It all began with a phone call from Phil informing me about a writing conference he wanted to go to in Chicago on the 21st and 22nd of October. After we hung up, my thoughts started racing, wondering if the idea in my mind could actually work.
Phil's big 40th birthday was on October 24, just 2 days after his conference was to finish. Phil's favorite team is the Chicago Bears and wouldn't ya know that they DID have a home game on the 24th!!
My parents planned on staying a week in Casper while I was in Texas, and I wondered if there was any way that I could talk them into staying for an extra week so that I could accompany Phil on his trip and add an extra couple of days for birthday fun.
Well..... as the title of this blog post suggests - it all came together perfectly!
We bought these tickets on EBay, which happened to be cheaper than any of the posted prices on other sites.
As we pulled up to our hotel, Phil noticed (rather loudly, I might add) the name of the street. This will mean nothing to those of you that do not take an interest in football.
While Phil sat in class and learned a ton of useful information, I had a VERY long, nice lunch with my good friend Christy that lives in the area.
If you know Phil, he can never pass up an opportunity to check out upcoming concerts. He discovered that Lincoln Brewster was playing in Illinois on Friday night. He bought the tickets THEN told me the concert was in Springfield -- a 3 hour trip away (one way). It was a fun concert but we both decided the one I chose the following night was the better of the two.
During my internet browsing I came across A Night with the Chapmans. I had just finished reading Mary Beth Chapman's book Choosing to See, which chronicled much of her life story as well as the tragic accident involving their daughter Maria.
After a concert trip 3 hours away on Thursday, we traveled to Indiana, although just an hour away, on Friday night. Phil was surprised to see Geoff Moore take the stage and perform a few songs with Steven Curtis Chapman.
On Saturday morning we packed our bags, returned the rental car and moved to our downtown hotel, The Palmer House. Phil found a great deal on this historic hotel. However, we had no idea we would be staying at the same place with Chicago's opponents for the game on Sunday -- the Washington Redskins!!
After I checked in, I was walking down the hallway to meet Phil out front and discovered a row of spectators and very large, well dressed men walking in through the roped off entrance. It didn't take me long to figure out that it was the Redskins' football team. I quickly snapped this picture with my phone of Donovan McNabb talking with a young fan.
Phil and I actually saw McNabb a couple more times as we wandered around the hotel.
From the balcony above, I zoomed in on Mr. Young's offensive game plan. :)
The view out our window.
We got up early Sunday morning and walked to a downtown church service.
After the church service, we finished our trek to Soldier Field. The weather forecast was for clouds and possible rain, but it passed over and the weather the entire game was BEAUTIFUL!
We were up in the stands fairly high, with a spectacular view of the field and the lake.
We were much too busy cheering for Da Bears to take pictures. Unfortunately the Bears lost by 3, but the game was exciting and a great birthday present for Phil.
While football is a sport Phil and I both enjoy, it's pleasures are fleeting and temporary; that is why I love to see players from both teams come together for prayer at the end. Tim liked that #22 Mattt Forte was one of the players praying!
We relished every bit of the experience and stayed until the stands were almost emptied.
Happy 40th Birthday, honey.
Early Monday morning we packed up, took a train to the airport and arrived in Casper by lunchtime. It was a great trip and an experience neither of us will soon forget!
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