Three Days, Six States, 2,315 Miles

Twelve guys and I decided that it would be a good idea to go on a road trip through the Midwest the weekend before final exams. Even though we spent approximately thirty-eight hours on the road between 1:00 pm Friday and 10:00 am Monday, I consider this trip a success. I slept on the floor of a church in Wichita, Kansas, got a milkshake from Braum's, bought banana bread from an Amish family in Missouri, played a baseball game where the movie Field of Dreams was filmed, slept on the cold cement basement floor at some stranger's house in Illinois, watched Derek Lee hit a grand slam in the Cubs' victory over the Marlins at Wrigley Field, took my picture beside the Gateway Arch in St. Louis, and ate four burgers from White Castle. The only thing I regret is the last one.

One of my goals in life is watch a baseball game at every major league stadium, so when the idea of going to watch the Cubs play Wrigley Field was presented to me, I jumped at the opportunity. We decided to take a detour through Dyersville, Iowa, to the set of the movie Field of Dreams before driving to Chicago. I felt like a child on his way to the toy store as we got within a few miles of the field. I started playing baseball in second grade, and I have loved the game ever since. As a baseball fan, one can't help but also love the movie The Field of Dreams, so being able to play a game there will forever be one of the greatest experiences of my life.

Wrigley Field, built in 1914, is the ninth major league ballpark where I have attended a game, so I have twenty-one remaining. Even though I am not a Cubs fan, I could not help but cheer when Derek Lee hit his grand slam to put the Cubs up 6-2 or when the Cubs held the Marlins to scoring just one run with the bases loaded and only one out. The game was sold out, and by the roar of the crowd as the Cubs' right fielder made a diving catch for the third out in the top of the ninth inning, you could tell that there was not an empty seat in the house.

I returned to Abilene to face two final exams, a group presentation, and a three page paper - my last week as a college student. I took the exams, gave the presentation, and wrote my paper, so I am now finished with college. Some would call me a "young professional," others might call me a "grown up." I don't know how I feel about either one of those titles.

Over the past couple of weeks, I have really enjoyed the time I spent with my friends, and we lived moment as if it were the last time we would ever see each other. There's something special about that mindset - I didn't take my friends or anything else for granted. Life is better that way.