Hello! I know it’s been awhile since my last post- a whole NBA Finals and basically a whole MLB season have gone by! I personally felt like I needed to take a small hiatus to focus on my personal life.
As I mentioned in my initial post, I was in the process of applying to graduate school. Unfortunately, I didn’t realzie how competitive sports psychology programs are, and shortly after the first post I made on here, I got rejected from the first school I applied to. That rejection letter pushed me to apply to more schools, so a majority of my focus was put on researching other schools and what their application process was like. I’m happy and beyond proud to announce that at the end of August, I committed to Arizona State University Online to pursue a graduate degree in sports psychology! I’ve been interested in ASU since I was a senior in high school, so it felt like the most obvious choice. This is my first time attending a D1 school in a big, competitive conference, so I have been LOVING getting into ASU football- and I’m even more excited for when their basketball season starts!
At this time, I was also dealing with some mental and physical health issues that I needed to priotize this summer, and I can say with confidence that I am 100% better than I did at the start of summer. Overall, it was a busy summer full of games, road trips, concerts, and quality time with close family and friends. Here’s a quick overview of what I was up to this past summer!
June: I took a quick weekend trip to Baltimore for Gunnar Henderson bobblehead night- by far my favorite ballpark I have ever visited. Camden Yards is absolutely gorgeous and very family (and wheelchair!) friendly, with endless food and drink options. I highly recommended the dirty sodas at The Warehouse Bar on Eutaw Street! (If you don’t know what a dirty soda is: it’s soda with a flavored syrup, sometimes topped with whipped cream). I got the O’s Orange Creamsicle- Fanta with sweet cream and topped with whipped cream- which was perfect for me since I don’t drink alcohol as much as I used to. I’ll have a full Baltimore itinerary coming soon, since there’s so much to do besides catching a ball game at Camden Yards.
I also got to participate in Yankees Hands on History with my dad and my boyfriend. I’m endlessly grateful to have a father as passionate about Yankees baseball as he is, (he knows more than the tour guide at Yankee Stadium!) because we got to hold and touch priceless memorabilia (with gloves of course!) including: Mickey Mantle’s jersey, Babe Ruth’s complete uniform (jersey, bat, and pants), Derek Jeter’s bat, CC Sabathia’s cleats, and even the microphone John Sterling used to call his last game. It was an amazing experience I wouldn’t trade for anything.
July: Looking back, July was a pretty wild month. I kicked it off with a trip to Pittsburgh to see Paul Skenes pitch for the first time and check out PNC Park. Pittsburgh is a beautiful city with pretty good nightlife if you stay downtown. My favorite part of the trip had to be walking across the Roberto Clemente Bridge to get to the ballpark. The park itself is beautiful, though some areas did feel cramped and not that well lit. I didn’t end up trying any of their food offerings since it was too early in the day for me, but I’m sure they have good options. (And another reason to go back!) I also loved that on Sundays, they close down the street in front of the stadium and have a mini street fair with games, face painting, and food trucks for families! I’m planning a full Pittsburgh itinerary too, because the night before the game I had some of the best food and drinks of the summer.
The following weekend was even crazier. My boyfriend Tommy and I went to all four days of Fanatics Fest- our second year going, and it was even more fun than the first! With the World Cup in town that same weekend, the energy was incredible, and there were way more vendors and athletes than last year. I got to meet Yankees pitcher Max Fried, as well as Paolo Banchero, the No.1 overall pick in the 2022 NBA draft and Orlando Magic forward. There’s a lot more I can say about this event, so I’ll save the details for a future post!
As much as I love sports, I love music just as much. On the Thursday of Fanatics Fest, we left early because for Christmas, Tommy surprised me with Ariana Grande tickets for her Eternal Sunshine tour at Barclay’s! This concert has to rank in my top three concerts ever- I absolutely ADORE Ari! She’s been a style icon to me since middle school, and she’s endlessly talented. Her album Eternal Sunshine means so much to me personally that I got an Eternal Sunshine tattoo on my ankle earlier in the year.
About a week after that whirlwind weekend was my 24th birthday, which we took time to finally slow down and celebrate in the Seaside Heights/Lavalette area!
August: This was a pretty slow month coming back down from a jam-packed July. We kicked things off with night two of J. Cole’s The Fall Off Tour at Madison Square Garden. I’m not a huge J. Cole fan, but Tommy is, and this was my anniversary gift to him. I thought it was a pretty solid show despite not knowing many of his songs.
I also tried my hand at hunting Kon Knueppel’s 1/1 rookie patch in the NBA Chrome Update release- quite the journey! I was in the city the day after the card release so I was able to pick up two boxes at the NBA store; both were busts. I hit up about ten different stores this month that all claimed to have this specific drop, and they were sold out everywhere. Congrats to whoever did find it!
We also caught three bobblehead giveaway days at Yankee Stadium: Cody Bellinger, Hello Kitty, and George Costanza from Seinfeld. The Cody and Costanza days were pretty fun, but nothing compared to the chaos that was Hello Kitty day. The game started at 1:35 PM, and people were lined up outside at the stadium at 7:30 AM. Tommy and I got there around 9:30 AM and, by the skin of our teeth snagged two of the last ones- they now go for about $85-$100 on eBay! (Thank god we skipped Naruto night!)
That’s what’s been going on with me for the past couple months. Sorry for going ghost- I’m fully committing to daily posts again now that I’m in the right headspace, especially with football back, basketball around the corner, and the MLB postseason underway. There’s a lot in store for this blog the rest of 2026, and I can’t wait to share it all with you!
Leave a comment