Good-bye 2007, Hello 2008!!

It is New Year's Eve and I am patiently waiting for 2007 to go byebye! 2007 wasn't the greatest year for me...I was unemployed most of the time, I lost my cat Climber (he led a great life for 20 years), and there were other low points. However, I currently happily employed (Wolfgang Pucks at St. Louis Art Museum- come visit me and have lunch!!), I have money in my back account :), everybody is healthy, and so far 2008 looks to start off w/ a bang. Granted I'm not feeling too hot at the moment(nothing major), so I will be lounging around for New Year's Eve, but hey other than that 2008 is looking good from this side! For those of you who are healthy and have plans for tonight, drink something for me, and have lots of fun (but be safe) and I'll see ya in 2008!!
HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!!

Changes for 2008

New in 2008
*A change of address. This will be the biggest change for me (that I know of-however I would love for some bigger and better changes to happen too). Now that I have a job and money, I am on the search for an Apartment!! I am looking for a 1 or 2 bedroom place in Kirkwood or some place close to 44, as I take 44 to work everyday. I am looking online at the moment, I am going to start going to places and touring soon. I am thinking February as my moving month; get a coupla more paychecks in my bank account. Phantom (my scardey cat) will be moving with me, other than him I don't think I will be looking for a roommate. It will be nice having a place of my own, even tho I will miss Loki. I look forward to the new independence. Any tips on apartment searching, living or any other relevant tips will be appreciated.
*New editions (the furry kind!) to my family: After a month or so of Phantom being the king of the roost, I will be adopting another cat or two. One will be a black kitten (they are not bad luck and need love too) and then the other will be a mix of Maine Coon or Norweigen Forest (they supposedly like water), plus I like their long fur. I will be looking at the Humane Society for my new furry friends.
*I am also going to start working out more; I need to drop a few pounds. Don't start; I need to do this for my knees- the less weight on them the better (This comes from my knee doctor). Plus I'm not happy with my weight; it has increased waaay to much for me. I also want to get in better shape.
*Possibly starting on my Masters. I have always said that I would go back for my masters and I fully intend to do that. However, I am paying for it this time around. So I have to consider other financial responsibilities first; regular bills and rent. So we'll see how things go and possibly enroll in the Spring Semester. If not then, the Fall Semester. Only a few classes, have to balance work with school.
*That's all that I know of. However, I'm sure God has plans for me. Whatever they may be. I hope that he continues to bless me and my family with good health. 2007 hasn't been the greatest of years for me; being unemployed- in a constant search for a job, broke most of the time, not to mention my negative attitude based on my situation. I am hopeful that 2008 will be better, not only for me but for everyone else; family and friends. I have absolutely no clue how I'm going to be ringing in the new year (typical but whatever).
So Merry Christmas too all and Happy New Year!!

Christmas 2007

Merry Christmas to all!! Santa was very good to the Noel family this Christmas. The happiest it seems is my dad. Mom and I went in together and got an ipod nano (4 GB silver) for him. He is estatic! He has been downloading songs from albums all day. As I type he is dancing around the house, literally. I think he is extremly happy with his gift. Even Loki is happy with her present from Santa Dog; a new squeaky cow (aka Frankenmoo b/c the old one was too beat up). She was making us throw it while we were unwrapping presents. I have already had to stitch Frankenmoo up, his neck ripped.

We opened presents around 9ish, Mark played his new Wii game (I watched my new movie Bring It On: In it to Win it- I don't like video games), Mom and I set up my new Jewelery Armoire (its really big!), then we watched Hairspray (finally, our DVD player doesn't like it so we hooked another DVD player so Dad and Mark could see it), then we finished March of The Wooden Soldiers (started it last night but parents went to bed before finishing it). There is a Marathon of Stargate SG1 today on SciFi. Whoohoo!

Mom has started to cook Christmas dinner. The ham isn't in the oven yet b/c my little turkey is in there. Mom is prepping it tho. I hate Ham, so I get a mini turkey and everyone eats ham and everybody is happy. I had yesterday off (yay!) as well as today. T/m is back to work, shouldn't be too bad. Going a bit stir crazy here.

Let it Snow and Snow and Snow!!

