Sweet Home Champaign-Urbana

Hello All! Home at last. Sorry about the lack of blogging, and if any of you were concerned that we had suddenly disappeared. Basically we just got too busy to blog, but we also received some sad news on Wednesday... Nikki's Grandma Hinman passed away. Needless to say blogging didn't seem quite as important when put into perspective. Nikki went ahead and finished up the trip as planned. Grandma Hinman was a big supporter of our road trips and Nikki and her family decided that she wouldn't want Nik to cut it short. We carried on and enjoyed the rest of our trip, although there were some teary moments along the way.



I will do a quick post to update you on the rest of our trip. We have plenty of more video footage that hopefully Nik and I can download later as time permits.



I think we left off with Wednesday. Sarah J went to work that morning to finish up a few things and Nikki and I headed to Jackson to do a little shopping. We met Sarah at the airport so she could drop off her car and it would be waiting for her when she flew back to Houston. We left Jackson that afternoon and drove down through MS, across LA and into Texas and stayed the night about an hour from Houston. Thursday morning we traveled along the gulf, and took the free ferry across to Galveston Island. It was Nik's first ever ferry ride and we all saw dolphins in the water during our 15-20 minute crossing. We had lunch on Galveston and spent the afternoon walking along the beach. The gulf water was nice and warm. We drove up to Houston that afternoon and got settled in our hotel. After dinner and a movie (we watched Hairspray on Nik's computer) we ventured to Houston Hobby airport to pick up Eric. It was great to see my Sweetie.



Nik & Sarah J at the beach, enjoying the warm gulf water


On Friday we all went to Space Center Houston at Johnson Space Center. Ideally we would have had more time there, we are all kind of into the space thing... but we made the most of it. My personal favorite was the tram tour and getting to see historic Mission Control where the famous "Houston, we have a problem!" was first heard. We all resisted the temptation to purchase clever t-shirts that said "It's Not Rocket Science!... Oh wait, yes it is... Space Center Houston" Late that afternoon we headed back to the hotel for a quick change and then off to the ballpark for the game.



Eric & I with the Saturn 5 rocket.

The Cards were swept by the Astros for the series, so nothing positive to report baseball-wise on this trip. Friday was however Brad Ausmus (aka "the cute Astro") bobble-head night, and after a few clicks on Google images Nik and I managed to introduce Sarah J to her new baseball boyfriend, Brad Ausmus. At the game we discovered that the female Astro fans are insanely fanatic about center fielder Hunter Pence. Seriously all weekend the Hunter Pence shrieks were over the top. Personally we don't really get it... he is kind of cute but nowhere near being as attractive as Brad, and frankly his baseball is pretty much just average.



Brad Ausmus: Attractive, and obviously a dog lover... no wonder we got Sarah hooked


Saturday, us old folks (Eric & I) were lazy bums and slept in, while Nik and Sarah J checked out the aquarium. They gave it a thumbs up. We met up for lunch at Flying Saucer where Eric and I sampled some good Texas beer, then we headed off to take a tour of Minute Maid Park. At the end of our tour we got to take in the Astro batting practice from the diamond seats behind home plate. We didn't think of it until later, but we should have asked our tour guide to point out George and Barbara Bush's seats... darn! Here are my thoughts on the ballpark. Overall it was a pleasant experience, the folks were friendly (I had been warned that we would be heckled, but didn't have any problems) and it is a nice park. The concourses are very open, and it reminds me of Miller Park in Milwaukee a bit. The roof was closed all three games due the heat, but we did get to see it open on Friday night for the fireworks show they had post-game. The purist in me finds the indoor baseball with the roof closed to be just plain wrong, but I have to admit the air conditioning was oh so enjoyable. It is way hot and humid in Houston. They have some great food including BBQ, and some awesome baked potatoes.





At Minute Maid, during Astros batting practice

On Sunday Sarah J flew back home, and Eric, Nik and I took in our third game. Another loser. After the game we started our very long trip home. We thought we would stay near Little Rock for the night, but had to press on until 2 a.m. and stopped less than an hour shy of Memphis as all of the Gustav evacuees had taken all of the hotel rooms. We got home at 1:30 Monday afternoon and dropped Nik off. Eric and I grabbed lunch, and then headed to the QC. I came back to C-U today and crashed until just a few hours ago.

Big Win At Wrigley, and other Windy City Highlights

This past weekend Nikki, Eric and I headed to Chicago. We stayed with my "lil' sis" Nathan and went to the Cubs vs. Cards game at Wrigley on Saturday. I had not been to Wrigley since I was about eight, and as you might expect not too much has changed. I have to admit, even though it is the home of the rival Cubs, Wrigley is kind of cool. The ivy is truly unique and I enjoyed the "old school" vibe. We also managed to see the only game that the Cards won that series... they beat up Big Z pretty good. Eric tossed out a new name for Skip Schumaker at Wrigley as well. I usually call him "Skippy", and Eric usually goes with "Schu", but for some reason when he came up to bat Eric took it a little further and went with Let's Go "Schu-man-chu"... evidently Skippy is a fan of the new nickname... he went yard!

It was very weird and wrong to see Jim Edmonds as a Cub. I still love him, but as long as he is a Cub I will root against him. You can tell he still has fond feelings for me, when I was there in person he struck out a lot.

It was great to hang out with Nathan for the weekend. I had missed my lil' sis. He was a great host, making us pancakes on Saturday before heading out to the game, and then we all pitched in for a community effort on grilling out an awesome dinner. We also hit Sheffield's for some good beer before the game. He even drove Eric & I to the Metra station on Sunday evening to catch the train. I was a little disappointed to not me able to meet Nathan's squeeze, Stacey, but she was actually packing up her stuff in Nashville, TN and will be moving up to Chicago to be with Nathan later this week. On Sunday we went out for breakfast and met Nathan's college buddy, Maureen, and her boyfriend, Erik with a "K" who were back in the area from Boston visiting her parents. It was kind of cool because Nathan, Maureen and I all started dating Stacey, Eric and Erik right around the New Year and all of the relationships are working out fabulously.

Nik headed out of the city after breakfast on Sunday, but Eric and I stayed and met my friends Abe & Allison (see a link to their blog at the right) Sunday afternoon. They have been married just over a year, and like Eric and I met on Eharmony and had a long distance relationship. It was great to hang out with them, especially to bond over the ups and downs of the long distance relationship.

