Epic comeback? The Cubs?

I turned on last night's Cubs game solely to kill time until the Big Brother premiere came on at 8. Matt Garza, coming off an amazing performance his last start looked good until the 3rd inning....and then all hell broke loose. If the Nats were actually a good team, they would have scored more than the 7 runs they put up that inning. It seriously should have been 20-0. The Nats later tacked on another run and it was 8-0 Nats when I turned the channel to watch Big Brother. So....imagine my surprise when I checked Facebook during a commercial break and saw that the score was 8-6? WTH? Blake "I'm from Sikeston where they throw rolls at you" DeWitt with a monster homerun? What? It really happened. Then, during another commercial break, I turned it to the Cubs game just in time to see Mr. Sexy Ass, Carlos Pena belt a two-run homer to tie the game. Did y'all see that swing? It was a big F U to the Nats, that's what that was. HOT. Later the Cubs actually end up TAKING THE LEAD 9-8 before giving it up yet again (I don't remember how, the details are fuzzy), but, BUT, in the 9th, lil Darwin Barney hits a double to score the 10th and winning run. Cubs win 10-9. Epic awesomeness. I do want to note this-Carlos Marmol has sucked ever since he cut that stupid mohawk into his hair. Get rid of it. Pronto. Mucho pronto. Gracias.

The Cubs are playing the SECOND PLACE Pirates this weekend, so, let the good times roll........oy.

Beautiful poetry

Seems my girl Robin and her hubby are QUITE the poets. I must share what went on on Facebook last night. Since the Cubs suck so much, we have to find other things to talk about, like Carlos Pena's ass. Mr. Pena has been the object of our obsession pretty much all summer, you know, because he's hot. So, my friend Robin wrote a poem about it:

Carlos Pena is a hottie.
He makes us girls feel naughty.
I like to cyber-stalk you,
sometimes the pitchers walk you.
One time KD took a pic of your rear
And then we bought a $10 beer.
So, yeah, you're smokin
And I'm not jokin
That's all I have to say
so, have a great day.


Not to be outdone, Robin's husband came up with a poem of his own:

I don't watch the sport you play,
I'd rather watch paint dry all day.
So, all I know of your team
is that your ass is Kerri's dream.
Rob thinks that you are smokin hot
even though your team is not.
The Cubs suck, but that's ok,
'cause my girls still win when you play

Today's Carlos Pena Pic Of The Day

That's one fine Dominican ass.

New feature: The Carlos Pena Pic of the Day. You're welcome, ladies.

Dear Prince Fielder Part Deux

I just read on ESPN.com that you've made your selections for the home run derby. And while I'm not surprised you picked one of your own teammates, I AM bitterly disappointed that you didn't pick the reigning Mr. Sexy Ass 2011, Carlos Pena. But....you've slightly redeemed yourself by selecting Matt Kemp. He's pretty yummy too.

I will still be watching all of the All-Star Game festivities and making snarky comments about, well, just about everyone.

Sincerely,

KD

Dear Prince Fielder,

As the 2011 NL Home Run Derby captain (and future Cubs first baseman), I trust that you will make wise decisions. That is why I am not above begging and pleading for you to pick Carlos Pena to be on the NL derby team. I know non-All Stars are eligible and, Prince, if you're smart, you will pick the man whose job you are going to take next season. It's only fair.

I LOVE the All-Star Game and the Home Run Derby. I will die if Carlos Pena is involved. Die I tell you.

If you do this I promise to TRY to stop making jokes about how fat you are.

Sincerely,

KD

http://www.suntimes.com/sports/baseball/cubs/6343306-573/cubs-carlos-pena-ready-for-home-run-derby-if-invited.html

Congrats to Starlin Castro-the Cubs lone All-Star for 2011

There's not much good Cubs news to report nowadays, but I did want to take the time to congratulate Cubs shortstop extraordinaire, Starlin Castro as he has been selected to be on the 2011 All-Star Game roster for the NL. In just his 2nd year in the bigs,and at only age 21, this is a pretty big accomplishment. Then again, us Cubs fans know he's something special and, in an otherwise dismal season (again), he is a bright spot for this God-awful team. He truly has the potential to be one of the greats. Hell, even Ernie Banks said he's better than he was (that remains to be seen). I will be very excited to watch the All-Star Game next week and see our lil Darlin Starlin!

Great pic

I love it when my Cubbies are smily and happy!

A perfect s**t storm

This day has been one for the record books so far. 

Let's see, so far we've had:

1. Not one, but two, of my regular facilities at work giving me shit about things I have absolutely no control over.

2. The HR lady at my part-time job called to AGAIN reschedule my exit interview. Wants me to come in "sometime next week". Um, no, that is not happening. As I've told you before, I only work every other week, I do not work there next week and I am NOT coming in just for a stupid exit interview. Maybe you should have shown up sometime in the last month for that to be done. I gave you people SIX WEEKS notice for God's sake.........

3. Someone stole my lunch. Seriously and, no, we are not in kindergarten (at least I don't think we are). It's the SECOND TIME IN THE LAST WEEK this has happened so, yes, I'm starting to get pissed off about it. Those frozen dinners are NOT cheap and I don't know about some people, but I don't have the money to just piss away and fund someone else's lunch needs. So now I'm cranky and hungry....and won't be able to eat until I get home.....at 9:00 tonight. Fan freakin tastic.

I hate everyone and I need a break. That is all.

Cubs beat Lincecum....is that even possible?

My Grandpa would have hated last night's game. He hates pitcher's duels. But last night, Ryan Dempster was every bit as good as Tim Lincecum if not, dare I say it, better. At one point, Demp retired 20 Giants in a row...not too shabby! The game was scoreless until the 8th when Mr. Sexy Pants, Carlos Pena, scored Run #1 after a hit by Sikeston's own, Blake DeWitt. Demp was allowed to come out and pitch the 9th as he'd been so stellar throughout. He immediately gave up a double so Quade pulled him in favor of Mr Heart attack, Carlos Marmol. You can see where this one's heading, right? The little engine that could, Tony Campana, tried an ill-advised dive (and missed the ball), then made a horrible throw to home, tie ballgame. Luckily, Marm was able to get out of it with a 1-1 score. Bottom of the 9th, Lil Campana got on and pinch hitter extraordinaire (ha!) Rami, singled him home. Cubs win! Cubs win!

Game 4 is today. I doubt you can catch lightning in a bottle twice.

Let's play a game, shall we ladies?

Since the Cubs are tremendously horrible, I thought I'd take this opportunity to completely exploit the one reason we all watch the Cubs at this point....and that is, to ogle super-hottie first baseman, Carlos Pena. So, the rules for this game are simple: Which is your favorite Carlos pic.....and why? GO!

he makes eye black and a Cubs uni look GOOD

how bout happy, smiley Carlos?

helmetless Carlos?

swimming with the dolphins Carlos?

angry, yet hot Carlos?

swinging and missing Carlos?

Rant

I'm not one to spout off about the management of professional sports teams (mostly because I have no idea what in the hell I'm talking about), but since I've been in a pissy-ass mood all week, I feel the need to speak up.

The Cubs general manager, Jim Hendry, needs to be fired. NOW. It's clearly evident he has no idea how to put together a semi-decent baseball team. Sure, he got lucky in the beginning and the Cubs went to the playoffs in 2007 and 2008, but that was nothing to do with him.

Do you see the team he puts out there every night? I mean, yes, I know, the Cubs are notorious for sucking, everyone on Earth knows this, but this is beyond sucking. This is just..........pathetic. Laughable. Embarrassing. You name the negative adjective and you got what the 2011 Cubs are.

Sure, there are some bright spots-watching Starlin Castro grow and develop into an All-Star caliber player has been fun, watching Carlos Pena finally start to hit homeruns like he's paid to do has been fun (and, hello, watching HIM has been fun, you know, because he's hot), Darwin Barney has been a nice surprise, Aramis Ramirez is actually having a decent year.....but that's really about it. Our closer never gets the opportunity to close because, well, the Cubs are never in the lead in the 9th. The "bullpen" is laughable at best. John Grabow? Jeff Samardjiza? These guys are our late inning hope? For serious? Oy. And don't get me started on the fools thrown out there to actually start-Rodigo Lopez and Doug "I'm actually 108 years old" Davis? Are you effin kidding me? No...sadly, they are not kidding, that is who they threw out there yesterday for a DOUBLE HEADER WITH THE DEFENDING WORLD SERIES CHAMPS. Yea, that seems like a good idea........

