Grizzlies and Wicked!

Another fairly busy summer weekend has come and gone by.  We started the weekend by taking in a baseball game...no not the Cardinals but the Gateway Grizzlies.  Tom, Kristin, Scott and I made our way over to Sauget, IL to watch the Grizzlies take on the River City Rascals in a local minor league show down.  Scott and I had been wanting to take in a game here ever since watching a Man vs. Food episode with the Best Burger in baseball.  I was curious to just try it and Scott wanted to eat multiple burgers.  The burger consisted of a Krispy Kreme doughnut used for the bun with cheese and bacon.  As told we did not add any ketchup or mustard because that would just ruin the whole taste of the burger.

[caption id="attachment_402" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="Best Burger in Baseball"][/caption]

After trying some of the food we tried to find some shade.  It was a very hot evening our seats, although close, were right in the sun.  We hung out in right field for a a few innings.  There wasn't a bad seat in the house in this ballpark but it was still minor league ball...and after going to Cardinals games it is hard to realize how slow minor league games go.



[caption id="attachment_406" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="From Right Field"][/caption]

[caption id="attachment_407" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="The view from our seats"][/caption]

The Grizzlies ended up losing 6-3 and had a slight rally in the 9th but it wasn't enough.  The Rascals brought in a side armed reliever that seemed to be unhitable.   We sat right in front of the visitors bullpen and it was fun to watch the players warm up and see how fast they really to throw.  Back to the burger, I was able to get my one bite and it was enough.  I was not a fan of the salt and sweet taste together.  Scott managed to eat the whole thing and felt it with him all the way until the next morning.

Saturday morning we participated in the ALS walk in Forest Park.  I am personally affected by ALS, a former teacher at Ursuline is currently battling it and a friend (Kate) from grade school lost her father to it.  Kate reminded me of the walk on Friday and I quickly signed us up for it.  Scott and I met up with Kate and Matt before the race near the Ursuline group.  I was able to say a quick hello to Mr. Dailey and let him know that we were there to support him.  It was fun to see him and a few other UA teachers.  I was amazed to see how many UA girls and family members were there to support Mr. Dailey.  The walk was a huge success and I will definitely do that annually.

We decided that we had had enough of the heat and sun and needed a break.  The good thing was that it was just in time for the USA vs. Ghana game in the first knock out round of the World Cup.  Ghana scored first and quickly and it wasn't looking good until Landon Donavon scored on a PK.  It gave the USA a little ray of hope.  With a 1-1 tie, they went into overtime and then Ghana scored...the USA couldn't do anything to come from behind and score.  And just like that they were sent home.  The great showing has again brought much attention to soccer in the USA and hopefully we will get more MLS teams.  Now with the USA and Italy out, it's hard to decide who to cheer for.  Brazil is still in and Spain the favorites are currently in a 0-0 tie with Portugal (as I write this).  And then there is Argentina and Messi.  All I know is there is a lot of soccer drama still to come in the last 12 days of World Cup 2010.

Saturday night was the most anticipated event of the whole weekend.  We finally went to see Wicked at the fabulous Fox Theater!  We went to dinner on the Hill first and then made our way over to the Fabulous Fox.

I had heard great reviews from friends but had not heard any of the songs and had a little idea about the plot.  But I knew I had to see this while it was in town.  The reviews did not let me down.  The play was great.  The cast was great.  The songs were great.  It had me wanting more the whole time.  I highly recommend this play or even the soundtrack, it was that good.  I would love to see it again before they leave St. Louis, if I could find the time and money!

[caption id="attachment_412" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="Dinner before Wicked"][/caption]

Unemployment Update...

I haven't done much on updating my unemployment status and so now is as good as ever.  At the beginning I did have a few interviews, one as an admin for an advertising firm and I did make it to the third interview for an inside sales position.  However, since then interviews or even call backs have been scarce.  I have sat at the computer for long hours of the day try to find jobs that I am qualified for and that I would succeed at but again, those are hard to come by.  So, I apply for at least 4-6 real jobs that I am really qualified for a week and a bunch of others that seem to be dream jobs and hope that someone will call me back.

On a positive note, I have taken this time to really enjoy summer vacation.  I haven't had a true summer vacation since I was 16 and only had one job that was about 25 hours per week.  I have been truly burnt out on corporate BS that I just don't want to deal with office drama any more.  It has mentally taken a huge toll on my life and I'm just not ready for that.

On a side note, after talking with Scott about the job front he suggested that I  look into a career in Real Estate.  Since I seem to have an eye for what needs to be done to sell a house, I might be able to use my sales experience and be out of an office with that career path.  It's an option that I'm willing to take a look at.  Who knows, it might be something I really like...But getting started might be difficult.

Now that I have a few options in mind as to what I can do for the future I may see if any of my resumes are received and if I get any call backs in the next month.  If not, I'm going to start seeing how much it takes to get licensed and get moving on a new career.

