It was a brisk 35 degrees the day of the Notre Dame and Navy game. Dressed in our warmest Floridian winter belongings (I dug into the skiing container for boots), we were dropped off about two hours prior and hiked through the tailgating fans to the stadium.
My brother acquired tickets twenty-two rows back from the fifty-yard line. Great location. No backs, however, to the metal benches. Did I mention metal? In thirty degree weather? Thankfully, my SIL's friend Tara sent us with an all-weather blanket, toasty and warm on one side and weather-resistant on the other. I wrapped the blanket around my waist to keep my butt warm on the metal bench and to cover my legs. It was perfect.
The first half was good. We had the sun shining. Notre Dame was kicking Navy's ass. The halftime show was entertaining.
Then, the second half arrived, and we were on the side without the sun. The temperatures dropped. The wind picked up. I wrapped my scarf around the lower half of my face. I huddled behind the person in front of me. Notre Dame continued to dominate.
By the fourth quarter, I was cold. I had to pull out the hand warmers my brother had given me for my gloves as the tips of my fingers were aching. I'm from Indiana, where basketball is king. We never leave a game until it is concluded. Fans until the end.
I was ready to leave this game. My brother texted, asking if we were ready for a pick-up since ND was killing it. Tom vetoed that. He was having fun, and the part of me that never leaves a game until it is over was right there with him. The part of me that was freezing to death? Not so much.
About three minutes before the end of the game, I took off the blanket and folded it. Big mistake. The metal seats immediately froze my ass. My thighs froze. Three minutes turned into thirty as the end of the game came and went, and we stood through the respectful ending where each team goes to the other team's end zone to stand through the band's school songs. A nice touch, but I was beyond cold. If there was ever any doubt whether or not I am a Floridian, it was confirmed at that game.
We had to hike to find my brother. I'm going to admit I was not in the best frame of mind by then. I couldn't stop shivering, and we had no idea which way to go, and if there is one thing that drives me nuts, it is walking around without a clue if we are heading in the right direction. I whined. I moaned. Tom got annoyed. Then I got annoyed.
By the time we got to my brother's car, we were sniping back and forth much to his entertainment. It was a long drive back to the house, but my SIL met us with a hot meal, glasses of wine, and a cheery disposition. I then took a warm shower. It took me three hours to get warm.
Two days later, I was sick.
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