Round 4, Game 4- Pens vs Wings 6.4.09

Last year, when the Pens made it to the Stanley Cup Final, I wasn't able to get tickets. This year I decided I was going with or without a ticket. Fortunately, I was able to get tickets to Game 4 and Game 6.

Before the gates opened, we walked around the arena to look at all the people who were sitting in the grass to watch the game on the screen. The crowd stretched clear across the street into the parking lot across from the arena. A few people had even brought their couches to sit on to watch the game.



To watch warm-ups, I sat in the first row right behind Marc. At each playoff game, fans are given a rally towel when they enter. Someone decided to make the Stanley Cup out of their rally towels.


Here are a few other pictures from warmups



It was so loud inside the Mellon. I have never heard the arena as loud as I did for Game 4. Before the Pens even took the ice, people were chanting "Let's Go Pens!" Geno scored in the 1st minute of the game, and the arena got even louder. Unfortunately, Detroit scored at the end of the 1st to tie it and then at the beginning of the 2nd to take the lead. The arena got really quiet until Detroit had 5-on-3 advantage. Jordan Staal scored a short handed goal to tie the game again. Within 2 minutes, Geno made a great pass to Sid who scored his first SCF goal, and then 4 minutes later, Tyler Kennedy scored to give the Pens a 4-2 lead. The building erupted when John Barbaro announced TK's goal. It was so loud that you couldn't even hear the announcement that Detroit had called a timeout after the goal.


Leaving the game was just as loud as being inside. Everyone was yelling and cheering as they walked to their cars. People were beeping their horns and yelling "Pens in 6!"

Round 3... Pens vs Canes... 5.21.09

My dad and I went to see the Pens play the 'Canes in Round 3 of the 2009 playoffs. Upon entering the arena, everyone was given a really cool t-shirt that had a close-up picture of the eye from the penguin and underneath the eye, it said, "The real eye of the storm". This game lacked the intense emotion of the games against the Flyers and the Capitols- it barely even felt like a playoff game, let alone an Eastern Conference final game, until the middle of the 3rd when the Pens began to dominate.

Sid scored a goal in the first few minutes of play, but the Canes scored soon after to even the game. The score went back and forth through the first and second. At the beginning of the third, Geno decided to take over the game and scored 2 of his 3 goals. His third goal was absolutely incredible; after watching the replay hundreds of times, I still cannot believe that the puck actually went in the net. To score, he won the face off, threw the puck to the wall, beat the center to the puck, skated with it behind the net and then shot it on the backhand while turning away from the net to score the goal.

This goal got Geno a hat trick, and it was the first hat trick I have been in attendance for. It was so neat to see all the hats on the ice and watch the players while the ice was cleared. Geno actually looked upset that he had to wait while they stopped the game to clean the ice.

With about 7 minutes left in the game, they showed a few Steelers on the jumbo-tron and played Renegade during a tv time out. My dad looked at me and said, "If we were at Heinz field, we'd be standing for the next 7 minutes." With a minute left, Tyler Kennedy scored an empty net goal to give the Penguins a 7-4 win.

The Pens went on to sweep the 'Canes and earn a trip to the Stanley Cup Final.


I had great seats for this game. Here are some of the pictures I took.

Kris during warm-up

Really cool signs hanging on the F balcony

Pens bench during the national anthem

Hats on the ice for Geno's hat trick

Players waiting for the hats to be cleared

Pens win

And so the house hunt begins...

After I knew that I was hired officially by H'burg, I headed off to the bank to get a pre-approval letter for a house loan. So far, I have only been looking at houses online and driving past some of the ones I think I may like in order to weed out the worst ones, but after 3 days of this, I am EXHAUSTED! I can't even imagine what it's going to be like once I actually call a realtor and start looking inside the houses.

Wish me luck.... I'm going to need it

Happenin' Weekend in Kittanning

I spent most of this past weekend in Kittanning.

On Saturday, my cousin, Kristie, had her thirty-faux birthday. She decided to have a bonfire to celebrate, which of course meant it stormed for most of the afternoon/ early evening. Eventually, the rain cleared out and we were all able to head outside for our picnic supper. The food was excellent and all the little kids running around were so cute. I'd post some pictures, but when I turned my camera on that night, all I got was a black screen and a "change battery pack" notice.


On Sunday, my Aunt Janet hosted our annual family reunion. My grandma took her famous fried chicken that she makes in her cast iron skillet that she got as a wedding present in the early 1940's. *Yum... SOOOOOO goood!!!!* Kristie and I were in charge of selling 50/50 tickets and we collected $200. Next year, I think we should charge a commission so we also make a profit.

Here is the only picture I took on Sunday

New Job

After three years of being an hourly employee without a contract, I was hired by Hollidaysburg Area School District. I will be a Title 1 reading teacher at Foot of Ten Elementary School. I am so excited to be working as a reading teacher and working for Hburg!


*Mini wave in celebration of me* *Awoohoo!*

Update on what happens when I am bored

I decided to keep the ugly blue 1998 prom shoes for Lilster to play with when she comes to visit me in a few years. Her mom and I had so much fun playing dress up as kids, I figured I'd start saving some weird clothing items for her.

This is what happens when I get bored...

I was bored today, so I decided to clean out my closet. I never know what I will find once I start cleaning. Today I found:
- signed Mario Lemieux Sports Illustrated from the Cup win in 1992
- pictures of Jaromir Jagr when he still had his mullet
- old VHS tapes of Penguin games from the 1990s
- a shirt and a skirt that I forgot I owned because they had fallen off the hangers and were laying on the closet floor
- and these.....

my *lovely* prom shoes ... does anything say 1998 more than square toe shoes???

Kris Letang autograph signing

Last Tuesday, I went to the South Hills to attend a Kris Letang autograph signing at Giant Eagle. It started at 12:00, but because of an appointment that ran late, I wasn't able to get there until 12:20. I figured it wouldn't be a big deal, that I'd maybe have to wait about 30 minutes or so, but when I walked in, I could see the line snaking through the store. I ended up talking to a group of people who were in line behind me and we were told that they couldn't promise that our section of the line would get through in time before he left at 2:00. I then overheard some of the GE staff saying that there were over 600 people in line. We started out in Aisle 13 and by 1:20 had only made it to Aisle 8. I was really starting to think that there was no way in the world that I'd get close enough, but luckily the people I was waiting in line with were extremely nice. They knew someone who was about 6 aisles in front of us, so they took my stuff over to the friend they knew. So, despite the fact that I did not get to be at the table when my stuff got signed, I am now the proud owner of a Kris Letang autograph! :O)

Here are some of the pictures I was able to get, even with the "No photographs, please" signs they had hanging up.