**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.
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