Friday, June 11: We arrive in Chicago and are greeted by several of the Xbox Live team, some of the greatest people we will ever meet. Four contestants are there with one goal in mind... to be crowned the Inside Pitch 2003champion. Later that evening at ESPN Zone, we embark on the first of many exciting adventures. I already see a bond forming betweenFlipDog0, Hockeystud29,JonBizzle, and NYGiantFan.
Saturday, June 12: We wake up early after no sleep from anticipation of the day’s semifinals. The semifinalists gear up for the big game and meet DAN PATRICK!! A disheartened NYGiantFan loses, but doesn't let that stop him from having a good time. Off to Lollapalooza—WHAT A TREAT!! We have a small tailgate party outside Lollapalooza with Richard (our driver) and watch "The Rookie" on the way back.
Sunday, June 13: We spend time wandering around Chi-Town, only getting lost a couple of times. Gotta be sure we make that Cubs game! We get great seats and have a wonderful time watching the game. (I know you think we girls can't have fun watching the game, but we can.)
Monday, June 14: We have more free time before heading off to the Home Run Derby. The Xbox Liveguys are the best... I mean HOME RUN DERBY tickets for crying out loud! We rush back to hotel to dress up for the MLBPA All-Star Party (MAJOR LEAGUE PLAYERS PARTY!!) (Have you seen enough exclamation points, because I can go on.) GiantFan is going crazy (especially after Bizzle gets him started). I didn't know whether to laugh or leave out the side door with my head tucked between my legs in embarrassment. No, really, it was marvelous to see everyone have the time of their lives and rolling with the big dogs.
Tuesday, June 15... uh oh. Big day. Big game. The tension is in the air. The Champions Challenge comes to an end with a well deserving Hockeystud29 on top. And the rush, rush of meeting Nomar and Mark Prior is still in our heads. Day five ends with watching the All-Star Game from room 1618 of Hotel Allegro.
Wednesday, June 16: We’re heading home, and the memories are already forever etched in our minds as we replay every detail on the ride home.
Thank you to everyone at Xbox Live for making my husband's dream vacation come true. When you love someone, their happiness is everything! Thank you for letting me share in this experience.
I also cannot say enough wonderful things about Flip, Hockey, Bizzle, and even Paps (Hockey’s grandfather). It was great to form a bond with them all, and I enjoyed each of their personalities.
I once read that God leaves these little treasure boxes along the calendar of our journey of life. So many days, we walk right by these treasures. I'm so glad that we didn't ignore this one, and we stopped to open it.
