Super Bowl XLVI Day 3: The Big Game

Sunday started with my father waking up just after the sun rose.  When I heard him in the shower earlier than he had said he was going to set his alarm for, I knew this meant one thing. My dad AKA the Big Kid was too excited to sleep.  By the time Hubby and I woke up, Daddy had already been in and out of the room several times trying to keep himself busy.

As I got ready, I realized I had way too much Giants gear on: my lucky shirt, my Manning jersey, my visor, beads I bought at the NFL Shop the day before, my ticket holder. Oh and have I mentioned that my nails had the NY logo on them?  If there was ever a time to over do it though, it was the Super Bowl and I was ready.

 My nails (and chubby fingers--no Spanx for hands) and all their NYG glory

We headed downstairs where the buses were already waiting to take us into Indianapolis.  Daddy, very anxious to get this day started, wanted to board the bus immediately even though it wasn't leaving for another 30 minutes (at least).

As the bus pulled away from the hotel, my adrenaline started really pumping.  I could not believe we were headed to the Super Bowl.  Our first stop was the pregame party.  I can't really tell you what my expectations were for it but I can tell you that they blew everything away.  We walked into a full blown party.  The DJ was in the front of the room and the music was pumping.  There were trays and trays of hot food, 2 open full bars, and quite the dessert display.

 We're READY TO PARRTAAAYY!

**Read like Kristin Wiig says in the plane scene of Bridesmaids

We grabbed some food and tried (unsuccessfully) to find somewhere to sit.  While my father and husband looked around, I went to the restroom.  Of course, in typical fashion, there was a long line for the women's room and no line in the men's bathroom.  This is not usually the case at sporting events but it was early and all the women got off the bus and headed straight for the women's room.  So I did what any rational person who had to pee something terrible would do, I went in the men's room.

I met back up with Daddy and Hubby and scarfed down my food while standing.  Then we started to walk around.  I quickly discovered that we were likely the poorest people in the place.  There was a silent auction happening with a lot of really cool memorabilia (some Giants related and some not).  I glanced at a couple of minimum bids and when the cheapest I could find was $500, I quit looking.

Soon, old timers from the Super Bowl XXI and XXV were at the party signing autographs.  We made our way around and checked everyone out.  Hubby and Daddy were taking advantage of the open bar.  I was just soaking it all in.  We chatted with some fellow fans and then before we knew it, it was time to walk over to the stadium.  We left in a huge mob of Giants fans.  It was awesome.  We chanted and cheered the few blocks to the game.

 Leaving the party and heading to the stadium.

Then, just like that, we were at the gate. The gate to the enter the SUPER BOWL.

Let's be clear.  At this point, I still couldn't believe we were there.

We had left several hours early so that we could check out the stadium.  So when we got to the gate there were no lines.  We made our way quickly through security.

 Walking through the gate.

And then we were in.

Lucas Oil Stadium is a beautiful stadium to begin with.  Add that we were there for the Super Bowl and I swear it had a heavenly glow about it.

We decided to take a peak at the field before we made our way all the way up to our seats.  As we stood back and took pictures from the top of the field level seats, the gentleman working looked at us and said "You can go down there and take pictures if you'd like."  Have I mentioned that the people in Indianapolis were the nicest people I have ever been around??  So we went down and started taking pictures of the field.  NBC was set up on our sideline so practically right in front of us was Bob Costas and Rodney Harrison.

Then I left my father and husband to meet a woman for the first time that I had known about for years and who played a very important role in my life--she helped me find the church that Hubby and I got married in.  This is a great story and I can't do it justice embedded in this post.  Hopefully one day soon (and as you see, sometimes "soon" is 20 days late) I'll write about this mystery woman and the great story about how we finally met.

I met back up with my father and husband and we headed to our seats.  They were high but they were great. We had a terrific view of the entire field, and since we booked through a Giants-affiliated travel agency, our entire section was filled with NY fans.  We were on the Giants sideline by the Patriots painted end zone.  Subsequently, this would be the end zone where nearly all important scoring and plays happened.

 Our view

As we sat there very excited, Hubby struck up a conversation with the men next to him.  I leaned over and said, "Can you believe you're here?"  As you know, not believing I was there has been quite the theme for the entire weekend. This guy turns to me and dead pans, "Yes."  Oh, excuuuuuse me.  I guess for me this was an experience of a lifetime.  For this guy, just a regular Sunday.  I should have asked him what does get him excited.  Perhaps his miniature giraffe does.

