Lakewood Manor

Memorial Day Cook-Off 2012

noreply@blogger.com (Terri) — Tue, 29 May 2012 21:52:00 +0000

We were able to keep our annual Memorial Day Cook-Off by having Bob and me travel to Bloomington over Memorial Day. We celebrated Bob's birthday with a trip to Bub's Burgers. Huge and yummy!

We spent some time at the apartment playing with Huxley and catching up on each other's lives. We also did a bit of shopping for Ashley's upcoming Ecuador trip. We watched a lot of Missouri Softball, too!

On Monday we planned our cookout. Ashley and I decided on making an Island Burger and Eric and Bob decided to make a Brandy Onion Burger. We went shopping at the local Krogers and picked up what we needed. We each formed our own patties and seasoned them and then Eric and Bob grilled them.

Ashley and I made the drinks and set the table. We did a pinterest drink with the different layers of red, white and blue. It even tasted good!

Island Burger Recipe

Form hamburger patties, salt and pepper, grill until desired doneness.
Carmelize a slice of pineapple in a skillet with some teriaki sauce until browned.
Open a Hawaiian roll, toast on grill.
Spread mayo on the bottom bun.
Spreak more teriyaki sauce on the top bun.
Put slices of cheddar on the hot hamburger.
Layer: bottom bun, lettuce leaf, pineapple ring, hamburger, cheese teriyaki sauce, top bun.

Brandy Onion Recipe

Carmelize chopped onions in brandy and butter. Cook until softened and glazed.
Form hamburger patties, salt and pepper, grill until desired doneness.
Open an onion bun, toast on the grill
Put slices of Havarti cheese on to melt.
Layer: bottom bun, hamburger, onions, cheese, top bun

It was unanimous that the Island Burger was the perfect summer burger with the sweetness and coolness of the pineapple ring but we are all eager to try the Brandy Burger at a tailgate!

Blueberry Muffin

noreply@blogger.com (Terri) — Sun, 20 May 2012 23:31:00 +0000

Our house is a shambles. We are getting ready for our move to Saint Charles, and we have boxes, and crates, and bundles and stacks everywhere. In the midst of this chaos, I wanted, needed to be domestic. I looked in the fridge to see the possibilities and in the freezer I had a bag of frozen blueberries.

Bob, Tammi and Ben were off on a mission to Lowes, so I grabbed my favorite Pampered Chef measuring bowl and mixed up some batter using a couple of cups of Bisquick, 1 c sugar, 2 eggs, and 1/2 c of milk. I mixed the ingredients together and added the frozen blueberries at the last minute. I used my Pampered Chef scoop to put the batter in my battered muffin tin and baked them for 20 minutes at 400. When I brought them out of the oven, I sprinkled them with Penzey's Vanilla Sugar.

I ate one piping hot from the oven with a little butter. The rest I cooled and bagged for our breakfast in the morning. My house might still be a mess, but I feel so much better now!

Month in Review-April 2012

noreply@blogger.com (Bob) — Tue, 01 May 2012 21:55:00 +0000

April has been a very.... um... interesting month. In many ways, I am happy to put it behind me!

Of course, in review, I see so many fun things that happened, and keeping life focused on the positives is really important. For example, look at the 13th. I get to work with these ladies every day. That is an awesome, happy thing. As you can see by the 4th, 14th, 9th and 25th I love animals. Any moment spent with an animal is a good thing! On the 1st I spent the evening with women that have been my friends now for 16 years. I can say that it was a great way to start the month!!

Onto May! May all our days be bright!

Easter 2012

noreply@blogger.com (Terri) — Tue, 10 Apr 2012 00:22:00 +0000

Easter was wonderful, but Ashley and Eric decided not to come to Missouri. It It was hard to accept their decision, and I tried many times to change their collective mind, but in the end, they stayed in Indiana.

So our Easter was spent going to Marceline. Mom got pasta from a shop in town, made a salad and I brought the stuff for Peeps S'mores and made a lemon dessert. Both were inspired by pins on Pinterest!

We put the S'mores in the oven, the chocolate softened and the peeps melted a bit and the combination was wonderful!

I made a simple two ingredient lemon bar by combining a can of lemon pie filling with a box of angel food cake mix. Pour it into an ungreased 9 by 13 pan, bake at 350 for about 20 minutes. Take it from the oven, cool it a bit and dust it with powdered sugar. I served it with cool whip and lemon wafers.