I like Chicago... at least to visit anyway. It was a great weekend with great friends.

A Picture is Worth 1,000 Words

Saturday I went to picture day at Busch Stadium... we have had been patiently waiting for this since Spring Training. Essentially, they let the fans down on the warning track before the game and then the players come out and "walk the rope line" waving, posing for photos, just bascially chatting it up with the fans. We we made our rhinestone "Franklin 31" shirts in Florida Frankie asked if we would be wearing them in STL, so of course April, Ang, Nik and I rocked the rhinestones. April even made a 5 foot banner that said "Frankie's Fan Squad". All the players that saw the shirts and banner took note, and once again Frankie was totalling loving it. I believe his quote was "Man, if they would let me stop I would give you all hugs" or something to that effect. Brad Thompson and Aaron Miles had the best reactions. Aaron Mile was just cracking up, and Brad Thompson's said in response to "Frankies' Fan Squad"... "Me Too!"... evidently he and Ryan Franklin are buds. It was really hot but lots of fun.

I got a great picture of Nik and Ang with Rick Ankiel... he wasn't playing that day so he spent lots of time working the crowd. Eric joined us, as did April's Mom, Jane. Eric was a trooper... I know it got way girly for him at times but he was genuinely amused by the players' various reactions to our shirts and banner. Oh, and finally Nikki got to see her favorite, Joe Mather, play in person. Joey Bomb was super friendly with the crowd and Nik was beside herself with the "Aws!" every time he posed with a small child... I will admit he is pretty darn charming.

The Cards lost the game, which was kind of a bummer. Eric was disappointed that his original adjusting of the pins on his floppy hat wasn't successful, and has already done some additional tweaking for our next game in September.

Bonus Miles!!!

Tie game in the bottom of the 9th, the Padres intentionally walk both Yadi and Skippy loading the bases to face Aaron Miles, who they think is not a power threat. Mr. Miles jacks a walk off grand slam... that my friends was what we like to refer to as "BONUS MILES!!!"

Miles is mobbed by his teammates at home, Cards sweep the Padres... FABULOUS!

No I wasn't there to see it in person, but it was still beautiful to see on TV! I heart Bonus Miles!

Busch With My Baby

Sorry for the total lack of blogging lately... just haven't had a chance to sit down and chat.

Last Friday Eric came down, and then on Saturday we headed to STL for some baseball games. Saturday we stopped in Carlinville and picked up my sister, Jan, and nephew, Lane, and they joined us for the game. Jan and Lane are good baseball companions... they know there ball. You can tell Lane helps the high school baseball team because he yells/cheers for the Cards just like the Cavaliers. He once told one of the baserunners, "Legs!" when he wanted them to beat a throw. I picked up some sweet seats at work. Saturday we stayed at Jan and Larry's house, and then Sunday my parents came down and Eric and I took them to the game on Sunday. On Sunday we sat in the new Champions Club... I got half-price tickets as a result of a promotion they had at Cards Caravan. The Champions Club was pretty sweet as it included a nice buffet for the hour before and hour after first pitch, and full bar service beginning 90 minutes before the game and running the entire game. We were very glad that we got there early that way were were sure to score a table. We had reserved seats outside that were right up from third base. I really hope I can get half price tickets again because I don't think my Dad will go to the game any other way again. I knew he would enjoy the buffet, but he had one beer then quickly switched to margaritas... who knew he was such a tequila fan? The buffet had a few ballpark favorites but included other tasty treats as well... Caesar salad, pasta, green beans, roast pork and jambalaya and some fabulous cookies and brownies. Oh, and in case you weren't sure... Eric confirmed that cookies and beer do in fact go together.

All in all it was a great weekend. It was great to go to some games with Eric. We both really enjoy the game. He kept score on Saturday and I did on Sunday. It was also great to spend some time with my family, something I don't very often take the time to do. It was good to get plenty of time to just "visit".

Unfortunately the Cardinals lost both games :( Eric was even wearing his lucky floppy hat, so I am not sure what is up with that. You can probably tell that we lost from the picture... Eric just wasn't quite ready to smile when they were taken right after the game... ahh he takes his baseball seriously... yet another reason I love him! :)

Dan the Man

So I just got home from Bloomington. Nik and I took a little road trip to the other twin cities to check out the other Cards Caravan at U.S. Cellular Coliseum in Bloomington. We saw Aaron Miles, Brian Barden, Joe Mather, Scott Cooper, Kerry Robinison, and the event was emceed by Cards broadcaster, Dan McLaughlin.

Here are a few highlights. Nik and I got to check out the competing arena in the area. It is pretty nice, but much smaller than the Assembly Hall. Very intimate, we may have to check out some concerts there. The event was actually down on the ice (obviously they had some flooring material over the ice so there was no slipping and sliding) but is was a little chilly. Unlike Champaign there was an admission charged, but it included a ticket for the prize drawings... once again I didn't win.

Aaron Miles was sporting some very trendy and attractive glasses. He looks way cuter in person, and the glasses really work for him. Brian Barden came up at the end of last season briefly and WOW he is very attractive. Joe Mather is adorable, and very tall. Kerry Robinson recently retired from baseball, and is now working at developing a financial planning business. Tyler Johnson was supposed to be there, but evidently he was feeling a little under the weather.

There was not a huge crowd probably somewhere 300 and 400 people, so once the kids got through the autograph line, they had time to let the adults get autographs as well. First in line was broadcaster, Dan McLaughlin, and he was being very generous and letting folks actually try on his 2006 World Series Championship ring. KUDOS DAN! The ring was fabulous, very large and full of bling. It was definitely a little overwhelming to actually get to wear a championship ring, definitely a highlight. You can tell from the pictures that Nik and I were both VERY excited.

Joe Mather was very nice and chatty and asked me if I was planning on going to some games this season. I said yes, and that we were planning a trip to Spring Training in about six weeks too. Nik added that it was going to be 4 girls in a mini-van and quite the road trip. Joe was amazed that we were driving and asked us how long the trip would be. Brian was amazed that it was four girls and actually asked "Are you sure you won't end up pulling each other's hair out?". We got to check out Aaron Miles' championship ring as well, but he wasn't letting others wear it... I don't blame him, I would definitely share his "you can look, but don't touch" philosphy if I had one myself.

