The Final Post

I know it has been forever since the trip ended, but I just got back home from Kanakuk Kamps so this was my first chance to reminisce.  I must say that the two weeks we spent on the road, as of right now, go down as the greatest two weeks of my life.  Last night looking at pictures for the first time since the trip, my brain was flooded with memories.  Amazing memories.  I remember walking to Fenway and thinking to myself "Luke, how many people get to to this? This is amazing."  I think this trip had a sense of wonder.  Wonder that you have as a child but sometimes lose during adolescence and becoming an adult.  We so many moments of wonder.  I'm smiling thinking about the Taco Bell dance video, my ridiculous beard, Nolan and Peter sleeping in a tent IN the hotel room.  When you do work like water flowers, you have time to think to yourself.  I could just let my mind wander back to the trip, and for just a little bit I could hear the crowd, smell the hot dogs, feel the sun, and get just a pinch of wonder for a few fleeting seconds.  What a trip.

Luke

P.S. Big Shout out to Allen Vaughn!  Loved the article!  

what a trip! It is deffinantly one of the coolest things I have ever been able to do. We planned for like 5 months.... at the beginning I was like this is just going to be something we talk about doing but never actually do. But we made it happen. It feels wierd to be back in Bolivar. I am so used to being on the trip... on the road... always on the move. Our days were filled to the brim and then some. But it was good, I couldnt wait to wake up and do it again the next day. Now I have so much free time in Bolivar, and it feels like there is absolutly nothing to do lol. and compared the city there really is literally nothing to do ; ) (I couldnt imagine living in a Big city and then moving to a small town.)

This was awesome because it was really the last time I will get to see Nolan and Luke much before college starts and we all go our seperate ways. It will be wierd without them.... they have been my best friends forever and they will be missed enormously!

This trip made me remember all the reason I ever wanted to play baseball in the major leagues. The smell of fresh cut grass, the diving plays, the sound the ball makes when it hits the bat, getting a walk off hit, seeing that fastball or hanging curveball and knowing that the pitcher made a mistake, the fans, the ballparks, baseball...you have to love it!

The trip is now over.... but the memories that we made will last us a lifetime. and who knows, maybe we will be lucky enough to do this again someday!

-peter

All good things must come to an end...

What a spectacular 24 hours this has been. Comerica Park was really cool but that game seems like it happened last week because of the unforgettable 14 hour car ride that included flat tire in the middle of the night. Peter and I drove the first 6 hour shift, which included rush hour traffic out of Detroit for me. (That would drive me crazy to do that every day) Then at midnight we handed over the reins to Aaron and Nolan for the rest of the night. We watched "The Sandlot" until we fell asleep at around 1:30 am. About 3 hours later we wake up and the car is not moving. So naturally we think "YAY! We are here." No. We are 72 miles out of Kansas City and Nolan is on the ground fixated around the tire. To quote "The Sandlot" we are in the biggest pickle of our road trip. We unscrew all the necessary bolts and try to yank the tire off but it just won't come off. So Nolan calls his dad at 5 am and tells him our situation and Jeff tells us all we to do is kick the top of the tire. Sure enough I kick the tire and it comes right off. We drive to Kansas City and Aaron 's childhood home and we crash until right about now. It is crazy to think we only have one more game. What an amazing trip this has been.

Luke

The Buck (and the roadtrip) Stops Here

Well. As you can see it is 9am (central time) here in good old Lee's Summit, MO (home of a famous jazz musician Pat Metheny [thank you Uncle Dave] and yours truly). The Detroit/St. Louis game went into extra innings. The game was great. Wish both teams would of lost but I'll be satisfied with it. Then the long haul to Kansas City. So odd to think that we have driven over 4,000 miles in 14 days and seen 10 games with the last one tonight.
However, the drive here was not without excited. About 5:00 am we got a flat tire. The Lord is so faithful that it happened just outside of KC and not any where else. Good ol' faithful spare got us back at 7am and now I am getting a new set of tires (yes, all of them need it) while the guys have crashed in my room for the morning. Tonight should be fun. What a way to end a roadtrip!
Grace & Peace

-aaron

p.s. arby's isn't good for my digestive system for some reason. just thought you might be curious.

Luke Rap

ZZZZZZZzzzzzzzzzzzz....

Yesterday we drove from DC to Cleveland. It was about a 6 hour drive and it really wasn't that bad of a drive. Although Peter did almost get in a wreck...just kidding. Nolan and Peter were so set on sleeping in a tent that last night they slept in a tent in the hotel room. Peter woke up like 100 times. Weaver and I got a bed to ourselves and I slept until about noon. It was glorious because the previous day we got up at 6 to help the Women's Ministry Union. So it was awesome.


Luke

Hi Ho, Hi Ho, it's off to Cleveland we go!

I'm sitting on Amy's deck right now typing this post. Peter just sneaked up on me and and smiled at me through the screen covering the window; his face was about 2 inches from the screen so his face looked fuzzy.



