Lessons learned and underwear checks at Lambeau

Ok, before I even start this blog, I have to explain the b*tchin threads I'm wearing below. Kevin and I bought these XL stadium jackets at Fleet Farm like 5 years ago at the end of the season. They were blowing them out at $19 each and when it's cold or snowy or sleety, who really cares what you look like at a GBP game. Well now, in hindsight that I see these photos, WHY THE HELL DIDN'T SOMEONE TELL ME I LOOKED LIKE THE STA-PUFT MARSHMALLOW MAN?? Or the Jolly Green Giant with toothpick legs? I'm really surprised they didn't pull me out of line and underwear search me at the gate - I think I could have snuck in Aaron Rodgers AND Johny Jolly in this coat. That is just BAD! Grade - F!

No, I did NOT take off on the cop bike. But you know where I would have ended up, had I? And then we'd be back to where we were on 11/1. And this time, it might not have been so funny. Or maybe it would have?

What lessons did I learn in this past week? Wow, where to start, but I’ll give it a shot…

- DO NOT touch anything outside of the safe confines of your house unless there is antibacterial lotion close by. People are just germy – plain and simple.
- Mr. Freezes are the best thing God made when you have a sore throat. Afrin is also an amazing fix, but then when you find out you’re shooting battery acid into your nose, the ‘amazement’ turns into ‘rabid fear’ and will scare you straight off that sh(t.
- Hot tea and brandy is good for a few sips – then you’ll want to vomit when you take that last gulp. Don’t do it. My thinking is that people ‘say’ this will cure you of a sore throat, probably because you’ll forget about your sore throat when you’re hovering over the porcelain god.
- Never tell people the chili you’ve made is vegetarian.
- Sambuca and these magic underwear really do ensure Packer victories.
- Patron Tequila is the devil (not Sambuca like so many of you have told me).
- Green Bay Police officers are truly, the best! Hands down! Rosendale Police Officers, are not – because they ruined my Christmas card idea in 09 and for that, I will never forgive them. Well, maybe I’ll forgive them if we can come to a compromise in 2010.

If you need more lessons, you just let me know because man, these revelations are coming at me at a fast and furious pace as we close out the year. Enough! My brain can’t handle anymore. Right now, I need to recap the last ‘regular’ season game at Lambeau Field for everyone.

Yes, I’ve been deathly ill so Sunday was looking kinda iffy. Even Kevin knew I was not 100% into it when I couldn’t determine what ‘time’ I wanted to depart for GB. “Hmmm, I think 9 am is fine with me,” I said. You know I’m sick when I’m that wishy-washy about going to a GBP game!! But then, Brenda called a little after 8 and that lit a fire under my buttocks. Let’s roll. Let’s take the chili. Bring the football. It’s time to party.

We arrived a little after 10 am and got our favorite parking spot again – thank you to Matt and his Dad for getting us rock star parking throughout the year. Love that lot! Can I tell you that the drive up was absolutely gorgeous? The hoar frost was amazing on the trees! Really, if I hadn’t been en route to see the green & gold, I would have been out on snow shoes in the back eating up this beautiful gift from above. Those mornings just take your breath away and well they should! If you didn’t take time to see the beauty out there, shame on you!

We fired up the propane; cracked open a beer and Kevin and I tossed the pigskin around a little bit – that is the first time this year that I’ve done that at the lot and it felt good. I ain’t sayin, but I’m just sayin, that I can throw a football. Must be all the studying and analyzing that I do of #12, huh? Or the QB gods have looked favorably at my right arm? Whatever the case, for a ‘mature broad,’ I can throw and I can catch so whenever you want, just bring it! I can handle it.

Paul and Mike were the first partygoers to arrive and promptly lit up their now renowned cigars. It must have been the smoke that drew the rest of the crew, as Brenda and her posse arrived shortly after. Can I just say there was a whole lot of smoking on Sunday? Before, during and after the game. I’m pretty sure I smoked a whole pack of Camels myself at Curly’s Pub right after halftime. Sorry smokers, but I cannot WAIT until next July when all of Wisconsin is smoke-free. Anyhow, back to the smoke.

Paul pulling on a Cuban.


Brenda drinking Bahamian Rum.


Mike pulling off a Dominican.


Brenda pulling off, well, who knows at this point. But she is one of the only chicks I know who will smoke a whole cigar. Well, maybe her and Monica Lewinsky. Was that bad? Ok, that was bad. tee hee hee

Of course, Mike and Paul were pulling on their stogies, but then Brenda had one in her hand; and then Kevin and then I think Lance and Nick. Did I miss something here? At first I thought that cigars kind of gave our group a ‘maturity upgrade,’ but as soon as Lance and Nick started ‘bag tagging’ each other and the filthy words and jokes started flowing, I knew that the maturity level was back where I liked it – right above gutter level. Whew!