It was a good day, totally worth the trip. Once again, Kudos Dan... you da man!

JIMMMAAAYYY!!!!

Today the Cardinals announced that they are trading Jim Edmonds, my baseball boyfriend for the past seven plus years, to the San Diego Padres. Oh Jimmy, Jimmy... how I hate to see you go, we have shared some wonderful times... but they say it is better to have loved and lost, than to have never loved at all.

The Jimmy moments over the past seven years have been countless, but I will attempt to describe what exactly James Patrick Edmonds has meant to me. First of all, Jimmy is not an easy man to love. He strikes out a lot... but when he doesn't, oh my, he has been fun to watch. His nickname is "Hollywood", a reference to his So Cal roots, as well as his movie star "hey look at me" attitude. That by itself makes Jimmy an unconventional choice for me, typically I gravitate towards more of the "No-nonsense, buckle down, don't look at me, it is all about the team" kind of guy. Jimmy does everything with flair, and he has just totally sucked me in. Besides the monster home runs or the most dramatic and amazing catches in center field, which you expect to have flair, Jimmy strikes out, jumps out of the way of a pitch, fidgets in the outfield, talks to the media and gets injured with flair. Again, I am not one who usually goes for the dramatic type, but somehow it works for Jimmy, and for me.

It is bittersweet to see Jimmy go, he has brought me so many fond memories, but if trading Jimmy frees up some cash for pitching I have to go with what is best for the team. It saddens me a bit that Jimmy won't retire as a Cardinal, but as a So Cal guy, spending his final year(s)? in baseball close to family and friends makes sense, but he will always be a Cardinal to me. It probably is best for the team, dumping some of his outrageous salary and giving them more flexibility. Jimmy is my age, one of my "Boys of '70 (born in 1970 same as me), and that is relatively old in baseball terms. His bat just isn't what it used to be, and various injuries in recent years have kept him from taking the field everyday.

Many Cards fans will remember the classic Jimmy moments, and I too will never forget; the walk-off homer in Game 6 of the 2004 NLCS to take it to Game 7, "The Catch" in Game 7 of that same NLCS, the amazing over the wall catches against the Reds, and the one running up Tal's Hill at Minute Maid Park, or jumping on the couch in locker room in San Diego after Game 1 of the Division Series in 2006 giving away the "game ball", stepping up as the team veteran to rally the troops to the unforgettable 2006 World Series Championship run. But the three most special Jimmy moments I have were far more personal. First, was in a game against the Cubs when the Cards were getting killed. It was so bad Nikki left during play to get a drink... Nik never leaves during play if she can help it. Jimmy was up to bat and I said to Karen "You know, if Jimmy loves me... he will go yard." I no sooner had the words out of my mouth, when Jimmy belted an HR. He was a bright shiny moment, on an otherwise crappy day. Jimmy does love me. The next Jimmy moment was before a game when Jimmy and another "Boy of '70", Mark Grudzielanek aka "Grudzie", the man with the most amazing blues eyes ever to take the field, were warming up. They were lined up along the first baseline ready to run out to the field and back, and Nikki and I were watching them, noticing they were chatting with each other. I leaned over to Nikki and said that I knew what Jimmy was saying to Grudzie, and they were about ready to take off running... "Okay Grudz, on your mark, get set, go... the winner gets Jane's heart!". Needless to say it was a tie, and they had to race again, and Nikki doubled over in laughter. And of course the best Jimmy moment was when I met him and got his autograph at Winter Warm Up a few years ago. I had dressed up as Jimmy for Halloween that year, with my co-worker Linds as my heckling Cub fan holding a sign "Jimmy Throws Like a Girl!", and gave Jimmy a picture of said Halloween. He was so nice, kind, and genuinely amused by my touching tribute... certainly no Hollywood attitude with me.

So it is with mixed emotions that I say good-bye to Jimmy. I will miss you so, but wish you only the best in San Diego. It is an end to an era, alas I say good-bye to another Cardinal boyfriend. I have only had a few Cardinal boyfriends over the years, Tommy Herr when I was 12, and Andy VanSlyke when I was 16, and now Jimmy in my 30's. I am sure I will love again, but who will my next boy be? I am headed to spring training in March, so maybe some new sparks will fly at Roger Dean Stadium. Who knows?

Farewell James Patrick Edmonds... a part of me will always love you! For one last time let me passionately yell.... "JIMMMAAAYYY!!!!!"

Editors Note: Here are couple of links to various things Jimmy

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yxnDc1N-PBE&NR=1

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oKWqYQBXmCE&NR=1

Blame It on the Cub Fan!

Sunday was my last trip to Busch Stadium this season. The Cards took it on the chin again. To make matters worse they were playing the Cubs. I don't like to lose... I really don't like to lose to the Cubs. Nikki and I were joined by our pal Karen, and Nik's co-worker, Angie. Angie is a lovely gal, but a Cub fan...Boo!

The game was kind of uneventful, Brendan Ryan (I heart him) was playing, but he was not rocking the socks. Evidently he varies from socks to long pants depending upon his hitting. If he hits well he continues with whatever look, if he hits bad the next game he changes, until he gets into a hitting grove, then he keeps whatever look until he goes hitless again.

The highlight of the day was Nik nearly throwing down with a guy in an SUV trying to cut into the exit line in the parking garage. Sorry buddy we drove around like everyone else, your time is no more valuable than ours, wait your turn. He flipped Nik off, she never let him in line, horns were honking and and Nik actually yelled out the window "Get in line and wait your turn like everyone else Jackass!" You just don't see that every day... it was beautiful.

Nik evidently got her own bit of "traffic karma" as there was evidently an accident on the interstate slowing traffic to a crawl... it took us just under TWO HOURS to get 11 miles from the river to the Collinsville exit! By the time we passed the accident it was largely cleared, but we are fairly certain said accident was caused by a Cub fan!

Normally I would be a bit sad about my last baseball game of the season but the Cards are fading fast and are just banged up and kind of tired... so it is probably time for the season to end. Thankfully Illini football is looking up so that should keep me occupied for awhile.

I hope everyone had been enjoying this fabulous weather.

