I’m 30: Baby, Let the Games Begin

After a bit of an unintentional hiatus, I’m back, and a lot has happened since my last baseball travel post.

For instance, I moved (which is good because I love my new place and now have quieter neighbors, but it was also a total pain in the rear end because moving is definitely not one of my talents).

The Cardinals missed the playoffs (but had an exciting offseason, so don’t worry).

One of the ballparks I visited in 2018 announced it will have a new name in a few years.

And most noteworthy, I won my fantasy football league. Oh, and I turned 30.

What’s 30-year-old me like? I’m glad you asked.

Here are 10 facts (in no particular order) about 30-year-old me that weren’t true for the 20-something version. (I’m going with 10 because 30 is a big number and requires lots of words.)

1. I’ve seen Taylor Swift in concert.

“Baby, let the games begin …” and indeed they did. Those were the first words Taylor belted at each stop on her award-winning, record-setting, mind-blowing Reputation Stadium Tour, and they’ve become my anthem for turning 30.

I celebrated a belated birthday at her Indianapolis show to kick off a new decade of life.

2. I drink hot chocolate and like it.

I’ve never been a fan of hot drinks. I don’t like tea because no matter how it’s flavored, it tastes like dirt smells. And I think coffee smells even worse (unless it’s one of those fancy flavors, but even then, I still don’t drink it).

Hot chocolate is another story. Chocolate milk has always been one of my favorite drinks, but I never liked its piping hot counterpart. Until now. Thirty-year-old me loves that stuff.

3. I’ve met a D-Day survivor.

Again, these are in no particular order. World War II is obviously a more important topic than chocolate drinks or even a Taylor Swift concert (sorry, Taylor, I love you), but I didn’t want to start with something somber.

I interviewed a WWII veteran last fall, and I’m pretty sure he’s the first WWII vet I’ve ever met. I’m sure I’ve run into one at the grocery store or something, but this is the first time I’ve talked to someone knowing he served in WWII and even landed on the beaches of Normandy.

I didn’t take the opportunity for granted. My grandma’s brother served and died in WWII, and I believe he also took part in D-Day, so this was extra special for me.

4. I know how to play euchre … kind of.

This year at Christmas, my cousin taught his (older) cousins how to play euchre. I’m not saying any of us were any good at it, but we now kind of know how to play it. Kind of.

5. I have seen a ’90s boy band in concert.

I spent the late ’90s and early 2000s loving boy bands. Backstreet Boys, NSYNC, 98 Degrees – what a time to be alive.

In November, I went with my mom to 98 Degrees at Christmas, a holiday show featuring the group’s own Christmas songs, holiday covers and some of their biggest non-holiday hits.

Thirty-year-old me loved it, and 11-year-old me would have been super jealous.

6. I had the most relaxing, fulfilling and fun Christmas break of all time.

Last year was an exhausting and exhilarating year. I started this blog and traveled a lot, and it required a LOT of planning, which isn’t my strong suit.

With ballpark traveling, family reunions, the PGA Championship, family vacations, football games and a month-long move, there were very few weekends all spring, summer and fall when I didn’t go out of town or host guests at my place or when I wasn’t moving between places.

I don’t think I realized how much I needed a week off for Christmas until it arrived, and I loved it. I didn’t overdo it at all, and I still had a magical holiday.

Thirty-year-old me knew how to appreciate all the little things (and big things) when I needed them most.

7. I dreamed of a white Christmas (tree) … and bought one.

In grad school, I bought the cheapest Christmas tree I could find to spruce up my college living room (no pun intended). I loved that tree, and it brought me joy for seven Christmases at four different apartments.

I realize the tree is far from the most important thing about Christmas and that you don’t need a tree to get in the holiday spirit. But I guess this new white Christmas tree was my present to myself. It kind of symbolized saying goodbye to my 20s and hello to a new chapter, one where I get to be in charge. It served as a metaphor for growing and maturing and will hopefully remind me of that for years to come.

It definitely brought me Christmas cheer (and LOTS of it for those of you who know how long I waited to take it down).

8. I love Queen and have listened to Queen music basically nonstop since Christmas.

I’ve always liked Queen and the big hits we all know and love, but I’m no longer a casual fan. A few days after watching “Bohemian Rhapsody” (which oddly enough, I thought was a mediocre movie), I was in a Queen mood. I watched a live performance of “Somebody to Love” and was hooked from that moment on.

I’ve now heard every song on all 15 studio albums (many of them again and again and again), every non-album B-side (I think) and an embarrassing number of concert bootlegs. I follow guitarist Brian May and drummer Roger Taylor on Instagram, and I bought “Bohemian Rhapsody” on Blu-ray to see the bonus feature of the full recreation of Live Aid. Yes, I have a problem.

This is probably the biggest change I’ve experienced since turning 30. I’ve never been this into a band before, not even Taylor or the Backstreet Boys.

I’m seeing Marc Martel and the Ultimate Queen Celebration in April, and I will do some kind of Queen-related post at some point.

9. I am a champion … in fantasy football.

Is this the real life? Is this just fantasy?

Well, both. I didn’t brag when I won, so I’m taking the time now to mention that I won my fantasy football league (for the first time ever because 20-something me wasn’t that good). I’m the only female in my league, so it’s about time I stepped up. Thirty-year-old me is the champion, my friend.

10. I’m not freaked out about being 30.

I’m one of those people (or at least 20-something me was) who gets down in the dumps on her birthday each year. It might have more to do with me being nostalgic about everything and not wanting a chapter of life to end rather than being scared of getting older. I’m not really sure.

This year, I was a little sad I didn’t get to have the big 3-0 party I’d envisioned (because I hadn’t fully moved into the new place yet), and I was stressed out of my mind (because, like I said earlier, I’m not good at moving). But the act of turning 30 didn’t bother me.

This journey of 30 ballparks for turning 30 has transformed the idea of 30 into something special and something I wholeheartedly welcome – more hotdogs, more sunshine and ultimately, more baseball.

Basically, I’m still the same baseball-loving, 5-foot girl I’ve always been, but I drink more hot chocolate and listen to way more Queen.

So baby, let the games begin. Bring on 30 and all the ballparks that come with it.