Home Sweet Home ;)

Hey.

This is it, my last blog of "Grass Tales". What a time its been to write for all of you and to know (for the most part) that you read it! :) I guess I'll start with my last day at the park.

Everything went as planned and was beautiful outside, up till game time. During pre-game clouds came out of no where and we were suddenly in the sites of 2 storms coming from the North and West. It was only a matter of time before it hit. The night before, a player from each team got hit by a pitch. Last night, the Sox pitcher hits a player with a pitch (Cabrera) and then the tigers retaliated, if you will, with a little chin music to Victor Martinez. The very next pitch hit Kevin Youkilis square in the back. Youkilis charged the mound before you could say Bobs your uncle, throwing his helmet and eventually being taken to the ground by the Tigers pitcher. Dugouts and bullpens cleared, creating a massive mob along the 1st base side. Youkilis would eventually get thrown out, followed by the pitcher, as well as Terry Francona. Mike Lowell would then replaced Youkilis, hitting 2 home runs, to help the Sox pull off a victory!! In the 7th inning the rain came pouring down, and we were called out to the field. One last time, I got to roll the tarp out!! We got it on and sat in the Red Sox dugout and waited for it to pass. About 45 minutes later, we were told to start pulling pins and to get lined up to pull it off. To give you an idea of the rush that went through me, think about this. Have you ever imagined running out of a tunnel at a basketball game, or a dugout, as a player and hearing the crowd erupt into cheers? Well, I got to have that feeling last night. As all 25-30 of us ran out of the dugout, all I could hear were cheers. As I ran to the end of the tarp to line up, "Good Vibrations" played loudly over the speakers. Its our tarp pulling song. It gets us pumped up. And its awesome. We got the Ok and ran our hearts out and got that tarp off. 10 minutes later, we were playing ball again. The game ended around 12, with Papelbon closing it out. Even Heidi (the beautiful NESN reporter) came down to the alley and sat next to me. What more could I ask for for my last night at Fenway! Classic.

Both of my plane rides went smooth and I met my dad at the airport around 2:30 or so. We went to WENDYS for a late lunch and then drove home to Jeff City. I had a nice "Welcome Home" sign made by my little brother, Will and his gf Celina. :D Ate some tacos for dinner and then went on a bike ride with my popps. Was so great to be back on my bike after 3 months of not being on it. All in all, it feels awesome to be home!

That being said I miss Fenway. I miss the crew, and the nights in the Alley. I miss Boston, and the friendships I made. However, I think it was time for me to get back to where I belong...for now. I feel like God gave me a great lesson this summer, and I hope I glorified him as best as I could! I tried at least!! I'll be back in Boston some day to visit all of the great people I became friends with. So don't you worry ;)

Stay classy Boston. Thanks for reading all summer. This is the end of Grass Tales. Perhaps I'll have more adventures ahead to share with all of you via a blog. I really hope you enjoyed it. I realize my writing is a bit...well I'll let you fill in the blank. I enjoyed writing for you and we'll talk again real soon. Goodnight. Adios. Auf Weidersehen.

watching who else buuuut....the Cardinals :) ,

Phil

Last Full Day In Boston

Hey.

SO, as the title suggests, it is indeed my last full day here. I honestly don't really know what to think about it. I'm excited to go home, but as the last 24 hours have gone by, I'm starting to realize that I'm going to miss it!

Yesterday was a pretty regular day. I finished up my packing, decided what I was going to take home, and what to leave. I didn't have much room in my suitcases coming out here to begin with, and with the purchases I made while here, it hasn't been easy packing it all up. Not to mention my sox uniform and jacket. It was pretty hot yesterday, around 90, so I didn't walk to too many places. I know its been 90 in Missouri since May!! Don't worry, I'm prepared to experience it again tomorrow. I went into work yesterday at 5. It was a nice night, and even better because It was supposed to rain. Buuut, it never did! During pregame my boss came up to me and said a few parting words which was nice to hear! He said he wanted me to come back for the playoffs and that he would LOVE to have me back next year! Thats good news right? As for right now, I couldn't give him an answer. I have no clue what my situation will be then, only time will tell :). During the game we always have visitors, mostly friends of the local guys that work with me. In the 6th inning I hear my name, and see people waving for me to come down to the end of the ally. There stood 3 faces that I didn't know!! Ahh, I was like "who are these people, I don't know them..." Come to find out it was a friend of my Aunt Liz's and her daughter and friend. They live in Massachusetts and came in for last nights game. I got a picture with them, chit chatted, and off they went. We did our usual post game duties, and then put the tarp on the field, just in case it rained. I don't think it did though.

This morning I woke up and walked to the Charles River, one of my favorite places here in Boston. Just sat, read my bible and thought about the summer as a whole. What I learned, how I grew up, and how I grew in my relationship with the Lord. I can say it was indeed a fun summer! One that I will never forget. I learned new things in my field, and gained a few references on my way. Got to work at "America's Most Beloved Ballpark" and prep the field for Major League Players. Worked in front of countless sold out crowds, wishing they were in my position, standing on the field at Fenway Park. Saw many firsts: Ben Affleck, Paul McCartney, Phish, Oakland A's, Baltimore Orioles, New York Yankees, Detroit Tigers, Toronto Blue Jays. All in all, great experience! I had fun this summer and am so grateful I got to live my dream just a little further. Who knows where the Lord will put me next, and the reasons for why he will put me there. I'm excited as ever to find out though.

While some of these won't make since to you readers (some may), they will make since to any Red Sox groundscrew member. I'm a huge fan of making lists of fun things that go on. Therefore here is a list of sayings, fun times, and inside jokes. Laugh it up Boston.

fist bumps, driscoll...edges, DRM, walking it out at game on, boodie dancing, Wes clean the track, stanchions, (insert name here) BAG OF TURFACE!!, cmon guys pull harder, shut up you...., the rich run, BK Lounge, smashing a burger/chicken sandwhich in 3 bites, pop tarts, huh?, dooooor!, get out the wayyyy, i'm all set, perrrrfect!, play ball! i just wanna play...., heres your lawn tip of the day, dermatologist, pebbles, 1,2,3,4 uno dos tres cuatro, butt smoker, pink, itchy sunburns, mice, the cask, BBG 2.50 burgers, why are we talking like thissss, we're right on the cusp, dip, cobbler flavored dip (no worries I never did it), DRM fist bumps, high fives from big papi in the runway, pulling a tarp over a flooded infied, good vibrations, schmee, subway cookies, home improvement, cash cab, trivial pursuit, heidi, tonights the night--we clean the track, dirty water, papps entrance, Wally, Gentleman.....couple things!, Jacoby Ellllllllsburrry, Grab a scrapper, see me after its folded, pauls pirañas, jesse you look like you just got hit by a train, uneven crew room, small lockers, cutting the grass...by hand, dead people on the field (their ashes), pirates, this is great, oki oki okijima, getting to the Yaz gate without your name being yelled, painting Fenway Green onto a pad, Yawkey Way, bluntman, Phil (File). --2 names given to me this summer. bluntman because they thought I was so quiet because I was high all the time, File--I have no idea why---it caught on more. Oh and Philly Mo Pena by Drew Rountree.

Hope you enjoyed the List and perhaps I'll explain later. Or maybe not. Thanks for reading all summer long. This may or may not be the last blog entry. Not too much to write about tomorrow, maybe about my last game. Ya I'll do that. So you have one more to look forward to!

See some of you, very very soon.

writing from the iMac i wrote on my first day I was here,

Phil

The Final Days

Hey.

Saturday was a pretty easy day. We went to work at 7am and pretty much got the field ready for batting practice and other things ready for the game. We had a bite to eat and then before we knew it we were setting up for one of the games at 12. The first game went by fairly fast, ended up being an average length game. After the completion of that one, we prepped the field, and patched holes for the 2nd game of the double header. We only had 45 minutes to do it, so we had to be pretty quick. All in all, a good long day!

I have today off and don't go into work Monday or Tuesday until 5. Tuesday will be my last day at work, and last game at Fenway Park. Bittersweet feelings I suppose. Definitely ready to be home with everyone again!

Thats all for today, hope your Sundays were so great! Miss you all, and can't wait to see you so very soon.

will be slip n sliding in 7 short days,

Phil

Yes Sir

Hey.

Listen. Last night I was fortunate enough to get to attend the Paul McCartney concert at Fenway Park. Not only did I attend, but I got paid to attend. Funny thing was, the people who had seats that were about 10 feet from me apparently paid around $200 for them. Suckers.

Now. Im not a huge McCartney fan, nor am I a huge Beatle fan. But, I listen to them and for sure appreciate their tunes. Im a fan, just not a super fan. If you recall, I saw Sir Paul perform live in New York a few weeks ago. He was good then, but better last night. The stage was huge, bigger than the one for DMB and Phish. It had 2 massive video screens that ran the height of the stage and another longer one located behind the band that ran the length of the stage. Around 7:50, here comes Sir Paul, dressed in blue dress pants, the same longsleeve pink shirt that he wore in New York, and a blue pea coat. Why in the heck was he wearing a pea coat? I don't have a clue. But he was, and he looked very....well, English, if you will. Thanks to the video screens I was able to see his facial expressions and see him play and sing much closer. While I listened to him play I couldn't help but think to myself, "wow, I'm really witnessing one of the Beatles play right in front of me." A member of one of the most popular bands in all of music, a man who has had girls yell at the top of their lungs because of the sweet sound of Hey Jude, or I Want to Hold Your Hand, was performing just 50 yards in front of me. What! It was amazing to see him say "lets give it up for my friend John" (John Lennon) and watching all of Fenway give him a standing ovation. Incredible.

