Take Me Out To The Ballgame

Part two in the series "Music Mondays in May" from my

blog group Homesteaders & Homeschoolers.

I have been going to major league baseball games since I can remember.

My dad is a huge St. Louis Cardinals fan.

I don't know how that happened really since his mother (whose home I live in) was an even bigger Chicago Cubs fan.

I guess he wanted to root for a team that didn't have it's fans in tears at the end of September, every year.

So, because of my dad's unwavering love for the redbirds of Missouri, I spent many days and nights at Busch stadium.

Eating cotton candy from a bag and scouring the seats looking for Fredbird.

Doing the wave and then begging my dad to leave "because it's the 11th inning and this tie is never going to end!"

And always singing from the top of my lungs during the 7th inning stretch to Take Me Out To The Ballgame.

The quintessential "Baseball in America" song.

I moved to Chicago in 1994.

I started going to Cub games.

It's what everyone does.

Wrigley Field.

It's a passage of sorts.

To sit in the confines of the ivy covered walls.

To get a seat behind a pole so you can't see a thing.

To get a SRO ticket (Standing Room Only).

But it didn't matter when the 7th inning stretch came up.

After the visitor's at bat and before the home team had their turn to bat in the 7th inning, he appeared.

Harry Carey.

It was a momentous thing to sing along to Take Me Out To The Ballgame with this true American symbol of baseball.

I thought of my grandma every time.

He would hang out of the booth and was such a huge presence and it's a memory I won't forget.

But, we too got tired of losing.

Of hanging out with a group of people who didn't really seem to care too much about the game before them.

Who instead were more interested in taking pictures of themselves with their friends, talking on their phones, and of being obnoxious under the beer stupor they were in...mind you, this was not everyone at Wrigley field. But it seemed to be that way everytime we went.

We then moved our allegiance to the south side of Chicago.

To the White Sox.

I think it was in 2002.

Zoe was born in February of 2005 and her first baseball game was in May of 2005.

It was dog day at the park, so we took our two kids...Zoe and our dog Madison.

The Chicago White Sox won the World Series that year and we took in the ticker tape parade the city threw for them downtown.

We had made the right decision to move.

We also made sure that Zoe knew every word to Take Me Out To The Ballgame by the age of two.

Both girls have been to numerous major league baseball games.

Gigi went to her first game at the age of 6 1/2 months.

It was in Cardinal territory, though.

We do go with grandpa to St. Louis.

He's tried brainwashing them to become St. Louis fans, but it's not working.

They have both Chicago and St. Louis apparel and banners in their rooms.

Baseball is a big deal in our house.

And as long as they love the game and love singing at the top of their lungs during the middle of the 7th inning while their faces are covered in ice cream and cotton candy, I know we have done something right with these girls.

Lets Go White Sox!

The Fair! The Fair!

The Illinois State Fair!

The Pramuks went this year.
We hadn't been since before leukemia came to town and we missed the fancy Decatur Celebration this year.
Fancy being a subjective term.
So, off to Springfield we went and we did NOT stop at the hospital this time!

We rode rides, saw some hooded sheep and some horses that were as tall as the roof of my garage, heard some very loud race cars speeding around the track, gazed in wonder at this year's butter cow...

We consumed hot mini donuts, deep fried pickles, corn dogs, french fries, lemon shake-ups, strawberry crepes, pork rinds, and a red velvet funnel cake...

We went through a giant log that a home was carved out of it's interior. 
Not for the claustrophobic.
Zoe did some rock climbing and shot an arrow from a bow at a fake coyote.
Gigi stroked a turtle's top.
We saw a catfish that looked like it was from that show River Monsters and a huge pig that we wanted to steal and bring home to our farm. 
She was a huge version of Babe but without that cute tuft of hair on the top of her head.

See ya next time State Fair!

Celebrating Decatur Style

The Decatur Celebration is in full swing this weekend. We go every year and it was a great day to be out with the kiddos. For those unfamiliar with the Decatur Celebration, here's a synopsis...free street fair where you can buy food on a stick, ride carnival rides and hear live entertainment that can vary in degrees of coolness. It's a grande time!

This year Chad and Zoe were in the annual Razzle Dazzle Goodtimes Parade on Saturday morning. Zoe rode in a "train" that resembles Thomas the Train. My parent's neighbor Neil built this train and participates in parades all over town. It's really cute. Chad had the honor of wearing a bright yellow shirt and walking along side the train. They both did an awesome job of waving to the crowd. I was so proud. The parade was televised live on our local station. Of course they went to commercial as soon as the Thomas Train was going by...real nice.


Gigi got herself on TV a few times, though. We had parked ourselves right by the cameraman and he couldn't resist her cuteness.


After the parade we headed out for food. Grandma and Grandpa were with us and we all had a hankering for something on a stick. Chicken-on-a-stick provided by some group that said they had been on the Food Network Channel peeked our interest. It was pretty good, had a nice rub on it. Next was a Cozy Dog for Zoe and Gigi and lobster rolls with a spicy cheese sauce for the grownups...it was a taste sensation in my mouth! Too much heat for grandma, though. Other items we devoured were strawberry crepes (we always have those and they never fail to satisfy), deep fried brownies (OMG!) and the ever popular and always divine shrimp-on-a-stick. We had plenty of free ice water from the aptly named "free ice water" booth in the park.

Zoe and Gigi participated in some games in the Kids Block...free games and activities where everyone wins a prize. The girls did the cake walk, ring toss, mini golf, baseball throw, some tennis ball rolling into cubbies thing, bowling, and a game that closely resembles Plinko from the Price is Right. They came away with stuffed animals and plastic jewelry.



We wandered over to the carnival after the deep fried brownies. I thought my dad was going to have a mini stroke after eating those brownies because they were so good, but we got him moving and put him and Zoe on the ferris wheel. Zoe and Chad wandered into the fun house and Chad almost got stuck in the swirly slide that was the only exit out. Zoe and I rode the dragon roller coaster. She has ridden this coaster for the past three years and this was the first year that she wasn't scared and she finally reached the "arms up and screaming" mode of fun.


The girls also rode the carousel and the boring little train that goes in circles and circles and circles and...I had crammed myself into the back of this train to ride with Gigi...and circles. Zoe attacked the jumbo slide. You know, the slide that you climb 423 steps to get to the top of and get into a gunny sack and hurl yourself down over little hills? It was her favorite ride. She's a thrill seeker for sure!

We saw a group called The Country Cloggers. They danced with taps on the bottom of their shoes and I don't want to sound corny, but they were a toe tappin' treat. I wanted to sign up right away to learn some country clogging myself.

We ended our day with another trip to the free water booth. We got a bubblegum flavored shaved ice and stopped off to listen to some guy named Revered Robert play the Delta blues. He was really good and played an electric guitar, an acoustic guitar and a ukulele, not all at once, and he had a great sound. Gigi had fallen asleep and Zoe was cooling herself off in a misting fan that had been set up. It was a great end to our visit to the Decatur Celebration...see you next year!