This weekend we got our first snowstorm for the first time in years!! I doubted the newscasters up until I woke up Saturday morning and discovered the front lawn blanketed with the fluffy white stuff and more coming down. Thankfully, my parents had the foresight to park my car in the driveway so that my car wouldn't get trapped. However, since I didn't move my car until Sunday afternoon, I got both doses of the snow storm on my car. We got a total of 7 inches!!!!! Whoohooo!! And my car was under it all....not fun uncovering it. This is the earliest we have been hit with snow in a long time, and the most snow we have gotten in years! I am hoping this is a preview of what's to come. I would love a white Christmas and a white New Years!! I am absolutly loving this snow!! I am not enjoying the ice underneath tho. But for the most part I am loving this weather! So Bring on The Snow! As the song goes, Let it snow, Let it snow, Let it snow!!!

Shop 'Til Ya Drop, Then Shop Some More!

This past weekend I went down to the Lake of the Ozarks w/ my mother and some of her friends. Girls only weekend!! We stayed in a nice condo and shopped in the Outlet malls and some side stores. Our shopping expedition started on Friday, November 23rd; (Yes, I know; Black Friday). But there were some awesome deals to be had. I got some great deals! My best (and first) find were these brown ankle boots. They were originally 60 bucks, but on sale for 30, plus I had a 15% coupon for them! They are awesome!!!! I found them at the Naturalizer Store. My next find was a jacket w/ a detachable hood (not a formal one like I was looking for but still nice) at Bass. It was on sale for 50% off, and I had an additional 20% off coupon!! It's a nice navy blue w/ four pockets on the front and one hidden pocket on the inside of the jacket. Then onto Bath and Body Works (of course!) where I got an Orange Ginger lotion for mom, a Lavender Vanilla (for sleep) lotion for me, both Aromatherapy. I had another coupon :) so I got a free bottle of Cucumber Melon body lotion, and the I picked up a antibacterial lotion (Country Apple) so I could get the gift they were giving if you spent $30 or more. The gift itself is worth almost $40!! We shopped all afternoon on Friday. We had Outback for dinner, then watched Hairspray and Knocked up that night. Saturday morning we were at it again. I picked up a three set of gold hoops in various sizes (20% off coupon). Then I finally found some cute sketchers shoes I liked, went in w/ another gal and got one pair at 50% off, split the bill even. We went to Mikasa (a glass store), that unfortunately is closing. Mom picked out a tulip glass vase, and then three bud vases of various colors. We then went on to little antique stores where I picked up a simple blue glass vase. I also got some choc. covered raisens at one store. I also found my Christmas Ornament for this year, a little snowman w/ the Cardinals Logo on it, that lights up. All in all, I did very well.
*Oh yea, another big highlight of the weekend was I got my first paycheck from work!!!! My biggest paycheck yet!! I was soooo excited to get it!!

Turkey Day 2007

Happy Thanksgiving to all!! Today is (obviously) Thanksgiving Day. We have already enjoyed our wonderful dinner and now are watching 'Evan Almighty'. We watched 'Big Trouble In Little China' earlier. We were planning on watching 'Hairspray', however the stupid disk does not work! Grrr, I've been looking forward to watching this since we picked it up Tuesday. Anyways...back to the dinner; We of course had turkey, which my brother named Charlie. Don't ask me why, cause I have no idea. We also had hasbrown casserole, corn, stuffing, cranberries (which I didn't eat), and noodles w/ cheese (long noodles w/ velveetta cheese- grandma's tradition). Pumpkie Pie and Apple Pie are sitting on the counter waiting for us to enjoy. Which will be soon. T/m mom and I leave for Lake of the Ozarks to do shopping at the Outlet Malls. Yes, we are going to go shopping on Black Friday. We are sharing a condo with a group of friends; just the girls. Be back on Sunday; hopefully with some bargains. I am really looking for a long formal coat. One that would look nice over suits and dresses. Loki is snoozing at dad's feet. She had the zoomies earlier while Dad was laying on the floor; we have a video to proove this. It is quite entertaining. Work has been going well, I am really enjoying it. Especially since the Chefs can make me whatever I want to eat for lunch! So far I've only asked for pasta and chicken ceasar salad. Well the movie is getting to be quite entertaining, so I will once again wish everyone a Happy Thanksgiving!! Thank you to all of my friends and brothers; you are all amazing in your own way! Love you all!

JBear got a job!!

