Every once and a while you’ll have one of those nights that just makes you so happy to be alive, to share special moments with one another, and thankful for the awesome things you get to do.  Should we always feel that way?  Yeah, probably.  In all truthfulness though, it doesn’t happen as much as we’d like.

That’s why last Monday, July 19th, was incredible for my entire family, and one that I know none of us will ever forget.

My great Aunt Ruth, who will be 98-years-young this December, got to attend her first St. Louis Cardinals game in 35 plus years.  Thanks to a colleague of my Dad’s, we got 4 tickets in the “green seats” at Busch Stadium (which at $250 a piece, could cover two months of rent in St. Louis).  But because it was the middle of July–and because summers in St. Louis can hit well into the 90s–we were unsure if Ruth would be able to actually make it.  She’s an incredible woman who lives on her own, volunteers twice a week, exercises daily, doesn’t need glasses (or a hearing aid or a walker) and is sharp as a tack.  But let’s face it–95 degrees for a 97 year old is not the most ideal of circumstances.

However, someone was looking over Aunt Ruth, because on the day of the game, showers moved through the St. Louis area and brought with it an unseasonable cool front.  Excuse my stretch of the imagination, but it was like Moses had just parted the skies (or at least had a talk with Mother Nature).  Ruth donned her Cardinal red, grabbed her sunglasses, and planned for a casual night at the ballpark.  If she only knew what was in store.

Prior to the game (weeks before, actually), I contacted the Cardinals to tell them that a very special guest would be in attendance, hoping for a shout-out on the scoreboard, or a video hello.  What ended up happening exceeded our wildest dreams.  You would have thought we were in LA, not St. Louis.

After dinner in the dining room (complete with a dessert bar that gave me a sugar rush just looking at it), Ruth was greeted in her seat by long-time Cardinals mascot, Fredbird.  He presented her with a game ball, and a beak bite.  You’ll have to see the pictures below.

The evening didn’t end there.  During the game, Cardinals ballpark anchor “That One Guy” (aka Todd Schumaker), came over and told Ruth that during the bottom of the 6th inning, she would be featured on the jumbo-tron for a special rendition of “Happy Birthday.”   I can’t think of any other city that would do such a thing.  Leave it to St. Louis though.  We may not have the hippest clubs or a sparking blue ocean, but we definitely have the best fans.  And so, 40,000 plus (mind you–40,000 plus on a MONDAY night) got on their feet to sing Ruth an early Happy Birthday.  Fredbird came back for the celebration, this time complete with a gift bag and cupcake with candles.  To see Ruth being celebrated this way, in front of all these fans, on the scoreboard, was one of those moments you can’t even dream of.  It was incredible.

To top the evening off, it just so happened that Pro-Bowl NFL Running Back, Steven Jackson (of the St. Louis Rams), was sitting a few rows in front of us.  You never quite know how an athlete will be in person, especially when they are at a venue outside of work on their own personal time.  But SJ39 could not have been more gracious or genuine.  As far as he was concerned, Ruth was his new homie, and he was thrilled to share in her celebration.

Ruth hasn’t had an easy life.  She lost her father very young, and had to go to work to help her mother support 6 other brothers and sisters.  She never made excuses and never complained.  This is a woman who always has a smile on her face, is always willing to help others, and is never comfortable with a lot of fanfare.

Yes, she was a tad embarrassed on this delightfully balmy evening, but for the first time since I can remember, she was also comfortable enough to soak in the attention.  Either that, or she knew arguing with me was pointless.

At the rate Ruth is going, we’ll hopefully have her around for at least another 10 years.  But life is funny, and as healthy as we are, we never know how much time we have left on earth.  I learned that very early on in life when my Mom flew through the windshield of her car and almost died.  Life is never to be taken for granted, never to be passed by, never to be wasted.

And on that night, the message couldn’t have been clearer.  Ruth is one of those rare gems that you discover once in a blue moon.  When you’re lucky to find it, you never let go.

And for those keeping track, the Cardinals won that night.  Hit 3 home-runs in a row too.  I’d like to think it was for Ruth.

