Fall vacation: Day 5
Jump around! Jump around" Jump up, jump up, and get down!
We took the boys to their first University of Wisconsin football game today. This was also our first in 16 years -- since the last fall we lived in Madison. We were looking forward to the experience as much as them, maybe more, especially for Lori, who was attending games in the 1980s. We woke up early, bundled up (the temperature really dropped today, even with the sun shining), and headed for Camp Randall Stadium.
Our first stop was Target on University Avenue and Midvale Boulevard to get cash and a couple supplies. We weaved our way through the West Side, past the church Lori and I were married in, and parked near West High School. I didn't think we'd get a spot close, and the mile-or-so walk through one of our favorite Madison neighborhoods was nice. We got to the stadium and witnessed the usual flurry of Game Day activity. We got a free hat and mittens from a Toyota promotion and saw Ron Dayne. We witnessed the tubas marching toward the stadium. We bought breakfast -- Polishes and hot dogs -- at a street-side tent. I earned a free pair of cheap sunglasses (which I needed) by filling out a Hyundai survey. We entered stadium and did a lap, buying a bag of hot donuts along the way.
Our seats were very high and in the corner, which was fine considering we were at least in the stadium and bought at face value. The game wasn't super exciting -- Wisconsin defeated Purdue 24-7 -- but the experience was. Almost all the traditions we were used to back in the '90s are still going strong in 2015. And of course, we enjoyed the Jump Around, which is even more popular today than last century. Ben just loved it -- he was even wearing a Jump Around t-shirt to enhance the experience. We stayed for the Fifth Quarter (the band plays for an extra 15 minutes), and hearing all those tunes again was fun (I didn't realize how much I missed the theme from "2001: A Space Odyssey" until today). My only quibble with the game is that the band doesn't seem to play as much during timeouts and such; the huge video scoreboard, which new for us, monopolizes that time.
The game ended, and we headed back to our car through the leaf-filled, autumn-exuding Madison neighborhood. We found a Noodles and Company to eat lunch at, then drove past our old apartment to show the boys where we once lived. More of Lori's family joined us in Madison, and we all went to Buffalo Wild Wings for dinner. I watched the Cubs lose Game 1 of the NLCS to the Mets.
I hope the boys had fun on this great Saturday. I know Lori and I did.
We took the boys to their first University of Wisconsin football game today. This was also our first in 16 years -- since the last fall we lived in Madison. We were looking forward to the experience as much as them, maybe more, especially for Lori, who was attending games in the 1980s. We woke up early, bundled up (the temperature really dropped today, even with the sun shining), and headed for Camp Randall Stadium.
Our first stop was Target on University Avenue and Midvale Boulevard to get cash and a couple supplies. We weaved our way through the West Side, past the church Lori and I were married in, and parked near West High School. I didn't think we'd get a spot close, and the mile-or-so walk through one of our favorite Madison neighborhoods was nice. We got to the stadium and witnessed the usual flurry of Game Day activity. We got a free hat and mittens from a Toyota promotion and saw Ron Dayne. We witnessed the tubas marching toward the stadium. We bought breakfast -- Polishes and hot dogs -- at a street-side tent. I earned a free pair of cheap sunglasses (which I needed) by filling out a Hyundai survey. We entered stadium and did a lap, buying a bag of hot donuts along the way.
The game ended, and we headed back to our car through the leaf-filled, autumn-exuding Madison neighborhood. We found a Noodles and Company to eat lunch at, then drove past our old apartment to show the boys where we once lived. More of Lori's family joined us in Madison, and we all went to Buffalo Wild Wings for dinner. I watched the Cubs lose Game 1 of the NLCS to the Mets.
I hope the boys had fun on this great Saturday. I know Lori and I did.
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