Mike, Kevin and Paul - a few of the Barriz Open boys. Of course, the talk was about Tiger and his future in golf. They were also discussing where to hide their nine irons in the off season just in case their wives want to pull an 'Elin' on them. Pssst, my Big Bertha will do just fine, thank you!

Nick and Lance are attorneys in the making. I'm going to be sure to save all these photos in case I need their 'assistance' down the road. Do you think they'll swing me a deal?

Ok, so since I was ill, I decided to cook what I wanted for a change. So I went with a HUGE pot of veggie chili. Now, it isn’t a recipe that has tofu or tempeh or quinoa or bulghur or any other funky grain or protein in it. It’s basically a bean chili and it is good! Well, I made the mistake of telling Matt, our parking friend, ‘it’s veggie chili.’ Well, you would think I just put a dagger thru his heart. And that, of course, lead to the snowball effect. NO ONE would eat my veggie chili. WTF? I love this stuff. What’s not to like – I even added a full can of beer to it this time. Add some cheese; some oyster crackers, a little malt vinegar and some noodles. It’s my all-time winter favorite. Seriously, if anyone wants some, please let me know because otherwise Kevin and I will be eating this for the next two weeks…morning, noon and night. Note to self – NEVER do veggie anything anymore at a GBP game. Lack of animal flesh really makes the natives restless!


Paul, whatever you do, keep that damn cigar away from me - I'm not that kind of girl!! Now Patty, I'm not so sure??

So, the chili scared the sh*t out of people, BUT the Sambuca never scares anyone anymore. Yes, I did hear that poor Mike couldn’t remember the first half of the Ravens game, but I think it had more to do with his ’32 oz. sippy cup’ of scotch, as opposed to the three Sambuca shots that he did. Doesn’t matter. Everyone always comes back and says that the ‘sambuca did this or that to me.’ Well guess what, the Packers win when we drink this stuff so think of it as taking one for the team. You gotta be a team player if you’re gonna tailgate with me. We had half a bottle of ‘Sammy’ to drink and I was bound and determined that it had to be finished before we got into the stadium.

How many games has it taken me now to figure out the 'self timer' feature on this damn camera? Thank you, Mike - he is always looking out for me...his little angel! Ok, I gotta tell this angel story - go back to 1993. Halloween game vs who the heck knows. I lived on Ridge Road just down from the stadium and was dressed as an 'angel' for the game - white leggings (stop laughing); white turtleneck, white sheet; white wings; gold halo; red, white and blue Chuck Taylors (yes, they are that old). As I'm 'flying' thru the lot prior to the game, I run into Mike. To this day, that is the image he has of me - little Kathy Krug from KI at Lambeau...as an angel. So true, so true.


Here it is...the one, the only, Sammy!!! It is Packer 'win juice.'


Everybody ran after they had their allotted three shots – obviously, there is something to that ‘fear factor.’ I guess it would have to be ok to leave a little left in the bottle.

Mike and Paul bailed with their Styrofoam ‘floor mats’ (fyi – Stacy and David ‘made off’ with these quality pieces at the Ravens game and this time, M and P were NOT going to be duped again – they kept an eye out for any other would-be thieves); Brenda and Patty high tailed it after ‘Shakira’ Patty ripped her jeans up to the back of her thigh – I think she did it to elude the ‘underwear checks’ that were going on at select gates (hey, new terrorist alerts mean that you ALL better be wearing clean underwear from now on at events – it’s gonna start happening so be ready).

Booty II, Santa's runaway elf and Booty I. These three are just a recipe for trouble! PS - Kevin HAS to keep the beard now until the Packers' season is done. He's had it since this 'win streak' has started so it's gotta be good luck. But then, it's gotta go. He even commented during the Bears/Viking game, 'Childress has my beard.' EEEEKKK!!! Sorry, I ain't sleepin with the enemy - thank goodness we have a guest bedroom!


I told Lance and Nick that they were being very well behaved (as opposed to last year’s game) – they assured me that by halftime and end of game I would see a dramatic difference. Hey, no peer pressure from me.

The calm before the storm.

Finally, my new Amish husband, Kevin and I, made our way into the stadium and who was there to frisk me…the friendly officer that let me get into his squad car for that now famous ‘indecent exposure’ photo. I reminded him of ‘who’ I was as I stood in front of him spread eagle (I’m telling you – you do that and 99.9% of the time they will NOT frisk you because they know that is exactly what you want – listen to me – I know my stuff). Anyhow, he asked ‘how did that photo turn out’ and I said ‘beautiful – big hit all around.’ Didn’t I tell you that the GB cops are the best!

