Breaking Wind...

... do you do it in your sleep? This is a question Eric's Dad, Mike posed to me on Saturday night. Eric and I were greatly amused by the question. It is an obvious indicator of Mike's comfort level with me. Travis was slightly horrified, and said "Dad! Come on, Jane is still relatively new to this family... you are asking her about farting already?"

So do y'all fart in your sleep? Please let me know, I told Mike I would pose the question to my faithful blog readers... I know you won't let me down and will help with this unofficial survey.

My response... well I am assuming I do fart in my sleep, it is a natural and common bodily function, but I don't really know for sure because I am asleep. I can't recall actually farting so loudly or so much that I woke myself up. How about you?

Nothing runs like a Deere, Nothing tastes as good as a beer

I spent this past weekend at Eric's in the Quad Cities. It was great to spend time together... this is two weekends in a row we have seen each other... it is almost like we are dating! Friday night we went to Old Chicago for some pizza and I added a few more stops on my Beer Tour. Eric helped me out and when I went to the restroom he asked the waiter to put his beers on my Beer Tour. So, I now have 6 of the 110 covered... although to be completely honest I only consumed four.

Saturday we lazed around a bit in the morning and then headed to downtown Moline. We stopped by the Isabel Bloom studio store. I actually have one Isabel Bloom (ironically it is the same one Eric has... a little basket of four leaf clovers), and picked out a few more that I may add to my collection. In case you want to know, here is the link to the Isabel Bloom website. http://www.ibloom.com/

After a little window shopping, we headed across the street to John Deere Commons. I am a total farm girl, so climbing on and looking at tractors and combines really is my thing. We worked up a bit an appetite by then so we stopped in at Bent River Brewery for lunch. I had an awesome burger and fries, Eric had a pork tenderloin... and we both had the Uncommon Stout (Eric's recommendation... he knows me so well) The stout was REALLY good, and I have already requested we go back sometime soon.

After a nap on Saturday afternoon we went to Cambridge to spend some time with Eric's parents, Mike and Linda. Eric's brother, Travis and nephew, Alec were also there. I managed to "one up" Travis at cards... yet again. I don't think Travis liked it much, but everyone else seemed to get a lot of amusement out of it.

Sunday we went to church and later camped out at Eric's parents house again unexpectedly. Plumbing issues at Eric's apartment... not so much fun, but we made the best of the situation. I am headed back to QC this weekend. I am starting to get used to the drive... it really isn't that bad... not to mention that time with my Sweet E totally makes it worthwhile.

"2-Beer" Jane

Sorry about the 10-day lag in blogging. Things have been kind of crazy since I got home from Florida. I got home last Sunday afternoon, then on Monday I went to my Uncle Harry's funeral. He died unexpectedly of a massive heart attack the Friday I was in Florida. Uncle Harry was my Dad's younger brother and the one he farmed with. It wasn't like Harry and I were super close but gosh darn it I miss him. He always used to wink at me... he probably winked at lots of people but I always thought those winks were for me. He also had the strongest hands I have ever seen. They weren't necessarily the biggest hands ever, but seriously I think if he tried he could have squeezed coal into diamonds. Harry always said his two favorite kinds of beer were... free... and cold. I can't say I disagree, but my beer pallet had definitely expanded in recent years.

Uncle Harry was only sitting on the "big yard swing in the sky" for just a week before he had some company... somebody stopped by for a free, cold one. One week after Harry passed away, Robert Styck did as well. Robert worked as a full-time hired hand for Dad & Harry for more than 25 years... pretty much the majority of my life. He was a good guy, always teasing me and asking me if he could be my boyfriend. I remember going with my Mom to take lunch to the field when I was little... Robert was always there... he drove the combine. He drank his coffee with sugar, no cream. Somehow it comforts me that Harry and Robert are up there together.

