How Did You Manage that One?

Quite a few people have asked how Danny and I managed to have our wedding at Coors Field.  The question is usually something along the lines of, "how did you manage that one?"  As if I had some kind of special connections.  Believe me, if wishing made it so. 

Really the story of how it came about is kind of boring, but I assure you the site visit was not.  The first thing we decided was to get married in Denver, and the next was to think of places that would be uniquely Denver/Colorado.  I liked the thought from a friend who said that she wanted to be married by a minister, but it did not have to be in a church.  Minister check!  As Danny said, which one of the many, many ministers in your life is going to marry us?  My colleague, Paul Bretz and my Dad will be filling that role, just for the record.  Our venue list included a couple places on or around Lookout Mountain, the Butterfly Pavilion, a manor in the "boondocks" west of Denver, and the Grant-Humphries Mansion (which I just found out is haunted).  Good thing we decided not to go with that one!  I will talk more about that situation in another post.  My Mom had told me a long time ago about a couple that were married at a minor league park, and Denise told me John once went to a wedding at the Bengals Stadium; so on something of a lark, I called Coors Field.  I don't even remember what number I used, but I asked the person who answered the phone rather timidly if weddings were ever held there.  I got a very strong, "oh yeah we do them all the time!"  To which I asked to speak to someone about it.

Next thing I know on a random Tuesday evening, Danny and I are walking up to the gates of Coors Field.  We were greeted by the sweetest woman who was working an event being held there that evening.  She called our contact, Heather to say we arrived.  We were then passed off to the next usher who took us through the depths of Coors Field, most of which I had never seen before.  Nor did I think I ever would again.  After planning events at work, I truly believe you have to feel good about your contact people; so the instant liking Danny and I both took to Heather helped guide our decision.  She had the logistics of her event under control yet she gave us the attention we needed.  Heather showed us the various reception spaces that would be appropriate for our group size, including the visitor's dugout.  Then she took us down on the field.  Oh my!  For a girl, such as myself, who grew up watching baseball I was just in awe.  I am pretty sure my mouth was just hanging open for at least a few seconds.  I was hooked!  As my Dad said, even if we didn't have the wedding there, the tour was sure worth it.

Once my parents confirmed that Coors Field was the perfect place for Danny and me, we began the process of picking a date.  The first step was waiting for the Rockies 2012 Schedule to be released, and then there were six couples ahead of us who had already signed contracts.  Fortunately for us they wanted summer dates whereas Danny and I were hoping for September/October.  The risky aspect of October is the possibility of the playoffs.  While the Rockies missed the postseason last year, we're hoping they will be in it this season.  Well the thought of our wedding getting bumped for a game was too stressful, and so we chose a weekend that the Rockies are out of town.  No chance of getting bumped by the team, and weather permitting Danny and I will be married at home plate.  Records show that September is the driest month in Colorado, so fingers crossed! 

During our site visit Heather shared that more often than not when a couple is considering Coors Field as their wedding location, it is usually the bride who is the baseball fanatic.  Yep, that's me!  Also, in an effort to give credit where its due, my Mom said when she came home from that wedding at the minor league park that I should consider something like that when my time came.  Who knew it would actually happen!

My Favorite Time of the Year

Since Selection Sunday this past weekend I have been taking every opportunity to share bits of Duke Basketball History with Danny.  It started with Greg Anthony, a member of the CBS SportsDesk for the Selection Show, who was on the UNLV teams of 1990 and 1991.  The 1990 team humiliated Duke in the championship game, but that all changed in 1991.  UNLV came into the Final Four undefeated, and found themselves once again matched up against Duke.  Well this time the outcome was different, Duke won the game 79-77 en route to their first of four National Championships under Coach K.  The other crazy thing about that particular Final Four is how close Duke and North Carolina were to competing in the title game, which has actually never happened.  UNC lost to Kansas 79-73 in the other National Semifinal.

While the Duke-Kentucky match-up of 1992 (pictured below) in the Elite Eight (Regional Final) would have come up anyway, it was made easier with Duke and Kentucky on a collision course in this year's South Region.  I will never forget that game or Thomas Hill's priceless reaction - Danny was laughing at me since I can do the commentary, "here's the pass to Laettner, puts it up, YYYYEEEESSSS!"

Unfortunately, I do not for see Duke making it this far this year.  Actually both my teams (Duke and IU) are in the South Region.  It is always hard to pick if and when my teams are going out of the tournament, but this year I have IU going farther than Duke.  Here's hoping my Dad will still speak to me... 

My brackets are officially submitted, but I used a lot of white-out.  One should always complete these things with a pencil.  Or take the approach of a multiple choice test, once you choose you don't second-guess your answer.   Against my better judgement (or wishes) I have Kentucky winning the championship.  I have never wanted to be more wrong in my life since I cannot stand John Calipari.  I am simply trying to redeem myself after a less than stellar Fantasy Football Season along with a dismal set of picks last year. 

Let the Madness Begin!  Oh I love this time of year!  And I love Danny for accepting that he is marrying a sports addict. 

