the power of three

text from Freddie on Thursday, September 7 2016: um I just bought tickets to the astros next wednesday. they were $8 a piece. 

^^^ this my friends is the beginning of the story of how we ended up going to three Astros games in less than a week. I know, doesn't this sound like the most fun story to read on a Wednesday morning? 

Hot diggity dog! An Astros game! If you remember from here my love of baseball runs real deep. That's right, folks. Sporting events  = Dippin' Dots = me loving all sporting events = me loving baseball on a deep level. So paying $8 for a ticket to a place where I could pay $8+ for a tiny scoop of Dippin' Dots?! That sounds totally fair. Sign me up. 

The next morning, Friday September 8, I received this text: the astros play sunday night too. and arrieta is pitching... oooh $9 tickets. DONE. we're going!!!!!!

I was all those exclamation points worth excited too for two games. Double the D. Dots for $17 in tickets? Like I said, sign this sugar coma girl the heck up. I will always overpay for Dippin' Dots if I can underpay for a baseball ticket.

Fast forward about eight hours on Friday and I received this text while teaching: we may be going to the astros tonight. i got free tickets on reddit!!!!!!!

Okay, let's be real with one another for a second. At this point I was like the dips are good and all, buuut I was really looking forward to a Friday night consisting of a strong drink that didn't cost $10 and AC. You see, Freddie has turned into some crazed baseball fan in part because of his fantasy team. When we're at home MLB TV is on at all times. When we're not at home it might still be on for Lupe... When we're not at home Freddie's baseball app is open and off to the side at all times. Whenever I suggest watching something different Rick nicely reminds me that Jake Arrieta does Pilates. And that I need to get a Pilates job for a baseball team one day. And just like Dippin' Dots makes me love baseball, anything Pilates related should make me love it, as well. 

So off we went to the game Friday. Free seats, three rows back, and the best view of Jason Hayward's behind. As any intelligent human beings would do, the amount of money saved on tickets went straight towards beer for Ricky. Think how much we saved! <<<things I say after spending $$ at Target, but saving by using my Cartwheel app and RedCard. 

And then off we went to the game on Sunday night! Three hundred rows back, and a squinty-eyed view of Jake Arrieta's Pilates pitching bod.

And then off we will go in approximately ten hours for $1 hot dog night. Don't worry, it'll still be $10 beer night so don't get too excited. We'll be about two hundred rows back this time, with a good view of hundreds of people stuffing dollar hot dogs in their mouths. 

Oh I'm sorry, did you notice something was missing from the past three paragraphs? Two simple words. A million little bitty cold ice cream nibs. That's right, APPARENTLY DIPPIN DOTS AREN'T SOLD AT THE GAMES ANYMORE. Blue Bell just had to go and fix their listeria problem, and people of Texas just have to go ape bleep over Blue Bell ice creams, and b squared just had to kick out d squared from the stadium. 

Don't worry about me though, guys. Really, there are three really positive perks about these three baseball games that almost make up for my lack of Dippins. 

one

Because Texas is Texas and thinks it is the one and only giant slice of heaven on Earth, you get to sing Deep In The Heart Of Texas during the seventh inning stretch. Literally this is my most favorite part of the entire game. Also singing this song might be one of my most favorite reasons to live in Texas... 

two

People watching. The woman in front of us on Friday night had a perm straight outta 1983. I almost spent more time staring at her hair than staring at the game. It was so...fried. And curly. And I'm not trying to describe Arby's curly fries here. 

three

Since Freddie and I were the poor fans on Sunday we had to travel up and down all the floors of the stadium to get to our seats. As we walked down an escalator we were stopped by an employee who not-so-kindly told us that we were not allowed to walk down the escalator. My reaction was to cringe in fear because I just got in trouble, and slowly ride down the next two escalators. Freddie's reaction? To continue walking down the next two escalators saying: Babe, did you just hear what that man said?! I think that just might be the most ridiculous thing I've ever heard. Yep. It is. Just decided. I can't walk down stairs?! These are stairs!

At that point he was too far ahead of rules-following-me for me to be able to hear him anymore. 

On that note, I'm off to start getting ready to ride not walk down escalators, not eat Dippin Dots, and cheer for the 'Stros! Like they say, Never let the fear of striking out of Dippin Dots keep you from playing or going to the game. 

Or something. Over and out.