Gospel Bus

You may have heard of Soul Train, but I bet this is the first time you've heard of the Gospel Bus. It was new to me and Travis too, but it's precisely where we found ourselves Monday Night.

After the Red Sox agreed to my sweep plan and took care of business, we found ourselves with a free Monday night, allowing us to go to Ian's Denver Broncos vs. Green Bay game. Because Ian's cousin (Greg Jennings) plays for Green Bay, about 50 of their mutual family members had flown in. Ian hired a Greyhound to get them all to the game and back and told Travis and I to join the party.

Ian's immediate family who we know well were all riding with him to the game, so we were getting on a bus with about 35-40 people who had never seen us before, and as you can imagine there was a definite skin pigmentation difference that called a little attention to that fact. There were a few stares as we waved to our new friends, but everyone seemed to accept we belonged. (Ian told me when I asked him if people would be cool with us barging in to the family bus, "You know how to make friends. There was a time when we didn't know each other wasn't there? You can make them like you." Hmmm...)

Just as we were settling in and on our way, there was an outcry for prayer. Travis stopped playing brickbreaker and closed his eyes, only to hear someone start to preach the good word...for about 20 minutes. After about 10, I think Travis opened his eyes. We kept getting faked out by, "In Jesus name Lord, we.." which in our lingo means the end is near, but in our prayer givers lingo just meant it's time to get louder and go stronger. We prayed for everything and everybody, including the bus driver and instructing him to drive safely. There was a lot of group chiming in on this prayer and some rowdy clapping at the end. I liked it, and think we should consider clapping more at our prayers. Especially at dinner....cause we're about to partake of some darned fine cooking.

After that there was some serious gospel singing and clapping and good times. I almost grabbed the mic, but decided not to embarrass anyone with my sweet musical stylings.

Another good moment was when one of the aunts got up and asked everyone to raise their hands if they wanted Broncos to win, and then to raise your hand if you wanted Green Bay. People were hesitant, but doing it, and finally she said, "You all traitors. This is family people - you shouldn't be voting one way or the other! Look at me, I'm wearing both!" Lots of "You wrong girl" and "shoot..that wasn't right" 's were thrown around. I stood by my vote for the Broncos.

We had some sweet seats and the game was great. It ended in tie (just like they prayed for on the bus), and then Favre on the first play of overtime threw a sweet hail mary like pass about 80 yds to....drum roll.... Greg Jennings, our main man who caught it and won the game. He ran over to the rowdy family section near that very end zone and jumped up for hugs and to give the game ball to his mama. It was AWESOME! Of course once dad got his hands on it he wouldn't let anyone else touch it. Cousins were asking to see it and he would hold it out at arm's length and say, "See?"

After the game we went down to the tunnel to meet up with Ian and Greg and we hot herded up to the top floor to ESPN's live broadcast where they interviewed Greg and he wore his family reunion t-shirt they were all wearing featuring him and Ian. It was pretty cool.

The bus ride home was rowdy and everyone was excited. Just a short prayer of gratitude this time. I did like one comment I heard about greg from a raspy old man who sounded like the guy from the barbershop movie who said, "Greg can do anything. He good at anything. He beat you running. He beat you at football or swimming. He beat you at chess. He good."

It was a great weekend and I'll never forget the Gospel Bus.

A-DORK

I lied. One more comment. Can someone please explain to me why this paper THE DAY AFTER THE WORLD SERIES chooses to put a full page cover pic about A-Dork opting out of his contract with a tiny, tiny little headline at the bottom that says, "Red Sox Sweep World Series"??? Oh...it's the New York Post. Center of the Universe - - Boston just has a nation after all. Not a whole universe like Hank Steinbrennar. It makes me want to chant the first thing the Boston fans chanted after we won the World Series, "Yankees suck, yankees suck." It just feels too obvious though.

By the way, will the one bold person who voted for me to keep blogging instead of get married please stand up and be counted? I like your style.

One More Sox Post

And then I'll move on. I know it's excessive amounts of writing about them, but come on, it's the World Series people. Not something to sneeze at.

So here's the final wrap up on our Red Sox adventure. Key moments:

1. The crowd breaking spontaneously into Sweet Caroline with no music while waiting for the players to emerge and celebrate. I love that song.

2. A guy trying to get on to the field who just boldly jumped the fence, strode towards the celebration flashing his friends in the stands a V for victory sign and smiling, only to be grabbed and dragged away by security. This killed any of my plans to try the same. Although I did try to flirt a little with Jerry the 100 year old security guard to no avail.

3. The fans breaking out in to a "Re-sign Lowell" chant for about five minutes after he got the MVP award, and some of the players and coaches joining in.