That's right, I got a job!! Granted it is a part time job, but it has the potential to grow to full time. I got the job on Halloween. I am a Catering Admin. Asst for the Wolfgang Puck Restaurant at the St. Louis Art Museum. I first interviewed w/ them 2 weeks ago, and didn't hear anything so I assumed I didn't get the job, but then I got a phone call on Tuesday to set up a second interview on Wed (Halloween!). I ended up getting hired a few hours after my interview. I am doing a variety of things, booking reservations for events at the Museum, setting up staff sheets (who does what and when), invoices, thank you letters, and so on. My boss told me that the more events I attend and help out w/ the more I'll learn and the more I'll be able to do (which could lead to more hours). Also it could lead to a promotion faster! I am assisting the Catering Event Coordinator essentially. This is a pretty good fit for me; I like to work with pppl and plan stuff. Granted I'm not planning anything at the moment but maybe eventually I will.

Ode to a new Hairdryer

So yesterday my hair dryer decided to not work; the low speed worked but not the high speed. Not good, it took me twice as long to dry my hair. So last night, I went to Walmart w/ dad and got a new hair dryer. I purchased a ConAir (a very good brand for hair styling tools) Tourmaline Ceramic styling system. Its an Ion shine 1875 watts. It came with three styling tools; a Straightneing Pic for smoothing and straightening, a Diffuser for curly and wavy styles, and my new fave a Concentrator for pinpoint styling. I was very happy when I dried my hair this morning; I used the Concentrator and was extremly happy with the results. I was able to style my hair a lot easier. It came out looking like how my hair stylist styled it when I got it cut on Friday. Lots of volume and it curled easier. I am very happy with this purchase.
*On a side note, Conair is my brand for stlying tools. I used to have this cordless curling iron from them and it was the BEST curling iron!! Unfortunately it wasn't working so great and I didn't replace it when I saw others, then I left it at a friends and told him to get rid of it, not relizing that these things are impossible to find at stores. However, I checked out the Conair site and have found it! It costs more than I want to pay for it, but I might just splurge b/c it is sooo worth it!!

Go Rockies

Sadly the Cardinals did not make the playoffs this year. The Chicago Cubs were the NL Central Division Champs. Luckily, The Arizona Diamondbacks also made the playoffs; they swept the Cubbies 3-0 in the first round. Then the D'backs went on to the NL Division Championship vs. the Colorado Rockies. Rockies sweept them, the D'backs did their job; they knocked the Cubbies out! Whoohoo! The Rockies are in the World Series for the very first time! Hence I want them to win. Even more reason for them to win; the Boston Red Sox- who swept the Cards in the '04 series, are their opponents. I do not want the Red Sox to win. I would really like the Rockies to win. The first World Series game starts today October 24th! So root for the Rockies!!

Jocketty out, LaRussa in

Well, as many of you already may know, the Cardinals have parted ways w/ General Manager Walt Jocketty. Stupid decision on upper managements part. So now we don't know who the new GM for the Cardinals will be. After Jocketty and the Cardinals parted ways, questions began to arise about LaRussa; whether he would stay or go. Several sports casters implied that LaRussa would follow former Yankee's (and former Card's manager) manager Joe Torre, and manage the Yankees. Torre left the Cards for the Yankees. Torre has recently quit as being the manager for the Yankees. Thankfully, LaRussa has signed a two year contract to continue managing the "Birds on the Bat". The future is uncertain for Jocketty, yet I wish him well and wish that he was still the GM for the Cardinals.