We had a Easter Egg hunt with Kassie and Tristan. Tammi hid the eggs and the kids found them. Tammi can hide eggs! Some of the eggs had chocolate, some candy, and some $5 and one had a McDonald's gift card!

Bob and I left for Wien after the Egg Hunt. We met up with Gary and Joy. Joy prepared a wonderful dinner of meatloaf, ham, hash brown casserole, corn, green bean casserole, rolls, with homemade chocolate pie for dessert! Gary had the pleasure of cutting into the pie. He made the filling. The meringue was perfect!

All of us watched fabulous photos of Gary and Joy's trip to India. My favorites were the Taj Mahal and the FOOD! I could be quite happy with Indian food.

Bob and I made it home late but we certainly enjoyed our day. Of course we spent the time driving home talking to Ashley and hearing about her Easter. I think she had a great one, even if she wasn't home!

March in Review

noreply@blogger.com (Terri) — Mon, 02 Apr 2012 11:17:00 +0000

I love doing 365! This month I look back and am grateful that my colonoscopy was clean! So much to be grateful for!

Dinner Train

noreply@blogger.com (Terri) — Sun, 18 Mar 2012 16:15:00 +0000

Bob and I went on the Columbia Star Dinner Train last night. The company was offering a St. Patrick's Day deal for $50 for all the green beer, cabbage and corned beef you could consume. We love St. Patrick's Day but do not like the crowds at the bars. This seemed to be a great alternative.

We had a terrible time finding the place, due to poor directions on the website but again, our lovely GPS came to the rescue. When we arrived, people were standing outside, near a blue train that had six cars. We were given tickets by Security, along with a shamrock necklace, and waited to board.

Boarding was uneventful. We stood in line and climbed up the steps and went into the car. Bob thought there should have been a Porter waiting for us. We passed the food buffet and sat down at a table. A cheerful waiter came and gave us green beer right away. Since I am not a beer drinker, I asked the waiter what he recommended. He suggested I try an Irish Car Bomb. He said it tasted like chocolate milk so I said, Sure!

What I got was a 1/2 glass of Guinness beer, with a side shot of Jamison whiskey and Bailey's Irish Cream. The shot is dropped into the beer, which then foams up. The second it starts foaming, you must gulp it down or it curdles. I slightly remember the chocolate taste. The drink goes down smooth, and I don't like beer!

We started going down the tracks at a very slow pace. Dinner was served quickly and the food was very good. We had roasted potatoes, corned beef, boiled cabbage and soda bread. We could eat as much as we wanted and the food was replenished often. Bob and I enjoyed the scenic Missouri countryside until the sun set. Then we simply enjoyed each others company.

Along the way we saw a lot of folks sitting on their porches. When the train approached, people would stand up and wave to the train. We thought this was unusual until we saw cars of kids waiting to wave at the folks on the dinner train. Seems like this is a Saturday night thing to do along the train tracks!

Even though we thought we'd get away from the drunken crowd, not-so-much. However, the drunks were 60 and 70 year olds, so it was kind of funny.

Over all we had a great trip and are making plans to do it again. We think the murder mysteries and the fancier dinners will be more fun. Plus, we'd like to go with friends! Any takers?

Related articles

February 2012

noreply@blogger.com (Terri) — Thu, 01 Mar 2012 07:00:00 +0000

I absolutely love doing 365.com! I get to see a little piece of Ashley, Eric and Bob's day. Since we are apart more that we are together, this is very important to me. I can also look back and remember those moments that would ordinarily be lost. Today I am relishing on February 24, when one of my students gave me a picture she had drawn. It says, I am retty to lurn. I always tell kids that I need them to come to school ready to learn. It is so awesome to know that someone hears you!

Presenting: February in Pictures!!

2/29/201

noreply@blogger.com (Terri) — Thu, 01 Mar 2012 02:25:00 +0000

It's Leap Year!

