Cancer

This past weekend one of my co-workers lost her cousin to cancer. This makes me sadder than anyone will ever know. I HATE CANCER!!! I know many people do but everytime I hear of someone finding out they have cancer or dying from cancer, I want to punch things. I have seen first hand how terrible this disease is. Take my dad for example, he was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer almost 10 years ago. It was one of the most horrible things I have ever seen in my life. He literally wasted away to almost nothing. He thought he had no chance of survival. Somehow, some way, he was able to beat it and I am grateful for that every day. A dear friend of mine Jill, just lost her uncle to pancreatic cancer.
This is not supposed to be a sappy post but I will tell you, I am sick of people suffering and dying at the hand of this disease. I feel like cancer doesn't just "affect" people...it bitch slaps people or sucker punches them. It comes of out of nowhere and rocks people to the core. I think about what I would do if someone came up and slapped me across the face out of nowhere, I would be so pissed and want to slap back. Sadly, with cancer, when it hits you, you don't always get the opportunity to hit back. With that being said, as you can see by the picture above family is very active in not only fighting Pancreatic Cancer, but all cancers! There has to be a cure out there and we all need to work together to find it. Make sure to visit The American Cancer Society to find events or to learn how to host a fundraising event in your area.
I have seen so many friends suffer and lost a few along the way. I am determined to make a difference! Sometime I will share more details about my dad's story because it is good one. I think, if you have a positive story, SHARE IT! It goes along way!

Eat, Drink, and Be Mary

Always Remember

As every one knows, today marks the 10 year Anniversary of the terrorist attacks on 9/11/2001. I am not sure I like to call it an "anniversary". I feel like that word is usually used to mark a celebration...that was such a terrible day for millions of people but I guess we have come a long way since then and today we should celebrate the people who have lost lives and loved ones as a result of the the attacks.
Its days like today that make me so thankful for everything that I have. I have great friends, an amazing family and overall, a fantastic life. When I start to get down, I look around me and see all of the wonderful things in my life. I wouldn't be able to have this life if it weren't for the people who have made so many sacrafices. I remember the day it all happened....I was in high school, I thought it was all fake. Sadly, it wasn't.
Everyone needs to take time today to reflect. Gone but never forgotten!

Eat, Drink, and be Mary

Softball

Back when I was a kid, tee ball, softball and baseball were the "it" things to do. I remember watching my sister play teeball and being sad that I had to wait 2 more years to play in the dirt. Oddly enough, when it was my turn, the boys on the team never let the girls really play. Our coaches would tell us to walk to the grass and then take 20 steps and stand there. I mean, what 5 year old hits a ball off a tee that far? And in the event that a ball did come out to a girl, a boy ran to us and took it out of our glove to throw it in. Needless to say, I skipped the second year of teeball. I did however come back the following year to play softball. I thought I was really good at it and it was really fun, until I started playing soccer. A sport I was in fact good at! During my career as a softball player, I discovered I could run pretty fast, making bunting the ONLY way I could get on base. I wanted to be a pitcher, but wasn't very good at it. I wanted to be a catcher but found out really quickly that with all the equipment on, I could not get the ball to second base from home plate. At the ripe age of 13, I decided softball would never be for me!
Fast foward to being a college graduate...softball now means a bunch of friends getting together with a couple cases of beer for a friendly game. I thought PERFECT! My brother has always played pick up softball with his friends and seemed to enjoy it. One summer afternoon, Tommy left to go play softball...no one thought much of it. Then about 2 hours later, I got a call from his buddy and he said "Tommy got hit in the head. He was pitching and the ball came off the bat right back at him." If you know my family, you can imagine that my first reaction was laughter. What a funny site that would be to see. Then...a few hours later, my dad called me to tell me they were rushing him to the ER. He ended up having a fracture in his skull and had to stay in the hospital for a week! From that day on, I was always apprehensive playing softball to the point where in one game, I was catching and the umpire told me I had to stand in front of him....I wasn't allowed to stand behind him. I haven't played softball in years because clearly, co-ed indoor soccer is a much safer sport;)
This past Thursday, I was playing volleyball, in the championship which we sadly lost and I noticed a missed call from my aunt. Didn't think much of it because it was late so I wasn't concerned. As we finished playing, my brother called me as he always does to make sure I am ok to drive (which is really sweet of him) and to tell me, my cousin Dan (aka CD, Cousin Dan) broke his leg earlier in the night. How you ask....PLAYING SOFTBALL!!! His foot got caught under the fence and his leg hit the metal bar in the fence breaking his tibia AND fibula!! He had surgery yesterday morning to put a metal rod in his leg and make sure the bones are set. It was the FIRST inning!! I saw him yesterday after his surgery and he seems to be in good spirits but knows the road to recovery ahead of his will be long!!
So basically, I would like to warn all of you that SOFTBALL IS THE WORST!!! I will tell you right now, none of my kids will be playing that ridiculous sport....