Anyway, we're heading to Cleveland pretty soon. The Washington Nationals game wasn't very well attended, especially during batting practice. It was pretty sweet though because I was able to acquire another ball. So far the ball count is Nolan: 2; Luke: 1; Peter and Weaver: 0. This one wasn't a home run, though. Somebody hit it to the wall and a pitcher (I'm not sure which one, but he was a southpaw) tossed it up into the stands. It bounced a few times before I grabbed it. The game was short, but pretty fun. I'd give the Nationals the award for the best between-innings entertainment so far.

Here's my official shout-out to Amy for letting us stay in her house two times. She is really cool, and she was a real blessing to us.

Off to Cleveland!
~Nolan

Oh, by the way, I drove to and through Times Square in New York after the Yankees game. That was a pretty fun experience. The traffic was pretty heavy because it was like 5:00 or 6:00--rush hour! (What hour isn't rush hour in Times Square???) Actually, this picture doesn't show much traffic, but I had just gone through a green light with no one in front of me, except for that taxi. By the way, the movie Spiderman 2 is correct; the taxis were yellow!

Nothing Like Being Back in DC

A few quick notes on the last day:

sally is the best usher ever. she can dance, she got us some good seats and she stuck up for us. thanks sally! you rock!

nothing like spending a morning with wmu ladies. here's to chain saws. and we met tyre, trent, and jejuan. awesome dudes... hope the biking works out.

fyi, i really wish you could sample some of peter and noland's raps. awesome. and the ball luke got: jarod weaver tossed lightly up to him. so don't let him fool you that he caught a home run. but he did get a ball.

when you think you're hungry, just remember: your stomach is a stubborn child.

thank you parkers! you guys are amazing!

and off to cleveland we go. winding down now. bada bing bada boom.

aaron

From our Nation's Capital...

Hey everybody, we just got back from gay night at Nationals Park, lets just say that I'm so glad the kiss cam didn't run...What a day. First it started out with really um...unique post-menopausal southern women. They drove in circles around Baltimore. And then we trimmed massive hedges with chain saws. You read that right. The game was fun, and the ballpark was really cool. Mainly because I caught a ball during batting practice. (Take that Willcoxson!) During the rain delay Aaron and I played PlayStation 3 baseball because Nationals Park had a massive free video game area. Adam Wainwright had 21 k's in picking up the virtual W. We are staying with Amy S. again home of the second dance video, so you never know what we might cook up. Here is a picture of my new beard.


Luke

On to Washington DC!

Today has been strange, but really good. We woke up at 6:00 and left for some volunteer ministry work at 6:45. We followed Gayla and Allie to the Holiday Inn Express, and met the nice ladies we'd be working with. We followed them around the block, on to the highway, and back to the hotel. We assumed that someone had left something, but we drove into the Holiday Inn Express Parking lot and drove right out again. After that, we followed the exact same route AGAIN; at this point, we seriously wondered what the heck we were doing and going, but this time we turned off on the highway and made our way to the church where we would be helping out. As it turns out, the lady who was driving missed the exit on the highway, so we drove around in a circle for a few minutes. It was pretty funny. :) After we got to the church, one of the ladies said she wished she could have been in our car when we were driving around in the circle. It was quite and adventure!

When we got to the church, we fellas worked on clipping hedges and moving brush.

I clipped hedges for awhile, but then my carpenter "skills" --Grandpa, I hope you're reading this :)--were called upon. I "remodeled" a wooden ramp that led to the Lawn Tractor shed. All I had to do was remove some nails, remove the middle brace on the bottom, and put in another 2x6 down there. It really wasn't a big job at all, but it was fun to swing a hammer again. Man, it had been a while!

After that, my body transformed and I became ChainsawMan. I ran the chainsaw for about 35 minutes; cutting down a small tree and some brush, something that I enjoy doing and have a lot of experience doing. Then I tried to level up the hedges with the chainsaw, something that I don't have a lot of experience doing. I'm not sure how I did, but I cut a lot off; it seriously needed some care. :)

Anyway, we're leaving to go to Washington DC pretty soon.

Here's another official shout out to Freddy, Gayla, and Allie: You guys are amazing! Thanks so much for letting us stay at your house, use your washer and dryer, and eat your food. We're all in your debt and very grateful. The Parker household is amazing!

~Nolan

Thunderstorms in Baltimore

Wow... It's been amazing and crazy that we have been on the road for 9 days now. This last week has been an overwhelming time. Not just with baseball but of people. Wish there was a revival of baseball games for the average day joe's. Days when a hot dog and pop was 2 bucks. Days when crazy eyes was sitting on the front row talking to the 3rd baseman. Those days are over. Now it's the ritzy business man who can drink 4 beers at $8 a drink. It's a shame if you ask me.
Fenway = 6 flags.
Yankees = 1 flag (for the history)
Phillies = 4 1/2 flags

Garrett... totally worth it. lol.
And here's to the royals for coming back 3-10 and winning! 6-1 on our roadtrip!

crazy how awesome baltimore is. not going to lie, but i like the city and all the people. vulnerable but some great relationships can be built. You can either know everyone or unknown. crazy how that can happen. But allows for an opportunity to trust Jesus even more and see him in the people around you.

and forgot about my uncle frank and aunt pauline. they are amazing. so great to actually meet some of my family. found out that my great great grandma was an indian princess. pretty sweet. and everyone needs an italian great uncle.