Eric came down to visit me over Easter weekend. He had Good Friday off of work (so I took it off of work) and came down on Thursday evening. We had a great time just hanging out and getting to spend some time together. On Friday afternoon I gave him the nickel tour of C-U and we went "beer shopping" at Friar Tuck. I very much enjoy beer shopping, especially with Eric... he has lots of patience... it took us a very long time to put together our "Pick a Six". We also got the sampler pack from Boulevard Brewery... so far the Irish Ale was just "ehh", but I rather enjoyed the Pale Ale, and as a general rule I am not so much a Pale Ale girl. I am anxiously awaiting the Stout and Porter, which have been my favorites of late... I will report on them when we try them out.

While Eric was down he met my entire family! As far as I know he is still my boyfriend, so I guess everything went well. He was a very good sport... it had been a tough week for the Tjardes Family, and he was very understanding of the fact that I think everyone was still just a little "out of sorts" so to speak, still a little sad and missing Uncle Harry. We were at Phil & Jayne's house on Saturday night... just drinking a little beer and eating a little pizza with the fam. Someone offered Jayne another beer to which she replied "No thanks, I am just a "1-beer" girl, "1-beer Jayne" if you will.' It is kind of a family joke that my Mom refers to us as Mom Jayne and Bank Jane, and well we found another way to distinguish us... I am definitely more of a "2-beer" Jane... hence the title of this post.

I am heading to the QC (Quad Cities) to spend the weekend with Eric on Friday. We decided not seeing each other for 3 weeks just really didn't work so well. Granted most of that was because I was in Florida, but still... 3 weeks is 3 weeks... and 3 weeks is too long to be apart. We got out the calendars on Sunday and worked out a schedule of sorts. It doesn't work out to see each other every weekend, but it looks like we will spend more of our weekends together than apart... WOO HOO! That is cause to celebrate... perhaps I will go have a beer!... no make that 2!

Blowing Kisses in the Wind

I am blogging from C-U, we made it home safe and sound. And I have managed to get pictures to post... I think the problem was with the hotel internet connection.

Anyway, Saturday was packed up the van (aka Pete) and went to practice one more time. Marty Mason asked us if Franklin liked his shirts and wished us a safe trip home. We told him that he and his pen were going to miss us.

We went to Port St. Lucie to see the game against the Mets. As Frankie walked out to the bullpen we all yelled "Franklin" and waved at him (we had told him the day before that we were headed home after Saturday's game). We were too far away to really have a conversation, but he blew us kisses instead. It was awesome, and very much amused the Cardinal couple standing near us. The Cards got it going and won 10-3 with Adam Wainwright beating Johan Santana... sweet. Frankie closed out the 9th inning and got the save... we cheered very loudly for our new buddy.

We hit the road right after the game, and made it to Marietta about 1 a.m. We left there this morning and got to C-U just after 4 p.m. It was a great trip, four girls managed to share one bathroom without incident and I think we made lots of great memories... for both ourselves and the bullpen! I am very much looking forward to sleeping in my own bed

That's F***in Beautiful

So last night we came up with a little plan to have the last laugh with Ryan Franklin. He had been giving us girls all sorts of grief all week for our fondness for certain members of the bullpen. We decided we should all make rhinestone "Franklin #31" tanks tops to wear under our jerseys, perhaps for Picture Day at Busch Stadium this summer. Then we decided "What the heck, let's wear them tomorrow!". So at 8:30 p.m. we were off to Wal-Mart to buy tank tops, rhinestones and glue. We were up until midnight, but we each ended up with a very blinged out "Frankie" shirt.

Practice had limited attendance, both fans and players, because the game was in Vero Beach today, but "Frankie" was at practice, not traveling with the team, because he had pitched in recent games. We had taken up our usual post along the fence at practice when "Perry" (bullpen coach, Marty Mason) came by in a golf cart from another field. He stopped nearby, saw us, and laughed saying "You girls haven't found real jobs yet?". We waved him over and asked him to help us out. We told him that Ryan Franklin had been giving us the business all week and that we wanted to have the last laugh before we left the next day. We gave Marty a preview of our shirts (he was greatly amused and told us to make fun of Ryan's new super short haircut) and asked him to tell Ryan to make sure he stopped by.