I don't why I made this particular connection, but those who know me are just laughing and shaking their heads saying, what's new? but anyway, I am thinking about this quote from the movie Footloose:

Ren: [addressing the town council, reading from his notes in the Bible] "From the oldest of times, people danced for a number of reasons. They danced in prayer... or so that their crops would be plentiful... or so their hunt would be good. And they danced to stay physically fit... and show their community spirit. And they danced to celebrate." And that is the dancing we're talking about. Aren't we told in Psalm 149 "Praise ye the Lord. Sing unto the Lord a new song. Let them praise His name in the dance"? And it was King David - King David, who we read about in Samuel - and what did David do? What did David do?
[paging frantically through Bible]
Ren: What *did* David do?
[audience laughs]
Ren: "David danced before the Lord with all his might... leaping and dancing before the Lord."
[smacks table in front of Reverend Moore]
Ren: *Leaping* and *dancing*.
[stands up straight]
Ren: Ecclesiastes assures us... that there is a time for every purpose under heaven. A time to laugh... and a time to weep. A time to mourn... and there is a time to dance. And there was a time for this law, but not anymore. See, this is our time to dance. It is our way of celebrating life. It's the way it was in the beginning. It's the way it's always been. It's the way it should be now.

What leaps will you be making this year? Are you leaping and dancing before the Lord?

3-2-1 Cake

noreply@blogger.com (Terri) — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 12:38:00 +0000

I saw this on Pinterest and just couldn't believe this could be true. So, I got up off my chair, and did it. It was so good!

All you have to do is to mix an ANGEL food cake mix (must be angel food) and a cake mix of your choice of flavors (I had a yellow mix) and dump them into a large ziplock together and blend the two mixes well. Here's where the 3-2-1 comes in. In a large mug,

Put 3 tablespoons of the blended cake mix into the mug.
Stir in 2 tablespoons of water into the mix.
Microwave for 1 minute.

Too eager to try it to take a picture before...

Remove from the microwave. I sprinkled a small amount of chocolate chips on top and spread them around when they were soft. This was so yummy! Fresh cake in a minute. Wait, is this a good thing?

A Month in Pictures

noreply@blogger.com (Terri) — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 15:43:00 +0000

January 2012

A great start to 2012. Taking care of myself, my family and my school. I am one lucky gal!

Strawberry Champagne Cake

noreply@blogger.com (Terri) — Tue, 03 Jan 2012 12:23:00 +0000

I saw Mr. Food make this on TV a couple of nights ago and knew it would be the perfect dessert to take to my book club on January 2. You can find the original recipe here.

My take was a bit different. I had a strawberry cake mix and pink champagne in the refrig...so guess what I did? I used a strawberry cake mix and pink champagne. It worked beautifully.

I have never been afraid to try a new recipe and take it to my friends. The batter on this cake let me know it was a winner. It was very nice with a definite champagne taste to it.

My icing turned out a pale pink due to the pink champagne. The perfect touch!

Aging Wine...

noreply@blogger.com (Terri) — Mon, 02 Jan 2012 22:57:00 +0000

Bob has tried many times to get a good age on a bottle of wine. He liked this house specifically when we bought it in 2002 when he saw a concrete room perfect for wine. He built his own wine racks and carefully placed his wines in the cellar, turning them every so often...

Bob put a 1975 Margaux in the cellar. At the time we knew that it was likely that the wine was not in good condition as we had it stored in less-than-ideal situation in our former home. We were saving it for that perfect occasion. Bob also had a 1994 Jordan that he got from friends in South Dakota. He had that wine stored the same as the Margaux.

Time passes, and the perfect occasion comes and goes (the wine forgotten!) and suddenly you realize that the perfect occasion happens when the people you love are siting around you. That's what happened this time.

Ashley and Eric were home for the holidays and we had just rang in the 2012 New Year. That perfect occasion was NOW.

Bob opened the Margaux and to his disappointment, the cork disintegrated. Bob took great care to see that the cork was always wet. The wine was a deep maroon. We let it breathe for awhile and ran it through an aerator and took a sip. The wine was good, but not with the deep, smooth taste that the Margaux should have had. On the internet the average price for this bottle of wine was $375.

Next he opened the Jordan. The color was similar, but the wine was much better. A review of the literature on this wine said that it was past its peak but we still had a great wine, with deep cherry flavor and that smooth-as-milk feel in your mouth. I saw on the internet that the price of this bottle runs from $60 to $100 a bottle.

I hope Bob doesn't give up on aging wine. I think that the anticipation, along with the fun over the years, outweighs the once in a while disappointment.

Welcome 2012

noreply@blogger.com (Terri) — Mon, 02 Jan 2012 03:26:00 +0000

We welcomed in 2012 at the Summit Lake Winery with Bob's band, 2 Car Pile Up playing to a great crowd. We enjoyed dinner with the other band members, David and Suzanne, Marshall, Scott and Jada and Ashley and Eric and us.