I'm not even mad that the Cubs suck horribly this year-we all knew they would-what I'm mad about is that this moron is allowed to continue to run this team. The Ricketts Family are quickly proving that they know nothing about owning a MLB team. I don't even think this is manager Mike Quade's fault-he's playing the hand he's been dealt......poor hairless bastard.

I don't even think landing Pujols or Fielder in the off-season will fix this team (and you know the Cubs management is gonna WAY over-pay for one of them. It's happening.).

I love, love, LOVE baseball. And I love, love, LOVE the Cubs. I always will. But it'd be nice to see them run like a big boy team and not a AAAA team.

That is all.

I want a Carlos Pena value meal........super sized

Can I be in the middle of this Cubs hottie sandwich, please?

The title of today's blog post is courtesy of the girl sitting next to me at Saturday's game. Seems Cubs fans everywhere appreciate Carlos Pena's hotness. I mean, we DO have eyes.

Yesterday was the Carlos and Rami show. Both hotties hit two homeruns and basically carried the team on their strong, manly shoulders.  Too bad Carlos won't be on the team next season (or perhaps even the rest of this season as he is making himself trade bait with his awesomeness). In a season of suck, he has made watching the Cubs worthwhile.

Speaking of suck, the Cubs play two today against the World Series defending champion Giants. So, that should go well. At least there will be Brian Wilson sightings, so that's cool. Does anyone know if the night game is on TV tonight?

If  laziness doesn't take over tonight (like it did last night), I will write a post about my trip to KC....complete with Cubs pics. And by Cubs pics, I actually mean "several Carlos Pena ass shots". You're welcome ladies.

GO CUBS!

The Cubs.....and yours truly, will be in Kansas City this weekend! Woot! Woot!

Whazzup, baseball fans? It's the weekend and yet another interleague series for the Cubbies. This time.....they're on the opposite side of the Show Me State in good ol' Kansas City. And I am making the 4 hour trek over there tomorrow. Woo!!! My trusty sidekick (and newly born-again Cubs fan) Robin will be with me. We are SO freakin excited!!!! I've got all my Cubs gear packed (a girl needs options), I'm getting new tires in the morning (an unfortunate necessity), getting snacky treats for the road, and we'll be off mid-morning or so. We'll be at both the Saturday and Sunday games (thanks for those free tickets Dave!) rooting on our boys in blue (well, "Cubbie" blue that is, no royal blue here!).
We will get to see Big Z pitch tomorrow night and Belleville's own Randy Wells on Sunday. Let's do this!!!

On top of all that fun, I was informed last night that my Uncle Jimmy's band got a last minute gig.....in Kansas City tomorrow night! Talk about timing! So, if Robin and I can brave downtown KC, we will be seeing my uncle play live. How cool is that?

GO CUBS GO! Let's bring home a winner!

K update

I haven't talked about my precious niece on here in awhile. But I have to document....she actually said "Aunt Kerri" this past weekend!!!!! Ahhhhh! I LOVED IT! She only said it the one time (usually it's "Hewwi" or "Terri"), but I heard it crystal clear. She's getting so big and talking so well....and so much. Yes, our girl is a bit of a chatterbox. No idea where she gets that.......

She went fishing for the first time this weekend. SO freakin cute, watching her reel it in...with her Dora the Explorer fishing pole. Ha! She also got to help decorate Grandma Bal's birthday cake (let's just say, mom no longer has sprinkles left in the house because the entire bottle is now on her cake).

She's such a funny kid. Wild...but funny. She is so much fun, we just can't get enough of her. Which makes the anticipation of 2.0's birth just that much more exciting! Can't wait to have two little rugrats running around. My sis is now 31.5 weeks along...getting there....slowly but surely. She'll tell you she's ready to give birth today, however. Right, sis? ;) Our lil guy is apparently quite active in mommy's tummy. Yep, definitely a wild little boy!

Being an auntie is the greatest. It helps that my sis and brother-in-law make the greatest kids EVER.

At least we have Carlos Pena

Oh Carlos' dimples, how I adore thee

Well, news flash-the Cubs suck. I know, I know, it surprised me too. At least they have Carlos "Dimples" Pena, who is finally doing what he gets paid to do....hit homeruns. He hit his third in as many games last night, but it didn't matter because the Cubs still lost. Still, Carlos must know that hitting homeruns makes him even more adorable. I mean, look at him! If you don't think he's cute then there's something wrong with your eyes. We gotta enjoy him while we can-we all know he won't be on the Cubs next season because the Cubs will be too busy breaking the bank trying to land Pujols or Fielder, so let me have this moment, ok? Pena also makes Starlin Castro look that much better. Let's face it, Lil Starlin often makes spectacular plays at shortstop, but he also makes some mind boggling ones. Luckily for him, Carlos Pena is an amazing defensive first baseman, he's bailed Star out on many an occasion. You're welcome, kid.

Happy Birthday to my mama!

Today is my mom's birthday. I think she's telling people she's 29 this year....is that right mom?

Anyhoo, I just wanted to wish her a very Happy Birthday on this public forum. I love you mom!!!

Not really the pic you wanna see of your star player:

Life is short

So much is going on with all the people around me that I'm thankful for my relatively boring life. Sure, I have a little work stress, but who doesn't?

I was saddened to hear that my brother's best friend Travis lost his mom yesterday. Travis is essentially part of the family-he and my brother were both in the teaching program in college. He came over frequently on Sundays to let Mom Davidson cook dinner for him. His mom had been in poor health for some time, but recently seemed to be making progress. She'd been in a wheelchair, but was working with physical therapy and was able to walk in a walker for his college graduation in May. Her new goal was to be able to walk on her own....for his wedding. Sadly, she will not physically be there for the July 9 wedding. That part breaks my heart.

My brother (and dad) are currently in Joplin doing tornado clean up. I know my brother wants to be home to be there for his friend, but he also has his own stuff going on....he has a for real job interview tomorrow!!! Please keep your fingers crossed! And my brother-in-law is waiting to hear some news of his own....fingers crossed for him as well!

Tomorrow is my mommy's birthday. I'm all the more grateful that I have her in light of Travis losing his. Life truly is short, people.

NO cowbell.

Happy Friday!

What's goin on? Crazy busy here. Don't get me wrong, I like having things to do, but sometimes I wish I could just have one weekend where all I had to do was sit and watch TV. Haven't had one of those in awhile and the next few weekends will be no exception.

Let's do a week wrap-up, shall we? This week my poor little favourite Canadian's Vancouver Canucks lost Game 7 of the Stanley Cup finals. I really wanted them to win for him, especially since he was at the game, but it was not to be. I know "at least your team made the playoffs" doesn't make you feel any better DT, but, well....at least your team made the playoffs. ;)

Yesterday was the 16th. Two months from that day is my sister's scheduled c-section and the birth of my new nephew! Although my sis tells me today that her mother's intuition tells her that the lil guy is coming early. I'd be ok with that, Aunt Heewi is VERY excited to meet him!

Funny Kendall story-they apparently had to take her to urgent care last night because they thought she had a spider bite. Before they left, however, she ran up to her room and insisted on wearing a fancy party dress to said urgent care.....and then she dressed herself. Ah, the fun dressing myself stage begins! That kid is a riot. Oh, and no spider bite, just an infected bug bite. :)

Cubs. They just took 3 of 4 from the 1st place Brewers. I'm still confused as to how that even happened. As are my peeps up in Milwaukee-talked to one today (the lady whose favorite player is Ryan Braun-yuck), she was none too happy about her team...BUT, at least the Cardinals got swept by the Nats, so....there's that.

The Cubbies play the mother effin Yankees this weekend. I'm sure that will be a real hoot. At least Jeter is out.

Speaking of the Cubbies, I don't know if I've mentioned that I'm going to see them in Kansas City next weekend. My friend Robin and I (who has become a very good student of the game, and now knows who the Hot Carlos is and that you shouldn't bring cowbells to baseball games) are headin across the state. Roadtrip! What's even cooler? We scored FREE tickets to the Sunday game. Apparently one of my old friends from college is a Royals season ticket holder and he contacted me on Facebook the other day (had no idea I was already going to be in town for the Sat game) and asked if I wanted his Sunday tix because he knows how much I love the Cubs (who DOESN'T know?) and he wasn't going to be able to use them. He refuses to let me pay for them...AND he gave me his parking pass. Um...AWESOME. I have awesome friends! So...TWO Cubbie games in a row. We are sooooo freakin excited!