Sure enough a few minutes later when "Perry" drove by the pitchers playing toss, he hopped off the cart and had a few words with Ryan. When the pitchers headed to our end of the field for fielding practice, sure enough Frankie came to see us and asked "So who is it over hear that needs to talk to me?". We said that we wanted to have the last laugh since he had been giving us the business all week, and we thought that maybe he felt just a little left out of our bullpen lovefest so.... then one by one we each opened our jerseys to reveal four very sparkling "Franklin 31's". His response was classic... after a few minutes of silence he stepped back and simply said "That is F***in' Beautiful!!!" Then he needed to start fielding drills and told us not to go anywhere... as if!

During the fielding drills he definitely pointed us out to the other pitchers and they all proceeded to stare and/or laugh at us. Frankie then took Tyler Johnson's (April's crush who started this all) glove and drop kick it towards third base. He was totally being the "spoon" we all had come to enjoy so much this week.... definitely stirring it up. After the fielding drills he made a point to come back to the fence and chat with us before shagging balls for batting practice with the other pitchers. He was so incredibly sweet and genuinely touched by our thoughtfulness. Unlike the rest of the week he wasn't sarcastic at all. He said that he had been having a really bad week (he had to get his haircut... evidently that wasn't his choice, he had a big old gash on his lip which he pointed out, he got a loss, and he said it was hot) and that we just made his day/week. He asked us if we would wear his shirts in STL (we told him to look for us on picture day) and asked if we were enjoying our Spring Training trip. He discovered that it was Angie's first trip to Spring Training, and he referred to her as "rookie". He said he was completely impressed with the fact that we just put them together on the fly because I have to admit they look "fierce" as Christian from Project Runway would say. We said that they were done quickly and Ryan then said that he did see a little extra glue on April's shirt to which she quickly replied "If you can see the glue you are looking too close." He got all embarrassed and then recovered quickly in total spoon style by saying that he was just checking to see if we had spelled his name right. While were were chatting Ryan Ludwick walked by and noticed the shirts and simply said to the other Ryan/Frankie... "Man!" to which Frankie responded with "Hey man, it is my fan squad, check it out". Before he left he thanked us once again, and then stuck his index and middle fingers through the chain link fence and we shook is fingers since we couldn't shake his hand... he said that is how they all shake hands through a fence :( Ryan Franklin... you are a total spoon, but gosh darn it if you aren't completely sweet as well.

Batting practice with Albert and Yadi was a stitch today. They were challenging each other to get home runs. Albert was teasing Yadi that he needed to just hit one over saying "Come on, we don't have all day!" When Albert didn't get a hold of pitch that he wanted he definitely said "Okay, just wait for next time. I am going to hit it out next time. I know I can do it". Okay, so how awesome is it that Albert Pujols, Albert freakin' Pujols thinks he needs to prove his hitting skills to his teammates, coaches and fans? Hello, you are Albert Pujols... I think I will take your word for it!

After practice we headed to Vero Beach to Dodgertown. On the way up we were slowed down a bit due to construction, and there must have been an accident there earlier involving a truck hauling napkins and plastic silverware as the roadway was littered with napkins and plastic silverware for nearly a mile. We just laughed and laughed at all the plastic spoons on the road, and thought fondly of our Frankie:)

Dodgertown and Holman Stadium is definitely old school, a step back in time. We are glad we got to go and see it before the Dodgers move their training camp to Arizona next spring. The game was great. The Cards won, and went ahead for good with bases loaded in the 9th with two runs scoring on a passed ball. Brendan Ryan was totally heads up scoring from second with excellent base running when he noticed the catcher being a little lax in chasing the ball. Unfortunately we were sitting in front of some very annoying men at the game. They didn't ever shut up, and they were definitely ogling Angie for a bit, but they quickly stopped when she turned around and said "Um, you are the same age as my Dad, so thanks but that is just a little gross"... they left us alone the rest of the game, but still never shut up. Nik caught a game ball tossed into the stands by Josh Phelps, and after the game I managed to get Rick Ankiel's autograph. He didn't stick around to sign for April, Nik or Ang for some reason... guess that makes up for me not getting a ball this trip.

