Astros World Series Trophy Tour

Happy Monday! I hope you had a great weekend!

We had an amazing weekend to say the least and the highlight of our weekend was seeing the Commissioner's Trophy from the 2017 World Series (earned by the Astros, of course)!

A local business decided to add our town as a stop on the World Series trophy tour and the rest is history!

As a little back story - in January of this year, the Astros hosted a "fan fest" event in Houston which is a free event to enter, but there are several "extra" options you have to pay for (including a picture with the World Series trophy). Well, we obtained the entry passes but did not snag the "extra" options in time before they sold out. Also, fan fest was held on the weekend we returned from Dopey Challenge and an extra 2 hour drive "just because" didn't sound like much fun at the time, especially since all of the events I was interested in were sold out already. So, we missed out. I assumed I would see the trophy at some point during a game this season, but to have it up close and personal like this was an even better treat!

The local Toyota dealership went all out with this event including Cracker Jack, Popcorn, Sunflower seeds, hot dogs, and hamburgers!

A local news outlet was also at the event and they interviewed several fans (including us) which was fun!

Buy me some (popcorn) and cracker jack...

We arrived early and the line went pretty quick!

The Astros game was also playing on several tv's inside the show room floor!

Brayden LOVED his first taste of popcorn!

As a surprise, the Astros mascot (Orbit) was there, too! I told him that I loved his ring, so he had to show it off! 

No inappropriate pictures with the trophy, please. Seriously...it's sad they even have to tell people that.

This was seriously so cool to see in person!

It's so shiny! (Then I started singing that song from Moana...)

No trophy tour is complete without a selfie!

After we finished with our pictures, we sat for a minute to text people and post to social media. Orbit walked by and started "helping" Brayden with his game. I died.

Oh yes, and while waiting, they called a door prize number and guess what? It was mine! I won this orange Astros hat! YAY!

Sunday afternoon was SO much fun and I really appreciate the Tarver family for hosting this event! Seeing the World Series trophy in person with my little family was a pretty incredible experience, one I'll never forget!

World Series Champions

Source

When you reminisce about your childhood and the way you were raised, there are few things that have remained consistent through time. You could say that family, faith, and some friends have always been there, but as times change and children grow into teenagers and then adults, few hobbies/likes/dislikes stayed constant.
 
As far back as I can remember, baseball has always been a huge part of my family life. From April to October, you could almost always catch an afternoon or evening game on our television. If we weren't watching baseball on TV, we were playing baseball/softball at the ball fields or even better, we were attending a game at the Astrodome or Minute Maid Park.

Those rainbow seats, the giant scoreboard, Orbit running around on the field, Junction Jack, Tal's Hill, the roar of thousands and thousands of Houston fans...there's just not quite anything else like it in the world. 

Throughout my childhood, we took yearly summer vacations to Houston where we would spend a day at Astroworld (rest in peace) followed up with an Astros game the next day.

As a teen, my dad and I formed a bond over our love for this sport. One day, he showed me his box of baseball cards that dated back to the 1960's and I was instantly fascinated. During those teenage years when relationships can be strained between a kid and their parents, my dad and I spent HOURS at local card shops over the weekends, scouring through boxes and boxes of baseball cards. I was determined to find rookie cards of all of my favorite Astros and I almost succeeded. Those cards still remain in a box under my bed to this day and I pull them out on the random occasion to take a walk down memory lane.

It's funny how over time, those moments and memories come and go....even funnier how a smell or sound can bring us right back to that moment and all of those memories come flooding back. Baseball will do that to you. It's a sport where you can experience some really big highs and some really incredible lows. It's an unpredictable game and one that makes you truly believe that anything can happen.

Biggio, Bagwell, the Killer B's - the mid to late 1990's were perhaps one of my favorite times as an Astros fan, as my true love for this organization began to develop. I spent many a night cheering on my favorite boys of summer as they went through division wins to the playoffs, the World Series in 2005, and back to the rebuilding process to start over from scratch again. Watching Craig Biggio receive his Hall of Fame plaque in Cooperstown New York two summers ago was a pretty special moment, too.

