Friends, We've Hit $1,000!!! :)

An update on the Roaming Penguin sales courtesy of R.P. Mama Stephanie S.:

WE HAVE REACHED 200 PENGUINS!! I am sooooo excited (and a little freaked out seeing as I have over 100 to make). But this means over $1,000 will go to the MLF. I was just hoping to send $500....so this totally makes my day!! Jodie, you and The Friends of The Show are just incredible....how did I get so lucky??

WOW!!! $1,000 is a lot of freaking money! Thank you so much, everyone! To Stephanie: Take your time with them and don't get overwhelmed - we're all Friends here. We understand that these creations take time. :)

To get in on the fun, click here to find out how to put your name on the list.

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My husband and I were joined in our trip to Saturday's game by two VI(R)Ps. Our Roaming Penguins sleep in style - this bag keeps them safe from dirt (and dog hair!) when they're not out and about. Sidney Penguin and Mario Penguin hopped out of their shelter, got their tickets, and were ready to hit the road!


Before we left, S.P. and M.P. helped me choose my attire. It was a toss up between my Sidney Crosby Winter Classic jersey and this old school sweater. The Roamers decided that I should go with the sweater, since it is the one I wore to the Winter Classic. It was a good choice - both times I've worn it, the Pens toppled the Sabres, so I guess it worked! (Incidentally, if anyone is interested, they are selling these sweaters at the Mellon Arena again, except the new ones feature the newer scowling skating penguin. They're a bit pricey, though - $120!)


Sidney P. and Mario P. had to sit in the backseat because my husband had already called shotgun. ;)


The Roamers were extremely excited to finally to see the Boys in action! Sidney and Mario were privileged enough to meet Pengylady's Sidney Penguin, but I thought it might cause a rip in the spacetime continuum if there was a photo of two Sidney Penguins. (Okay. Actually, I was so stoked to be at the Mellon and excited to finally meet Pengylady and put a face to the screen name that I completely forgot to set up a photo with our Roamers. I know - it was a great chance and I blew it. I'm sorry.) Here are S.P. and M.P. watching the Pens during the warmup:


S.P. and M.P. forgot to ask me to take their picture at the gate on the way into the game, so we snapped this one on the way out:


The Roamers really liked these spray painted messages on the sidewalk outside the arena:


It truly was...


Several Friends of The Show were at Saturday's game, so I'm not 100% sure which one of them sent me this beautiful shot of the Mellon Arena right after the rain before the game started (LATE EDIT: The sender was identified! It was Pens87Fan71/Lexie101!):


Saturday, of course, was the first game in which the Pens wore their "new" third jerseys. The Roaming group that lives with 1WingAngel and her twin sister Nicole G. got some fancy new duds for the occasion, courtesy of the twins' extremely talented mother:

snoop's Sidney P. and Mario P. are jealous!

Speaking of the twins, the one and only Marc-Andre Fleury actually remembered meeting Marc-Andre Penguin! Friend of The Show Lauren H. shares the story:

I got the chance to meet Marc-Andre today at a promotional appearance he made in Mount Nebo (Pittsburgh suburb) - it was at a phone store and the owner is the guy who my dad gets all his company cell phones from, so we got a bit of VIP access - we got to sort of skip the line and were one of the first people to see him - they kept saying "no posed pictures" but they let it slide with us!


He was so sweet - you could tell he was really overwhelmed when they told him there were a few hundred people standing outside in the cold, all waiting to see him. When he saw my Sidney Penguin, he smiled and said "Hey it's one of those little penguins!" so he definitely remembers meeting his miniature counterpart! Anyways, we couldn't hang around too long (which I was kind of sad about) because my awesome dad also had Steelers tickets for my siblings and I!


We froze our butts off and I think my toes are still thawing out now. When we were walking in, the snow was coming down so hard it looked like a whiteout, but it didn't snow too much throughout the game!


Anyways, Sidney Penguin spent most of the game hiding in the warmth of my jacket, but I was able to snap a couple pictures of him enjoying the game too!

Looks like the Roamers are branching out when it comes to professional sporting events. ;)

Finally tonight, I've got some exciting news about our Sid drawing Friend Jan M. A few weeks ago, she contacted the Mario Lemieux Foundation and offered to donate two of her amazing works for auction. The MLF accepted and Siddo himself signed the drawings! Here's what she had to say about it:

Jode, just be sure you check it out to the bottom because the very first one I did which YOU featured is also up for auction and signed by Sidney! I credit you with all the good vibes you and all of the Friends of the Show gave me. You guys gave me the courage to contact the MLFoundation and ask if they might like to have one. I'll always be grateful!

And yes, Sidney had his grubby little hands on MY drawings! Yee Ha!

Thanks again and again for what you did for me!

Oh, Jan! There's absolutely no need to thank me - YOU are the one with all the talent! You will probably recognize Jan's drawings that now bear number 87's signature (click the picture to go to its NHL auction page):



Sláinte mhaith, to you Friend! The drawings are beautiful. What an accomplishment! :)

Thanks so much to Stephanie, Pens87Fan71/Lexie101, 1WingAngel, Nicole, (their mom, too!), Lauren, and Jan for their contributions to today's post!!