Taking Everything Literally

Literally coming at you from left field today... As I was sitting at the game on Thursday (Game 4 of the NLCS) a thought came to me. I am in left field. I should do a blogpost right now so I can say I'm really live from left field! But... seeing as how any kind of 3g/4g, edge or anything doesn't work when there's millions of people close by trying to post pics to fb, I was having a hard time posting from my phone and gave up. Remember the days when the whole world wasn't on Facebook so it was easier to post in crowds or even less cluttered... ahhh the good ol' days.

The Cards ended up losing this game. I have decided that I am bad luck. We have tickets to the world series home games if we are in it, but I am concerned my presence will screw everything up yet again, so I don' know if I will be making it out to St. Louis again.

We just have to win tonight! p.s. I am CONVINCED that God changed the game to 5 tonight so I could go to church today. Game was originally gonna be at 1, but with the Rangers and Tigers not playing tonight our game got moved. Last week I chose all 3 hours of church over the Cardinals ( I didn't even bring in my phone to get updates!) and that didn't go my way, so I was reconsidering the need for all 3 hours again today. But now I can go to church and then come home and watch some Cardinal baseball!. The Brewers pitcher has a 12.64 ERA in the post season. Hope we use this to our advantage!

Go Cards!

As Chip would say, Win The Day!

p.p.s. Remember when I was started obsessing over this guy and everyone thought I was out of my mind?? Yeah, who's leading the team in HR's and RBI this series?? David Freese. That's who. I hate all  these bandwagon Freese lovers. I am his only true fan!

Meet Me in St Louis!

This has been the week of sports sports sports! 

Monday I got off work and flew to Las Vegas to hang out with my brothers. Tuesday morning we rose early to head to St. Louis for the Cardinals game that night!

After the traditional pre-game meal at J Bucks, we headed to the rally across the street from the stadium.

We had heard they were giving away tickets to the games and thought we could maybe score better seats. Instead I scored this...

They said the first person to show a ticket from another game would win it. We pulled one out of the bag Morty had and I started jumping up and down waving it in my hand!  I think I was the only one who had one, so there wasn't really a need to freak out about it. I went to the front and collected my prize. Now, what to do with it??

Although we lost, the game was still exciting!  There was lots of rally towel waving. We came so close to pulling ahead so many times. 

After the game we met up with Jennifer for another tradition: Ted Drewes!

I've mentioned their pumpkin pie concrete before. It was delicious as always. A trip to St. Louis is not complete without a little Ted Drewes. I am so glad we got to see and stay with Jennifer. Her trip to Napa this week fell perfectly with my trip out there so that we could hang out, go to the game and watch the sing-off together at night. We love our shows!

Here's to hoping I can get a ticket to the game on Thursday. I am making the trip no matter what. I can't miss the action!

Creepy Vans

Yesterday while walking out of my apartment I saw two people around the corner. Even though it didn't look abnormal, for some reason I had the feeling that they were fighting. Sure enough after this thought popped in my head they began yelling at each other and using their arms and feet to convey their message. They were in a serious fight. I was on my way to catch the max to meet my parents downtown so I had to keep walking. But the funny things is that the farther away from them I got, the more I could hear them. Funny how that works. From my glances over my shoulder every few seconds I could see that the boy had now moved into the van they were arguing next to and the girl was still standing outside of it yelling at him. She was kicking and screaming and everything. I got semi nervous.

This van has been parked outside of my place for the longest time. It's slightly creepy, mainly because it hasn't moved much. Parking outside my place is metered parking. Leaving a car there for days can get quite expensive and annoying having to feed the meter every five hours from 8am to 7pm. Anyway. I never do this, but I called 911. And reported a domestic dispute. As I was talking to dispatch I could still see the couple and the girl seemed to be giving up and starting to walk away. I debated whether or not to tell the dispatcher this though, because I still thought it best for an officer to come make sure everything is alright. Who knows if anything bad was about to happen. I decided to tell her. She asked if the police were still needed. I said it would be a good idea for them to at least drive by. She said they would only come if there was hitting. Our conversation ended there.

Right then the max came and as I hopped on I felt great about being a good citizen/neighbor. But I know somewhere in Portland at least one police officer could have ended their donut break a few minutes earlier in order to make sure things were ok. The van was still there when I got home that night. I was half tempted to peek inside to see if the boy was sleeping in there. So weird.