The "fluff" before the game seemed to take forever.  The teams were announced,  America the Beautiful, The Star Spangled Banner (not fluff) were sung, and the Man of Year award was given.  We got to see the back of this since for some reason it all was facing the Patriots sideline--possibly because they were the home team.  The coin was tossed. The Giants picked tails and lost.  My dad yelled, "It's almost always heads! Why would they pick tails?"  To which I sarcastically responded, "Actually, they had about a 50/50 shot with that."  And then I dropped it.  So, the Patriots decided to defer.  This is an argument every week in our house.  Hubby thinks you should get the ball first and put points on the board first.  I don't know why anyone would ever NOT defer (except for overtime, of course).  You want the momentum in the second half.  Period.

So again, after what felt like an eternity, the Patriots finally kicked off.

 Kick Off

The Giants were driving down the field towards our end zone.  The team was looking great.  Eli completed pass after pass.  But unfortunately, just before they reached field goal territory, the drive was stalled.  Weatherford (who's quickly becoming one of my favorite characters on the team) came out to punt.  He pinned the Patriots within the 10-yard line, setting up the Giants for their first score.

Brady, the Patriots supposed elite quarterback, made an epic mistake on the very first play.  While under pressure from Tuck, he threw the ball away while still in the end zone.  It was glorious to see the ref throw the flag because it really only meant one thing.  Intentional grounding.  When the QB does that in the end zone, it puts 2 points on the board for the opposing team.  So with an assist from Justin Tuck, Brady scored the Giants first points LITERALLY right in front of us.

 Notice Brady on his back.  A similar site to Super Bowl XLII

Flag thrown and the official is signalling Intentional Grounding.  

Notice Brady sadly looking at the flag on the ground.

The Giants got the ball back and scored on the next drive.  So ultimately, Brady's mistake cost the Patriots 9 points.  The Giants looked great in the first half.  They controlled the ball for most of the half.  They weren't making any mistakes.  Unfortunately, though, the score didn't reflect that at halftime.  The Patriots headed into the locker room with the lead, 10-9.  We had Chatty McCommentators behind us, so of course, they had some choice words for this situation.  It didn't matter though.  I wasn't giving up faith.

Madonna came out and performed the half time show.  The most exciting parts for me were: 1. Watching the set up of the stage in such a short time. 2. She finished with Like A Prayer. 3. The take down of the stage in such a short time.  Other than that, I felt like I was watching a woman perform out her mid-life crisis right before my eyes and on one of the biggest stages in the world.

 Madonna, 53, with pom poms & fishnet stockings.

Who said she was acting age appropriate?

So that wrapped up and the teams came out to play the second half.  For the Patriots first possession, they scored a touch down, making the score 17-9, in a game that the Giants had essentially dominated.  I wish I had known then what I know now.  This would be the last time the Patriots would put any points on their board.  Had I known this, I wouldn't have been so stressed out for the last 30 minutes of play.

In the 3rd quarter, the Giants scored two field goals--in our end zone.  But to win the Super Bowl, that wasn't going to cut it.  To start the 4th quarter, the Patriots still had the lead 17-15.  The 4th quarter was very stressful to me.  I'm certain my blood pressure was through the roof.  I didn't say a word for the final 15 minutes of play.  I just sat in my seat and watched it play out.  And honestly, I prayed. This is not something I typically do but in that 4th quarter, I was talking to God and hoping He was listening.

With just 3:46 minutes left, the Giants got the ball back on their 12-yard line.  We watched them drive the ball all the way down the field.  Then we watched Bradshaw score in a very bizarre fashion.  As the Patriots opened a lane for him, he turned around and sat in the end zone. 

 I don't blame Bradshaw for not being able to stop himself here.

In fact, I'm not sure how much I would have agreed with it if he did.

I'd rather the points and to force Brady to take it all the way down the field for a touchdown.

Field goal wouldn't be good enough.

We would later find out that Eli was yelling, "Don't score! Don't score!"  So as Bradshaw scored what would be the winning touchdown, only the fans got to celebrate.  Rather than seeing 6 points on the board, the Giants saw :57 seconds left on the clock and they were giving the ball back to the Patriots.  The problem with that was, and I knew it right away, that was exactly the same amount of time they turned the ball over to Aaron Rodgers and the Green Bay Packers during the regular season.  The Packers won that game as Rodgers orchestrated a brilliant drive down the field.

So I watched as Brady got the ball back with :57 seconds left.  I'm fairly certain I did not breath during that time.  The defense came out strong.  On 3rd down, Tuck sacked Brady for a 6-yard loss.  You heard a loud sigh of relief from the crowd that was mostly Giants fans.  Then, in one of the very few plays that showed Brady deserved all the hype that he gets, he converted the 4th and 16.  The game wasn't over yet. 

