Football Moments

I never posted about our last two trips to Iowa. We first went back in October and attended the Iowa vs. Penn State football game. Then we traveled to Iowa again for Christmas.

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We drove both times and our kids did great! In October, we strategically picked some parks off the interstate where we could stop to let the kids have some car-free time. And in December, we left a little later in the day, and they slept during a lot of the drive. We honestly could not have asked for better drives. The one challenge of our December trip was I got really sick a couple days before we were supposed to leave. I was the sickest I ever remember being. John commented that he’d never seen me knocked down so hard by sickness. Consequently, we delayed our trip a couple of days.

Highlights of the October trip, aside from attending an Iowa football game, included visiting a pumpkin patch and visiting the John Deere Museum. John and I also went to the Nauvoo Temple and a special dinner to celebrate our anniversary.

We also tried to take some family pictures in my in-laws backyard (they back up to a golf course and it’s beautiful!), but David just wanted to run ha. Here are some of my favorite pictures. John/his dad took these pictures.

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I’ll update soon with a post about our Christmas trip!

So, I’ve never followed college football. Ever. I attended Brigham Young University, and while I went to a number of games, I really had no idea what was going on. I am not certain I ever sat through an entire football game.

Then a year and a half ago I meet John, my now husband, who happens to be a huge Iowa Hawkeyes football fan. Such a big fan that our wedding date had to be Iowa’s bye week (October 24), so he didn’t have to miss a game. Okay, okay that part isn’t actually true. We did get married on October 24, but it has nothing to do with Iowa’s football schedule. Although I am certain that was a nice bonus for him 😉

As the college football season began, my participation level in the experience was toleration. As the season progressed and as Iowa experienced win after win, my interest grew stronger. By the time the Nebraska game rolled around, I didn’t want anyone to talk to me during the game because I was so nervous for the Hawkeyes. I wanted them to win so badly.

A little over halfway through the season, I found incredibly priced airline tickets to Indianapolis for the weekend of the B1G Ten Championship game. John and I decided that we would go ahead and purchase tickets, even though we weren’t sure the Hawkeyes would be joining us in Indianapolis for the big game. Well, guess what, they did. Thanks, boys!

When we bought the tickets, I was excited for John to be able to go to the game, but I was somewhat indifferent. However, my attitude changed as I began to understand more and more about football. John was very patient with me the whole season and would explain and re-explain the strategy. Who knew penalties and field goals made such a difference?!

I loved my B1G Ten Championship experience, although the ending was a true heart breaker. Thank you Hawkeyes for a great season and thank you Iowa fans for the spirit you brought to that game! It was amazing.