Sunday Stadium Review - Rams

 St. Louis Rams 

Name of Stadium: Edward Jones Dome

Capacity:66,965

Game Attended: mid-November in 2009 versus Saints

Worked a game at this stadium? No, but I was in St. Louis for work meetings then stayed for the game

via wikipedia

The Rams pre-Sam Bradford, the Saints pre-Bountygate - I saw two totally different teams than what play today.  But the game was great....shockingly close.  These Saints were undefeated at this point in their season and the Rams truly gave them a run for their money during this game.  These Saints also went on to win the Super Bowl that February.  And I didn't know it then, but I would be seeing these Saints again...actually two more times before the season ended.

But on to the game, I went with a friend and was able to get us field passes.  I have been on the field for who knows how many games, but it is always great to experience it with a first timer.  The joy, the awe, the excitement :)  Here are some of the pre-game pictures I took.

You know I represent with the black and orange on Sundays...even if I'm not watching my team :)

Steven Jackson - beastly!

Saints warming up before the game!

Unfortunately, I didn't get many good inside shots of the stadium, but I remember thinking it had a great atmosphere.  Especially for a team that was expected to get demolished in the game.  Lots of excited fans and a very friendly and welcoming environment.  I really enjoyed watching the game.

My only good picture of inside the dome.

If you ever venture to St. Louis for a Rams game (or a Cardinals game for that matter), but sure to visit the Arch.  It is a fun attraction just down the street from both stadiums.  There is also a cute little park nearby the arch with lots of statues and ponds.  I'll leave you with a couple of my sightseeing pictures :)

 Andrea :)

Pittsburgh in October

Chris and I made our second trip to Pittsburgh in roughly two months this past weekend.  We had a wonderful time.  Actually, we always have a wonderful time there.  Gotta be the company we keep there :)

We left NYC on an evening flight only to arrive moments before Pitt's loss to Syracuse.  Apparently that hasn't happened in YEARS so it was a very big deal.  Other than this bit of disappointment, the weekend was perfect!

We had a lazy Saturday morning, but made up for it with a busy afternoon.  We met up with one of my best friends from high school, Michelle, and her husband for lunch.  We ate some delicious pizza and then stopped in the bakery next door for yummy Halloween inspired treats!  So much fun!

Loved all the fall decor :)

Cute and yummy!!

After lunch, we headed over to the University of Pittsburgh for a mini-tour.  Chris showed me around the Cathedral of Learning.  It was a really neat place.  They have several cultural rooms with themes revolving around various countries.  We also checked out some of his former science classrooms.  We didn't have any classes that big at Georgetown College.  It was fun to hear him tell stories about his time in college at Pitt.

Inside the Cathedral of Learning

Outside the Cathedral of Learning

Switzerland Room - very cool!

After dinner at a fun Thai restaurant, we were off to bed early.  Sunday was Trey's Baptism.  Chris was chosen to be Godfather of this special little boy.  He was excited to have the honor.  Here are a few pics from the main event of the weekend :)

Trey's Baptism

Quick picture with Mr. Trey before we left the church!

Our gifts along with some straight cash homie!  I made the frame :)

candid shot of the Pitt crew at the reception

Godfather Chris and Trey - love it!

We spent some time watching football with the Fann family on Sunday afternoon.  It was a relaxing day.  We flew back to NYC on Monday.  The weekend was fantastic fun and such a blessing with wonderful friends.  I am already looking forward to our next trip to the dreaded black and yellow city!!  Hey - as a Bengals fan you couldn't possibly except me to TOTALLY embrace Pittsburgh, could ya? :)

 
Andrea :)

Sunday Stadium Review - Patriots

New England Patriots 

Name of Stadium: Gilette Stadium 

Capacity: 68,756

Game Attended: AFC Championship in January 2012 versus the Baltimore Ravens 

Worked a game at this stadium? Yes.

Empty stadium during pre-game sound checks

I'll start by saying that of all the stadiums I have attended, this is by far the most difficult in terms of arrival/departure.  Fortunately when I attended for the football game we had to arrive SUPER early and I missed out on that part of the in/out torture.  I went to a soccer game at this stadium with Chris and some friends awhile back and we literally spent more time trying to get in and out than we did at the actual game.  Getting out of there after the football game was a complete disaster as well. 

