Super Bowl Sunday

    I can't believe today is the Super Bowl...it doesn't seem possible, but yet, here it is!  It still seems like last Sunday, that Kim and I watched the Eagles defeat the Cowboys on Sunday night football...such a good day...
     Let me tell you, Kim always made Super Bowl Sunday special.  When we lived back east, we'd often try to find the bar that was having the best drink specials and which ones were serving free food!  Kim loved wings, so we'd often call around to see what the spread was going to be and choose our destination by menu.
     I loved Super Bowl Sunday out here in Arizona...the very first year we were here, the week of Super Bowl, Kim started to stock up on groceries.  'What's your favorite Super Bowl food?' she'd ask.  I dunno...tacos.  "K".  "How about wings?"...yes, of course, just slightly overcooked, so that they are crispy!  And so it would go...When the Super Bowl dawned, Kimmy would go to work in the kitchen, she made wings, tacos, a big Italian hoagie.  She had chips and dip, pistachios and cashews (my favorites)...finally, I asked her what was going on?  "It's for our Super Bowl party!" she said...Well, I wasn't aware of any party being planned, but I was excited.  Do we have enough beer?  I asked.  "You'd better check!" ...as it got closer to kick off, I said, what time is everyone going to get here?  "Soon" she smiled.
      And then it was time...and it was just Kim and I.  Hey, who's coming to this party?  "You and I" she replied..."Happy Super Bowl Dave".  We had so much fun.  Just the two of us.  Beers, wings, tacos - all of our favorite tail gating type of food.  And the 49ers beat the Chargers.  We were pulling for the Chargers, having fallen in love with San Diego over the past year...but it didn't ruin our 'party'.
     We did that together for many years...and, I found, it sure beat trying to find a good bar to go watch the game.  It was better on my own damn couch, with Kimmy and, of course, her cooking!  Each year, she seemed to out do the year before, too, adding different foods, like panini's or Tuscan bean dip.  And she'd always find neat decorations and football shaped serving dishes or glassware.
    Sometimes, we'd venture over to neighbor's homes to watch the big game, always enjoying the commercials.  Amy and Tom had some great Sonoran  hot dogs one year.  Betsey and Brian have had us over, too - I think that was the year Kim unveiled her twice baked potato skins!  They were crazy good. 
          This year, we  headed over to Angie's cousin Art's house - "Uncle Art" to her girls.  As we left the house, I realized it was the first time in 17 years that I'd be leaving my street to watch a Superbowl.  Once we got to Art's, I was glad I had been invited.  The food spread was fantastic, with shredded beef, beans, rice, cavalacitos, macaroni salads, chips, salsa, etc.  The kids had fun playing football and hide and seek outside.  The HD big screen T.V. was the nicest I've ever watched a game on.  And it has been two months since I've been able to really concentrate enough to watch a whole show.  Kim had made every Super Bowl feel like my own personal holiday, and so it was good to get out of the house and enjoy good company, food and a pretty close game (we were rooting for Pittsburgh, but at least it was not a blow out).  I needed that.

                                               Breanna, Tonio and Bryson enjoy the big game

    We started the morning by going to Our Mother of Sorrows, for the first time in over 10 years...Autumn and Antonio were quiet and reserved, nervous to be starting in new religious education classes.  But, Autumn reconnected with an old gymnastic friend, Sydney, and Tonio did fine, too.  Cody and I went to Mass together and leaned on each other.  Monsignor Tom, who so inspired Kimmy while she was at St. Joseph's, said Mass - he is a great speaker.  After Mass, we took Angie to Viro's and ate way too much.  Vito presented me with a home Juventus jersey with Alessandro Del Piero's name and number on it, that he had brought back from Italy!  We left there and picked up Lexy to hang out with us while we waited to go to the  Super Bowl party and Tonio and I watched "How to Train Your Dragon".  He loves that movie.  You know the rest!
     After a long weekend, the kids start back at school tomorrow...I always miss them after dropping them off.  But, at least the cold snap had passed us and we've enjoyed high 60's temps Saturday and Sunday!!! 
     Tonight, we went out to say goodnight to Kimmy and the moon was so pretty.  I crescent, hanging like the Chesire Cat's grin...Kimmy loved that story, especially the newest movie version starring Johnny Depp...we all commented on it and how pretty the stars looked and how we missed her for the Super Bowl...
      "How is a raven like a writing desk?"
                                      -The Mad Hatter
     Love,
             Dave