Friday, September 16, 2011
A total of 170 people traveled, 16 football wives. Lanyards with our bus #, plane seat # and itinerary for the weekend were distributed. Oh, and we also got $62 "per diem"! I have to admit I was awfully confused when I checked in and received an envelope with my name and inside were three 20's and two 1's. I had to ask Herb what it was for? WOW, that was special and unexpected!
We boarded 4 buses at Yager Stadium for a drive to Dayton International Airport. The buses pulled up to a hanger and skipped the official security. After a quick pat down and peak in the purses, we walked right out on the runway to board the chartered Boeing 737. I will never complain again about being cramped on a plane. Imagine an entire team of football players squeezing in next to each other - most of whom are over 6 foot and 200+ lbs! Each seat had a lunch bag with water or Gatorade, a turkey sub, bag of chips, candy bar and an apple for inflight meal. How long has it been since you had a complimentary meal on the plane?! In just over an hour, we arrived at Minneapolis/St. Paul International Airport.
Upon arrival, the wives boarded a bus to go directly to the MALL OF AMERICA, while the guys unloaded the luggage and went to work with practice, meetings, etc. Coach Treadwell's wife, Lola, planned such a fun and thoughtful trip for all the wives. I felt so blessed to be part of this amazing football family. After arriving to the mall, the ladies split up into smaller groups and explored the 3 floors of the mall. Our group of 4 ladies even had to take a break for some cocktails at a lounge. I had pink lemonade with a zing - it was the perfect refresher. I admit, I could have gone on a major shopping spree, but I stuck to my goal of one purchase and walked away with a super cute black and red scarf from The Limited.
Many hours of shopping and exploring sure worked up the appetite! Our dinner reservations were at Twin Cities Grill in the mall. The food was absolutely delicious! Appetizers of coconut shrimp, tomato basil flatbread and spinach artichoke dip. Next was a wonderful chopped salad and main courses of beer battered walleye, mushroom chicken, maple glazed carrots and mash potatoes. The beer battered walleye was incredible - the best fried fish I've ever had. (yes mom & dad, even better than Scotty's fried lake perch!) Dessert was strawberry cheesecake AND layered chocolate cake with the most amazing chocolate sauce. Each course was served family style, so we were all able to get a little taste of everything. I couldn't wait to get back and brag to Herb about our meal. But come to find out they didn't eat to shabby either... steak, chicken, pasta, mac n' cheese and on and on.
Saturday, September 17, 2011
We all stayed at the Crown Plaza North Hotel in downtown Minneapolis. It was a very nice hotel and I sure felt spoiled. Herb was up at the crack of dawn for meetings, breakfast and game prep. I enjoyed sleeping in a bit and breakfast in bed! Then it was time to get my Redhawk gear on and join the other ladies for a pre-game rally at Minnesota's amazing facilities.
Kickoff was 2:37pm CST and there were 60,000 fans in attendance. It was so neat to be back in the Division I atmosphere. It brought me back to my days of cheering on #2 at MSU! The athletic talent is amazing and the rivalries are so much more intense than our past 4 seasons at the DII level with SVSU. The game was televised on the Big Ten Network and the Redhawks gave the Gophers a run for their money! We lost by 1 touchdown. It came down to the last 6 seconds of the game, we just needed a little more time on the clock. Tough loss, but amazing experience!
The final VIP treatment was our police escort to the airport. A great way to travel, but it may have resulted in a few disgruntled Minneapolis drivers! We arrived back to Oxford around midnight. So happy and blessed that I was able to be a part of the trip and meet some great ladies. Can't wait to cheer on MU next week against Bowling Green.
1 comment:
It sounds like you had a great time! We watched on tv too! :)
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