I'm heading to Salem tonight after work. It's the Dent County Relay for Life tonight. Tomorrow my sis, BIL and niece are heading down as well to celebrate both Father's Day and our mom's birthday (it's on Wed). Should be a fun weekend!

Hope everyone has a great weekend! GO CUBS!

30

My sis is officially 30 weeks pregnant today! My how time has flown. And since little guy's c-section is already scheduled, that means that at the most, he will be here in only NINE weeks! Wow, I'm getting so, so excited to meet him. If he's half as fun as his big sister, we're in for a wild ride! Last night Kendall and I sang out of "microphones" (hers was an attachment from a vaccuum-I think, and mine was my keys)-we belted out a mean version of "Old MacDonald". I expect someone to sign us to a recording contract soon. She also informed me before I left last night that I was going bye bye, going to take a bath, put on my jammies and then go nite nite. Oh, and that the gorilla at the zoo was scary, the penguins were in the water and that she rode on a green train with her mommy and daddy. I LOVE being able to have a conversation with her. I'm still not 100% fluent in toddler-ese, but I can follow her pretty well. She gets so serious when she's talking to you-which makes all of us crack up.

I got to see my nephew's room yesterday. They're making progress on it, it's going to be adorable when it's done-a baby elephant theme-SO cute! Now we just need him in it. I hope these 9 weeks fly by!  My sis said K has been putting her baby doll in the crib-um, how cute is that? I hope she's still excited about her baby brother when he gets here (I tried explaining to her that being a big sister is an important job-I would know-but she just wanted to keep singing and telling me about the zoo). The age difference is just about the same as the age difference between me and my sis, and our mom said that I did just fine with her when she was born. Here's hoping it happens that way this time. :)

Roadtrip to KC! WOOT WOOT!

Looks like I'll get to see the Cubs not once but twice this summer! Yayyyyyyy!

My trip to Chicago next month has been planned for quite some time, but a cousin of mine from KC mentioned on FB a couple months ago that my Cubbies were going to play the Royals at the K in June. I kept that in the back of my mind and decided today to search StubHub for tickets. Turns out....you can get pretty damn good seats at the K...for not a lot of money (I mean seriously, their seats for the upper deck? $11. For reals). SOLD. I'm so excited. I've got my born-again Cubs fan friend Robin on board, so we are roadtrippin to the other side of the state on June 25! Holla! I'm not sure what the difference between Cubbie Blue and Royals Blue is, but rest assured, we'll be in our Cubbie gear!

Cubs-Cards weekend? Meh.

I can't seem to find the energy to make myself care.

My Cubbies are here this weekend playing the Cardinals, something I usually LOVE (no matter how good or bad either team is). But this time? The Cubs are SO depressingly bad (moreso than normal) that it's no longer fun to watch them. That, and like 95% of their roster is on the DL. There are a few bright spots-Castro and Barney are fun to watch, Tony Campana is too, but other than that, MEH.

The Cubs are starting a nine game road trip tonight. They will play the Cards, Reds and Phillies. They just got swept by the only NL team worse than them, so the likelihood of them going on an 0-12 streak is well, high. This team sucks, there's no other way to put it.

Luckily, to be somewhat put out of my misery, I'm going out of town tomorrow. I can't watch the trainwreck that is about to happen.........

Reunited and it feels so good!

I am very much looking forward to this weekend. Why? Because my little college crew and I are having a reunion....back in the town where we all met! Yay!

My college friends remain some of my favoritest people on the face of the Earth. We're all spread out across the country now (although a good chunk of us are still in various places in Missouri), so we don't get to see each other much. That's what will make this weekend so fun!

To commemorate the reunion, I took it upon myself to create a CD of songs from our college days (think mid to late '90's). I asked for input from everyone and I think I've come up with a good list. What I learned is that music back then was awesome, terrible and strange, all at the same time. I had a lot of fun putting it together. I took it one step further and decided I'd design the CD cover as well. I've never done anything like that, but how hard can it be, right? The program was fairly simple to follow, the hardest part was deciding on a design. I finally settled on one and have all the labels for Disc 1 printed and on the CD's. Yes, there is also a Disc 2. There was WAY too much music for just one CD! Disc 2's cover will be less detailed because I'm almost out of color ink and that shiz is expensive. ;)

I'm also unearthing the scrapbooks I made of our college days. That should be a riot to look at again.

It'll be great to reminisce about the "good ol days". Thanks to Facebook, we pretty much know what's going on with each other now, but hearing the stories of the past never get old. Those were, and continue to be, the best years of my life. Seriously. If I could go back in time and do it all over again, I wouldn't have been in such a rush to graduate in four years. ;)

Sedalia-the latest tornado victim

Ugh, I'm getting really, really tired of reports of tornadoes every.single.day. Enough is enough. And Missouri has seen it's fair share, mmmmmkay? The death toll in poor Joplin is now at 125 and still many people unaccounted for.

The latest Missouri city to get hit hard is Sedalia. This one hit home. You see, my dad is from Sedalia and nearly all of his family is still there-aunts, uncles, cousins....and his father. Now, you never hear me talking about these people because, well, we're not close. My dad escaped them many years ago. Yes, I have a grandfather that I don't even know. I know my immediate family doesn't really care that we don't know them, but I'm the sappy one and I sometimes get sad and a little angry that we don't know them. I've reconnected with some of my cousins through Facebook, but still don't really know them. Still, when I heard Sedalia got hit, I was instantly worried about my family members. I think it's safe to say I'm related to at least half of that city. For realsies-hillbillies like to procreate. Just sayin. Anyhoo, there were some tense moments yesterday as my cousin posted that she couldn't reach our grandfather. Now, I don't like him much at all, but I certainly don't want anything bad to happen to him. He is, after all, my grandfather (noticed I didn't say my grandpa-he doesn't deserve that honor). Later in the night she was able to confirm that my aunt had reached another family member in Sedalia and confirmed that our grandfather was safe, as were the rest of my relatives. That made me happy. One of my distant cousins posted pics on Facebook and, the damage was scary looking, I'm so glad no one died.

Then here in St. Louis, we had our own tornado scares last night. I just heard that they evacuated my office building at 4:45. They NEVER do that, so you know this weather was for real. It took me an hour to get home, mostly because my eyes were on the sky, looking for any sort of rotation in those scary looking clouds. When I got home, it was raining so hard that my umbrella was pointless, and there was golf ball sized hail in my yard. But, I'm happy to report, no tornadoes in my neighborhood. There was a report of one nearby, but I didn't hear about any damage. And, just two exits up from me, they were getting four-inch in diameter hail. FOUR inches! Can you even imagine that? Makes me quite grateful I have a garage.

It's raining yet again this morning. Rain I can handle, but if we could get a respite from the tornadoes, that'd be great. Thanks.

Hines Ward FTW!

I must confess, prior to his stint on Dancing With The Stars, I didn't even know who Hines Ward was. I'm not a super huge football fan but when I do watch, it's solely to follow my beloved Rams. However, I AM a DWTS loyalist, so I watched every week. And pretty much from the beginning, Hines Ward was my favorite. One-he's adorable. Two-he seems like a really, truly nice guy who loves his mama. Three-the man can DANCE. And when he does? It's pretty sexy,not gonna lie. I saw him in an interview and he was all embarrassed because women were posting on his Facebook page about how much they love his butt. I was not one of the posters but I gotta say....dude's got a nice ass. For reals.

Anyhoo, he won DWTS this year with partner Kym Johnson (and there are rumors that they may be a couple in real life which would totally be adorable). Yay for him! He is the 2nd football player to win-Emmit Smith did in 2006. Now the only thing on Monday nights to fill the DWTS void is....The Bachelorette. Meh.

See? Adorable.

Ways to help the folks in Joplin, Mo.

The Joplin Red Cross could use some donations. You can contact them at (417) 624-4411 or info@redcross-ozarks.org in order to find out what supplies are most necessary


you can visit www.uwheartmo.org, this is the Heart of Missouri United Way website

you can also text JOPLIN to 864833 to make a $10 donation (this is also for the United Way).

if you want to donate Midwest wide, MO, MN, KS, etc all of which have been affected by these destructive storms, you can visit http://www.redcross.org/Disaster, http://news.uwmidsouth.org/donations-for-flood-relief-2011/, or www.salvationarmyusa.org

A list of major non-profits that operate regularly in Missouri can be found on the National Donations Management Network website. You can also call (800) 427-4626 for further information.