Eat, Drink, and Be Mary

It the Most Wonderful Time...

....FOR A BEER!!!!

Why is this time better for a beer than any other time you ask?? Well, let me explain...tonight, on this Wonderful Thursday in September, the NFL Regular Season kicks off! I will be the first to admit that I am a baseball girl through and through but there is something electric about the NFL. Maybe it is the change of season or the festive fall beers that are popping up everywhere...I don't know but I am SUPER excited for it!
To show how little I really know about football, I don't even remember the year the Rams came to St. Louis but I do remember the first game I ever went to. The first season they were in town the TWA/Edward Jones Dome was not complete so they played at Busch Stadium. I went to the game with my Grandpa Rybicki, the Rams played the 49ers and lost 49-7. That is about all I could tell you about the game. As I went to more games with my Grandpa, he taught me about football and once I understood the game better, I really enjoyed it! Now I live in a house of football fanatics! You may think fanatics is a stretch but let me tell, my dad bought himself a new keg-a-rator for his birthday that is within steps of the newly appointed "football room". What is in said "football room" you ask? Well, my love seat that I am simply STORING here until I make my next move, my 42 in. television along with a 52 in. television, with a third on the way, 2 HD boxes to watch multiple games at once (the third TV will simply be for the Red Zone Channel so they don't miss a minute of the action) and wait for it...an easle, with a dry erase boars and little magnets of the teams players....you know..to map out plays and stuff. And that is all just for football Sundays. I am not sure what will take place on College Football Saturdays...only time will tell.

So for all of you anxiously awaiting the start of the NFL regular season, head to your man caves and get ready! One good thing will come from the football insanity at my house....it is preparing me to be an amazing football wife some day!

Grab a beer, grab your friends, and Enjoy the next 16 weeks!

Eat, Drink, and Be Mary

Wednesday!!

Wow, I have been out of the loop for the past week! I could go on with the most random blog of all time but I will spare everyone and make it the SECOND most random blog of all time! Ha! This past holiday weekend, I took a couple extra days off work to head to Columbus, OH for a wedding! It was nice to spend a weekend with someone special during a very special time for him and his family! It was a BLAST! I always find it hard when I am at weddings, not to look back on other weddings I have been to and find similarities and differences...make mental notes for myself should that day ever come;) What I find amazing is how exhausting weddings are! Most people say it is the most special day of your life. WRONG...it is the most special THREE days in most cases! I know for my sister's wedding, as well as many others I have been a part of, there is the Welcome BBQ for out of towners and long lost family. Then, on to the rehearsal dinner! Not to mention everything that goes on the day of the rehearsal, nails, luncheons and stuff like that. I feel like by the time the wedding rolls around, the whole point of the weekend, I am wiped out and ready to go through detox. But never fear, I am always ready to enjoy the festivities of the day! Weddings really are a wonderful thing! But, clearly the people of India have it right, they acknowledge the three days of celebration and embrace it! Take note:) It was a beautiful day for a beautiful couple and I wish them nothing but the happiest life ever!!

To go along with weddings, I would like to say a HUGE CONGRATS to pretty much ALL of my friends! There have been so many wonderful things happening for them; weddings, babies, more babies, engagements, new houses, new homes and adventures. I would like to say that they are all amazing and deserve NOTHING but the best in life and I am so happy that I have been able to be around to see all the joy you guys are experiencing! For those that follow my blog (which I know is not many);) You guys are the best and I love you!!

