Pinch Me, Please!

The Kansas City Royals are going to the World Series.


That's the first time in TWENTY-NINE YEARS that I've said that sentence.

I'm going to say it again, as it's still a stunner: The Kansas City Royals are going to the World Series.


AWESOME SAUCE!!!!


I'm still somewhat in a state of disbelief.

As a die-hard Royals fan my entire life, this is totally unbelievable, totally shocking, and totally amaze-balls at the same time. The last time the Royals appeared in the World Series, Ronald Reagan was in the White House, and Marty McFly was at the box office in "Back to the Future."

The year was 1985…I was a newlywed, having only been married for a few short months. My then-Hubby and I were setting up our new household in a small, two-bedroom apartment, still wading through wedding gifts and sending out thank-you notes. Our television set was small, as was our apartment, so for the Series, we'd head over to family or friends' houses, where we watched our boys in blue win the Series against our home state rivals, the St. Louis Cardinals.

The city went wild…heck, WE went wild…and naively, we thought that it would just be a short matter of time before we'd be back in the World Series again.

Ha.

Twenty-nine years later. A lifetime. Seven kids, nine grandkids, and a second marriage later…here we are.


No one can accuse me of being a bandwagon fan…if you've followed my blog, you've read about my ongoing support for my hometown team since FOREVER…we've had our season tickets for the last several years, and we faithfully sat in a near-empty stadium, not necessarily seeing a good product on the field, but enjoying the ambiance and atmosphere that a baseball game brings. Over the years, as much as I loved them, I would still say, with almost pride in my voice, "Yeah, my team may be sucky…but they're MY sucky team." And we grew to accept as normal - as normal as the sun coming up in the East and setting in the West - that when the season ended, the Kansas City Royals would inevitably be in last place.

And now this.


My extreme joy, however, is tempered by the sad fact of losing my father two weeks ago. See, he loved the Kansas City Royals, too, and there's a part of me that is almost angry that he's not here right now to enjoy it. People say, "Oh, your Dad is cheering - he's got the best seat in the house!" - which may be all true and well…but it doesn't change the fact that it's not quite the same as being able to pick up the phone and call him, tell him the Kansas City Royals are heading to the World Series, and hear the joy that would be in his voice.

That's what I miss. And that's what is making this all a bit hard.


But.

Enough of that.

The Kansas City Royals are going to the World Series.

{{{faints}}}