Now that I'm a parent, I want to pass on the tradition of the love for this sport to my son - one that began back with my own grandfather and his son (my dad). I want to tell him stories of how I grew up watching baseball with my dad and how 9 innings of a World Series game on November 1, 2017 was added to the list as one of the best moments of my life.

I honestly never ever thought I would see the day when the Astros would win the World Series. Not at all because I didn't believe in them, but because luck never seemed to be on their side.

The. World. Series. Y'all. Somehow it still hasn't fully sunk it.

I finally understand how Saints fans felt back in 2010...and Cubbies fans felt last year. When your team, a team you've been following most of your life is able to accomplish what seems to be a near impossible feat, it's one of the most incredible feelings in the world. I'm pretty sure I'm still walking on cloud 9.

Thank you, Astros. Thank you for allowing the heart of a young girl and her dad form a bond over the love of a team and a sport. Thank you for showing people everywhere that anything is possible if you believe. Thank you for giving hope to the city of Houston after such devastation. Thank you for a lifetime of precious memories. You will never know how much it truly means to me.

Dopey Challenge Training Week 18

How is it already Friday again?! I honestly can't believe how fast this year is going by! Each passing day draws us closer and closer to Dopey Challenge and I cannot wait!

How did this week go? Let's take a look and see!

 
Currently Training For:

• Dopey Challenge 2018 - Walt Disney World
• Rock n Roll New Orleans Half Marathon 2018 - New Orleans, LA

Saturday - 14 mile training run
Sunday - Rest Day
Monday - 3 miles
Tuesday - Squats/Lunges/PT with cross training
Wednesday - Rest Day
Thursday - 4 mile run
Friday - Rest Day

This week has been a good but busy one! Along with work, life's daily duties were busy as well. We had dinner with Jason's dad one night followed by dinner with my parents the next. Add in a trip to the pumpkin patch as well as a couple of World Series games and well, there you have my week! A cold front also came through this week which felt incredible and I loved every minute! It's supposed to rain again today to cool off for the weekend! Here's hoping!

Saturday's run was the longest one of this training cycle yet! I ran 14 miles and shared my experiences on Monday. 

One of the best parts of recovering from that training run was a soak with this amazing bath bomb! I definitely need more of these!

On Monday after work, Jason, Brayden, and I completed three miles. I didn't have a chance to take any pictures as we were pressed for time a bit.

Thursday after work, Brayden and I went out for a four mile run. It was a great one with awesome weather! I'm seriously loving it!

Friday will be a rest day since I'm planning on running a 10K on Saturday. I'd planned on running 6 miles anyway and this 10K is one of the only ones in my home town, so why not?! I'm not attempting to PR or go crazy - I just want to run it and have fun!

As I mentioned, we also visited the pumpkin patch this week, so I have to leave you with one of my favorite pictures from our trip!

He LOVED playing at the pumpkin patch - we will have to visit again soon (maybe even today if it's not raining)!

Last but not least, I'm SO excited for the Astros who are holding their own in the World Series! Wednesday night's game was amazing and I can't wait to see more! I've been sporting Astros gear to work all week! :)

Go 'stros!

Have a fabulous weekend!!

Goodbye, Baseball!

We began 2016's baseball season by welcoming Brayden into the world (I was literally in labor on opening day) and last night, we said goodbye to 2016's season with the end of the World Series.

 
It's been a really fun season of baseball for my family and I! We brought Brayden to his very first Astros game in Houston and we attended a Texas Rangers game (vs the Astros) when we visited family in Dallas over Labor Day Weekend.

During my maternity leave and the early weeks of Brayden's life, we watched nothing but baseball games in the evenings and the Astros stayed on our living room television almost nightly.

 
This 2016 World Series is truly the thing dreams are made of - two teams who haven't won championships in YEARS, the Cubs since 1908 and the Indians since 1948. They both fought hard and played their hearts out but in the end, the curse of the goat was lifted and Chicago ultimately won the championship by 1 run in extra innings. I love it when the World Series extends into game 7, where two teams who are equally matched play it out until the end. I wasn't necessarily "for" either team, but it was so much fun to watch! Both teams and their fans should be proud!!

What a great and fun filled six months it's been and I'm sad to say it's officially over!

There's no crying in baseball, until it's the end of the season that is!

Goodbye, baseball! See ya next Spring!