I had fun...in REGINA!?!?

Went on a road trip to Regina to see a Rider game yesterday with a few co-workers of mine: Melody and Chalsea (girls who are willing to use their day off to go watch football get high praise in my books) and my buddy Shaun (who also doubles as one of my bosses).

The drive to and from Regina was great. Typically I don't allow country music in my car, but I kept getting punched from the backseat, so I relented. Mad-libs are a great way to break the ice on a road trip. Nouns are quite hilarious. Adverbs are overrated. Shaun made the mistake of bringing his high-school yearbook along as well...big blunder!

The girls couldn't wait an extra hour to eat, so we had to pull over in Chamberlain for snacks. Does anyone LIVE in Chamberlain? All I saw was gas stations and restaurants. Maybe the people that work there sleep in their stores there too? I should have asked one of the locals.

We arrived an hour and a half early hoping to get a free parking spot that didn't require parallel parking. Mission accomplished. We then killed time at Humpty's. I bet the girls that they couldn't finish their poutine. I've never seen anyone finish their plate of poutine, no matter the size. Of course, none of them finished. Blame Chamberlain. I knew I should have put money on the table!

This was my first Rider game of the year, and Melody's first game EVER. How can you live in Saskatchewan this long and not go to a Rider game? She picked up on the rules of the game quite nicely. She's hooked. It took Chalsea a little while to get into the flow of the game, but I assumed she was building up to the 4th quarter. She's like Popeye...but instead of spinach, substitute licorice. That did the trick nicely.

Twas a good game...perhaps the most fun I've had at Taylor Field in years. Plenty of offense on both sides (especially from us, which surprised me), and there were some big defensive plays. Edmonton's special teams were an absolute gong show...one dropped punt, one blocked punt, 2 missed field goals, and of course the huge blocked field goal on the final play of the game. It was the most unexpected ending I've ever witnessed live, because I had resigned myself to the fact that we had blown yet another game. It was also the largest shriek I have ever emitted in my life when Morgan blocked the kick. Taylor Field went absolutely bananas! LOVED IT.

The worst part about Taylor Field is the mad rush down the ramps to get out after the game. Melody and Shaun got way ahead of Chalsea and I, and then Chalsea fell way behind me out of nowhere. I found the other 2 when I stumbled outside, but Chalsea was nowhere to be found. We waited several minutes until I went back in to look for her...couldn't find her. Shaun and I then circled the whole stadium until we found her on her cell-phone, just behind the corner from where we started our search, of course...

Melody and Shaun wanted to get some drinks, and I wanted the free Cokes that come with being a designated driver, so we found a hotel lounge to hang out at after the game. I let Chalsea borrow my car (what was I thinking? lol) to go pick up her cousin who lived a minute or two away, and he joined us for supper. Then we went to his house for a little bit and hung out...his 2 dogs like to fight. Good times.

Had a little trouble staying alert on the road on the way back, but the girls constantly nagging me to pull over and let them drive motivated me to finish the job! Thank goodness Shaun came, as he served many roles on the way back. He was my "is that roadkill?" advisor, kept me awake with some rockin' tunes, and we constantly try to one-up the other with big fancy words. I used lexicon and verbose within minutes, while he could only come up with androgenous...I win.

That's the only fun I'm allowed to have for the rest of the year...unless I develop an enjoyment of reading books (stifling both laughter and tears)