One Item Knocked Off Chitunga's Bucket List...Glad The Rest of Us Were Brought Along For the Ride.

We left for Foxborough, Massachusetts, at 2:30 and arrived around 6:00. Actually, we arrived around 4:00 but the traffic getting in was REDIC-U-LOUS...so much so that Tunga and Abu had to jump out of the car to find somewhere to pee. Lossine and I then sat in traffic for another 40 minutes while they found people to play Corn Hole with.

We were there in time for the game, though, and with my intention to eat at Red Robins before the game, we ended up eating the oranges, chips, and peanuts I packed. There were too many people to fight for dinner in any of the restaurants.

I'm EXTREMELY grateful to Kathy Silver and her family for offering us 4 pre-season tickets while they were out of town. They beat the New Orleans Saints and the spectacle of a NFL game was worth it all. Also worth it was the grin that never left Chitunga's face the entire time we entered the stadium. It was genuine and worth the long trip up there.

I never imagine how in the middle of nowhere the stadium would be, nor did I ever think about the limited ways for thousands and thousands of people to enter in and exit out-of an arena. I can only imagine the behind the scene stories that come with employees who work there all the time. By the time I parked, my car was almost on E because we sat so long (was lucky to get to a station on time driving home, too, especially when we were only allowed to exit one way upon leaving and it was in the opposite direction of where we needed to be.

"Um, Bryan," said Lossine. "You're dealing with Boston drivers. People in Massachusetts make up their own rules. You might as well follow them."

We sort of went off-roading to find our way to I-95. We went three exits, following gas station signs and when we arrived, it was closed. Lucky for us, we found another a mile up the road.

But Gillette Stadium. The National Anthem. The lights. The fans. The cheerleaders. The huge screens. The atmosphere. All of that was superb and worth every second we spent on the road.

We made it back by 1 a.m. and I'm happy to report that Glamis was a good girl...she didn't even eat the biscuits and peanut butter we left her. We walked her lots before we left and it was super, duper hot. Tiring her out worked.

And tired out was true for us, too. It was such a relief when air started moving in the stadium by 9 p.m. - I can't imagine playing football as they did. It was pea-soup humid.

Ah, but today we sleep in...well, the twins and I. Tunga has to work...both jobs...ugh.

It will be sad to say, "Bon Voyage," to the twins today, too, as they depart, but that has been the plan for the summer. They will be back...

...we just don't know when...not just yet. Hopefully it will be sooner than later.