R.I.P. Climber- End of an Era

Climber ~Febuary 14, 1987-September 25, 2007~ Today was one of the hardest days in my life. Today we had to put down our beloved cat, Climber. He was 20 years old. He was ready to go; at the Vet's office he allowed us to cuddle him in a towel and play with his paws; when he was at his best he never allowed us to do either. His fur was severly matted and lumped together, you could almost feel every bone in his body and he was constantly hungry; he could never get enough food in his stomach. Poor baby.
We adopted Climber from the Humane Society of Missouri when I was in Kindergarten. Show and Tell was big back then. Pet week came and all we had were fishes; that didn't cut it. So we went to the Humane Society and I got to choose a kitten. We got to one of the cages; and I pointed to this white fluffy kitty. However, there was this kitten with four white paws who had climbed up three feet on the fence seperating the kittens from the visitors. While I may have originally wanted the white fluffy one, we got the climbing kitten. Hence the name, Climber. We brought him to show and tell. All of those kids with grabby hands; Climber freaked and hid under a cabinet. A year after we got Climber, we adopted Sparkle, our second cat (and my first cat). At first, Climber was very wary of Sparkle. Eventually he warmed up to her and they became best friends. They were always cuddling and doing everything together.
Climber was never a cuddle cat; oh no he was a biter. He was a definate lap cat; he would plop himself on your lap and stay there until either he got bored or you pushed him off. He also liked to randomly attack people. He once attacked a neighbors son for absolutely no reason (or at least to us). Most cats when they roll over and expose their bellies, you think awww what a cute kitty they want a belly rub. When Climber did this, we were like "Oh crap, the cats up to something". Over the years Climber accumulated a variety of nicknames; Fat Cat, Tub of Lard (at one point he was quite fat, he got sick on his 19th birthday and lost a lot of weight and never gained it back), Tyrant, King Tut (he acted like he was the king of the house and everyone must obey him), Climy, Clim-Clim, and many others which I can't remember.
Mom and I cried like babies at the Vet's office when it came time to say goodbye. We put his "lovie" (an old golf sock which he used to sing operas to) with him. Luckily, the people at the Vet's understood what we were going thru and gave us tissues. I am going to miss him something him fierce. Climber was with me all thru school, from Kindergarten to college graduation. He was 20 years old and was well loved. He is in a better place; he is no longer in pain, no longer hungry, his furry is all shinny and soft, he is back with his best friend/wife Sparkle. (Yes, we married the cats; Shadow was a bridesmaid- very comical). He is in heaven now and he is much happier. A part of me is screaming "No, no, no, I want my kitty back now!!", while the more reasonable part of me relizes that this was the right thing to do. As hard as it was to do, I know we did the right thing for him. I just hope he is not upset with us for keeping him so long and not allowing him to go out with more dignity.

Let's Go Cardinals!!

It is officially September and the Cards are turning up the heat. They beat the Pirates 6-2 last night. Joel Pinero picked up another win last night, proving why he should remain in the starting rotation. A lot of Cardinal news here so here we go:
*Right Feilder Juan Encarnacion is done for the season. Due to an eye injury. He was standing in the on-deck circle when he was hit by a foul tip off the bat Aaron Miles on last Friday nights game. Encarnacion was hospitalized for a few days, he is now at home resting. The prognosis is unsure. All that is offically known is that he can not play baseball right now. For more on this story click here and here.
*Rick Ankiel is still HOTT! He continues to get great and timely hits. He also has been showing off his arm, runners might want to think twice about going for that extra ball if Ankiel is the recipient of the hit ball.
*Catcher Yadier Molina is heating up. He has been hiting a lot more, and picking up some more homeruns and RBI's.
*It appears that third baseman Scott Rolen is out for the season. He will be having shoulder surgery some time soon and his 2007 season is over. Recovery time is expected to be six weeks as he is having a "cleanout" rather than a major surgery. This should not affect his ability to play in the 2008 season. Lucky for the Cards, they have newcomer Russel Branyan (who hit a homerun last night in first game in a Cardinals uniform!!) Branyan comes to us from the Phillies.
*Miguel Cairo has also been added to the roster, and he is proving himself a valuable asset.
*September call ups!! Those returning to the fold are Skip Schumaker, Brad Thompson, Kelvin Jimenez, Andy Cavazos, and Kelly Stinett. Reliever Brian Falkenborg,and infielder Brian Barden also have been called up. Unfortunately, John Rodriguez (J-Rod) will not be called up as he had knee surgery (?) and is done for the season.
*Starting Pitcher Mark Mulder is back!!! He is making his first start tonight since the 2006 season. While I am excited about his return, I am unsure of how his debut will go. I am hopefull that he will be the Mark Mulder of old and provide us with another reliable pitcher.
*Mike Maroth is also back, he will be on the mound Thursday night. If he can get back in shape and Mulder has his old stide back, we will have a great rotation of Joel Pinero, Adam Wainwright, Braden Looper, Mike Maroth, and Mark Mulder. If Kip Wells can get his act together the Cards stand a decent chance of going to the playoffs.
*The Cardinals are 1 game out of first place in the Central Division.
*Should the Cardinals win tonight they will be 2 games over 500, something they have not done all season.
*Tonight's Game: Starting pitcher Mark Mulder returns to take on Pitsburgh Pirates Righty Tony Armas (2-5 w/ an ERA of 6.75) at Busch Stadium. Game time is 7:10 PM. However, it was raining earlier, so I expect a delay.
*Por Siempre: Let's Go Cardinals!!

