19 | September | 2013 | Chocolate Covered Race Medals

Edited to Add:

I am including this post in the Love Yourself Linkup from the truly amazing and inspiring www.annetheadventurer.com. The experience I had at the game humbling and one that i am truly thankful for. Sometimes we all need a reminder of how we affect people, and the difference we make in people’s lives. Even when we don’t notice it.

Last night Zach and I were lucky enough to be given tickets to the Cards/Rockies game from his very sweet, thoughtful and generous cousins 🙂

It was my first time at Coor’s field, so I was excited to check out the stadium, especially knowing I was going to enjoy my Card’s in the process 🙂 It didn’t hurt that Zach’s cousin was also from the midwest and a big fan of the Birds. It always good to have support when you’re rooting for the “other team”

Thanks Steve and Karen! We had a GREAT time ! You’re awesome

the Game

The game started at 640, so Zach and I made a beline for the stadium pretty quickly once I got home.

Thankfully, we live within walking distance of all of the major stadiums in the city, including Coors. . . so driving and parking are never an issue.

We chatted away about our busy months ahead as we enjoyed the 20 minute walk

. . . we may or may not have brought beverages for the walk. please don’t judge me.

We got to Coors about 6 PM and met up with the family to get our tickets and find our seats.

We were able to hang out and catch up a bit before the game started at 6:40.

There was a children’s choir that came on to sing the national anthem, and it was seriously the cutest little thing I’ve seen in a long time.

They did so well and had the small crowd that was there for last nights game on their feet singing along with them.

Then of course, the players took the field and were ready to play some ball

Being from Saint Louis I was obviously rooting for the boys in red

They started out tough, going 3 and out for the first 2 innings and letting the Rockies jump ahead by 2.

But by inning three, we tied it up, took the lead in the middle of the game, and kept it for a big W.

Love Yourself Link Up Moment

In between the top of bottom of the third inning, my tummy started grumbling and i knew it was time to eat.

Thankfully, Coor’s field, like much of Colorado, is happy to be providing some healthy options, and a variety of different foods!

Zach and I went to walk the stadium to find something delicious, and were quickly drawn in to a small stand that was advertising Gluten Free.

Now I am not gluten free by any means, but I do have a quasi sensitive tummy and feel like my body just appreciates the easier to digest grub.

So, I went up to the little stand and saw a quesadilla that automatically drew my attention. So much so that I didn’t even see who was behind the cash register.

As I was ordering my food and preparing to pay, I was surprised when the cashier said

Cashier: Hello Ashley!

I was totally confused and thrown a bit off by this person knowing me…

Cashier: You don’t remember me? From {insert name of my place of employment, which i will keep private for personal reasons}

I IMMEDIATELY knew who he was when he said that.

You see, the cashier is a client of mine who I have worked with, along with many of my colleagues, for the past year.

He had been through some very tough times, and our agency was able to provide him with the basic needs, shelter, and helped him to find his current job at Coors Field.

He was so proud, as was I, to see him doing so well. And it meant a lot to me to see him succeeding.

Then I tried to pay for my delicious looking food. . .

Cashier: Oh, it’s on me

Ashley: Oh no, I can’t let you do that!

Cashier: No, it’s on me. How could I not after how much you all have done for me. It would mean a lot to me to pay you back.

I really didn’t know how to respond at this point. I ethically felt like I shouldn’t take the free food, but I could tell he wasn’t going to let me pay.

When i eventually politely accepted his offer, he graciously shook my hand and let me know that it meant a lot for him to do something for me after everything our agency has done for him.

We chatted for a minute, and then we were on our way.

Both Zach and I were a little thrown off my the exchange, but I’ve thought about it a lot since last night.

That man was so proud to be doing so well, and he was able to do something for somebody else in return for a lot of hard work and effort.

Sometimes I am just frustrated with work, and some days I feel like I can never do enough. But nights like tonight remind me that we are helping people, big or small. And by even running into this man and giving him the opportunity to help ME in return, he felt pride himself.

What a cool moment. And one I’m going to try really hard not to forget.

On top of all that, the quesadilla was amazing!

By far the best food I’ve ever had at a ball park…and it was HUGE.

It’s hard to tell in the pictures but there were two layers of quesadilla there, so Zach and I split it 50/50. If you’re at Coors field, PLEASE find the Gluten Free stand. It’s the best 🙂

the cardinals and rockies wanted to keep the game interesting, so we went into the 9th inning with the cards only up by one.

Bottom of the ninth was intense, until I had a surprise visitor. . .

So random. . . my good friend Jill from home who moved to the Denver area around the same time I did. Just so happened to be in the section of seats right near me. Love her 🙂

HI JILL!

baseball treat

So you all know I have a terrible sweet tooth.

When I go to sporting events, I ALWAYS pack a sweet (I actually got caught at the bonco’s game a few weeks ago trying to sneak in a chocolate bar in my pockets. Apparently they set off metal detectors! Who knew?)

Well, I read about this amazing looking chocolate bar on the blogosphere yesterday . . .

Bacon and chocolate. . . I was intrigued.

Let me tell you

This chocolate did NOT disappoint. I LOVED it — and Zach and his cousin seemed to enjoy it as well.

I wasn’t sure how I was going to feel about the combo, but it worked for me. The sweet and salty mix was PERFECT. The only weird thing, I was definitely pulling out small pieces of bacon for the next few minutes after eating it, haha.

My review

This Vosgos Mo’s Milk Bar with hickory smoked bacon cured with Alderwood smoked salt DEFINITELY gets my seal of approval for taste and chocolatey flavor/fun!

The only downside, THE COST! Hello 8 dollar chocolate bar?

I probably wouldn’t pay full price for it again, but it was a fun ball park snack . . . (and I would probably get it again if it were on sale! it is delicious, that’s just a LOT for chocolate)

Question of the Afternoon: Have you ever had a moment when you were just out in public like this that really just humbles you?

Good morning and Happy Thursday all 🙂

I know all my friends on the east coast are almost to the afternoon by this point, so I hope you’re having a wonderful day so far as well, and I am a bit jealous that you’re almost half way done with your work day. . . but that’s neither here nor there :).

Zach and I had a blast at the game last night

I plan to have a full review later this afternoon, it was actually a pretty cool experience.

But, thanks to the game, Zach and I were in bed quite a bit after our normal bed time, so I was very thankful for my late start morning when my alarm went off.

At 745, I crawled out of my comfy bed and hit the gym for a very easy recovery run to loosen them up after a good strength day and tough hill workout the day before

Workout of the Day: 4 + miles on the treadmill: recovery

Today’s run stayed between 6.1-6.3 speeds for the most part, going up to 6.5 by the end.

I know this isn’t very fast by a many peoples standards, but for me it was very nice to just zone out and move the legs this morning. I didn’t want anything tough, and even when I got bored and wanted to speed it up, my smart half told me to keep it under control and save the tank for a long run this weekend.

Overall — I think the easy run was the perfect start to the AM :).

And now — it’s about time to head to work. Which normally I would be a little grumpy about — but I had an experience last night at the game that was pretty humbling, and reminded me exactly why I do what I do. . . so I think today I’ll grab my coffee, and put a smile on my face as I head to work.

Question of the Day: Does anyone else struggle with keeping pace sometimes on easy runs? Or just work outs that are meant to be easier in general?