110th Army/Navy Game!

This past Saturday was the Army/Navy football game! Brian and I woke up at 5:30 am, layered, layered, and layered some more in preparation to spend the whole day in the cold, and then started the journey up to Philadelphia. Between the two of us, we had 16 people going to the game: his family, my family, my sorority sisters Joella and Megan, and some other family friends all made the trip up to Lincoln Financial Field for the biggest Army football game of the year!

A lot of the excitement of the Army/Navy game (besides the actual football) is all of the fanfare that surrounds the day. A couple hours before the game starts, the cadets and midshipmen both march onto the field. I mentioned in August that Brian had a job at school that required he take on more responsibility in his company. Well, he has (almost) successfully finished out the semester in his position, and I couldn't be more proud of him and all of the work he has put into it. But by far the coolest part of his position this semester was the fact that his name was announced over the loudspeaker throughout the stadium during the march on!

The other cool thing that happens before the game is the flyover of various military aircraft (have I mentioned that I love airplanes?). There are also parachuters that jump onto the field! Last year, President Bush did the coin toss, but President Obama was nowhere to be found at this game. Secretary of Defense Robert Gates did the honors, which was, quite frankly, just not as cool.

To show my Army pride, I wore one of Brian's camouflage coats over my own winter jacket (as well as another one of his fleeces, a sweatshirt of my own, and a couple of long-sleeved t-shirts...). I also made a black and yellow scarf out of fleece. I was very proud that my very amateur sewing skills created something that didn't immediately fall apart!

This was my second Army/Navy game, and luckily we were sitting on the sunny side of the stadium this year. While it was chilly when the sun went down, it was much warmer than last year and watching the game was actually enjoyable because I could feel my fingers and toes! In addition to hanging out with Brian, Joella, and Megan, who I obviously love, I also got to catch up with one of my friends from high school who was at the game!

It was a good football game...but sadly, Army lost. A win would have been really exciting, but we all still had a really good time! This is Brian's last Army/Navy game, and Army football game, as a cadet; he'll be in Arizona this time next year, so while I'm sure we'll make it to another one eventually, who knows when that will be. I know he had a lot of fun cheering with his friends and classmates, and I'm glad I got to experience two Army/Navy games while he was at WP!

When the game was over, we drove home and were so utterly exhausted that Brian and I both fell asleep on the couch watching a movie. That's definitely the mark of a fun, but long, day. :)