In other news. Kelli and I walked to get our nails done a few days ago. I was wearing a Cardinals shirt and she was wearing a Red Sox sweatshirt (one that I had given her ;) As we walked across the street we not only passed by a Cubs fan, but also a Yankees fan. What are the odds?

Let's Ask

Thursdays Tidbits of (T)Wisdom:

-Yellow polish does not look good on my toes. I have been wanting to do yellow (like taxi cab yellow) for a long time now and decided I would do it today at my pedicure. Wow did it look bad! Good thing I had pink as a backup. And I am loving this pink. (Pink Flamingo I think. Or maybe it was Flamenco)

-Tomorrow I will be taking the longest flight of my life. I hate flying. Going to Hawaii a few years ago was a killer for me. I don't know how I will do the 10 hours to London tomorrow. I might need to enlist the help of drugs.

-I dream about the Cardinals on an almost nightly basis. 2 night ago I dreamt that we landed seats on their charter flight after a game. I was in heaven.

-My ears don't like to be pierced. They are extremely infected. But I read somewhere that I shouldn't take the earrings out. If I did, the infection would stay in my ear when the holes closed up. So now I try to cover my ears with my hair when I am close to people.

-I vacuumed up a worm today. I was vacuuming downstairs by the back door and moved something out of the way only to find a worm was living under it. I panicked and just ran the vacuum over it. I don't think that was a smart idea...

-I am excited to be free from cell phone contact for the length of my trip. I opted out of getting my phone prepped for european travel. I just decided to go without it. It's quite liberating.

-I vacuumed my room and washed my sheets for the first time since February. Sick. Now I will have clean sheets to come home to in a few weeks.

-I still haven't watched this week's episode of Gossip Girl. I didn't watch last week's episode until Sunday. What is wrong with me? Am I just too busy? Doubt it. I guess it's just not the same unless I watch it with the 3030.

-I am currently fighting a speeding ticket from Tillamook County and I will cry if I don't win. I don't have $200 to pay for speeding for 2.5 seconds.

-I want to go skydiving on my birthday in Hawaii. I will only do it if I find at least one other person to go with me. The reason for wanting to do it on April 30th?? You get a free t-shirt for risking your life on your birthday. That's worth it, I think.

-I can't think of anything else at the moment. And I need to get to the mall before it closes.

Is It April Yet?

10 hours and 23 minutes (at the time of post) until the Cardinal's first Spring Training game...

Can baseball season just get here right now???? I need games, games, games! I need the 9 texts a day for 401 updating me of the Cardinals games. I usually get annoyed with the texts when I am at the game, but now I would appreciate them anytime!! Just start coming please...

I have already looked up trips to Seattle, St. Louis, Boston and San Francisco to catch a series or two. Why do I always go to the same ballparks? This isn't helping me reach my goal of going to all of the Major League Baseball Stadiums...

I am liking the fact that the Mariner's Opening Day is a week after baseball starts. Seeing as how I will be traveling back into the country on April 6th, most likely with an empty bank account, it will be semi-impossible to catch the Cardinals opening day... So second best is Seattle, right?? I am a little worried for the Mariners that their 2nd and 3rd home games of the season they are already offering half price tickets. Is it really that hard to get fans to come? By the way, on my birthday (April 30), the Cardinals are giving away Cardinals Snuggies... If that's not a sign that I have to go, then I don't know what is! Done and done!

I am excited to see the Cardinals this season. We dropped a few, picked up a few and had a few struggles during the off season. But doesn't everyone? I am cheering for Freese no matter what anyone says. I am excited to see Pujols, Yadi and Holliday back in action. Let's get a Cy Young from Waino or Carp this season. Good riddance to Ankiel (or HGH) and Thurston. I'm surprise LaRussa let go of his man crushes. I wish I could go to Jupiter right now.

April-October/November = PURE BLISS! And I can't wait for it to begin!

