"How Bout' Them Cowboys!!!"

Wow... what an AWESOME experience!!! Below, I'm going to "scattershoot" about everything from last night...

...It sure is nice to have friends in high places! When Chandra asked me if I wanted to go, I had no idea how fantastic the tickets would be. We were sitting at the 30-yard line, row 13... and the face value was $340.00. Good gravy! Everyone needs to go to Dunkin Donuts and show their appreciation for the pics you're seeing above!...

...Speaking of pics, as soon as we parked, Chandra gave everyone their tickets. I put mine in my back pocket. Then, like the picture-happy dork that I am, I whipped out my camera and started snapping photos as we walked up to the stadium. Right after the pic was taken of me holding up my hands ("Touchdown"), I realized something was missing in my back pocket!

Do you know that panic that overwhelms you when you just screwed up? Well, magnify that by like 100 and that's close to where I was at that moment. "Chandra!" I think everyone could see the look on my face as I called her over. "Do you have my ticket?" She looked and was like, "No... I gave it to you." I was freaking out. "I dropped it somewhere between here and the car (which was about half a mile away)."

Just then, some guy who had passed us and was about 10 yards beyond turned around, "Did you lose a ticket?" He had found it! What incredible timing... at the moment I realized it was gone, the guy who found it was within earshot amidst hundreds of people walking up to the stadium... I couldn't believe my fortune! "Dear Lord! Thank you!!!" I quickly gave my ticket to Chandra to hold!...

... Everyone says this, but the stadium is just amazing. It's not a stadium... it's like a palace! Everything just screams "quality." When you're right outside, there are speakers where you can hear the pregame. There are giant video boards - they were showing the end of the Jets-Bengals game. Even the staff... extremely welcoming, from the greeters to the concessions to the guy in the restroom directing you to the quickest urinal... it's like going to a fancy resort!

... Prices. You bet they're high! Chandra said everything at the concession stand was $.50 higher this week than last. Basically, if you want a beer, it's either $8.50 or $9.50. Small mixed drinks are $10 while a double is $20. Sodas are $5.00. But the food was awesome! I had a Green Chilie Kobe Beef Burger for $13 that was fantastic. The fries were huge and thick... $5.00 for a basket...

... Cowboys Diamond Vision... that's what they call the big screen... 60 yards of amazing clarity! I tried not to look at it during play unless they were at an angle that I couldn't see very well. However, if everyone stood up on a big play, I just looked up and didn't miss the action! We were below it... I'm sure if you were above the screen (like a lot of people), you'd just focus on that screen...

... Jerry Jones' Owner's Box is right at the 50 across from us. You could see the light on in there and people. They showed that President Bush was with him, and everyone in the stadium seemed to stand up in appreciation. However, the people sitting behind us weren't big fans of the Prez...

... Speaking of those people, they did something rather interesting towards the end of the game. Well, one guy did. In front of us was a guy and a girl... the guy had a blue/silver wig on, was a huge fan, slapped our hands on big plays... was having a great time. We also noticed he had a gun on his side (under his shirt) and a badge on that holster. It's a little strange to see that, but oh well... guess he could carry it since he's a cop (and made it past the "pat-down" we all got going into the stadium - no metal detectors).

Well, the anti-Bush guy behind us didn't like seeing that or that the guy was drinking... so he went and got the cops. About 4-5 of them showed up and escorted the pistol-packing guy and his girl out about midway through the 4th. They never returned. Then for the remainder of the game, we had to listen to "The Tattler" brag about what a "hero" he was to the chick next to him because he turned him in. Man it was a beating... and I'm not really sure she cared to hear it...

... I've been to Cowboys games before, but never to a playoff one. The fans are awesome! I'd be walking around and people would just scream, "Cowboys!" or "How Bout' Them Cowboys" or whatever else... they'd slap you high five... and it was even crazier after the game! People tailgating and screaming and beating up dolls with McNabb jerseys on... it was hilarious!...

... Walking! We parked fairly close... but geez louise my knee was not happy with me! If you read my "pedometer blog" below, you saw the amount of steps I normally take (5,400). I was just over 6,900 when it was over with last night... and that was not in the course of a day, but in the course of several hours! Go knee, go...

... Overall, I'm just going to say that if you ever have a chance to go to a game at this stadium, you should make the effort. It was an amazing experience... super fun! And after the week I had, I definitely needed a night like that!!!

Thanks again to Chandra for making it all happen!