The Ultimate Double Header

Being the sports-minded girls that we are, Saturday was pretty much the best day ever for Nikki and me. We went to STL for the day to see the Illini football team take on the Mizzou Tigers at the Jones Dome at 2:30 p.m., then headed to Busch Stadium for the Cardinals vs. Reds at 6:15 p.m. We have had September 1st on our calendar since the MLB baseball schedule was released last winter when we realized that the Cardinals would indeed be in town when the Illini football team headed to STL for the Arch Rivalry game. In case you haven't noticed, Nik and I are pretty die-hard when it comes to our boys in orange and red, so to have both combined in one day was pretty amazing. Earlier in the week I had mentioned to a couple of people that the only thing that would make it even more perfect would be to somehow incorporate Illini basketball into the mix. The basketball team is currently on a trip to play several games in Canada so that didn't look possible... but funny enough at the pep rally put on by the Illinois Alumni Association we did see former Illini basketball player, Sean Harrington. Sean now lives in "The Lou" as earlier this summer he was named as Director of Basketball Operations for St. Louis University by new coach, Rick Majerus. So in a way we did get to throw Illini basketball into the mix. Here is a great photo of Sean Harrington walking past me :). Also is a photo of a gentleman at the pep rally that I readily admit may be more of a die hard fan than me. Please take note of his orange and blue beard... now that is team spirit.

After a stop at the Illini pep rally we headed to the Jones Dome for the football game. It was a great atmosphere and the dome is really loud. Obviously we were pulling for an Illini victory, but I give the team credit for coming back and having a chance to win in the final minute. It was a baptism by fire for backup QB Eddie McGee, who made some great passes, and just needs to learn to protect the ball. On random football game side note: Nikki sat next to Illini linebacker and super cutie, J Leman's, neighbors.

It was a little crazy transitioning to football from baseball. When QB Juice Williams got hit/hurt Nikki said "Look, they are taking Juice to the dugout, I mean clubhouse, I mean locker room. This was our first real look at back up QB Eddie McGee, who sorry Eddie, but we kept calling Willie McGee by mistake. Willie McGee if a former Cardinal, an MVP center fielder and WS champ who played in the 1980's. We were laughing about the mixing of sports when I said "Okay Willie, here is your chance... home run buddy!". Evidently I am prophetic, I had no sooner uttered those words when Eddie/Willie connected with WR Kyle Hudson for a beauty of a touchdown pass. Ironically Kyle Hudson is a 2-sport athlete at Illinois... he also plays CF for the baseball team.

We did notice that one of our baseball "traditions" does not crossover to football. Typically Nikki finds a hottie on the opposing team at the baseball games, and then when she mentions said hottness, the guy usually plays sucky, striking out, going 0 for, or giving up big time hits if the hottie is a pitcher. Well I mentioned that Mizzou head coach Gary Pinkel was rather attractive... ooopps... this doesn't work in football... after the comment the Illini fumbled and Mizzou scored a touchdown as a result. My bad!

With sore throats from yelling so much, we left the dome and headed for Busch Stadium. We missed the first 1.5 innings but got there just in time to see Yadi hit his home run. We got to see one of our favorite Cardinal pitchers, Adam Wainwright... all of the Cards games we have been to this season and this was our first Wainwright start... what up with that? The baseball game had a much better outcome, the Cards won 11-3 and again the boys up from Memphis, Rick Ankiel and Brendan (I heart him) Ryan brought their bats. We had seats in left field and sawRyan Ludwick make an awesome catch in front of us.

All in all a splendid day!

Editor's Note: Yes, if you take note of the pic's at the beginning of the post, there was a wardrobe change involved in the ultimate double header... we may love sports but we are still very much girls. Plus, we had to fully support both our teams. We were clever and wore tank tops under our Illini shirts. Then once we got to our seats at the baseball game, much to the amazement of the folks sitting around us, we took off the Illini togs, pulled our Cards shirts out of our bags and put them on :)

Pork Fritters, Rally Caps & Lemon Chills

So Thursday was the beginning of a whirlwind couple of days with my parents. I got to their house at about 10:30 in the morning and we loaded up the van and headed south. For the most part I rather like my Mom's van... it is a nice ride with the exception of way too schoochy driver's floor mat. Our first stop was Carlinville, home of the Pfeiffers (my sister, Jan, and her family). We met Jan and Larry for lunch at "Angus Bailey's", located on the square, where we opted for a table in the bar vs. the dining room. I asked Jan what was good, and she said "It's Thursday, the special is pork fritters. I always get pork fritters on Thursdays!" Evidently Jan frequents Angus Bailey's quite often on Thursdays. Well it was pork fritters all around, and damn they were good. I had never had a pork fritter before. They are chunks of pork that are lightly breaded then fried... basically the pork version of chicken fingers, or little mini pork chops. They are served with either bbq or butter dipping sauce, applesauce and a side. All in all a tasty lunch, and Jan and Larry filled us in on the latest with Lane and Eric and their dogs, Coco, Molly and Gunner, chocolate, yellow and black labs, respectively. Eric is busy with his golf team and driving his car (he turned 16 in June) he has named "The Grocery Getter". Lane is back at CHS and evidently not really into the getting up early for school thing... Jan wants all the Cardinal games to start at 6:00 so they will be over at a decent hour and Lane will go to bed.

After the fine dining in Carlinville we headed south to St. Louis. Dad questioned me as to whether I was going the right way... he never drives, he doesn't pay attention, so I just told him to sit back and trust me. After we settled into the hotel (which involved me parking the van in a "concrete pillars everywhere" parking garage) we joined the Murbargers (Nikki and her parents) for free cocktails and snacks in the lobby... gotta love the Drury Plaza... we loaded up on free beer and nachos before heading off to the game.

We had some sweet seats for the Cardinals game vs. the Florida Marlins... about 20 rows behind the Cardinal dugout. It was a bit on the toasty side, but when is it not hot in STL? The Cards pretty much "bit it" big time. They lost 11 to 3, and committed 4 errors, it wasn't pretty. One highlight was pitcher turned outfielder and total hottie, Rick Ankiel. He made two awesome throws from right field. One throw kept the runner on third, and the other was a bullet to 2nd nailing a runner who thought he had a routine double. In the 9th inning Nikki and I busted out the rally caps which my "Debbie Downer Dad" totally scoffed at, but they were good for two runs and 11 to 3 is still pretty bad but it is better than 11 to 1.