I do keep in touch with old co-workers, ones who have moved on and ones who are still at my past place of employment.  How my old employers are still able to make payroll amazes me!  I love hearing gossip of not being able to pay for stamps, or people being asked to leave or even the possibility of clients being on the edge of leaving and my old boss begging them to stay.  Of course the clients that do stay, the company does the work for free.  And then there are the two idiots that I worked with who think they are the smartest people there and constantly do nothing and get paid huge bonuses.  I like to think that my being laid off from this company was the best thing that has ever happened.  I have been able to get three of the worst people out of my life, reduced stress and enjoyed a much needed vacation.  Now I can sit back and wait for the sinking ship to go down....

World Cup 2010

It's World Cup time and I've caught the fever.  I usually try watch it and get into it every 4 years.  This year has been very exciting so far.  The first USA game was against England and it had been talked about since the World Cup draw, 180 days before the World Cup even started.

USA/England game was also the same day as the Gabe's picnic.  But of course I didn't miss any of it.   The game was close and England scored first.  Then in the second half the English goalie gave up and easy save and the game ended in a 1-1 tie.

The second USA game was vs. Slovenia.  This game was a horrible game for the USA.  They had a goal called off for no reason...the ref still will not say what the call really was and he has been removed from World Cup officiating.  Slovenia had the lead 2-0 for most of the game and the USA came back to tie 2-2.

The third game for the USA in the first round was against Algeria.  Again, another closely played match.  Each team struggling to stay alive and to have a hope to move on the next round.  With 90 minutes of no scoring, one USA goal called off (again), Landon Donavon can through and scored to make it 1-0 the final.  Donavon's goal against Algeria guaranteed that USA won the Group and they advanced the top 16 teams.

I've been watching Italy play as well.  They are the defending World Cup from 2006.  They beat France in an exciting game with a controversial head butt to the chest of one of the Italian players.  And a red card given to Zadine.  This year the Italian team is not favored to win, they are older, maybe wiser.

In the first game Italy played Paraguay and played a little sloppy.  They ended in a 1-1 tie.  Their second game verses New Zealand also ended in a 1-1 tie.  They are currently tie with New Zealand at 2 points.  They will play Slovakia next and it will determine who will make it to the next round.

St. Gabriel's Picnic

My Saturday started out very busy. I went to yoga in Tower Grove Park with Kristin. Scott met us up there and then we decided to head down to Soulard Farmers Market to see what goodies we could find. There were so many people down there. Saturday was also Race for the Cure in St. Louis. There was nearly 72,000 people participating in that event that morning and a few had made their way over to Soulard.

It had been a while since I had been down to Soulard Farmers Market and I forgot how much there is to see. There really is a lot of value in going there. Scott and I have decided that we are going to have to start making our list and going down there to get our fruits and veggies from now on...there is just too much for us to pass up.

After Soulard we decided to finally try Blues City Deli. I've heard great things about this place and that I had to go check it out. I figured that since we were close enough and since Scott and been working for about 36 hours he needed a treat. Scott loves sandwiches and this place did not disappoint. The service was fast and the food was awesome! It was hard to get a seat even at 11:30 on a Saturday but I would think that taking it to go it would be worth it.

Ahh yes it's that time of year! It was St. Gabriel picnic time! Scott and I watched the USA vs. England World Cup game...tied 1-1 tie with the lamest World Cup goal that the USA could get. But we'll take it and hopefully be able to move on. After the game we walked down to get some food and see who was there. Shortly after arriving we were able to watch Mathew go down the slide a few times and then the rain came. It came down like a monsoon. We were stuck under tents with other picnic goers and it was fun to be there and talk with people how "it never rains on Gabe's picnic day!"

The rain cleared up by 6:30 and the true picnic goers came out and we all hung out at the beer booth. It was great being able to see people who I only see once a year. I truly look forward to this day every year and it never fails. I was able to see a few people from my grade school class that I have not seen since we graduated 8th grade. I love how this is a once a year reunion! Also, seeing the rides and having flashbacks of my childhood and how I want my children to have the same experiences that I had. I'm glad I was able to share a little bit of this with Scott, before his exhaustion set it.

Summertime...

Summer seems to be in full force and with that I seem to be super busy.  Last Saturday alone was the start of busy weekends to come.  I started off with yoga in the park with Liz and Theresa.  We got there a few minutes late and missed out of a few downward facing dog and that's alright by me.  Of course afterwards we headed straight to the farmers market and the freshly made crepes.  Who can resist strawberry and chocolate crepes on a Saturday morning?!



I hurried home to get cleaned up for the International Horseradish Festival.  Yes, that's right, International Horseradish Festival.  Scott & I met up with Tom and Kristin and drove over to Collinsville, IL to take in all the fun and excitement that one can experience around the horseradish.  They did have a lot of booths and games, there was a drive the root to win a foursome at a local course and who can throw the horseradish the longest.  Plus many different food booths with dipping sauces to try, even a Bloody Mary competition.  All in all it was a great afternoon.

