“When you you going to come visit me?” my brother queried banteringly of Miles.
“When the Packers play the Seahawks in Seattle,” Miles shot back.
“If you can get here, I will buy the tickets,” Wright retorted.
Wright’s response may have been real or rhetorical but Miles took him seriously and Wright, BLESS HIM, was good to his word. The Green Bay Packers played the Seahawks in Seattle on November 15, 2018 and we were there. WE WERE THERE!!!!
Credit card points got us on the plane, $40 got us a parking spot a half mile from the stadium, and Wright got us into the game.
And what a game! The Seahawks fumbled in the first few minutes and the Packers took advantage to jump to an early 7-0 lead, a lead they kept most of the game. Sadly for Miles, they did not have the lead when the final whistle blew but the Packer’s loss did not cause any loss of enthusiasm for Miles. He saw his revered Aaron Rodgers in action and that was all he needed.
Rodgers made a couple incredible passes, including a 50+ yard-er thrown off balance and across his body. The ball sailed to the end zone and landed in the hands of his receiver, a receiver flanked by two defenders. “No one else in the NFL even attempts a pass like that,” Miles raved, “much less makes it!”
He loved, LOVED, seeing Aaron in action. “It is so different in real life than on T.V.,” he explained. “On T.V. you don’t get the perspective. In the stadium you can see just how amazing it is, how far he can really throw.”
The night was a win for Miles. It was a win for Lance and I too. Of course we loved seeing Miles’ joy--it is what parents do--but we also enjoyed being at the game. I was very impressed by the crowd for multiple reasons. Miles wore a Packer’s wrestling mask over his face and a cheese-head wedge on his head, a Green Bay hoodie over his torso and Packers socks on his feet. He was clearly not a Seahawks fan. And he was not the only non-Hawk fan in the crowd. There were many, many green and yellow clad people in the crowd. I estimate roughly a third of the people surrounding us were Packer fans. (We were in the upper part of the upper bowl...my guess is that there were a lot fewer Packer fans in the lower areas.) There were enough Packers fans there that, in the game’s beginning, their “Go, Pack, Go!” chant was audible. Impressive that there were that many fans that far from home.
Also impressive were the Seahawks fans. On the walk to the stadium, Miles experienced a little good natured ribbing but it was very good natured. One Hawks fan said, in a distinctive southern drawl, “You wear that into the stadium and you may get mugged, man! Especially when we win--and we gonna win--but don’t you worry none cuz I got your back. I gonna remember your face and I got your back. Ain’t nobody gonna hurt you,” he promised with a grin.
Well…..our black friend was right about the Seahawks winning part---the Packers lost 24-27--but he was totally wrong about the mugging part. I was so, SO impressed as we exited the stadium. Initially I was worried about my little boy (he will always be my little boy) walking out clad in full Packer regalia, that he would be harassed, humiliated, and worse but my fears were totally, TOTALLY groundless. Not a word was said. No one even teased him, much less taunted him; nor did they tease or taunt any other of the hundreds of Packers fans who were also exiting. Impressive.
It was a wonderful weekend, and not just because Miles saw Aaron in action. Hanging out with my brother and sister-in-law and their darling daughters was fabulous. Thank you, Wright and Carole, for a truly magical experience.
As we walked out of the stadium Miles said, “This is NOT the last live NFL game I am going to see.”
He will be back! :)
“When the Packers play the Seahawks in Seattle,” Miles shot back.
“If you can get here, I will buy the tickets,” Wright retorted.
Wright’s response may have been real or rhetorical but Miles took him seriously and Wright, BLESS HIM, was good to his word. The Green Bay Packers played the Seahawks in Seattle on November 15, 2018 and we were there. WE WERE THERE!!!!
Credit card points got us on the plane, $40 got us a parking spot a half mile from the stadium, and Wright got us into the game.
And what a game! The Seahawks fumbled in the first few minutes and the Packers took advantage to jump to an early 7-0 lead, a lead they kept most of the game. Sadly for Miles, they did not have the lead when the final whistle blew but the Packer’s loss did not cause any loss of enthusiasm for Miles. He saw his revered Aaron Rodgers in action and that was all he needed.
Rodgers made a couple incredible passes, including a 50+ yard-er thrown off balance and across his body. The ball sailed to the end zone and landed in the hands of his receiver, a receiver flanked by two defenders. “No one else in the NFL even attempts a pass like that,” Miles raved, “much less makes it!”
He loved, LOVED, seeing Aaron in action. “It is so different in real life than on T.V.,” he explained. “On T.V. you don’t get the perspective. In the stadium you can see just how amazing it is, how far he can really throw.”
The night was a win for Miles. It was a win for Lance and I too. Of course we loved seeing Miles’ joy--it is what parents do--but we also enjoyed being at the game. I was very impressed by the crowd for multiple reasons. Miles wore a Packer’s wrestling mask over his face and a cheese-head wedge on his head, a Green Bay hoodie over his torso and Packers socks on his feet. He was clearly not a Seahawks fan. And he was not the only non-Hawk fan in the crowd. There were many, many green and yellow clad people in the crowd. I estimate roughly a third of the people surrounding us were Packer fans. (We were in the upper part of the upper bowl...my guess is that there were a lot fewer Packer fans in the lower areas.) There were enough Packers fans there that, in the game’s beginning, their “Go, Pack, Go!” chant was audible. Impressive that there were that many fans that far from home.
Also impressive were the Seahawks fans. On the walk to the stadium, Miles experienced a little good natured ribbing but it was very good natured. One Hawks fan said, in a distinctive southern drawl, “You wear that into the stadium and you may get mugged, man! Especially when we win--and we gonna win--but don’t you worry none cuz I got your back. I gonna remember your face and I got your back. Ain’t nobody gonna hurt you,” he promised with a grin.
Well…..our black friend was right about the Seahawks winning part---the Packers lost 24-27--but he was totally wrong about the mugging part. I was so, SO impressed as we exited the stadium. Initially I was worried about my little boy (he will always be my little boy) walking out clad in full Packer regalia, that he would be harassed, humiliated, and worse but my fears were totally, TOTALLY groundless. Not a word was said. No one even teased him, much less taunted him; nor did they tease or taunt any other of the hundreds of Packers fans who were also exiting. Impressive.
It was a wonderful weekend, and not just because Miles saw Aaron in action. Hanging out with my brother and sister-in-law and their darling daughters was fabulous. Thank you, Wright and Carole, for a truly magical experience.
As we walked out of the stadium Miles said, “This is NOT the last live NFL game I am going to see.”
He will be back! :)
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