Despite the outcome it was a good time at the ballpark. A lot of my favs... Brendan Ryan, Albert, Jimmy, Rolen & Ankiel played, and my Flo pitched as well.

After the game we ordered a pizza and chowed down in the Drury Plaza lobby. It was way too hot to each much of anything at the game, and by 11 p.m. our happy hour nachos had worn off.

Oh, during the game there was some minor drama because my Dad did not get a "lemon chill". My Mom had brought back a frozen lemonade from the stand I told her to go to... this frozen lemonade is more of a slushy vs. the solid, eat it with a spoon frozen lemonade that my Dad was looking for... guess I am not up to speed on the "lemon chill". Needless to say Dad went on and on about not getting a lemon chill and Nikki just started to laugh at me. She was laughing because at the Decatur Celebration this year they did not have the deep fried candy bar stand and I was denied that simple pleasure. Then, at the State Fair I looked unsuccefully for a deep friend candy bar and was yet again denied. Evidently my disappointment with the deep fried candy bar was pretty much a dead on imitation of my Dad's disppointment with the lemon chill. Nikki was just cracking up at the similarities.

He's awful purty and he smells good!

Sunday night I went to the Illinois in Springfield to the state fair to see Sugarland in concert with one of my favs, Joe Nichols. It was a great concert. I went with Nikki, her sister Angie, and their Dad, Jerry. Jerry drove, I kind of felt like I was in junior high again having my friend's Dad drive my to a concert. It was a very late night, so I was glad to have somebody else drive most of the way. We had meet and greet passes to meet Joe Nichols, well at least us girls did because well we are total dorks and members of the Joe Nichols Fan Club. Joe is a Cardinal fan so we always manage to talk about the team. A lady ahead of us in line for some reason felt compelled to give Joe a very large Chicago Cubs bra... Joe was actually speechless. Because one of his hit songs is "Tequila Makes Her Clothes Fall Off" he is used to receiving female articles of clothing on stage and such... but the Cubs bra was over the top. When Nik got to the front of the line she said something about "Cub fans, they get in first place and they just go crazy" to which Joe responded "Yeah, I know, you would think they had never been in first place before... oh, wait they haven't." Very amusing. The title of this post refers to the very entertaining Miss Angie. She had never met Joe before and said "Wow he is kind of pretty" and then afterwards as we were leaving the meet & greet she said "He smelled so good, did you smell him, he smelled really good". Joe's show was great, however I much prefer him in a smaller venue when he can do his entire set... he just works better in that setting.

Sugarland was amazing. I just love them. They don't have a single song I don't really love and feel that somehow it was written just for me. Jennifer and Christian just have great chemistry on stage and their "choreography" is just very enjoyable. They actually covered both Beyonce and U2, and it worked. Great show! There were empty seats in the row above us for most of the Sugarland show so we moved up there so we could stand and dance without blocking the view of the folks behind us. I still have a nasty sore throat so I must have been singing along with much gusto. For the last song, a woman we didn't know from several rows in front of us came up to sing and dance with us because she didn't want to obstruct the view of the folks behind her and well as she said everyone else as the concert were "Total Duds!" . I love that we have the "nice and inviting" look and don't look like total duds... leave it to us to make friends wherever we go!

It was a very musical weekend. I finished up with Joe and Sugarland, but got it off to agood start by going a High School Musical/High School Musical 2 watch party at my friend Anne's house. It was the bomb diggity. I was new the HSM scene but what is not to love... cheesy teen Disney musical. #1 has a bit of a Grease! theme, while #2 has a bit of "Dirty Dancing" flavor. There was a song called "Fabulous" and one that was performed during a baseball game! This was so me. My 6-year old friend, Sidney, attended a similar watch party. Sid and I have an awful lot in common... not sure if this a positive or negative for each of us. It just kind of cracks me up.

So that was pretty much my weekend. Oh, and I hung out with Richard too. I discovered he does not like "pink fluffy stuff" (aka salad with cherry pie filling, pineapple, nuts, marshmallows and cool whip) He's not a salad guy, nothing wrong with that I guess. I just feel a little bit sad for him though... I just love pink fluffy stuff and even more fun than eating pink fluffy stuff is referring to it as pink fluffy stuff... he's been denied this joy and well that is just unfortunate.

So I don't like to complain, but some stuff is just is blog-worthy. So today I am starting a bit of an anti-kudos thing aptly titled "Today's Grrr". Today I happened to have two Grrr's. The first, I nearly ran over a U of I student today at lunch. Yep they are back, and I God love 'em this town would be way sucky without the university, and I count many current students among my friends, but why must they be completely oblivious of traffic! The second Grrr for the day is our printer at work. It continued to print today, but made the most horrific clanking with every page. Kudos to Allison whose desk is closest to the printer for not throwing herself, the printer or anyone else out the window. Please let it be fixed tomorrow, it sounded like someone was beating with a baseball bat. If they don't fix it soon I may dump it in a bowl of chicken noodle soup and put it out of its misery.

Editors Note: Nik's picture with Joe was taken approximately 1 minute before mine. Notice that Joe's hair is much flatter in my pic than hers? What is that about? He does have a tendency to constantly run his hands over his hair to fix/flatten I guess I never realized how well it worked. I am amused that Joe has a kind of pouty/growl thing going on in my photo as well. Please also note that Reba McEntire signed the wall of fame directly above our heads.

It's Getting HOT In Here

Wednesday night I went to STL for the Cards game with Nik and our Dads. I believe Nelly said it best with the words "It's getting hot in here"... it was a steamy 106 degrees when we pulled into the parking garage at about 6:30 p.m. It was pretty much a sweat fest for the first hour of the game, but then either it got cooler or we just got used to it. We avoided the sun, so we all survived and the Cards won, so all was well.

I think the heat must fry people's brains because this is what we saw. A woman wearing a crocheted tank top, with a "questionable" choice of undergarment... but at least it was somewhat appropriate for the weather as it was a tank top. Another woman was wearing a long sleeved black crocheted sweater over a white t-shirt..., now I am always cold and wearing a sweater, but even I will leave the sweater at home when it is ONE HUNDRED AND SIX DEGREES OUTSIDE!!!! We later discovered this woman was the mother of the little 6-month old baby we saw at the game. When my Dad saw the baby (he was really cute) he was dumbfounded and just kept asking me "Why is it here?" "Why would you bring it here in this heat?". It was funny he just kept calling it "IT"... my Dad doesn't really get dumb people. It is kind of fun to watch.

