Die Hard Cardinal Fans

What an amazing start to the weekend!!!!!

If you personally know Nick or I, or follow me on Facebook or Twitter, then you know my husband and I are huge die hard Cardinal fans.

Die hard misplaced Cardinal fans.  Being a military family, we have to support our boys and cheer for them from afar.  Alone.  No one in Florida cares about baseball.  Well, at least no one in the Pensacola area.

If you are even remotely interested in baseball, then you might remember how remarkable the Cardinals were in the 2011 season.  We were 10 games back, came back to get the Wildcard in the post season, then continued to win the NLDS, then the NLCS to go on to the World Series against the Rangers.
Game 6 was deemed as the best game in baseball.  We were down in the 9th inning, 2 outs, last strike.  And we came back to win the game and keep us in the race to send us to Game 7 where we won the World Series.  It was said last year, the Cardinals just don't quit.

And we've proved that again this year.

I've had a lot of non-Cardinal fans tell me when we lost Pujols after last season that our team would be nothing.  Just goes to show they do not know a thing about the Cardinals.  The Cardinals are a TEAM!  Pujols was out a lot of last season with an injury and we still did well.  We are not a team who rely on one player.  We knew without Pujols we'd still be a great team.  This season proved that.  Look where the Cardinals are.  Look where the Angels are.  'Nough said.

This year was the first year for a playoff game for the Wildcard spot in the postseason.  We went up against the Braves and won, landing us in the post season.  (Which was also another super exciting game!)

Then it was time for the NLDS against the Nationals.  It was their first season in the playoffs.  Being a very new team, they've finally managed to earn some respect.  They definitely provided to be a tough competition.

Nick and I were able to watch every single game, thank goodness.  Every game we were decked out in our Cardinals gear. (the exact same clothes, unwashed).  Then came Game 5 of the series....the last game.  The Nationals got a huge 6-0 lead early.  I quickly thought "They deserve the win.  The Cardinals clearly did not come here to win, let alone even play!"  But I never gave up hope we'd win.  At this point, I just knew we were NOT playing like the Cardinals I know and love.

But I forgot who I was talking about.  I forgot that the Cardinals are the team that just won't quit.

I decided to try to help the team out and I put on my rally cap.

We then started scoring some runs.  Nick put his on.  Beltran delivered with another run.

Then came the 9th inning.  We were tied 7-7.  Nick and I were not able to sit down.  We were on our feet, about to have a heart attack.  About to puke from nerves.  Screaming and yelling.  Jumping up and down.  Our hands beat red and in pain from so much clapping.  We had the sexy raspy voice thing going on from so much screaming.  Yadi was so confused as to why we kept chanting and yelling her name.  Vino didn't understand the excitement but wagged her tail along with the yelling.  We ended up scoring TWO runs with 2 outs, 2 strikes.  Un-be-lieveable.  We had done it again.  When everyone in that sold out stadium thought the game was over, the Cardinals for the second season in a row, have proved that we just don't give up.
Bottom of the 9th inning came.  We just had to hold on; keep them at 7 runs.  Nick and I were swaying and pacing with every pitch.  Yelling and high-fiving after every strike.  Every out.  And then....that final out!
I'm sure everyone was hearing the late Jack Buck screaming "Go crazy, folks!  GO CRAZY!"  ....and we sure did!  I'm sure our neighbors thought we were completely insane.  Had we lived in St. Louis, it wouldn't have been weird.  EVERYONE in St. Louis was screaming and yelling and fireworks were going off all over the city...at 11:30pm.  It's a baseball town and said to be the best fans in baseball.  I would have given ANYTHING to be home right then, celebrating with my city.  I was so jealous of the 100+ Facebook statuses and tweets I was reading about all the celebrating going on around St. Louis.

Instead, we decided to celebrate at home, "with" the Cardinals.

We watched the interviews, and while the Cardinals were getting their champagne ready in the locker room, we got ours ready.

