Great Weekend with Sun Ahead

Wow, what a great weekend! Not only did the weather hold up for the most part, it was also full of first time experiences that were a lot of fun. One of my best friends from high school managed to get some tickets to the U.S. versus Haiti Gold Cup soccer match held at Gillette Stadium (home of the New England Patriots). The match didn't start until 7, but we thought it would be fun to grab some food and some beverages and get there early for some tailgating. We got there around 4 and ate, drank and played some parking lot soccer in the beautiful sun. After the U.S. Haiti game, Honduras was playing Grenada so the parking lot was full of fans for all four teams (well actually, only 3 teams...Grenada fans were nowhere to be seen). People were draped in their countries colors and a group of Honduran fans that were pretty close to us had a HUGE grill set up and brought many instruments including some hand drums and some plastic horns and whistles. Needless to say it was great being close to them because of the spirit that they had and they actually made some pretty good music together as a makeshift band.

We headed inside for the game and our seats were close to the field, and basically right behind one of the goals. The U.S. scored first and the U.S. fan section erupted! We were at the end of the U.S. fan section with some Haitian fans right next to us and all they could do was sit in silence as we celebrated our country's first goal. Right after halftime, the Haitians came out on fire, scoring 2 goals of their own in the first 10 minutes of the second half. The Haitian fans next to us went absolutely crazy. The rest of the game was very tense as Haiti held the lead into stoppage time at the end of regulation when the U.S. scored in the very last minute to salvage a tie. I used a whistle that I had purchased in the parking lot and joined in with the rest of the U.S. fan celebration jumping up and down and celebrating while the Haitian section immediately took their seats and planted their faces in their hands in disbelief.

That was the first ever professional soccer game that I attended live and to all the people who have already asked me how it was, I told them that it was the most fun I have ever had at any professional sporting event. No exaggeration, it was awesome. People were so passionate and at the same time I felt a camaraderie between our friends and the Haitian fans sitting close by. I can't really explain where this feeling came from but it was definitely there. I never thought soccer would become a mainstream sport in the United States, but after going to that game, I know it will become huge. It is just 1 or 2 American-born superstars (someone like a LeBron James of soccer) away from catapulting into the spotlight. I would strongly encourage everyone to try to get to a game if you haven't been and experience it for yourself, you will love it.

Yesterday held another first time experience in store for me. For the first time, I got to spend some one-on-one time with my sister Shayla (outgoing Queen of the Week). I picked her up and we went to go see Ice Age 3 together. Shayla is just so adorable. When I got to the house she could not stop running around and wanted her mom to finish doing her hair as fast as possible so we could get our movie trip underway. She practically jumped into her car seat and kept me entertained the entire drive to the movies with stories about daycare and telling me how excited she was to be starting school in the fall. She sat through the whole movie (just one trip to the bathroom) and didn't make a peep, she was so cute and well-behaved. I could not have been a more proud brother as we walked to the car holding hands. She loves her brother and her brother loves her very very much, I can't wait to spend some more time with her as she continues to get older.

It was a great weekend, and I will post some pictures once I get them on my computer. Also, I know I have been doing this a lot, but thank you again to the people who read my blog and offer their feedback to me. It is always great to hear that someone has been reading what you are writing and appreciates or is inspired by it. A few people have told me that they want to start their own blog but don't think they could keep it going for very long. It may sound corny but writing this has really inspired me to try new things and see new places. My posts aren't daily anymore, but in between posts I am always trying to find things I could write about and it really has made me realize not only how lucky I am to have the opportunities that I do, but also how lucky I am to be surrounded by so many people who love and care about me. The soccer game would not have been nearly as fun if I hadn't got to enjoy it with some really close friends of mine and Ice Age 3 just wouldn't have been the same without the company of my sister. So again, thank you very much for your feedback and I hope I can keep coming up with interesting things to write about! Any experiences that you would like to share, just let me know and I will definitely put them up here.

Out to enjoy this sunny, 80 degree weather!

Until next time...