The dance was upstairs and they had assorted appetizers and a chocolate fountain! Champagne was served and it was very good! The band had everyone on their feet. I enjoyed their new line up of songs.

Christmas Wrap Up

noreply@blogger.com (Terri) — Tue, 27 Dec 2011 04:02:00 +0000

Christmas Eve Morning

We woke up early and packed up the car in order to drive to Marceline. We stopped for breakfast at BK Bakery and then proceeded up to Moberly to do a small bit of shopping at Randolph Mercantile. We got to Marceline around 10. We opened gifts and then ate lunch. Bob and I bought Taco Soup and mom made Vegetable Soup with Beef. We had cookies and candies and of course, eggnog! Afterwards we went into downtown Marceline to shop at the new shop Curiosity and to Debbie's shop Simply Made. Found adorable things in both shops!

Christmas Eve

Santa Sack was opened to reveal our Christmas PJs from Target, Zingo, and Christmas Karaoke. We had pan seared scallops, baked goat cheese and red sauce with crostinis, homemade meatballs, bratwurst wrapped in croissants and various cookies and candies. We watched The Sound of Music (the ending) and played our game and then went to bed!

Christmas Morning

Ashley was the first up, as usual! Santa had come and so we sat down to open stockings. After the stockings we open presents and then had breakfast. This year I made a breakfast ring, a cranberry cocktail and gingerbread cake pops that looked like reindeer! We all admired our gifts and then Ash and Eric left for Christmas at the Hasty's house.

Christmas Night

The Hasty family came over for a visit and for dinner. Bob made a pork loin roast marinated in Dr. Pepper and herb encrusted. He also roasted Brussels sprouts and made his wonderful Gratin Dauphinaise potatoes. It was such a great meal. My dessert was Oreo stuffed brownies. Yummy. Renee gave me a candle and I gave Renee a wreath from Debbie's shop. We had a great visit with Renee, Bob and Evan.

Merry Christmas

noreply@blogger.com (Terri) — Sun, 25 Dec 2011 19:16:00 +0000

From our home to yours, Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

2011 Cookie Swap

noreply@blogger.com (Terri) — Sun, 04 Dec 2011 16:56:00 +0000

The Steffes women put together a last minute cookie swap when I found out that we were mostly all going to be together in Macon this year. Jeanne and David celebrated in Nebraska this year. I put together an invite and put a plea on the Keep Smilin' Project page and off we went!

Ashley and I baked our cookies when she got home on Wednesday. Ashley baked a simple but delicious Nutella cookie found first on Pinterest. I baked a Weight Watcher Strawberry Angel cookie.

Joy's Popcorn Cookies

Our containers, ready to swap!


This year's participants!

Nutella Cookies

1 c of Nutella
1/2 c white sugar
1 c flour
1 egg
1 T milk

Preheat oven to 350 F.
Blend all ingedients together well. Form into 1″ balls. Place on a cookie sheet. Press down firmly with the bottom of a glass. Bake 7-8 minutes or until set. Cool.

Strawberry Angel Cookies

1 angel food cake mix
3/4 c sugar free strawberry preserves
1 egg white
1 T milk
3 T mini chocolate chips

Heat oven to 350. Spray a cookie sheet with Pam. Blend all ingredients together with a mixer for 1 minute. Beat one additional minute. Fold in chocolate chips. Drop by rounded teaspoonfuls onto prepared cookie sheet. Bake 10-12 minutes. Cool on cookie sheet. Store between layers of waxed paper. Cookies are chewy with the bite of angel food cake.

A Study in Tradition, part 2

noreply@blogger.com (Terri) — Fri, 02 Dec 2011 02:42:00 +0000

Last year, I took you through a photo journey as Bob's cousin Dianne made the traditional mincemeat pies here and this year I am showing you how my sister, Tammi, makes the rolls that have been served for our Holt family for many years.

My sister agreed to this photo essay under one condition: I could only photograph her hands. No other parts of her body. I signed in blood. Ok, not really but it sounded very dramatic.

Yeast, oil, water


Add in some sugar...

Oh yea, baby, the yeast likes some sugar!

Add in a little flour....

Oh no! How did this picture get in here? {snicker}

Work it, Tammi!

It's magic! That gooey, sticky mess is now a smooth ball of dough.