Get ready for me, St. Louis! I am coming!

p.s. I am in love with the first picture that comes up on the Cardinals home page right now. It's McGwire and Freese in the batting cages... It makes me smile everytime :)

I Don't Sleep, I Dream

Sidenote: I love when Kelly Ripa complains about there being no break in between football in and baseball season. Apparently she could do without all the sports topics that Regis brings up in the morning chat on Live. Just days after the Super Bowl was over, Regis was talking about pitchers and catchers getting ready to report to Spring Training in Florida or Arizona. I can't believe this time is here already. Even though last Winter feels like forever ago, I still can't believe it's time for baseball to start up. This begins 9 months of pure bliss for me. :)

Do you remember all your dreams? Lately I have been having some pretty weird ones. Like one NIGHTMARE that keeps happening over and over where a kid from school (elementary through high school) is stalking me. He won't go away. And he keeps attacking me. For fear of him somehow seeing this I won't divulge too much information about him. But it needs to be said, that I haven't thought of this kid AT ALL until I recently saw him here in town. I see him at a place I have been frequently going to. After the second nightmare, I haven't been back to that place. It creeps me out that he is the one giving me nightmares. Is there a reason why we have nightmares anyway? Is it a shift in our normal daily routine that urkes our mind so much to want to scare us while sleeping? When you wake up for one, are you like me and can't fall back asleep for fear of having the same dream? Sometimes I try to think of something real hard so that I can dream about it. But that never happens.

Well last night I had a great dream. Well one of the many dreams I had. While getting ready for bed last night I decided to put on my Cardinals pjs that have been in my drawer since last November when baseball season ended. Actually, probably since last October when the Cardinals season ended. I thought nothing of it, except that it put a smile on my face knowing that baseball season is here! Well apparently my sub concisous loved it too! And I had a dream about being at Opening Day in St. Louis again. Last year was so amazing. It was a wonderful experience and opportunity to finally be at the first home game and in the case of last year's season, the first Cardinals game of the season!

I woke up so excited for this season! I am anxious to see how the team does this year. I hope Waino is bueno again. And I hope Carp is still on his game. Last year those two were amazing. One of them should have received the Cy Young Award... But that's a different post... I hope Freese can work through his whole drama and secure his place at 3rd for the season. I am interested in seeing what Big Mac can do with the hitters. Tony has a lot of faith that he can do it, so I hope he can prove all the haters wrong. I am excited for another wonderful season of Albert Pujols. I still go back and watch this commericial all the time. It still gives me chills. Matt Holliday did great things for our team last summer when he joined it so I hope he can continue that this season. How many web gems can Yadi get this year from behind the plate. I was watching Baseball Tonight the other day and they showed like 5 highlights last year from catchers and one of them was Yadi. I just love that guy. :)

Here's my nephew. And A's fan. Recognizing greatness when he sees it. Now we have him saying that the Cardinals are the best team in baseball. In fact he called me last night to tell me.

TLR, No I Did Not Just Misspell TRL

I like to frequent a few websites to keep up to date on the news of the Cardinals. A few sources I can trust to have the latest stories are the Post Dispatch and Newschannel 5 (Although I was a little disappointed to see that they were the only local station that was NOT present in L.A. for game 1 and 2 of the NLDS. Apparently budget constraints are getting in the way of being the "Home of the St. Louis Cardinals," which they claim to be.) Anyway, I am a big fan of Tony La Russa. Sometimes I feel like he makes stupid decisions from game to game. But overall, this man is a genius and knows how to use the resources/players he has to win. Not only has he received the best manager award in both leagues, but he has managed both the Oakland A's in the American League, and the St. Louis Cardinals in the National League to the World Series titles.

This Is Beyond Baseball

help i need someone...

i am in a slump.  

They are a punch to the gut, a blow to the psyche. They are humiliating, humbling and hurtful.  

A player in a slump is a sad sight to behold, equal parts wild-eyed desperation and puppy-dog bewilderment....

now i know what the cardinals felt last month when they were not performing offensively...

i wish i could always have the sleep schedule that i have whenever i am in fresno.  living out in the country is wonderful, you wake up naturally with the sun... no matter what time i wake up, if it's natural, i still feel great.  i would usually wake up no later than 7:30 every morning, sometimes as early at 6 am.  boy it feels good to wake up early and do things all day.  

now my life consists of waking up, then falling back to sleep.  and officially waking up/getting out of bed around 10 or 11 (sometimes as late as noon!)  yes i am taking a class this summer, but it is not until 4 pm on mondays and wednesdays.  so that leaves basically the whole day, everyday for me to do nothing.  i find myself watching reruns of shows i have seen before. which by the way, it has made me realize that since the jon and kate divorce, tlc has been replaying episodes of the show that ironically show kate being the most rude to jon.  like barking at him in public places and humiliating him... is that just a coincidence? 