Otherwise, the stadium is pretty good.  I didn't get a feel for what it was like to be a real spectator here because I was working, but the suites and press box were very nice!  My one complaint was that it was very difficult to get from the suite level to the field level as you can read about here.  However, the stadium is right in the middle of a mall with several restaurants so that could be a plus for some couples.   

Taking a break from work to snap a quick picture...packed house now!

Andrea :)

Cupcakes in 60 seconds?

As you know, I love cupcakes.  I've tried them everywhere in NYC and I scout them out on vacation.  So I know you aren't the least bit surprised to hear that I literally jumped for joy when my dad told me about this new cupcake recipe that only takes 60 seconds to make.  Bonus: You don't even have to turn on the stove!!

 Are you up for the challenge?

You will need two boxes of cake mix - one has to be angel food cake, but the other can be any flavor your heart desires.  I wanted strawberry.

Open both boxes and sift the mix into a bowl.  The angel food cake didn't take long to sift, but I had a bit of trouble getting the strawberry mix through the sifter so I eventually gave up on sifting it.

 After everything has been sifted, stir the two mixes until well combined.

Place 1/3 cup of the mix in a mug and mix with 3 tablespoons of water.

After the batter is mixed, place the mug in the microwave for 60 seconds on HIGH.  You may need to adjust by a few seconds depending on your microwave. 

The cake will look spongy when you take it out of the microwave.  Just flip the mug over on a plate and the cupcake will slide right out.

Let it cool for a few minutes before icing it.  The cake is pretty tasty on its own, but the icing added just the right touch of sweetness.

ENJOY :)

Here is the recipe that my dad sent to me.  I believe it was passed on to him by a co-worker.

Individual Microwave Mug Cakes

Ingredients:
    1 angel food cake mix (type that says "just add water")
    1 cake mix (any flavor of your choice)

Mix both mixes together (sift both) and store in a Ziploc bag or other container.  To make a cake, put 1/3 cup of mix in a coffee mug (safe for the microwave).  Add 3 tablespoons of water and mix.  Cook on 100% power for 1 minute. Flip cake onto a plate and fill mug with water (makes it easier to clean up).  Cake can be served plain or topped however you like it.

Possible toppings: caramel sauce, chocolate sauce, frosting, ice cream, etc.

Reba and I made this tad healthier version with rice whipped cream topping.  Check out her awesome blog here!

These cupcakes are definitely a quick and easy treat.  The best part is you don't have to make 24 of them all at once.  It's perfect if you just want a quick treat for one or two people!  Plus, using the mix 1/3 a cup at a time allows you to spread out the goodness over a longer period of time.  Definitely going to be snacking on these for the next few weeks!

Which flavor you would combine with the angel food cake mix for a fast and yummy dessert?

Andrea :)

Sunday Stadium Review - Ravens

Baltimore Ravens 

Name of Stadium: M&T Bank Stadium

Capacity:71,008

Game Attended: Thursday Night Football (9.27.12) against the Browns with my brother, Jordan

Worked a game at this stadium? No.

This past week, my brother Jordan and I experienced live football on a Thursday night for the first time.  It was fun!  My brother and his family had spent the week visiting the DC area and trekked over to Baltimore to pick me up from the Bolt Bus on Thursday afternoon.  We spent the day at the Inner Harbor.  It was awesome to get to play with Brinley for a few hours before heading to the game.

Cute as a button in her new stroller :)

Jordan and I took a shuttle to the game around 7pm.  By the time we arrived, the stadium was already full of Ravens fans.  Jordan is a Browns fan.  You could count on one hand the other people we saw wearing Browns gear.  It was actually pretty impressive to see so many people devoted to their team.  We found our awesome seats down around the 40 yard line 11 rows up from the Ravens bench.

Ray Rice being introduced.

Before the rain started its steady downpour

The stadium was nice.  I really liked the fact that the big screens were stretched out across both endzones instead of tucked away in the corners.  They likely lose more seating space this way, but it is really a great feature of the stadium.  The only annoying thing was that the big screens didn't incorporate the score.  You had to look at the ticker around the middle of the stadium for it.

This was a big game for us - our first Thursday Night Game and the first game back for the regular officials after their lockout.  The crowd was pretty intense probably in part due to both of those reasons as well.  We didn't have any issues rooting for the visiting team though I think we might have if our seats had been in a different section or the visiting team had won the game (which almost happened...well, they had the opportunity to tie the game in the final seconds).  However, I was not surprised to hear fans complaining about calls from the officials.  Seems like it doesn't matter if the real officials or the replacement officials are out there - the people won't ever be satisfied.  I'll leave you with a couple more pictures of the stadium itself.  Despite being rained on for pretty much three hours straight, we had a great experience!