We waited and toasted to the Cardinals.  When they popped their champagne and celebrated, we drank and celebrated with them =)

 Silly?  Maybe.  But I told you, we are die hard fans!!!!  If you are a sports fanatic, then you understand.


Now it's on to the NLCS to play the Giants...another team (and fans) I like and have a lot of respect for.  It will definitely be a great series considering they are also known this season for being a come from behind team.  But I'm fully confident we'll get ourselves to that World Series!!!!  And you better believe I am not washing my shirt and will be wearing it all series!!!  This is your warning to anyone that comes near me during baseball post season.  I do not promise to smell pleasant ;)

All I can say is 12 in '12 Baby!!!!  GO CARDS!!!!

I will leave you with two excerpts from journalist Bernie Miklasz's awesome article I read that perfectly describes these Cardinals.  These excerpts are some of the exact same things we've been hearing all across MLB Tonight, ESPN SportsCenter, etc.  It warms my little heart to know that others out there, all over the nation, not just St. Louis natives and Cardinal fans, recognize this great ball club.

"I don't think anything will ever top Game 6 of the 2011 World Series, but the fifth and deciding Game 5 of the NL division series was just as unlikely, just as insane, and easily scrambled the brain waves of ball fans from coast to coast.  Especially in St. Louis, the best baseball town in America.  A place where the fans and the team are one, united in their love of the game and their unique bond.  A place that never runs out of hope when it comes to the Birds on the Bat.  A place that knows that it's wise to never count the Cardinals out."

"St. Louis is a tough city that has the hardest, most determined, most resilient baseball team that you'll ever find.  There's simply no way to properly compliment the Cardinals on their competitive character, or the fullness of their hearts."

Weekend Recap: Friends & Barktoberfest

Well it was another wonderful weekend for the books.
And of course the majority of this weekend was spent with friends.

Friday evening the Cardinals played the Braves for the Wildcard in the NLDS.  It was a great day.  I like the Braves.  I have nothing against them and their fans do not bother me (like some other teams).  But tonight, well tonight they decided to be classless.  Anyway, the game was great and we won.  But a small, VERY small part of me was sad.  While I LOVE my Redbirds and want them to go 12 in '12, I wouldn't mind seeing Chipper Jones at least GO to the World Series for his last year.  He's a great player and truly deserves that.  However, on what was  suspected to be Chipper's last at bat, Yadier Molina being the amazing guy he is, stood between the pitcher and Chipper at the plate, to allow time for a standing ovation and recognition that he so rightfully deserved.  It was a bittersweet moment.  Luckily he did not make the third and final out but the next batter ended the game and the Cardinals won!  Next stop: NLDS against the Nationals!

Nicholas and I at the beginning of the game!

Yadi is too big for the Rally Squirrel costume but it brought the Cardinals luck last year so we thought it was only appropriate it be worn again.  This time, by Vino... (who also barely fit in it...it was pretty tight on her hind legs)

and clearly she was not a fan of it lol

After our win!!!!  Watching our boys celebrate!!!

After the game, we quickly changed and headed out to Seville Quarters to celebrate Matt & Charlie being selected for helos (their first choice).  I am happy that they both got what they truly wanted.  But I'd be lying if I said the selfish part of me wasn't happy for my own personal reasons.  You see, Matt is married to Jenny and Charlie is married to Elizabeth.  Both are two of my absolute best friends down here.  Had Matt and Charlie not been selected for helos, they would have gone jets or maritime.  Both of which would have taken them away from me.  And that's just not allowed.  I have become too close to these girls and am in no way ready to say goodbye to them.  So this means I get to keep them with me for at least another 6 months, but probably more like 8-9 with all the delays!!!
[Now, the task at hand is to make sure Nick stays on the "I'm leaning towards helos" mindset.  Because Shane (Jen's husband) is right there on the helo train and I need to stay where these girls are!!!  And Lord knows I cannot stay living in Pensacola/Milton without all of them.  Not to mention, Livie gives me my baby fixes until we pop one out of our own...which shouldn't be for quite some time.]

