43-8!

I am emotionally drained. Anyone who has read my blog posts for any amount of time knows that football is very important to me. I love my Seahawks and have for some time. I have watched years of losing records. I have watched years of getting sooo close, and then losing it. I have watched years of hype and high hopes and having those dreams fall flat. So, making it to the Super Bowl was a big deal. This morning when I woke up, all I could think about was the last time we made it and what a fiasco that was. And then I started to get nervous. I was grumpy. My heart was racing. I was crying over every little thing. I was irritated with things that typically don't bother me. But this was a big deal! I had watched this young, amazing team for an entire season and I knew that we were a big deal. I knew that we were going to win! I knew it in my heart. I just had the doubt in the back of my head. I wasn't sure. So many seasons of sadness and disappointment. What if this one ended badly also? So, when we got the safety in the first fifteen seconds of the game, and then we scored touchdown after touchdown after touchdown. We had interceptions and fieldgoals and defensive touchdowns. We had an offense that looked like they knew what they were doing. Soon my anxiety and my distress turned to happiness...joy...my faith in my team was restored. The game ended with the amazing score and I was overjoyed! Tears flowed freely. I was happy, sad, elated, proud...all of those feelings rolled into one. And although I think that I would be fairly good at breaking down all the points of the game and analyzing all of the plays (because I really do know a lot about football, especially Seahawks football) that isn't really the purpose of my blog. My blog is about mushy stuff. Real life things that impact me, and then the life lesson tied in. Many of you know that my love of football came from my grandfather. So, when the Seahawks won today, my first thoughts were of him, cheering and celebrating from heaven this evening! He would have loved today! There isn't a game that I don't walk into that stadium in Seattle, or tune in from my living room at home, and think about him. He would be going crazy in his black leather rocking chair, with his football-shaped cup holder, and his beer stine filled with Hamms. I have my grandpa's rocker, so that's where I spent my evening, curled up watching highlights of the game, and interviews of the players. And tears fell. Then, my thoughts turned to my husband. I bought the season tickets for him our first Christmas together. We were on the waitlist for two years and then got our tickets. We went to a couple games together, and then I was pregnant and he wanted to take other people with him. So I stayed home. And then I had babies and he wanted to take other people with him. So I stayed home. And then...I'm not sure what the excuses were, but I stayed home. The 2010 season, Brian and I went to one game together. It was the best date that we had ever been on! It was September and a gorgeous day. We sat upstairs on the ferry and drank beer together. We laughed and cried and talked about our future. We made plans and talked about how lucky we were. It was great! And then my world unraveled just three short weeks later. So, tonight when the Seahawks won, I thought of Brian. I thought of that last date that we had together, and I also thought about all the games I didn't attend. And tears fell. I thought about the 2010 season when I panicked after Brian died and I sold all my tickets on Facebook. And how with each pair of tickets I sold, a little piece of me mourned. My life had changed so much in such a short time, and the one thing that I enjoyed was going away. And so many friends bought them, and ended up taking me. And I thought of all the people that helped me through. And how lucky I am to have all of them. And tears fell. And I thought about my Kristi! Right before Brian died, my sister moved to Oregon, and I felt like I didn't have anyone. I was alone, and sad, and then the whole mess with Brian happened, and this girl that I didn't even really know walked into my life. She grabbed my hand, and offered me her shoulder, and bolstered me up when I was at my saddest and my weakest. She bought a pair of my tickets that year, the ones for my birthday weekend, and she took me with her. We had the best time ever, and we haven't been apart since. Kristi started off as a stranger to me, then as the girl who bought my tickets, then as my football partner, and now she means more to me than anyone will ever know. Football is so much more to me than sitting in the stands and watching the players. It's the having to get our same parking spaces. Getting coffee and adding in bonus fun. Following the same routines before the game starts. Being in our seats to watch the pre-game fanfare. Sitting in the same seats. Wearing the same things. Waiting until the stadium is empty to leave. Long chats on the ferry. So many parts of the football experience mean so much to me. And there isn't anyone I would rather do all of this with than her. She is my best friend forever, and I am so lucky that I have found someone to share that with! So, I started thinking about the friendship that I have formed with her, and how much fun we have at football, and how there are six more months until football starts again. And tears fell. These players have meant so much to me as a fan, and I know that there are a million other 12s that feel the same way. Our run with these players, our run with this team, started off in a way that I would have never believed! We "know" these players. They are like our family. I got to meet Golden Tate and Richard Sherman. And then, I got to go to a cocktail party with Richard Sherman and be there for the kickoff of his Blanket Coverage charity. I watched these players bond while playing softball with each other at Richard's charity softball event. I went to training camp and got to meet Jermaine Kearse and Earl Thomas and get their autographs. I got Richard Sherman's autograph on his Sports Illustrated cover. I've been to every home game for the last two years and I have gotten to witness this team come together and grow and become the Super Bowl champions that they proved themselves to be. I am proud that I have been a Seahawks fan for a long time, and I am proud that I stuck around to see this, to be a witness to the greatness that these players are! And tears fell. As I said at the beginning, I am emotionally drained! I am exhausted to the point that I just can't sleep! I'm proud of our Seahawks! I'm proud to be a 12! I'm proud of our season, and the support that our team gives our city! And I can't wait to see where this ride takes us next season! Hmm...I think I'll go and book my hotel for Arizona! Super Bowl 2015!!