i need to get a job. but where do i look?  am i supposed to just drive around and look for places with a now hiring sign?  i have applied to a few places online, so we will see.  if anyone knows any place that is hiring right now that would be really helpful.  i am willing to work full time this summer, since i could really use the money/something productive to do all day...

so, so far my summer is off to a nice relaxing start, but i would really like that to change.  i like being busy and having things to do all the time.  i just feel lazy.  especially compared to my last 5 months in st louis, that i spent working 40 hours a week... now would be the best time to be living near a baseball team, because i have PLENTY of time to go to games now...

end of an era

i am done with my internship.  i can't believe it. when it started, i thought it would never end. and i wanted it to. until the last 2 months. that's when i started opening up and started loving the people there. i will miss that place. really.  but it still feels like i will be going back in a few days. unfortunately after this vaca, i will be going back to provo instead. 

the last week i was in stl i had to get a rental car because i sold the parentals car.  unfortunately enterprise gave me a pt loser. but it sure came in handy when parking is so expensive and free street spots are hard to come by for the cardinals game.  i saw a tiny spot that i would have passed up in the taurus, but was able to comfortably squeeze into in the cruiser.

i am going to MISS busch stadium.  but i got out at just the right time. the cardinals haven't won a game since i have left. maybe they NEED me. :)  i need them too. the last night i was in st louis i went to the cardinals game.  a lot of people from the station got free tickets from mcdonalds, and i stole some from frank who was on furlough anyway.  so i sat up in big mac land. except i only was there for the last 3 innings, because i had to go to the doctor and finish cleaning my room so that i could hang out with my friends after the game.  

we went to mcgurks with a few people from the station. it was fun, but sad at the same time. once again, i am going to miss these peeps. kayla and i were planning on staying up all night since i had to be at the airport at 5 am anyway, but we were pretty tired and i wanted to get a nap. but we did go to steak n shake one last time.  we were the only ones there at 2 am. go figure. one thing i love about steak n shake is that it is open 24 hours AND the dining area is open 24 hours.  every fast food place needs to have their dining area open all the time. 

i almost missed my flight to vegas. haha. i guess part of me just didn't want to leave. i spent the day in vegas with morty and adrianne and aaron. nate was working. since i had been up for 7 hours already, i wanted to go to in n out when i landed. but it as only 9 am in vegas.  so we went right when it opened. and then we went to serendipity 3 on the strip. it wasn't good! 

 i will always like the serendipity in new york the best!  then morty and i took off for fresno! first stop. DOGHOUSE!  tri-tip sandwich=devoured...  loved it.

and now i am in fresno. having fun with everyone. baby jj's shower was super cute. retro cowboy theme.  SOOO cute. 

and it was fun to have aubrey and shawn here. i love greg. and was happy to finally see bryson!

we've just been hanging out at the house. i helped stan and reshea add a lovely addition to their living room media center. i have been pulling weeds, mowing the lawn. paying for my rent!  :)

life from busch stadium

I went over to the stadium again today!  Man i wish this could have started weeks ago instead of it happening the last week of my internship. oh well. this is way fun.  

so today we didn't have much time to get stuff from the players. we only were there for an hour.  and once again i don't have access to the clubhouse so i sat out in the dugout. but this time i had someone to talk to.  

jose oquendo. the man sitting on the top level in this picture. he's an assistant coach for the cards.  the 3rd base coach that everybody but albert uses to know when to keep running the bases or when to stop.  he sat down next to me and started a conversation. we talked about everything from his new granddaughter to where i go to school and what i want to be.  he was really nice and talked to me for about 10/15 minutes. 

skip shumaker came out of the clubhouse a while later looking for oquendo.  and he asked me where he went.  yep. that's right.  skip talked to me directly.  haha. 

it was a fun experience this time again.  we were only there for an hour. but it was one amazing hour!  i am really going to miss busch stadium.  or like one of the girls at work said, busch stadium is going to miss me.

oh p.s. i am currently on an airplane. i am on one of the test planes for wifi above 10,000 feet. sweet huh? i was wondering when airlines would get on that.  