Anyway, we hadn't been out in a while.  Maybe we're old?  But we usually gather at someone's house. But it was nice to get out.  And it's nice to dress up.  In heels.  And be girly!  So I used tonight as an excuse to wear one of my absolute favorite (and most comfortable) pairs of heels!!!  I just don't wear them often enough.  I promise Zebra Heels, I'll try not to neglect you as much.

The boys spent the night playing pool (what they do every single time we're there, but hey, they enjoy it).  We ladies spent the night in the piano bar singing some great songs and just enjoying being out together.  Like I said, we don't go out too often just us.  And while we were technically "out" with the guys, we weren't because we were not even in the same bar as them.
{Seville Quarter is a large building with many different bars inside and you can walk from one bar to the next, with your drink.  They have a club (known as the Skank Tank), a piano bar, a wine bar, and oyster bar, a patio, a bar with a live band, and the bar where the guys stay which just has darts, games, pool, etc.}

Me, Jenny, and Heidi 

with Heidi & Jenny again

I absolutely LOVE this photo lol

We need to devise a plan to convince Rick he wants helos so that Heidi doesn't leave us soon!

The Girls: Hillary, Heidi, Me, Jenny, April, and Elizabeth
(Hillary and April work with Elizabeth)

Nick and I at the end of the night

We all had a great time and I look forward to our next night out =)

Saturday we were torn on what to do.  We wanted to head to Miller's Ale House to watch the Navy/Air Force Game because well, because Air Force is obviously a big rival of the Naval Academy.  But downtown Pensacola was having Barktoberfest, a giant event for dogs.
Now, you all know how much we love are obsessed with our dogs.  We love getting to go out and about and do things with them.  Unfortunately, Pensacola is not very dog friendly and this kind of even is rare.  The dog-friendliness is something we both really miss about Annapolis.  So we decided to head downtown.  We could DVR the game or catch it next year.  But we wouldn't get this opportunity with the dogs again.

Barktoberfest was downtown in Seville Square, just a park in downtown Pensacola.  They had a Halloween costume contest for dogs and a Owner/Pet Look-a-Like Contest.  We did not dress our dogs up.  Our main reason is because they don't have costumes.  They are just too big, but we also thought it'd be cruel to put them in hot costumes when we ourselves were sweating in the 90 degree heat.  So the girls went in their birthday suits.
I was really, really proud of our girls!  We don't really worry about Yadi because she's a pro on the leash.  When we take her in stores, she never pulls, never jumps on people, doesn't try to play with other dogs, etc.  Vino, on the other hand, does pull occasionally and just gets way too excited.  She loves people and dogs.  It's a constant "leave it" with her when we pass people and dogs.  But that didn't happen.  We were at Barktoberfest and it was PACKED....hundreds or dogs and people and Vino nor Yadi pulled on their leashes.  Neither jumped on a single person.  Neither pulled to approach a dog or get super excited.  We were so incredibly proud!  It's that proud parent moment where you know your kids can be terrors but they've finally learned how to act in public?  Yeah, like that!
So we walked around, stopped and talked to some people and let the dogs mingle, and looked the booths.  All around the park were veterinary clinics, Human Societies, rescues, doggy boutiques, groomers, boarders, etc.  We got some free treats and some free tennis balls (we passed on the frisbees since our dogs see plastic frisbees as an afternoon snack).  We met one other Vizsla and three other Weims.  And we got many, many, many compliments on how gorgeous our dogs are.  Cue another proud doggie parent moment.
I will admit we almost left with another dog.  A Great Dane rescue was there and this adorable guy needed a home.