First game back for the officials

Soaked, but still smiling

 

Andrea :)

Happy Birthday, Dad!!

Last year, my mom, brothers, and I worked diligently behind my dad's back to throw him a surprise party to celebrate turning 60.  It was a grand success!  Everyone had a great time.

Decorations on the gift table.  I had all the guests fill out those cards and used them for a scrapbook.

the SURPRISE face - never seen Dad so shocked to see me in his life :)

yummy cake and a fun birthday hat!

Dad with me and my brothers

This year was different.  None of the kids were able to make it back to Livermore, but I did send some gifts and I tried my hand at a recipe he had recently sent coming up with this lovely and yummy creation tonight.  Check back on Wednesday for step-by-step instructions on how to make this quick (like 60 seconds quick) treat :)

Happy Birthday, Dad!  I love you :)

It's no secret that I am a daddy's girl.  We are like two peas in a pod.  We have birthmarks in similar spots.  We both have some quirks and can ramble on and on when we go off on a long winded tangent.  We have vivid dreams (but we don't talk about those until after breakfast). We just seem to get one another.  I am so glad to have so many special memories of the times we have spent together over the years.  I loved having him paint designs on my fingernails when I was in middle/high school.  It was always fun to go with him to weddings when he played the piano.  We always seemed to have an adventure when we took Mamaw to Owensboro (or really anywhere for that matter).  We shared pineapple cheesecake at Long John Silvers and snowball cakes from the IGA and still devour a whole watermelon together whenever we have the chance!  I'm looking forward to all the fun we will continue to have over this year and the ones to come.  I am so blessed to have such a wonderful man as a father.  I'm not sure what I would do without him in my life.

Andrea :)

30 before 30 - Month Two Recap

write letter to family or friend

I sent the letter this month to my "adopted" grandparents, Bill and Jean Miller. Unfortunately, by the time I was born, I only had two remaining grandparents - my mom's dad, Papaw, and my dad's mom, Mamaw. My Papaw passed away when I was still fairly young so while I do have memories of him they are far and few between. However, my Mamaw passed away roughly 10 years ago when I was beginning my sophomore year at Georgetown.  This was particularly difficult for me as we were very close.  There isn't a day that goes by when I don't think of her.  However, when I became grandparentless, Jean and Bill stepped in and played that role for me.  They are both great people, and I cherish my relationship with them both even though I don't get to see them as much now that I live farther away.

At Dad's surprise birthday party last year - not sure they knew I was taking a picture of them :)

3 monthly goals 

1) Floss daily.  I have done my best.  I might have missed a day here or there, but I was pretty diligent on this one.

2) Find someone to sublet or move.  I went with option #1.  She moved in on September 15.  Even though I absolutely loved having my own space, it was the right thing to do until a few more things get settled and sorted out.  Then, we'll see.  She is here until mid-February. 

3) Run Race #9 in under 11 minutes. DONE plus some.  I ran it in 9:45.  Check out the post here.

facetimes with Brinley

When we were in Pittsburgh over Labor Day weekend, I briefly was able to facetime with Brinley.  I attempted to introduce her to Chris' godson, Trey.  Not sure if that was exactly a success or not, but it was fun trying.

On September 12, we facetimed and Brinley showed me she had found her toes.  She was also making lots of funny noises.  Maybe she's gonna start saying some words soon...maybe :)

 *Also....beyond OVERJOYED that I will get to see this little beauty in person on Thursday!! COULD NOT BE MORE EXCITED...SERIOUSLY :)

Date Night 

Chris is a big fan of the comedian, Bill Burr.  Bill Burr was scheduled to be at Caroline's this month.  Being the awesome girlfriend that I am, I bought us tickets to the show last night.  We had such a great time!  There were lots of laughs :)

Girls' Night

In early September, I stepped out of my comfort zone for a very enjoyable and different girls' night adventure.  We hit the streets for Fashion Night Out.  And we had a blast!  Here's the evidence...

I love Sprinkles...SOOOO good :)

two of my favorite gals at Michael Kors :)

group shot!!

 I marked 1 item off the list!!

18 - purchase (or receive as a gift!!!) Spanish Rosetta Stone and begin a journey to fluency*

 *it is supposed to arrive tomorrow...looks like I will have something to keep me busy for awhile!!

Andrea :)