BEL AIR, Md. — Ravens slippers. Ravens pillows. Ravens bobbleheads. Ravens doormats. Even the Ring doorbell is purple.
We could go on. But you get the picture.
“This is my prized possession - Ray Lewis signed helmet that I won,” Terri Swartz says as she proudly gives us a tour of her “fan cave” in her basement.
If there's a piece of Ravens merch, chances are Swartz owns it.
Or, her dog Luna does.
“And Luna has her little bucket of Ravens toys there,” she says as the tour continues.
“I know sometimes the girls would be like, ok mom, I think that's enough," Swartz said.
But when decking out your house with purple pride brings your family joy, and provides a distraction during a hard time, well, there can never be enough of that.
"It gave us something else to focus on," Swartz said.
In 2016, Swartz's husband wally was diagnosed with cancer. A die hard Ravens fan, who had passed along the passion to both of his daughters, watching football became more than just a fun family past time. It became precious time. Time they knew they wouldn't have enough of.
“During the time he was sick, it was just a way to have something to look forward to and to celebrate and since it was already a tradition with us, you know, we wanted to keep that going and he didn't want it to stop. He wanted us to have the things to look forward to," Swartz explained.
Wally passed away in 2019.
Swartz says for the first time since his passing, this Ravens season hasn't been a sad reminder of what the family lost. But rather, it's been a way to honor their husband and father's memory.
“I feel like anytime with grief, anytime you lose someone that's such a huge part of your family, you go through all the stages. You get to the point where you get tired of being sad, and you want to celebrate, you know, he was such an integral part of the family and he wouldn't want us to be sad all the time," she said.
And with the Ravens on the way to the AFC championship, it's hard to feel anything but joy.
“He would, oh my god, he would be so beside himself," referring to her husband.
And when the Ravens are doing well, this whole neighborhood in Bel Air knows it. Every night during a ravens playoff run, the Swartz household glows purple.
“So I add all my outside decoration, like come on Ravens you gotta make it, I want to keep these up more than just the one week this year. So I add a little bit each week as they go farther into the playoffs," she added.
Swartz is hopeful, she won't have to take down her display after this Sunday's game.
“I believe with all my heart that they're gonna win. I really do," she said.