Until Next Time,
Eat, Drink, and be Mary

Sneaky Sneaky

This morning on my way to work, I was driving down then highway and saw flashing lights going the other way. It was definitely an umarked cop care but never I have EVER seen a cop driving a white station wagon! Like Ford Taurus wagon! How is that allowed?!? I feel like my thought would be, coming up on the station wagon...well excuse me Soccer Dad, I can tell by the speed at which you are driving and your choice of vehicle that you are all about safety and I am going to cruise right on past you as I am running late and then BAM! Flashing lights hello speeding ticket. Honestly, a station wagon???

These thoughts brought back the one and only time I have been pulled over in my life. I was with Emily. We decided to make an impromptu trip to Paducah to watch her then boyfriend and my future boyfriend play baseball in the OVC tournament. As we were drivng down 24 at a speed much higher than the speed limit, we went under an overpass and what do you know...got caught in a speed trap! I can't remember how fast I was going but it was not slow for sure. The nice office issued me a ticket and considering I had never had one before, I wasn't exactly sure what to do, so I asked him! He gave me three options...1) Take the ticket and show up in court and go through that process. 2) Give him my bond card (who has one of those?) or 3) Pay in cash. I looked at Emily then back at the cop and said oh I HAVE CASH!! I had $80 to pay my $75 ticket and surprisingly enough, he couldn't make change. This should have tipped us off that this practice was exactly on the up and up. Fortunately, Emily had a couple ones and so did I and we were able to come up with $75 on the dot. We drove way and made it to baseball game in plently of time! The best part was, about 6 months later, I got the standard letter from the Secretary of State Mr. Jesse White thanking me for my perfect driving record! I wonder how many people that cop was able to get cash from? I appauld him for his desire to pad his own pocket. Sounds pretty true to form for the state of Illinois. He was probably helping some one buy a senate seat or something....

Eat, Drink, and Be Mary!

Traffic

Traffic....where to begin?? I can honestly say, that the traffic in St. Louis is NOTHING compared to other cities by my god, I hate sitting in it. It is not the way to start or end my day. Unfortunately, it is unavoidable. When I first started working at my big girl job, I decided to leave the nest and move to the Missouri side of the great Mississippi. I started out in Ballwin thinking it would help aleviate my travel time...WRONG! As I tried to move closer to my office, low and behold, they moved to a new office. I finally decided not to worry about where I worked and live where ever my little heart desired. Oddly enough, it was the opposite direction of my office.
In the last 8 months, I moved back to the home front. This makes my round trip commute to work about 92 miles every day. I can handle the distance honestly, but the traffic makes me want to drive my car into the river. Seriously, I don't know how people in Atlanta do it, I don't even like to drive through there when going to Florida. This morning was a perfect example of why I hate traffic. I cross the wonderful JB Bridge to a sign that says "HWY 64- 40 min"...I had already been in the car for 35 minutes! Sometimes I hope those electronic signs are wrong but that was not the case this morning. It took almost 50 minutes to get to 64 and I still had another 10-15 minutes left in my drive. I feel like all those signs are just there to make me miserable....but they are always spot on. What was even worse is that the Speed Advisory Sign said 10 MPH...10 miles per hour really?? Are you even moving at that speed? I don't think I can have my foot on the gas and go only 10 miles per hour. I am just not sure there is a worse way to start off a Monday morning....traffic for almost an hour and a half. To my surprise, there was no construction, no accident that I could see that would be holding up traffic. I will never understand. I think the worst part about all of it, is as I was sitting, stopped, not going 10 MPH, I look across the median to the Southbound side to see traffic is free flowing at an Advisory speed of I would say 65 MPH....and my only thought was, I get to do this all over again in about 8 hours....ok, let's be honest...6.5:) This in my opinion is why I should be able to have 1 beer on my drive home, it would really help calm my nerves.

Eat, Drink and Be Mary

Hello Boys...

