and then I went to the Superbowl!

I had the privilege to go to the Superbowl this year in Dallas, Texas! Whoop!
My cousin, Kari, works for a company that is hired by the NFL. Her company provides the security and guest services for the Superbowl.

If I had to describe my experience in three words I would say...

1. Incredible
2. Lively
3. Unforgettable

Despite the nasty weather, my aunt from Champaign, IL was the first to arrive at the airport. Twenty minutes later, I arrived and another twenty minutes later my aunt from Sioux Falls, SD arrived.

We called it an 'act of God' that we were all able to make it to Dallas and within a one hour time frame. Ann's plane had been cancelled and so she went to another airport and caught a different flight, my flight was delayed, and so was Debs.

But..we all made it! We were greeted by my cousin, Kari. That night we drove by the stadium. It was lit up and HUGE!

I didn't expect it to be so cold in Texas, but it was...Deb even had to scrape ice off of Kari's car.

The next day, before we began helping Kari out, we ran to Wal-Mart to grab some souvenirs. Wal-Mart didn't have much of a selection, but we got to take a picture in front of the stadium. Check out all the media. This picture doesn't even do justice to the endless amount...

When we got back from Wally, Kari had a project for us. We had to create labels defining what company the security guards worked.

Saturday morning we were up early to help check in the supervisors for a training session. Here we are all dressed in our 'S.A.F.E Management' gear. After we checked the supervisors in, we went to the NFL Accreditation Center to do some labeling. (This was a big deal that we got to back there apparently. Few people are allowed access to this place.)

Superbowl Day: Woke up at 2:30 AM. We had to start checking in thousands of people for their shifts at 4:30 AM. And when I say thousands, I am not joking. Each person had a credential that they had to pick up from the NFL center, along with their uniform, and shift assignment. After everyone was checked in we headed to the stadium.

Words can not even describe how big Dallas Cowboys Stadium is. We were 'floaters' meaning that if someone needed our help, we stepped in. I stood on the private suite floor. While I was standing there, John Travolta, walked right by me followed by the Dallas Cowboy Cheerleaders. I don't really follow football, but at one point I was standing next to Bart Starr...a famous football player for the Packers...???

Here is the stadium before the crowd moved in. Before the game, I also ushered people to their seats. After they were all seated, I stood in the entrance way and watched the game and the halftime show.

The halftime show was A-mazing! Black Eyed Peas and Usher...plus, Christina Aguilera sang the National Anthem. How much better can it get?

While I was climbing up and down the stairs to take people to their seats, an old man grabbed my attention. He introduced himself and told me that I would be getting a work out in if I kept climbing the stairs at the pace I was going at. He was 82 years old, from Indiana, named AJ. Sitting next to him was his son. I asked AJ if he was excited for the game. His reply...

"I am very excited. I am here to make memories with my son. I flew down so we could spend time together."

He went on about how he had been looking forward to this for a long time and couldn't believe his dream was actually taking place. I was seriously choked up and told him that he was going to make me cry. Every time I would climb up and down the stairs he would look at me with this big huge grin.

Not only did I see an elderly man and his son at the Superbowl, but I also saw lots of young dads with their young sons. What a great memory to create...

It was the experience of a lifetime to go to the Superbowl. I made lots of great memories with my cousin and aunts.

Memories I will not forget.