4. Travis getting super annoyed at all of the, "uneducated Rockies fans" on the train. I've never seen anyone so disgusted. He said to me, "Do you know what I heard someone say?? They said, that one guy with the long hair that plays left field...if they don't know who Manny is, they shouldn't be talking."

5. Riding home on the train and witnessing big drunk men almost getting in to post-game fights and getting really loud.

6. Riding home on the train and sharing space with two other long term Red Sox fans who walked down memory lane with us and made it a sweet trip home. One of them telling us how he "helps the red sox win." I think the best way he helped was the idea that he had to hold his nine month old daughter to win. He said they won when he held her for the whole game one night and the next night when we were losing he went in to her room and woke her up and held her for the rest of the game so they could win. He said, "Mindy makes the red sox win." I replied, "No. It's the connection between you and your daughter when you hold her." He looked at me and quietly said, "That's deep. That's really deep." It was awesome.

7. Did I mention I was on TV? Yeah, when I saw Kris' two year old Ethan staring at me the next day, I had to tell him I probably looked familiar because he saw me on TV last night.

It's definitely not the same feeling it used to be when you watched the Red Sox play. It's an expectation now and I don't ever feel that old fear. Travis thinks it's great, but I'm not so sure I like it. It makes me a little sad. Loveable losers no more. I'll end with a quote that George Steinbrennar's son said the day after the Sox won. "The Red Sox can have their nation, the Yankees have the universe." What an idiot. The Yankees don't even have a GM or a third baseman anymore.

Farewell beloved Sox. Until Spring.

Ode to the Sox

(These will be slowly getting posted all day, as I do have some work to do. :))

I really enjoyed the Boston Globe today that gave a forum for fans to share songs and poems that they wrote to the red sox. Here are a few of my favs:

ODE TO PAPELBON" (sung to the tune of "Edelweiss" from The Sound of Music)Pa-pel-bon, Pa-pel-bon

Every inning you thrill me.

Tall and lean, Pitching King

You look stress-free to me. To me.

Lord of the Dance, now you have your chance

Chance to dance a champion!

Pa-pel-bon, Pa-pel bon

BLESS OUR RED SOX FOREVER!

ODE TO A HERO
He carried an urn

filled with infield grass

forged from melted spikes

hammered by southpaws yielding black fungos



He roamed, but unlike Romanian Gypsies or Jews

more migratory, a lone fowl

urged by the changing seasons

of waiver options

who came to perch on the chalk line

two hundred and twelve feet from Pesky’s pole

ninety feet from home



Replaced, but never last

first on base and first at bat

no photo op pin-up, proto lead off hitter

those aren’t boos you are hearing

“Youk! Youk! Youk!



FENWAY OUR FATHER
Our Father, who art at Fenway...

Baseball be thy game.

Thy Kingdom come,

Playoffs need to be won,

On Earth, then on to the Cask 'n' Flagon.

Give us this day, a perfect Papi,

And forgive us our losses,

As we forgive those,

Like Eric Gagné.

And lead us not, into desperation,

But deliver us from any losses.

For thine is the Power,

And the Glory,

To beat the Rockies,

Forever and ever....the Yankees still suck

Start your Engines

We were ready to head out at about 3:30 and the Hansen-Wooleys gave us a big send off. We snapped this pic of our fantastic hosts and ran out to the car with Kris giving us a big motivational chant and ending with, "We're running with the shadows of the night.."
Kris called me during the game to report that I had made it on to national TV. I'll be trying to get copies for all, don't worry. It was right after I made a break for it in the 9th down to the first row behind the dugout. I slipped right by old-man usher, but as I turned to find Travis I saw he had been stopped. Stopped by an 900 year old man that couldn't have been half as strong as him, can you believe it?? I made my way down and parked myself on the end of the fourth row.

This other red sox fan came busting down the stairs with the same idea, but when he slipped in past me one of the people sitting there got indignant and kicked him out. He said his seat was down a few rows and she said, "why don't you go to it then?" He said, "Fine, sheesh, haters." So when you see me on TV, I'm staring at this indignant woman with a very frightened look on my face that the hater's gonna get me next.

Texting can be competitive

At one point in the game, Travis and I were both standing up and actively engaged in our texting. All of a sudden I felt a presence standing near me to the left. I looked over and a man was standing next to me pretending to send a text. I looked at him quizzically and he said, "What? What??" I asked, "What are you doing?" He replied, "I thought we were texting here. I can totally text faster than you." I said, "Fine- GO!" We both started texting frantically and of course Travis never even noticed any of this happening he was so engrossed in his messaging. I pretended I was typing and then all of a sudden I shouted, "DONE!" The guy looked really disappointed, but admitted I had beaten him fair and square. Basically, I am now the World Series Texting Champion. After he walked away, Travis looked up and asked, "Who was that?"