The Community Blood Center of the Ozarks is in need of blood — particularly type O.

A list of donor sites locations can be found at http://www.cbco.org/?page_id=1651

Cubs weekend wrap up: going from bad to worse

I'm fairly certain that any rational person with even the slightest baseball knowledge didn't expect the Cubs to do much against the Red Sox this weekend. I mean, come on, it's the Cubs. And....they would have been right.

Some of the positives first (there aren't many). This was the first time the Cubs have been to Fenway since the 1918 World Series (that they lost, by the way). 19-EIGHTEEN. That's a long freakin time ago. So...that part was cool. Also cool was the the throwback uniforms they wore on Saturday. Both teams wore the uniforms they wore back in 1918. I just loved that-so, so cool. I'm sorta obsessed with baseball from that time frame. I love to read about it. So this was totally up my alley. Also positive, Saturday's game. It looked like it would be yet another loss, Cubs down 3-1 in the 8th. And then all of a sudden, the Sox started playing like, well, the Cubs. Three errors in the inning.....and the Cubs scored 8 runs. Pretty sweet.

Now the negatives (that FAR outweigh the positives). Friday's loss was just embarrassing. 15-5? Really Cubs? I was really glad I was out of town and focusing on something else because that game probably would have caused me to come unglued. And let us not forget poor Marlon Byrd. Marlon got hit in the eye by a pitch (totally not on purpose, the pitcher and other Red Sox players looked absolutely horrified). I can't even watch the video of it b/c it's horrifying. He initially couldn't see and was writhing in pain. The good news is, while he has several broken facial bones, his eye sight is returning and it appears he will make a full recovery. SO scary. Prayers are with him. Then there was the announcement that Matt Garza has some elbow issue (awesome) and was scratched as the starter for Sunday's game.....meaning there was no starter for Sunday's game. The solution? The James Russell Experiment returned. The game was on TV and I had already accepted the fact that the Cubs would lose before the game even started, but I gotta tell you, James Russell wasn't nearly as horrible as he usually is. Now, he wasn't exactly good, mind you, but the damage could have been much much worse. During that game, Jeff Baker was also injured. If you're counting all the injuries, at this point it's roughly 90% of the team (feels like it anyway). So, for Tuesday's game, I expect the bat boy to be in center field and Crane Kenney (Cubs president) in the bullpen. Seriously, baseball gods? Is it not enough that this team is crappy at full capacity? Is it really necessary to kick them when they're down? God really does hate the Cubs, doesn't He?

Praying for Joplin

As must as I like to poke fun at my state, when something bad happens to any part of it, I hurt for those people. Last night Joplin, Missouri , located in southwest Missouri-near Oklahoma-was essentially flattened by a tornado. The last I heard there were 90 confirmed dead. Last night as I watched the Weather Channel footage, I just sat there with tears in my eyes. The main part of the town is just gone. The hospital was so badly damaged there was concern it may explode due to fires and reports of a gas leak. Even the Weather Channel guy was getting choked up on air. It's just so amazingly sad. I've spent some time in Joplin as my brother went to college there for three years. I know he loved it and is pretty devastated that it's gone. I pray that the missing are found safe and sound and that the death toll doesn't rise any more. Please pray for this community, the devastation is every bit as bad as it was in Alabama a couple of weeks ago. These natural disasters are just heartbreaking.

FFS

If you don't know what the title of this post means, google it.

Yesterday was Cubs first baseman Carlos Pena's 33rd birthday. My request was simple. I wanted him to hit a 7-run homer. Impossible? Maybe. Much needed? YES. As it was, Carlos was only able to hit a 3-run homer for me (thanks anyway, hot stuff!) which was pretty much offset by a hideous error. Not that he was the only one with an error last night, mind you. In fact, the Cubs committed FOUR errors in last night's game. FOUR. And we're talking plays my brother's church softball team could make. It's almost funny....except it's not. Proving no lead is safe when you're the Cubs, for the second night in a row (against the a-hole Reds, no less), they showed you just how epic their fails can be. It's actually sorta impressive. I mean, I've been watching this team for 20+ years and just when I think they can't find another way to F up, they do. The variety of ways in which they F up are amazing. If I was their manager, I would have long ago developed a drinking problem. The only saving grace for me is that I didn't have to watch that pile of poo on TV. I just got to curse at my phone when it provided me with the game update.

You know, I used to look at the Cubs schedule and think "hey they're playing so and so who aren't very good, maybe the Cubs will win". But, folks, a sad reality hit me square in the face today-the CUBS are that bad team that everyone looks forward to playing. At this point, they are going into every series as the underdog (except for maybe against the Astros, but that's about it).

So, as I tend to do, my only focus is now gonna be on the hot players. I do sometimes focus on the game, and can carry on an intelligible conversation about baseball if need be, but the Cubs have nothing to offer...and now neither do I. So expect lots of comments about Carlos Pena's ass.

Toe Thumbs, broken groins and determining whether or not Matt Garza is cool...or batshit crazy.

I knew the Cubs were gonna lose last night the moment Koyie Hill entered the game.

Ok, that's not entirely true-I actually knew the Cubs would lose last night before the game even started because they are the Cubs, but the whole  Koyie Hill thing kinda sealed the deal. Yes, just as things couldn't look much bleaker (is "bleaker" a word?), it looks like the Cubs have now lost their starting catcher as Geo apparently fancied himself a gymnast last night and did the damned splits, causing his groin to break....or something like that. I'm sure Koyie Hill is a nice man, but he is infuriatingly bad at baseball. I'm sure the Cardinals were laughing their asses off as he came up not once, but twice, with a huge opportunity to blow the game wide open. And, like he ALWAYS does, he made an out both times. Stellar Toe Thumbs, stellar.

At least Ryan Theriot got booed. A lot. That truly did my heart some good. And what's up with his long-ish hair? Is he Justin Bieber now? Ya move to St. Louis and ya go all Hollywood on us, huh Riot? HA!

The Cubs can hit. But the Cubs can't score runs. That is a problem. They left a runner on in EVERY.SINGLE.INNING last night. Talk about infuriating. When you do that, you deserve to lose.

Seems our little Star Star is in a bit of a slump, but that Darwin Barney continues to impress! Way to tell everyone that YOU are the 2nd baseman kiddo! And finally, FINALLY, Carlos Pena is starting to hit. The more he hits, the hotter he gets. And Rami was 3 for 4 last night-VERY fun to see because  2010 Rami was NOT fun to see. I find it mind boggling that Alfonso Soriano can make two BRILLIANT catches out in Left...and then fall on his ass and let a ball bounce over his head the next time the ball came his way.

Let's talk about Matt Garza for a minute. He cracks me the hell up. Dude is in the dugout-actually, standing in the dugout-yelling, clapping, cheering on his team mates. I think that's pretty darn awesome, don't you? I love that he's cheering his team mates on. Not only is that a way to impress your team mates, but it's also a way to impress your fan base. Well done, Mr. Garza, well done. Now if we can just do something about your chin pubes.....

Speaking of Matt Garza, he's pitching tonight. Can we get him his first home win already? Geez. I don't know much about this Jake Westbrook guy, but I hope he sucks tonight. Then again, he could give up three trillion hits tonight and it won't matter, because the Cubs love to strand runners EVERY.SINGLE.INNING. Yes, that bears repeating. The game is on ESPN tonight. Fan freakin tastic. At least I won't have to listen to those idiots on Fox Sports Midwest. Good grief.

The Cardinals are coming! The Cardinals are coming!

The Cardinals have invaded Wrigley Field. How do we feel about this?

Here's what I think. The Cubs chance of winning any of the next three games is slim. Today's game with Big Z on the mound may be their best hope. However, he's up against Chris Carpenter who has not yet won a game this season....I'd say he's due. And, given the Cubs inability to score runs, well, you get the picture....

I can't wait to hear the crowds reaction to Ryan "I'm finally on the right side of the rivalry" Theriot. What a Grade A Douchebag. I have a hunch he will get booed...a lot. My only hope is that he sucks so we can feel justified in our hatred. I highly suspect there may be a "accidental" fastball to the thigh or shoulder area of Mr. Theriot. You know, kinda as a "welcome back" present.

