How 'bout dem Cowboys???

Christmas came early for me this year when Genevieve and Don surprised me with a gift on the second week of November.

Yes it was a trip to the "Mother Ship"

A one day round trip to fly to Dallas to see the Cowboys play the 49ers in one of the last games ever to be played in Texas Stadium. The Cowboys move to their new stadium next season.

I have been a Dallas Cowboys fan for many years (since I played for the Paisley Panthers as a Cornerback while at university in Scotland and when the Cowboys were at the peak) and yet had never been able to visit Texas Stadium for a game. Even though I have seen them play in Arizona and in Buffalo in previous years I had never been to a home game. So with Genevieve being pregnant and not able to travel this year and our plans to make our annual pilgrimage to an NFL game put on ice, it seemed like it would never happen.

However, unbeknownst to me, Genevieve and Don had been making plans for this trip for months and on Sunday 15th November while getting ready for our usual Sunday ritual of sitting down to watch football, a surprise was sprung. A mixture of shock, disbelief and amazement hit me all at once. After a few seconds I realized that the next Cowboys game I watch would be in Texas Stadium from the 50yd line! I was gobsmacked.

After a long week of waiting (and hoping that Scarlett did not put in an early appearance) the day came. Don and I flew out (first class) on the 6am flight from ABQ and got a cab to the stadium. We arrived about 3 hrs before the game which gave me just about enough time to circle the stadium both outside and in to be able to take it all in. We got to watch all the players arrive, got my "fairwell to Texas Stadium" shirt and took a ton of photos (a few of which are posted below.

I won't bore you with the details of the game but I will say it was great and the Cowboys played well and won (easily). I had an amazing day and flew home that night. Exhausted but exhilarated.

All I can think of now is......how do I try to top that for Genevieve's Christmas gift.....I better get my thinking cap on!

In summary, if you ever give Genevieve a gift, think carefully because......the one she gives you will always be better!