th spot in the rotation, the 2014 Nationals look and sound like a new team. So exciting! ... ... ... I digress.
The real reason that being in Orlando has me so excited about the future is the idea of baseball games and Disney World with my child. Sharing an experience like that, but through the eyes of someone doing it for the first time, fills me with excitement. I just can't wait to take my sweet little child to their first ballpark. The size of the stadium. The bright lights. The bold colors. The noise of the crowd. Taking all of that in with a small child for their first time will be incredible.
Upon consideration, I believe that a baseball game will be my child's first professional sporting event. Besides that obvious up-sides of a baseball stadium (very kid-friendly, room to run around to burn off some energy, leisurely play, many accessible food options, etc), I think it's also the safest of all professional sporting environments. Long before Jenna told me she was pregnant, I said, "The only way I'd take a child to an NFL game would be if we were sitting in a box, and even then I'd have to consider it." Call me an elitist all you want. Have you looked around at the environment at an NFL game in the last 5 years? The majority of the stands seem to be heavily intoxicated, foul mouthed men who have zero spacial awareness and absolutely no social-sense. An NFL game is great for all of the guys and wives, but not the place for a child. I can only image the "new" words our baby will use during the car ride home. "Daddy, why did that angry man tell the ref to go rim-job Tom Brady?"
An NHL game is a slightly toned down version of the NFL experience. The fans are just as intense, but seem to have a little more sense to them. That being said, it'd be hard to make it through a Caps game without seeing a few "colorful" t-shirts referencing Sidney Crosby's preference on how to spend a Saturday night.
My child won't dress well enough to attend an NBA game.
This leaves America's pass time. I think it will foot the bill nicely. It may be several years from now, but I can't wait. I just can't wait. I want to buy my little son or daughter a Nationals hat and a hot dog and a soda. I can't wait to explain in the simplest of terms what is going on and who we should cheer for. I can't wait to carry them home all worn out at the end of the day. I just can't wait.
Orlando also makes me think about Disney World. As I write this posting, I'm sipping coffee about a mile away from the park. Upon landing, the airport was filled with small Mickey or Minnie themed suitcases. Our hotel is filled with little children who are beside themselves with excitement. Being around the littles ones this close to Disney World forces a smile on everyone's face. That feeling of pure joy is infectious. Jenna and I will go through all of this with our child one day.
I have been to Disney World once. I was five years old. I was so wound up that I couldn't make it through the entire day. My Mom brought me back to the hotel mid-afternoon. I was asleep before I hit the pillow. Mom woke me up to see the nighttime fireworks from our hotel window. I went back to sleep and slept soundly though the night. I remember the fireworks and being terrified of the talking parrot outside of the original Pirates of the Caribbean ride. That's about it. Some people are surprised by this - my wife included. She/they cannot believe that I've only been to Disney World once when I was so young. Everyone's childhood is so personal and feels so obvious. I find myself surprised by how shocked folks are by my brief experience. In spite of this alarming tragedy, I look upon my single trip to Disney World as a great benefit. When I bring my son or daughter to Disney World, we will be experiencing it together. We will share in the excitement, silliness and fun for the first time. That thought makes me so happy.
The future is very bright and wildly exciting. It makes it hard to focus on the here and now. Today, I'll do my best to cheer on the Nationals as they take on the Atlanta Braves. Hey! That's something else to be excited about. The Braves just gave the ugliest man in baseball, Freddie Freeman, a gigantic contract. It will be fun to watch them regret it for the next 8 years. It's funny to think that by the time that contract ends, my child will also dislike Freddie Freeman as much as I do.
Wow... the future.
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