Paul played his bass guitar, electric guitar, acoustic guitar, mandolin, yuka laylee, and piano. Most definitely a talented man. There were fireworks, pyrotechnics and lots of crazy lights. He played 2 encores, and then said goodbye to Boston in the midst of pounds of confetti being shot off the stage. Confetti=cool. Confetti and working on the grounds crew=not cool. It was a pain in the butt cleaning it all up today, as well as some last night.

Today we had to get the field back into baseball playing shape. Not an easy task. Started off by blowing the whole outfield 3 times with backpack blowers to stand the grass blades back up, as they were matted down by the Terra Plas flooring from the concert. After that I spent most of the day just cleaning up around the field and putting things back into order. It seemed like it was a 20 hour work day, but I was just there from 7-7:30.

Tomorrow we have the double header at the park for the "Futures at Fenway". Should be a long day again, but less strenuous. :) I'm off Sunday, and then back to work the games on Monday and Tuesday. Tuesday will be my last game/day at work. Sad day.

Hope you all have a great weekend.

won't ever look at a piece of confetti the same,

Phil

Hey.

Yesterday, I had the day off. I worked out in the morning and then walked around a bit in the afternoon. I hung out with some friends last night and walked around Fenway. It was nice to hear Paul McCartney as background music as we walked around the city. Almost spoiled really... I worked on some assignments for my internship and actually got pretty far on part of it. Stayed up semi late talking with friends and just hanging out.

I work the 2nd concert tonight at 4:30. Hopefully I'll get a descent spot to stand where I'll be able to see the stage and watch Paul perform. I like the Beatles, therefore I like Paul. It will be fun to see him and definitely a unique experience. Tomorrow I'll work at 7am as we'll try to put Fenway Park back into a baseball field and not a amphitheater. Saturday will be my last day and then its get ready to go home. Lots of packing and figuring out to do with the stuff I won't bring back that I NEEDED to buy. Should be interesting.

Safe travels to all my project friends who come home today or soon! Hope your summers were great :) Can't wait to see all of you real real soon!

is so tired of living in a dorm room,

Phil

Hey.

So yesterday was a relatively easy day for me. Well, except for the fact that I had to dig a trench in the warning track. Most people think the warning track is soft and a not so bad landing spot when diving for a ball. False. In my opinion its the hardest surface on the field. So yea, I had to dig this trench for a big cable that ran to a soundboard for the concert. I had to do it in May as well, but it was raining then. After I finished that I started watering the outfield grass. Since there is a massive stage in center field, we can't really turn the irrigation system on. That means we have to do it all by hand. I did that for about 45 minutes. After that I did another small job and then was out of there for the day. I got home and still had energy so I went for a run. It was my first run here in Boston and in my Boston Marathon Shoes. I won't lie, I definitely could've ran 26 miles in them.

After that I had lunch and took it easy the rest of the day. Went to Boston Beer Garden for $2.50 burgers and a couple cold ones. We watched a few innings of the game, and then headed back for the night. I tried to get my flight changed to Monday as I won't be in work Monday or Tuesday before I leave. Buuuuut, its going to be way expensive. SO I'll be leaving her Wednesday. I have 3 days left of work, one of those being standing around and watching Paul McCartney perform at Fenway.

Happy Hump day! Happy 21st to Sarah Simon, Yesterday. :D

anxious to see how much money 74 hrs will make me,

Phil

Hey.

I had another day off today, which was greaaat! I woke up and worked out this morning. After that I took a shower after I cooled off a bit. Headed to my favorite place, the Apple store and got a protective film for my phone. They are just SO friendly there, I swear. It doesn't surprise me though--its Apple. :D After that I came home and read for most of the afternoon. I made a much needed, but small trip to the supermarket. I didn't want to buy too much, but enough to hold me over till next Wednesday. I think I should be good? We'll see. Our internet was out most of the day for some reason. Foolish. Ended up eating dinner here and then went out for ice cream with the giiirrls and Wes. Was a great night here in Boston! Windy, with a bit of a chill in the air. :)

Saw that silly turkey again today. It was making noises outside my window. I looked out there about 20 mins later and I saw a man carrying around a big net. I suppose he was looking to catch him a turkey. Bahaha. Its back to work tomorrow for a day, then I have Wednesday off. Not much going on at the park with the concerts going down. I get to work the McCartney concert on Thursday, so I'll get to experience him yet again. Woot woot. After that its a bit of field maintenance and a Futures game on Saturday. After that--I call it quits. Hard to believe its almost over. I'll share more of my thoughts and feelings later on. I have lots.

Hope your dreaded MONDAYS were just so great. Keep having fun, and smile!

shark week--nuff said,

Phil

Hey.

Yesterday was a pretty boring day at the park. I stood and watch men build Paul Mcartney's stage for 3 hours. After that I picked up cores in the outfield from where we aerated. Not a very eventful day!! I know. I didn't have to work on the runway though, so that was good!! I was so tired again last night and ended up being in bed by 11:30. I guess it takes a toll on you after you work 74 hours in one week, huh? Good money though.

I have the next two days off so that will be good. I have nothing planned, so I guess I'll just go with the flow. After that I only have 4 more days left at the park. Then I leave the next Wednesday. I'll have a couple days to get everything packed and do whatever else before I go home.

Hope your weekends are going well! Miss all of you guys a lot. It will be soon though, it will be soon :)

keeps having dreams about either going to a Cardinals game or working there,

Phil

Dirty Job

Hey.

Hows everyone? Great I hope.

Today work started at 7am for me. There was an event at Fenway today which consisted of older men dressed in Red Sox jerseys playing ball on the field. There were supposed to be 4 games, but we only got 2.5 in. It started pouring halfway through the 3rd game. As that event wrapped up, the stage people for the concert next week began coming in the park. This was no unfamiliar site for any of us groundscrew workers. They did they exact same as before and began setting up the huge stage in center field. While they did that 3 other guys and myself were assigned to clean the runway that runs from the visitors dugout to the visitors clubhouse. Here is where my title comes into play. Its just a normal concrete walkway but then there are wooden pallets with red carpet on top of them. We had to remove the carpet, pull up the wooden pallets and sweep and pick up all the trash, mud, water any person could ever want. Oh, talk about the nastiest smelling hallway on the face of this earth. Seriously. I think I vommed in my mouth a few times. Sick. We ended up unclogging the drains, and allowing all the water to be drained out of the runway. We flooded the 3 drains with good smelling liquids and then left the boards up for the night to let it air out a bit. If I had to guess, I would say I'll be putting everything back in order tomorrow. Hooray!

So yea, work tomorrow at 7:30. This will be my 14th straight day at Fenway. Going in no later then 9am each day. I can't wait till Sunday to sleep in. Woooohooooo!

Alright. I'll catch you guys later. Enjoy your weekend and tell whoever that I say hi. (Whatever that means)

first their sour--then their sweet,

Phil

Hey.

Sorry.

Wednesday. Went in at 8 and started out erasing the 14 that we put in the outfield. This is done by doing the complete opposite we did the day before. Since the blades of grass are folded over you have to push them back the other way so they stand more straight up. This is done with blowers, rakes, brooms, water...whatever. After that I worked on the mound and did other jobs the rest of the day. We were expecting rain, but luckily it missed us once again. The Sox lost their game last night. We tarped the field right after the game as rain was supposed to come in. It didn't rain.

Today. I spent the morning cleaning the warning track which was littered with peanuts, seeds and trash. Again--rain rain. We put the tarp on just in time around 11 and immediately it started to pour! Thankfully we were able to get the tarp down in time. We ate brunch while it rained and then waited around for it to stop after that. It stopped around 12. We pulled it off and prepped the field with about 45 mins until the first pitch. The sun was out the whole game and the Sox won in comeback fashion. This WILL NOT be my last game yet. I'll have 1 or 2 more games before I leave. I thought I was gonna be off for those days but come to find out, I'm not. The Sox are out of town for the next week. We'll have lots of events, concerts, and games going on while they are on the road, so we'll keep busy--as always. Pretty tired now and am going to head for bed. Been a long week.

Week and a half till I get back. Cant wait to see you all! :)

most def sat next to a lady with hairy arm pits today at the game,

Phil

14

Hey.

Sorry I didn't update yesterday. It was another long day at the park yesterday. I had to be in early to pull the tarp off. Thankfully there wasn't too much water on it, but it was still wicked hard to pull off for some reason. The rest of they day was spent doing normal things at the park. I patched and prepped the mound for Josh Beckett. He pitched phenomenal by the way. ;) Ended up working through the game and worked 16.5 hours. Soo I went straight to bed last night after my shower. Had to be in to work today at 9. Jim Rice a former Red Sox left fielder was scheduled to have his number retired tonight at Fenway. Whenever this happens, of course, the grounds crew has to do something special! It's what we do right? Right. Since he was #14 we put the #14 in left field (where he played). I told you about the process before so I'll spare you that. But we got it all measure out and then I went to town rolling the numbers into left field. It ended up looking great! I hope Mr. Rice liked it. The picture below I took this afternoon. Beautiful right?