It has been a great week. We head out tomorrow. Practice in the morning, a game up the road a bit in Port St. Lucie in the afternoon, and then head for home after the game. We plan to stop Saturday night, and then get home on Sunday. I am a little sad to leave Spring Training behind, but look forward to getting home and sleeping in my own bed.

Don't You Girls Have Jobs?

Wednesday night my friend/college roommate, Jeanne, drove up from Ft. Lauderdale with her friend Scarlet for dinner. We all had a great time and great food at the Food Shack.

At practice today (Thursday) we were once again spotted by the bullpen... they all said good morning today. Ryan Franklin... a total spoon, he so likes to stir things up... said "Hey, you guys are still here? Don't you girls have jobs?". It was pretty funny and we all responded with "Vacation/College Spring Break" as appropriate. Ryan tossed us a batting practice ball after practice that April caught.

Our seats today were in the shade, in the upper level between home and first base.... nowhere near the bullpen. From our seat we could definitely see all of the bullpen players scanning the berm and sections nearby for us... I think we were missed.

The game was exciting... we finally got a win. Rico Washington drove in the winning run in the bottom of the 10th.

Random side note: So the van makes this squeaking/moaning sound when you turn it tight (which happens a lot in Florida, land of the U turn). We decided it was totally the tow truck drive we nearly killed in Tennessee, trapped under the van... we named him Pete. On the way to dinner last night we heard another car make a new girly squeak, which Angie named Patty. Tonight when Pete was moaning a lot, Angie said he needed some lovin'... he needed his Patty. She also shared with us this bit of wisdom when discussing if the drawbridge would be up this evening after dinner... "Boats aren't supposed to be on the road at night."

We are working on a little surprise for practice and/or the game at Vero Beach tomorrow, a little something special for the "spoon". Tell you all about it tomorrow.

Gary: Our Hero

At the game on Wednesday we sat next to a very nice and enjoyable family from Jerseyville, Illinois. Their son, Gary, was probably 10 to 12 and was keeping us entertained. He plays catcher and was telling Nik and Ang about his team. He had a couple of gloves there at the game, and Nik and Ang asked him if he would keep us all safe from foul balls if they came our way. He said "Sure, no problem, I only charge $10 per hour." He was just a great kid, totally into baseball, completely respectful of the game, players, his parents, fellow fans... I think we all have crushes.

When a ball came in our general direction Nik teased him about not catching the ball and protecting us, to which he responded "Of course I did, I so used "The Force" to move the ball several rows back". Later in the game a ball came right our way... really fast. Gary was watching another part of the field and didn't see it in time to get his glove up, and wouldn't you know it he got hit right on top of the head... OUCH! Turns out he was fine, just a big old knot on his head, but he was super brave... it had to hurt really bad but he didn't cry... just a few tears. I would have been screaming like a baby if it was me. The ushers and EMT's responded quickly and checked him out and gave him a few ice packs to keep under his hat.

We did our best to cheer him up, he was a little embarrassed he didn't catch the ball (but he just didn't see it in time). We told him and his family about the blog and asked if we could take a picture with him (it will follow, when I get home and get the blogger picture poting issue resolved). We gave them the blog address. When his mom took our picture she said "Oh Gary, forget all those autographs... this is the souvenir you will be showing everyone when you get home!"

The guys on the team did their part to take care of Gary too. Josh Kinney turned around and said "Hey, don't worry about it kid... I totally would have cried!" Murphy (the bullpen catcher) said he sees professional baseball players miss balls all the time, and get this when Gary's dad said that Gary was embarrassed more than anything because of all things Gary is a catcher Murphy offered to take Gary's glove overnight and have Yadier Molina sign it for him and bring it back the next day.

Today we caught up to Gary and his family after the game. Evidently Gary was a little disappointed that we didn't sit on the berm. He showed us his glove with Yadi's autograph, and also Rick Ankiels... we are so jealous. His mom said that she had checked out the blog already... and asked us about the "puppies". We felt compelled to tell them that we really do love baseball and are very knowledgeable, it is just the "puppies" are an added benefit... to which Gary's dad responded "So you are saying you enjoy the finer "ass"ets of the game...so to speak?