Then with the Patriots at mid-field and only :09 seconds left, Brady did the only thing he could do.  He heaved it down the field in a Hail Mary attempt.  As it was all happening in slow-mo to me, this was playing over and over in my mind.

And then, the ball hit the ground.

THE GIANTS WON!!!

 My favorite post-game celebration picture.

Love the NJ fist pump right!

All the emotions that had built up in that last quarter, burst it's way out of me in hysterical crying.  Yes, HYSTERICAL crying.  Everyone in our section hugged and high-fived.  It was such a rush to be there and be part of it.  After the ceremony to present the Giants with the Lombardi trophy, we headed back for the Big Blue Travel after party celebration.  Honestly, having not had a single drink during the entire game, I was on such a high, I felt like I was drunk.  I bought a couple of shirts on our way out and yelled in the streets once outside.  I yelled of course, the most logical thing I could think of--something I stood by all season:

Now we need to question if Brady should be in the same sentence as Eli for elite quarterbacks! You can't spell ELITE without ELI!

The two quarterbacks went head to head in two Super Bowls, and Eli left both times with a new car and a trip to Disney World. I'd take Eli over Brady ANY DAY!

We headed back to the party and celebrated with all the NYG fans.  We had a champagne toast and took full advantage of the open bar.

What an amazing experience.  I still cannot believe I was there.

Super Bowl XLVI Day 2: The Calm Before the Storm

**This is Day 2 for male readers. I may write another version for the women. Facts won't change but there's a whole other story with a feminine twist that I may or may not decide to write about. Trust me, it's a total buzz kill to my amazing weekend, so I may not write about it in an effort to forget it.

To pick up where I left off:

My father, husband, and I woke up around 9 AM on Saturday.  It was a dreary day but just like everything else leading up to this trip, it was all going to work out.  Part of the package that we booked through Big Blue Travel was that we had tickets to the NFL Experience on Saturday which was indoors.  So we took our time to get ready and away we went.

Our first stop was a Steak 'n Shake.  Now I had never been to one before but a day after having Terry's Turf Club in Cincinnati, no burger could have compared.  Again, though, that's where Daddy wanted to stop, so that's where we stopped.

After lunch, we made it to downtown Indy and for the second day in a row, found unbelievable parking for relatively reasonable pricing.

In case you weren't hooked on NFL Network leading up the Super Bowl, the NFL Experience was where the NFL had converted the Indianapolis Convention Center into, well, an experience.  They set up areas where you could kick field goals, throw passes, and run through obstacle courses.  There were long lines but we didn't have any where else to be.  So we stood in lines and just enjoyed ourselves.

First, we waited close to an hour and a half for the Kick an Extra Point.  Daddy and Hubby wanted to kick from 30 yards and I wanted to try 20 yards.  I've been known to be a little clumsy.  And when I say clumsy, I really mean that I can fall while standing... and totally sober.  So really, my only goal was to NOT fall.  I went first.  Started walking to the ball and... I swear... Don't Stop Believin' came on.  I ran to the ball and kicked.  I got good height, the ball was centered, but it fell little short. Seriously, though, just a LITTLE short. I was so proud of myself! I celebrated as though I had made it. I'm positive those people standing on line behind us were scratching their heads--either that or they thought the "special" girl had done well.

Then my dad and Hubby went. And IN THEIR FACES! Neither of them at their "manly" 30 yards got even close.  They both basically hit line drives down the field.  It was a beautiful moment.  I was sure to bring it up SEVERAL times for the rest of the weekend.

Then we went and threw some passes. And of course, before we left, we hit the HUGE NFL Shop.  Grabbed a bunch of goodies--more than I needed but less than I wanted.  And that was really it for the NFL Experience.

We left and headed to dinner at Buca di Beppo.  Yes, another "local" cuisine.  The reason I keep pointing out these restaurant choices by my father is because when we first arrived in Indy, we had an interesting conversation.  The first place we saw was a Buffalo Wild Wings.  Yes, I love me some BWW and I pointed it out.  Daddy was so quick to declare in a VERY judgy tone, "NO! Don't you want to try something more local? You can get Buffalo Wild Wings anywhere." But really, his tone is totally lost in writing.  To think, our next three meals were Hard Rock Cafe, Steak 'n Shake, and Buca di Beppo just cracks me up.  But (yes, I know I'm beating a dead horse here) I would have eaten ANYWHERE he wanted.  So three chains it was!

We headed back to Bloomington where we were staying and also, where Hubby's cousin lives.  I had contacted her as soon as I found out that's where we were staying.  We had texted all day and then at the end of the night, she came by our hotel.  We had a drink with her and got to catch up.  It was a very nice ending to a great day.