Oh, and here is something I just don't get... how are there women/ladies out there that don't appear to sweat or have a single hair out of place in weather like that. I was gross, completely wringing wet and just nasty lookin' before the 1st out in the 1st inning and in the 8th inning this woman returned to her seat looking fresh as a daisy, not a drop of sweat, with her hair looking perfect... every curl in place. How do they do this? Is there a pill you can take for that, because if so, I want it.

Oh, today's kudos go to one Mr. Rick Ankiel for going yard for the Cards in his first MLB game as a position player. Back in the day Rick was a young pitching phenom for the Cards, but injury and later "mind games" led him to leave the mound, but he has worked hard to come back as a position player/center fielder. He has been the HR king in Memphis with the AAA team, and finally is back "In the Show" as they say in "Bull Durham". Kudos Rick! He is a total hottie, so it only seems appropriate he get the kudos in the "... Hot in Here" post :)

Georgie Peorgie, Puddin' & Pie

So today, July 16th is my Dad's 71st birthday. I am relatively certain my Dad does not read this, or any other blog. My niece does, so Ashely, maybe you can show this to Grandpa?

Happy Birthday Dad! My Dad's name is George Warner Tjardes. I have always thought Warner was a cool middle name for some reason. His name is George W., the same as our U.S. President. Awhile back I went through a phase of calling my Dad "Dubya"... I think he kind of liked it. When I was a little kid learning nursery rhymes, including "Georgie Peorgie Puddin & Pie, kissed the girls and made them cry" I felt compelled to call my Dad "Georgie Peorgie". I don't think he liked that as much as "Dubya". I thought it was great when I was four, and thought it was even funnier that my Dad had kissed the girls and made them cry. Speaking of crying girls, I only remember my Dad spanking me once when I was little. I can't remember for the life of me what I had done, but I remember being distraught about being spanked. From then on I remembered the tone of my Dad's voice immediately preceding the spanking, and then whenever it reached that tone again I knew to stop.

Growing up my Dad's favorite phrase was "Hide and Watch". Dad, where are we going? Hide and watch. Dad, can we stop for a donut and chocolate milk? Hide and watch. Dad, are we there yet? Hide and watch. We also got Monicals Pizza every Sunday night for dinner, always sausage, his choice. Dad always made us eat ALL of the outside pieces before anyone could have an inside piece... what was that about? And we all wonder where my structured, anal retentive nature comes from.

My Dad has taught me a lot of things. There of course is the whole work ethic, know the value of a dollar thing, stand up for what you believe in stuff. But some of the best things he taught me were about the St. Louis Cardinals, and the perfection that was Jack Buck's voice bringing the game to you. I was 12 in 1982 when the Cardinals won the World Series. That summer my Dad taught me what a suicide squeeze play is in baseball... as far as I am concerned, it is still the most exciting play in the game. We didn't really go to many Cardinal games growing up, but I love going to them now, my Dad taught me that. These days I take him to Cardinal games. He has a bad knee and a bad back and it probably is a lot more comfortable for him to watch at home, but he never turns down a trip to the ballpark. We usually share a bag of peanuts, sometimes we will drink beer... he taught me that too. We have a system, I fly he buys, it works for us.

My Dad taught me about the Illini too. He loves the marching bands, the Marching Illini in particular. The band is his favorite part of the game, he said he learned that from his Dad. The band is one of my favorite parts of the game too... (not to worry Jake, I am really starting to like the football part too). My Dad graduated from the University of Illinois, so did I, I like that we share that.

My Dad also taught me how to check my oil and transmission fluid, and told me he would always come pick me up if my car broke down, but not if I ran out of gas... if you weren't smart enough to fill up the tank, you could walk home. To this day my car rarely has less than a 1/4 of tank of gas in it at all times. Dad taught me the value of duct tape, I once saw him repair a lawn mower handle with duct tape and broom handle. Several years ago I made a similar repair with duct tape and a wooden spoon (okay so the wooden spoon is maybe more Mom, but you get the point). Beyond checking the oil, using duct tape, and measure twice-cut once, my Dad also taught me how to call professionals too... sometimes even duct tape won't fix it.

My Dad's favorite foods are gravy, butter, dressing and pepper. If you ever happen to be his server at Red Lobster know this... bring butter with the cheddar biscuits. Make sure his salad has "double" blue cheese dressing... not "extra" but "double"... that means he wants to see two plastic cups of dressing on the side of the plate. FYI, you can hold the cucumbers on the salad, but it is okay if you forget, because if you leave them one he will give them to me, and I don't mind a little extra cucumber. Now that brings us to pepper. My Dad likes pepper, so do I. He isn't the most patient when it comes to pepper. If the pepper shaker at restaurants doesn't shake much pepper he will take the top off and tap the pepper sans lid on to his food. If I were to try this I would end up with way too much pepper on my food, but Dubya has a pretty steady hand with the lidless shaker. This has become such a thing with him, and now me that when I am out with family and most of my friends we will actually comment on the speed of pepper distribution provided by various pepper shakers and will actually say "Well this pepper shaker is/is not George Tjardes approved". I get excited about the GTA shakers, I think I might start a rating system for the pepper shakers or something.

My dad is a farmer, the only farmer I know that can sleep until noon. Yet another quality to set him apart from others, along with the fact that he is the only man I know that hates to drive. If my mom isn't driving, then it is me. My Mom is nicer when it comes to the family rule of "Driver Has Control", and when she is driving she often lets him control the radio. I am not as nice as my Mom. A number of years ago I was driving with my Dad, he changed the radio, I changed it back, he started to change it again and I said "What's the rule?", to which he replied "Driver has control." I then asked "Did you want to drive?" He said "Hell No!", and took his hand from the raidio dial.

My Dad farms with my uncle and they raise corn, soybeans, Polled Hereford cattle, and MARIJUANA! Okay so they don't raise marijuana but a couple of years ago someone cut down some of the corn in my Dad's field and planted pot there instead. They managed to harvest at least a portion of it before my cousin noticed it when he saw the tarp some of the "harvest" was wrapped up in when he was on the tractor in the field. They called the sheriff and everything to report it, it was a big deal in Gibson City. It was just kind of funny because when you think pot/weed/reefer the image of my Dad so often comes to mind.... NOT! One of the best parts of this story is that my Dad was really mad that the "drug lords" cut down several rows of his corn from the field that was going to have the best yield... "if you are going to cut down my corn grow to grow weed, why can't you cut down the corn in one of my lower yielding fields?!"

