1000 Words

1000 Words...

And not indicative of the Cardinals' upcoming season...

Treasuring the Present: October

October is one of my absolute favorite months.

These are just a few of the reasons why:

• Autumn weather -- crisp and chilly
• COLLEGE FOOTBALL -- the heart of the season
• Baseball playoffs (usually including the St. Louis Cardinals)
• By October, the school year maybe hasn't calmed down... but at least there is a routine
• Hunting season -- it makes Hubby so happy, and, Lord Willing, we get meat for our freezer
• Canning season... I'm not sure how this will work this year with our baby girl, but, traditionally, October is canning season for me
• Usually the first snow in the mountains
• With our precious baby girl this year the season that has always been oen of my favorites, is now even better -- her first football game, her first pumpkin, her first Michigan games (on tv), her first Cardinals playoff season, all culminating in her first Halloween
• The commencement of the Holiday season

I LOVE October!

1000 Words

1000 Words

 

Our Little Cardinal

We are raising a little cardinal fan -- my husband is making sure of that.

Tracey Ann has now attended two Cardinals games -- one with a bunch of family at "Cardinal Nation", and one in Busch Stadium, in Grandpa's season ticket seats, with her mama, daddy, and grandpa.

Grandma Miller wanted to make sure she and Tracey Ann had matching outfits... although Grandma didn't wear a matching hairbow.

The whole crew that had dinner together at Cardinal Nation -- it was a lot of fun.  In the picture are the three of us, Chris's parents, both siblings and their spouses, our brother-in-law's parents, several aunts, and several cousins.

Cardinal Nation is a new huge bar/restaurant facility right outside of Busch Stadium, where you can see the stadium, the fans, even some plays from the restaurant meanwhile you can watch the game on huge television screens (one is 40 feet tall).  Most of our family had not been to Cardinal Nation yet, but have wanted to... so we had a BIG group.

Tracey Ann is learning how to take "selfies" -- she LOVES the cell phone.

It was fun, and the food was good -- and it just so happened that the game we saw was full of downpours and rain delays... and we were warm and dry inside the restaurant.  Praise God!

Aunts and Cousins loving on Tracey Ann

 

Next, our little Cardinal attended a game IN Busch stadium, dressed to the nines seated in her grandpa's season seats.  The Cardinals lost that game, but we still had a great time, and she did so well during the game.

Grandpa teaching Tracey Ann all about the game

Grandma Miller has awesome seats!

Grandpa Miller, Daddy, and Tracey Ann

Tracey Ann slept for some of the game

Isn't she just the CUTEST little fan you've ever seen?!?!

GO CARDINALS!

 

Tracey Ann's First Baseball Game!

Tracey Ann has attended her FIRST ever baseball game!!!  This is a huge milestone in the Miller family.  Although it wasn't a Cardinal's game, she was decked out in her Cardinal's headgear.  :-D

We saw a spring training game between the Oakland A's and the Anaheim Angels.  Chris tells me that the Angels won -- I saw less of the game than I have of any baseball game I've ever attended.  It was fun to be there... but certainly a new experience of juggling -- trying to find shade, nursing on and off throughout the entire game, trying to keep the nursing cover down despite gusts of wind, and trying to curtail massive amounts of spit up.  It is a whole new ball game in our life these days.

Really Special

Hubby and I are in St. Louis this weekend for a REALLY whirlwind trip and I cannot wait to tell write all about it.

Until then, just know last night, we had a really special event -- Momma and I and Chris and his dad attended a Cardinal's Baseball game.  We didn't sit together for most of the game, but it was so special to have this father/son and mother/daughter time together.

