Let me start this off by saying that I've been a Green Bay Packers fan since the mid 1980's. For those of you that DON'T know, getting tickets to Lambeau Field is very difficult, to say the least. Of course, back then, they weren't much worth watching, but I stayed loyal!! From Randy Wright to Don Majkowski to Brett Favre, and now, the Aaron Rodgers era. It's been a wild ride thus far, two Super Bowls in my lifetime, and hopefully a few more!!
August 19th, 2011 was my day. My dad got tickets to the preseason game against the Arizona Cardinals. I currently live in Virginia, and had to travel back to Wisconsin. The only reason I mention that is because the journey itself was noteworthy. Wearing my #52 Clay Matthews jersey, I headed to the airport around 10:30 am, for a 12:30 pm flight. I had a layover in Detroit. My flight ends up delayed due to a sick flight attendant. The game is at 7:30 at night, and my original flight was scheduled to land in Green Bay at 4:15 or so. Anyway, the first leg of my trip is delayed so much that I have to be bumped from my flight out of Detroit to the next one, putting me in Green Bay around 6:30. I end up landing in Detroit, LANDING in Detroit, 15 minutes prior to the scheduled takeoff of my connection! Of course the plane is slow to pull up to the airport, then people are slow getting off the plane. I finally get off the plane with about 5 minutes to spare, look up at the monitors and realize I have to cross darn near the ENTIRE airport. So here I am, sprinting across Detroit airport. I barely made it, I was literally the last person on the plane.
So, fast forwarding... I was so excited! Walking through the same place as so many greats had been and played. So much football history!! I was like a kid in a candy store. Living in Virginia, when I wear my Packers jerseys, I'm usually the only one, or at best one of only a few. It was a nice sight to see EVERYONE in Packers jerseys or hats or t-shirts.
We made our way to our seats. I sat down and just looked around in amazement. First time in Lambeau Field, a MECCA of pro football, for a football fanatic like me, was truly amazing. I'd never even been to a pro football game before. As all the fans filed in, I was looking around, realizing that the stadium was if not completely, almost SOLD OUT! For a preseason game. That type of fan loyalty is incredible to me. I loved being a part of it.
The game was a great one. Green Bay came out on top, 28-20. Matt Flynn threw a 97 yard touchdown pass to Chastin West, Aaron Rodgers had a touchdown to Greg Jennings, and Graham Harrell had one to Kerry Taylor. It's always nice to see your team win, and all three quarterbacks scored, with the highlight being the 97 yard TD. It electrified the crowd!
On a side note, we had some delicious bratwurst (a must have in Wisconsin!) with sauerkraut. All in all, it was an incredible experience, to be remembered for a lifetime.
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