Cheering for a Green Bay Team... Wait, Wut?

You knew there'd come a day when the Austins would cheer for a Green Bay team. Spoiler alert: It ain't football!

The quick back story is that our friends' three little girls used to think there were referring to Jim and me as Mr. and Mrs. "Awesome" rather than Austin. So how could we not fall in love with them and consider them ours as they grew up through school years at Assumption, college years, and beyond.

All 3 played softball at their respective colleges. Ava, the youngest, was a star pitcher for the Royals and is in her sophomore year at UW-Green Bay throwing for the Phoenix. In past years, our spring road trip/travel time was limited when Jim was coaching baseball. This year, his freedom opened up a new freedom to leave town. (As you may have noticed on recent weekends!)

Ava's team had their last regular season home games today and tomorrow so we figured we'd go to Green Bay, now that all the NFL Draft enthusiasts were out of town. Unlike the MLB, they don't necessarily announce their starting pitchers until game time. So there was a chance she wouldn't be taking the mound today with 2 games today and 1 more tomorrow – all versus the University of Detroit Mercy. 

With a Phoenix as their school mascot, it was inspiring to see the uplifting messages on the drive in to the field.

It's Ava's place to continue to rise, for sure!

The good news is that the Phoenix won game 1.

And came back after a rough first inning to dominate game 2!

Unfortunately, our dear girl didn't get to pitch today. But she was still all smiles seeing us and her parents and one sister – and a few other fans who drove over from Wisconsin Rapids today. She deservedly has the biggest fan club! Now we know that next year we'll just have to get some earlier games. Like someplace further south maybe!

We did not let the chilly, windy weather or her lack of pitching time spoil our day. It was still great to see everyone – so not a wasted trip!

As a bonus, we stopped on our way home at a new BBQ joint in Waupaca that our friends recommended.

Located on Hwy QQ almost across the street from our fave Waupaca hangout – Clearwater Harbor – this place is just in its second year of operation.

 

Very cool vibe inside and the food... wow. This is Jim's ginormous Brisket Tacos. Two is all you need and might be one too many!

Meanwhile, even me and my big mouth could not bite into this tall Pulled Pork Sandwich. I tried 3 different BBQ sauces as I made my way down the pile – with a fork! Always fun to try new places. Highly recommend!

With all that fresh air and food, I think we'll sleep good tonight. And knowing that there's definitely only one Green Bay team we're cheering for, we should rest easy. 😃