Got off at 3:30 today as it was pretty nice out. Rested up this afternoon and then ate dinner and went to the grocery. 2 more games and this home stand is over. Pretty bittersweet for me, as it will be my last 2 games at Fenway. I'll continue working until the 8th, but they won't be in town until the 9th or 10th.

Hope Tuesday was just as good as Monday for you all!

Aunt Joanne and Uncle Paul- Thanks for the bday card and cash!!

Bernskoetters- thank you all for the card and cash. Great to hear from you!!

2 weeks until my return to MO. Excited.

sweating just laying here as I write to all of you devoted readers,

Phil

*there it is. in left field. you can barely see it. i'll try to get a better pic.

Hey.

I had the day off yesterday which was nice. I didn't do all that much. Went shopping here and there and grabbed some lunch. Last night I ended up going out to celebrate my birthday. Went to Game On, which is located right outside Fenway. Met a few guys from work there and had a GREAT time with them all. Gosh, they are all hilarious. We had a good time dancing and making it fun for complete strangers. Good times.

Today I got called into work at 10 am and worked through the game this afternoon. I guess they were expecting rain, but it never rained a drop while I was there. :/ It was good though, to get a few hours in to start the work week. Tomorrow its back at it at 6:30 am. It will probably be a long day, and a long 4 days--as it is supposed to rain every day but Tuesday. Oh well, I have lived through many rainy days while here so I think I can handle it! Not gonna lie, I'm ready for some dry Missouri weather.

Hope everyones Sunday's were great. Thanks again to all of you for making my 22 birthday such a memorial one! Miss you all!

if you like pena coladas and hate gettin stuck in this lane,

Phil

A Fenway Birthday

Hey.

SO, as expected I spent 13 out of 24 hours at Fenway Park Yesterday for my birthday. Good news is, I have today off so I suppose I'll treat it as my birthday and run around doing whatever. It was rainy all day yesterday and we ended up getting 3 inches of rain in less than 24 hours. There was a small pound in the Sox Bullpen. No worries, when you're the best groundscrew in all of baseball, nothing is too hard for you. After 3 tarp pulls we had the field looking just fine for the game. The Sox WON! They broke their 5 game losing streak, just for me. ;) But seriously.

I left in the 5 inning and came home and got cleaned up. I was planning to go out with some of the guys from work, but they didn't go out till like 11:45 and I was pretty much asleep on my bed by then after a long 55 hour work week. It all catches up to you after awhile.

Thanks to everyone who said happy birthday to me yesterday via text, phone, and best of all facebook. It seriously feels like a present to me every time someone says happy birthday on facebook. Its like one huge gift in it of itself!!

Hope you all have a great day and I'll talk to you soon.

Holliday is already lighting it up,

Phil

Rainy--But Good.

Hey.

Went to the park today at 7:30. Me and another guy headed to the bullpens and prepped them and cleaned the bathrooms in them. You can spend a lot of time out there and really make them look good, and thats what we did. By the time we were done with that we did a little work on the infield and then cleaned up out back until lunch time. After lunch we sort of piddled some more before setting up for batting practice. Tonight we had the Cape Cod League All Star Game at Fenway Park. The league is considered to be the top college summer league in the nation and recruits some of the best ballplayers. Lucky for me, there WAS 1 Missouri State player there tonight. Aaron Meade, a pitcher, made the All Star team. They had a Hr Derby before the game which was kind of fun and then played. It rained all through the home run derby and up until the bottom of the 5th, when we were instructed to pull the tarp out. The delay only lasted about 10 minutes before they called it off completely. We'll go in tomorrow and get the field in tip top shape before the Sox play tomorrow night. As for now, the weather looks clear (cloudy) after 10am and hopefully will stay that way through the weekend. I get to spend my birthday at Fenway Park! How awesome, right? Yea, I'll be working, but will still be counting my blessings tomorrow, as not too many 22 year olds get to spend their 22nd birthday working for a professional ball team. :)

With that being said, and I've said before, I couldn't do it with out Christ. He's lead me here and I've trusted him all summer that he's had me here for a reason! Its been great thus far! And to you, my family and friends, without your encouragement on a daily bases I would NEVER be where I am today. To think you care so much about my life and career path gives me chills. So awesome! So thanks :D

As I write you this blog, I am enjoying some homemade sugar cookies with red icing from my mother, and chocolate chip too. I'll share them with the crew members tomorrow, I'm sure they'll love it.

Just a few shout outs, as a few of you were early--so you get a shout out. :)

Mom and Dad-thanks for the awesome card, and cookies

Will-your card was epic, and made me tear up. Love you brother.

Paula and Tom- best Godparents a kid could ask for. Thanks, and great job on the timing! ;)

Jill- love iTunes cards, as well as Juno. One of my favorite quotes from the movie actually :)

A Mary Kay and U Harry- loved the snoopy card! Thanks again for the Apple Cards and DD Card!

Clevers- It doesnt matter if I get the same snoopy cards. What matters is, that they're still making them. Thanks!!

Summers- Thanks so much for thinking about me on my Bday! Love you guys a lot!!

Fadels-thanks again for the moneys and card! :D

I think thats all. Sorry if I missed you. :/ I will eat a few more cookies, and then head to bed. Wish I could spend my bday with all of you tomorrow. I'll be thinking about you though! Thanks again for always putting a smile on my face :)

supposed to get 2.5 inches of rain tonight...yikes,

Phil

And Here We Go Again

Hey.

Went in this morning again. We laid Sod in left field, and behind and in front of the pitchers mound. It will most likely stick out like a sore thumb, but at least there is grass and not soil. We also were setting up for softball games as well as trying to get the infield skin dry. Tomorrow we have the Cape Cod all star game at the park. It starts at 7. I wish it would start in the afternoon, as we are supposed to have rain tomorrow night. Bummer! They tell me that it will most likely be a long day at the park.

This next home stand will be my last one for the season, before returning back to Missouri. Its a bittersweet feeling really. I'm gonna miss major league baseball, but I feel like (so far) i've given it all I've got and have no regrets. On the other hand, I'm excited as ever to return to Missouri and to see family and friends that I haven't seen in 3 months!

Thats all I've got for today. Sorry if these have been boring lately. Just not a whole lot going on!

-Happy Birthday to my little brother, Will. He turns 17 today. Gosh, hard to believe he's that old already. Seems like just yesterday he was drooling all over his shirt. ;)

Chris Duncan is now a part of the Red Sox farm system...wow,

Phil

Short Day

Hey.

Ha. Went to work today and found out it was going to be a short day. We usually don't know our end times, but today we kind of did. All we did was unload some sod, cut a few pieces and then cleaned up the mess we made. I was out of the park at 11:00. After that I took a much needed nap and posed as a vegetable for the rest of the rainy day here in Boston. Tonight I went to a bar with a few guys from work and got a burger for 2.50. Pretty balln. It was good to hang out with those guys and converse somewhere besides work!

That was that. Hope you all had a great Tuesday. Its back in tomorrow at 7. Not sure whats in store for tomorrow, but its liable to be a great day at the ballpark! (what day isn't great?) :D

Awesome. Keep having great weeks and I'll talk to you later.

wishes he could be home for his lil bros bday,

Phil

Wicked.

Hey.

Went to work today at 6:30 again. Today we pulled cores in the infield and in foul territory. For those of you unaware of this process I'll explain for you. We have a piece of machinery that goes around and pokes holes in the turf at a pretty fast speed. Depending on the type of tines you use you will just poke holes or you will pull a core of soil/sand up as you go. This process loosens up the turf as it gets compacted with the amount of play that goes on. It also allows for better soaking up of water and nutrients needed. After the holes are poke we went around with blowers and blew all of the cores onto the warning track to get them off the turf. There were a few guys who raked those all together and picked them up and took them to the dump. After that we top-dressed with sand and then mowed and watered the areas of grass. The same was done in the outfield except cores were not pulled, therefore we didn't have to blow and pick them up!

There are spots, like the bullpens and around sprinkler heads and valves where the aerator can't go. When this happens we have to poke holes by hand. Not a hard job, just a slow and tedious job. When that was done we were dismissed and I went home. After a semi long day at the park, and a nice work out I took a nap. :D

It's "wicked" stuffy and humid in our room right now, but feels great outside. Frustrating because It takes me at least an hour to fall asleep when its like this. I guess I can't complain though, it could've been like this all year long. Im grateful. My sunburn has turned to a tan with lots of spots where its peeling. All that pain for nothing, I tell you what. :-/ "Wicked" is a term I've adopted from the New Englanders. Basically, its just another word for "really". Instead of "Hey its really hot in here!" it would be, "Hey its wicked hot in here!" Cool right? Shut up.

Ha. Awesome. Hope you guys had a sweet Monday. Mine was pretty good I suppose. Continue to have a good week!! I'll try, if you do.

peeling like Gold Member on Austin Powers,

Phil

Jimmmmmmy

Hey.