I had to get to my seat because WI’s own Danny Gokey (of American Idol fame) was going to sing the National Anthem. And I gotta tell you, he did an AWESOME job. Really good. Bravo! And a military fly over – again, if you don’t get chills at Lambeau when they do a flyover, somebody needs to take your pulse. It cuts right through you.

For this game, Kevin and I sat in the seats that my sister Barb and I sat in almost two years ago for the Seattle playoff game (and probably one of the BEST games I’ve ever been too – ask people who were at that snowy Seattle playoff game in early 08 and most everyone will say it was the most fun game ever – it just was). So, would the GBP shine like they did last time I was in those seats? Darn tootin they did. For once, they put this game away in the first half and it felt good.

We met up with the crew in the Leinie Lodge at halftime. Ok, Lance and Nick did not disappoint me at all. They took the bull by the horns and embraced the beer and whatever else was flowing in the first half of the game and were getting to be in fine form.

Oh yea!! That's what I'm talking about!! Thank you God for making beer!

You've never seen this photo before, huh?

Same old, same old in the Leinie Lodge and then onto Curly’s for shots with Brenda and Patty. Then back to catch the 4th quarter.

Ok, there are two extremely funny events of the day that I still laugh out loud about. First one, a guy one section over from us is clad in one of those grey camouflage Car-hart ‘jumpsuits’ that are all the rage right now and one of those beautiful green and white GBP toques like Susan wore in that mid October game (see previous blog). He turns around in the second period…beer in one hand; flask of brandy or whatever else in the other hand. He raises both arms and does the customary hoot and holler to show off his two fisted drinking ability to the nine rows behind him. Ok, as you know, you CANNOT bring in any sort of flask to Lambeau. Now, just down from our section are three police officers – just talking. Kevin makes note of the scene and tells me to ‘watch this.’ Within seconds of Mr. Camo jumpsuit showing off his liquor, he is being escorted out of the stands by the three officers. What a flippin IDIOT! Hahaha! I love it. I can still picture it in my mind. I can’t help it, I’m laughing and booing the cops for hauling him out (as are many other people in our section – seriously, could this guy have been any dumber?). And then, a minute later, he is walking back to his seat – sans flask! Wooo wooo – again, the GB police rock! They took his ill-gotten booty away from him and let him go back to enjoy the game. It must have been the holiday spirit. Lesson here – if you’re gonna take something illegal into the game, don’t be showing it off for 200 of your closest friends to see.

Second funny event – at the end of the third quarter, the new custom at Lambeau Field is to play the Beer Barrel Polka so the fans can sing and dance along. Well, on Sunday, they gave the microphone to Danny Gokey and, of course, we all thought he was going to ‘sing’ the Beer Barrel Polka – could it get any better? Instead, he takes the mike and says ‘hey everybody, when you go home, check out itunes where my new single just landed, blah, blah, blah.’ BOOOOOOOO…came the cheer from the crowd. Hahaha! Again, how funny is that? Sing the friggin polka, schmoe – don’t be hawking your itunes to us. People are really loaded by this point (probably moreso than other game this year – probably because we were finally ahead and there was no need to stay straight for a change) and they just want to dance and have fun. Poor Danny. I guess he learned a lesson, huh?

Ok, maybe there is one other kinda funny thing. For whatever reason, Lambeau Field now plays ‘Jump Around’ in the first quarter. WTF? No one wants to jump around (except me) at this point in the game – seriously, people just sit there like bumps on a log. But then, they fire it up again at the two minute warning in the fourth quarter. THEN watch people ‘jump around.’ You can see the alcohol really kick in when you compare the two times ‘jump around’ is played. It’s funny! Watch next time you’re there – you’ll laugh and remember this blog. I heart “Jump Around.” And, as a safety measure, I now ALWAYS make sure that NO ONE around me is holding onto anything liquid when this song comes on. In fact, they should make an announcement for people to ‘put down your drinks for the next two minutes.’ That’s all I’m gonna say. End of discussion.

Well, as you know, the game ends on a high note – the last regular game of the season at Lambeau. People are happy – we are going to the playoffs – Driver, Jennings and Woodson all run around the inside of the stadium giving high fives to the crowd. Great energy! And there is this ‘feeling’ of something good yet to come. Matt, our parking attendant mentioned it; I’ve been kinda ‘feeling’ it. Now that the game is over and we are in the first round of the playoffs, I think others are also ‘feeling it.’ You know what it is…maybe we’ll all be back here on January 24? Really, there was just this underlying ‘good vibe’ that I can’t explain. I guess we’ll just wait and see.