Rise, oh master, rise!

Even though its the next picture, 20 minutes or so elapsed...

Make into little puffs of goodness, and bake.

These bake in the oven and smell up the kitchen with a warm, yeasty smell that drives us all nuts! As soon as they come out, someone who remains nameless (Chris) (Ben) (Ashley) (Bob) (Tammi) (Terri) grabs the center roll, butters it up and shares it with the rest of us. Mmmm.

Grandma Holt would be so happy to know that her yeast rolls continue on. As Tammi was making them, I overheard Kassie say, "I can't wait for Grandma Tammi's rolls."

Thanksgiving Eve

noreply@blogger.com (Terri) — Wed, 23 Nov 2011 20:31:00 +0000

I love that our school system allows us the Wednesday before Thanksgiving off. Several districts I have worked in before had us working until noon on Wednesday. I feel much less rushed and able to enjoy the holiday more since I can do preparing the day before.

So what is going on in the Steffes house in 2011? Ashley and Eric came home from Indiana last night and we visited shortly before going to bed. We woke up bright and early on Wednesday, though, as we all had big lists of things to accomplish!

Ashley and I had some beauty routines to attend to first, then we both headed to Walmart to do some shopping. The store wasn't busy but then again, there weren't many cashiers either. We got our supplies without any problems and headed home.

We got started right away. We got a gingerbread cake in the oven for our trifle. We made a batch of cookies for the Steffes Cookie Swap tomorrow. Ashley made a simple chocolate cookie with Nutella in it. It is so chewy and luscious! Then Ashley made pumpkin pudding for our trifle. We let the pudding cool and then I made a batch of pumpkin seed brittle to decorate the trifle top. After it cooled, we broke it into pieces. When the pudding was cool enough, we layered our trifle dessert, wrapped it up and its in the refrig cooling. We packaged up Ashley's cookies and started making my Strawberry Angel Cookies. Time for a Sonic break!

After lunch we cleaned up our messy kitchen and Ash and Eric headed over to his parent's house. All his family was in town! Bob came home with a crown roast, brussel sprouts, butternut squash, pumpkin gnocchi and some good looking bread. Our Thanksgiving dinner with the four of us is tonight! I think we are going to be fed well!

Happy Thanksgiving Eve to all!

Love the Pie Project

noreply@blogger.com (Terri) — Thu, 17 Nov 2011 21:43:00 +0000

I think pie making is a fading art. In order to preserve this wonderful dessert, I am participating in this linky party! Click the picture to go see a lovely world of pie, pie and more pie!

Love the Pie

Here are a couple of yummy pie links that have been previously posted here at Lakewood Manor. They are worth repeating and sharing!

Cracker Pie

Paula Deen Lemon Pie

“Come join Love the Pie with TidyMom sponsored by Cherokee USA, Le Creuset, Wilton, Bags by Bloom and Harvard Common Press”

It's My Birthday!

noreply@blogger.com (Terri) — Thu, 17 Nov 2011 12:18:00 +0000

I was born November 17, 1958 to Jerry and Shirley (Holt) Oliver in Marceline, Missouri at around 3:00 a.m. There was a light snow that day. I was born in a hospital, the first in my family to do so. I was the oldest grandchild of Raymond and Lorraine (Wilson) Holt and Joe and Mildred (Dorrell) Oliver. I came into the world welcomed and loved. My aunts and uncles doted on my (oh yes you did, David) and I have pictures to prove it.

At Christmas 1958, I am about four weeks old here.

I love my birthdays and have never regretted any birthday that has come my way. I imagine it's because it was a time of celebration in my family. Both sides would come together, with my great grandparents, and watch me blow out a candle and take a big bite of cake. I would be wearing a fluffy {scratch} dress and black patent leather shoes that would be off my feet in a flash. I would be surrounded with all kinds of girly toys.

Today I am 53 and so grateful for every year! I will say that I don't feel 53 but I believe that is due to a profession where it is ok to show your inner child (elementary principal) and the more often you do, the better!

I am looking forward to opening the cards and letters that have been arriving at the house for the past week and opening the gift that Bob left for me. Still surrounded with all kinds of girly things! I am looking forward to my morning phone call to my mom who will spoil me with words of love and praise as she does every day. I am looking forward to my students giving me homemade cards and the text messages from my nieces and nephews and posts from my Facebook friends.

God continues to bless me with birthdays, so I am going to love each and every minute of it!