Twice as Nice

My cup runneth over. There's nothing like a perfectly executed plan, and our Red Sox 2007 plan is no exception. I'm sure they had their own game plan, but the fact that Travis and I planned to come to Colorado, put all our money (900 bones each which is why we didn't go to game 3 KQ and DQ) on game 4 with the intention of being there for the Championship game couldn't have run smoother if it was fueled by ex-lax.

There are many stories to tell, so I am going to chop them up in to short bites so you don't get overwhelmd by one long novel. Choose the ones that seem most interesting or read them all. Just like Burger King, on spinsterstories.blogspot.com, you can have it your way.

Let me just get out one barbaric yawlp.....RED SOX ROOOOOOOOOCK!!! Let the journey down memory lane (yesterday--my memory is short folks.) begin.

Travis

P.S.
I forgot to mention how upset Travis has been that he is not winning the poll at the bottom of this post. He is SHOCKED that anyone wouldn't put him above Garrett who in his words, "never leaves the house" and me, "who never dates." What he doesn't get is that a girl could COME IN THE HOUSE and Garrett could fall in love and have a relationship faster than him, and that I could date and marry now that I'm out of barren Michigan land. But of course then I wouldn't be a spinster and I'd have to shut down the blog. We can't have that, can we? I'll add a poll so you can weigh in.
Travis sent out the blog to all his work peeps thinking he would beat Garrett and I -- it backfired. Most voted for me and a one for Garrett. I think he got a couple sympathy votes. Please vote for him if you haven't. I really, really want him to be at peace.

A Rocky Mountain High - Boston Style

Yesterday at 5 am the journey began for Travis and I. And I think it had a rather auspicious beginning. We set off in the dark for the airport listening to songs on my ipod. Songs that Steve and Shawn had listened to last night and only been able to identify 5 out of 29 artists. It's like neither one of them ever heard of the 80's or 90's for crying out loud. I was told when you're a spinster and in your 30's you don't have to keep up with all the stuff kids are listening to. I'm not afraid of a little Kanye West though. Spinster or not.

Anyway, back to the drive to the airport. Right as we were pulling in, the song "We're running with the shadows of the night..." started and Travis REALLY fell in love. It became our theme song for the rest of the day. If you haven't heard it or heard it for a while, take a run through i-tunes. I think you'll fall in love all over again.

We met a bunch of fans on the plane--lots of red sox gear in sight. We got in around 9:30 and drove out to Kris and Scott's house. I call Scott the "imaginary husband" because I had never met him, and well, we all know how Kris (Hansen) has a GREAT imagination. Anyway, I can report that he is real, and also really cool. I know this because he let Travis hold the remote control. I should tell mom and dad though, and I warned him I would, that he is encouraging Travis not to marry until his 30's. He wants to make sure Travis really knows himself and what he wants before he decides. GREAT call. If you want his digits I can pass them on.

We went over to see Ian's new house yesterday and to catch up with his family. Kris and Travis were most impressed with his wine cellar. He was proud to announce that because he doesn't drink, he only stocks the finest Martinellis. I swear to you, he had hundreds of bottles in his wall and stacked crates. The bad news was that one of them was leaking. He told us he was upset because Martinellis didn't tell him that after a year they can start leaking. I guess Martinellis has never had the intention of being stocked in a wine cellar and finely aged. He told us we could each take a crate as a parting gift. It was fun to see him.

Last night once again, the Red Sox claimed their fated victory. Travis and I are anxious to see them clinch it all in person tonight. There were a couple tense moments in the 7th when the Rockies came back within one and Travis started throwing things, like verbal stones, at Scott's poor father (a rockies fan), but then he settled down. All in all he behaved extraordinrily well and didn't get nearly as upset as he could have with Rockies fans in such close proximity.

I believe you will see a not so attractive picture of myself posted to Kris' blog of when I fell asleep during the game (2 hrs of sleep people!). It was the boring 6-0 stretch. I woke up again when they needed my support to get them through the tough spot.

Bringing the family together

I'm really excited about the direction that the documentary is starting to move in. I'm following a couple human interest stories right now that are touching. One is about a woman who called the ticket office yesterday and asked if she could buy tickets for her family. She said she had been out of work for a while and just barely got a job, but that she knew if she could get all 8 of her boys to these games together it would help to reunite her family. She was really excited about the opportunity to give this gift to her boys and was crying as she talked about what she hoped it would do.

