It's Friday in Patriot's Nation. I've been here before yet I can tell you that the feeling never gets old. The sheer excitement that builds up on this day knowing that the big game is only two days away is immense! We've been here before, but each time is still special. Will anything ever beat the feeling that the Pats 2002 Super Bowl win gave us? Probably not. It was the first time I witnessed grown men cry over a football game. (And grown women!) I remember the screaming, yelling, crying like it was yesterday. I was 4 months pregnant with Hannah during the 2004 win at the time and I was sure I was scaring the crap out of her in my belly. (While thinking how great it was to raise her a Pats fan while she was still a fetus!) I remember how it felt to be Super Bowl Champions. I remember the days that followed listening to Sports radio at work with Dad. Nothing could wipe the smiles off our faces! And then there was the trip to Gillette to welcome our boys home and get a glimpse of that trophy. Rob, Derek, Julie & I. That split second that I swore I made eye contact with my all time favorite Bruschi! (I LOVE YOU TEDY). The parade that followed and the thousands of loyal fans celebrating all over New England. I'm pretty sure nothing will ever beat that feeling in 2002. At the same time, I can assure you that a win would put us pretty close to those same feelings we had then.
I was raised a Pats fan during the time Grogan and Eason were quarterbacks. I was just a tot but I can still remember our black leather couches and how we weren't allowed to speak when a Patriot's game was on. How my Mom would pop bowls of popcorn (the old Jiffy Pop on the stove) and we would sit there and stare at the television for three hours while they played. I remember my Dad teaching me all of the football terms and when the opposite team would be up for a field goal he's make us chant, "Suun, Suun, Suun," in hopes of a miss. (I still to this day don't know what Suun means. I'm going to have to ask Dad that.) Many times it worked.... And the kick is WIDE LEFT... NO GOOD! Yipeeeeee! It stuck. I still do it to this day and I make my kids join in.
I think the best part about living in Patriot's Nation is the fact that it brings our family together. That feeling of all being their, routing, cheering, laughing, swearing, crying, beating the floor, throwing fits, throwing food, throwing anything that is not tied down at the TV... It just wouldn't be the same if it weren't done together as a family. Mothers, fathers, siblings, aunts, uncles, cousins and close friends. Most of us who at one point must have been an NFL coach... "Why the frig did he pass that?" .... "Come on Bill... you should have run the ball!!!" .... "What the BLEEP! He's wide OPEN!" There is always one point in the game where we all feel as though we could do a better coaching job. It's quite comical when you think about it. There are also the serious superstitions! Jerseys don't get washed. Beards are grown. The same underwear are worn each game. Yes.. there are always the superstitions. I remember during that 2002 game that I had an Aunt who would hang out with my Mandy dog in the mudroom because she loved dogs. Whenever she moved her chair back into the family room, the Pats would play bad. Needless to say that by the second half my poor Aunt stayed the entire rest of the game in the mudroom with Mandy and she would occasionally call out, "What's the score?" (RIP Mandy girl)
All that's left to say is......
GO PATS!
BRING HOME THAT TROPHY!
GAME ON!
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