All In!

After being home for the holidays (blog post to come), we were ending our trip with the BCS National Championship Game in Glendale, Arizona. We flew out of Birmingham, along with many Auburn fans, headed to the game. Southwest (our favorite airline considering bags fly free and we had a total of 3 bags a 2 carry-ons after our trip home) was "All In" with Auburn decorations at the ticketing counter. Once we were through security, and at the gate, you were out of place if you weren't wearing orange and blue. The excitement and nerves started building, and we couldn't wait to get there!Once we arrived in Phoenix, we were fortunate enough to stay with Jen Ferrell's parents. Jen is a friend of ours from Colorado Springs. She and her husband, Matt, are youth ministers at our church. They are a great couple, and we have loved getting to know them while living here. Jen is from Phoenix and her parents, The Zimmermans, were such gracious hosts! I mean, letting total strangers stay with you who are there just to watch a football game are really top-notch people in my book! :) We saw the Zimmermans for a total of an hour the whole time we were there do to our "late night events". This is how we communicated...good ol' pen and paper! Seriously, this trip was possible because of them. We are hoping they come visit Jen and Matt here in the Springs soon so we can see them...they were awesome!Monday was Game Day! It was prefect weather! Blue skies and sunny--Arizona is so nice this time of year. We paced around the house before heading to Glendale around noon. I saw this guy on the way to the game and thought, "Nuff said". You really can't make "Duck gear" look cool, so if you just make it look ridiculous, then maybe, just maybe, it works. This guy had "ridiculous" down!
We picked up Blakely and Dan from their hotel, and headed to the stadium. Here's a little background on The Fletchers: I've known Blakely since first grade. We were inseparable in high school and roommates our freshman year at Auburn (Berta Dunn 111). She married Dan our junior year and moved to Memphis. Dan is now a doctor, and Blakely is the mommy to 2 little girls...with one on the way! Yes...I said with one on the way! At 33 weeks pregnant, with doctor's approval, she came to Glendale! It was awesome hanging out with them, and it definitely made the trip more fun!

Once we arrived at the stadium and parked, we had a bit of a hike to get to where we wanted to go. Figuring out the area was fine, but the crowds were insane. We were getting hungrier by the minute and needed to eat; however, most places had a 2-3 hour wait. Yes! 2-3 hours! Are you kidding me?

Just as we were starting to grow weary, across the highway was our beacon of hunger hope! That's right! Marc's favorite...Cracker Barrel! We sent the boys running across to check on the wait while Blake and I rested. And...

it was a 10 minutes wait! Heck yeah we're eating here! It was awesome and our bellies were happy for the rest of the day!
We enjoyed walking around seeing the sites and hearing the sounds of Game Day. There were several Auburn billboards around town...which I thought was cool. I even saw one from the plane as we landed in Phoenix that said "AU Family ALL IN!" I never saw an Oregon one. Seeing the stadium for the first time was exciting...and we were impressed.
As "game time" grew closer, fans started heading towards the stadium. This picture was taken with me holding my camera above my head and pushing the button. A sea of people, mostly Auburn fans ready to go into the stadium.
We were huddled together for a good 45 minutes just trying to get through security. You couldn't see what was going on or if the line was even moving. Dan and Blake were in front of us, so we relied on them for updates. They eventually were shuffled ahead, and I must admit, it was a huge rush to see them inside the gate...meaning their "bought-on-EBAY" tickets were legit and not a scam!We were never worried about our tickets considering they were purchased through the university. However, it was exhilarating once we heard the scanner make that "happy sound"! We were in...and we were going to watch Auburn play for a National Championship!

Other fans were not as lucky. As our tickets were being scanned, I heard the security guard tell the lady next to us that her ticket was a scam. We stood to the side watching it unfold. Apparently, the guy she was with had a "legit" ticket and her ticket was not. She crumbled into tears right there in line, and it was literally heart-breaking. Not a great way to start the night...and it definitely made me thankful for the opportunity to be there.We followed Dan and Blake to their seats in order to take a few pictures. Here is my favorite one! Isn't Blake's shirt awesome? By the way...they are having a boy! This was his first football game! Where do you go from here I ask? ;)
We made it to our seats! A fun moment was seeing some Montgomery friends sitting close by...The Stricklands. Leigh drove me to high school when I was a 10th grader and I haven't seen her in years! There were many moments like this...periods of my life converging onto one space for a football game. Montgomery friends. Auburn friends. Birmingham friends. It definitely made the experience more exciting.
This was my favorite moment of the pre-game festivities. Many of you know my friend, Sarah, who is living in Turkey for the next two years due to her husband's deployment. She loves this team as much as I do....so much so that she spent many mornings (as in 3am) watching the game live. A dedicated fan--no doubt! We watched several games "together" while talking on the phone. I had very little cell phone service in the stadium, but her call came through some how...right as the team was taking the field! I just held it up and let her listen. I actually teared-up a little because I wished she could have been there. But I hope this moment made it feel, just for a second, that she was.
As the team takes the field, this is a familiar sight. They circle up and kneel in prayer. I can't say where each player stands spiritually, but I will say that I have seen this scene consistently when attending Auburn games. In my opinion, I believe that the coaches and staff are teaching these boys more than football, and if that's the case, I am thankful for it.
During the National Anthem, many volunteers unfurled a flag that covered the entire playing field. A great reminder why this game could be played in the first place. It was awesome...a "goose-bump" moment for sure!
We're ALL IN...and ready for an Auburn win!
WARRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR EAGLE HEY!!!!!Yes...it was taken after the game...but it was the only one with all 4 of us. :)