Pinch Me Now To Make Sure...

ok i have been neglecting this blog.  and i really don't feel like posting right now, but i need to write about my amazing day before i forget anything cool.

so... today was the day the new interns arrived at channel 5.  which means we were training all day.  well we had a bit of a break and so i went into the sports department and was talking with katie (the reporter) and we were brainstorming ideas for stories that she could do this week.  well one thing led to another and i found myself walking up to the credential window at busch and getting the pass that gets me inside...  we went into the stadium and i had to go wait on the field while rene and katie talked with some of the guys in the clubhouse. (interns aren't allowed in the clubhouse.)   

i walk out on the field and immediately MELTED.  1. because this was what i came to st louis to do! and 2. because it was 92 degrees outside and like 500% humidity.  of course i pick the hottest day of the year to go to the ballpark.

well immediately i see shade in the dugout so i go and sit there. (right about where yadi is sitting)

and i sit there and sit there and think to myself are the players ever going to come out??  and then...

chris carpenter walks out from the clubhouse and up the stairs to the field and i MELT again.  is this really happening?? am i really here?!

and then one by one they all come out.

Lohse, Barden, Thurston (who then proceeded to walk by me and lay his stuff down on the bench a few feet away so that he could insert the cup. awkward) Yadi, Shumaker, Ryan, Franklin, Perez, Motte, Rasmus, Duncan... and so on.  and then.... PUJOLS.  yes. i was in the dugout when pujols was there.  he's the greatest hitter in baseball.  HEAVEN!

they are all pretty funny people. motte was cracking jokes on his way out to right field.  carp is pulling a plastic bag out of his back pocket with 2 Bubble Gum gumballs. one blue.  one dark pink.  barden is drinking some kind of energy boost/red bull thing.  

one of the producers from FSN is asking barden if they will let him be mic'd up during bp tomorrow. and he says they'll have to catch him when he's in a good mood so he'll talk alot.  and then the producer says to have a few drinks first. barden says he doesn't think he can come to the stadium drunk... then the fsn producer says miles was the best mic'd up so far so barden has a lot to prove, and i am thinking, brendan ryan would be the best. and then barden says, you mean brendan ryan wasn't the best. and then i may have not been invited but i join the conversation saying that i would have guessed that too... and just like that. i am in with brian barden. haha. jk.  one thing i love about myself is that i feel comfortable talking to most people. 

so now i venture up to the field and watch batting practice and warmups with katie and rene.  after 20 or so minutes my body temperature reaches 500 degrees so i decide to sit by the stairs down to the clubhouse where there is air conditioning. after a few minutes of this, i see pujols walking toward the dugout and i look at katie and she's getting all excited for me. and all of a sudden he is walking down the steps only inches from me.  and i MELT.  

the rest of the pregame proceeded like this. we talked with brendan ryan, who does a good impression of Robert Dinero.  and we talked with Hal McRae, and Cal Eldred and Nick Stavinoha and Tony Larussa.

and then at 6:30 we left the stadium and i walked back to channel 5 and could not stop smiling.  and i still can't stop smiling. :)

time of arrival- 3:30

items on the agenda: pure bliss

time of departure- 6:30

KELLI IS COMING TOMORROW!!!!

I can't believe this day is here already!  (well tomorrow)  kelli is finally coming out to visit.  we are going to have so much fun.  we will go here a few times:

we are going to the cubs game on thursday night. and then the saturday afternoon game against the royals. i have been to the I-70 series many times, but never in st louis.  i wonder how many royals fans will show up this year.  then sunday i am working at the game, but kelli will go and watch it, and i can meet up with her towards the end.

and i will take her to TED DREWES.  SOOO good.and we will go to the zoo. and pet the sting rays. i was too scared in fresno. maybe i won't be this time!and we will go up in the arch.  and we will go to six flags!  the best part about the broadcast world, is the hookups.  i think i scored us some free tickets from some peeps at work. 

we are going to have so much fun!  kelli wins for best friend ever. :) 

there's still hope!

i was so over david freese once he got sent back down to memphis.  but i thought i would check out the schedule today for the redbirds to see who and where they play.  they play in portland. but i think that is this month. can't make it.  BUT... i can make it to their games in salt lake this august!  can't wait!  now i hope freese stays in aaa and doesn't get sent back up to st louis. although they need to try some new things.  we need some better offense! come back ankiel and ludwick!

i went to the whole series against the brewers.  all three games. and they lost all three. i am staying away from them for a few days. cubs are in town.  can't be giving them back luck when chicago's here. plus i am babysitting the cutest little boy tonight. the sports reporter that i work with had tickets for tonight's game so i offered to watch her baby boy.  

