While he wore the jersey for 14 years, she proudly wore hers for 3.  (more than half of her life).  It was her first jersey and I always thought it suited her personality well.   

As we listened live to Hines bid his tearful goodbye to football this afternoon, we were sad to see him go but as my 7 year old pointed out, “thankful he’s not going to play for the Ravens.” 

We’re going to miss seeing his smiling face on the practice fields at training camp this summer. 

As he retires, his jersey, it seems time to retire hers as well.  As she pointed out after the announcement, “I’m going to need a new shirt so I have a new guy to cheer for and it has to be a Steelers guy because I won’t cheer for a Raven.”

From our part of Steelers nation where we proudly wear our black and gold in a land of purple, thank you, Hines Ward.  Thank you for all you brought to the game.  Thank you for your leadership both on and off the field.  Thank you for giving us something to cheer for, for so many years.  We’ll miss you and look forward to the day we can wave our towels for you again at your induction into the Hall of Fame in Canton. 

I’ve had a few shows over the past 10 years, that I’ve really loved.  You know the ones where you connect personally with the characters in a manner some might find unhealthy?   But, if I had to pick one, as my favorite (I’d probably kick and scream begging you to not make me limit it to just one)  But, if I had to pick one, than I’d probably say it was Alias.  I remember when Scott and I first started watching, the show was already a few seasons in (which is the best way to start watching a show b/c we watched the first 2 seasons on DVD).    I don’t even want to tell you how quickly we blew through those 21 episodes, staying up way later than we should for just one more. 

I loved it. 

Alias nights quickly became one of my favorite nights of the week, as we’d sit curled up on the catching watching Jennifer Gardner get the bad guys. 

And here’s where I offer you my secret confession.  In my head, when I watched her strut around in those crazy outfits with her blue hair and high heel shoes, in my head, I thought, “I could so be her.” 

I know… stop laughing… please…

But do you ever do that sometimes?  Have this version of you in your head that is so way cooler and so waaaay unrealistic?  It happens whenever I play volleyball too.  In my head, I am suddenly this awesome athlete that dives on the ground hitting the ball up setting it perfectly for my team mate to spike on the other team.  When in reality, I am just giddy if I actually make contact with the ball in an appropriate way (rather than say, getting hit in the face).  Reality is often a cruel intrusion. 

But, back to me in my high heel shoes karate chopping the bad guys as I sneak off with the secrets of some terrorist organization. 

I am a sucker for anything CIA, FBI, or any other acronym with I in it.  If it’s a redbox night and I’m picking and I see any of the above acronyms you can bet that’s my pick.  “What’s the movie about Crystal?”  “I don’t know some CIA thing.”   My heart is racing as they sneak into the building to steal the secrets… I can’t believe it when they go snooping through the stuff while the people are in the next room… How do they do that?

Lately, my movie obsession has crossed over into my book reading as well.  Last week I plowed through the first 4 books in the Gallagher Girl series.  OK, here is where my obsession perhaps starts to get a little embarrassing, as it leads me back into the world of Young Adult Fiction.  But, truthfully, I’ve found that I like young adult fiction. (Hunger Games anyone?)  It’s clean which I appreciate and an easy read.  Anyway, Gallagher Girls is a cute series about a top secret spy school for high school girls.  A tad adolescent, I know, but by book 3 and 4 I found myself up past midnight with my little book light on eager to read on.   This weekend, I read a more adult CIA fiction book, which I would describe as realistic fiction.  It gave a much less glamorized view of the spy life than that I’d seen on TV.  And while I did enjoy it, I found myself forlornly telling Scott, “I don’t think I have what it takes to be a spy.” 

Again, stop with the laughing. 

It’s always hard when reality comes intruding again.  I had this really cool image of myself with this awesome cover (minivan driving stay at home mom) who could totally kick but with a handgun, keep cool under pressure, and karate chop better than Daniel-son.  And truthfully, I find myself realizing, I could NEVER lie to my husband, spot a tail, or shoot a bad guy.   But, I’d love to file their paper work.  Now that would be a dream job! 

It’s Monday and I’m being "Miss Elaine-ous" over at The Miss Elaine-ous Life!

Of the 32 years I’ve been a Steelers fan, I only had the joy of being a hometown fan for only 8 of those years (5 of which I was 5 and under so it doesn’t really count in my book).  My sophomore year of college, I moved to PA for 3 years.  I was thrilled to get to watch the Steelers on a weekly basis.  Unfortunately, this was during the Kordell Stewart, Tommy Maddox era, which wasn’t exactly the Steelers golden era of football.  I truly enjoyed watching The Bus in action each and every week.  Those were his glory days for sure!

