September 15, 2013: Football in Threes

Outside of Chiefs stadium

People say bad luck comes in threes. My football weekend of threes was not the case. One was bad and two were good.

Being the mother of boys spares me of dance recitals and visits to the American Girl store. Instead, most trips and outings are centered around sports. This weekend was a case in point. My birthday weekend was a celebration of all things football.

My birthday itself was capped by a Skutt win with Ben on the field (I'm still smiling). Saturday was the Huskers. I won't belabor the outcome, but will say the weather was exceptional. The road trip and company of boys to and from Lincoln was equally as good. The game itself; well....that would be the bad one I was referring to above.

Sunday was all football for us from sun up to sun down. A short trip to Kansas City brought my kids to their first NFL game. And it didn't disappoint. I have been to several NFL games over the years, but didn't include my children. This wrong was rectified on Sunday with the Chiefs vs the Cowboys match-up in Kansas City.

After finally prying Zach out of bed, we hit the road in the wee hours. I had coffee in hand and XM Radio within arm reach. The boys quickly took over channel selection after finding a 2008 throw-back station. I got a smile hearing the three of them refer to '08 as in the oldies category. I suppose when you are 20,17 and 13 years old; five years is a long time.

I got schooled that Flo Rida isn't Flow Rider (per Ben, they're from Florida) and that I shouldn't call Justin Timberlake JT (creeps them out). I recognized most of the pop hits played. With each recollection, I could picture what I was doing when listening to the song way back in good ole' 2008. Upon reflection, I had to agree with the kids. Five years really was a long time ago.

We did get stuck in traffic outside the stadium and firmly placed the blame on Zach, our Sleeping Beauty from the morning. But with a quick drop off and assurances that I didn't mind being late for kick off, I secured a parking space solo. I was good with that. My favorite thing to do at big events is to just take everything in. From talking to the parking attendant to checking out the Draft House bar upon stadium entry, that is all my speed.

As Garrett often reminds me, I don't like to miss a party. NFL games are just that; a big party. I could spend hours watching and meeting people and perusing the many venues around the stadium. I did this for a brief period with beer in hand while the boys watched the game. Then I received a text from Ben.

We were being schooled by two NFL babes on how to pose

"did you get arrested or something"

No, Ben, I didn't get arrested, but I did run into my friends, Patty and Roxanne. Moms like football too.

The game was a blast, all around, and the close win; fun. Our trip home included my driving and their sleeping. Upon arrival in Omaha, I did what every mother of boys would do; I took the boys out to eat at Buffalo Wild Wings. We didn't want to miss the end of the Falcons game....