Anyway, Kudos to Gary and family. They were awesome.

2 for 2! High Five!

For Wednesday's game we sat on the berm, right behind the bullpen... of course. I believe the guys were happy to see us... we are nothing if not entertaining. Ang was wearing her Brendan Ryan t-shirt, which much like Flo you have to special order. Brendan is one of Angie's favorites, and he is super cute. If you look back to last summer I believe you will find an old post entitled "Brendan Ryan, I heart him". Anyway after batting practice in the stadium, Brendan stopped and signed a lot of autographs before heading in to get ready for the game. He is a super nice guy and seems to really enjoy meeting the fans. He signed for all of us, but Angie said "Hey Brendan, check out my shirt!" and he was really excited. He asked her if that was the one she meant to order or if it was a mistake. He also said that since he had a fan watching he needed to try and get a hit.

Before the game we definitely spotted an older couple each wearing autographed Flo t-shirts just like mine... I am thinking they were family friends or something. When Flo came out we told him about seeing the couple wearing his shirts and he was very amused by our comment of "Hey Flo it appears your shirt sales have doubled"

The game was enjoyable as always, but we did have to deal with Timmy and his dad. Timmy was probably about 9 and he had absolutely no interest in the game and/or the players, but since he was under 12 he got to sit in the first row of the berm (a prime autograph spot), and his dad, whose life long dream it was to come to spring training, proceeded to badger all of the players into signing for Timmy despite the fact that Timmy really could not care less, and never asked any of the players for an autograph himself. Timmy's dad spent the entire game regaling us with his vast baseball knowledge and also implied that we would be willing to "do anything" to get a ball... hello we are not those kind of baseball lovin' girls.

During the game at one point the beer vendor came to the berm. After someone bought a $6.50 beer, Izzy turned around and heard the price of beer at the game. At which point he elbows whoever was sitting next to him and said "Did you hear that? A beer costs $6.50! Can you believe that... that is F'in NUTS! Thank you Jason Isringhausen for feeling the plight of the average Cardinal fan. We wanted him to use his paycheck to "Buy a Round for the Berm", but it didn't happen.

After the game we collected Colby Rasmus' autograph (kudos to Colby he has stayed to sign for EVERYONE after EVERY game this week) and also Brendan was signing again so Angie got to chat with him about the game. She caught up with him and said "Hey Brendan! The shirt totally worked! 2 for 2, high five!" to which Brendan definitely high-fived back. He really is a total sweetheart.

Well Looky There!

We headed to practice on Wednesday and the bullpen definitely remembered us. We are ladies that leave a lasting impression I guess. We were standing along the fence and when the bullpen came running by... they were all definitely giving us looks and grins . Although they thought we couldn't hear it... we definitely heard a "Well Looky There" as they went by. Flo saw me and gave us a friendly "Good Morning".

Tyler was lagging behind the rest of the group. He saw April and was just too shy to say anything. April told him "Good Morning", he said "Hi" buried is head and ran away.

Later Joe Mather came out for batting practice... he too noticed us and said "Good morning, ladies, how are you today"... at which time in total girly girl stereo we all tilted our heads to one side and said "Good!" I guess we are pretty unforgettable.

Despite being girly and very interested in the "puppies" so to speak, all four of us girls know our baseball and don't have lots of patience with those who don't... especially the very obvious and/or basic . At practice that day Albert Pujols was approximately 30 feet from us playing first base for some fielding practice. A guy behind us then said, "Oh is Albert not coming out today!" Hello, he was 30 feet from us, granted he had on a jacket instead of a jersey so you could not see "Pujols 5" on his back, but he is Albert Pujols... future Hall of Famer, MVP, perhaps the biggest star in the game today, and has been a Cardinal his entire career... how can you NOT recognize him! Okay, so maybe you don't recognize Troy Glaus the new third baseman... he is new to the team, but Albert come on. Later that day at the game we heard another fan (Timmy's Dad) ask "Is Tony LaRussa here?", to which we replied "Ah no, Tony left to join the circus... where do you think he is, dingbat!"