Went to work today at 6:30 am. Hoooraay! Ha, it was good though to get back to work. Felt like it had been months since I'd been there. I prepped the plate first hand and then shortly after we set up for a fundraiser that the Sox were hosting today. Jimmy Fund is an organization that raises money to support cancer research. Over the years, they have raised a whole lot of money. They've been doing an event at Fenway Park called "Fantasy Day". It consists of "teams" that sign up and pay/raise money to hit batting practice and shag balls at Fenway Park. Apparently it runs someone around $1300 to hit! Crazy because they started at 9:00 and didn't end till 5:00. People batted the WHOLE time too. Crazy, but awesome really! It was fun to see people cheer for some of the child cancer patients and how important they made them feel! Happy hearts all around. :)

I ended up working an 11 hour day which was sweet. Other than that, that was my day. Hope you're Sunday's were awesome. Get excited for a new week! Does anyone else find themselves wishing it was the weekend again just about every Sunday night? No? Yes? I do. :D

Great. Have a splendid week everyone. Stay cool. And classy too.

5 Days till I am 22,

Phil

It's Heating Up

Hey.

SO....I was supposed to work today. Got a call from my boss last night saying it was gonna rain last night and tomorrow morning and that they wouldn't need anyone for today. It ended up being sunny all day. Haha. SO I will go back to work tomorrow, bright and early at 6:30. Its been getting warmer and warmer here the past few days. I don't mind that. What I do mind is the lack of ac in my room. :/ Oh well. Last night I went to see Harry Potter 6. My roomate is gone for the weekend (he doesn't like hp anyways) so I went by myself. I didn't mind it at all, actually. Its always nice to do things alone. I think, anyways.

So today I woke up around 10 and laid around until lunch time. Watch a movie on TV and then ate a sandwich for lunch. I worked out and then took a shower. I did a load of laundry and then read the rest of the afternoon. My friend Laura brought me in a homemade birthday card (Apple themed). She is leaving for Aruba tomorrow so she wont be in town for my bday. Speaking of that...I turn 22 on FRIDAY. Getting old. Sheesh.

That was the extent of my day. Hope you all had a splendid Saturday. 3 more weeks and I'll be back. Sorry if I keep saying that. Im excited to see all of your faces again, thats all. Awesome.

thank you God for aloe vera,

Phil

Newww York.

Hey.

First. Sorry for not updating yesterday. We got back around 7 or 8 and after a shower and having the itchiest body on the face of this earth, I was in no mood to write. Itchy because of a sunburn--my own fault really. Ok--New York.

We left on a bus at 7:30 on Wednesday morning. I was pretty tired and fell asleep for awhile on the bus. Before I knew it (3 1/2 hours later) we were driving through the Bronx. Wasn't able to see a 2 billion dollar Yankee Stadium from the high way, but wanted to. There it was, New York City. A skyline you see in 1 out of every 4 movies, was right there in front of me. And then it happened. We were just dropped off right in the middle of the biggest city in the US not having a clue where the heck anything was or where to go. A bit of an uneasy feeling, I must say. We saw the Empire State Building as we drove in, so we decided to go there. We didn't go up, but did see where Buddy the Elf tries to get passed the guards with his present for his dad. Awesome. Weren't able to light up the elevator lights like a christmas tree though--darn. After that we walked around a bit, looking for time square. Ended up eating lunch with one of Wes' friends and she gave us the low down on where to go, and how to get there. While eating Lunch, a man came over to me with a copy of "The Onion" (a small newspaper). He just handed it to me, so I took it. Then he holds his hand out...apparently wanted some money. So I give the paper back to him, still holds his hand out. Then says, "if you didn't want it, then why did you take one?" Not in that good of English, but thats besides the point. We just walked away quickly after that. :-/

After lunch we checked out Time Square and took some pics. Went into the M&M and Hershey's Store. Pretty neat---I guess? After that we ran into the Rockefeller Center, NBC Studios, and Fox News. Again, pretty fun to see those places. I'm a huge Letterman fan, therefore I wanted to see the Studio. So we followed our precious iPhones around and found it. Funny that Sir Paul McCartney would be playing on the roof of the Studio and would appear on the show that night. Thousands of people gathered around waiting for him to play. We arrived as he was doing his sound checks, so we waited around for a couple of hours until he performed live for us. A Beetle? Paul McCartney was returning to the Ed Sullivan Theatre for just the 2nd time in his life, and I was there!?? Pretty neat. Oh and I got to see Dave too. He came out for a short 10 seconds or so. There was a little boy standing near us that was just enthralled with cars. He even had Car Crocs. Anyways, he yelled at the top of his lungs to just about every car, "GOOO CARR!" for nearly 2 hours straight. I took a video of it.

After the mini concert we headed back with Wes' friends and got pizza for dinner and then walked around a bit more that night. We got dessert at Yogurt Land, quite possibly the best establishment in New York. Its a self serve frozen yogurt place with an endless amount of toppings. The best part is--its cheep! They charge you per ounce! I got cookies n cream, strawberry with fresh strawberries and gummi bears. EXCELLENT! We stayed the night in Wes' friends appartment. They live with a few boys who just totally destroy the place. Nut House boys, this place made our house look pristine!! I slept on an air mattress and woke up sunk down in it laying on the floor haha. Oh well.

Yesterday we woke up and went to Ground Zero. It was pretty neat yet sad. No memorial or anything yet, just a big hole with lots of cranes and men working hard. After that we walked along the water and were able to see the Statue of Liberty from a far. Pretty big. The subway system in NYC is ridiculous. It is soooo big and confusing. It makes Bostons "T" seem like a walk in the park.

We ate lunch shortly after and then boarded our bus back home to Boston. I liked New York alright. Having only a day and a half we had to rush around everywhere and weren't able to really take it in too much. Its definitely a big city, and one I'd never want to live in. The people aren't real friendly and just stick to their business. But where would this country be without NYC? So I guess I'm grateful for it. I guess. :)

Tomorrow I head back to work. I know, on a Saturday?? It will be good to get back into a routine again as I finish my time here in Boston. I have 3 more weeks before I head back to good ole Missouri. I'm excited to see everyone again, but know that I will miss Boston. Perhaps I'll be back.

Going to relax today, as I have been this way and that almost every day I've been off. Hope you guys are doing great. Keep an eye on facebook as I will post new pics and videos from New York.

loved seeing the bus full of Macs, iPods, and iPhones yesterday,

Phil

Criiiiiispay.

Hey.

Sooo woke up this morning and got a text from a fellow coworker saying he was headed to the beach for the day. Summer time. Beaches. Heck yes. So I went. Not your normal beach though, you Florida, California beach goers. This one didn't have too many people and was full of beach debris. Oh, not to mention the water was ice cold. That didn't stop me from taking a plunge though. Only one though. I got a bit sunburnt but ohhhh well. Hopefully I evened out my farmers tan a bit.

Thats about all I did today. Tomorrow morning we're heading to NYC till Thursday. Should be a fun time. If I don't update tomorrow, I'll surely do it Thursday. Deal? Deal. Hope you all are enjoying the All Star game. Go NL. Go Albert. Go Cards.

loves the new "grounds crew" holiday inn commercial,

Phil

A Deserving Baseball City

Hey.

I woke up this morning and did a few things around the room. Wes went out with a few of his friends from LSU. I went and worked out, showered and then got some pizza from "The Upper Crust" a great establishment. After, I went to Barnes and Noble nearby to check to see if there were any new books out. Of course there were. There are always new books out. Choosing a book is a tough thing though. You know, you're always told, "don't judge a book by its cover". However, for me and my books, if it doesn't have a cool, attractive cover I won't give it the time of day. I didn't buy a book because I knew nothing about any of them. Bummer.

After that I came back and worked on my computer a bit. I had been having trouble with my email program on my computer since May. Today, I FINALLY got it working. I was ridiculously excited about it too. We watched the homerun derby tonight which was fun. Gosh, I love that stadium. Ya its fun to work at an old historic ball park, but for me and my heart---it doesn't get any better than Busch Stadium. Once a Cardinals Fan, always a Cardinals Fan! Too bad Pujols didn't do better. However, I'd rather him lose the Hr derby, and do amazing the rest of the year and win a world series for us. Agreed? I actually spotted my 2 bosses from Springfield on the field tonight in Saint Louis. It was a freak thing and I just noticed/recognized how one of them was walking (Derek). Then I look again, and there was my boss Brock walking in the infield at the end of the Derby. Crazy stuff.

Hopefully the majority of you saw the field! It looks, perfect. The arch and old court house building were done to perfection. What else would anyone expect? Hopefully one day I'll be able to experience an All Star game, maybe one even in Saint Louis. :)

jealous of matt, anthony, u. richard, u. harry, derek and brock,

Phil

IDK--The Newest Ice Cream Place In Town. ;)

Hey.

First. I apologize for not writing the past 2 days. With my family being in town I haven't had much time to get on my computer and update you guys. I figured their only here for 4 days so I should probably spend it with them. With that being said, I had an amazing time with them. I'll start where I left off on Friday.