My Mom (Barb Radloff), Aunt Ruth, and my Dad (Stuart Radloff)

Aunt Ruth, meet Fredbird.

St. Louis RAMS RB Steven Jackson with Aunt Ruth

Me & Aunt Ruth, Summer 2010

Courtesy of the ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH (March 2010)

http://interact.stltoday.com/blogzone/deb-petersons-breaking-schmooze/uncategorized/2010/03/st-louis-native-jessica-radloff-really-wants-to-be-mary-in-three-men-and-a-bride/

03.02.2010 5:53 pm

St. Louis native Jessica Radloff REALLY wants to be Mary in “Three Men and a Bride”

By Deb Peterson

St. Louis Post-Dispatch

Jessica Radloff

THREE MEN AND JESSICA?: Our town’s Jessica Radloff, an actress who has spent some time swinging at the stars, has launched a unique campaign to get the part of her dreams, that of Mary in the upcoming three-quel “Three Men and a Bride.”

Radloff, a Parkway Central grad, class of 1997, has lived in Hollywood the past several years and has had her share of movie roles. Among other things, she’s been on “The Young and the Restless,” “Entourage” and “Campus Ladies,” and she had a summer job with the “Tonight Show with Jay Leno.”

But ever since she was a kid, Radloff said she was “obsessed” with “Three Men and a Baby” and “Three Men and a Little Lady” and dreamed of starring in a third installment, although she had no reason to ever expect there would be one. At age 10 she had a crush on Tom Selleck and watched and rewatched the movies starringSelleck, Steve Guttenberg and Ted Danson. The fact that people told her she looked exactly like the actress who played Mary (who was actually played by twinsLisa and Michelle Blair), added to her interest in the movie.

Fast forward to last November, when Guttenberg announces that there will be a third film. Radloff said today, “I just knew that I had to do whatever it took to get that role. Yes, I told my manager and agent, but somehow that wasn’t good enough. Having lived in LA for so long and been a part of this industry, you learn that the only person you can truly count on is yourself (a good lesson perhaps in any city). I had to find a way in.”

Knowing that the men were the stars of the film, Radloff said she was certain they did not intend to cast an A-list star in the role of Mary. She contacted Guttenberg, who she had met when she first got to Hollywood, and told him she wanted to play Mary. She said he was encouraging and told her to push for the part.

The result is that Radloff has a campaign underway to get the role. She’s got a website with a mock movie poster showing her in the role and written endorsements from colleagues and execs in the movie biz. She’s gotten some press attention for her effort and has started a charitable effort to get people to become fans of her facebook page,“Cast Jessica Radloff as Mary in Three Men and a Bride.” She’s donating 50 cents per fan to the Make-A-Wish Foundation, and so far has racked up a $300 donation.

Will Radloff be successful? Who knows. Here’s the young entrepreneur’s thoughts on that: “Who knows if this will work, but I’d rather know I tried my hardest than sat by and did nothing.”

For the local angle, Radloff is the daughter of Barbara and Stuart Radloff. Stuart is a bankruptcy attorney in Town & Country; Barbara volunteers at Missouri Baptist Hospital and is a substitute teacher.

I was so excited to appear yesterday on Oprah Radio’s “Derrick Ashong Experience” to talk about everything from Tiger Woods apology to accomplishing ones dreams.  This was especially important to me because I was going to discuss my campaign to be cast in the upcoming “Three Men and a Bride!”  After all, if that’s not going after a dream, I don’t know what is!

Derrick was awesome, and we did a really interesting segment on Tiger Woods and what his apology meant to the public and his family.  Unfortunately, when we were going to talk about “Three Men” after the commercial break, that’s when the feed went down, and by the time it was up and running, they had to move on to their next segment.  Hopefully (HOPEFULLY!!) they’ll bring me back on so I can talk about my main reason for going on in the first place. In the meantime, for any press-related inquiries, please e-mail Jessica@JessicaRadloff.com and my management team will be in touch. Thank you!

Oprah Radio: "The Derrick Ashong Experience"