Game 2 of the Brewer's series.  Sweet seats up in the Redbird club.  Had one of the cupcakes i have been looking for the whole season.  was NOT good.  Can't wait for some sprinkles goodness!

Wearing the pink jersey for the first time.  Usually I am opposed to them, but at this game they were doing breast cancer stuff so I thought I would show some support.

My seats last night. Game 3 of the series.  These were in the Scoreboard Patio.  Free food and drinks the whole game.  They give you a cup when you walk in and you refill it with whatever you want to drink. these are usually $100 seats. i did not pay anywhere near that.  but they would only be worth that much if you were planning on drinking beer. although i did love the view.  it was a perfect night for a game. too bad we lost though. 

i had a few layers of cardinals stuff on.  i almost bought a shirt in the clubhouse store before the game. then i realized a) i have NO money. and b) i don't need anymore cardinals stuff...
this guy painted a "shirt" on.  it says Believe in Pujols. He's clean.  loved it. i wish you could see the front.  he has the biggest belly.  kinda like he's holding a baby JJ, like reshea.  i love people like this guy.  

Oldy but Goody

I just realized that i started a post a few weeks ago that i never finished... my cardinals update post.  so last week the cardinals were out of town all week, but the week before that i had a chance to go to 2 games!  Two really great games!

On tuesday i tried something new.  First Pitch tickets.  the deal. you arrive at the box office when it opens at 9 am the day of the game.  depending on how sold out/popular the game is, the line could be long/could be short.  you pay for 2 tickets for $11!  yes. $11.  you get a voucher. 15 minutes before game time you stand outside a certain gate.  and you walk in. show your id and your voucher. and they hand you an envelope with two tickets in it.  the seats vary, depending once again on how sold out the game is.  there are only 275 pairs available for each game...  so on this tuesday i tried it out and scored!  section 160. row 29. seats 28 and 29.  great seats.  i don't have a picture from them though. because... brent called me and he was at the game too.  with ryan. so i went up to the redbird club and sat with them after the 2nd inning.  

i like the redbird clubs seats.  they are a the perfect level to see the whole game, without being too high up.  good seats.  also better food. i bet that's where the cupcakes are.  i NEED to find me a cupcake at the next game... 

tuesday's game was good.  it was a game of small ball, with a few triples and doubles added in. no hr's though.  but that's ok. i have seen plenty.  i was glad i made the switch up to sit with brent and ryan because some stupid mets fans were being annoying where i was sitting earlier. 

then i went to the game on thursday.  on wednesday i became sick.  immediately came to the conclusion that it was the swine flu.  thursday i picked up some first pitch tickets on my way to work.  i was planning on going during my 1 hour break.  but as soon as i got in, my boss said i looked horrible and that i shouldn't be at work. so i left. did my identity theft stuff and went to the game. 

it was a beautiful day!  and beautiful game!  i did the first pitch tickets again.  got section 160. row 29. seats 28 and 29.  if you were paying attention above you would realize that those are the exact same seats as before.  what a coincidence... especially since both days i am pretty sure they sold all pairs of tickets they had available. 

so i am enjoying the game. and i look down to some peeps in front of me. one guy who probably won't make it on the 2009 active roster. one guy who doesn't play for us anymore. and one guy who will be off the roster come july. (now i feel bad saying that because of his injury this week... a little too scary.)  friends don't let friends wear glaus or ankiel. or edmonds to a cardinals game.

here's the view from the seats.  no picture of me this time.  i was underneath the overhang for the second level and it was really bright outside, so you can't see me because i am a big shadow...  

what a great game again!  pujols went yard twice!  and ankiel hit a bomb too.  albert pujols loves the first inning hr's.  right now i can think of 4 in the past 2 weeks that he has hit in the first inning.  against the mets.  twice against the nationals. (one on my birthday) and last night against the pirates.  i love albert.  

this week i missed my usual tuesday game because my family was in town.  but i think i will try and catch some of any of this weekend's games.  i can't go TWO weeks without going to a game... 

ITS MY BIRTHDAY WEEK!

My birthday week has officially begun.  I had to wait until Aaron's was over to start it.  I celebrated last night by going to the dirty bird for my free burger.  and she even persuaded me into getting the birthday ice cream.  although i only had three little bites of it.  no need to create more phlegm in my body.  I've got plenty of it already... 