Friday as soon as I finished writing you all I got dressed and went with my brother, Sam and his wife, Kara to Dunkin Donuts! We all got 2 donuts and a coffee. After that we walked a little ways before catching a cab to the Prudential Center where we met my Aunt Mary Kay and Jill in a store. After shopping there for awhile we parted ways and headed to a few other stores. We met up with the rest of the gang and headed to Quincy Market for lunch and more shopping. There were lots of performers outside as it was a GORGEOUS day in Boston, yet again! We walked a little further to what I think was the harbor. I don't want to say something and then be wrong. We took in the view as well as snapped some photos. After that we decided to go to the New England Aquarium and check out the many fish, turtles, and other sea life on hand. We were all getting tired after that so we went to a Mexican restaurant and had a snack and beer. We took the T back to where the hotel shuttle picks us up and waited for roughly 30 minutes. Meaning, they were 30 minutes late. While waiting a man on a motorized wheel cheer approached all of us (think he was a bit tipsy) and talked to us all in a mumbling voice that only he could understand. He did tell my mom to take her sunglasses off so he could see her eyes better. She passed. The shuttle finally arrived and we packed in the back like a bunch of sardines. But oh no, we didn't go straight home. We went ALL the way back to the North End and circled there before returning to the hotel. It was funny. Not fun. We ate at the restaurant connected to our hotel and then watched the end of the Sox game. That was Friday.

Yesterday (Saturday) we woke up early and caught the T to Cambridge. When we got there we decided to take a tour of Harvard. Or "Hahvahd" as some call it. It was really neat to see the school and where so many smart, famous people went/still go there. I was impressed. After the Harvard tour we headed on another T to the JFK Memorial Library and Museum. There we ate at the cafe inside and then took the tour of the Library. There were lots of neat things inside there. When we finished there we headed back to our Hotel and got changed for dinner. We went to eat at a place called Atlantic Fish. It was GRRRRREAT! Very nice place, and I think everyone enjoyed their meals. I got an early b-day cake as well as a sweet Pop Up book of Fenway Park. I like it. After that I realized I didn't have to go to work so I went to a bar with Sam, Kara, Peter and Danielle and watched a bit of the game. It was fun to catch up with them! After that we all went our separate ways and went to sleep for the night. That was Saturday.

We woke up wicked early this morning and I said bye to everyone. It was like round two of this whole "saying goodbye" thing. Not a fun thing, but a necessary thing. I took a cab home and went back to sleep. :) I didn't sleep too late because I wanted to get a few things done today. Went to the grocery store and bought some food for the week. Got ALL my laundry done (even my sheets, Mom). Posted all the pictures we took from this weekend on my computer and Facebook--check them out! Got my email to work on my phone, but still can't send emails--lame!! All-in-all, it was a great day! Wes is out with a lady friend tonight, so not sure what I will do. ;)

Get excited for the All Star game and Festivities that started today. Apparently they're getting lots of rain though :/ thats not good. The field looks good, I hear. Rumor has it that they rolled a big Arch and Old Court House building into the outfield. Siiiiiiiick!! I'm enthralled, can you tell?

Family--I miss you already. Can't wait to see you again in a month!!

idk,

Phil

Alllllright Little Quackers

Hey.

Sorry I haven't updated for the past day or so. My family has been in town and I have been with them at their hotel and haven't had much access to a computer. I'll start with Wednesday night. I went in for the game because they were expecting rain. After the game I called the family and took a cab to their hotel. My dad said he would pay for the cab and almost paid a complete stranger, as he thought it was me in there. When I finally pulled up he and my mom came running out and my dad paid. It was so great to see them after 2 months!! My little brother, aunt, uncle, and cousin also met me in the lobby of the hotel. Shortly after that we went to bed.

The next day we walked to my dorm room at Emmanuel and I showed them a bit around there. I picked up some clothes and then we headed towards my place of work, Fenway Park. It was so fun to see their reaction to the park, as it is with every single person who walks down Yawkey Way. We went to the team store, and the family seriously stalked up on Red Sox attire. Good thing I get 50% off, huh? Shortly after that we walked to the Prudential Center and got a bite to eat. When finished we headed to our "Boston Duck Tour". Something similar to "Ride the Ducks" at Branson and the Lake of the Ozarks. It was fun to get a tour of Boston and see new things! The driver/tourguide was really funny too.

Afterwards we all headed to one of my favorite places in the world, The Apple Store. There I was surprised by my parents giving me an iPhone 3Gs for my Birthday. What!!!!? Pretty excited about that. :) That took kind of a long time, so we all parted ways after that until the game. I went to work at 5:3o. I was actually a bit nervous this game. I can work in front of 40,000 fans any day, but working in front of 10 family members you really do get butterflies in your stomach. They got to see a great game though! Lots of runs, a few home runs and a Royals win. Either way it was a win win situation for them. They took a lot of pictures that I will probably add to facebook. It takes a long time to add them to this thing. I'll add a few though. :)

My parents just left to take my brother Will back to the airport. He has to fly back today in order to make it back for a soccer showcase in Stl all weekend. Good luck buddy! I'm not sure what else is on the agenda for the day. I have the full day off so it should be fun! I'm excited.

So, thats an update of the past few days. Hope you all are doing great. We're having great weather here right now. :)

hop up out of beeeeeeeed turn my swaaag on,

Phil

FAMILLLAAAY

Hey.

Sorry I didn't update yesterday. I was tired from yet another 15 hour day. Getting used to it by now though :) It was rainy/cloudy all day. We put the tarp on bright and early when we got there and took it on and off 2-3 more times to try and get things finished for the game. Team USA came to Fenway yesterday to take a batting practice. They were supposed to do it at 9:30 and be out of there by 2. Due to the weather, they weren't able to get on the field until about 12:45 and only hit for about 25 minutes. After that, we put the tarp on and left it on until game time. It rained quite a bit, but then seized just before the game. Pretty crazy how it ALWAYS does this. The rain held off until the top of the 9th when Jonathon Papelbon came in to get the save for the sox. When the final out was recorded we all ran onto the field (all 30 of us) and rolled the tarp out, and put it on. That was the end of the day.

My family (Mom, Dad, Brothers, Sister in Law, Bros gf, Aunt, Uncle, and Cousin) will arrive in Boston this evening. They will stay until Sunday. I'm really really excited to see them, as it has been 2 months since I left. I'm supposed to go in to work tonight to help out b/c there is chance for rain. Hopefully it won't though. After that I'm gonna head over to their hotel and meet up with them. They are going to the game tomorrow vs the Royals, and I'm really excited for them to see a game at Fenway. :)

Thats all for today. I'll keep you posted with Family happenings and pictures too.

just keeps raining just keeps raining,

Phil

Grrrrrrrrreat Weather

Hey.

I went to work today at 8:00. I worked on home plate and the mound and patched both of them. After that me and another guy worked on the bullpens. Pretty much did the same thing as what we did to the main mound. We cleaned them both up real nice. After that I broke for lunch. After lunch I just did small jobs the rest of the day. Our boss wanted me and another guy to do the mound AGAIN. John Smoltz was pitching for his first time ever at Fenway, so I guess he wanted it to be perfect. Oh, and it was. However, he's pitching pretty awful right now, not my fault--promise.

That was my day. Go in early again tomorrow before having the days off the next 4-5 days for time with my family! 2 days till they get here. Exciting!

Hope Monday was great.

jacoby ellllllllllsburrrry,

Phil

Marky Mark

Hey.

After a nice morning of sleeping in I went to work at 11. Game time was 1:35 and with batting practice already set up and the players hitting, there wasn't much to do. After the field was ready, I headed back to the crew room and cleaned it and washed the bases. Washing the bases is a new thing for me this summer. Last summer we just spray painted them after every game. I guess it makes sense to wash them here though. With a looser budget you can afford new bases every other game. We had one set of bases for BP and one set for the games last year. Mark Wahlberg threw out a TERRIBLE first pitch. The left handed actor through it wide left of Dustin Pedroia and quickly asked for a 2nd try. He did a bit better the 2nd time. The Sox won today with a big 7th inning comeback. It was a good game. Afterwards we set up for "Picnic in the Park". People pay an arm and a leg (close to 600 a ticket) to come on to the field and eat food, listen to music and play on the outfield grass of Fenway. Lots o Rich folk. After that our day was over and we headed back home.

We saw the fireworks last night along the Charles River. Pretty friggin awesome. Apparently my parents watched them on CBS? That was funny to me. It was a nice show though, and the crowd was crazzzzy. After that I came home b/c I was dead tired. That was the extent of my 4th.

3 days until I see my family. Pretty excited about that! Still not for sure what we will do. Its back to work at 8am the next two days for me. After that I'll have a little time off to spend with the family. Get excited.

double stuffed oreos are perrrrfect,

Phil

Ameeeerica

Hey.

Sorry to you all for not updating yesterday. I worked 15 hours and didn't have much time when I got home at 11:30 last night to write anything. So I'll start with Yesterday. We took the tarp off at 6:30 am and surprisingly it STAYED OFF until after the game Friday. The storms were supposed to hit us around 3-5 but they went just west of Boston, and were breaking up right as they approached us. During the Mariners batting practice the sun was shinning and yet it was still raining. If you were standing around home plate you got rained on. If you were out in right field, you were getting sprinkled on. Thats how close it was to us. It was fun to see Ken Griffey Jr back in a Mariners jersey and watch that sweeeet swing of his. He's gotten a lot bigger, and doesn't do a whole lot. The game went into extra innings with the Sox losing in the 11th. We had to put the tarp on the field because there was a chance of rain. It didn't rain. I was lucky enough to have a 10 oclock start time this morning, so I got to sleep in a little. We had a 1:05 start time today. I like day games because then you usually have the night off. And, I just think they're more...baseball-ish. It was a beautiful day here in Boston with highs in the low 80's. There were a few clouds in the sky, but NOOO rain! Can you sense my change in mood? Good. They dropped the massive flag over the green monster and had a fly over which was sweet. Not like a "geese fly over" which we so often joked about in Springfield. These were real planes. The Sox lost...again. Not a bad game, but the Mariners got the best of them. I got a bit sunburnt but I was just happy the sun was shinning!