So I make my way back to the truck and again, NO ONE wants to heat up the veggie chili (fine – I get it, ok?). Lance and Nick are definitely at the point they were last year at this game (which is always worth a laugh). There is more smoking going on – celebratory, victory cigars (I’m sorry, but whenever I think of cigars, I think of Bill Clinton – I just can’t get it out of my head – probably never will – there, now do you want a cigar??).

Nothing says 'sexy' like three old codgers blowing smoke rings at young, 20 year old girls as they go by the tailgate party! Where there's smoke, there's fire, baby!


Drunk and Drunker and me, the Dos Equis International Woman of Intrigue. HAHAHA! Don't you love those Dos Equis commericals? Ahhh, I do!

More ‘bag tagging’ – and as I’ve mentioned in previous blogs, whenever a guy gets hit in the nut s*ck, it is funny. You know it is.

Nick is at the point of saying 'oooooooooowwwwwwwwwwww' as you see what Lance has done to him. It's so mean, but it's so 14 year old! It's so Packer game!!

I hear more whining about ‘I need meat now’ that we shut the party down early and head to Los Banditos – where the crowd can get ‘their meat’ and I can get margaritas and CCQ and a ‘golf cart.’ Nirvana. Everyone is happy!

There we go!! This is the best way to end a season at Lambeau - smiling, happy people! I heart it!!

And then, before you know it, it’s time to head back to GB or Appleton or Pickett or wherever else you call home. My voice is gone and it sounds like I’ve smoked TWO packs of Camels now. I peel my standard issue ‘uniform’ off and call it a night. Unpack the truck in the am and come across a little bag of coffee beans. At first, my thought is to just grind it up for coffee, but then, I think again and decide it’s best to keep those beans and that little bit of Sambuca and the tailgate kit ‘handy.’ Because, you know I’m feeling this ‘feeling.’ And others are feeling it. So, maybe there’s something to it? Lesson here – listen to your gut…maybe it’s telling you something??

Woooo wooooo!!! Doo doo doo...doo doo doo doo...Go! Pack! Go!!

The 'bestest' of Christmas gifts

I have wanted to write this for a few days now, but due to my coming down with the black plague or bubonic plague or whatever the hell has overtaken my body, I basically spent my Christmas week on my back and in bed (and not in the good way either). I love Christmas so for me to pull out of it, well, you know I’m sick. And I am/was sick.

Anyhow, enough of that drivel. We all get sick but I loathe getting sick. HATE IT. Am a terrible patient. Abhorant! If I were a nurse and had me as a patient, I would definitely ‘accidently’ put me out of my misery and fast. So there you have it – I have given a nurse down the road permission to ‘do so’ if deemed appropriate.

But back to Christmas. It’s all about giving. It is. And some of the best gifts are never store bought – ever. They are amazing little gifts that come to you when you least expect it. They open your eyes and your heart and make you think. Some stop you in your tracks. Some will bring tears to your eyes. But those are the best gifts because they then stick in your head somewhere and you never forget them and hopefully, they will shape and change you as you head down this path called ‘life.’ So for this year, these are the gifts that I absolutely LOVE…

My niece and my nephew, Madeline and Ben, are the best gifts in the world. And this year, Kevin and I were lucky enough to have them here in Pickett the 19th thru the 23rd. We played in the snow and sledded and took walks and snow shoed and watched Christmas shows and made chocolate covered pretzels and played in the snow more and went to a surprise 40th birthday party and had a GBP party and had Christmas here in Pickett (obviously the way it was supposed to be since I got so flippin ill) and went out to dinner and saw the Christmas light show in Lakeside Park in FDL and shopped and well, just packed in as much as humanly possible.

As you know, I love to laugh. And I think these two beauties below will also make you laugh. They are the Santa pictures of Madeline and Ben from last year and this year. Ok, last year’s I just took with my iphone (that will be a new blog in and of itself in 2010); this year’s is a digital photo. If you need a laugh, you just refer back to this here blog because you will laugh…trust me!



Ok, we'll cut Ben some slack as he is only 1 1/2 in this photo. hahaha!

I don't care, this is equally as funny. I think we have a new series of 'Ben' photos that will be appearing on this blog. More dirt. Sweet!

