Well, in case any of you missed Chase's facebook wall last week, or in case any of you have been living in a box for the last week, the Nebraska Cornhuskers played their first game on Saturday. It was to my dear husband, "like Christmas in September." (His words.) He was more excited than a 5 year old is on Christmas morning. I mean, we're talking couldn't sit still, couldn't sleep, couldn't stop talking (all week last week) about the game coming up.
I love the boy, obviously, but then there are moments when I realize how much my life revolves around sports as a result of Chase. Here are some examples: my dogs are named after quarterbacks, our move was planned in part around a fantasy football draft, our Saturdays begin with ESPN Game Day and are filled with football, our Monday nights are football, our walks are planned around whether the game on at the time is good or bad... *sigh* I knew it when I married him, but sometimes it amazes me how much Chase loves football. And he just can't help it. Today on the way home from church, he actually said to me that while it's so great that football has now finally started, he's already a little sad that it will be over in only a few months.
So of course we planned our Saturday so we could go into the city to a sports bar where the Husker game would be shown (because it was on Pay-per-view). Plus, we wanted to have something of a Husker atmosphere for the first game of the season. Armed with our Husker shirts and Husker playing cards to keep me busy for the extra hour and a half we'd end up sitting at the bar (so we could get seats), we headed into DC. We went to Union Pub, which during Husker games shows the Huskers exclusively.
I took this picture when we got there at 5:30, and you can already see red shirts collecting for the game, which started at 7. The waiters and waitresses wore red shirts that said GO Huskers! and I was totally impressed with the staff - we were well taken care of, despite the number of people there. There were easily 75 people on the patio, and then there were probably 3 times that many or more inside. It was standing room only by the time the game started, and there were people standing EVERYWHERE! You could hardly walk in the place. GREAT SHOWING HUSKERS!!!!
If you look at the picture above, you'll notice I took a picture of the patio (under the green awning) at Union Pub, which is only about a quarter to a third of the size of the facility. You'll also notice the large brick building to the left of the pub (with the three sort of castle-looking towers at the top). That is Hillsdale College's building in Washington DC! Boy, oh boy, does Dr. Arnn know how to pick 'em?!? Hillsdale right next to a Husker party in DC! What could be better? :)
Well, let me tell you what could be better: a Runza! For those of you not from Nebraska, a Runza is a German food that I've only ever found around Nebraska. There's actually a chain called "Runza" in NE. A runza is a bread pouch filled with a mixture of ground beef, cooked cabbage, and onion. They can also be made with cheese, mushrooms and swiss, etc... I make them at home sometimes, but there's nothing quite like a runza from the chain Runza. It tastes like home. And guess what Union Pub serves as a specialty on Husker Saturdays?....
And that, my friends, is what my Runza looked like about 30 seconds into me having it! It wasn't a perfect replica of a runza from the fast food chain, but pretty darn close to the real thing! Like I said, we got there an hour and a half early (and barely got seats), so this Runza kept me very happy for a little while. Chase looked over at me while I was eating it, and was like, "You've hit a whole new level of contentment haven't you?" I did my "happy food" dance, and smiled. :)
Well, to make the good better, the Huskers won! It was a fabulous day, even if my hind end was in pain from sitting on a plastic chair for 5 hours.
It's kind of crazy, but being a Husker is kind of like being in a really big club or association that has only one requirement: that you are exclusively a Husker fan in college football, despite whether the team is doing well or poorly. And, I'm finding, there are pockets of NE fans all over the US, and we love to watch games together. It was really fun, and made for a great kick off to the college football season.
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