Bullpen Buddies: "We'll Be Here All Week"

Sorry I have been a bit of blog slacker but we have pretty much been on the go non-stop. Hopefully I can get y'all caught up on the past few days here in Jupiter.

Monday afternoon we went to the beach, and then we went and checked out the mall in Palm Beach Gardens for a little shopping and dinner. Tuesday morning we went to practice and it was relatively uneventful, but the same cannot be said for Tuesday's game. Our seats were in the first row down the first base line, very near the Cardinals bullpen. Before the game we were taking shifts getting food, and Nik and I totally managed to snag Yadi's autograph while Ang and April were gone. We all got Carp's autograph along with several others. We asked two of the minor league pitchers, Jason Motte and Kyle McClellan, where we should go to have a few drinks and hang out in the evenings. We said "Ya, we just hung out at our hotel pool last night drinking, and that was fun, but we might want to venture out little bit more while we are here". They told us about a few places, especially those near the stadium, and we went to Jumby Bay for dinner Tuesday night and it was really good... so Tuesday's Kudos go to Jason and Kyle.

Flo came out and was signing and I happened to be wearing my "Flores 34" t-shirt. I had him sign the picture of us from "Picture Day" at Busch Stadium, when I asked him if he remembered me he looked up and said "Hey, you sat next to me at Caravan". He asked if I still had the shirt he signed for me and I showed him that I still had a Flo shirt, but that I did get a new one because the signed one is going into the t-shirt quilt my Mom is going to make for me. He was very amused by this and asked if the quilt was for the dog to use in the doghouse... we thought this was funny since there is already quite the canine theme this week with all of the "puppies".

April was wearing a "Johnson 19" tank under her jersey. She has a similar tank that she wore when she met Tyler Johnson at Winter Warm Up a little over a year ago, and he was rather excited to have a fan. Evidently word got around the bullpen that we have a fondness for the relievers because during the first or second inning (during play, not in between innings mind you) Ryan Franklin leaned forward and turned around and was looking at me, and finally got my attention (for the longest time I just assumed he was trying to get someone else's attention) and told me to get April's attention. I leaned over to April and said "Ya, so Ryan Franklin wants to talk to you". He pantomimed to April for her to open her jersey a bit so that he could see whose name and number were on her tank... she reluctantly "flashed" him and the rest of the pen, and he then he just put his head in his hands and then went to the end of the bench to get Tyler and point this out to him. He shyly waved and said "Hi", remembering her from Warm Up, and then April told him that she had to make a new tank. He asked why and she told him because he changed his number from 61 to 19 last season... to which all of his bullpen buddies said "Duh!". As he was walking away I yelled to Tyler "Ya, and you owe her $5 for new rhinestones!" Meanwhile for the rest of the game the bullpen and the bullpen coach, Marty Mason (which for some reason Angie started calling "Perry" even though she is too young to even know that "Perry Mason" was a TV show) kept looking over at us and were very much entertained by everything we said and did. First, they were giggling at Nik and I trying to find the little salamander that Ang and April has seen in front of us that slipped in between the concrete wall and pad/mat. But Ang definitely managed to have them doubled over in laughter a few innings later when she said rather loudly (volume control is something Ang has yet to master:)) "Well, Son of a ...! I just knocked over my beer, that was $7 and now it is on the ground!"

After the game we got Joe Mather's (up and coming outfielder/first baseman and Nik's new favorite) autograph. Nik and I let him know that we met him at Caravan in Bloomington in January. We told him that we were the "4 girls in a mini-van" that we had told him about at Caravan, and he said, "Oh I remember, that Caravan was in the hockey arena, it was really chilly but I was wearing a hoodie so I was fine". Ang then felt compelled to tell him "We will be here all week! Be sure to look for us!"

It started to rain right after the game so we headed back to the hotel. We went to Jumby Bay for dinner and then crashed relatively early since we had a late night drinking cocktails by the pool the night before.

