Practice

Last weekend I got the coolest opportunity of all time! Sometimes working for a multi-million dollar company pays off and it pays off big time!! That and knowing the right people! The Great and Powerful Jody hooked me up big time. She let me be her ride-buddy, which meant I got to go. She's the best really. I am sure karma will help me find a way to pay her back.

I got the opportunity to go see the Arizona Cardinals at their training camp in Flagstaff! It was so neat. I arrived at work and was loaded on to a charter bus like a band member then were bused two hours north to Flagstaff AZ to Northern Arizona University Campus.

Let me side track for a moment. Flagstaff maybe one of the most beautiful spots I've seen in a while. Pine trees galore, the air had a sweet scent, a cooling breeze. And I love campuses. I really should become a college professor because something about being on a college campus thrills me. Okay sorry I digress....

Once we arrived in Flagstaff we were taken up to the outdoor practice field and given our State Farm VIP passes. VIP pass - I felt an immediate surge of power, what adventures awaited me?


The first adventure was one of the best rainstorms I've seen in a long time. So practice was immediately moved inside and we got to run through the rain from the outside field to the inside field. The best part though was that we got to run the field!! Yes yes, I did an end-zone dance. I didn't make it on TV but I felt victorious!

Check out the action behind us! We sat right at the fifty yard line on the front row.

Interesting facts:

Did you know kickers essentially do nothing at practice except hassle ball boys? Yeap. That's what they do. Periodically they practice setting the ball and then they hassle the ball boy some more.

Don't dog wide receivers when you say you are going to go to dinner with them. They don't take kindly to it and you get to hear about it for about 10 minutes before practice.

Warm ups are also a time for giggling.

The trainers work 5 times harder than the players during practice. I watched a trainer doing an exercise with every single athlete he put through it. So each athlete maybe did it 5 times, he took 10 athletes through it, so this trainer did it 50 times that day. Those guys are heroes!

As practice was winding down they moved us out onto the side lines and started passing out sharpies. We were going to get a chance to get something signed!! Holy crow! I was nervous, like asking the hottest boy on the Olympic team to prom nervous. But I got my wits about me and Jody and I did our best to blend in with the small children and smile a lot, and thank a lot.

Here are some of my favorite highlights......




Bertrand Berry & the two of us. He is huge!!
















Ellen & Kurt Warner

Jody & Coach Whisenhut













It was totally awesome!!! So now there is a reason to come visit AZ in August. My state is redeemable in the summer, I knew it!