The Business of Sports

I love sports.  This statement should not come as a shock, but rather what is appalling is the turn of events coming out of Indiana.  After 14 (14!) seasons, Peyton Manning is no longer a member of the Indianapolis Colts.  Here are a few highlights from the ESPN News Service coverage of the press conference with Jim Irsay and Peyton Manning, which made this announcement official:

Both men paused frequently to fight tears, with their voices shaking, when they appeared together at a news conference at the Colts' team complex to announce the end of Manning's 14-year tenure in Indianapolis.

The team had a deadline of Thursday to pay Manning a $28 million bonus and exercise the four remaining years on the five-year, $90 million contract he signed before last season, or release him outright.

"This is difficult because of the things Peyton has done for our city, our state and our franchise," Irsay said. "There will be no other Peyton Manning."  Irsay said Manning's No. 18 "will never be worn again by a Colt on the field." 

"We all know that nothing lasts forever," Manning said. "Times change, circumstances change, and that's the reality of playing in the NFL."

A couple things you should know about me.  I am not a Colts fan, but I have always respected Peyton Manning and sometimes even the organization.  You see I grew up with the story of how Jim Irsay's father, Robert moved the Colts to Indianapolis in the middle of the night; which I just thought was the craziest thing.  Then a couple years ago I read a wonderful Sports Illustrated article on Jim Irsay, and thought maybe this guy isn't so bad.  Well now I am not sure what to think about this turn of events.  Peyton Manning may prove to be the most coveted free agent acquisition in the history of the NFL.  Yet both men claim this decision was not about money.  Shenanigans!  Of course it was about money; if not what was it?  This just makes me very, very sad.  I watch sports for the love of the game, and all those other cliches.  I really struggle to remember that each sport is first and foremost a very lucrative business, and that becomes the basis for decision making by executives. 

On this day, I am very sad for the Peyton Manning and the city of Indianapolis.  He is a stand-up guy who has done wonderful things for that city and the Colts franchise.  Finally, I never thought I would say it, but Jim Irsay may have made a bigger fool of himself than his father!  I mean who lets Peyton Manning go?  The Colts went 2-14 without him last season!  As my future mother-in-law said, Peyton Manning is the Indianapolis Colts.  

This Much - The Story of the Rings

Growing up the Killmer family went to church just about every Sunday (read: every Sunday).  I have a story that I think is funny to put this fact into a bit of perspective.  There was one Sunday morning that my parents were out of town, but my sisters and I were around so we went to church.  We chose to sit in the back because as a family we always sat in the second or third pew; so we wanted to check out a new vantage point.  It came time for the announcements, and our minister shared with the congregation that Mark and Suzanne Killmer were in Seattle for a family wedding.  Denise, Steph and I looked at each other wondering if an update on the status of the Killmers was always given on the rare Sunday that we missed.  We may never know... 

I thought it was funny anyway.

So back to my point or as my Mom likes to hear me say I digress.  When I was little I used to get through the church service by playing with my Mom's wedding rings.  I would not take them off her finger, rather I would just move them around and be amazed by the way the light hit the diamonds.  I still remember the day that I found out that the band was her wedding ring, and the diamond was her engagement ring.  At five years old or so I was convinced it had to be the other way around since I thought the marriage would be symbolized by the bigger ring.  I always liked my Mom's rings, and hoped that one day I would have pretty rings too.  Well many years later I do have a pretty ring that sparkles, and as of this afternoon I should have a wedding band.  Of course indecisive me, my ring is not the ring that I originally picked out.  When Danny proposed my engagement ring was too big (my fault, not his).  My right hand is bigger than my left.  For those of you keeping track at home, my left ring finger is 4 and 3/4 inches.  When I got the ring re-sized I picked out a wedding band.  We put it on lay-away, and paid it off this weekend.  When I put it on I realized I did not like it as much as I originally thought.  Fortunately I was able to exchange it for a rather non-traditional, yet beautiful ring.  It seems that Danny and I are carrying the non-traditional theme into the wedding band. 

A silly tidbit about the ring-buying process.  As you can imagine, I am standing there unable to make a decision, since I want to believe everyone will agree this is a pretty big one.  I intend to wear this ring for the rest of my life.  Thank goodness Danny picked out my engagement ring on his own, but he did not want to make the decision for me.  So he tells me to pull out my phone, and create a text message stating which ring I really want.  He will do the same, and we will show the other person.  Upon doing this we both picked the same ring - the non-traditional one.  Of course my initial inclination was to type "I don't know," but then I realized I did know - I wanted the diamond and sapphire ring.  Danny claims that after two plus years of trying to get me to make decisions he may have finally figured out something that will work...

Perhaps one day a long, long time from now Danny and I will have kids who want to play with my wedding rings, and watch them sparkle in the light.  While we cannot inscribe either ring, mine is too small and Danny's material will not allow it, I would like to think he will always know "this much." You see I intended to have "This Much" inscribed in his ring.  May I suggest that the next time you tell someone you love them you stretch your arms out as wide as you can when you do it, and say "I love you, tttthiiiiissss much."  It really adds to the effect.  And you won't look as creepy as the silly robot in the picture above, but you get the idea.