Now, thanks to Direct TV’s NFL season ticket we get to watch our boys in black and gold every.single. week!! But, we still don’t really get that hometown feel.. especially living in the Baltimore area …When I step onto my back deck I am greeted with the icky colors of purple and black ALL OVER my neighbors yard.  

So,  we’ve begun making the trek to Latrobe, PA in August to watch the Steelers training camp at St Vincent’s College.  It’s our little taste of life as a hometown fan.  Since it is part way between my parents house and our place, we ended up finding a campground truly in the middle, making a weekend out of it and spending Saturday in Latrobe watching practice.   I always feel like Adam Sandler in “Fever Pitch” as we pack up to go and “check out the team.”  As if they needed us to scope out the new players.    This year Scott was especially excited to check out Baron Batch… a rookie RB he had read about that week who was apparently getting noticed on the practice field. 

Scott and I have now been 4 times… we’ve taken the kids 3 times… and even still, I get this rush of excitement as I look out and see the players in person.  It’s so different than on TV, they are so much bigger and it’s fun to watch them interact with each other. 

This year was especially fun b/c my oldest daughter was SO EXCITED about going.  She’s been asking all summer if we were going to go.. and since there was so much up in the air with the lock out, we honestly didn’t know if there’d even be a training camp to go to.  When we told her we were going, she packed her bag literally a week ahead of time.  She had her camera, Steelers pants, tee shirt, sweatshirt, hat, jersey, and her sign to hold up for the players, all packed into her Steelers drawstring bag.  I had to remind her to throw in a few pairs of underwear and socks too.  She couldn’t wait to see “the real Steelers players” play a game.    Yes, it warmed this Steelers lovin’ Momma’s heart! 

As we were walking back to our car I spotted Heath Miller sitting in a cart while Mike Wallace was signing autographs.  My parents had just given the youngest circus member his official Steelers jersey that morning… it was none other than 83 Heath Miller… so in true paparazzi style, I grabbed my baby and ran over to the now growing group of people surrounding his golf cart.  And then I froze.  He was literally right in front of me (just a few teenage boys begging for autographs between Heath and I) and instead of saying, “Hey Heath can you pose for a picture with my baby, he’s wearing your jersey!”  Instead, I said absolutely nothing.  As if I was waiting for Mr. Miller to look over and say, “Look, he’s wearing my jersey, want to pose for a picture?”    And so instead of getting a nice posed picture with this starting TE (who by the way is SUPER TALL in real life)… instead I stood there until the driver started the cart and then I rushed over and stuck my baby by his side while Scott snapped a picture.  Classy, huh?  I then kicked myself the whole way back for not opening my mouth and at least asking. 

Oh well… we got to see the Steelers play, we got to see 2 of them up close, and we all had a good time!!  The circus house is abuzz with talks of football season.  The first preseason game is tomorrow night against the Redskins!

Anyone who knows me, knows that I love Chick-Fil-A.  So, when I found out that they were opening a new one in Pasadena AND they had a “Raving-Fan” contest on face book in which the winner would win a year of free Chick-Fil-A, I had to enter.

The contest:  submit a photo of your favorite memory at Chick-Fil-A and explain it in 100 words or less.

My favorite memory at Chick-fil-A??  How ever will I choose?

The time I requested Chick-Fil-A after giving birth to my daughter and my brother did a CFA run for me to deliver it to me at the hospital.

Or her birthday party four years later?

How about our anniversary dinner while in labor with baby number 4?      (as in, for real laboring – went to the hospital right from there)

Or when given the choices of any restaurant at Disney World, the circus family happily chooses Chick-Fil-A for the last 2 meals of their vacation?

Or any number of times that I dressed my children up as cows to earn free dinner?

2005

2006

2008

2009

2010

I opted for the 2009 Cow Appreciation Day.”We have made it a family tradition to participate in Cow Appreciation Day for the past 6 years.  2 years ago we invited one of our best friends to join us.  They ended up having an appt to look at a prospective house on the way to our dinner. The Realtor graciously agreed to follow us to CFA afterward, so we didn’t miss Cow Appreciation day, and they signed the paper work there while we entertained the kids in the play area.”

Our story was selected as a finalist (original post here).  We got to go to a Premiere Dinner at the new Chick-Fil-A before it opened.  This alone, made me giddy!! 

But, as if THAT wasn’t good enough… while there sipping our Sweet Tea… they read our story aloud to the room, and WE WON!!!

Without a doubt… best thing I have ever won… ever…. with 52 coupons for free combo meals, we can take our family of 6 out to dinner at Chick-Fil-A once a month for a year!!  This makes for one VERY happy circus family!!

How about you? Do you have a favorite memory at Chick-Fil-A?

Exciting things are happening round the circus parts this week and it’s only Tuesday!!