Today is one of those days when I really really enjoy my job. For the most part, I enjoy everything that I do. I get to be super creative and have quite a bit of freedom. As I was sitting at my desk yesterday morning, working away ;) my desk phone rang. I recognized the number as 101ESPN, a radio station in St. Louis that I work very closely with. It was my account rep who has been trying to get us to sign another contract so I assumed that is what he was calling about. Much to my surprise, that was not what he wanted. He was calling to offer me and my brother 2 seats at the Rams Kick-Off Lunch to support the St. Louis affiliate of the United Way. I officially accepted and called Tommy and he was very excited to go. With that, I left my office to head down to the Cardinal game...clearly I am a huge sports fan.

After being pretty sick last night, I woke up this morning determined to make it through lunch. I left my desk at about 10:45 to head back downtown to the Ballpark Hilton. I met Tommy outside of the parking garage and we headed it. We walk in to this huge ballroom full of tabels and tons of people. The Rams cheerleaders were everywhere selling raffle tickets and there was definitely a buzz in the room. The Rams are expected to have an even better season this year than last and with the Cardinals struggling now, people are ready for something new. At about noon, Steve Savard took to the podium and began to welcome the room full of people.

The really cool thing about this lunch was that all of the coaches and the entire team were in attendance. Every table had a player and a coach or two players eating lunch with them. I will have to look our guys up because I didn't catch or recognize their names:) We enjoyed our lunch, the speech from the head coach and sat through a small live auction. I know they raised a decent amount of money for the United Way which is fantastic. I was actually really impressed with the event. The players were all very pleasant and seemed to appreciate all the people that came out to support their community involvment. I think the best part for me was being able to allow my brother to come with me. For anyone who doesn't know, my brother wouldn't be sad if football was played 12 months out of the year. I think it was really fun for him to see all the players and he also go the chance to plug his Rams blog:) It was definitely a LONG lunch, which I am ok with but it was absolutely worth it. After being at the Cardinals game on Wednesday afternoon and the Rams Kick-off lunch today, I guess tomorrow I should really try to get some actual work done. On the other hand, it is Friday so we will see if that actually happens.....

Eat, Drink and Be Mary

Mission UNaccomplished

It seems like everyday, one of my GREAT friends has some SUPER exciting news! And, in my mind, what is the best way to celebrate good news than with a fun and creative little gift. I like to think of myself as creative considering it is part of my job but others may beg to differ. In this specific case, my former teammate/roommate/and current amazing friend is pregnant with her second what is surely to be beautiful baby. She already has sweet Baby Molly and I can only imagine this next one will follow suit! On Monday, Abby, Bryan and Molly found out they were having a baby Boy! If that isn't just perfect I don't know what is! As soon as I found out, I was thinking of a cute way to say congratulations!

This brings me to yesterday, when I made up my mind on what to do and had some time to kill after work before soccer. I decided that I was going to go to Build-a-Bear and make Molly a special pink Big Sister Bear and Baby Boy DePreist/Abby and Bryan a blue Its A Boy Bear. Just fun and silly and the nice thing about a bear for Molly is at least for a while, I can give her new bear clothes as gifts...always thinking. Up until the last few months, I have always LOVED Build-a-Bear! I think they have some really cute stuff and kids/me LOVE getting them:) I started to waver on my feelings toward them when I was looking for a Bumble Bee...I mean, the have Dairy Queen Blizzard Bears but no Bumble Bee?? Anyway, I got over it. But, when I went in yesterday, I was looking around the store and found TONS of baby stuff but no Big Sister/Big Brother stuff. I feel like that is not normal...I think that is the perfect gift to give a child in that situation. I was able to overlook that they didn't have what I wanted and bought the bears anyway hoping to find a shirt elsewhere (which was also impossible). It was at this point that I wish they had a bunch of pre-stuffed bears. I don't mind the whole foot on the pedal thing...but I do not want to make a wish, spin in a circle and kiss a heart. Give me a break! But, I did it anyway for my little Molly girl:) And to top it off, the staff was not very nice! For as much as those things can cost, you would think they would serve you with a smile!! Isn't it supposed to be a Beary Happy Place???

