Best Super Bowl Moments For Me That Had Nothing To Do With The Game (and a tribute post to my Dad)

I decided to write a post about The Super Bowl.  And also about my dad. 

On Sunday morning, about 8:35 a.m.  I called my parents' home.  My dad answers the phone.

Mandy's Dad: "Hello."

Me: "Hey!"

Mandy's Dad: "Hello."

Me: "Um, hi dad."

Mandy's Dad: "Oh Mandy Pandy, I didn't recognize you at first." 

Mandy: "Well, it's me."

Mandy's Dad: "Ya know. You HAVE to watch the Super Bowl game tonight.  You'll be watching history in the making.  The Saints may never make it to the big game again.  So you HAVE to watch it."

Mandy: "Okay dad.  I'll watch it.  I'll watch it as much as I can with a two year old clinging to me."

Mandy's Dad: "Alright, good. Now here's your mom...."

Mandy's Mom: "Good morning....  Yeah your dad is so excited about today's game."

Mandy: "Well I usually watch the game for the commercials.  But of course I hope the Saints do win today.  Even though I don't normally watch football or sports, I want them to win.  It would make everyone we know so very happy." 

Well.... The Saints WON!  (Final score 31 to 17).   

My dad is VERY HAPPY at this moment.  So is my entire network of family and friends.  And even though, deep down, I didn't really care who won the game, I am still thrilled for all of those folks (like my dad) who care so much about the sport and the team.  

 Like my previous post said, it's great to "dream big!"  And few people ever believed that The New Orleans Saints would ever make it to a Superbowl game, much less WIN it all.  And they proved them wrong. 

So congrats to them and to all those fans who believed in them all this time.  What a wonderful feeling it must be when your dreams come true! 

My dad (and my mom) has always believed in me.  I am amazed at the encouragement and the support that my parents continue to give me, even at my age now.  They are awesome people. I'm so incredibly lucky to have them.

Being a fan of something or someone is a precious gift.  To have a person believe in you and be there for you is truly an honor.  I'm a fan of my parents and thankfully, they are fans of me. 

So dad, because you've always been a hero of mine, I say this for you today.  I will say it once and I will say it proudly: WHO DAT!

Oh, and I love you too!

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And now.... here are my top five favorite moments during the Super Bowl game, that have absolutely nothing to do with the game (LOL): 

5. Eating my relish dip and relishing in the moment of the big game as I ate with my family.  As I nibbled on my hot dog with relish, Vivian turned to me and said, "We're friends!"   Awwwwww, my girl adores me and loves me so much! 

4. When Kirk and I had a conversation making fun of the half-time entertainment performance.  Our words began with Kirk asking me, "Who are these old guys?"  I replied, "The Who."   Then he says, "Well they suck!"  He adds that Jimmy Buffet would've been a better choice.  I suggest Frampton as a more logical alternative.  Then we continue to talk about how these dudes are playing to the wrong audience.  I just love a man who understands my heart and my taste in music. 

3. Speaking of music, Kirk sacrificed his time and energy during the entire first quarter to fix the corrupted music files on my Zune player.  He knew how much I wanted to update my jogging playlist, especially before we go out of town in a few days.  What a guy!  I love you.  Thanks babe.

2. Watching Viv and Kirk play around and pretend-tackle each other!  Kirk moaned after a particular replay then Vivian imitated him and ran up to him suddenly.  They both started growling at each other.  It was so funny to watch.  Those two characters stole my attention more than the game did.

1. The funny commericials and Vivian's reaction to them.  For example:

  --During the one where Betty White was tackled, Viv turned to me with a concerned face and said, "OH NO!" She was very worried about our favorite Golden Girl.

  --During the E-trade commercial, Vivian tried to talk to the little pimp toddler and his girlfriend.  I suppose they were speaking her language.

  --After the NCIS commercial where Mark Harmon and the other actors kept head-slapping each other, Viv began hitting our dog Bono with her Mrs. Potato Head doll. 

  --During the Denny's Screaming Chicken commercial, Vivian said, "Look it's chicken!" then she started to cluck.  Hahaha!

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There you have it.  A memorable and historic game for New Orleans and for true fans like my dad. 

But for me, it was just a fun family night.  Still, it was a happy ending for all.   And who doesn't like a happy ending?  (Well, it's probably not a happy ending for the Colts right now, hahaha ;-)