Sunday, I ran a half marathon with my FIL.  My friend, who had to run a half marathon in order to see me in real life, also ran but she was so stinking fast that I am glad I caught her in line for the potty before the race, b/c there was no seeing her after that.   Dad and I ran at our own pace and I felt much, much better about this race than my last race.  This time, I felt prepared and when I finished I didn’t feel like I was going to die.  Last time I knew I wasn’t prepared and it felt AWFUL!   As an added treat a friend of mine surprised me and ran the last 3 miles of the race with me.  She was a true cheerleader and burst of enthusiasm and I was touched that she went to so much effort to surprise and encourage me.   Joc, you rock!

Monday, I could barely walk…see above…but I did get a night out with my friend Megh.  We grabbed dinner and went shopping for jeans…in a size I haven’t worn in YEARS!!  That’s right folks, I am happy to share I am now at the size I was before I got pregnant with my son, over 7 years ago!!  Wahoo… I am super psyched about that!  And I truly appreciate the time to catch up with Megh as well as her help in answering such baffling questions as “What is boot cut?”  and “Do I want dark jeans or light?”  These are the things I am clueless about and I always appreciate her insight.  She willingly comes along with me when I need a night out of shopping sans kiddos and I love that we can just pick up where we left off, filling each other in on our lives and chatting about movies and TV shows.  We’ve never really been in the same stage of life ever in our friendship, but I truly appreciate how she just sorta rolls with my crazy chaotic life and accepts me for what I am. 

While out with Megh, I got a text from Scott which read “Looks like someone has his first loose tooth”  I was so happy for him b/c he’s been waiting for a loose tooth since early Kindergarten.  When I got home a few hours later and went in to peek on all the kids, he was still up and was super excited to show me how it wiggles!  Here’s a picture of his smile before it changes. 

Races, New Jeans, Great Friends and Loose Teeth… Oh My… the excitement here at the circus is mounting and we haven’t even reached Hump Day yet! 

How’s your week been?

Well, it’s over… another great football season has has come to an end.  While the ending wasn’t quite as sweet as I wanted, it was to be honest, a WHOLE lot better than I thought it would be when the season started.  I never dreamed in August that we’d be having a Steelers party in February.

Looking back, it was a great season.  We had a ton of fun cheering for our boys in black and gold.  We had several family gatherings at our place to watch the game.  I went on a date with my dad to Pittsburgh to watch a game at Bettis’ Grille 36.  We even orchestrated our schedule so that we were in hotels for the 2 games that occurred during our family vacation.  It was quite fun parading around our Disney Hotel in our Steelers jerseys.  Scott and I went to an actual home game with my dad in December.  And, we had a fabulous play off run, culminating with a Superbowl Party!

As we left my parents house early Monday afternoon, we had the thought to try and catch the team as they arrived in Pittsburgh and  give them a hearty welcome home.  But, as much as we googled, we couldn’t find any information on their homecoming.   Man, I would have loved to been there to clap and cheer as the Steelers got off the plane.  Let em’ know we love em’ and we’re still proud of em’.  We weren’t quite ready for the season to be over, so we decided to drive a slightly longer way home and take the kids through the city.  For the first time, Scott and I realized that while we have been to the city of Pittsburgh several times, the kids have not.  So we drove them to Heinz Field.   And we walked up to the gates and showed them where our beloved Steelers call home. 

I’ve been to the gates a few times and inside three times.  Still it gives me a little thrill to stand there and gaze out at the stadium. It was a quiet, rainy day in Pittsburgh and as we walked around, I couldn’t help but think how different the atmosphere would have been had things gone differently last night. But, you know what, we walk away from this season with our heads held high.  Our boys played well.  And we can’t wait to cheer them on again next fall! 

We’ve been playing the song on repeat for weeks and now the day is here.  Pittsburgh isn’t going to the Super Bowl anymore they are AT the Superbowl!  And we are ready to cheer them on for their 7th Superbowl victory!

Even our dog Maggie is sporting the black and gold today!

GO STEELERS!!!!!!

A few weeks ago my FIL approached me about running in a local half marathon with him at the beginning of March.  Because I seem to require a race to motivate me to run, I was eager to accept.  However, it only left me about 7 weeks to prepare and I was not in running shape, having only run a handful of times since my son’s birth last June. 

I found some training guides online (both of which suggested 12 weeks to prepare) and spent a good amount of time face booking and e-mailing with a friend about my strategy.  I’ve pretty much settled into 2 short runs a week and one long run on the weekend, with the distances for both increasing each week.  This week my short runs are 4.5 miles and my long run will be 7 miles.  By the week prior to the race I will be up to 10 miles for my long run and I believe 5 miles for my short runs.  

This is the first time I have trained for a race using a treadmill.  I know it isn’t exactly like running on the road, but I do believe it is pushing me to run faster.  And let me set the record straight, my fast is a mere 5.0mph, which equals a 12 mm. 