But a day that would never even come close to comparing to the next one. This was definitely the calm before the storm.

Super Bowl XLVI Day 1: Don't Stop Believin' & Still Can't Believe It

I still can't believe it.  I'm writing 8 days after my father, my husband and I went to the Super Bowl--correction, the Giants Super Bowl--and I still can't believe we were there.  You already know how we got tickets.  This was how an adventure of a lifetime went down:

Day 1 (Friday): Hubby and I flew from Houston to Cincinnati.  On our ride to the airport, just as the sun was coming up, Don't Stop Believin' came on the radio.  What a great song to get pumped for the weekend that was upon us.  We ran... No, I ran through the airport with Hubby dragging behind.  We were in our Giants gear so people were asking if we were headed to the game.  While speaking with the security guard, I got tears in my eyes because I was so excited.

We landed in Cincinnati on time, picked up our bags and rental car and headed to lunch.  I figured chances of us being in this city again were slim so I thought we'd check it out a little.  I did what any chubby girl would do.  I checked out where Guy Fieri had been on DDD and that's where we headed.  So we had lunch at Terry's Turf Club and just as expected, the burgers were to die for.  Once our stomachs were full, we got back in the car and made our 2 1/2 hour drive to Bloomington, IN (this is where we were staying and meeting my father).

As we drove through winding roads with not much to see but corn fields, I said, "Well, Indiana is exactly what I imagined it to be."

 LITERALLY the ROAD to the Super Bowl.

And then, Don't Stop Believin' came on the radio again.  This was it.  It was going to be our theme song for the weekend.  The truth is I never stopped believing in the Giants.  This was proven so when Hubby and I got into a fight while out watching the Saturday games of the Divisional playoffs.  Hubby said that the Saints were going to go all the way.  I yelled at him that there was no way that was going to happen.  This was the Giants year. I was sure of it.  Besides, I didn't think the Saints were going to get by the 49ers anyway.

Thank you, Giants for helping me to prove him wrong.

We arrived at our hotel and Daddy was just a few minutes behind us.  We checked in and brought our bags up.  Once Daddy got to our room, we basically turned around and headed to Indianapolis. 

As we drove into Indy, we could see Lucas Oil Stadium AKA the House that Peyton Built.  We drove into downtown and could immediately see a city that had a Super Bowl makeover.  There were signs, posters, and decorations everywhere that proudly showed the Super Bowl XLVI logo.  After sitting in some traffic, we parked.

As we walked out of the parking garage, we immediately saw Adam Schefter.  Of course in this instant, we all choked and couldn't remember his name.  But it was still pretty cool.

We walked around the Super Bowl Village, several blocks of downtown Indianapolis that were shut down for Super Bowl festivities.  We headed to the zip line, which of course Daddy was dying to get on. Unfortunately, it was sold out for the day.  So, we kept walking around and checking out the sights.

 Zip Line @ Super Bowl Village

As we walked past a building, a security guard stopped us because someone was coming and there had to be a path made for him/her to get through.  Hubby was ahead of us--he usually leaves me in the dust--so only Daddy and I got stopped.  I was joking with the security guard and trying to get him to tell us who it was.  He said that he couldn't tell us but after a little bit of buttering up, he did tell me which way to point my camera.  Then, I saw him. Amani Toomer.  For those of you that aren't too familiar with the Giants, this is kind of a big deal.  He was on the team for quite some time and was even part of the Super Bowl XLII team.  The funny part about this was that a lot of the people hanging out at Super Bowl Village weren't there for the Super Bowl.  They were people just looking for something to do and it was a BEAUTIFUL night.  So the crowd that I was in didn't even know who it was that walked by.  Of course, I freaked out, as I usually do in these situations and didn't get a good shot.  It doesn't matter. He still walked right by me. And it was awesome.

We made our way to dinner.  We ended up eating at the Hard Rock Cafe.  You know, we tried authentic local cuisine. Hey, if that's what Daddy wanted, that's what we were eating.  We were experiencing the most incredible weekend of our life because of him. He could have pointed in a trash can and said, "Dinner?" and I would have said, "Sounds good".

We walked around and had a couple more celebrity sightings.  One was Nick Lachey.  I was literally just inches away from him. He was pretty cute in person. I have to say.  And the other was Keith David--you know, one of those actors that you TOTALLY know his face but had no idea what his name is.  As the downtown got more and more crowded, it got harder to move, let alone walk.  So we felt we had experienced enough of Super Bowl Village and decided to head back to our hotel.  We had a full day planned ahead of us so we figured it was a good time to call it a night.

Crowded Streets of Super Bowl Village