Written by Chad -

Since the baseball season is winding down and my beloved Cardinals lost to the Giants last week in the National League Division Series, I realized that I never posted about the time Amber and I went to a Cardinals/Brewers game back in early September—a couple weeks before we moved to Raleigh, NC. At that time, the Cardinals and Brewers were fighting for first place in the National League Central Division and this series was pivotal to see who would make it to the Playoffs. Knowing this, I purchased the tickets months before the series in fear that I wouldn't get the chance to experience an amazing game in a very meaningful place with a beautiful woman.

You may be wondering, "Why is Miller Park such a meaningful place to a Cardinals fan?" Well, back in 2003, some friends and I found out that the Cards were at Miller Park and we all decided to skip class and head to the game. When I pulled up to the curb to pick up my friends, they were standing with a couple girls. ...Day just got better!

On the drive from Kenosha to Milwaukee, I realized that I had met these girls a week prior at one of our midnight football games. (In a nutshell, some friends and I would get together every Saturday night at midnight and play tackle football out on the football field. It was a blast and one of the best memories of my freshmen year because I was able to meet so many cool people.) One of the girls in particular was Amber. When we got to the stadium, we ended up getting tickets right behind the Cardinals bullpen because it was cheap and I was able to watch Chris Carpenter warm up for the game. AND that's about all I remember from the game because the rest of the time I ended up talking to Amber! Even though my favorite baseball team was in town, I discovered the love of my life in a bleacher seat next to me in Miller Park.

So, Miller Park is very important to us because it allowed us a place to meet, talk and fall in love. Going to the game in September wasn't completely about the Cardinals making it to the playoffs, but for Amber and I to reminisce, relive our early years of dating and soak in our last outing to Miller Park before we moved to our new home in Raleigh. (Note: Pic #9 below shows where we sat during that AWESOME day back in 2003.)

It was a day of joy and celebration because God blessed us that day. Not only did we get a BEAUTIFUL day, we were able to get seat upgrades thanks to Lew and Carol Evans who were also there with empty chairs around them. We got the opportunity to watch a pivotal divisional game in the eighth row behind home place. On top of that, the Cardinals won, knocking the Brewers out of first place. Miller Park will always have a very special place in my heart because of the countless memories I have there.

Check out some of the highlights of the special night below.

Why Miller Park is special to this Cardinals fan