Jacksonville weekend

Some folks may think someone from Arizona would be foolish to fly to Florida to watch a rugby league game of teams from opposite ends of the world, having never seen one before.  Well, there's always a first time for everything, right?  I had listened to a few of the Rabbitoh's games online last season, and had a rudimentary understanding of the game.  Believe me, it is a lot easier to pick up the game while watching one live.  And let me say right here, this was one of the most fun weekends I have had in a long time, even with the slurpy weather.  Heck, Russell wasn't the only one layered up this time, LOL!  I had my Dean Widders shirt, a cotton hoodie, a jacket and my red poncho. It was chilly and occasionally drizzly but wasn't as cold as it could have been. It didn't really start raining until the game was over and we were walking out of the stadium. Whew!

What a wonderful day, what a great game. The Bunnies really came back in the second half and dominated and ended the game with a try, what a way to finish a game!!! We've always enjoyed NFL games, but I think I prefer rugby league games as they move so quickly and are damned exciting, even if you don't understand every rule.  It's not that difficult to pick up, however, if you have an understanding our our football and if you've at least read the basic rules of league.  I love that it's a very fast-moving game, and there aren't a lot of long stoppages; for yellow flags, for instant replays, for huddles, even for injuries.  I surely do hope the teams both come back to play next year. I will be there for certain!

The after event at Maverick's was deafening, but I got a chance to hang out and visit with some of my friends, and that was worth the temporary hearing loss, LOL. It was supposedly 1000 people but sounded like more. The DJ music was louder than any TOFOG concerts I've been to, plus with a DJ there were no music breaks.  We were in the upstairs balcony, the VIP section directly across the way. The team and Russell came in rather late. I really loved the 'varsity' jackets Russell had made for the team, and how nice of him to have them also made for the Leeds team.

We left about 7:30 and went downstairs outside Mavericks to eat at a great Italian restaurant, Vito's.  A short time later we saw several Bunnies coming down the escalator and congregating outside. About 8-ish my hubby said "Russell's walking by" (the restaurant was a wall of windows and we were just inside). I would have missed him otherwise, luckily I have a well-trained and observant hubby.

On our way out of Maverick's I had a nice little moment. We were walking down the stairs and I happened to turn my head and Peter was walking up the stairs and was at the same level as I was. Normally I'm not one to speak to any of them, but it was a surprise to see him right there so spontaneously out of my mouth came "Oh, Peter, HI!" He just gave me a megawatt smile, grabbed my hand and squeezed it. What a cutie!

I never saw Dean W at all, but I had plenty of notice of my I Heart Dean Widders shirt. I had a girl come up and ask me where I got it because she wanted one, I had a single tall guy tell me he really liked my shirt and I had a couple from Oz tell me they really liked my shirt. In the Italian restaurant later, there were two tables full of Aussies sitting right next to us and they also noticed it. It turned out to be a great convo starter.

Russell looked terrific, it was great to see him again, and he and all the boys looked like they were having a lot of fun. It was so much fun to see a real game instead of just listening online. It's also much easier to pick up when you are actually watching a game.