A Mizzou Tailgate!

noreply@blogger.com (Terri) — Tue, 15 Nov 2011 13:30:00 +0000

We love our Mizzou Tigers! Bob and I have bought season tickets since 1980 (student tickets!) and this year was no different. However, what was different is that I missed quite a few games since I was studying and since Ash and Eric moved to Indiana. Bob and I tailgated with our University Club once and Bob has gone to other tailgates this year but finally we were able to have a tailgate this year... with Ashley and Eric!!!

It was cold... a morning game... so our tailgate focused on breakfast. Bob made a scrambled egg and sausage mix, biscuits and gravy and cinnamon rolls. Bob placed a broken biscuit in a bowl, covered it with scrambled eggs and sausage, then poured gravy over it all. It was hot and delicious!

Ashley and i snuggled into our blankets and watched the other tailgaters. It is so much fun. Across the way someone had a World Series Cardinal flag flying under the Mizzou flag. Cool! One couple brought a firepit with them. Our neighbors had a kerosene burner with them.

This was a fun tailgate, mainly because we were with our kids and we were excited about seeing Mizzou beat #16 Texas (which they did!).

Cooking Together

noreply@blogger.com (Terri) — Sun, 13 Nov 2011 21:45:00 +0000

I think most people know that Bob is considered the cook of the house... but it wasn't always the case. Ask Ashley, I am sure she remembers "Invent A Casserole" and other famous dishes! Bob made a suggestion that the two of us go to a cooking class together in Columbia that was hosted by Inside Columbia magazine. Our class was Cooking with Wine. It was so much fun and we learned a lot! We thank Craig Cyr, from the Wine Cellar and Bistro for his excellent instuction!


Cute aprons!

Ingredients for a Norton wine sauce

Reducing the wine sauce at the MAJOR stove

Yummy!

If you would like more information about these classes, visit their website at http://comoculinaryadventures.com/. You can see a list of chefs and any upcoming classes. Bob is doing the Holiday Baking 101 class next.

11-11-11

noreply@blogger.com (Terri) — Fri, 11 Nov 2011 17:15:00 +0000

I love unique moments i think today qualifies! Did you mark this moment in your life?

Driving back to school!

Happy Halloween!

noreply@blogger.com (Terri) — Mon, 31 Oct 2011 12:57:00 +0000

Bob and I would like to extend a Happy Halloween to all our friends and family. Be safe and enjoy the shivery thrills this time of year brings!

The Greatest Game in Baseball!

noreply@blogger.com (Terri) — Mon, 31 Oct 2011 00:53:00 +0000

Game 6 of the 2011 World Series! It is (was) on my bucket list to see a World Series Game preferably one where the Cardinals played and this was the year! Bob had a ticket to game 2 while he was in St. Louis for a business trip and I bought two for us on a speculation that the Cards would be playing a game 6.

The game was originally set for Wednesday, October 26 but due to some bad weather, the game was postponed for Thursday, October 27. I was thrilled when my superintendent allowed me to switch my personal days! Bob and I drove up separately since he had to work on Thursday in St. Louis. I left school and drove to the hotel, and met Bob. We jumped into his car and drove to the stadium. We parked really close and then walked around to enjoy the festivities. There were bands, vendors, TV stations, the latest two World Series trophies, and the best people watching ever!

We walked into the stadium and looked at the various souvenirs. We bought a few small Christmas gifts and a couple of gifts for the boys who take care of Wilson and Truman when we are away. Bob (the smart one when it comes to dressing appropriately) had dressed himself in many layers. I, on the other hand, had on my short sleeved T shirt and a Mizzou jacket. Not nearly enough. By the third inning I was freezing. Bob went for some hot dogs and came back with a fleece blanket! I was toasty warm for the rest of the game!

The game was so exciting.... just being around that many Cardinal fans who are so enthusiastic! It is such a great feeling! Every time the Cards did something great, we were high fiving all the fans around us. It was so fun!

The seventh inning was the game changing, Series changing event. You can read about it in so many venues that I won't go into it here. I can just say I am so glad that I didn't leave early (who would, considering it was the W O R L D S E R I E S.) and how wonderful it was to see the Cards never give up. Such a great lesson in perseverence!

The fact that the game was won in part by a local boy, David Freese. I love stories like his!

Another bucket list item checked. A moment of a lifetime that turned into a lifetime memory!