I think what touches me the most is the idea of a mother worried about her family and struggling to make ends meet and the family stick together and it's very relatable to any mom. The fact that the Utah Flash could be a catalyst is definitlely a bonus.

Right now the documentary (the first phase one) is quickly taking shape as a hoop dreams kind of piece. The over-arching idea is that you can live your dream in a way you didn't imagine. Brandt always wanted to play sports, but genetics were a bit against him, still he ends up sitting on the bench in a way he didn't anticipate--as owner. There will be other stories about hopeful players weaved in who dream about playing in the NBA, but also may not end up where they hope. In particular an 18 year old boy who got cut from his high school team and came to try out for the D-league. I don't want to spoil all of it, but it promises to be a very touching story.

Making the film is fun! I love hearing people's stories and putting them in to a medium that can touch many, many people. Stories that in a lot of cases would probably never be heard. It's exciting. I just spoke to a rep from NBA TV today about airing some of my footage. I'll keep you posted as that progresses.

One down, three to go

Helllooooooo Red Sox. Glad to see you showed up. I wish another team had so it wasn't so ONE SIDED. Can you say SWEEP? The good news is we get to see the final win in person. I'm pretty certain we'll be on the field with Travis at my side.

Speaking of Travis, I'll share a little story from tonight. Some random neighbor girl wandered over to his house to watch the game because her roommates wouldn't let her watch at their house. A bit fishy, but props for her bold move. Especially considering she was rooting for the Rockies.

Travis kept messing with her and finally, when the score was about 10-1 she mentioned that she was bored. Travis told her he knew how she could make it more exciting - every time they got a hit she should do a dance. He didn't think she would do it. She didn't even know them. She said she would do every other one, if he did the alternate ones. Of course our boy Travis was up for the challenge - never one to shy away from a dance-off. I mean he's got mad skills - he's a Quinn.

All I have to say is Travis did a mean "shower" dance (use your imagination) but this girl nailed the Roger Rabbit like nobody's business. Mad props for her courage and skillz- she's welcome to family game night any day! (Unlike Garrett's friend Anne.)

Final score--A heck of a lot to 1. Red Sox Rock!

The Joy of Sox

Seriously. How aweome is OCTOBER with the Red Sox playing in the World Series????

Yet again coming back from 3 games down to move forward. I'm beginning to think they can't do it any other way. I am publishing this mostly for the purpose of updating dad and sharing some of the fun stuff/quotes so far.

1. Manny being Manny. The quote of october. The battle rages on as to whether Manny is the best thing for the red sox or the worst. Only non-red sox nation people think he's the worst. Sports writers across America are indignant at his antics and that he never gets punished for them. I love him. No matter what.

2. Papelbon rules and he is also a brilliant dancer. You should definitely check out his victory riverdance. You don't want to miss this link: http://www.top-video-clips.com/boston-red-sox-dancing-papelbon-youkelis/SJ2i1OWoZwU.html

If you want double the entertainment try this link to see red sox fans trying the dance:
http://www.top-video-clips.com/do-the-papelbon/PzXICsJ6ftI.html

3. Josh Beckett is dominant. He is the best pitcher EVER and is the main reason we are in the World Series. Better news - he has promised if we win to do a dance WITH Papelbon. Stay tuned.

4. There was an aritcle about Eric Gagne and how the Sox are so stubborn after paying so much for him that they feel they have to keep him in the rotation. The author said he never thought Red Sox nation would be begging for Tavarez to be in the rotation.

That's it for now. More Red Sox Coverage to come. Travis and I are going to the World Series, so we'll do live coverage for you - the fans.

GO SOX!

Fine. I can't fight you people anymore.

How's that for the name of a blog post? A little long, but true.
You all win. Quinns Unite is officially dead. I can't fight the waves of change and resistance anymore, so I will accede, I'd like to say gracefully but Lisa would disagree, and start my own blog. Maybe it will give me more incentive to post. Maybe.

I'd like to say that I would still at least like credit (yes, credit is important) for getting all of you blogging and giving mom something to read in Australia. If you can all agree to that then I will never bring up again the sense of betrayal and pain I feel. :)

Anywhooooo...it's odd to be out in Provo. It's odd to see Travis and Garrett all the time. Mainly because they are so odd. But it's been fun getting set up and rolling on the film. I'm really excited to see it start to take shape and I'll try to do film updates on the blog as well.

That's it for the first blog. Just wanted to get it started, kill Quinns Unite, and commit. I hope you all like my blog name. I couldn't do any more versions of Quinn.

Peace out.