San Francisco 49ers

Last Sunday, my parents had extra tickets to the San Francisco 49er game, so Rob and I tagged along for the fun. My parents head up to the stadium extra early (8am!) each week so that they can tailgate with their friends and hang out before the game begins. They didn't have space for us in the early car (oh, darn) so we drove up with my sister and brother-in-law mid-morning. Robbie and I had never been to a game as adults and were excited to participate in the festivities.

The weather was absolutely amazing. There was plenty of sunshine, a cool breeze, and a comfortable temperature. We were able to meet my parent's friends and eat delicious food while everyone was "pre-gaming". Once we got in, we found our seats on the 15 yard line and were able to see plenty of action. It was definitely an exciting game for Niner fans; the team broke franchise offensive records for the amount of passing and running yards they gained in a single game and beat the Buffalo Bills 45-3 (yes, they beat them by 42 points).

To be honest, I had a blast. It was really fun to watch the Niners win and to be so excited with everyone around us. One thing I didn't expect: the amount of "showmanship" that went into the game. When I say that, I am referring to the fireworks before the game started, the parade of players, and the Fleet Week flyover (ok, so they don't do the flyover every week, but it was still a pretty big deal). All of the hype made me feel like I was at a post-season game, not a regular season one. Rob always talks about how each week of football is so crucial because there are so few games (16) compared to baseball (162) or hockey (82), and that is why everything is such a big deal. Either way, it was fun to take part.

If you're headed to Candlestick anytime soon, here are some things to keep in mind:

• Bring cash. The vendors don't accept card, so you'll need to make sure you'll have enough cash on hand to overpay for beverages. :)
• Bring sunscreen. Sitting in the sun for hours at a time will toast anyone's skin. 
• Bring layers. Yes, it was warm, but once the wind picked up at the end of the game, we definitely appreciated having our layers. 
• Plan on dedicating most (if not all) of your day to the game. Even if you decide to skip tailgating, lines to get in are pretty extensive and there is bound to be traffic when over 70,000 people are leaving a stadium at the same time. 

Olympic Predictions

As my tribute week to the Olympics comes to a close, I've decided to send you off with some of my predictions for the Games, the athletes, and the Rio Games in 2016. Enjoy!

• The U.S. is going to finish on top of the medal race, with over 100 medals 
• The U.S. Women's Volleyball and the U.S. Men's Basketball team take gold
• Missy Franklin will return to Rio as the female version of Michael Phelps 
• Michael Phelps will be included in the next two Olympic Games (at least) in some sort of capacity or another
• Kerry Walsh will return to Rio, but I don't think she'll make it to the gold medal stand (sorry!) 
• Ryan Lochte will get a gold grill

What are your Olympic predictions?

The Olympic Athlete's Village

As the best athletes in the world come together in one place, they all need places to stay. The villages are built to house the participating athletes, trainers, and officials, with each person getting a roommate. Family and friends are allowed the visit, but have to go through extensive security checks while the media is completely banned. There are crazy stories of wild parties as each event wraps up, but I don't want to soil my view of the Olympics. ;)

Here are some shots from the Olympic Athletes Village in London:

Have you ever seen the inside of an Olympic Athlete Village? I would love to stay with an athlete from a different country! You can view more of the pictures here.

Everything Olympic

As you may know, I absolutely LOVE the Olympics; I don't even want to admit how many hours I've dedicated to watching global competitions in the last week. My love for the Olympics, in addition to waiting for some of the pictures from my trip (ahem, Ian and Sarah... :) I've decided to dedicate my posts this week to the greatest sporting event that (only) happens once every four years. I'll be sharing some insights, theories, and anything Olympic related (I hope this doesn't drive anyone away).

I'm going to kick off the week with my top Olympic destinations after the jump...

It's Good to Be Home

We've been back for a full weekend and it feels good. I've been able to catch up on some things around the house, while fighting through my jet lag (I've been hitting a wall and fighting off naps around 4:30pm everyday). The trip was absolutely amazing (I'm still pinching myself to know that it was real), but it is nice to be home. Nothing really compares to the comfort of my own bed, especially because most European Queens are just two Twins pushed together (and guess who ends up in the crack down the middle?!). I am excited to share trip details and pictures with you soon!

Not only have we had some great at-home hang-out time, but we made it home just in time for the start of the Olympics! I LOVE the Olympics and can spend hours a day watching familiar (and obscure) sports on multiple channels. I cannot get enough of it. A part of me wishes I could take another week off of work just so I can watch even more, but that would be unreasonable. Awesome, but unreasonable.

Do you watch the Olympics? What's your favorite sport? 

Have a Super Weekend

Are you doing anything fun for the big game this weekend? Robbie and I are having people over to watch it at our house. I'm excited because we will have old and new friends joining us, and its always fun when two groups of people, from separate parts of life, meet. Do you have any predictions of who will win the big game? Everyone is saying the New England Patriots will win and its making me want to pick the New York Giants, simply because they are the underdog.

What is your prediction? Will you be watching the game or ignoring it completely?
(Photos: Tom Brady and Eli Manning)