Not sure what we will do tonight for the 4th. I think we may go to the river and watch the fireworks. It's back to work for me tomorrow at 11 as the Sox try and not get swept. Weather forecast for tomorrow--SUNNNNNNY.

Alrighty. Hope you all are celebrating and having a great time. I miss you, and it doesn't feel like the 4th without you guys.

rockin a sick farmers tan,

Phil

Sleepy Heaaaad

Hey.

First off. I want you all to know that I don't hate Boston, or my job. Like I said before, all of this rain is taking a tole on all of us, and just bums me out from time to time. It aint right that I can see my breath in July, huh? The status I put on my facebook was the "Fenway Prayer". It is written in pencil on one of the walls in our warehouse. It was written a long time ago, and well I thought it was appropriate to say it. :) Promise I'm great!

As for today. Went in at 7 am. Pulled the tarp off and did a little work before putting it back on and letting it rain for an hour or so. Ended up pulling it again, getting set up for batting practice and stood on the field and watched. There was a game today for the players that the Red Sox just drafted. Not going to lie--they weren't that impressive. They weren't able to finish their practice before the rain came again. We pulled the tarp BACK out and covered the field again. We let it rain again for about 30-45 mins before pulling it off and getting the field ready for them to play. It was a pretty lax game and an easy way to pick up some hours. They ended it in the 7th (Thank GOD) and we fixed the field and covered it back up with the tarp. Ended up leaving the park at about 6:45 and got a bite to eat and came home. Doing some laundry tonight before going to bed super early. We have to be in tomorrow at 6:30 to take the tarp off and get ready for a day filled with tarp pulling, turface throwing and Sox baseball. :)

Hope you all are having a great week. 1 More day till the long weekend? Maybe. If this is the last post you read before you take off for vacation for the 4th, have a super 4th of July!! Keep an eye on highlights, you may just see us!

Siiiiick of wet socks/feet,

Phil

Nice Way to Start July=Rain

Hey.

Sorry I didn't write a whole lot yesterday. I was a little frustrated and well the only thing I felt like writing about was God, and how wonderful he is. Even in the worst of times he can be so great. :) Those are just a couple of verses that make me smile and give me hope on days like yesterday. Today was better though.

July 1st. 23 days until I turn 22. Does that mean I'm getting old? Awesoooome. We put the tarp on last night b/c of the infield being so wet, and with rain predicted to come. Whats new--it didn't rain. We pulled the tarp off bright and early at 7am and did some work on the field. Me and 4 other guys, we picked up "pebbles". I will never look at a pebble the same way again. These are pebbles smaller than a pea that we have to pick up off the infield. We had bottles full of them when we quit picking them up. Its not too bad for the first 20 minutes or so, but after 4 hours of it---it gets a little ridiculous. We battled the rain all day, and then it finally rained and set in at about 1 or so. We waited around all day just in case the sun would pop back up b/c when it does, it gets wicked hot under the tarp--and that means scorched grass. The sun never came back but we stayed until 6 when the rain finally stopped. We pulled the tarp and dumped all the water off--soooo heavy. After that they rolled the infield and we worked for another 30 minutes on things our boss wanted to get done before tomorrow. Ended up putting the tarp back on and getting out of there for the day. I've already put in 31 hours for the week and am expected to be at the field at 7am the next 2 days. Good money, I guess.

Request! PRAY PRAY PRAY for some sunshine. Everyone (me included) is down in the dumps about all this rain, and we need some sun in our lives. Also because if it rains then I wont get to spend time with my awesome family when they come. And that would suck. So pray :)

Ok, going to relax before bedtime and then do it ALL over again. :)

Love and miss you all!

laughed a lot today,

Phil

Short & Sweet

Because its never bad to hear it....

"Rejoice in the Lord Always, I shall say it again: Rejoice! Your kindness should be known to all. The Lord is near. Have no anxiety at all, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, make your request known to God. Then the peace of God that surpasses all understanding will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus."

Phil 4: 4-7

"Consider it all Joy, my brothers, when you encounter various trials, for you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance."

James 1: 2-3

Thats all I got. And I love it.

-Phil

Finally Some Purchases

*My New Shoes. Haha.

Hey.

Woke up this morning and went to work at 9. I had one of those nights where you wake up at like 5am completely refreshed, look at your clock, and realize you have 3 more hours of sleep left. Soo great! Didn't do all that much at work because of the wet conditions, STILL! So sick of rain, not sick of the temps, just the rain! Got off work at 1 and came home. Took a shower and laid around for awhile as it was still pretty gloomy out.

We went out at 6 or so and got some chinese food. For some reason, I was craaaaving it like no other. It was quite good. Laura had to stop by the Apple store so I gladly accepted and Wes and I went too. She went to buy something for her iPod. Did she get it? No. But oh, I ended up walking out of there with 2 new things. A new spray for my computer, and a keyboard protector so I don't get it dirty from working. It is white you know. After eating we went to a shoe store. I've been wanting to buy some new running shoes for doing athletic type things--not just running. I'm rather picky about things and shoes are no different. I found these really cool shoes there and looked at them for like 5 mins before asking to try them on. Come to find out, the only sizes left were 9 1/2 and 10. Both my sizes. They were the official shoe of the Boston Marathon this year and only 800 of them were made. Tried them on, fell in love and bought them. Thats a picture of them up there. Pretty colorful, huh? :)

Thats my day. Soon and very soon until mi familia is here. I'm so excited.

Just a quick thing I just remembered. Wes and I are laughing/talking about it now. But one of my favorite things about Fenway and the games are when Jonathan Papelbon (the Red Sox closer) comes in to the game in the late innings. They play the song "I'm Shipping Up to Boston" every time! Oh, and they play it SOOOOO LOUD! The start of it, has like 2 notes that sound something similar to like the Jaws tone. Whenever the crowd hears those 2 notes, they seriously just erupt into cheer. Its one of the coolest things I've ever seen. Then the announcer announces his name at the same point in the song every time as well. Family, I really hope you get to experience that. Its amazing.

Awesome. Hope you're Mondays were great. Wow. The Cardinals really lost 10-0 to the Giants. Sweet.

over and out,

Phil

B b b b b rowniesssss.

Hey.

As you know I went into work this morning at 1am. Not nearly as bad as I thought it was going to be. The wedding reception didn't get over until like 2:30 so the first hour and a half was spent waiting for it to end. Probably one of the coolest wedding receptions I've ever seen. I'll tell you all more in person, but for starters--Mr Henry had Maroon 5 as the band. Pretty legit, people. Oh and a fellow Missourian was there--Mr. Carl Edwards himself. When it finally ended we helped carry center pieces, tables, chairs and table tops to trucks waiting outside on the street. We picked up a little bit of the flooring but with the huge tent still there, we couldn't take up too much of it. Time flew by and before I knew it, it was 6am and we were out of there. We stopped at Dunkin Donuts on our way home, got my usual 2 D-nuts and then went straight to bed. I slept till about 1:30 or so and then ate some lunch with the roomate and did some work on my computer. We made brownies this evening which was greaaaat, and reminded me of the Nut House--as I would make brownies for my roomates once every 2 weeks or so. Oh how they love me for that.

I gotta be at work tomorrow at 9am. I hope I can sleep. Last time I did an overnight shift, I didn't sleep well the night before...:-/

1 week and a half until family coooomes!

butch-congrats. ;) (not you mom, the other butch)

will- glad you had fun sir. :)

dad- wish i could teach you how to use your iPhone.

most def put icing on the brownies,

Phil

Weddings All Around

Hey--

Heres what happened today, June 27. Ate lunch here, did some laundry and worked out this morning/afternoon. Took a shower and then went shopping with Wes. I don't really know why I even call it shopping anymore. I hardly ever buy anything. I don't know if its b/c I'm cheap or just not finding the "right" stuff. I think a combination of both? Yesss. With us being so close to the park we were asked to go in at 6 today to remove the mound and home plate tarps in order for the "guests" of tonights event to play on the field if they liked. The owner of the Red Sox, Mr. John Henry got married today and was having his reception at the ball park. Pretty sweet gig. We have to go in tonight at 1am to help take down things and get the field back in playing order. The field looked great tonight. After being away from it for 2 days it was great to see it looking healthy again!

Thats the extent of my day.

Congratulations Tory and Hilary on getting married. Sorry I couldn't be there!! Wish you guys the best!

see you,

Phil

Friday.

Hey.

Day off today. Woke up late and took a shower. Ate some lunch here and then watched TV this afternoon. It was nice this morning then clouded up and rained this afternoon. Got some dinner in the early evening and hung with some friends a bit. Wes and I walked to Boston University near the Charles River and walked around there for a good hour or so. Found a real nice grocery store there and a few other places. Came back home for a little bit and then went to Newbury St. A few friends from the dorm have been begging us to come out with them since we got here. Since we have a few days off, we went to a bar with them and had a beer and danced a bit. It was wicked crowded and hot. Nice, fun bar though. Its so great here in Boston because they don't allow you to smoke inside so you don't have to worry about wearing something you don't want to get smelly. I loved it. We got some funny looks as we were like some of the only guys dancing. Its whatever.

