Armed Forces Football Game

So you would think that going to a sporting event is bound to lead you to find a great guy. I mean, the event has to be swarming with guys...all kind of guys...tall, short, big, thin, handsome, single, etc. Well, that's what I thought anyways.

My sister-in-law works for ESPN. She is in charge for promoting and basically putting together the Armed Forces Bowl each year. And it falls on December 31, but it's during the day, so there should be a good crowd.

I have to drag myself out of bed. When I have to get up early...I can never just jump out of bed. To be honest, I never "jump" out of bed. I actually wake up and fall back asleep three times this morning, before actually getting up for the day. Do you ever have "those" types of days? I am just hoping I am not going to be dragging all day.

My older sister, Jennifer, and I go together. We actually leave about the time the game should start. I figure it wasn't something that I just HAD to be on time for. My brother told me exactly where to park and to take a shuttle to the game, which would be easier than trying to find parking. I easily find parking and start walking towards the shuttle stand.

We were about a five minute walk from the car, when I turn to my sister and say, "Did you not bring a hat?"

She replies, "No."

I am wearing a lime green ski looking coat with a faux fur hood attached to it. So, I grab an extra hat from my purse and hand it to her. I say, "Here, you can wear this one." I brought a winter hat, because I wanted to wear it under my coat's hat, because my coat's hat isn't snug to my heard; therefore, not as warm as the winter hat. Oh well, glad I could help my sister.

We walk a minute or two more, when it suddenly dawns on me, "We need a blanket. I have one in my trunk."

We quickly walk back to my car, and I pop the trunk...to find it empty. "Dang it," I say, "It is in my storage unit."

I have several things of mine in a storage unit for the time being. The blanket was needed at the last minute for covering something up in storage. I completely forgot about it.

We walk to the shuttle, realizing it is so much colder than we initially thought. Of course, when you step outside for all of 10 seconds to check the weather, you don't realize how much colder it will be once you start walking around in the cold. Wish I would have thought of that then.

My hands are already cold, feeling like I'm not even wearing gloves. I have black leather gloves on that I got a few Christmases ago. I also have a pair of black ski gloves...that I conveniently left at home, because it never occurred to me to bring them.

We get to the shuttle and the operator says, "Five dollars."

After handing her the money, we find our seats in the very back just in time to see about 15 people pay the operator for their seats. A few minutes later, filled to capacity, the bus takes off for its destination.

A three-year-old girl starts arguing, because she doesn't want to sit with her sister. Then her sister says to another boy, "She's my sister."

With ten kids yelling, arguing, and bantering, a two minute ride would have been too long. Just when I'm thinking, "How much longer," we get the news....There is something wrong with our shuttle. We have to pull over and move to another bus.

Jennifer looks at me, with that look. I reply, "I know, I know...welcome to Jessica's World...where nothing is as easy as it should be."

I text my little sister, Janelle, who is already at the game about this. She text back that she got a funnel cake, and I can have the rest of it. I think, "Okay, well at least something scrum to look forward to...It almost makes up for it."

We only wait for about five minutes for the next shuttle. We all quickly find seats, drive off, and arrive before we know it. I can't figure out where exactly we go to enter the game. I politely ask a worker in a yellow jacket, "Where do we enter?"

He points back and to his right, where Jennifer and I quickly dart. Once we enter and not knowing where are seats are located, we head to the right. Technically, I head to the right, and Jennifer follows. Weaving in and out of the crowd, many who are in lines for food, we shiver from the cold wind....and knowing it's going to be a heck of a long game.

We finally find our seats...3/4 of the way around the stadium from where we started. We are seated next to Janelle and her son. I sit between my two sisters, knowing none of us really prepared for this weather. Janelle is in a hooded sweatshirt and no coat. I tell her about the rest of our morning just to get to the game.

Then I look down at the paper plate that lays by my feet. There is what looks like a doughnut hole on the plate. Just then it registers, and my shockness is shown in my high pitched voice, "THAT is my funnel cake."