The Cardinals are good because Lance "I'm not as fat as I used to be" Berkman has made some sort of resurgence. WTH man? And Albert Pujols is only batting like .220? WTH is going on? And why, after nearly a month, is Tony LaRussa's eye STILL SWOLLEN SHUT?

I'm hoping for a good series but expecting the worst. I'm a realist.

Cleaning up the damage

As y'all recall, parts of the St. Louis area got hit hardcore by a tornado back on Good Friday. Now, miraculously, no one here was killed, unlike the poor folks down South. Nevertheless, the tornado left a LOT of damage behind.

My employer partnered with a local disaster relief group yesterday to offer our assistance with cleanup. They asked for volunteers and I was quick to offer my services. This was no day in the park, I can tell you that much. There were hundreds of volunteers, about 10-12 from my office. We all met at a local church, then were driven in a shuttle bus to our work site. Then dropped off and left to fend for ourselves. Seriously. We worked in one of the Bridgeton neighborhoods (near the airport) that was one of the hardest hit. Shock overcame us as we took stock of the damage. It is truly, TRULY a miracle that no one was killed. So, what did we do? A LOT of manual labor. Cleaning up all the fallen trees from people's yards, scooping up roofing shingles and drywall from crumbled roofs and walls. Cleaning up insulation from the now exposed walls. Throwing away broken items, throwing away boards from broken down decks. We even found someone's pet hamster that had apparently been living outside for the last two weeks (I don't think he was happy to be found as he bit the man that picked him up). We formed a line of probably 100 people to pass along the tree branches, logs, etc while someone kept up the chainsawing. I was hoping to get my hands on a chainsaw, but it was not to be. We DID however, get a wheelbarrow and some shovels so, that was cool. I took a couple of pics to share, these pics don't even begin to show you the true amount of damage. Yesterday is a day I'll never forget. While the work was hard and tiring (I was in bed by 8:30 last night), I am SO glad I did it and would do it again. It was a beautiful thing to see so many people gather together to help total strangers. What was even more amazing was, at one point in the afternoon, a bunch of us looked up at the sky and saw the strangest thing-a rainbow completely circling the sun. I have never seen anything like it, have you? At the risk of sounding too cheezy, it was almost as if God was saying "thanks" and letting us know that everything was going to be ok. Anyway, here are the pics:

Yes, that wall is leaning.

the house with the leaning wall no longer has a roof.....

just some of the damage. We filled SEVERAL of those giant dumpsters

this was in the shuttle bus...me and  my co-worker Brittny. The company we volunteered for provided t-shirts and gloves. The two of us were the only people to choose the pretty flowered gloves.....cute, huh?

Carlos Pena HR Watch 2011: TWO in a row!

WARNING: The use of sarcasm was indeed used in the making of this post.

Whoooooooa! Don't call it a comeback! No really, don't. Carlos Pena, our "power hitting" first baseman, the same Carlos Pena that hadn't hit a homerun all season (well, a month in, anyway), has now hit a homerun TWO DAYS IN A ROW! Holla! Wooooooo! Could this be the spark he needs to become that power hitting first baseman we've expected him to be?  We shall see.

Now, don't get me wrong, I loves me some Carlos Pena...but mostly because I think he's hot. Gotta be honest here. I mean, you should check out the view when he's on first base. Just sayin.

I hope to see him continue to hit the long ball...preferably with runners on. Baby steps Carlos. Baby steps.

FINALLY!

Carlos Pena FINALLY hit a homerun this season!!! Having flirted with the warning track several times this past week, he finally got one through. I hope this sparks him. If he's playing today I'd say odds are good. After all, the opposing pitcher is none other than Theodore Roosevelt Lilly. Now, y'all know I lovesssss me some Ted. But y'all also know that Ted tends to give up a homerun or two....or three. It's part of his charm. So...Teddy Baseball, how bout a little favor for your dedicated fans, huh? PS. my faith in Carlos Pena's hotness has been restored. For now.

And let the suckage begin

DAMN YOU Sports Illustrated! How dare you put our Darlin Starlin on your cover! Everyone knows about the SI Cover Curse, right? Something bad ALWAYS happens. So, Cubs fans, expect our dear boy to break his leg, or suddenly decide he wants to go play in Japan, or completely forget how to hit and become the mediocre player that most of the rest of his team is. SIGH.

MLB's current homerun leader is.........Alfonso Soriano????

The above is very, very true folks. While the Cubs are crappy at best (their starting pitching has been, for the most part, atrocious), 2011 Alfonso Soriano is playing like the 2004 Alfonso Soriano-the one that was the All-Star Game MVP. Raise your hand if you saw that one coming. Liars-NO ONE saw that coming so put your hands down. I'm thrilled for Sori. I would LOVE for him to continue on this tear all season. It's proof that when healthy, he's still an amazing hitter. Sure, you can't blame the last couple of years entirely on injuries, but they certainly didn't help his cause. I'm telling you when he's on, his ability to hit is a thing of beauty. His favorite pitch to hit? Oh, about six inches off the ground-he golfs that baby into the outfield bleachers. It's pretty awesome. I don't know if he can keep going all year (he is, after all, elderly in baseball terms), but he sure has been fun to watch so far.

Speaking of fun to watch, how bout StarDar? AKA Starlin Castro and Darwin Barney. Those two kids are pretty amazing, eh?  I love, love, love watching them. The team may end up in last place, but at least there are a couple of players that will make watching this season worth it.

In other news, I think it is safe to say that the James Russell Experiment and the Carlos Pena Experiment are both busts. Definitely the James Russell Experiment. Dude sucks. The best thing Carlos Pena has going for him at the moment is that he's hot, but unfortunately, hot isn't going to help you win baseball games. It makes me more apt to sit through a game, but that's about all it succeeds in doing.

At this moment in time, I'm not sure if Mike Quade is a smart baseball man or completely bat shit crazy. I'll give it another month and then give you my final answer on that.

"No! Heewi do it!"

Ok, I'm just gonna put this out there-I am not celebrating the fact that Osama Bin Laden is dead. Now, don't get me wrong, I'm glad that someone so evil can't do any more harm, but I think his death is only gonna make things worse. Don't you think his little minions are gonna be pissed that their leader is gone? Don't you think they're gonna do whatever they can to carry out his evil plans? I'm just sayin. I think it's far from over. I'm saying this as my own cousin just got back from over there. He was lucky, he was able to come home to us. But what about the men and women that weren't so lucky?

On to more pleasant topics. This past weekend was weekend #2 of helping out at my sister and brother-in-law's house. Trying to get it ready for them to move in! Part of the challenge is to also keep my niece occupied while everyone is working. I felt guilty yesterday not helping with the manual labor part, but realized, keeping the kiddo happy is just as important. I saw one of the greatest things ever-and that is little Kendall running around her soon-to-be backyard. She was grinning from ear to ear and just having a blast. She was sooooo happy, even when we enlisted her help in picking up all the sweetgum balls in the yard.

Speaking of the kiddos, we finished painting Kendall and 2.0's rooms. Yellow for K and blue for 2.0. I can't wait to see all their stuff in there! My sis is now 24 weeks along and is so cute preggo! We didn't get to see her that much while she was pregnant with K just because they were in Texas, so it's kinda fun now being able to go through this pregnancy with her (minus the back pain and swollen ankles). We are getting very excited about our little guy getting here. He will most likely be born sometime during the week of August 15, so we only have about 15 weeks to go! I'm soooooo excited for him to get here. K was quite attached to her Aunt Heewi this weekend. On Sat she didn't want her mama to give her a bath. She said "no, Heewi do it!". Heewi also had to read her her bedtime story and put her to bed. I, of course, love it, but feel bad when she doesn't want anyone else. Although I am learning that my sis and bro-in-law don't mind the break. HA!

May is gonna be a busy, busy month in our world. Moving all my sis and brother-in-law's stuff into their new house this weekend....next weekend I'll be in Salem to attend my brother's capping ceremony (he's graduating from college this month! Yay!). The next weekend is a big fam roadtrip to Bolivar, Mo for my brother's graduation ceremony and then you have Memorial day weekend where we will be celebrating not only my brother's college graduation, but also my cousin Rachel's high school graduation. Lots of fun stuff!

In other news, the Cubs are not good at baseball. And while he's quite pretty, the Carlos Pena Experiment seems to be failing miserably. At least we have Starlin Castro! No matter how crappy the rest of the team is, watching that kid play is a pleasure to watch. His potential should be frightening to others. That kid can just plain hit. Now, if he could just get the fielding errors in control, he'd be amazing. It's gonna be fun watching him develop into an all-star caliber player. Hell, he may already be there.

my niece rode the black hor. Wait.....what????