[caption id="attachment_347" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="Tom, Kristin, me, and Scott"][/caption]

We even met some new friends from Collinsville who helped us find the World's Largest Catsup Bottle!  It was worth the drive to find and get some pictures!

[caption id="attachment_348" align="aligncenter" width="225" caption="Kristin & I"][/caption]

After we returned from Collinsville, Scott and I headed out to Chesterfield to meet up with another couple for dinner at 54th Street Grill.  This was recommended by Boland (Chris) so we'd give it a shot.  The food was great and it was even better to finally get to meet his fiancé, Chrissy.  The only problem Scott & I had was that we had probably eaten too much crappy food all day and the Gringo Sauce did us in.  The rest of the night we kept saying that "Gringo kicked my ass."  The next time we all go out we are showing them the awesomeness of South City and the Hill and Ted Drews!

On Sunday we slept in a little and then it was time to attack the backyard.  Scott did an awesome job and finally clearing out the last section of brush on the hill and now you can see all the tress back there.

[caption id="attachment_350" align="aligncenter" width="225" caption="Backyard Before"][/caption]

By just finishing that spot the yard looks 120% better.  Reily was able to play fetch and "help" Scott out while he made piles.  Reily is extremely happy with the yard and loves running around.  It's the first thing she wants to do when she walks in the door.

[caption id="attachment_351" align="aligncenter" width="225" caption="Reily playing"][/caption]

Later Scott's parents came up to install the custom closet shelving into the master bedroom.  It's amazing how much bigger the closet actually looks once that was installed.  It was a busy weekend and seems to be looking like a busy summer.  This weekend, St. Gabe's picnic, can't wait!

Nebraska...the good life...er visit

Memorial day weekend 2010 was spent visiting with family in Lincoln, Nebraska.  One of my younger cousins, Jeff was getting married.  And it was a perfect reason to get the whole Sheldon clan together to visit and meet the newest members.  Besides the beautiful bride, Annie, there were 2 newborns joining the group, Mallory and Christian Penke born about 2 weeks apart.

Scott and I drove up on Saturday and arrived in Lincoln early enough to get some food and a nice swim at our hotel before heading to downtown Lincoln for the rehearsal dinner.  This was Scott's first time meeting my mom's entire side of the family, I'm sure it was pretty overwhelming but he handled it like a champ.  Scott had already met Jeff and Annie so I figured that after meeting the bride and groom everyone else would be easy and it was.

On Sunday, we had our day planned out, we did get up a little earlier than we had planned but we didn't know howmuch time everything would or would not take.

We toured Memorial Stadium, home of the Nebraska Cornhuskers!  This was the first time that I remember being this close to the stadium.  I'm sure if I talked to my parents I've been on campus before.  However there was a self guided tour that we took that we could walk out and over look the field.





Once we finished with the field we were able to see all the bowl trophies that Nebraska has won.  There were a lot!  And then it was on to the Experience Room.  You could fit about 10 to 20 people in there and it was a film about the 3 Heisman Trophy winners and then the game day video.  The Heisman Trophy video was by far the best because after each highlight reel they would turn the wall around and the trophy would pop out.



After a walk around campus to see if there was a bookstore open, there wasn't, we walked along O Street.  O Street is the longest main street in America.  Of course on a Sunday morning in Lincoln barely anything was open.  We decided to head down to the Haymarket to try our luck down there.  There were more restaurants and antique shops and the old train station (site of the reception).  We then headed to our final destination of the day, the state capital building.  We had a little time to kill before it opened so we walked around the governor's  mansion and a couple historical.  After going for the "tour" it was the creepiest capital building I've been in and there wasn't much to see.  I'm basing the not much to see on having just seen the capital building in Texas.

The wedding went off without a hitch, minus the pastor not being able to say Nienhueser.  After 3 tries he kinda got it right.  Either way the DJ had trouble announcing them at the reception too.  The reception was a lot of fun.  It's always a great time hanging out with the Sheldon cousins.  Scott and I did a little dancing and talking and catching up with everyone.  We did have time for family photos.  Emily brought her camera so we could get all the cousins together for the first time since 1999.  I'm sure those pictures came out great.  Can't wait to see them.

[caption id="attachment_341" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="The family"][/caption]

On Monday, Scott and I left Lincoln and headed to Kansas City.  We were off to see the Royals game.  It was my first time at Kaufman Stadium.  I've been told that they just done some remodeling and it was pretty nice and cheap!  2 hot dogs and 2 sprites $4, same thing at Busch $25.  Our seats were perfect they were close enough but we were not in the sun so we didn't get sun burnt.  It was a hot day and with the remaining 4 hours left to drive I don't think we would have last too long sitting in that sun.  The Royals didn't fair too well but it was nice to check another ballpark off my list of to do.

[caption id="attachment_338" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="View from our seats"][/caption]