The month of December is and has been nothing short of spectacular. Personally, professionally, socially, and even spiritually, it is one to remember. Planning a month and packing this much entertainment into 31 days is seemingly impossible, but through sleepless nights, double shots of coffee, and Inception (watching it right now for the umpteenth time), feats become manageable. Interesting enough, the month is only half over.
Where, oh where do we begin?
Patrick Riordan and I planned to visit a mutual friend in Oregon the first weekend in December. Timing it up perfectly, the Oregon Ducks football team (#2 in the country) was scheduled to play Oregon State (not ranked) for one of the nation’s oldest and finest rivalries. Heck, a game of this magnitude with Pat and I in the same state, ha, there was no stopping us. Arriving into Portland around 8am the guys (Pat and Tommy) picked me up from the airport. Unfortunately, the last time I saw Mr. Nordling was late September/early October; the weeks and months are starting to blur together as we continue to travel at this incredible rate. And, for more information about the quality of person Tommy is, venture down on the webpage to check out earlier blogs.
The weekend was an important one on several accounts: First, to have a quality weekend, and, of course, see the Civil War (nickname of this in-state rivalry); Second, to meet Tommy’s significant other Kaley (more to come); and Third, to spend time meeting new friends in a city/state that I have grown to love. 12 months ago to date, at this specific time, I find myself staring out over the Pearl District from my apartment in Portland, Oregon, itching anxiously towards a Christmas back in Minnesota. Stress-filled from countless Work Go-Live, my hand reaches for the window. What I find is not the city of Portland staring back at me, but instead, the fruitless, snow filled trees behind our New Brighton condo. It is good to be home.
So where were we? Ah, right, Oregon. About Kaley, what a beautiful person?! A quick note: one of the highlights from the weekend (there were several), was watching Tommy and Kaley interact. Boy are they a well fit match. You know people are a perfect fit by watching the smiles and the looks; Tommy and Kaley have that look. Some people call it a sparkle when they see it, but it’s not, it’s something more. As an observer trying to put my finger on it, it almost seems as if that person, staring at their match, is overcome with so much positive energy from a glance, a gesture, even a brush of the hair that they lose themselves in this moment of purity, the moment of pure happiness. And, oh, what a feeling it is to be lost, right Tommy?
After a hard fought night of tipping back countless beers, jamming out at the local hot spot in WestLinn (sp), and a nap at the bar (pointing fingers at no one but myself), we woke up early Saturday morning with headaches, cotton mouth, and a mission laid out in front of us. Throwing on Oregon Ducks gear (Thanks or “Un” thanks Tommy for the Joey Harrington jersey), we made our way to Corvalis, home of Oregon State; I felt as though we were Frodo and the group venturing into the heart of Mordor. Yes, folks, I am a movie nerd, enjoyed Lord of the Rings, and will admit that I own several versions of the movie. Back to reality.
The town of Corvalis is in the middle of nowhere. We all felt comfortable because Pat and Tommy grew up in Virginia, MN and I grew up in Blooming Prairie, MN (if you have to ask, it is in the middle of nowhere). But, in the middle of Corvalis is an immaculate stadium, perhaps one of the neatest stadiums that I have visited.
Stopping by a bar to get a couple of hangover beers, pick up the tickets, and snag a bite to eat, we were abruptly greeted by a strange comment at a corvalis bar. “Hey what’s up you Joey Harrington looking Mother Trucker” (this is a pg 13 blog). Laughing uncrontollobly, we slowly weaseled ourselves in a booth. By the time we left the bar, the Miller Lite sponsor girls emptied out their entire collection of giveaway materials, Pat had several necklaces on, we owned new shirts, and Tommy managed to set a new record for fastest eating of a burger (2.4s, what a beast?!).
The game itself was entertaining; the sites, the chants, the rivalry, the cold, fall weather in the upper northwest, and of course, the energy of a college football city. Standing up the entire time, three specs of green in a sea of orange, we couldn’t have felt more out of place. But, we used this to our advantage, and by the time the clock struck 0 at the end of the game, we were holding up #1s and chanting like the rest of the small percentage of Duck fans. Oh, there’s more.
Pat wanted to a closer view of the field and after running down the 15 rows to get to field level, he noticed Oregon fans pushing past security and charging the field. Glancing back at Tommy, Pat’s ears wiggled, a grin spread over his entire face, and we knew the next step; Pat hopped the fence. With the field turf beneath our toes, the victory and thrill seemed to energize us. Running around like bubbly cheerleaders, we high-fived players, pointed at the goofy security that surrounded the goal posts, and joined in chants. At one point, buzzing with laughter and excitement (they don’t serve alcohol at the stadium so this is excitement alone), I stopped to look at Pat and screamed, “What do we do now?!”
“I don’t know!!!” he screamed and we continued to run around on the field.
Keeping it short and sweet, this weekend was a blast, an action packed weekend crammed into 36 hours. And, with every positive weekend, there is a lull, the longing to stay, a long reality check walking through security.
The intercom to the airplane chimes in. “We are now making our decent to Honolulu…”
Was this a dream?
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