O'er the land of the free, and the home of the Brave
Last night was the most fun I’ve had in a long time! On Monday, Bernard was asked if he would stand up at the Tampa Bay Lightning game to represent his shop from SOCOM due to his recent deployment. He never agrees to anything like this and really hates the extra recognition that comes along with it. But he agreed to do it because we have wanted to go to a hockey game and he knew it would be fun for the family. On Tuesday morning he found out that the tickets we were being given were for CLUB LEVEL seats! That meant all you can eat and all you can drink. We knew it would be a handful with the kids but we were so excited to go.
The place was amazing! It was literally an entire level of open bar and food stations! You walked in (after showing your tickets to several different people and getting a special black light stamp that Gabbi thought was magic) and there was a station of hummus and bruschetta. As you continued, there were 2 bars, a Cuban station, a steamed seafood station with shrimp, mussels, clams and even fresh sushi, there was pasta, flatbreads, carved roast beef, turkey, sweet potatoes, mashed potatoes, chicken wings, gator bits, chicken kabobs, soups and salads, a popcorn/peanuts/chips bar and a SUPER yummy dessert bar with chocolate cake, fresh baked cookies, cheesecake, milkshakes, a yogurt machine with toppings, homemade fudge, and a huge cooler with every ice-cream candy bar you could imagine! Gabbi’s dinner consisted of 3 jumbo shrimp, a bite of soup, some Terra chips, peanuts, yogurt with jellybeans, sprinkles and cherries, a milkshake, fudge and a cookie special occasion! Bernard and I joke that we’ll never be able to take her to the game if it’s not club level! “Where are the shrimp and milkshakes, mommy?”
We had a few minutes to talk around and take everything in before the game and then Bernard made his way down to the ice. Brent sat on my lap and watched the ice without a peep! He lasted about 30-45 minutes like that, then he started to fuss so he took his paci and fell asleep (he slept through the bull horn, the cheering after we scored, the “thunder” and the entire first period!) Gabbi loved seeing the mascot and watching him dance to the music. Everyone in our section got a kick out of watching her dance to the music.
Just before the national anthem, they took Bernard and 4 high school color guard kids onto the ice. After Oh Canada was performed, they announced Bernard to the crowd and put his picture on the jumbotron! (“Look mommy!! Daddy’s on TV!”) The performance of the anthem was beautiful; the music is played but the crowd sings as the words are put on the screen and a huge American flag is passed over an entire section. The coolest moment was when the camera went back to Bernard as he stood saluting and the lyrics “O’er the land of the free, and the home of the brave” were posted. I was so incredibly proud of him.
For the rest of the game, he was stopped and thanked. People wanted to shake his hand and meet him. Little kids waved to him and we were even asked if someone could take a picture of him and (sleeping) Brent! I felt so special to be standing beside this man and it was so amazing for Gabbi to see her daddy do this. We asked someone to take this picture of us before we left. After she snapped the photo, she shook Bernard’s hand and said, “We’re Canadian, and we’re proud of you too!” Thank you Lord for this amazing man, this amazing opportunity and this amazing memory!
The place was amazing! It was literally an entire level of open bar and food stations! You walked in (after showing your tickets to several different people and getting a special black light stamp that Gabbi thought was magic) and there was a station of hummus and bruschetta. As you continued, there were 2 bars, a Cuban station, a steamed seafood station with shrimp, mussels, clams and even fresh sushi, there was pasta, flatbreads, carved roast beef, turkey, sweet potatoes, mashed potatoes, chicken wings, gator bits, chicken kabobs, soups and salads, a popcorn/peanuts/chips bar and a SUPER yummy dessert bar with chocolate cake, fresh baked cookies, cheesecake, milkshakes, a yogurt machine with toppings, homemade fudge, and a huge cooler with every ice-cream candy bar you could imagine! Gabbi’s dinner consisted of 3 jumbo shrimp, a bite of soup, some Terra chips, peanuts, yogurt with jellybeans, sprinkles and cherries, a milkshake, fudge and a cookie special occasion! Bernard and I joke that we’ll never be able to take her to the game if it’s not club level! “Where are the shrimp and milkshakes, mommy?”
We had a few minutes to talk around and take everything in before the game and then Bernard made his way down to the ice. Brent sat on my lap and watched the ice without a peep! He lasted about 30-45 minutes like that, then he started to fuss so he took his paci and fell asleep (he slept through the bull horn, the cheering after we scored, the “thunder” and the entire first period!) Gabbi loved seeing the mascot and watching him dance to the music. Everyone in our section got a kick out of watching her dance to the music.
Just before the national anthem, they took Bernard and 4 high school color guard kids onto the ice. After Oh Canada was performed, they announced Bernard to the crowd and put his picture on the jumbotron! (“Look mommy!! Daddy’s on TV!”) The performance of the anthem was beautiful; the music is played but the crowd sings as the words are put on the screen and a huge American flag is passed over an entire section. The coolest moment was when the camera went back to Bernard as he stood saluting and the lyrics “O’er the land of the free, and the home of the brave” were posted. I was so incredibly proud of him.
For the rest of the game, he was stopped and thanked. People wanted to shake his hand and meet him. Little kids waved to him and we were even asked if someone could take a picture of him and (sleeping) Brent! I felt so special to be standing beside this man and it was so amazing for Gabbi to see her daddy do this. We asked someone to take this picture of us before we left. After she snapped the photo, she shook Bernard’s hand and said, “We’re Canadian, and we’re proud of you too!” Thank you Lord for this amazing man, this amazing opportunity and this amazing memory!
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