Well, it's been a long couple of weeks with with work and a couple trips to St. Louis, but I'm back and better than ever. As you all probably know, I am a bit of a baseball fanatic. So, nothing was going to stop me from going to the All Star Game in my favorite city, St. Louis. We arrived in St. Louis the day before to watch the Home Run Derby. The town was all decorated up with banners and fanfare celebrating the big occasion. Across from Busch Stadium, there were tents set up with vendors selling All Star gear and activities for the fans to enjoy. It was so exciting to see fans from all across the country. After a few margaritas at TGI Friday's, we were ready for the Home Run Derby to begin. The crowd erupted as Albert Pujols was announced. He was the last batter in the first round, so it was an agonizing wait. In the end, he put on a good show, but not good enough to win.

The next day we got up early and were surprised when we found out that Lou Brock would be signing autographs across from the stadium. I stood in line for one hour to meet one of the greatest Cardinals ever. My heart was pounding as my turn came up. I was face to face with a hall of famer. When I came up he fist pounded me and said, "What's up girl?!". He even had his World Series ring on! I touched it when I fist pounded him!!! Ahhh, priceless moment. Next up was the parade of players. The mascots came out first throwing prizes into the crowd. The San Diego Padres mascot threw me a cupholder. People went crazy trying to catch things as they were thrown into the sea of fans. The players drove in one by one riding in the back of Chevy pick up trucks. I took some great pictures of Albert Pujols, Derek Jeter, Yadier Molina, and more that I will post later. The Cardinals closer, Ryan Franklin, threw me some beads (this was not Mardi Gras though, I did not take my top off, lol). After the parade, we went to Fan Fest over at the Edward Jones Dome. There was something for everyone in there: batting cages, video games, former and present day players giving autographs, and tons of baseball history to explore. I was fortunate enough to get former Yankee pitcher Tommy Johns autograph. For those of you who don't know, he's the pitcher they named the "Tommy John's" shoulder surgery after. So cool! After Fan Fest, we walked back over to the stadium to get ready for the All Star Game. Well, President Obama threw out the first pitch, Albert made a huge error in the first inning, and you all probably know how the game ended with the American League winning for the thirteenth time in a row. *sigh* Like I say every season, "Maybe next year!".

That following Friday, we were back in St. Louis again to watch the first game of the second half of the season. We had amazing seats above the Cardinals dugout. Chris Carpenter pitched a gem and Albert hit two (almost three) home runs. They won 6-1 against the Arizona Diamondbacks. Since the Cards scored 6 runs, that meant 25 cent coffee the next day. Bonus! It was a great week. One that I will never forget.

Oh, and I have a special announcement to make. Nyssa is joing the United States Air Force. I won't be leaving for basic training until January, so I'll keep on posting until then. It's a big step for me, but it's a challenge that I can't wait to take on. It will be an honor to serve my country, and I feel it will be a rewarding way to advance my future. Until then, I will be working hard to graduate at the top of my training class. I look forward to the next few months that I have left in Missouri. After that, the world is my playground!

God bless and goodnight all!

Nyssa