Last week however, I sorta fell off the wagon, or the treadmill and managed to skip all 3 runs… I could list for you my many excuses for why, but they all boil down to just that, excuses,  so I will spare you.

Tuesday, it was time to get the sneakers back on and get back on track… after completing my 4.5 mile run, I was left with a few thoughts…

1.  Why have I not run using the TV on the treadmill before?  I can’t believe how much more enjoyable the run was thanks to Gilmore Girls on DVD…especially compared to merely staring at the numbers on my treadmill. 

2.  Skipping a week of running was a big mistake.  My legs were jelly when I finished.  Jelly

3.  Is there any chance I can bring Gilmore Girls with me for the 1/2 marathon? (any volunteers to run ahead of me with a portable dvd player strapped to their back) 

4.  I wish the race was the beg of April instead of the beg of March.

I have 4 weeks left to go… I hope to be better prepared than my last big run and at least finish knowing I did my best.

I’ve never known what it was like to be part of the home town team.  Though I was born in Pa, I’ve lived in rival MD since the age of 5, not counting 3 of my 4 years of college.  I got my love of football from my dad and my dad brought me up a Steelers girl.  I now pass this legacy onto my four children.   I just love this pic of our newest Steelers fan, I had to find a reason to sneak this in.

But, I gotta tell you, it isn’t easy living behind enemy lines.  I like to think it makes us stronger.  We don’t go with the flow, we stand our own.  We proudly sport our black and gold in this land of purple.  It really doesn’t bother me in the week leading up to the game.  I will gladly talk trash with my neighbor, hang our flag in front of our house and wear my jersey all over town – in fact, I kinda like it.

But, once the game starts, it is a different story.  And it really hit me this year.  During the second quarter of the game on Saturday, I was literally sick to my stomach.  We went into half time down 14 points facing a tough Ravens defense.  The game was far from over but we had to admit it wasn’t looking good.  And the thought of going to church the next morning, seeing all my friends in purple, made me ill.  The Steelers just had to pull through.

I hate losing in the play offs.  Hate it.  I hate it in part because I can still taste the bitter loss against the Patriots in the AFC Championships in 2002.  It forever changed the playoffs for me.  We had home field advantage.  We were on top of the world and I was sure, SURE we were Superbowl bound.  That loss stung.  It stung bad.  I remember Scott and I sitting in our apartment shell shocked and speechless.  His dad had come over to watch with us.  When the game was over, he just politely slipped out to leave us to wallow alone.  He then sent a condolence card later that week.  I am sure that sounds melodramatic to some, but we were so sure, SO SURE we were going to win and just like that our dreams crashed when our season was over early.  We didn’t want to chit chat.  We didn’t want to listen to our friends gloat.  We lost, it stunk and we needed time to get over it.  (Scott and I had a conversation post season discussing whether we have perhaps let Football have too strong a roll in our happiness).

Because of that, and b/c we lost again to the Patriots in 2005, I can’t go into a play off game cocky.  I am always guarded.  I know anything can happen and nothing is certain till it is over.   I refuse to count my chickens until they hatch. 

And because I know how awful it feels to lose, I also try to be respectful of the losing team.  I told my son last night, (after we rebounded in the second half to win the playoff game against the Ravens) that we can be happy about our win (and trust me, it is still very loud here at the circus), but when we go to church tomorrow, we can not gloat.  Talking trash is fine before a game, but after a game it is just rude.  We will not gloat.  (My son – who can trash talk with the best of them – said “Ok mom, I won’t rub it in.  I will be nice.  I’ll say, the Ravens did well.  It is so good that they made it to the play offs.”)  Ok, so it’s amazing how patronizing that sounds coming from a 6 year old… I then suggested he just not bring it up AT ALL. 

How great it must be to live with home field advantage.  It stinks that I had to coach the kids not to talk about the game.  It stinks that I felt like we couldn’t wear our celebration loud and proud today.  Even though we were bouncing on the inside, I felt like we needed to mute our celebration so as to not be rubbing our happiness in our friends faces.  And I thought to myself, “Man I wish we lived in Pittsburgh.”  I wish we could walk cheering and singing and sporting our colors after a Ravens game.  I wish we could be free to fully celebrate when we beat our rival, holding nothing back.  (in hindsight, perhaps that’s part of what made this 2009 trip to PA a bit more special).

As we march forward in the play offs, I want to win next week for so many reasons.  I want to win b/c I want to go the Superbowl, I want to win b/c I hate losing, I want to win because it probably means we got to avenge our 2002 loss to the Patriots, and I want to win so I can celebrate, and party and dance in the street waving my towel and holding nothing back.

Until next week, all should know, our fight song is playing loud and proud behind the walls of the circus.