Trip to Lambeau Part I
Trip to Lambeau October 16th, 2011
Part I ~
originally written by me on October 18, 2011 for Packer HQ
"I can't believe this is happening to me, I'm going to Lambeau for a noon Sunday game". Only 4 days away from 9 years since my last Lambeau home game. While I can't hardly believe it, the first thing is prepare to go, make a plan.
My daughter helps me search the Packers.com website for those things that are prohibited to bring. I decide our camera needs to stay home because it makes videos (things that make videos are prohibited). I realized how foolish this was after I got settled in the stadium & saw so many folks with cameras & phones that both take pictures & videos, and in fact pitching in to take family pictures for some of them. My daughter teases me that I can only buy two beers at a time & all beer sales stop at the beginning of the 4th quarter. She's got that 'way wicked' grin on her face because she knows I don't have the taste for beer.
Next, I search & find a new pair of cargo pants/trousers with pockets on each side. One side to hold my tiny purse with ID & money, (bills & change). The other side cargo pocket to hold a comb, lipstick, pair of Packers mittens, breath mints & anything else I think necessary.
Saturday before game day is high winds that are cold. I dig out my long johns & wool socks for Sunday morning. Sunday morning breaks clear with little wind, but I don't trust that the weather won't change right back & I put on them long johns & wool socks.
I know stadium food & beverages across the nation, not just Lambeau are a little on the spendy side (at Lambeau, if I was to buy them two beers my daughter teased me about ~ the long neck plastic ones would turn out to be be $14 ~ $7 each. Bottled water will be around $3.75 each.) I make us a huge breakfast, limiting my coffee intake opting to head out on a very full stomach & limited bathroom visits!
With Mr. Charles Woodson #21 Jersey on, my new cargo pants, pockets fully loaded, my winter Packer's coat with stocking cap in a coat pocket, and a pair of dainty size Bushnell binoculars around my neck & my Packers seating cushion we are ready to leave. My heart's pumping & my mind has begun to creep into 'the zone' ~ the euphoria zone.
From our home, my daughter has devised an alternate route to the Stadium that takes us around (behind the west side of the stadium) and then in where we shall be right beside it. I forgot to keep track of the time, but I know we are somewhere close to 9:15 - 9:30 am.
The streets become crowded, there are homeowners with their parking signs & flags working on waving people in. There are parked folks now getting out & hiking in toward the stadium, lots of people & we are still blocks away. We ease up to a four way stop & the sudden sound of several emergency vehicles pierces the air. It's impossible to tell which direction they are coming from. My daughter wisely sits at the stop sign & waits. Suddenly here is an unmarked police car using his lights & sirens to come through that intersection with three large & full buses behind him & two more unmarked cars behind them, lights & sirens on through that intersection. The Rams are arriving with full escort to the stadium. My heart is pounding full force & as we make our left turn in behind them, I think "God bless Green Bay"....our opponents are treated better than 'rock stars'.
The streets are increasingly crowded with vehicles and a sea of people & there is a band playing & they sound fabulous. My daughter eases gently up the street to where an opportunity for me to get out of the truck presents itself. We have agreed for her to pick me up after the game in front of K-Mart. My heart is about to pound out of my chest right at this moment. I have arrived at Lambeau on game day. ~"I'm here, I'm here, I'm here".
Most of you regular board members know I can be a little different, but I'm an avoider of large venues, the Packers game in October of 2002 & a Fleetwood Mac concert at the Brown County Arena are the largest two events I've attended in years. For the most part I like people, but often when I get into crowds, I am overwhelmed with I don't know what else to call it 'vibes', 'perceptions', 'emotions I'm feeling' that are not necessarily my own & often aren't necessarily positive either....sadness, anger, discontent, even on occasions, danger. The easiest way for me to deal with this is to simply 'not go'. However that being said, I do give note that there is a current trend of some seniors being 'isolationists'~ that, in addition somewhat fits me.
But today, oh today~there's music, the smell of food, conversation & sheer joy in the air. Oops there's the couple guys with looking for tickets signs, I send a smile their direction, but can't bring myself to directly look them in the eyes. First things first, I need to do some hiking to find the will call ticket office.
