I Heart Football

My friend, E, moved home to Denver, CO about a year ago. She moved to New Mexico in 1998 to go to college, and spent the last 9 years trying desperately to go back. When she finally moved back last winter, I knew I had to make a trip to see her. I haven't seen her since I moved to CA... which makes this "break" the longest we have had in our 10+ year friendship. It was time for a reunion, and neither of us could wait.

E and I decided it would be fun if I visited her around my birthday, so she invited me to come out for a Bronco game (she's a season ticket holder). After looking at our schedules, it seemed the Broncos vs Saints game was our best bet. I booked my flight, and headed out to Denver via Burbank - just 4 days after my birthday! We were both so excited! It had been WAY too long since we had seen each other. Coming from CA, I had totally misjudged my clothing. I showed up in jeans, a hoodie, and my Converse sneakers... and there was snow on the ground! It has just been too long since I've lived somewhere cold. LOL! But man - isn't this view worth the cold?

View of the Rockies from Denver

The Saturday before the game was also the Saturday before Halloween. Initially, E and I figured we would go out, but not necessarily in costume. But the more we talked about it, the more we thought it would be fun to do something. After some discussion, we decided to go en muerto - in celebration of Day of the Dead. We figured we could just paint our faces and wear our regular clothes. Oh, how silly we looked! But hey - we had fun!

E and I - showing off our "awesome" makeup skills

We spent the day of the big game pre-gaming - watching NFL Gameday and eating our favorite Philly Cheesesteak Pizza. It felt like I was in college all over again! A couple hours before the game, we finally got ready and made our way down to Mile High (Ok, I know it's not called that anymore, but it will always be Mile High to me!). So happy E had a Broncos sweatshirt I could borrow - I definitely would have been the only one without some kind of Bronco attire if she hadn't.

E and I before the game - Go Broncos!

While this was not my first time to Mile High, it had literally been a decade since I had been there. It felt so new! It's such a great atmosphere compared to the stadiums I had been to in the last few years (Saints/Superdome and Texans/Reliant Stadium). I absolutely love that its an open air stadium - it feels so much more like a real football game to me!

My lovely view from our seats

Funny enough - this game marks the 3rd time in 4 years that I've seen the Saints play. My very first Saints game was in 2008, when I was invited by my boss to watch the Saints take on the Steelers. Our seats were in the company suite, which was amazing! Anyway, it was that game that made me a huge Drew Brees fan. He's such a good guy, and does so much to support the city of New Orleans. Last year, a friend invited me to stand on the sidelines at the Texans/Saints game, and I got to actually say hi to him in person. It was awesome! Here he is again - for the 3rd time ;)

Drew Brees!

My other favorite quarterback is still not the quarterback of my favorite team - curse you, Jay Cutler! Instead, it's Peyton Manning. I am not a huge Colts fan. I used to tolerate them before they beat my Bears in the Super Bowl, and I still kind of liked them because I liked Manning so much. But after they cut him, my feelings towards the Colts went cold. Sigh. Kudos to Manning for sticking it to them, and for proving that he still his has some great years left in him!

Crappy picture - but yay! Peyton Manning!

The game was amazing. The fans were awesome, and it was fun seeing the Saints play again. New Orleans is a city that will forever hold a piece of my heart, so I love most things associated with it :) That being said, I was so happy to see the Broncos play so well! My dad is a HUGE fan, so I find it hard to not root for them (unless they're playing my Bears!). 

I never tire of a view like this - even if it's not my #1 team

In the end, the Broncos won and my trip sadly came to a close. I am still so happy I went and got some quality time with E. We had so much fun! I told her she better not let it be another year before we see each other again. This is a hard promise to keep, but I know we'll both try to keep it. 

Best Friends - with a Pom Person!

No matter how many times I move, or how long we're apart, I'm always glad I have friends like E in my life. It's good to have people around you who know you outside of who you are in the office. As much as I've tried not to change, I know I've inevitably done so. But as life goes on, and while we all grow up, it gives me comfort to know I have several friends that will always keep me grounded. If y'all are reading this - I love you!

Until next time...

---Becks