Eat, Drink, and Be Mary

SAY CHEESE!!

I am going to start by saying this post is not designed to offend anyone that takes or has taken engagement photos. The beauty of this blog is that it is my opinion and if you don't like it, don't read it:) I am currently at the point in my life that people are getting married what seems like every weekend. While I am a huge fan of documenting this process, I personally do not understand "engagement photos". I know they make nice "Save the Date" cards or great announcement photos for local papers but is it really a necessary expense?? I understand that many photographers include them in wedding packages and that is all fine and dandy. I guess what I struggle with the most is the need to be so edgy and artistic with a photo that is really about 2 people being in love.

When I am browsing (stalking) people's engagement pictures, I often find myself wondering, are these two getting married or walking the plank?? I don't understand the scowl...or squinty eyes. To me they don't look happy, they look constipated. I also don't understand the "Hey Groom, look over my shoulder to the left and Bride, why don't you look straight down at your fancy new shoes." What is the message with that picutre?? In my opinion, engagement photos should represent the couple...who they are together. If I ever get engagement pictures taken, I want them to look like US....let me just tell you, if you see my future husband and I frolicking through a field of flowers....we have issues. The last place you will ever find me is in a coffee shop at 6 AM because I don't drink coffee and I feel like that is a common background for said photos.

My good friend Jessica and her BF are big time golfers, if they were to get married, I feel like you could throw them in plaid shorts and a collared shirt and follow then around for a day on the course. I think those would be amazing photos...reading a put, high fiving after a good shot, real pictures! My favorite photos from weddings are the picture from the ceremony and reception. The pictures of the groom's reaction as the bride walks in or the pictures of the couple dancing! The photographer is able to capture real, non staged emotions. I feel like engagement photos should depict the same image, this is who WE are, goofy smiles, silly faces and all. The thing is, I bet 99% of all couples that get engagement photos could go back through their digital cameras or photo albums and find pictures that are just as nice as engagement phots.

Again, this is my opinion, I am not knocking the work of photographers because let's be honest, a lot of the photos are amazing. I also understand that these photos are very important to a lot of people....I just don't get it. Maybe someone can shed some light on it for me...

That is all,
Eat, Drink, and Be Mary

My Best Friend

Happy Monday! This weekend, I hosted a going away party for my BEST FRIEND in the WHOLE WIDE WORLD....Katy Hacker Cracker! Cracker really isn't part of her name, I just call her that sometimes.

Katy has decided after being and RN for the last 3 years (I think) that she is going to expand on her culinary expertise! Unfortunately for me, her endeavors are taking her St. Louis, MO to Austin, TX!! While I am very excited for her and to go visit her, I really don't want her to leave. She is leaving this week to live with a guy name Raul who apparently has a spoon and a bean masher. That is what I have heard at least. She will be studying vegan cooking...I am not a fan but whatever floats her boat. So, Friday, despite the rain, we had a little bbq for her! The irony is, she doesn't eat meat so we had to grill her some veggie kabob which I think tided her over....until she was super hung over on Saturday morning. I love the girl to death but man I think she gets the worst hangovers I have ever seen in my life. It was a nice little house party reminiscent of the kind we used to have in high school. Oddly enough, the guest list consisted of a bunch of people that were probably at my house 10 years ago!

To be clear, I think all of my friends are AMAZING! Like I stated before, they wouldn't be my friends if I didn't think that about them and I think they feel the same way. Katy is probably the oldest friend that I have. I remember meeting on the "short bus" (not because we were "special" but because there were only 6 kids from our neighborhood that rode the bus at that time) when we were in 3rd grade. We were both new to the neighborhood and to the school. While we had different teachers, we still became friends through the daily rides and four square games on the play ground. We had sports in common and the fact that we didn't live in the same town as our school, we didn't have many options of people to play with. We were kind of stuck with each other. As we progressed through grade school, we became even better friends, we were in the same, class, played volleyball together and even the same instrument in band. Then her mom let her switch, my mom wouldn't:(. We played the same sports through middle school and remained extremely close until our Freshman year. We rarely fought, with the exception of silly little girl stuff. There was period of time that we weren't friends in high school and it sucked. Water under the bridge! We grew close again and have really never looked back. Katy was the first person there when I found out my dad was sick. She stuck by our family through that horrible expereince. Even though we went to different colleges, and had really different schedules, we still got together when we were at home for the standard night before Thanksgiving parties. I road tripped to SEMO a couple of times and Katy made the trip to Murray as well. She is the best type of friend anyone could ask for! We have had so many great times over the last 17 years! She truly is like a 3rd sister to me! I don't know what I would do without her as my best friend. She is always up for a great time and is extremely entertaining!