This is the third year now that Madeline and I have rung bells for the Salvation Army. We always do it at WalMart in FDL because the kettles there are outside. So no matter what the conditions, we ring bells – we just do (and as some of you know, I LOVE ringing bells and have been doing it since like the late 90s – it is so much fun!!). This year was no different – didn’t matter that I thought I was seeing that ‘white light’ you hear about it because I felt like I got hit by a truck – no, we had work to do. So Tuesday, we hit the skids and took our sleigh bells to WalMart to bring in the cash. This year, Madeline decided to ‘sing’ – I didn’t ask her – she just wanted to. She basically sang for our entire two hour shift. From ‘Frosty the Snowman’ to ‘Jingle Bell Rock’ to, my favorite, ‘Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer’ – she sang those suckers over and over. And I gotta tell you, NO ONE can say no to a 6 year old in reindeer horns singing Christmas carols. It was an absolute riot! And Madeline is not quiet at all. So when she was singing, she was singing LOUD. And freestyling to boot – at the end of “Rudolph,” she added to this line…’you’ll go down in history…like New York’ (guess that’s the new thing they teach in school.) I told her that I didn’t like that ending – come up with a new one. So, two songs later, here was her ending…’you’ll go down in history…like Lambeau Field.’ THAT’S MY GIRL!!! Needless to say, a hit with the crowd anyway you slice it. We had so many people listen to whole songs and the smiles and laughter that I saw in that two hour span – that’s what Christmas is all about!! It is. We had a woman stop to tell me how impressed she was that Madeline was ringing bells – made one woman get all teary-eyed (and that, in turn, makes me get all melancholy) – had people telling Madeline ‘you are workin it, girl.’ We got at least one $20; lots of $5 and lots of $1 – people were certainly in the giving spirit and that always makes me happy. The Salvation Army does a lot of good and who can’t spare their change or a buck here or there? Seriously? Did you put money in the bucket? If not, write out a check and send it – doesn’t matter it if is $5. Just do it! Bell ringing is always a FUN gift!!

Anyhow, we sang and danced and rang and had a great time! Like we always do. Here is the songbird below…



I bet if we look back in history, Aretha Franklin probably had her start this way. I would bet money. Madeline, you go, girl!

Next thing that reminds me about what Christmas is all about is a gift I received the Friday before Christmas. It was from my cousin Kimi. Kimi runs a company that handles estate sales and a few years ago, a sale that she handled was for a woman who died of cancer at a young age. In her years here, though, she collected loads of Green Bay Packer items. The item that Kimi sent to me was a little Christmas tree that this woman had made herself and adorned with lights and gold helmets and gold garland and little cheeseheads and pompons and Packer G pendants and footballs and you name it!! It is the most wonderful Green Bay Packer tree that there is!! It now sits on our window seat here in Pickett and lights up the kitchen area. Kimi is a HUGE Brett fan and has decided it was time to pass the tree onto a die-hard GBP fan so I will be keeping it safe and sound until I can pass it onto Madeline (who has already taken a shine to it). I love the story behind this. I hope somewhere ‘up there’ the woman who made this is smiling and saying ‘Go Pack Go…and please don’t get arrested at Lambeau tomorrow, Katherine.’ A wonderful gift with an amazing story behind it. Beautiful!

Like the protective headwear here?

Lastly, the circle of life. A few weeks ago, I did something that 99.9% of you would think is totally crazy. That’s ok – I can take it – I prefer to be in that .01% anyhow. Sadie and Sophie and I were taking a walk and came upon a little bird on the side of the road. I thought he was dead, but he was just sitting there – obviously had been dinged by a car. His little right eye was closed, but otherwise showed no other sign of injury. I talked to him and my two ‘bird dogs’ sniffed him and left him alone. I love Labradors!! I figured he’d snap out of it. Well, three hours later, I drove past him and he was still there and it was going to get dark soon. I could not leave him. So I went back home – got a box and gloves and picked him up and brought him back to Sam Crest Lane. I then called the Bay Beach Wildlife Sanctuary in Green Bay. They take ANY wild animal that needs help…ANY. They are open 365 days a year – you just need to get the animal to them. This place is wonderful! Absolutely wonderful!!

I told them my story and they said to bring him up the next morning when they opened again. Until then, I put him in our laundry room with some water and bird seed and blanket and a screen over the top – JUST IN CASE. The girls and I would check in on him ever so often and I couldn’t wait to get him up to GB because I knew they’d have the right medicine (as they have done in the past for birds I’ve found). So next morning, ‘little guy’ and I made the trip to GB. It is there that I found out he was a Junko – a little bird that hits these parts in the winter and is a ground feeder. They are charcoal black on top and have cute little white bellies. The man at the Wildlife Sanctuary said that he had indeed been hit by a car, but his wings were not broken nor his legs so if they could get the swelling down in his head, he should be able to get back into the wild or he would be added to the exhibit at the sanctuary should he not fully get back his functions (because that right eye had received some severe trauma.) I petted my new little friend good bye (the bird – not the tech at the sanctuary) and told him he was in the best hands. I would be checking in the next day to see how he was doing.

