Super Bowl XLVIII

Super Bowl was weird this year (which is why you are just now reading about it here...in mid-March).  We were all spread out over various offices throughout New York and New Jersey. I was unfortunate lucky enough to be one of the few stuck over at the Hilton Meadowlands in Jersey.  Stuck was exactly the word.  We worked all day and ventured to one of the wide variety of chain restaurants or Wal-Mart in the evening.  Let's just say it was a step WAY back from New Orleans last year in terms of nightly entertainment and food selection.  I mean, WAY back!

Mom and Dad were on deck for the big game this year, but they didn't arrive until Thursday night.  Chris came out for a fun little date night on Wednesday, but otherwise I spent most of my time recovering from some sort of sickness the winter so gladly bestowed upon me...and counting down the days until it would all be over.

view of Manhattan from the top floor of our hotel

Surprisingly, the work portion of the event wasn't too bad at all this year.  We had a super early morning on Super Bowl Sunday which was a change from previous years, but I did have a chance to have a little fun on Saturday night.  I met Christopher along with Mom and Dad in the sea of people that was formerly known as Times Square in the early evening to get a few photos with the Super Bowl letters on Super Bowl Blvd.  Needless to say, that was a mistake.  By the time I found them, I was just totally over the whole thing.  Picture taking in that mind set is a real thrill...

 

Afterward, Chris and I made a mad dash back to my apartment to change for NFL Honors.  Quite possibly the quickest I have ever gotten ready.  We all headed over to Radio City for lots of laughs and a fair share of tears, too.  Those Man of the Year montages were tough to watch.  Lots of great men doing wonderful things in their communities though!  And if the montage didn't make you tear up, the acceptance speech Charles Tillman gave was sure to get those tear ducts flowing.  What an incredible story!  Of course, one of the highlights of the night for me was as far from NFL based as you get...I was stoked to see JESSE PINKMAN!!  Also known as Aaron Paul...for anyone that somehow missed the amazing Breaking Bad series.  (P.S. - Start watching Season One tonight.  You won't be sorry.)  Anyway, we had a fun night together and topped it off with dinner at one of our favorite Thai restaurants! 

Aaron Paul presenting an NFL Honor Award

Charles Tillman giving an emotional acceptance speech.

I stopped in Baked by Melissa for some Super Bowl treats before we headed back to dreaded Jersey.  We all liked the Denver cupcakes better than the Seattle ones, but both were pretty tasty.

A few hours later (seriously, I was up at 3:30am), Super Bowl Sunday began for me.  This year, the credentialing group had the honor of welcoming all the vendors to the scene to get proper credentials and uniforms for the event.  It was a LONG morning, but we were finally released around 1pm when we all headed back to the hotel for a quick rest before heading back over for the game. 

Fortunately, we didn't have too much of an assignment at the actual game. We stuck around for the first half to make sure we weren't needed in any official capacity before we checked out the halftime show and then disappeared into the crowd. 

I was able to find a seat nearby my parents so for the first time in five years, I was actually able to watch the Super Bowl.  At least the fourth quarter.  Too bad it wasn't a better game because there really wasn't too much to enjoy at that point...but I still finally sat in a seat and watched.  I was quite happy about that fact.

After the game, I drug mom and dad over to the Super Bowl letters for some photo ops.  We were all worn out at this point, but I'm glad we found them there! 

 

The weather waited to turn until the next morning which was nice on Super Bowl Sunday night, but not so great the next day.  We scurried back to midtown Manhattan where we bundled up and hunkered down for the following few days.  As I mentioned at the top, it was a weird Super Bowl, but at least it's in the books now!   

 

Andrea :)