He is an 8 month old Great Dane puppy.  Purebred.  Ready to go home.  If you don't know, Nick and I want a Great Dane sooooo badly.  Unfortunately, we know it's not best right now.  Being military and moving so much, means we rent wherever we move to.  While house hunting, we find that nearly half of rentals do not allow pets.  Of those half that do, I'd say about 75% of them have weight limits, usually 50 lbs.  Which means with our Yadi and Vino we'll have issues.  Having THREE large dogs, one being well over 100 lbs would cause a huge issue.  But....this little, well big guy (he was already bigger than Yadi and she's pretty tall) just pulled at our hearts.  He was adorable and the three dogs seemed to like each other!!!  But our responsible side kicked in.  We didn't get him *tear* We walked away.  And my eyes teared up a little =/  I cannot wait for the day we buy a house and can add a giant Great Dane to our family!
We continued to walk around and mingle and drool over all the adorable pups.  One observation we had was that people in Pensacola love dachshunds, pits, boston terriers, and Great Danes!  There were sooo many of them!
Unfortunately, because of how incredibly crowded it was, I did not take many photos.  Actually, what you see here is what I took.  It was too hard to maneuver through the crowds, hold the leash, and take photos.  So this is all you get.

Vino walked right up to this giant Mastiff.  Didn't mind it one bit

Yadi was a little more hesitant.  I think she was trying to decide if it was her old friend Louie (the only other large dog she's seen) or a giant tree she could gnaw on

Huskies are a dream dog of mine but we're against all the hair.  Not to mention, Nick's allergies can't take all that hair.  So when I saw this guy with this tiny 8 week old Husky pup, I asked if I could pet her.  He did one better and said "Here, you can hold her."  And I melted.  Thank you kind sir!

After almost three hours, we decided it was time to head home.  The dogs were exhausted, we were exhausted, and it was hot!!!

The Oberkrom Girls after a fun, but exhausting day hanging out with hundreds of dogs and their humans

Both pups passed out on the way home (this is Yadi's new sleeping position in the car...although I'm not sure how that's more comfortable that curled up on the seat. )  Vino is just happy as long as she has Yadi to snuggle on/against.

UPDATE:
This is an update that I completely forgot to post about Saturday afternoon!!!  After we got home, I waited for the girls and then we headed out for some shopping.  Mainly because Heidi had never been to a TJ Maxx (say what?!) so we felt it only necessary that she go.  I was on the hunt for a curling wand.  I didn't want to spend over $10 on one because we each get $20 "fun money" per pay period.  Which is NOT a lot in today's world!  (Sometimes I hate this responsible budget thing).  Anyway, I am completely incapable of curling my hair.  I've tried both a curling iron and flat iron...watching friends do it, watched tons of youtube videos, etc.  Nope...can't do it.  But Elizabeth showed us her curling wand and how it easy it was.  She said she got it super cheap at TJ Maxx so it was the perfect excuse to go.  We walked around the store for quite a while (because it's also a Home Goods store!) and everything tempted me...home decor, fall decor, Christmas decor, dog toys, shoes, etc.  But I was good and left with nothing.  Yep, nothing.  They didn't have any curling wands =(
Then we had some coffee and headed home to await our plans that evening, going with the entire Gang (men included) to Applebee's, our favorite, for their Happy Hour of 42 cent boneless wings!  (They seriously have the best wings!)
Then it was home for a night of movies.  While I love hanging out with our friends, I equally adore being cuddled up with my husband watching a movie.  Especially because it's now chilly at night (in the 60's) so we have our windows open which means extra cuddling goes on!  Nick is my personal heater.

Today, Sunday was an uneventful day.  I had to nanny right in the middle of the day so we didn't do to much.  I got home in the middle of the Cardinals game so we hung out and watched that.  Sadly, we lost the first game to the Nationals but I'm not worried.  Last year we lost the first game and look where we ended up ;)
Tonight, after the game, it was movie night.  Well, it was movie night AFTER Nick took me out for my hot fudge sundae I've been craving.  We watched one movie snuggled on the couch.  Afterwards, we weren't too incredibly tired so we retired to bed and watched another movie in bed.  I fell asleep during this movie but as is my life lately, it's 3am and I'm wide awake.  So I figured I'd finish this blog since I started it earlier today.


Overall, another great weekend.  Just a glimpse into our life here in Florida =)  But don't worry, soon I'll be home!!!  My blog updates will be about you all whom I love oh so much!!!  39 days and counting!!!