Ok, you know this isn’t going to end good. As much as I had hope and faith and just a good feeling that this was going to ‘stick,’ it did not. The next morning, I called and they told me that ‘little guy’ did not make it thru the night. Total defeat. Very sad. I took the hit. And then, of course, rethought what I should have done differently. After a few days, I realized that I did the best I could. I didn’t just leave him – I wouldn’t have just left him – I didn’t just leave him. Sadie and Sophie knew the ‘little guy’ needed some help – hello, they are ‘bird dogs’ and had no desire in hurting him. Would I do it again, of course – there is no doubt. I wish it had ended on a much more positive note. But then this afternoon, as I looked out at our front porch through the beautiful ‘little cat feet’ snow that was coming down – there were four little Junko’s. Dining on birdseed and enjoying the Christmas decorations and lights and well, just enjoying life as Junko’s! I’ll call it a sign. A beautiful sign. A gift from ‘little guy.’

So there, gifts that I loved this season. The best gifts. I hope you also enjoyed some amazing gifts that truly touched your heart. For that is the real meaning of Christmas – to open your heart and feel all the love that is out there in whatever way, shape or form it comes to you!

Merry Christmas – don’t let the feeling end already. Keep it going as long as you can!!

Merriest of Christmas's to you and yours from Katherine and Amish Kev

Magic Underwear and Talking in Tongues at Lambeau

That's a crow - bellied up. On top of the trunk. Thanks to David for the prop! Love it!

4:50 am

That’s the time I woke up on Monday. No alarm. Just woke up. I should have gone swimming, but something told me to just rest because it had the makings of a long day. My intuition was right!

Work (yes, orders to take care of); my last KMI session with Michael (I did something to my hip on Saturday – it started bothering me after a run in the am with Kevin – and I am not prone to hip issues so this was weird); packing the car; and then, the ensemble! Standard issue #12 jersey, green Under Armor shirt; military pants, long undies (I had to); shearling boots (they are awesome – you don’t need socks – they feel like slippers…most of the time); gloves and hat. And extra layers if deemed necessary. Oh, and how could I forget…my newest addition… the still unclaimed mystery gift I received last Tuesday…the lime green Packer panties. I had a feeling they could be ‘magic underwear’ and since we need all the wins we can get, I needed to pull out all the stops!! The uniform is now complete!!

(Ok, I need to preface this with a reminder that my Sony piece of sh*t camera is just that – it’s GREAT in daylight…it s*cks when you have to use the flash. And it’s not user error – it isn’t. So some of these photos are terrible, but it’s the best I can do. Maybe Santa will bring me a waterproof, drop proof, idiot proof camera that does GREAT outdoor and indoor photography? I think I’ve been good? Well, pretty good. Also, note, if you want to see these photos larger, just double click on them. Really! Not that you may want to, but I’m just giving you the skinny.)

Fast forward to 2 pm. The Lincoln rolls out of the driveway enroute to Lambeau. A quick stop at the studio to pick up Brenda’s ‘tailgate supplies’ and then to the stadium. When I arrive, it is a morgue. Quiet. This is the first Monday night game at Lambeau in December and well, people were afraid of the cold. Not me, baby! Not me! I rolled up to our favorite parking lot and asked where they were going to make me park – in the back, I was told. Well, I told the guy, then I’m not parking here and started backing up. He then said ‘are you the girl in the white car?’ Yup – that would be me. “Well, then you can go and park where you normally do.” There! That’s the spirit – love the customer service. Bravo! Jim is a rock star in my book.

I park. Call Stacy and David – newbies to this event. They are enroute so I try to get them close to where I am, but not in that very expensive Packer lot. I ‘reserve’ a spot at a house close by – the woman on June Lane is on the lookout for a F150 white truck and she’s got front row parking for it! After lots of rights and lefts and bad directions on my part (which hardly ever happens), I decide to go and meet them at Oneida street and flag them in myself. At Oneida and Potts, I scream to a sheriff’s deputy, “hey, can you let that truck go thru so they can park down here?” Of course – is he going to say no to a woman clad in a TIGHT #12 jersey and military fatigues? Heck, no! Again, more amazing customer service at a GBP game. I climb into Stacy and David’s truck and take them to their parking ‘yard.’ The woman on June Lane welcomes them and then says ‘ok, your friend is right over there in that lot – she’s in that silver car, do you see it?’ She cannot see me in the backseat of their car. “Hi, I’m right here,” I tell her and we all laugh. Again, more AMAZING customer service. Can you tell it’s gonna be a golden night?

