Steve’s Christmas Gift – Houston Texans vs. New England Patriots Game

I don’t normally share personal stories on this blog, but have to share this one.

Today the Houston Texans are returning to Boston to play the Patriots in a NFL divisional playoff.

We had the privilege of being at the first game those 2 teams played in December 2012.

Steve is a huge Patriots fan and I’m a big Texans fan.  Back in the summer I saw that they were playing each other in December for Monday Night Football.  I wanted to get tickets right then, but didn’t have the trip budgeted.  The week after Thanksgiving, I looked at our finances again to see if we could swing the trip.

So, I used frequent flyer miles to get there.  (That means we paid about $20 for the flight) Found lodging for a couple nights and prayed it wouldn’t be a snow storm.  This would be the BEST Christmas present I had ever given him.

On Friday before the Monday night game, I fixed a delicious meal.  At the end of the meal, I told him he had to open his Christmas gift early.

What???  Kerry never lets anyone open their gift early.

He opened the  gift and immediately thought we were going to Houston for the game (an hour from our home).  Then, he looked at the tickets again and read “Gillette Stadium”.  I raised my eyebrows to him and it sunk in.

We were going to Boston Monday morning for a Patriots football game.

He spent Saturday rescheduling a couple of appointments.  Thank goodness nothing major was going on those few days.

We were both excited.

When we arrived at the Houston airport, they said are flight was delayed. Was I glad I chose the earliest flight, just in case there were complications in flying in December.

Baltimore was fogged in and they we couldn’t land, even if we took off from Houston.  Finally, we left Houston & arrived in Baltimore so we could wait for a couple of hours before leaving for Boston.

Finally, we arrived in Boston 2 hours late and headed to the rental car company.

With the rain and 5:00 traffic, it took us 1.5 hours to get to the stadium.

Once we got there, Steve was in heaven.  Going to a New England Patriots game at Gillette Stadium was on his bucket listWe had an hour to wander the stadium and grab some dinner. As I was waiting for Steve to bring our food, I visited with 2 men eating next to us.  They asked where we were from. I told them I was a Texans fan, but my husband was a Patriots fan.  When Steve returned, they said he got a fantastic Christmas gift.  Then, they looked at him and said, “So, you’re sleeping with the enemy”!

We found our seats.  Look at our view of the game.

We were right behind the Houston Texans bench.  In case you’re wondering, Steve’s 2nd favorite team is Houston, but he was routing for the Patriots all the way.

A few minutes into the game, we looked behind us and discovered the Monday Night Football press box was just a few rows up.

Steve loved every minute of our time there. I was a bit disappointed because the Texans lost by a landslide.  He even got a few minutes with the Patriots’ quarterback, Tom Brady

By the time we got to the hotel after the game, we were exhausted.  We woke up that morning around 4:30am and it was midnight when we arrived at the hotel.  But, it was well worth it!

We slept in the next day and visited the Patriots Hall of Fame, back at Gillette Stadium.  I have never been fond of their coach, Bill Belichick. After our visit, I had a new appreciation for him.

We made our way back into Boston to stay at a B&B, next to the Commons.  We were in walking distance from restaurants, coffee shops & stores.  It was so much fun.

When Houston won the Wild Card game last Sunday & would play the Patriots again, Steve looked at me and asked, “Do we have tickets to that game”?

I simply grinned.

I’m still pulling for the Texans to beat the Patriots today.  By the time you read this post, we will probably know the winner.

Steve says Go Patriots!

I’m yelling Go Texans!

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