My dad and I have the same eyelids... they are droopy, just like his Dad's. We can't open our eyes really wide. So I guess if you ever decide to throw us a surprise party, you may never know if we were really surprised or not, huh?

Well that seems like a good place to stop, how can I top the pot story? Happy Birthday Dad! May the pepper shake freely :)

Editors Note: This photo is of my Dad in elementary school. I actually work with one of my Dad's former classmates at the Hall (Ted for those of you from the Hall). Anyway several years ago Ted was cleaning out some stuff and came across a box of "stuff" from elementary school an found this picture of my Dad. Rather than throw it away he brought it to me. I love this picture... in many ways my Dad still looks exactly the same as this picture... the Tjardes droopy eyelids never change.

A Picture is Worth a Thousand Words

Saturday Nik and I met our new buddies Jane and April in the Lou for a girls weekend filled with baseball. Saturday was picture day at Busch Stadium- gates opened early and fans were allowed down to the field to take pictures of their favorite players. We have LOTS of favorites... and had a ball (no pun intended). I have so many stories to tell, but that will have to wait for later, almost time for the free hot breakfast at the Drury Plaza.

We are having a great time with Jane and April. Here is picture of us down on the field. More to come later.

Who Wants a Beer Now?

That was the line of one of the beer vendors at the Cards game Monday night. Very clever, he used it when the Diamondbacks tied up the game. Not to worry, the Cards came back with a flurry and won 11-3. We had quite the entertaining assortment of beer vendors in our section. It made me wish my nephews Eric and Jeremy were with me. One of their favorite things to do at the game is to watch and then immitate the beer vendors... Jeremy especially, he could do a one-man show of his various beer vendor immitations.

Nikki and I had great seats for the game, right behind the Cards dugout, about 20 rows off the field. It provided the perfect vantage point to engage in one of our favorite summertime activities... "boy watching". Before the game we got an up close and personal view of the DS (desiginated stretcher) working with Albert (please see picture). I don't think I could be the DS and not lose my concentration... heck I lost my concentration just looking at the DS's backside.

Scotty Ro flashed us with the perfection that is his forearms, and he seemed to respond positively to the "Rollin/Rolen" dance routine Nik and I would do to the tune of "Proud Mary" every time he was up to bat. My boy Jimmy is still on the DL, but he spent a good portion of the game leaning against the front rail of the dugout for me too gaze upon. One positive of the DL is that he was sans wristbands so we were able to sneak a peak at his "DK 57" tat on his right wrist. Thank you Jimmy, I don't get to see the ink that much.

Another favorite, Skip Schumaker is still up with the big club while Jimmy is on the DL. Nik and and I decided Skip needed a song... so now we sing "Skip, Skip, Skip's in the Lou" everytime he is up to bat. Also, Brendan Ryan... (see previous post I Heart Brendan Ryan) was there as Eck is not off the DL yet. He was standing next to his teammate, Ryan Ludwick (kudos to Ludwick for his 2 HR's on Sunday btw). So collectively their jersey's spelled 'Ryan Ludwick'.

My boy Flo pitched 3 up 3 down to finish the game in the 9th. He was worked a little hard and consequently had a rough June so TLR and Dunc had rested him a few days to get him right. Evidently the rest did him some good... he had a nice outing.

All in all a great game, and good times. San Fran and Oakland were great trips, but it was good to be back home again at Busch III... Baseball Heaven.

I Heart Brendan Ryan

So even though Izzy blew the save, one of my favs, rookie infielder Brendan Ryan hit his first ML home run tonight to win the game for the Cards in extra innings. We saw B-Ry hit his first ML home run in Oakland just 10 days ago. He is just such a nice guy, and he was SOOOOO excited tonight, he said he just about passed out running around the bases. In the post game interview he said that yesterday he did make a rookie mistake, his cabbie took him to Yankee Stadium instead of Shea Stadium... ooops! Brendan Ryan you are just too cute... I heart you! I find it a bit ironic that I am wearing my EcksOs (David Eckstein's cereal) t-shirt in this photo with B-Ry, and the reason he is currently up with the big league club is because Eck is on the DL.

Also, kudos to my boy Flo... after struggling in some recent outings, he picked up the save today. Way to go Flo Flo.

Do Blondes Really Have More Fun?

Perhaps Cards lefty relief pitcher, Tyler Johnson, can tell us as he is now sporting some platinum blondes locks. I believe his natural color is brown. Tyler is a little hottie, and the fav our our pal April so we were on the lookout for him all weekend but never could find him, but were like "Who is the blonde, did we bring somebody new up from Memphis?". Well now that Tyler had dyed his hair it all makes sense.

I am not sure I am a fan of of the platinum, but Tyler is the Cards resident "Wild Child" and rocks multiple tattoos and piercings so I guess if anyone can pull it off he can. Not sure if this was of his own choosing or if he lost a bet or something.

Oh, a big shout out to our pal April, reading this blog from Central Missouri. We thought of you Sunday night at Hard Rock Cafe... we had just seen TyJo earlier that day and one of the videos they played was Aerosmith's "Dream On". Anyway see you on the 7th.

Take Me Out To The Ballgame

So Sunday was our last baseball game here in the Bay Area. It was A's necktie day at the park, in honor of Fathers Day, so we are now the proud owner of A's neckties. They are actually quite attractive, I may wear mine as a belt. Speaking of Fathers Day... Nik and I want to give a shout out to George and Jerry.... Happy Fathers Day. Granted it is unlikely that my Dad is reading this, as it requires a computer, but Jerry probably is.

The game wasn't quite as eventful as the night before, as the fans we sat next to were pretty quiet, with the exception of an STL fan (although he wasn't wearing any Cards gear) that sat next to Nikki. I am not sure why but this guy has some serious issues with the Cards' right fielder, Juan Encarnacion. He just dogged him the entire game. I realize that Juan will not ever be a super star like Albert, Rolen, Jimmy or Carp, and he isn't one of those scrappy, little guys like Eck or Miles, but the guy is decent, he gets the job done, give him a break. Seriously, Juan must have killed this guys puppy or something.