So, Stacy and David pile out and I am onto my next mission – and this is an important one. I needed to deliver my sister and bro in law’s check for the PLAYOFF GAMES at Lambeau to the ticket office. If I failed at this, there would be h*ll to pay – no check to the GBP ticket office; no tickets for playoff games. I grabbed the check and my camera and bolted to the ticket office. This was precious cargo. I needed to prove to Marc that I was able to pull off this monumental task and not forget and find the check crumbled in a ball in the back of my car two weeks from now. I even captured the moment so Marc knew I did NOT fumble. Ta daaaaaaaaa!!!

Cross your fingers - we need a home game in January!! Wooo wooo!

Ok, next up – off to Stadium View to see that band that was SUPPOSED to be at Tom, Dick & Harry’s two weeks ago…Hindsight.

Rock & Roll, baby! With Ryan and Stacy!

Ok, let me tell you something, don’t ever go to Stadium View before a Packer game unless you are Donald Trump. $4.25 for a bottle of Bud Light Lime? Highway robbery! BAD customer service. Don’t say I didn’t warn you! Met up with Stacy and David – enjoyed the band (they are good and fun – I highly recommend them – good party band) and saw Ryan my lifeguarding buddy for a few minutes and then we were out of there like a thief in the night. There was no way I was going to pay that for a stinking bottle of Bud. Come on. That’s just wrong. So we trek back to the car and enroute, my oh my, who do we encounter?

Yup, the Miller Lite bottle. I’ve had my way with this ‘toy’ so now it was Stacy’s turn…

There's the ever popular 'grind' dance that all those crazy high schoolers in Wauwatosa are doing!!

Perhaps the next 'Dancing with the Stars' couple? But why is Johnnie Unitas here in the background?

Ok, enough abusing harmless blowup toys, onto the tailgate! Stacy and David and I enjoyed a few brew pops and snacks – this was a bare-bones tailgate. Just snacks. No one eats anything anyhow at these events – they just drink and do Sambuca shots. Works for me! It was dark, but we had ample lighting in our lot. Sweet. After a while these splendid young gentlemen from Marshfield walked by. We thoroughly enjoyed their tshirts…

See the shirt? See the Raven? Get it?

In hindsight, I bet these boys were NOT allowed into the stadium with these shirts. But they are funny!!

Well, these boys were ripe for the picking so the banter and shenanigans began.

It's good to see young boys acting like 40+ year old women!

One thing leads to another and next thing you know, someone is getting kicked in the nut sack

I don't care what you say - it is ALWAYS funny when someone gets kicked in the nuggets.


– then leg wrestling…(I believe there was a comment made about #12, which automatically means a duel so…)

This is a yoga pose - it's called Hindi Squat. It is. I'm not making this up!

Like there is a snowball's chance in h*ll I'm going to win this.

WHOA! Spitting chew! Nice!! I hope he rolled into it and not me!

...the agony of defeat...again!




…then, ‘Hottie,’ mentioned something about being an ‘amateur adult movie cinematographer.’ Well, that there warrants getting my photo taken with him, right? I asked him what sort of interesting jumps and moves we could do together and Stacy suggested that I run up to him like in the movie “Dirty Dancing” and he could lift me up over his head with his arms. Uhhmm, let me think about that for a moment? Did I want to end up in the back of an ambulance with a broken face? Negative. As Kevin has commented to me before, ‘height equals hurt.’ So I opted to get on his shoulders instead.

The view up here is AWESOME!! I want to be taller!

More cheerleader jumps! Go team!


Now, I gotta tell you, ‘Hottie’ (ok, Zach) trotted me around for quite a long time. I was impressed. I did not want to hurt him (nor did I want to take a digger – see the quote above…’height equals hurt.’). So we paraded around and yelled ‘Go Packers! Woooo woooo!’ and other equally impressive hoots and hollers. As I dismounted, our friend John appeared, hiding his face and laughing. His quote, “Krug, I was at the corner of Ridge Road and Valley View Road – I could hear you all the way over there.”

This is John pointing to where he was when he heard the 'WOOO WOOOO...Go Packers!'

Good to know – so if any of you can’t find us, you’ll at least hear us. Take note!

If John had known that Brenda was wearing a #4 shirt under that jacket, he would have thrown her down and leg wrestled her as well!!

Brenda and Tracy and Lynn arrive – dressed for the elements. So are Stacy and David. I, on the other hand, am half-dressed for the elements. Here is why – my ‘good friend’ Lance (note the quotes here) has told me for months that he will get me back up into the club seats at some point in this game. So I really don’t want to ‘overdress’ because that just would make me stand out like a sore thumb up there, ya know? So I keep with the ‘minimalist’ theme for the night. Ok, I do buckle and don one more layer – a thin Spyder dry wick top. Like it really is going to make a difference? Just then, Lance calls to tell me he’s on the sidelines watching warmup – will call again once they get up top. Ok. I’m sticking with my ensemble now – no jacket required.

