Yep, we are back with our theme nights!! YAYYYYYYYY!!!!!111111
We are beginning our countdown to our next kind of Disney trip – our 2017 cross-country Road Trip. And while this trip isn’t all Disney (driving from Boston to Anaheim), Disneyland is the ultimate destination. So I mean, it’s Disney enough. And to get ready for our trip we are of course doing theme nights. On account of that’s how we roll.
And since the trip ain’t all Disney, neither are the theme nights. We have some Disney in there, but this set of nights is structured a little differently. What we are going to do is watch movies that can be related to each of our stops on the trip. And in between some stop-related films, we will watch some road trip movies. On account of driving. And then. AND THEN. As this trip is partly to celebrate Owen’s 10th birthday, we will switch over to watching his 10 favorite Disney movies.
And the other cool thing? I will be able to outline our plans for each stop in each post. Isn’t that cool? Yeah? No? No. OK then.
I know it’s not ALLLL Disney so some of you WEHEARTDISNEY purists may have a problem with it. But I mean, you don’t pay me. So. Enjoy.
Now what to call this little movie adventure. What. To. Call. It. Oooh, I got it. How about:
MOVIE-PALOOZA
FILMTOWN, USA: POPULATION YOU
WAYNE WATCHING MOVIES AND EATING FOOD WITH HIS FAMILY AND COUNTING DOWN TO THE ROAD TRIP WHICH WE ARE TAKING IN 2017 TO HAVE FUN AND BE WITH FAMILY AND GET TO KNOW AMERICA
WATCHING OUR WAY ACROSS AMERICA: Counting down to the Goody Road Trip!!!!!
Cross-country trip: Night 1
For our first night, we are focusing on our first stop in Cooperstown, NY. We are planning on starting the trip by stopping at the beach before we go so we can start out our trip by dipping our feet in the Atlantic. Then we will drive about 4.5 hours to Cooperstown, NY. We will most likely leave early that day, grab breakfast on the road and get into Cooperstown by lunch, grab lunch and then hit the Baseball Hall of Fame for a little bit of America’s favorite pastime. Yep. Paying money to view autographed sports memorabilia.
That night, we may hit this brewery in Cooperstown and then head back to our hotel for a swim and some time in the game room.
So then obvs squad we had a baseball theme night for our first night. It was just the four of us but eh…we still managed to have a good time.
The food
The food was all kinds of baseball. We had steamed hot dogs, hot pretzels…
Popcorn and peanuts.
And for dessert, we had these Red Sox sundae cone thingies. What makes them Red Sox? Well, it says so on the box. So root root root for the home team.
The activity
For the activity, the boys and I had a whiffle ball home run derby. Myles won and Owen got angry. So, all in all, a typical Goodreau whiffle ball home run derby.
The movie
Being that this was a baseball night, we decided to watch one of the best baseball movies ever made –Field of Dreams. What a great movie to start off this new countdown. Not only does this movie focus squarely on baseball, but it also has a bit of a road trip element AND it goes to Fenway Park.
I am sure most know what Field of Dreams is about. A guy hears a voice in a cornfield that tells him to build a baseball diamond and meets a bunch of dead guys. But at its heart, this movie is awash with spirituality. But not spirituality in the Kirk Cameron Left Behind sense. This movie is about baseball and what makes it such a special sport. The movie connects baseball to something more than itself, which is a common theme with baseball. Baseball is history. It’s tradition. It’s America. It’s all at once a sport enjoyed by many and something so personal. When Ray (Kevin Costner) talks about baseball, he talks about it as it parallels his own life.
And this is what has me so excited to visit the Baseball Hall of Fame in the first place. And why we are trying to hit some ballparks on our way out to the coast. This road trip is about seeing America. And baseball is such an integral part of the American experience.
And of course this movie (and baseball for that matter) make me think of my Dad. I know I have talked about losing my Dad before but I mean…Field of Dreams. Not only does this movie center on the loss of a father, but it’s a movie my Dad loved. I mentioned before that movies were always something my Dad and I did together and I still remember watching this movie with him. Obviously then, it felt different. Then, the thought of not having a father seemed so foreign to me. It was something to be sad about, but something you could be a detached kind of sad about. Now, when I watch this movie, I remember him and I miss him.
The nice thing is this movie, like baseball, will live on. And in each of these things, I can still feel like he’s here. And while I don’t think I can get him back by building a baseball diamond, I still feel like I get that time with him. Kevin Costner may have needed Shoeless Joe’s help but I was lucky enough to make so many memories with my Dad when he was alive, I feel like I get to spend time with at least a little part of him whenever I catch a Sox game or watch a movie like this.
WeHeartDisney 
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