I wish Katy, my best friend, the best of Luck in Texas! Come home with an accent and a Real Texas Cowboy! Sadly enough, unless your vegan meals come with a side of chicken....I am not interested!

Eat, Drink and be Mary:)

What I have learned....

For most of my life, I have been an athlete. I have played volleyball, basketball, soccer, softball, been on the swim team and even dabbled in tennis when I was younger. I loved being competitive! That desire didn't go away as I finished high school as I played soccer for 4 years at Murray State. Like most people in this position, at 22 and injury free, I was not ready to be done "playing sports". What's a girl to do?? Find bar leagues of course! I have been "competing" in bar volleyball and soccer leagues since I graduate in 2006. It has now taken my 5 years to realize that I was an athlete "in my day", not so much anymore. I try but I am clearly not as quick as I once was and let's be honest, there is a bar!

If I could pass one ounce of wisdom on to the youth of America that my dad gave me is that you should NEVER blame anyone else (ie. Refs/officials/umpires) for the outcome of the game. Unless, it is blantanly clear, she traveled, the ball was out or the "that was an inadvertant hand ball but if we were playing volleyball, would have been a sweet kill". Those are some extreme cases where the official clearly misses a call but for the most part, they are not to blame for poor performance.

That being said, I feel like adults are the WORST about yelling at the officials. I can think of multiple occasions in which an adult was screaming/arguing at a ref over a missed call...it is not like we are playing for the golf medal here and while you are yelling about the ball being out, my beer is getting warm, can we please get this show on the road? I find it kind of embarassing when my teammates jump on the refs. Take for example the lovely gentlemen that ref sand volleyball...in all honesty, that is ALL they have going for them right now. They get to sit high up on a wooden bench and run the show. Give them a break, how would you like denim cargo shorts to still be a part of your wardrobe? That in and of itself shows he does not have the best eye. While they frequently do miss calls it really isn't worth arguing over. Let's learn from the mistakes of others...Yadier Molina clearly didn't get anything but a 5 game suspension, a hefty fine I am sure and a load of embarassment for arguing with an umpire. I will leave you with this, if you do decide to compete in recreational sports, always remember, anywhere there is a bar connected to or on the premise, the refs are just trying to get as drunk as you are. They are only human.

Eat, Drink and be Mary

Here It Goes!

I am not sure what has inspired me to start this blog other than the BEAUTIFUL girl in the pink dress...Jessica L. Wilson. She has given me the confidence to share my fun, silly, and sometimes downright outrageous stories with the Blog world! I would like to thank her for her inspiration and dedicate my first post to her!

As far as I am concerned, I am pretty much your normal 27 year old. I get up and go to work everyday counting the days until the weekend. I am in Marketing and love all the aspects of what I do. I have been working for a bank for 4.5 years and counting. I have gotten the opportunity to do some pretty great things and am very much looking forward to what else is in store for me as time goes on! Like most people, I enjoy going out and spending time with my friends and family. I get irritated when people talk about how they have "the best friends in the world." DUH!! Would they be your friends if they weren't the best??? Honestly...think about it! I am not overly stylish, but I love to shop. I have tastes beyond my means but hopefully someday they all line up.

I am extremely close to my growing family. I am the 2nd of four kids, one older sister, one younger brother and sister. My oldest sister and her husband are expecting their first baby in November and I can't wait to be Aunt Mary!

I have a lot of special people in my life, some more than others but I will get into that later.

Time to get back to work! Until next time,

Eat, Drink, and Be Mary:)