The Rally Squirrel

Last night, Busch Stadium had a very interesting visitor; a squirrel. The squirrel was perched on top of a foul poll when the fireworks went off. Apparently these fireworks, gave the little guy quite a fright, and he subsequently jumped 40 feet to the field. He lay a bit stunned near the Bud Light sign in the outfield for a few innings. FSN had cameras focus in on him a coupla times, as they were getting a lot of concerned emails regarding the little critter. Cardinal players dubbed him the "Rally Squirrel". He enjoyed the outfield before going into the Cardinals bull pen. The players attempted to catch him, but he proved smarter and went back out to the outfield. He enjoyed a piece of popcorn, and then visited the visiting team, The Pirates, in their dugout. He was eventually caught in a sunflower seed bucket. Click here for the tale and the amusing video! Hopefully the squirrel will be back and give the Cardinals some luck.

CARDS = Come August, Ready Division Series

The St. Louis Cardinals have been much like the August weather in St. Louis; HOTT! The birds on the bat seem to be putting the pedal to the medal and starting to shift gears towards winning more games. They swept the Brewers in a crucial series last week and now sit just 3 games out of first place in the central division. Cards bats are heating up; The MV3 (Rolen,Edmonds, and Pujols) are starting to hit w/ more consistency. The Cards have also gained more power in Rick Ankiel who has been hitting the ball hard and making great plays in the outfield. Cards also picked up Joel Pinero who has been doing well. Kip Wells also appears to be doing much better; he is finally getting run support and keeping the opposition from scoring, much less hitting too much. Adam Wainwright continues to impress, with a record of 11-9 and an ERA of 3.99. Overall for the month of August, the ERA's for the Cardinals pitching as a whole has gone down. Their hitting percentage and winning percentage have gone up.
Good news for the Cardinals in regards to pitcher Mark Mulder; he is getting closer to returning. With ace Carpenter out for the season, the return of Mulder is much needed. Mulder made his second start in his rehab assignment; and was efficient throwing 48 pitches- 34 strikes and 14 balls- through four innings. For more on his progress along with progress on Todd Wellenmeyer and Mike Moroth click here. Also mentioned as being banged up and getting some rest are Scott Rolen and Chris Duncan.
*Por Siempre; Let's Go Cards!!

Random Update

Good grief, I haven't blogged in a while (almost a month exactly since I last blogged to be exact). So here's what has gone down in the month of August:
*NVC was amazing!!! I had soooo much fun. I stirred up trouble in all of the workshops I attended. I finally got to meet a brother I've been friends w/on Facebook; he has now "banned" me from his future workshops; yeah right, good luck w/ that Brother Justin!
*Mom got a new car! Its a 2007 Pontiac Vibe! It's an SUV- kinda. Mom calls it a wannabe: it can't decide whether it wants to be a car, a minivan or a SUV. It gets great milage so far 28 mpg. She is very happy with it.
*My little brother, golum, got a new car...kinda. He inherited my mom's red '99 cavalier. Mom traded in his '99 Sonoma Truck when she got her vibe. So now I'm the only one in the family w/o keyless entry and power locks and windows. Granted my car is a year younger than Marks, its still a very basic model- I love it tho. My next car will be a SUV tho. Don't know when I'll be getting said SUV, but whatever.
*Cardinals have been heating up. They swept the Brewers in a crucial series. They then played the Cubbies where they went 1-2, with one game rained out. Cards now are 3 games out of first place. Cub (major suprise here) are in first place (no really they are). Brew Crew are even with the Cubbies.
*I get to go to my fourth Cardinals Game on August 24th w/ the EMAA crew!! I also have tickets for the September 17th Game- Yadier Molina Bobblehead night!! Whoohoo!!
*I am 8-12 in my fantasy baseball league. Not bad but not the greatest either.
*Went to see Les Mis w/ EMAA at the Muny. Loved it! Music was incredible, good voices, excellent orchestra. It was hot, but overall a good night.
*My job hunt continues (suprise, suprise). I try to be optimisitic, but its hard. I have a hard time wondering what makes me so unemployable. I thought that my education would be a great assest and now I wonder why I spent so much time earning my bachelors if all I'm going to do is random temporary assignments?
*New living room furniture and a new dinet set are on their way; well kinda. Mom and dad selected a new sofa, loveseat, and rocker for the living room, as well as a new kitchen table and new chairs for the kitchen. The living room stuff should be here in about 2 weeks or so. Kitchen is going to take longer, anywhere from a month to two months. I think its crazy, but mom tells me that's typical. I woulda negotiated an early arrival of the furniture but hey we've been dealing with the furniture we currently have for a long time, we can live with it until the new stuff arrives. The living room furniture is kinda of a sage green and the fabric is a micro suede, and very comfy ( mom took me to American where they ordered the stuff for me to see). The kitchen table is almost identical to the one we have now except it has some fancy engraving on the sides which matches the engraving on the back of the chairs. The chairs have cushions built in, so puppy can't steal the cushions (as she does now).