My question for you viewers: How many licks does it take to get to the center of a tootsie pop?

Aaron

From a place that doesn't have bed bugs...

What a great day today was. It was nice to have a solid nights sleep in the luxurious Red Carpet Inn (where Aaron slept underneath the sheets, we slept in our sleeping bags, he felt the bed bugs!). We found out how truly awesome people have been to open up homes, cheep hotels will make you appreciate this! It was a 10 minute drive to the stadium which was really cool. We came from the Park that is waaaaaaay over-rated and ugly (Yankee), to a slick new ball-park that was really fan-friendly. We again had the nose bleeds but we saw some seats in left field and quickly sat there. (Coach Wilcoxson, I resent that remark! I didn't even see the ball until it was 2 feet from my face. If it wasn't for my Jedi quick reflexes I would have a broken nose.) The Philly fans have a reputation for being jerks, but for the most part they where great. But in the middle of the 7th inning with about 13 open seats around us, this dude with his girl walks up to me in the middle of the 7th inning stretch and tells me that we are sitting in his seats. He had to walk past about 10 open seats to move us...it took everything in me not to sock the guy in the face. So we moved down 4 seats because there was a million open in that row.
We love every one's comments...we encourage everyone to leave them! It is crazy that we only have 4 parks left, this truly has been a trip of a lifetime.

Luke

P.S. To that anonymous poster, I'm growing a beard.

Broadcasting from the Red Roof Inn Studios

Here she is, video post #2.




Enjoy.
~Nolan

six flags.... more fun

Sorry its been such a long time since we've updated but this is the first time we have had Wi-Fi in a few days. Fenway park was such an unbelievable experience! I don't know if it was the fans or the historic park, or maybe a little bit of both.... but it just felt like it was more than a baseball game(simply unbelievable) We sat right behind some CRAZY Boston fans that taught us more about flags than any of us wanted to know(they had obviously they had a few too many beers and had watched the Six flags commercial a more than a few times). Apperently the more flags the more fun and 6 flags = unsurpassable amount of fun! In Boston we got to stay with some pretty great people, Aunt Pauline and Uncle Frank were Amazing!! I'm so glad that we got to meet them....they made the whole experience very enjoyable. I wish we would have gotten to spend some more time with them!

Yankee Stadium is drastically overrated(might have been because we were functioning on 4hours of sleep). enough said Yankee staduim = 1 flag..... fenway = 6
We drove through time square and got too see quite a bit of NYC so the overall experience was a good one!

VOTE FOR PEDRO!!
I'm glad to see that I am leading the vote!! I know im the best but its nice to see that you guys think so too lol :P

looking forward to a great night sleep at the good ole red carpet inn..... a little sketchy but it has a roof and free wifi and what more could we ask for??

-peter

Sorry it's Been so loooooong...

Here is a little video of my days...

Hey Everybody

Here are some pictures to tide you over...

Good Morning Baltimore!

What a cool town Baltimore is! Cities are very cool when you have resided in Bolivar Missouri for 18 years. It was Nick Markakis bobble head night at Camden Yards. Only Peter and I have ours though, Nolan forgot his and Weaver gave his away. (To two girls who begged him, I refused, but Weaver felt pity on their souls and gave away his Nick Markakis doll.) The game was really fun. 4 home runs and the one in the first inning was an absolute BOMB. You knew that ball was leaving the park the second the ball made impact with the bat. We are staying in down-town Baltimore. I'm not talking like down-town Springfield, this is downtown Baltimore, and it is a wee bit different. As for the dance video hate mail, you've crushed our spirit. 4 guys just holdin' on to the dream of one day becoming a professional dance quartet, but with such negative feedback I don't think we can hold on to the dream anymore. We were sad for about 0.0000001 seconds, and then we realized that we get to go to Fenway Park tomorrow. So really all is well in the world.

Luke

Camden Yards

Baltimore is such a cool town! The Parkers live down town, only about 2 miles from the stadium. We walked to the game and got to see a lot of cool places. Camden Yards is Beautiful(as far as baseball parks go.) One of my favorites on the trip so far. Baltimore won 7-3 and we got to see 4 homeruns, a most excellent game! It always seems more exciting when the home team wins.

We make the long haul to Boston tomorrow to see the Sox play! We are all pretty dang excited about this one! 4 down and 7 more to go

-Peter

Plus One Plus Four Presents....

Here's a tribute to all of our fans out there, especially Paul Casey and Uncle Dave.

"Don't hate us 'cause you ain't us." -Peter



Thanks to Amy, Stella ("Shirley"), and Jamie King--Rock Your Body dance coordinator. Thanks to all of you for all your inspiration and support of freedom in the home dance world.

Oh, by the way, I am much cooler this morning than last night. :) It's time to go to Camden Yards!
~Nolan