For the Love of the Cards & My Dad

I realize the 2017 baseball season is coming to an end, but I've been saving this post for just the right time.  As the one year anniversary of my dad's passing is days away, it seemed only fitting to share it now.  This past September would have been his 64th birthday, and as I have mentioned before ~ my dad was a die-hard St. Louis Cardinals fan.  So my mom thought it would be a great way to honor him by having our entire family attend a game.  

My beautiful Mom and her kids ~ one who was very thankful that she didn't have to stand on a step ladder or ledge this time.  :)

And with the grandkids, of course...

One of Dad's favorite things was to attend games where there were special items given out before the game ~ especially bobble heads.  This particular game was free Build-a-Bear Day, so each of the kids got a special dog to treasure.  

Growing up, each of our summer vacations always had to include a few things: an amusement park of some kind, a zoo and a baseball game.   My brother T was a huge baseball fan.  He collected pennants from every game we ever went to.  Eventually they became the decorative border around his room.  So of course, we had visited Busch Stadium before but it has been some time.  I will admit it's quite impressive!

And it had a spectacular view of the St Louis Arch!

Because we arrived early to make sure that the kids received a Build-a-Bear (as Dad always did for his beloved bobble heads aka as soon as the gates open), Mom took us across the street from the stadium to visit Cardinal Nation.  Due to Dad's need to get to most of the games early, my parents would often spend time here having a drink or sharing a meal before the game.  It's housed in the center of Ballpark Village and is home to several restaurants, bars and memorabilia.  A great place for any Cardinal fan to hang out.

Now before I go any further, I have to say that while my dad was a Cardinal fan ... I am not.  I am a Cubs fan!  We would always have friendly banter back and forth about the Cubs vs the Cards.  Usually, it didn't matter as the Cards were always better ... until last year of course.  In fact, that is ironically what the very last text I received from my dad was about.  The Cubs had just won the National League, so I sent him a screenshot of the Championship Banner.  All in good fun, only to receive the following message "Humm ...That is NOT a World Series Banner.  Good Luck."  :)  It wasn't long after that I felt compelled to send a text to his phone (knowing he would still get it in heaven) with a screenshot of the the Cubs World Series Championship Banner with the words "Now THAT IS a World Series Banner!  Love You."  So after hearing all of that, you can imagine my dilemma when my Mom suggested this idea in the first place.  Of course I wanted to honor Dad ... but did it have to be at a Cardinals game wearing a Cardinals shirt, no less!?!  Well obviously I made the sacrifice, as did my sister's boyfriend T who is a Royals fan.  The things we do for the love of another...  :)   However, I couldn't very well go into Cardinal territory without any protective gear on, so to speak.  It was my little way of saying, "Yeah Dad, I'm here.  But I came prepared."  

I will admit it was a good game.  But even more fun to just all be together.

Of course, no baseball game is complete without snacks.  Yes, we had popcorn, hot dogs, nachos and Cracker Jacks.  But the highlight was this helmet full of at least 50+ donuts (my nephew P's favorite thing in the whole world!)  You could have it just plain or add various toppings to it.  P & C were the brave ones to try this monstrosity.  Talk about sugar overload!  (FYI, neither finished it.  Thankfully... LOL!)

Midway through the game, my sister told us all to watch one of the signs ... confused we kept a close eye out not sure what to expect until to our surprise... a special message appeared wishing Dad a Happy Birthday!  There were no words ....

The Cardinals won!  Which meant fireworks, that I have to admit was pretty cool...

Then the kids got to have some fun!  After the field was cleared, they allowed the kids down to run around the bases with the Mascot, Fredbird.  L opted out, but Miss B & P ran like they has just hit the winning home run!

All in all it was a great day, even for this Cubs fan.  We all got to spend a day together honoring a man whom we love, in a way we know would have made him happy.  Especially since they won.  :)  Now, Mom is not one to let special occasions go without some unique way to commemorate it.  So as we were all standing about to say our goodbyes and hit the road.  She handed us all ornaments that she had made along with one of our favorite pictures of Dad.  My mom is one extraordinary lady!!  

I'm so glad that we all got to do this.  I know Dad was there with us, cheering on his Cardinals enjoying his time with the whole family.  Now while I might not be a fan of his team, I sure am a fan of him.  So even though their season is done, I will say this, once & only once, just for you Dad ~ Go Cards!!

XOXO

N