Random

Okay, lot of stuff to say, so here goes:
*Recently had to get new sunglasses as my darling puppy, Loki, ate a second pair of sunglasses. Plus my backup pairs also decided to break. I like to keep a pair in my car for various reasons; mainly I can't drive w/o sunglasses.
*Picked up two cute tops from New York and Company. One was 50% off! I love sales!
*Got a new pillow b/c the one I had was shot.
*Got a 1 and 1/2 inch memory foam mattress pad for my bed. My mattress is rock hard and I have a bad back and I hate sleeping on it. This mattress pad is heaven sent! I slept w/ it on my bed last night and was sooo comfortable for the first time in eyars.
*Had my ring checked at the Jewlers today; the stone is firmly in place and they shined it up for free. So it sparkles now! Yay!
*Leaving for Independence, MO t/m for Alphi Phi Omega's National Volunteer Conference!! So excited! Amy and Katrina are driving with me. We are stopping in Columbia and having lunch with Robert.
*Will be at the NVC Thursday thru Sunday. Get to see a lot of brothers and have fun!
*Cardinals starting pitcher Chris Carpenter is out for the season; he will be having surgery on his elbow. No idea when he will be ready to pitch next season.
*Attention all texters; I have disabled my text messaging abilities. Meaning I won't be able to send or recieve texts; which is good b/c I despise texting. I also was being charged for incoming texts (which I don't understand why I'm charged for something that I have no control over).
*I have been sunburned three times so far this summer, and theres a lot of summer left. I hate having such fair skin. Mom and Mark have the Puerto Rican skin; so they don't burn; they just get brown! So not fair, I blame it all on my gringo father! He just laughs.

That's a Winner!!

Cardinals won today, delivering the Phillies their 10, 000th loss. Cardinals beat the Phillies 10-2, Adam Wainwright getting another win. Pujols hit two homeruns today. Other players to go long today were; Adam Kennedy (his first of the season), Juan Encarnacion, Chris Duncan, and Ryan Ludwick. Wainwright was outstanding getting out of loaded bases w/ 2 outs not once but twice. Wainwright pitched 7 solid shut out innings. Pujols is on fire, he was 3 for 4 today; a single and two homeruns. Cardinals managed 3 homeruns in one inning! The game was on ESPN today (grrr), and the announcers were all ragging on the Cards and going on and on about how great the Phillies were. Yea, uh huh, the Phillies are so great they lead both leagues in losses. Cards are now 8.5 games out of first place.
*Up Next: Cards vs. Marlins at Florida 6:05 PM on FSN (yay!)
*Por Siempre: Let's Go Cardinals!!

Cardinals

Well I have been to three games so far this year. My record is 2 for 3. Last Sunday, the Cards put on a great show. I went to said game with my family. Gimlet and Froggiegirl were also in attendance, as this was Martiz Day at the Ballpark. Martiz did well in selecting seats; we had a nice view off of third base, got a free soda and a hot dog. Down side: I got sunburned. Bad. My knees are peeling now. As mentioned in my previous post, I got burned again, so I'm recovering from one sunburn only to get burned again. Not fair! Stupid gringo blood!
Anyways, the All Star game has come and gone. First baseman Albert Pujols was the only Cardinal player that got to go; and LaRussa selected him as the fans failed to vote him in. Pujols participated in the HomeRun Derby for his son (who was bummed when his daddy told him orriginally that he was not going to play). AJ (Pujols Jr.) was an absolute doll to watch! The expressions on his face when Pujols hit homeruns.
*Yadier Molina came off the DL and threw a guy out when the dummy tried to steal second, his first day back.
*Short stop David Eckstien has come off the DL and is doing well.
*Starting pitcher Chris Carpenter is making progress and is hopeful to be returning soon.
*Jim Edmonds is still on the DL, no word on when he will be returning; hopefully soon.
*Starting Pitcher Kip Wells started last nights game andlost....big suprise there. Word to LaRussa and Jocketty: either trade him or keep him in the bullpen permanently.
*The second half of the season has begun, but not very well... two losses so far. Hopefully the second half will be better than the first half.
*I am still hopefull about the Cardinals finishing the season on a high note; I am an eternal Cards fan.
*Amazingly the Cubs are still in second place...but for how long?
*The cardinals have made some outstanding plays so far this season. Chris Duncan made an amazing catch last night in the Cardinals loss to the Phillies. Duncan continues to improve as the season progresses.
*Up Next: Cards at Phillies 5:05 PM. Adam Wainwright goes to the mound to attempt to prevent a sweep. He will be facing off against Adam Eaton.
*Por Siempre: Let's Go Cards!!