I'm winding around the stadium through that sea of people & I way overshoot the will call ticket office. A little further up from where I've overshot I can see through to a food donation station. There are volunteers there & I ask are there any Packers wives here. I get one "no" headshake, but go ahead & put one of my bills in the donation bucket. Yeah, you got it, so many folks want to meet their players, I wanted to meet the Packers wives. I turn around and head back to where I know the will call ticket office has to be. I get my ticket, get a bigger map & directions to find my section & gate and turn around. There's a second food donation location ~ two senior ladies are manning it, once again I ask if there are any Packers wives around. They tell me not right now & they aren't sure if or when there will be. I put one more bill in their donation bucket and decide to find my gate. I have to head back toward the side of the stadium I was dropped off at. Before I get to my gate, I trip across yet another food donation location, I stop & look around, say hello knowing those volunteers are not Packers wives...I drop the last bill in that bucket.
I'm disappointed, but I'm not down. After all I did come early because I believed it had been widely suggested by the Packers organization & media to make sure you get through security screening to get into the stadium. I beat the Packers wives there is all & now important for me to find my gate, get through security and get into that stadium.
I get yet another plum of a short line at the Associated Bank gate until a guy comes out and says sky box/suites only in this line. I catch him on his way back & ask him which gate to get into section 120 ~ he directs me to yet another plum of a short line at the Mills Fleet Farm gate.
I must say for the 'female' in me, if you must get security wanded, let it be by a very good looking man who also looks great in his law enforcement uniform! I didn't make the security wand go off! "Whoohooo, I'm inside Lambeau!"
The Packers wives donation food drive supported PAUL'S PANTRY one of the largest food pantries in the entire United States of America located right here in Green Bay, Wisconsin. The provided link will take you to the Paul's Pantry web site with the truly inspirational story of their founder Leo Frigo. I encourage you to read his story & look over their entire web site. Paul's Pantry helps people in need regardless of race, religion or any that stuff. The fact that Paul's Pantry is in Green Bay, Wisconsin is another reason to be proud to live in this small city & it truly does deserve our support.
http://www.paulspantry.org/our-founder
If you don't live in the Green Bay area, I strongly urge you to find and support a food pantry in your own location, region, part of the country.
***
I wanted to write my Trip to Lambeau up, but was far too blissfully exhausted on Monday after the game. This is the end of Part I. I will have Part II ready to read on Wednesday. I'm @grammakaye on twitter & this is football the way I see it.
* * *
Trip to Lambeau Part II <--- Link to easy access Part II
Trip to Lambeau Part III <---- Link to easy acess Part III
Packer HQ lives no more but you can find decent Packers fans at ----> GB Packer Addicts Forum
Part I ~
originally written by me on October 18, 2011 for Packer HQ
"I can't believe this is happening to me, I'm going to Lambeau for a noon Sunday game". Only 4 days away from 9 years since my last Lambeau home game. While I can't hardly believe it, the first thing is prepare to go, make a plan.
My daughter helps me search the Packers.com website for those things that are prohibited to bring. I decide our camera needs to stay home because it makes videos (things that make videos are prohibited). I realized how foolish this was after I got settled in the stadium & saw so many folks with cameras & phones that both take pictures & videos, and in fact pitching in to take family pictures for some of them. My daughter teases me that I can only buy two beers at a time & all beer sales stop at the beginning of the 4th quarter. She's got that 'way wicked' grin on her face because she knows I don't have the taste for beer.
Next, I search & find a new pair of cargo pants/trousers with pockets on each side. One side to hold my tiny purse with ID & money, (bills & change). The other side cargo pocket to hold a comb, lipstick, pair of Packers mittens, breath mints & anything else I think necessary.
Saturday before game day is high winds that are cold. I dig out my long johns & wool socks for Sunday morning. Sunday morning breaks clear with little wind, but I don't trust that the weather won't change right back & I put on them long johns & wool socks.
I know stadium food & beverages across the nation, not just Lambeau are a little on the spendy side (at Lambeau, if I was to buy them two beers my daughter teased me about ~ the long neck plastic ones would turn out to be be $14 ~ $7 each. Bottled water will be around $3.75 each.) I make us a huge breakfast, limiting my coffee intake opting to head out on a very full stomach & limited bathroom visits!
With Mr. Charles Woodson #21 Jersey on, my new cargo pants, pockets fully loaded, my winter Packer's coat with stocking cap in a coat pocket, and a pair of dainty size Bushnell binoculars around my neck & my Packers seating cushion we are ready to leave. My heart's pumping & my mind has begun to creep into 'the zone' ~ the euphoria zone.
From our home, my daughter has devised an alternate route to the Stadium that takes us around (behind the west side of the stadium) and then in where we shall be right beside it. I forgot to keep track of the time, but I know we are somewhere close to 9:15 - 9:30 am.