She says, "You took too long."

Oh, because I could help the shuttle had problems and got stuck. I see. Thanks for looking out : )

She then continues, "I wanted to know if you had left earlier, because I was going to tell you to bring a blanket."

I reply, "I thought I had one in my car, but I don't."

She says, "I also wanted a coat, scarf, and anything else warm."

I can only imagine how cold she must have been, because she was also out there for another 1 1/2 hours before we even got there. She looks frozen.

Once I got to my seat, I couldn't keep still. I get up to get some much needed kleenex (well napkins really) for our noses. When I go on this venture, I look around for my wish man. Don't forget, I am still on the prowl, even in this blistering cold weather. The problem is how could I even really see people when scarves, hats, coats, and just about everything covered except their eyes....which as Marc says, "It's in the eyes." But for me, I want to see more before I put myself out there and make "a move"...which who are we kidding, wouldn't probably be considered "a move" except for by me.

I return to my seat, and then my nephew and I go down to talk to my brother. He was on "net duty," so we thought we would say hi. We walk down the stairs of the stadium, and I call, "Jerad."

He waves and walks up to us.

My nephew asks him, "Can I come down there?"

My brother says, "I'll meet you at the top."

We walk to the top, and as we get there, I catch a glimpse of the profile of this guy, and I call out, "Sahagun."

The guy turns towards me and says, "Hi."

Sahagun is my brother's friend. There is a group of guys, about 8, that my brother has been friends with since high school, and Michael Sahagun is one of them. Sahagun looks different. He has a read beard, and it is really amazing how different a guy can look with facial hair. Sahagun is there with his son, so we talk for a few minutes until my brother comes up. It's really quite fun to see how my brother's group of friends have changed throughout the years.

While my brother uses the restroom, I wait with my nephew and scope for guys. Just as what happened before, I just couldn't make too many out. I see a few good looking ones here and there. The problem is it is too dang cold outside to concentrate on anything other than how cold I am. So, me trying to strike up a conversation with a guy is no where in the realm of my reality for this day. I don't want to stay in any one place too long, and if I don't do that, how on earth am I going to try and talk to a hot guy??!

I leave my nephew with my brother and go back to sit down. My sisters and I practically have to sit on top of each other to even remotely keep our body temperatures from going gangrene on us. Janelle and I share a cup of hot coco, and then my older sister wants to leave...and not too early, I must say. She says she is just too cold, which I completely understand. I was just waiting to hear her say the word anyways.

We say goodbye and jolt out of that stadium like there is no tomorrow. We can't wait to get that shuttle into our view. We practically run to it and find some of the last seats available just to learn that driver isn't going to the parking lot we need to go to. He says, "I'm not going there, but I can. Oh, I don't know how to get there either."

This strikes us as very odd, seeing everyone on this bus was going to the same place, and why is he in the shuttle line to drive us back if he doesn't plan on doing so?

Another passenger says, "I can tell you how to get there." I think this guy was just as eager to get to his car as we are to get to mine.

We thaw out just in time to have to get out and walk to my car. I did my quick long legged walk to the car, while my sister practically has to jog to keep up. After I start the car, we sit there frozen and unable to move.

I defrost the windows and begin our journey home, which definitely isn't nearly as exciting as our time to the game. And I know today's journey for my wish man was a bust. But note to self, "Don't try to scope for your wish man outside in the blistering cold, when believe it or not, you won't be concentrating on him." I say this now, but I know me, and I know that if the time comes again, I won't keep a little cold weather from getting in my way of finding my wish man. Dang you, cold weather, dang you. Then again, there is always tomorrow...or next week, I guess.

P.S. Marc told me this week that he knows I'm going to meet my man at the end of February or the beginning of March. Now, that doesn't mean I'm not going to be looking in the mean time, but it would be very interesting if that is when I do find him...and I just wanted it in writing if it does happen.