NFC weekend

Over this past weekend I had the opportunity to experience some amazing events- camping in south MS, the saints winning the N.F.C. championship, and running into Emeril Lagasse and Jimmy Buffet while dining in the great city of New Orleans.
I started my day on Thursday packing my car and cooler full of steaks, eggs, vegetables, beer, and every gun I own. I have been waiting for this day all year. You see, this is the weekend of an annual camping trip that I attend every year with old college friends from my days playing rugby for USM in Hattiesburg MS. After a few hours of packing, I was off, ready to feed a small army as well as to defend one. Many things passed through my head on the way down, such as the thought of me not surviving the weekend alive, and the memories of past trips and the fun we all shared. With the sounds of the country surrounding me I pulled up to my friends house in Brooklyn, MS. Getting out of the car, it sounded like I was entering a stadium full of crickets and toads. The sky was so crystal clear that as I looked up I felt as if I was falling through space with stars all around me. As the stars engulfed me it gave me this overwhelming since of belonging to something much greater than myself. With a few beers down and my old friend starting to show up one by one I knew it was the start of a great weekend. Throughout the weekend, we hunted, fished, shot some skeet, drank too much beer, and ate some really good food, all accompanied by old stories, jokes, and a few practical jokes. It was everything I could have hoped for, and best of all, I made it out alive. However, I did manage to get my car stuck in the mud on the last day, which one of my friends found really funny. I believe I was the only person there that didn’t own a truck. It had started to rain Saturday night and everything I owned was soaked. I woke up to my friend Luke cussing and complaining that my tent was leaking on his privates, which I found to be quit amusing, only to roll over to my soaked pillow which wasn’t so funny.
Soaked and my Camry covered in mud, I headed towards NOLA for the Saints game which started around 6pm that day. After a quick shower I met up with some friends and headed to the quarter. We ate at one of my favorite restaurants called Stanley’s on Jackson square. I had the Reuben, which was delicious. I find their different egg dishes to be some of the best in the city. After pre-gaming at Lucy’s (retired suffers bar, in the warehouse district) we were on the way to the dome. The endless sea of Saints jerseys flooded the streets with the WHO DAT chants surrounding us. We seem to float to the superdome with excitement. When we reached our seats the roar of the crowd was so great that the beer in my cup was vibrating like the cup of water in the movie Jurassic park when the Tyrannosaurus Rex was approaching their truck. The involvement of the Who Dat nation was like no other I have experience in the superdome; we didn’t sit one time throughout the game. When that kick went through the uprights it was a joy that has been a long time due in New Orleans. The Saints have truly united the city.
After the game we headed to Emeril’s to eat a late dinner. While sitting at our table we notice Emeril coming out of the back to join a table in a private room next to us. On his way to the table he stopped at the table next to us to shake the hand of Jimmy Buffet, which we had failed to notice sitting there on our way in. It was good to see that everyone was enjoying the Saints win and the excitement of the city. It was a weekend that I will never forget.