So i got home from work tonight. cleaned my room.  no one wants to wake up to a messy room on your birthday.  it's been messy this past week because i have been so sick. tissues all over the floor, empty bottle of nyquil and advil pm = not a fun week for me.  i am still sick.  but now its moved on to respiratory.  it hurts my ribs and i have difficulty breathing when i am sitting in certain positions and when i am walking.  FUN!  the doctor in a box said it will only last 2 more weeks... let's hope it only last 2 more hours...

back to the story.  i get home. clean my room. get ready for bed. open my computer to write a blog post that i WAS going to publish tomorrow morning...  BUT  i have an internet connection in my room!  it must be my birthday... this has never happened.  i usually have to go downstairs in the living room and steal the neighbor's internet.  but tonight, i am stealing someone else's from the comfort of my bed... it feels good!

tomorrow i am going to celebrate by waking up early.  getting ready for work. and then going to a crepe place downtown for my birthday breakfast.  tomorrow it is some kind of eating out celebration... everyone in st louis (it might be national??) is encouraged to eat out at a list of restaurants that are giving a percentage of the proceeds to something.  haha.  i forget. but i chose this crepe place downtown because it is giving 50% (most places are only doing 25%)  and then i want to go to Pi for lunch after work. it is giving only 25% but i really want to try it.  it is a favorite of mr. presidents...  i am saving all my free bday dinner coupons for another day because i want to support this eating out thing.  

this birthday will not be like last year's...    

no rob and big birthday cake

no rob and big birthday cake.

but most of all no "no sugar diet"!!!  so bring on the cakes cookies and ice cream.  it's my birthday!  

i am having a low key day. but a fun weekend when grandma, mom and adrianne come to town!  we are going to have a blast!  can't wait. 

here's to a blazers AND cardinals win tomorrow!  i would say byu baseball, but they're at tcu. so they will lose. :)

will the real carly katherine joy luman please stand up

i searched and searched the internet for a clip from one of my favorite christmas movies to illustrate my point more clearly.  but i only found some girl saying it... anyway.  it's the part when kevin goes back to the hotel because harry and marv are chasing him.  and he goes up to the front desk for their help and the mean desk clerk says what's the problem, STOLEN CREDIT CARD???

yep. i never thought it would happen to me.  but my identity has been slightly stolen... somehow someone got ahold of my checking account information and tried to change my mailing address to some texas address.  apparently he was not able to verify important information, so bank of america flagged my account. so the past two days i have been getting declined when i go to purchase something. talk about EMBARRASSING!  good thing i have a credit card for back up.  

so today i went to the bank to figure out why i wasn't able to use my debit card. and after lots of search they found the mailing address problem. so immediately i sat down with the manager and we closed that account and opened a new one.  everything is all worked out now. except that i wasn't looking too good today because of being sick so i didn't want a picture taken of me so i didn't order the cardinals checking account.  but all is well. i hope. i still need to make some phone calls to the credit bureau and have them watch my name and social for 6 months to make sure the thief doesn't have anymore of my information.

on a side note. the manager saw my cardinals check card and proceeded to tell me that colby rasmus (#28) was in there 2 days ago opening up an account.  she said he had a HUGE check. and i asked how much.  she wouldn't tell me... of course. then she said that he just lives downtown a few blocks from the bank and the stadium. but of course she wouldn't tell me where. not that i would do anything with the info.  he's cool. he's cute. but he's not my david freese. (who by the way got sent back down to Triple A a few days ago. :(  my life with freese is over)

Jose Alberto Pujols

What a day for the greatest hitter in baseball. I love what LaRussa said in the post-game interviews. he said something to the affect of “Thank God for acquiring Pujols.”

I apparently am quite interesting to most of the people in the newsroom because I don’t drink and stuff. So many people tell me that they are going to get me to have my first drink. I just laugh and say it won’t happen. One of the photogs/editors asks me everyday when I am going to go to the bar with him after work. Especially in the sports department, they love this whole, “Katie is a Mormon” thing. So much so that that’s usually what they call me.

So we’re watching the game last night and bases are loaded for pujols. (Thanks to Freese of course for leading things off with a pinch-hit double to centerfield.) And the producer turns to me and says, “if he hits a home run we’re going down the street to the grocery store, getting Jack Daniels, and getting you wasted.” I said sure whatever. Well what does pujols do? He hits a freakin GRAND SLAM! Right up into Big Mac land! Man I love that guy! So the producer got all excited that I was going to have my first drink. And I just laughed it off.

