It was football day!
We wait all summer for football to arrive! Opening day is always so fun, the weather is usually beautiful and you're filled with hope for the upcoming season!
This one was no different. It was a GORGEOUS day, mid 70's and sunny!
My dad, unfortunately, didn't make the game. He has had a little cold the past couple days. He said, today he was feeling pretty good, but he still had a bad cough. He didn't want to cough on people the whole game, so he decided to sit this one out.
Nana came over around 9:00 and offered to drive Jimmy and I up to the game.
We got into the city with no problems. We were waiting at the gate, right at 11:00 to get our table!
The eventually opened the gates and we attempted to get in. We had our "pre-approved" clear, plastic, Browns bags they sent us, that were supposed to pass the new bag policy standards. The "bag checker" man said, "You can't bring those in, they have to be able to fit in that box." He pointed to this little box on the pole that couldn't fit my iPhone in it. We said, "The Browns sent us these bags and said we had to use them. They said bags HAVE to be clear and they are!" He kept saying, "No!" We finally asked the bag checker in the next lane, and he explained the correct bag policy to that guy. We wanted to say, "Hello, did you sleep during your bag policy meeting, sir?" It's bad enough the bags have to be clear, but now, I wasn't even going to be allowed to bring in my clear bag!?
It's always something with the Browns.
Finally, we were on our way upstairs. We got our usual table and set up our indoor tailgate. Ray and Jenny were sitting with us today, so we tailgated with them! They had two super nice people joining them, so we had a good time! We all got our favorite Symon Burgers and Frites! YUM!
The pre-game festivities were awesome! They have these huge new helmets the Browns run through during introductions. They shoot smoke and fire out of them, it's so cool! They also had a huge American flag they spread out on one side of the field, and shot fireworks off the top of the stadium! They also got a new drum line. It was a group of probably 10-20 guys playing the drums throughout the game. They even had their own little section barricaded off next to the Browns bench.
The only thing we missed was the fly over. Usually, they have 3 or 4 fighter jets fly over the stadium on opening day, just as the national anthem is ending. Oh well.
During the first time out, of the first quarter, they unrolled these HUGE banners in the stands of both end zones. They stretched the whole length of the end zone and went over everyone's heads. Everybody in that section had to hold them. They were awesome! One said, "We are Cleveland!" and the other said "This is the Dawg Pound." I hope they use them often, because they were cool!
The game itself was a stinker. The Browns lost to the Miami Dolphins 23-10. They have lost all but one home opener since 99'. The defense looked fantastic, but the offense was horrible! Weeden threw 3 interceptions. They only scored one touchdown. Oh well, they play Baltimore next week, so they have that going for them....LOL! Oh my.
At halftime, we got to visit with Ron, Rachel and Laura. They just got season tickets in our section. It will be great to have them in the club!
After the game, we got to meet up with Pam, Zach and Sis. It was the first time we got to see Pam since her surgery. She looked great and was feeling much better. It was great to see them and we got our opening day picture.
The ride home was funny. Jimmy was feeling a little rough, because he had a couple too many Lime-a-Ritas. Those babies are strong! He just sat in the back holding his head the whole way home. It was pitiful! LOL! It was a just a way to drown his sorrows!
Reagan had a great day while we enjoyed the game. Jim's mom came over to spend the day with her. They ended up going over to visit with Great Grandma Roupe and to Greg and Nikki's, to play with Timmy a little bit. When we got home, Papa Greg, had come over to play. They played in the playroom, on the play set, and even in the sandbox. She just loves spending time with her grandma and papa.
The photo of the day is Ray, Jenny, Nana, Jim and I at our indoor tailgate!
The next is the Zabel crew after the game...
Finally, the new end zone banner...