We just got back a few minutes ago, and will probably head to bed for the night. It was fun to get out of the room and have some fun tonight. The warm, humid weather made me really miss Missouri and the people in it. I really do miss you guys, hope you're well!! :)

got hit on by a gay man tonight,

Phil

Suuuuuuun!

Whats up,

Went to work bright and EARLY at 6 this morning. Stood and watched for a while as workers set up a huge circus like tent in right field. Like I said, there's a certain event going on this weekend, which is why the tent is necessary. We weren't sure if we were going to be able to do the work we were planning on doing to the infield today or not, because of the rainy weather. We ended up being able to and so the process went. I didn't do all of these things but this is what took place. We had to do the work because of small film of Turface that had built up on the surface of the skin. This happened when we were constantly taking off and putting on turface due to the wet weather. We needed to go in there and till it up to make it a fresh surface again. So we first had to remove all the existing pro red turface from the skin. This took a little while, as there was A LOT on there. After that tillers were brought in and the skin surface was tilled up. Another piece of equipment was brought through and mixed up the dirt even more. A lazer grader was then brought in and the skin got leveled off. After that a roller was brought out and used to firm the skin up nicely. Turface was put on at a smaller rate and then rolled again. After on there it was then cocoa matted to look good as new!! Thats a quick way of explaining an 11 hour day of work.

Like I said, I didn't do all of that. Just when they were starting the tilling process my boss told me to hop on a mower and mow the outfield. The grass was pretty long (3 1/2") so we had to bag it. That meant that I had to use an old Simplicity riding mower (one you would use on your own yard about 10 years ago). Needless to say, not the greatest mower in the world. He told me I had to be lazer beam straight, and well, I wasn't. I was all over the place with that mower, as it was tough to keep steady. Not to make excuses, but everyone said that it was hard to control, so I didn't feel as bad. I ended up just mowing arcs instead of straight lines. It looked okay, but will just be covered up by a sweet pattern in a few days anyways. But I did get to mow--so that was fun. Thats really all I did the rest of the day, because I had to empty the bagger every 2 passes...so long!

It was wicked nice here today and I think its suppose to continue to be nice. Lets keep our fingers crossed anyways. No celebrities today...oh well. Ate dinner at a really good pizza place near Fenway. I have the next two days off before I go back on Sunday. On my way back from work I got asked where the nearest bar was. Im happy to say I was able to inform the guy where they were. Never thought I'd be able to give directions in Boston. :) The weekend is almost here, hang in there!!!

missing M. Jackson already,

Phil

Face to Face with a Moobie Star

Hey all.

Went to work at 10 today, did some organizing and other small jobs as it was STILL raining. The infield skin had puddles all over it, so we had to punch holes in those spots with big steel bars. Hoping it would help soak up the water a little faster. They are putting a big circus tent in right field tonight and putting terra plas flooring down again for an event. Not sure if it will be the whole field or not. Either way, I still have to go in at 6 AM. :( Sadness.

During the work today I crossed paths with who? Oh, just actor Ben Affleck. He was a lot shorter in person but looks the same. Walked by him a couple times, and drove a cart passed him the others. Apparently he will be shooting a movie there in August, so I guess he was there scoping things out. Pretty cool to see him with out a billion cameras around and protectors. Just another guy really.

Thats about all for today. Better get a good night sleep and then head to work early tomorrow. Friday I have off though!! Hope you all are grrrrreat. I miss you.

siiiick of mice,

Phil

Still, yes still, Raining in Boston

As the title says, it is still wet and rainy here in Boston. Haven't seen the sun in a few days--sad day! Its not all bad though, as its only about 65 degrees. Apparently its hotter than poop in Missouri. Sorry friends. :/ I went back to work today after a day off on Monday. Stopped in at Dunkin Donuts and got my usual 2 donuts to go. I really really hope that by the end of the summer they'll know me so well that they'll have it ready when I get there. Hmm. :D I worked on Home Plate today with another guy. Believe it or not, there is a lot more work than one would think. The holes from where the batters/catcher stand were nicely patched but the area around that and sort of to the side about a foot off was just awful. The infield mixture around these areas was pretty low creating low spots shaped in a big "U" all the way around the box. We had to patch all of that and then paint/fix the lines for the batters box. After that I did some clean up work and then was gone by 1:30. Vice President Joe Biden was apparently coming to Fenway today for something. I really have no idea why, but they had bomb squad dogs sniffing out the place and made us put stickers on all of our bags.

Spent the rest of the day around the room, as it was too rainy to do much of anything else. :/ I have more days off between now and next Friday, so I hope the weather will be nice for that! We're going to see a movie tonight--"The Proposal" apparently its funny. We'll see about that. Hope you all had a great Tuesday, it seems like these weeks just keep flying by. 2 Weeks till I get to see my family--so excited.

love to wear my chacos on a rainy day,

Phil

D d d day Off.

Hey,

Had the day off today. Slept pretty late since it was raining ALL day long. Finally went out around 3 and got something to eat and did a little shopping. Got a pretty cool new jacket. Came back home and sat around for a while and then went out with El and Laura. We went to the North Part of town. Its REALLY REALLY neat up there with lots of little shops and such. Aunt Liz and U Richard you'd love it, as it is predominantly Italian shops and restaurants. We ate at a small little Italian restaurant. Pretty good! After that we got ice cream and continued walking around there. Family--found some cool places up there that we will go to when you come.

It's back to work for me tomorrow. Not quite sure whats going on this week but it will be great none the less. Hope everyone had a great monday, and that it wasn't rainy like it was here!!

the mouse is back--but surrounded by trappppss,

Phil

A Great End to a Long Wet Home Stand

Hey. Exciting blog today!

So the weather like changed drastically and all those showers we were supposed to get last night, never came. All the thunderstorms and showers we were supposed to get today came as only mist and drizzle. So we were able to have a game!! Got to work at 7 and took the tarp off and worked on the field a bit. I cleaned all the peanut shells and sunflower seeds off the warning track while others were assigned different tasks. When we got the field game ready we put the tarp back on until right before the game when we took it off and got the field ready again for the game.

Today was pretty exciting as I got to sit in the runway with my boss and 3 other guys. The runway is the space in between the Sox dugout and the Sox locker room. We have to sit there during rainy games just in case we are called out onto the field to do mound work or plate work. Turns out we didn't have to do any of that, so I got to sit just outside the Sox dugout for the game. Not a bad seat eh? Watched as Wakefield would pace around in between innings then go sit down on a chair and watch the game from a TV. After David Ortiz (big papi) hit his hr he came down and gave us all high fives and said "yeah bitches!!" haha. Listened to Pedroia and Youkilis cuss up a storm after striking out or doing something wrong. Pretty crazy. Exciting day none the less. The Sox won in walk off fashion today as Nick Green hit a solo hr to lead off the bottom of the ninth. They won 6-5.

I have the day off tomorrow and then back at it on Tuesday. Hope all you Fathers had a great day today.

Dad-Love you, and Happy Fathers Day again!

Family-Miss you a lot.

Julie and Russ-congrats on the new baby to come! Boy number 4? Perhaps?? :)

"What difference does it make, as long as in every way, whether in pretense or in truth, Christ is being proclaimed? And in that I rejoice." -Phil 1: 18

shower luffa is turning red/orange from the Fenway dirt,

Phil

TBS

Game is on TBS today (Sunday) at 1:35 ET. Watch for me. If they even play :)

Happy Fathers Day Popps! Love you.

Phil

Uno Mas!

Heyyyyy,

After a nice morning to sleep in, I was energized and ready for another day at the park. I did laundry last night and left my clothes in the drier over night. I have clean socks now!! Lots of them. Our crew room smelt sooo gross today. With 25+ guys soaking wet, and sweaty you could see where it would get gross. Right? I went into work today thinking it was going to rain starting at game time, which meant we'd have to pull the tarp out. I can say with a smile on my face that it didn't rain all game! Oh, and the game was 2 hours and 10 minutes long. 10x faster than minor league ball. Soooo great! Got asked by a few Braves players if it was going to rain tonight--we always have to say I don't know. Its what we do. It was a good game tonight! The Sox won again!

My fingers feel a bit better. Apparently we're not the only room who has mice. Others have said they have them too. Sketchy!! I have to be in tomorrow pretty early and then the day off on Monday. I think after the game tomorrow we may go out to the North end with some friends and eat dinner there. We're supposed to have showers all day tomorrow, which leads me to believe we won't be playing. But who knows. I've come to realize that old saying of "you're in missouri, the weather can change anytime" applies to any place in the world. I just never was in another state long enough to realize it. True story.

Well good night. Happy early Fathers Day Popps, and all the dads. I miss you.

Ste-happy birthday! Kees Kees.

1 2 3 4 Uno Dos Tres Cuatro,

Phil

I'm Baaaaaack!

Im sorry, I'm sorry.

After a 12.5 hour day at the park yesterday I arrived back home at 12 am and went straight to bed since I had to be up in 6 hours. Heres how yesterday (June 18th) went down.

