Braeden Goes To Detroit
When Michigan State beat Louisville to get to the Final Four, it was a tough call whether to go. When Grandma bought tickets for Aunt Kari, and Cousin Caitlin offered to babysit, the decision got a lot easier. Grandma, Braeden and I left Crystal Lake at 7:00 AM Saturday to drive to Detroit. We stayed with Uncle Terry and Aunt Judy in Clinton Township, just outside Detroit.
Grandma was nervous about having enough time to meet up with Kari but we wound up having no problems. After visiting a bit with the family, we drove downtown to Motor City Casino where I had to pick up my tickets and then we parked at the first lot we saw. We then walked the long way to Coaches Corner. No cover, no wait and they weren’t checking IDs so we sent Kari, Jake and Terry there to meet up with Amber, Jamie, Chris and Laurel. Nate and Nadine (our “Final Four friends”) met us there too. We had plenty of time to drink a couple of beers before heading into the stadium.
My seat was awesome – best I’ve ever had at a Final Four – and I got to sit two rows in front of Ben and Carrie. Lots of people wound up making the trip to see Michigan State! The game was great with State beating UConn. At that point, we had to decide whether to stay for the Championship game on Monday. That was all Grandma’s call because I had nowhere to be. I just needed to find a babysitter. After much wavering throughout the day Sunday, we decided to stay… as if it was ever really in question.
I was told Braeden was really good Saturday night. He cried a bit at church but he slept five straight hours with Caitlin holding him. That was the longest he’d ever slept. I was amazed! He slept well during the day Sunday too. We went to Cheli’s Chili (the one in the burbs) for lunch. The Red Wings were playing and the bar sounds a horn every time they score. Well, wouldn’t you know it, they scored while we were there. Braeden woke up, looked around, and went right back to sleep. It was pretty funny. I guess the kid is already used to loud, noisy bars.
- Go Green!
On Monday we hung around the house until it was time to go downtown. We met up with Amber, Jamie, Nate and Nadine at the parking garage next to Elwood. It had been converted into an outdoor bar scene. We had a couple of beers, listened to a pretty good band (I wish I could remember the name!) and then went inside. As always, the Championship game atmosphere was awesome! Sadly, Carolina did the same thing to State that they did to Illinois in 2005. It was painful to relive.
Aunt Judy and Uncle Terry watched Braeden while I was at the game, and it sounds like he was a little more fussy than he had been Saturday. I guess he was as upset as I was about how the game was going. After a late night, we got up super early to drive back to Chicago. I don’t know how Grandma was able to do it. I had to catch some sleep on the way to East Lansing to drop off Kari. Braeden slept almost the entire way. I think he was only awake and crying through Indiana. Of course, being in Indiana makes me cry too.
Overall it was a really fun trip and I’m so glad we went! I wish I could have taken Braeden into the games but the NCAA told me he needed a ticket. Turns out I could have taken him in without a ticket but I digress. Thank you to everyone who made the trip possible – Grandma, Uncle Terry, Aunt Judy, Cousin Caitlin – and everyone who added to the fun – Aunt Kari, Jake, Terry, Amber, Jamie, Nate, Nadine, Ben, Carrie and the Michigan State basketball team!