Well then pujols comes up next at bat in the game. 2 guys on base. I turn to the producer. “If he hits one out now, then I really will get drunk tonight.” What does Albert do but rip a line drive down left field that goes out just barely in fair territory. DANG ALBERT!

That is why I named my car Albert. That man can deliver. He’s so clutch. Pujols ended the game with 2 HR and 7 RBI and a batting average of .429. Oh and did I mention its only the 6th game of the season? How can you not love him? And he still will tell you that he thinks Manny is the best hitter in the game right now.

So of course I had to go back on my word. But for the rest of the night he wouldn’t stop talking about it and would share it with anyone that would walk in the sports room.

Moral of the story: don’t bet against Albert.

I <3 NY

I just LOVE walking around St. Louis now. The sun is out. Lot’s of people are out walking around. The women’s NCAA final four was in town this past weekend so there were extra people in the city. It’s just nice to walk around and see all the Cardinals fans. I love it. Why have I always lived in cities, and states for that matter, with no MLB teams???

When I am working during the baseball games I try and take my break when the game is about to start. So I walk through the city while all the fans are walking to the game. And of course I am wearing my Cardinals gear so I feel like I am going with them.

But one thing I also love to do downtown. Walk under these.

I feel like I am back in New York City. Underneath the Empire State building. If ever I am missing the city, which is quite often let’s be honest, I just walk down this street. Grab a Jimmy Johns and walk back to work. In those 15 minutes I feel around me the millions of people walking along the sidewalks. The taxi cabs racing down the streets. I hear the honking horns. I feel the humidity (because unfortunately it’s here in the Lou too) and I think, "Who needs to buy a plane ticket to the Big Apple when you’ve got a bit of it right here in the Show Me State."

Plus. Let’s just pretend that the arch is the empire state building or the top of the rock. Besides the fact that you inside the structure instead of on top of it, it’s basically the same thing right? I mean you can see the whole city. You can actually even see TWO states. My favorite: You can watch a cardinals game from up there. Can’t do that in new york.

I HAVE TO WAIT UNTIL MID MAY?!?!?

So today i woke up WAY early to get in for an early morning shoot at Busch Stadium. we were previewing the new food at the stadium and the cheap options in the clubhouse score.

i thought this shoot would be so much fun. get some free food. check out the store (for the 1,000th time). walk around busch stadium. be in heaven. like yesterday. :) can you see the trend?

i was wrong about one thing. we didn't get any food. no. they had tables full of YUMMY food out for us to get on camera, but we couldn't touch. LAME. they have something new this year! CUPCAKES! huge ones! you better believe the first game that i go to sit and watch that i will be buying myself a cupcake. mmm. :) i'll take a picture when i get one.

so after watching food being cooked in front of us and not being able to eat it (on an empty stomach mind you) we walked up to the clubhouse store.

my first question to them: where are the david freese jersey t-shirts?? they didn't have any!! he was just announced to be the starting 3rd baseman to replace the injured troy glaus and you don't have anything with his name on it? come on. millions of tshirts are distributed only seconds after a team wins a championship game or moves on to the final four, but you don't have just 100 shirts for a starting player? come on cardinals!! all i want is this: with freese and his number (hoping he doesn't keep 66)


well apparently he has to play 5 1/2 innings first to be apart of the players club or something and then mlb can officially distribute David Freese memorbilia. i need to find the st. louis black market. i need a david freese shirt! also apparently you can't make one for a player. but they don't check your id when you go make a custom one. so tomorrow i might be katie freese in order to get a shirt to wear. i would say that someone has to support him. but he's from the stl area.

so the buyer for the store liked me. we clicked. she loved my enthusiasm for freese and the cardinals. she gave me her name and email to contact her about the t shirts. first she asked me for my card. i was like. i'm just an intern. haha. lame. but we walked around the store together and i showed her some things that i love. and told her a gift idea i was thinking about for someone's birthday coming up. and she was showing me some cool ideas. pulled something off the shelf. ripped the tag off. put it in a bag. and handed it to me. i love this lady.

so i came away with something free. good thing. because i wouldn't have paid money for it. but it can be cute for who it's going to!

so i also may have promised her that i will buy 10 shirts if she can get them in quickly for me... uh oh. christmas presents! haha. we'll see. i think i will go email her right now though. she was way tight. maybe she can get me hooked up with a part time job??? it sure pays off to be enthusiastic and upbeat!