Baseball Disney Style

Sunday we drove to Orlando to see our boys take on the Atlanta Braves at Champion Stadium. The Braves train at Walt Disney World and well baseball Disney style is a little different. First, the music and the announcing is just very "Disney" super duper peppy. One of our favorites is when a foul ball went into the stands and everyone was trying to get it they played the "Mine, Mine, Mine" sound bite from "Finding Nemo"... very appropriate.

The weather was great, sunny and high 70's... perhaps a little too great, April, Nik and Angie are sunburned pretty much all over. Me, lobster girl, applied sunscreen three different times but managed to miss a spot on my ankle and it really hurts.

It was great to be in baseball mode again and to see our boys, both old and new. We got to see Randy Flores' younger brother aka "Baby Bro Flo" as we call him. Good thing too, he didn't do so well and was assigned to minor league camp following the game. Angie was talking to her Mom before the game on the phone and also admiring the scenery... she said "Oh, there's a cute butt" and her Mom thought she said "cute puppy" so from now on "puppy" is our euphemism or code word if you will for "butt". Needless to say, we talked a lot about puppies yesterday and probably will for the rest of the trip. In between all of the puppy hilarity a guy accidentally bumped into Angie and she commented about how he knocked into her chest when we were going to get a drink. I was like what do we call those, "kitties"?. Later when sharing this with Nik she said that "kitty" (singular) was the term used by the women in her office at work for another part of the female anatomy, so in keeping with the pet theme they are now referred to as parakeets.

Some of the folks sitting on the lawn provided us with great entertainment. The family behind us definitely kept referring to the "sammiches" they had for lunch. Another dad on the other side of us was definitely wearing gray baseball pants to the game. Hey buddy, as general rule leave the baseball pants to the professionals on the field and to children under age 10. Another gentleman stood up for the 7th inning stretch and he definitely had some but sweat issues... either that or he had a 10-100. I was totally having a spaz about some Mom that only put sunscreen on her son's arms and feet... none on his face. Considering the redness of my ankle I should not judge.

The Cards got their "puppies" kicked, but who cares, spring training games don't count. We think the boys were just overly excited to see us. In keeping with the Disney theme, Nikki said they were "twitterpaited" (think Thumper in Bambi).

There was a cheerleading competition going on at Disney as well, and we noticed some rather revealing uniforms on some young girls... scary.

They pulled us in to a parking space with the van resting downhill towards the lagoon. Definitely a parking brake moment. Then when leaving they only allowed us to turn left and we needed to turn right. We ventured through Disney a bit, Nik got to see Animal Kingdom on the fly and then I was able to rock a U-turn in my Mom's van (it turns on a dime, and corners like its on rails you know) and we were off towards Jupiter. The Florida Turnpike is kind of expensive... $10+ to drive through scenic Central Florida. Perhaps Kentucky needs a turnpike... maybe they could buy a snow plow.

We went to practice this morning... kind of small crew since most of team is still in Florida. We did get to see Carp, ARey and Looper. Matt Clement threw BP to some minor leaguers as part of his rehab as well. Chris Duncan did essentially an individual workout, and stayed to sign autographs for us. We tried to go to the Burt Reynolds Museum here in town but were DENIED! It is only open Friday-Sunday.... we are sad. Apparently there were auditions of some sort going on and they definitely asked us if we were there to audition. We consoled ourselves with a yummy lunch and are now headed to the beach to try to get over our disappointment.

Again, Blogger is denying the photo post. Hopefully pictures to come later.