Got to the park at 11 and it started to rain around 1 or so? We did a lot of work in the morning in order to be prepared for the game if we were going to be able to play. The weather reports all afternoon/evening were calling for rain all night and not stopping till the next day. Oh but no, there was a window from about 7-9 that we had to squeeze the game in! I understand, you gotta do what you gotta do. Apparently Fenway loses 1 mil or so every time a game gets postponed. Thats legit. So it was pretty hectic before the game as always, people running around trying to get the infield dry enough and safe enough to play. The game started and of course moved slow. We got to the 5th and it started to rain steady. In the top of the 6th it started to really come down and the umpires called for us to get the tarp and bring it on the field. Last time we did this, we got more cheers than boos. This time, I don't remember hearing a cheer--all boos. Oh well. We got the tarp on and in place and then sat in the dugout. Oh, no big deal- sat next to Hanley Ramirez. I remember him saying--"man i just want to get out of here so i can go get drunk". Nice Hanley. I wanted to tell him to play better since I picked him first for my fantasy team, but I didn't have the guts. When I was pulling the tarp out my fingers got caught in it and pretty well ripped my middle fingernail up but not off. Hurt sooo bad---but is feeling better now. Who would've thought grounds keeping would entail this much blood, sweat and tears. The rain didnt stop and we ended up sitting in the dugout for 2 hours waiting for them to just call it. Finally at 11:30 they decided to call it.

Today I was at the park at 7 am. We didn't get started on things until 8, as the rain was still coming down. It ended up staying around until about 1 or 2. When that happens you have to fix and prep things part by part. With the rain still coming down, we couldn't just take the tarp off and fix the field--had to do baseline by baseline, homeplate, mound. The rain finally stopped for a bit, and we worked hard to get it in playing condition as others set up for batting practice. During the Sox BP it started to drizzle a bit, and about 5 minutes later it was POURING! There we were AGAIN, pushing that stupid tarp onto the field. By this time we were dead tired, felt like we couldn't go any more, but we did. 15 Minutes later the rain finally stopped for the night and we took it off, and again worked hard to get the field in tip top condition. We even got a glimpse of the sun during this. Dinner was provided for us tonight which was nice! I stayed and worked the game and drug the field in the 3, 5, 7 inning. I was spent after that and didn't have much energy to do much else. Today I went through 3 pairs of socks and 2 shoes. Thank God, I had extras!! Doing some laundry tonight, since I don't go in until 2 tomorrow. Yay for sleeping in!

Sorry again for not updating. I hope you understand. :)

Ben and Bethany--Congrats on getting married. Love you guys and can't wait to see you when I get back!

my father is getting an iPhone?,

Phil

500

Happy 500 consecutive sellout days at Fenway Park day!

So, if you read my blog yesterday then you are well aware of this pattern that we had to put in the outfield today. If you aren't aware, go read!! First things first. We had a friendly visitor last night while we were sleeping. Some way some how a mouse was in or near our trash can last night. We ended up scaring it off so no biggy. I hope it doesn't come back though...nothing worse than having something else crawling around in bed with you.

Got to work today at 10 and started right away on the 500. We first had to find a center point and go from there. After that we started measuring and flagging off the numbers. Our boss then basically traced along the flags with a mower a couple of times and then we took the flags up. Other tools used to do this were rakes, water pressure--hose, heavy rollers, you can use brooms and so forth. My boss told me to get a mower and start working on the last zero. I went back and forth lots of times until it was "burned" in nicely. After I did a bit of work on the zero I moved over to the five and mowed where we were able too. It takes a lot of time and work--more than most people think. I'll try to post some pics on here as soon as I get a hold of a couple. All in all it looks pretty good. It could look better but we only had so much time to do it. To an ordinary fan, it looks amazing. To me it looks just alright.

Really thats about all I did today. Stayed till game time and then left when the game started. Busy but quick day really. It was beautiful here again and it looks like that will be the last of the nice weather for a few days. Apparently its supposed to rain tomorrow, Friday and Saturday. Yay long days at the ballpark!!

Pretty tired so I'm gonna end this for today. Hope you're weeks are going amazing so far. Its half over! You can make it :)

many times sleepy,

Phil

"The Feeshies Hurt Mah Eyes!!"

Hey-O,

SO I woke up this morning to the sound of 2 girls making donuts in the kitchen. Our room is connected to the community kitchen and only a door separates the two. Of course I sleep by the door and pretty much wake up anytime anyone goes in there. The girls were talking way too loud for 8:00 am and I wasn't sooo happy. I got over it though. Went to work at 12 today and did a lot of the same things. We have been rolling in the pattern the last two days so that it will "pop" a little more when on TV and for the fans at the stadium. While I was doing this my boss asked if I could come in tomorrow a little earlier to work on a logo that we'll be putting in centerfield. Not sure what it is yet, probably a number or something. I have experience doing it though, as I put an "STL" and a Texas League Logo in at Hammons Field. I'm anxious to see what and how he's planning on having us do it here.

I stayed for Pregame and then left shortly after that for the day. I wanted to get some laundry done but the stupid quarter machine wouldn't work. :( Oh well. It was fun to see the Marlins today. The team is really young, so I'm sure for most of them it was their first time being at Fenway since they're in the NL. They took an extra bp earlier this afternoon to get used to playing balls off the Green Monsta. I threw a batting practice ball to one of the fans who said she dropped it. Normally I would never do that and know never to do that but I guess I just wasn't thinking? My boss was even out on the field, and my 3rd boss told me that if he would have seen me I would have gotten in trouble. I guess you're supposed to let the players give them the balls or something--lame. Rule broken at Fenway Park--Number 1.

Field looks great, keep an eye on highlights of tomorrows game, as you might see the logo we are going to put in. It's not there yet though so don't go looking yet. Hope you're Tuesdays were great. Miss you guys all a lot, and excited to see some of you soon!!!

Ellen.

not missing the hot, humid days of Missouri,

Phil

Milk

-Myself on the bridge. Charles river below.

-MIT Dome.

-Just a sign in Boston

-Me. Wes (roomate). New friend Laura.

-New Friends Nicole and Laura. They didn't want to show their faces.

So,

I love milk. Always have, always will. Is there a difference in milk, as far as brands go? Raised in Jefferson City, I only drank Central Dairy milk. There was always another choice though. The same is true in Springfield too. In Boston, nothing is different. Here, "Hoods" is the milk of choice. I've yet to drink it because it cost a little more. Every time I go to buy milk I think if there is a difference or not? It all comes from a cow, right? I don't know. Sorry for that 30 seconds of your life I just waisted. Sorry, you can't have it back. :D

Last night right after I blogged and after I ate my delicious pb&j for dinner, a couple new friends stopped by to hang out and then invited us to go on a walk with them. They just couldn't believe that we hadn't been to some places, and were practically dragging us to go with them. I can't help it--I work 6 days a week. :-/ We walked through Boston University, and to the banks of the Charles River. We walked a pretty long way along the Charles before crossing it to Cambridge, MA. We stopped at MIT and walked around a bit on their campus. Pictures from the night are all up there. Ha, the girls are really funny and its so great to finally know some other people around here!!

Today I went to work at 9 and pretty much did things I always tell you about. Please let me know if you don't want to consistently hear about the same things. Its what my job entails though, a lot of just redoing everything you did the day before and the many days before that. Nothing too terribly exciting happened at work. I'm not sure if you guys remember but last year they played an NHL hockey game at Wrigley Field in Chicago. They started this a couple years back I guess and will continue this year, at Fenway. They haven't officially announced it yet, so you guys are just that much cooler now that you know. A few NHL guys came in today to look at some things and I guess to figure out some things for a press conference. Probably for later on in the week when they "officially" announce its location.

Its back to work tomorrow at 12 for a game against the Braves I think. Maybe the Marlins. One of those two. Hope everyones Monday was great. The weather is beautiful here. Its 59 degrees now and sunny. The high for the week is 75. Aaaamazing.

smells a refill on my dd card soon,

Phil

Last Day off for Awhile

Boys and Girls,

Hey. Hows everyones weekend? Great? Anything amazing happening in your lives? If so, would love to hear on a comment or something. No pressure though--I understand, blogs are a big deal. :D Mine has been great! Having 3 days off in a row has been great and good to catch up on some sleep! Washed my sheets yesterday after having them on there since I got here. I figured it was a good idea to put some clean ones on there. Last night stayed in and watch some baseball, and some movies that were on TV. Mean Girls? Maybe. What? No we didn't watch Mean Girls....:-/

Today I woke up and was in an exercising mood. Here at the dorm we have a pretty decent work out room in the basement. I just stuck to my trusty ole P90x workout routine and did push ups, pullups and sit ups. It felt nice to work out. After that I took a shower and we went downtown to walk around and do a bit of shopping. Bought some souvenirs for a few people back home. Its hard to decide who you will buy things for, and who you wont? How do you do that? I have no idea. Tonight will be a pretty chill night as well. I have to work at 9 tomorrow. It should be a pretty lax day and I shouldn't work too long. The Marlins and Braves head into town this week for a 6 game home stand. After that we have a week and a half off again. Our boss asked us to come to his house and do some mulching for him earlier last week. I think we're probably going to get around to doing that as soon as the team leaves for the road again.

Sorry my blogging schedule has been off. I haven't had too much to talk about lately, so I never know when to write in it. As games start again, I'll update it in the evenings. Have a great week everyone!

was attacked for change by a homeless man inside the mall while eating today,

(he attacked every other single person in there too)

"Rejoice in the Lord, ALWAYS. I shall say it again, Rejoice!"

-Philippians 4:4

Phil