OMG, 2 year olds are funny little people! I have to document this story so I can use it to torture her someday. As I'm sure you're aware, 2 y/o's are just learning to talk and can say some pretty funny stuff.

My niece pronounces the word horse as "hor". And she loves the carousel. Last Saturday, my mom and sister took her to the mall to ride the carousel there and, apparently, Kendall ran screaming through the mall "black hor! black hor!". LOL!  Can you even imagine???? What's funnier is that she ended up riding on the tiger, but whatever.

Yesterday Kendall stayed home w/her Grandma Pam....and got to ride the black hor. Today, as my sister dropped her off at day care, she apparently told her teacher all about riding the black hor. Is that not hysterical? I mean, seriously?

That kid is too much, I swear.

Stunning

I've got to brag on my niece just a bit more-hey, it's my blog, I can if I want to. K recently had her 2 year pics taken and my sis shared one of them....I had to share it with y'all because quite honestly, the pic is stunning. I mean, we all think she's beautiful, but this pic pretty much proves it:

The aftermath

What should have been a peaceful Easter weekend was anything but here in St. Louis. As the world knows by now, an F4 tornado (the 2nd worst possible, winds 166-200 miles per hour), hit St. Louis Friday night, leveling whole neighborhoods, and shutting down highways and our airport. It was devastating. And now, the clean up begins. On Saturday, as my parents and I headed back to my grandpa's house, we had to go on 270 and saw firsthand the path the tornado took-a whole section of trees cut in half, someone's shed lying on the side of the highway, mangled, fences down, roofs on houses missing. How no one was killed I'll never know. It really, truly was a miracle, there's no other explanation for it. I'm so thankful that no one I know lost anything during this horrible storm. I'm still a little freaked out at the knowledge that I was in between two of the tornado touchdown points on Friday night.

Here's a couple of pics I found to display just how devastating this storm was:

Both of these pics are at Lambert Airport. It's back to about 90% functioning today, but hard to imagine that even being possible by looking at these pics. Please pray for us as we have the potential for more tornado producing storms today.

beautiful girl

Had to share this pic of my little munchkin. Her PaPaw Al took this of her. The green is green bubbles! Apparently they come in colors now, who knew? Is she not the cutest darn thing????

Tornadoes are no joke

There are two things I'm most afraid of-tornadoes and clowns. One of them attacked tonight. 

I think I've finally calmed down. It's been stormy here for the last few days, so we're kinda used to it by now. But nothing prepares you for when a tornado really does happen. I was at church with my aunt and cousin for Good Friday. The tornado sirens were going off throughout the service-and I must say, with the darkness of Good Friday (literally, the lights were dimmed), it was quite an eerie thing. Mind you, no one got up from their pews while the sirens went off. That is, until our senior pastor stood up, announced he'd just been informed that there was a tornado on the ground at 270 and 70 (not far from where we were), and that we needed to get to the basement. Once down there, I saw people crying, just terrified. I appeared calm, but I was shaking. Remember-scared to death of tornadoes. Then again, I was kinda glad I was in a church when it happened-I kinda felt protected. 

After we got the all clear, we finished our service and after we got in our cars to go home, I kinda lost it a bit. I think it finally hit me just how scary it was and how lucky we were. I then drove by Grandpa's house to make sure all was well there-it was, but his neighborhood looks like a war zone-trash cans and boxes in the street, branches everywhere. I could hear sirens all around me. 

The real craziness began as I tried to head home. "Try" being the key word. Turns out, the tornado hit our airport-theres extensive damage, the roof is gone, but miraculously, no one was killed. There is no power and the airport is closed indefinitely. Once I hit the highway, I quickly saw that traffic was at a standstill. There were overturned semi trucks, debris and downed power lines ON the highway. There were ambulances and police cars everywhere. To get off the highway, I followed some other cars going the wrong way up an exit ramp (no one was coming the other way) and I completely backtracked until I was able to make it to 70 going the opposite way that I needed to-but I couldn't go toward the city because the airport is that way and the highway was shut down. So on my long way home, I went by my office park, I couldn't see much because the power was out, but I think everything was in tact. It took me an hour and a half to get home.....I've never been so glad to see my apartment. I'm a little too keyed up right now to sleep. I just thank God no one was killed. It was pretty horrible tonight, but could have been so much worse.

I'm guessing having the urge to stab something (or someone) is not what Good Friday is really all about......

I'd say Happy Good Friday to you all, but it's really not so much a "happy" event. So how bout Happy Earth Day? What are we supposed to do on Earth Day? Anything in particular? I threw a cardboard box in the recycle bin today, does that count?

My co-worker Jeff said it best this morning when he said "when is it going to end?". He's referring to our hella ridiculous workload. For weeks now, we've received empty promises that it's gonna get better, that management is working on a solution, that they are full of crap. That last statement is the only thing that's true. It has NOT gotten better and they have NOT offered us a solution. Now, I'm trying to be all Pollyanna around the office and not dissolve into tears from the sheer volume of stress, but it's getting harder and harder everyday. People that normally don't crack under pressure are......cracking under pressure. Somethings gotta give or we are all gonna become the patients we serve. For serious.

Let's focus on the positive, shall we? It's Easter weekend and my parents will be in town. I think we may be helping out at my sister and brother-in-law's new house tomorrow, helping them get it move-in ready. That, and I have to bring Kendall her Easter basket. I think she's getting 4 total. Lucky kid. Man, life is gonna get expensive when 2.0 comes along....I mean, I have to spoil him equally as much as I do Kendall. It's only fair. And my job as the aunt. Tonight I'm having dinner with my Aunt Diane and cousin Jackie at the greatest pizza place in the world....Pirrone's. Going there and then to church is my Good Friday tradition, only, typically I go alone. It'll be nice to have some company this year!

Happy Easter to you (if you believe in such a thing). I expect it to be standing room only at church on Sunday.......

That didn't last long

The Cubs are no longer in 1st place as both the Reds and Cardinals won today. Granted, the Cubs didn't even play today, and are only .5 back, but still. I believe 1st placed lasted just a hair under 24 hours. Well played boys, well played.

Attention America, The Chicago Cubs are in 1st place

Ok, so it's a four-way tie with the Reds, Cardinals and Brewers....but first place is first place! And, ok, so all four teams are only .500.....still first place is first place! Wooooo! Let's enjoy it while it lasts, k? The Cubbies split a doubleheader with the Padres yesterday, but still took 2 out of 3, so, I'm not complainin about that. And I just read something kinda interesting, so far this season the Cubs have been 1-1, 2-2, 3-3, 4-4, 5-5, 6-6, 7-7, 8-8 and now 9-9. Isn't that wild?



And in headlines that make me giggle like a school girl: "Cubs walk off in 11th with Johnson's dinger"
Come on, how are supposed to NOT giggle at that?????

Back the F off, Mother Nature!

Look, Mother Nature, I get it. You're pissed. Why, I don't know, but I get it.

Mega storms raged through much of the midwest last night. It was pretty scary stuff (I mean, we were the main headline on the Weather Channel and everything!). Parts of the metro area got (literally) golf ball sized hail. There were several reports of tornadoes which freaked me the hell out-there are two things I'm most scared of in the world: clowns and tornadoes.

It took awhile for the storm to hit St. Louis City, but when it did, it did with a vengeance. Yikes. It for real sounded like the world was ending-I don't know how else to describe it. The hail and wind was so loud, I'm not sure I've ever experienced that before. And then the tornado sirens started. As I'm sure I've mentioned before, the tornado sirens in St. Louis City talk. Yes, a deep voiced man can be heard throughout the city saying "THIS IS A TORNADO WARNING. PLEASE SEEK SHELTER IMMEDIATELY". Creepy. And effective. My happy ass was down in the basement. I started to freak out when I heard of a possible tornado in Florissant near Washington and St. Catherine....um, that is right by my grandpa's house. I also freaked out when I heard of a tornado about 25 miles from Salem...my hometown and the place where my parents and brother still live (all are safe and sound, by the way). It was eerily quiet once the storm finally went away, but what a night.

The biggest travesty of all, however, is the fact that the weather coverage kept interrupting the new episode of Glee. I was none too happy about that. Seriously. Oh and both the Cubs and Cards games got cancelled and are rescheduled for today. Yes, that's right, double headers today for all! Yippee!