4 Girls in Mini-Van: The Needs of the Many Outweigh the Needs of the Few

So we pulled out of Champaign on Saturday at 5:07 a.m., just seven minutes later than our original goal... not bad. Illinois was relatively uneventful, we stopped in Padukah, Kentucky for potty and gas and Nik graciously offered to take the wheel for awhile. Bet she is regretting that now, because just beyond Padukah we quickly realized that the state of Kentucky does not own a snow plow!!! They had about 3 inches of snow the night before, actually a bit less than Southern Illinois, but Illinois owns snow plows. One lane was completely snow packed and the other was only partially cleared. We saw most of Kentucky at 40 mph. Nik gets the Kudos for getting us through that safely... well almost... just as we got to Tennessee, the large semi hauling two yachts in front of us suddenly got over to the left lane revealing a tow truck on the shoulder trying to pull a car out of the ditch. The tow truck was fine, off on the shoulder.... the tow truck driver however had his truck door open and was standing in our lane. We could not get over because there was another semi passing us. Said semi was throwing tons of slush on our windshield, and Nikki was yelling "I can't see! I can't see". Luckily the tow truck driver, who was not smart enough to have flashing lights or orange cones warning traffic of his presence, was at least smart enough to put up his hood and dive for cover in his truck... lucky him. April and Angie were watching "Smokey and the Bandit" in the back seat at the time. Shortly after the near miss of the vehicular manslaughter April said "I bet he had a 10-100", referring to Sally Field's line in the movie when she implies she almost peed her pants. Later when I was relaying the story to Eric and telling him that we didn't have a choice, we couldn't get over in the other lane, we would have definitely hit the semi and all four of us would have perished... there was just the one tow truck driver to our four... Eric's comment was "Well I guess the needs of the many outweight the needs of the few."

Once we got to Tennessee where they own snow plows, driving was simple once again... although please note Tennessee has obviously spent so much money on the snow plows that they can't afford rest areas. We got to Lake City Saturday night about 9:30 local time, after stopping in Valdosta for supper. We headed to Orlando Sunday morning to take in the game vs. the Braves Sunday afternoon. The drive towards Orlando provided us with the opportunity to read the zillions of billboards for strip clubs, gentleman's clubs etc. The most clever name... definitely, "Cafe Risque". The was once club that advertised strippers and billiards... that brought a whole new meaning to the term "Rack 'em Up!".

All About ZZ's

We are safe and sound in Jupiter, though there were several close calls along the way. Stopped in Orlando at Champion Stadium/Disney's Wide World of Sports/Spring Training Home of the Atlanta Braves for the game today... evidently a member of ZZ Top was there too (see photo, okay don't see photo Blogger is being evil and not letting me download photos). Speaking of ZZ's we need some desperately and will blog more about our adventures (there have been many thus far) later.

Editors Note: This was written Sunday night, but not posted until now. I was waiting for Blogger to let me post the photos but it still is not cooperating

What Did I Do Before Cable?

Right now I am watching Jon & Kate Plus 8 on TLC. I adore this show... Jon & Kate have a set of 7-year old twins, and 3-year old sextuplets. Their life is so incredibly crazy, but at the same time so very normal. In this episode they are skiing in Park City, Utah... what can I say... Fabulous.

I am anxiously awaiting the season finale of Project Runway on Bravo on Wednesday. I think I am rooting for Jillian, but I could definitely see Christian or Rami winning as well. Christian is just so crazy confident and full of himself, and he is just a total tool. Jillian is so diverse and just always surprises you. I wasn't all that impressed with Rami originally because all of his designs have been the same thing, but he really impressed me with the first three pieces of his final collection... he finally designed outside the "draping box" so to say.

Seriously folks, how did I live before cable.

108 to Go!

Saturday I met Eric in Peoria at Scott and Tara's house. Scott and Tara are Eric's best friends, and they so very graciously offered to put Eric and me up for the night on Saturday, so they definitely get the Kudos for the day. Both Eric and I had other obligations early on Saturday and then later on Sunday, so meeting halfway in Peoria was probably the only way we were going to get to see each other this weekend, before I leave for Florida next weekend. It was great to get to spend some time together, and to get to meet his friends. I think I passed the "best friends" test, so hopefully Eric will keep me around for awhile :)

Saturday night we went to Old Chicago for pizza and beer. It was delicious and the company was delightful. Eric and Tara introduced me to Old Chicago's "World Beer Tour". They offer 110 beers from around the world... I had a Schlafly Stout and Killian Red... only 108 to go!!! Eric is up to 81 (not to worry it has taken him about 4 years to get that far... not just one night)... I have lots of catching up to do. I will be sure to keep everyone apprised of my WBT (World Beer Tour) progress here on the blog.