The streets become crowded, there are homeowners with their parking signs & flags working on waving people in. There are parked folks now getting out & hiking in toward the stadium, lots of people & we are still blocks away. We ease up to a four way stop & the sudden sound of several emergency vehicles pierces the air. It's impossible to tell which direction they are coming from. My daughter wisely sits at the stop sign & waits. Suddenly here is an unmarked police car using his lights & sirens to come through that intersection with three large & full buses behind him & two more unmarked cars behind them, lights & sirens on through that intersection. The Rams are arriving with full escort to the stadium. My heart is pounding full force & as we make our left turn in behind them, I think "God bless Green Bay"....our opponents are treated better than 'rock stars'.
The streets are increasingly crowded with vehicles and a sea of people & there is a band playing & they sound fabulous. My daughter eases gently up the street to where an opportunity for me to get out of the truck presents itself. We have agreed for her to pick me up after the game in front of K-Mart. My heart is about to pound out of my chest right at this moment. I have arrived at Lambeau on game day. ~"I'm here, I'm here, I'm here".
Most of you regular board members know I can be a little different, but I'm an avoider of large venues, the Packers game in October of 2002 & a Fleetwood Mac concert at the Brown County Arena are the largest two events I've attended in years. For the most part I like people, but often when I get into crowds, I am overwhelmed with I don't know what else to call it 'vibes', 'perceptions', 'emotions I'm feeling' that are not necessarily my own & often aren't necessarily positive either....sadness, anger, discontent, even on occasions, danger. The easiest way for me to deal with this is to simply 'not go'. However that being said, I do give note that there is a current trend of some seniors being 'isolationists'~ that, in addition somewhat fits me.
But today, oh today~there's music, the smell of food, conversation & sheer joy in the air. Oops there's the couple guys with looking for tickets signs, I send a smile their direction, but can't bring myself to directly look them in the eyes. First things first, I need to do some hiking to find the will call ticket office.
I'm winding around the stadium through that sea of people & I way overshoot the will call ticket office. A little further up from where I've overshot I can see through to a food donation station. There are volunteers there & I ask are there any Packers wives here. I get one "no" headshake, but go ahead & put one of my bills in the donation bucket. Yeah, you got it, so many folks want to meet their players, I wanted to meet the Packers wives. I turn around and head back to where I know the will call ticket office has to be. I get my ticket, get a bigger map & directions to find my section & gate and turn around. There's a second food donation location ~ two senior ladies are manning it, once again I ask if there are any Packers wives around. They tell me not right now & they aren't sure if or when there will be. I put one more bill in their donation bucket and decide to find my gate. I have to head back toward the side of the stadium I was dropped off at. Before I get to my gate, I trip across yet another food donation location, I stop & look around, say hello knowing those volunteers are not Packers wives...I drop the last bill in that bucket.
I'm disappointed, but I'm not down. After all I did come early because I believed it had been widely suggested by the Packers organization & media to make sure you get through security screening to get into the stadium. I beat the Packers wives there is all & now important for me to find my gate, get through security and get into that stadium.
I get yet another plum of a short line at the Associated Bank gate until a guy comes out and says sky box/suites only in this line. I catch him on his way back & ask him which gate to get into section 120 ~ he directs me to yet another plum of a short line at the Mills Fleet Farm gate.
I must say for the 'female' in me, if you must get security wanded, let it be by a very good looking man who also looks great in his law enforcement uniform! I didn't make the security wand go off! "Whoohooo, I'm inside Lambeau!"
The Packers wives donation food drive supported PAUL'S PANTRY one of the largest food pantries in the entire United States of America located right here in Green Bay, Wisconsin. The provided link will take you to the Paul's Pantry web site with the truly inspirational story of their founder Leo Frigo. I encourage you to read his story & look over their entire web site. Paul's Pantry helps people in need regardless of race, religion or any that stuff. The fact that Paul's Pantry is in Green Bay, Wisconsin is another reason to be proud to live in this small city & it truly does deserve our support.
http://www.paulspantry.org/our-founder
If you don't live in the Green Bay area, I strongly urge you to find and support a food pantry in your own location, region, part of the country.
***
I wanted to write my Trip to Lambeau up, but was far too blissfully exhausted on Monday after the game. This is the end of Part I. I will have Part II ready to read on Wednesday. I'm @grammakaye on twitter & this is football the way I see it.
* * *
Trip to Lambeau Part II <--- Link to easy access Part II
Trip to Lambeau Part III <---- Link to easy acess Part III
Packer HQ lives no more but you can find decent Packers fans at ----> GB Packer Addicts Forum
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