The Cards won the game 10-6, and this was the first time the A's have given up double digit runs in back to back games since September 2004. The A's fans don't appear to be the most loyal of baseball fans... many of them left in the sixth inning when it was still a close game.

We have managed to see a lot of firsts during our three games. Spiezio's first time pitching, Chris Duncan's first ML grand slam, and Brendan Ryan's first ML hit. FYI Brendan Ryan is one of my favs because he was at the Cards Caravan in Decatur in January when I got to go up and sit on the panel because I was wearing a Flores #34 shirt. Then when we went through his autograph line two days later at Winter Warm Up he was like "Hey, I remember you from Decatur!". We also saw him at Spring Training a couple of years ago, and he just seems to be a nice guy. So it is good to see nice guys not finishing last.

I got to see Flo close up today, as the pitchers were throwing out in right field. Of course the one day I don't wear my Flores #34 shirt I am close enough for Flo to have seen it. I did give him a shout out as he was leaving the field and I got a nice little wave back. He had no clue I was his "date" from Decatur, because for one I wasn't wearing his shirt, and two I had on a ball cap so I looked incognito. Also another fun little show while the pitchers were tossing was Adam Wainwright, Kip Wells and Todd Wellemeyer playing a mean little game of hacky sack... they were pretty good.

So all in all our trips the Colesium were good, we went 2-1. The ballpark itself is nothing special, but I enjoy watching the Cards just about anywhere.

Great Scott!

Friday was our first of three Cards games. We walked a few blocks to the Powell Street station to take the BART (Bay Area Rapid Transit) to The Coliseum. It was an easy trip, about 20-25 minutes. Oakland really isn’t much to write home about, and neither is their ballpark. It is old, not all that attractive, has narrow concourses, generic scoreboards, and what appears to be dugouts that you would have difficulty seeing the batter from. That being said there is plenty we did enjoy. The Asian usher lady that handed out to us (and apparently all Cards fans) a little fabric fortune cookie made from baseball fabric that had the Cards logo and the A’s logo on the “fortune”. Also a random A’s fan was “Hey, Cards fans, welcome to Oakland!”



Before the game we were taking in BP and David Eckstein came over to sign autographs for what seemed like an eternity. He was mobbed at first so I didn’t go over there, but then the crowd thinned out so I went over and he signed my ticket. I had been trying to get his autograph forever, and kept getting denied. Finally! He really is a super nice guy. He didn’t play (guessing some sort of oblique/back issue… as he was pointing to that general area when he was talking to Pete P. one of the trainers or the “D.S. Designated Stretcher” as we like to call him.



If you saw the scoreboard (Cards lost 14 to 3) you know we didn’t have much to cheer about during the game. The 3rd and 7th innings when we gave of 6 runs each were particularly difficult to watch. However, the bottom of the 8th was HISTORIC!!! We were out of the game, our pen had been used up in Thursday’s blowout at KC, so Scott Spiezio (utility infielder/outfielder) was brought in to pitch. Please see my “Game Highlights” post from about a week ago for more details on my love of Scott Spiezio. Spiez was great! He pitched a scoreless inning (more than some of our actual pitchers can say) and nearly had a strike out. The Cards fans at the game (and there were a good number, considering the distance) went nuts when he got that third out. They were yelling and screaming, and completely oblivious to the fact that we has just gotten our butts kicked. Spiez was a riot to watch. He was out there just having a blast, grinning from ear to ear. We watched him warm-up in the pen and were like “What the …” We thought maybe he was just tossing to warm up to get ready to come in an play defense. When he came into pitch and was tossing a last few warm up pitches, it appeared that Rolen was watching him intently and possibly giving him some tips. Anyway, it was great to see, and if you are going to get your butt kicked, at least give the fans a treat and have your utility man pitch.





The BART ride home was definitely one to remember. It is too difficult to describe in words but basically our train was filled with a variety of drunk Cards fans that were just very chatty and crazy. The poor people of Oakland, especially those that had not been at the game, couldn’t get off the train soon enough. It was very entertaining. Hopefully we can get a win tonight (Saturday).

Game Highlights

So today was the first time all weekend I was able to watch the Cardinals game. The Cardinals, Fox Sports Midwest and Insight Cable has some sort of drama going on these days, so there are about 30 or FSN games that are not on Insight Cable... for some reason they decided to have two back to back, Friday night and Saturday night. Needless to say I was kind of pizzy because I hadn't been able to really sit down and watch all week, and was all set and ready to go both Friday and Saturday night, only to be DENIED. Arrghhh. I don't now what the deal is with the Insigt black out, but Cardinals, Insight... save the drama for yo' mama!!!!

Today the game was on KSDK so I was good to go. Here are some highlights from todays game: #1 Spiez! (aka Scott Spiezio, see photo) hit a 3-run HR! Granted Albert hit two home runs, but he is Albert, he is supposed to do that. Spiez is a bench guy, the 3-run dingers don't happen every day. Also, Spiez is a former Illini, and well those who used to were the orange and blue have a special place in my heart. Then there is also the fact that he is just way cool, and is the only one who can pull off the red soul patch (see picture and note that Nik and I can't really pull it off, not that we didn't try!) Add to this the fact that Spiez is involved in one of my favorite Spring Training stories. Before the game at Port St. Lucie against the Mets Spiez was headed to the dugout and noticed a little boy (probably in the age 6-8 range) sporting a #11 Dee Brown Illini jersey. Spiez called out to the little boy, "Hey, Dee Brown, the Illini, that was my school." Then the little boy excitedly turned around, found his dad a couple of rows back and yelled "Dad! Dad! That guy knows Dee Brown!!!!" Priceless!

Game highlight #2 was the text I recived from Nikki in the 9th inning that read: "I love watching the game with Grandma. Her reaction after Izzy gave up the HR in the bottom of the 9th- 'Well Shit!' " Again, priceless!

#3 Today was "Pooches in the Park" day at Busch Stadium. It also rained during the game... ahh nothing like smell of baseball... hot dogs, peanuts, beer... and wet dog! No thanks.

So I am posting this from my local Panera, and it brings us to today's Kudos: Panera Bread for their Black Bean Soup and Fugi Apple Chicken Salad... perfection!