Loki

Our little girl is officially one year and four months. I can still call her my puppy as Labs are puppies until they are three years old. She continues to act like a puppy and never seems to tire. This week Loki has learned a new trick; she now knows how to open the cabinets and steal tupperware. While this is highly amusing, she is putting dents and tooth marks in our tupperware. Today we took Loki down to Lost Valley Lake and she got to go swimming. We threw her retriever several times and she happily swam out to get it until she finally got tired. Unfortunately, her retriever was still out there... we had to wait until the wind blew the retriever closer and Loki finally decided to swim out and get it. Then I walked her up the hill to the showerhouse and from there mom walked her to where our friends were camping. Mom gave her a bath and we enjoyed talking with our friends while she dried off. She snoozed on the way home; she went swimming,went on a long walk, got attention: that was one tired puppy.
Yours truly got sunburned again; on the back this time. Just once I would like to be able to go out in the sun in the summer and not get burned.

Cardinals!

Okay, so the Cards have been less than stellar so far this season. I have been really busy with work and not feeling well, so I haven't blogged on the Cards lately, so here is a summary of whats up with The Birds on the Bat:
*Catcher Yadier Molina was placed on the DL yesterday, he has a fractured wrist and is expected to miss 4 to 6 weeks. This is a double blow to the Cards, not only will they miss his defense, his offense is much better this year.
*Starting Pitcher Chris Carpenter is on the DL and is expected to return mid July- early August.
*Starting Pitcher Braden Looper appears to be the best of the bunch and the biggest suprise. Looper has a record of 6-4.
*Starting Pitcher Kip wells has two whole wins under his belt. Hopefully, his time with pitching coach Dave Duncan is starting to pay off.
*First Baseman Albert Pujols seems to have shaken his slow start. His batting average is up and he is looking more comfortable at the plate.
*Third baseman Scott Rolen and Center Fielder Jim Edmonds have also started hitting more consistenty.
*Closer Jason Isringhausen is phenomenal! He has had 13 saves in 14 opportunities. He appears to back to his old self. Finally!
*Short stop David Eckstien is on a day to day DL. He is suffering from soreness in the middle of his back and hasn't played since Sunday. He is doing better.
*Left Fielder Chris Duncan is temporarily sidelined with bursitis in his left knee, and also has an ifection in the same knee. He is resting at the hotel and staying of his feet as much as possible. Duncan was sent back to St. Louis for some testing today.
*The Cardinals are 6 and a half games out of first place. The Brewers, The Pirates and (shocker of shockers) The Cubs are ahead of them.
*Late reliever Josh Hancock is being honored for the rest of the season with all players wearing the number 32 on the left arm of their jerseys. His jersey also hangs in the bullpen.
*The All Star Game is fast approaching. All members of the Cards starting line up are eligble but 2 questions, (1) Do any of them deserve to go? and (2) Will any of them make the team. Manager Tony LaRussa is managing the National League team and can bring whomever he chooses.
*Anthony Reyes was optioned to Triple A and righty Todd Wellemeyer was brought up. Wellemeyer got his first major league win last night with a Cards victory of 8-4.
Do the Cards have the chance to repeat and win the World Series? Sure, its a possibility. Is it a sure thing, no it never is. As much as we would all like to see a repeat, at this point, I am doubtful on that happening. Cards need to pick up the pace, stop making costly errors, and start giving more run support to the pitchers. Also their players need to get healthy. With aces Carpenter, Mark Mulder on the DL and not expected back until August, and Molina out of the picture for at least 4 weeks, getting everyone healthy is not going to happen any time soon.
I am still a fan of the Cardinals, always have been and always will be.
*Por Siempre, Let's Go Cards!!