Friday Letters: St. Louis

• Dear Hubby, Congrats on finishing the grad school semester!!!  What should we do to celebrate?  Oh, how about we drive over two-thousand miles to and from St. Louis.  Sound great.  Very relaxing and rejuvenating.
• Dear This Week, You were rough... did Hubby or I sleep at all this week?
• Dear St. Louis, You are really far away -- and 1,020 miles one way is a long way to drive
• Dear I-70, You are a REALLY LONG interstate.
• Dear Work, When you rain, you pour... not really in a bad way... just in a REALLY busy way!
• Dear Millers, I might be a more pleasant house guest when I've had sleep and when I've flown to visit than when I've had no sleep and I've driven.
• Dear Momma and Mom Miller, Happy Mother's Day!
• Dear St. Louis Cardinals, I'm excited to see you soon.  Please win!
• Dear University of Northern Colorado, I don't get a lot of contact from you -- emails go unanswered, phone messages go ignored... but man, you always are prompt at sending bills now, aren't you?
• Dear Colorado Spring, You have been wet and chilly -- I don't mind at all!  This is why I moved to Colorado, and we need the precipitation.  I'm happy has a clam.
• Dear Lexie-Girl, I am going to miss you SO much!!!  What is our home going to be like without you trying to sneak out the dog door?  Or you letting Lloyd chase you around?  Or your meowing to greet me, and purring on my shoulder?

Chris' - The Streak is Broken

Every great run comes to an end.  This is a reality.  However, it wasn't supposed to happen until years down the road when we surpassed the total World Series wins of the overpaid Yankees.

Yes, last night the Cardinals lost to the Giants. They didn't just loose, they were stomped.
They had some hits, but failed to score a single run.  In fact, they only scored one run in the last three games!

They only had to win one of the last 3 games, but they choked.  They started the series off winning 3 of 4 games, then they couldn't pull it together.

Going back to the amazing World Series win of last year, we had won 6 straight elimination games.  Yesterday that streak was broken.

We were excited for a St. Louis/Detroit World Series, but we will just have to hold on to the memory of beating Detroit in 2006.

The Cardinals are mourning.
St. Louis is mourning.
Half of the Miller house is mourning.

Some kid came up to me this morning to give me a box of Kleenex.
Brat.

But she was right, we'll get them next year.
At least we haven't had to wait over a hundred years like Cub fans.

Treasuring the Present: OCTOBER SPORTS!

I LOVE October for many reasons...
a HUGE reason is SPORTS!

My Daddy always said that October was the most exciting month for a sports fan... in hindsight, I think he means that October is the most exciting month for our kind of sports fan.  We LOVE college football and we enjoy baseball.

College football is in the HEART of its season -- every game matters, every play is huge, and Baseball is in the PLAYOFFS!


This year, Hubby and I are in heaven because the CARDINALS are in National League Championship and the TIGERS are in the American League Championship.  We have baseball on every night and we LOVE IT!



We're not zombies glued to our television or anything... but its on, and we enjoy it SO much!  Plus, we live in the mountains, so even the 8:00pm games don't go THAT late for us (yes, 11:00pm is pretty late for us, but it's not the 1:00am the East Coast is suffering).

Okay... on Saturdays, when Michigan is playing, I am sort of a zombie... well, not a zombie, a die-hard, cheer-leading, fight-song-singing, play-calling, coach-yelling fan.  I LOVE college football season, and I REALLY love October!

There's only One October and we LOVE IT!

Fun times at the Ballpark

Chris and I got in very late last night from a Cardinals extra-innings win at Busch Stadium, so I didn't really have the energy for a deep or detailed post today.

Here are some pictures from our game, a video from the game where Chris and I debate the definition of a "Walk-Off", and at the bottom, a great baseball clip from a few years ago.  Enjoy:

103* for a night game... today's game is at 1:00pm, Lord, help us!

Dad Miller gets us really great seats!

Cardinal's Win in Extra Innings!

Great Job, Guys!

Do you know the definition of a Walk-Off to end the game?  I thought a walk-off was a home run that ends the game.  That way, the batter WALKS OFF the field as he rounds the bases.  Chris (who is the person who taught me what a Walk-Off is) told me last night that a Walk-Off is any run that ends the game... hence the players walk off the field after that run is scored.  We had this conversation after the game, so this clip captures the victory in Busch Stadium and then Chris and my conversation about what we just saw...



This next clip is just beautiful - and hysterical!