In my previous post, you'll find a statement that reads along the lines of "no more road trips for this family... flying from now on... will never drive that long/far again" yada yada yada. Apparently, that only applies to certain locations and events. 'Cause we turned around and did it again 3 weeks later.
With Chris and I having our anniversary in December, it often gets overlooked and rarely celebrated. Sure, we do the "Happy Anniversary" thing, maybe do lunch, dinner or a movie, but quickly move on to all the other chaos that happens around the Holidays. It is what it is, but I don't think I couldn't have waited any longer to marry that man.
Lucky #13
Around the beginning of November, it was becoming obvious that our favorite Major League Soccer team was heading for the championship. Depending on the outcome of the Eastern Conference, Real Salt Lake would face either the Houston Dynamo's in Salt Lake City, or Sporting KC in Kansas City. And the championship game would take place on December 7th -- the weekend of our 13th wedding anniversary. Kansas City won the rights to host the cup, and we were going to do everything we could to get there.
So much drama trying to get to Kansas City. First, flight prices triples overnight. Then, Kansas City leaked a pre-sale code and the tickets we paid $175 a piece for were voided. Hotel was the only thing confirmed and it looked as though we may not go. Then, RSL released 200 tickets online to their season ticket holders and somehow - somehow - I was one of the lucky few who got tickets. It was meant to be, I tell you.
Because flights become ridiculously expensive, we decided if we were going to go, we needed to drive. Chris's brother and his wife made the trip with us, which gave us 4 drivers, to go though 5 states, with about 15 hours in the car (one way)... so we thought. Wyoming chose to leave I-80 a complete sheet of ice, adding 3 extra hours of driving.
Kansas City BBQ
Besides the game, we had one other agenda item to get to. Barbeque Ribs. We couldn't travel through the BBQ capital of the US and not stop for some ribs. Many people recommended Arthur Bryant's and it did NOT disappoint. Best BBQ I've ever had.
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Yes, Chris and I shared that giant plate of yummy BBQ goodness and fresh cut fries. And who needs fry sauce or ketchup when you have the best baked beans every made, in a sauce so good you just dip your fries in it? No one. No one needs ketchup for their fries at Arthur Bryant's. They just a side of baked beans.
Attempt to Keep Warm
Good thing we ate as much food as we did, cause we needed something to keep us a little bit warmer that day. 18 degrees, mid-day in Kansas City. Makes for not-so-perfect soccer weather, if you ask me. Multiple layers were required.
For 2 hours, we just sat in our seats, in the frigid cold, waiting for the game to begin. Doing whatever we could to stay warm. 6 is the number of heat warmers I had stuffed into shoes, gloves and pockets in an effort to make me even the slightest bit warmer.
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| That's not snow... it's ICE. Ice on a soccer field? |
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| Sis-in-Law Brandee |
But once the game started, I (almost) forgot how cold I was. The game was that exciting and that intense. It was by far the best game I've ever been to. I even made my very first ESPN debut. You can see my bright blue coat (Sporting K colors, I know, but it's the warmest coat I own) and my white glove raised high in the air when RSL scored the first goal of the game.
And then we drove home in a blizzard. 4 extra hours added to the trip home.
It was all worth it in the end, even though RSL just missed pulling out a win. We missed bringing home the championship cup, we spent 37 hours in the car in just 3 days, but I'd do it all over again in a heart beat. I got to celebrate my 13th year with the love of my life in the funnest way possible.
What I will not do again is drive through Wyoming. Ever. You don't plow your roads, your wind tries desperately to push cars off the (icy) roads (and almost succeeded many times), and a whole day after returning, I'm still feeling the effects of eating your version of "Mexican" food.
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