Skol Vikings!

Gosh time flies! A couple of weekends ago, Alex and I were fortunate enough to get tickets to attend the Minnesota Vikings versus the Baltimore Ravens game. It was the first Vikings game I have been too, the first time being in the Metrodome (now called the Mall of America Stadium), and technically the first NFL game I have been too.

It was a lot of fun. I love how the Vikings fans are diehard fans. They love their purple and gold. The Dome was incredibly loud. If I go to another game, I think I would bring ear plugs. It was that loud.

There has been a lot of drama in the news about Bret Favre unable to make up his mind about playing football. I really have no opinion on the topic seeing how I'm neither a Vikings fan or NFL fan in general. However, it seems that he made the right decision to come back. You can just tell the man loves to play football.

I was pretty surprised by the game in itself. The Vikings actually have a "fight song" that is sung when the team scores. They also have people run on to the field with flags that spell out "Vikings." It was quite amusing.

My favorite highlight was seeing Tom Zibikowski play for the Ravens. He played safety at Notre Dame. He was Alex's favorite player because he was tough. Zibby is also a champion boxer. It is neat to see players that you cheered on for 4 years do so well in the NFL.

As I mentioned, the fans are very crazy . . . and kind of scary!!!

A sort of related story to share . . . so as we were searching for a parking spot we came upon what seemed to be a run down hockey arena. When we asked the parking attendant what this building used to be she said this is where the Lakers used to play. As in the LA Lakers formerly the Minneapolis Lakers. It was a "aha!" moment. So that is why the Lakers are called the Lakers. They come from the "Land of 10,000 Lakes." And their colors are the same as the Vikings. However, it is hard to believe this is where they played 60 years ago compared to the present day Staples Center.

Snow Snow Go Away

It is October and it has already snowed.

I thought I would be okay with it until I woke up Monday morning to this . . .

All I have to say is that I am not amused.

Friday Night Lights

Last Friday, Alex and I headed over to Stillwater to watch Friday night High School football. Stillwater played Cretin which was a very big game. Both teams were undefeated and Cretin was ranked #1 in the state. They have a kid on the team that looked liked he could suit up for the NFL tomorrow. He was huge and is being highly recruited by the big schools - including Notre Dame. Cretin is also where ND Wide Receiver standout Micheal Floyd played.

We had a lot of fun. I forgot how much I loved going to high school games, even though I was in the band. I have to mention that the Stillwater mascot is a pony. I had a very difficult time cheering for the "Ponies." I giggled each time I yelled "Go Ponies!" So . . . I renamed them to the Stillwater Stallions. Not sure if other fans appreciated it but who cares.

The game was a nail biter. However, the Stillwater Stallions came out on top winning 12-7. Cretin had been averaging 35 points a game. So this was a big deal.

Notre Dame will win overall . . .

This past weekend Alex and I headed south to Chicago/South Bend to meet up with my family for the Notre Dame vs. Washington football game. There is nothing better than visiting one of my favorite places to see my favorite people.

Unfortunately, the weather was the pits. However, we were able to get on campus and see some of my favorite spots; the Basillica of Sacred Heart, the Golden Dome, and of course, the Grotto.

For the first time that I can remember we planned ahead of time appropriate rain gear. I have gotten soaked one too many times. My mom was able to locate rain gear for all of us. (Not sure what was up with Joe in this picture – perhaps Ohio State has finally gone to his head.) At the end of the night, when we peeled off the rain gear, not one of us was wet. Amazing!

It was a very close game, too close. However, at the end of the night, the Irish were able to pull off 2 goal line stands . . . in a row, and win in overtime.