Our budding fashionista........

Two year olds are hilarious! Seriously. Check out Kendall's accesories she chose herself-note the zebra print purse that goes oh so well with her pink and black checked shirt...paired with a blue ring and purple necklace. She is STYLIN! I love it. That kid cracks me up more and more every single day.

Remembering Alyssa

It's hard to believe an entire year has gone by.

One year ago today, my brother-in-law's beautiful 26 year old sister Alyssa, passed away. She was Kendall's only other auntie.

The last few times I was around her, we had such a good time. Two of those times were babysitting our then infant niece. One of the things that makes me saddest is that she hasn't been here for this last year to see how much our Kendall has grown-to see what an amazing, smart, funny, beautiful kiddo she's become. And I hate thinking about the fact that she won't be here to meet our nephew and get to watch the both of them grow up. I struggle with feeling guilty because I get to do those things-I know it's irrational, but nonetheless, it's how I feel.

You sometimes don't realize the impact someone has on your life or the world....until they're gone. Alyssa, for better or worse, left a giant hole when she left us. Last Friday as we all gathered to celebrate Kendall's 2nd birthday, we were all acutely aware that one key member of our combined family was missing. That sucked.

I like to think that she is Kendall's (and 2.0's) guardian angel. She watches over her from above, and I do it from here.

Alyssa, I'd give my right arm to have you back with us. We all truly, truly miss you so much. You're gone, but never, EVER, forgotten.

12 games in.....KD's perspective on your 2011 Cubs

Ok, our boys are currently .500 at 6-6. I can't really complain about that. There's been some bright spots this season....and some not so bright spots. Let's discuss, shall we?

1. PLEASE keep Castro and Barney as your 1-2 hitters. They are leading the NL in batting average and on base percentage. If it ain't broke, don't fix it.

2. It pains me to say this....but my beloved Tyler Colvin may need to go down to AAA. He is striking out WAY too much, his BA is WELL below the Mendoza line. And while he is adorable, and has more RBI's than anyone would have guessed with that horrendous BA, something needs to change. Go work on your swing kid.

3. Stop leaving the starters in one inning too long. Granted, there are parts of our bullpen that even a team of t-ballers could hit, but you ruin a perfectly good start in one little inning. Take Big Z last night. Dude was cruising....had a great outing (even hit a homerun!)....but was left in one inning too long.....and imploded. Not good.

4.  All Cubs fans should just go ahead and call their docs to get a script for hypertension, cuz watching Carlos Marmol pitch the 9th is ALWAYS gonna cause your blood pressure to rise.

5. Rami is lookin good so far this season.....in more ways than one (wink wink, nod nod). He's hitting, he's fielding, he's got a sweet ass. Ladies, the Rami we know and love is back!

6. Sean Marshall keeps getting sexier and sexier. And I don't typically dig facial hair, but he is rockin the beard. Missouri's own, Blake DeWitt, not so much.

7. I don't know who will ultimately take this division. For the moment, it's anyone's to win. Even the Cubs. Lets see how the rest of the 150 games play out.......

I have no shame.........

Yes, that is my knee. Isn't it pretty? Kinda looks like someone took a baseball bat to it, huh?

This injury is the result of my fall at a local grocery store on Saturday. My mom and I ran to the store Saturday morning and, as we were on our way out, yours truly slipped and fell. Turns out, there was a puddle of water where water shouldn't have been...and that's what I slipped on. My mom ran for the manager because I couldn't get up-I was in shock at first and wasn't sure of the extent of the injury. You should have seen the look on the manager's face, she was totally like "aw hell, she's gonna sue us". I was helped up and was able to walk. She made sure I had her name and store number just in case I needed to go to the doctor. It really didn't hurt much at first, surprisingly. Saturday night it was a bit swollen and gushy when you touched it, but by Sunday that was gone. The bruise probably looked it's prettiest yesterday-as seen above. Yesterday my leg started aching a bit-not enough that I couldn't walk-but aching nonetheless. Today, the bruise is very, very sore, and my knee is stiff, I think because it's healing. I don't think I'll need the doctor, but I wanted to share my totally bad ass bruise. :)

My niece's 2nd birthday

Kendall, or "Hendall" as she now refers to herself, had a great 2nd birthday and party! I can't believe my favorite little munchkin is already two. It doesn't seem possible. I know I'm waaaay biased, but seriously, she is such a beautiful little girl-big blue eyes and strawberry blonde hair. Her paternal grandpa Al says she's gonna be a heartbreaker. I think he may be right. She also might cause her daddy to get a few more gray hairs here in the coming years.....

Friday was her actual birthday. When I arrived at the house, she was standing in the window waiting for me. She gave me a big hug and was in QUITE the good mood. She had a t-shirt on that her Pam-maw (or as Kendall calls her "Pee Pee"....yes, it's hilarious) made her for her birthday. I asked her about her party at school-she and her little friends enjoyed a kosher cookie cake and they all sang happy birthday to her. I think she said it was fun, she may have just said "yea" to get me to leave her alone. We played in the basement until my parents and brother arrived (she was VERY excited to see her Uncle Tim...he may be her new favorite), and then headed out to dinner. She was in a great mood and even went up to a table of boys that were probably about 11 and she......danced for them (Um, see paragraph 1 and the part about causing her daddy gray hairs.....). My previous post detailed one of the most fun events-the announcement that Kendall is getting a little brother. But this night was still mostly about her. After dinner, we headed back to the house and let her open her presents. Now she was having a party on Saturday and my sis requested no presents, but of course, that excluded immediate family, so we did the present thing on Friday night. Kendall's Pam-maw and Papaw set her up with tons of clothes-super duper cute-that she got out of the bag and tossed on the floor. My parents got her a bunch of dress up stuff-princess dresses (with a Cinderella doll to match), purses and fake dress shoes. She LOVED the shoes. She was strutting around in these shoes that were way too big for her. Watching her try to walk in heels was absolutely hilarious. And then she insisted we all wear a pair as well....so yours truly got stuck wearing a red pair with Snow White on them. Hot, I know. She next opened part of the gift I got her-a mix of stuff. Her eyes lit up when she saw the Play-Doh (I'm sure her parents really appreciated it), she didn't so much care about the clothes, but the I'm a Big Kid Elmo book? I struck gold with that one. She stopped everything to sit down and look at  her Elmo book and tell us the names of all the characters in there. I also got her an adorable tricycle (with mom's blessing), she tried to stand on the box (I hear it is now together and she took it for a spin in the driveway...she also took it for a spin in the foyer but got in trouble for that....oops). She then moved on to her gifts from Uncle Tim...which included this way cool book about animals (she LOVES animals)...on each page was a pop-up pic of the animal...we all oohed and aahed about how cool it was...until she turned to the turtle page. All of us (Kendall included) were a bit startled as this giant 3-D turtle popped out at us-it was quite lifelike and just a little freaky.

Saturday was Kendall's party at the carousel, which, apparently, is THE place to have your two-year old's birthday party. She arrived in her adorable pink dress that her P am Maw made for her....she also had one of the purses my mom got her on her arm (quite the lady, don't you know). Kendall, for the most part, ignored everyone and just wanted to ride the "hor" (her word for horse and not, um, a lady of the night). Most family members took turns riding with her. Aunt Kerri was hoping to avoid getting on the carousel because I get motion sick very easily. I thought was in in the clear....however, little miss grabbed my hand and insisted I ride with her. Oh the things we do for those we love. Her party was a lot of fun, even the part where my brother-in-law's friends threatened me with their mob ties if I didn't tell them the gender of the baby. They found out soon enough anyway....my sis had arranged for the inside of Kendall's birthday cake (that was two-tiered and shaped like a carousel, by the way) to be dyed blue. Only it turned out kinda green, so no one actually got it, so they just had to announce they were having a boy.  This will be the 8th great-grandchild in our family and only the 2nd boy, so I'm sure my cousin's little guy Brayden is more than excited to have another dude in the family. :) I'm not sure how they're gonna top this party, it was a pretty good one.

Happy Birthday again to my favorite girl. I can't wait to see how much she changes this next year. She already looks bigger to me. :(

2.0 is a.............

I'll write a separate post later about Miss Kendall's 2nd birthday, but for now, 2.0 has the spotlight. On Friday, my sis and brother in law finally let the cat out of the bag. In approximately 19 weeks, I'm gonna have a.........................NEPHEW! Yes, 2.0 is a boy! I am SOOOOOOOOOOOOOO excited, you have no idea. One of each? Perfect. Now I don't have to play favorites-I can have a favorite niece and a favorite nephew. Easy. :)

So, how'd they tell us? My sis informed me beforehand that they weren't creative, but they did tell us in a creative way-even if they stole the idea.

On Friday, I called my sis to see what time she'd be home, I was already in the neighborhood and planned to head over as soon as she was home. She was stuck in traffic and a bit stressed that she may not make it to the bakery before it closed (she'd ordered cupcakes for Kendall's birthday), I offered to go get them for her...she was like "no, no, I should be able to make it" and left it at that.

Fast forward to Kendall's birthday dinner. As we were sitting there, it dawned on me. I whispered to my brother "I think the cupcakes have something to do with 2.0, somehow that's how they're going to tell us", because all through dinner, no one mentioned 2.0. So....after dinner, my sis went to open the box of cupcakes. I was sitting right next to them, hoping to get the first glance....I did, and what I saw was a dozen cupcakes with green icing. Guess I was wrong......right? Well after we sang "happy birthday" to little miss, my brother-in-law's dad cut his cupcake open and was showing Kendall that the middle had icing in it-totally oblivious mind you-and my sister said with great emphasis "yea, what.color.is.the.middle". That's when yours truly caught on, spotted the BLUE icing and I looked at my sis and said "is 2.0 a boy?". Then a bit of chaos ensued as everyone else slowly figured it out. YAY! I'm soooo, sooo excited! On Saturday, after all of Kendall's birthday festivities were over with, my mom and I headed to Carter's and started loading up on baby boy stuff...fun, fun, fun! This little guy is already loved soooooo much. I can't wait to meet him!

Happy Birthday Eve munchkin!

Tomorrow is my niece's 2nd birthday! She's apparently very excited. I love that she is having a little party at school tomorrow. She goes to the Jewish Community Center (no, we're not Jewish) so any food brought in has to be kosher. No worries, my sis was directed to a grocery store in the area that indeed sells kosher party treats. Crisis averted.

I'm excited because my whole little family will be together tomorrow! It's usually all about Kendall when we're together, but tomorrow it really will be. Aunt Kerri got K's gift wrapped last night. Let me tell you this-I am not a good gift wrapper. No sirree. I'm a throw it in a gift bag kind of girl. But.....the gift I got her is too big for a bag, so, I had to actually wrap it. I gotta say, while it won't win any best wrapped present awards, it doesn't look too bad. Not that K will care. She is an expert on ripping off wrapping paper. It's a fine skill to have.

We find out 2.0's gender tomorrow! YAY!

5 games in, let the angst begin

Well, just as us Cubs fans were riding high on an above .500 record for the first time in two years, we just as quickly were brought back down to Earth. Who ordered the Karma?

Yep, not one but TWO of the Cubs starters were placed on the DL today. Andrew Cashner-who had a marvelous MLB debut as a starter yesterday had some tightness in his shoulder. And apparently Randy Wells has some forearm issue-he also pitched well in his first game.

Not gonna lie, this sucks. BUT, for once, I think the Cubs are being really smart about this. Both injuries are minor, putting them on the DL now allows time for them to heal....and to not let the problem become a bigger one down the road. Plus, I think you'd rather have this happen during the first week of the season rather than, say, during a possible playoff push late in the season (hey, it could happen!).

My main concern is, who do you bring in to replace them? I hear Casey Coleman is being called up, that's fine, whatevs. I also hear they may use James Russell (he pitched well yesterday in relief, so I'm ok with that). What I'm NOT ok with is even the remotest possibility that Jeff Samardjiza be allowed to start a game. Sure, Shark did ok in relief yesterday, but this guy is a hot mess, he is not a good pitcher, should have stuck with football. Just sayin. Not only that, but with his ridiculous long hair and weird facial hair, he looks like one of the Three Musketeers and, my friends, that is not a good thing.

Dear Karma Gods, haven't the Cubs been through enough the last century or so? Hoping these injuries really are minor and that Wells and Cashner will be back in their rightful spots in the rotation soon.

How 'bout them Cubbies?

Five games into the 2011 season and your Chicago Cubs are 3-2. Startling fact, this is the first time they have been over .500 since 2009. Seriously. Wow.

How bout lil Tyler Colvin yesterday, huh? As documented over and over and over and over again, Tyler is among my favorite Cubbies, not just because he's adorable, but because I really feel this kid is gonna do some great things in MLB. Yesterday, he got his first ever Major League start at 1B since cutie pie Carlos Pena had a bit of a thumb boo boo. He did a very capable job at 1B, no errors, but more importantly, he hit his first homerun of the season and helped the Cubbies win, ensuring they'd take at least 2 of  3 from the D-bags (going for the sweep today, baby!).

At this moment in time, the Cubs are tied for 2nd in the NL Central. Those punkass Reds are in 1st, undefeated. Makes me want to punch Joey Votto in the mouth. For reals.

Hendall

Happy Hump Day y'all!

I have a bunch of random stuff floating through my head today. It's been a rough week at work. For reals. Monday we were four people short, Tuesday we were three people short. And my boss hasn't been to work since last Thursday-she apparently has pleurisy. Do people really get that? Apparently. Given work is already overwhelming when we are fully staffed, you can imagine how stressful the last two days have been. But, I am happy to report, I've done it all with a smile on my face. Sometimes it was forced, but I haven't had one meltdown. Haven't dissolved in tears once (unless you count when I was watching Dancing With the Stars, but that's a whole 'nother story.). Haven't gotten mad, or irritable, or frustrated. I decided to put my big girl pants on and tackle the workload head on. My teammates and I (the few that were actually at work this week) banded together and made it through. Today we are only down one person (maternity leave), so I'm hoping things will be better. That, and I'm off on Friday so today is like my  Thursday.

Why am I off on Friday? Well, in my profession, you are made to acquire CEU hours every two years in order to keep your license (trainings and stuff), so I have a delightful 8 hour training on Friday (sucks, but still better than actually being at work)  and then...and then..........

Friday is Kendall's SECOND BIRTHDAY! I cannot believe my favorite little munchkin is already 2! I'm gonna get sappy here-having her in my life has been the greatest thing that's ever happened to me. For realsies. That kid is amazing. She is having a birthday party on Saturday at the carousel (it is THE birthday hot spot for the toddler set here in the STL), but on her actual birthday,  both sets of grandparents, me and her Uncle Tim are all meeting up to see  her and give her her presents. AND......on top of that, I believe my sis and brother-in-law will finally reveal the gender of 2.0. I have my suspicions. They have known for a week now, and have been very good about not slipping and giving it away-kudos guys! The gender really doesn't matter to me, I just want to know so I can stop calling 2.0 "it". "It" is not a nice thing to call a child.

Kendall is very excited about her party. She's a big fan of parties and I'm sure once she realizes this one is all about her, she's gonna ham it up. Should be fun!!! Also exciting, she has finally started saying her own name! She's been calling herself "you"-this is our fault. You see, every time we'd look at pictures, we'd say "Kendall, that's you!"....well, she took that literally and has called herself "you" ever since. Until this week. Now she is apparently calling herself "Hendall". Still struggling with the "K" sound (she's still calling me Heewi), but I love that she's figured this out! She's just plain fascinating. Saturday she said the word "pyramid". That seems to be a pretty big word for a 2 year old, but she said it crystal clear (it was during a fascinating episode of Dora). She also said "sandbox". I was amazed, for real.

So, lots of fine family fun coming up this weekend. I can't wait to celebrate our girls' big day! And find out if she's getting a little brother or a little sister. Exciting stuff people!

Colvin is getting the start at first base today!

Oh boy, my favorite Cubs kiddo is starting at first base today, thanks to Carlos Pena and his apparent thumb issues. GO TYLER GO!!!! He didn't look too bad at 1B during Spring Training, but now it's the real deal. Good luck Tyler!!!!

Andrew Cashner is getting his first MLB start today. Are we nervous Cubs fans? I'd be lying if I said I wasn't. His spring wasn't great. Perhaps he'll pull it all together today.

Um and in other exciting news, while the season is still young, it was announced that the Cubs Starlin Castro was named co-NL Player of the Week. WTG Starlin! I guess batting over .600 will do that. The person he was "co" with was some Cardinal. Meh. We don't talk about them on here.

GO CUBS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!