Sambuca is NOT the cousin of the devil. It is awesome. You're a winner when you do this shot!

The Sambuca comes out – Brenda and Stacy and David share a beautiful story about how their lives will be forever connected now at Pelican Lake (all I can say is that involves a cottage and realtors and adult toys – that’s all I can say). Paul and Mike show up with their scotch on the rocks cocktails and fire up their Havanas (see, we can run a classy tailgate if need be).

I told you this was a classy group!

The four Marshfield boys meander on. Mary and Deb and Joe arrive.

This is just a NICE photo!

More Sambuca.

Note the red noses and rosy cheeks. I'm sure it's not from the 20 degree temperatures.

Matt and Brian come by and Brian gets his meat rubs – which he has wanted for a few games now (pull your mind out of the gutter – there really are things called ‘meat rubs’ that you put on your ‘meat’ – like beef and pork and chicken – ok, maybe this really doesn’t sound legit, but it is! Trust me – I’m a food rep!). People begin to slur their words (I think it was the cold temps – I really do). And before you know it, it’s time to get into the stadium and hopefully, warm up! Brenda has the tickets and we draw who we are sitting with. Lucky Tracy gets me and these are her family seats. Her quote, ‘I can’t wait for section 105 to get a taste of Kathy.’ Oh oh – nope! I’m going to be good – these are her FAMILY tickets! I cannot pull a Dallas game here. I have a discussion in my head and decide that I am going to be gentile and a good neighbor for the rest of the night. How long do you think that lasted?

Off we go. I run ahead because my friend Laurie’s son was in the punt, pass & kick competition. Now I figured this would wrap up WELL before I would even get in the stadium. But no – it was going on and darn it, I was going to try my hardest to get some photos of her son, Joe. So I raced around to our seats at the north end zone…only to find that the competition was taking place at the south end zone. Crap. Well, I tried. And it happened so fast – I think I got a photo of the kid after Joe. Double crap. That’s a cool thing – to be competing on a regional level at Lambeau Field. Congrats to Joe, anyway! Tracy arrives and we settle in to catch up and enjoy the game. Stacy and David were somewhere behind us so I walked up to the section above us and started yelling ‘Stacy…Stacy.’ These four kind gentlemen in the front row helped me by yelling and screaming ‘Stacy…Stacy’ as well.

Stacy! Stacy! Then they started calling me Sara...Sara. And I responded. What is worse?

Well, I found Stacy and told her to watch where I was going so she knew where I was. We were within 8 rows of each other. Woo wooo!

See Stacy! Could these tickets have worked out any better? I think not! I love this shot!

Good fans around us. Lots of Ravens folk and they were GREAT! Very nice. And very cold…

Look closely. I told you he was cold. You could have hung christmas tree ornaments off those.

Good GBP fans as well. I figured people would probably not be drinking too much at this game. That was an incorrect assumption. Right before halftime, this poor soul pulled a ‘Sue’ and was wandering around aimlessly. The second he passed by us, Tracy and I knew he was in the WRONG section and had no clue where he was! HAHAHA! We giggled and guffawed as he scanned the crowd for a familiar or friendly face (as he juggled his two beers and tray of chicken tenders and fries). Then he started texting someone as he juggled all his eats/drinks. More laughing on our part. I couldn’t help it, I had to capture this.

Hey, is that Sue? Nope, but this dude is definitely pulling a "Sue." That's our new code when someone is lost in the stadium and cannot find their seat. HAHAHA!

Once he knew we took an interest in him, he eagerly wanted our aid and assistance. His face was painted green so that made him even more attractive.

Incredible Hulk, eat your heart out!

And he was speaking in tongues…or a language I’ve never heard before. A cross between Bud Lite and who knows what else. I believe he mentioned something about section 103, blah, blah, blah. More giggling. A GBP touchdown. High fives for all. Then I asked him if I could have a French fry out of his basket. Of course! Then he dropped his head into his tray and fished out a chicken tender – sans hands! Impressive! “I want to show you something,” he told us. Oh oh. He put his beers down (no spillage) as well as his food tray and started unzipping his jacket. ‘WHOA…wait a minute,’ Tracy and I exclaimed. He kept unzipping and to our dismay/delight/shock – his whole chest was painted GREEN!

Well, that answers my question as to why my white Spyder shirt is all green now.

Well, he was a hit in our section! I had to get a piece of this as well. As I pawed at his ‘hulk like’ body, Tracy captured it on film…and the other people in our section took his clothes. HAHAHA!

I don't think the people in section 103 enjoyed our green goblin like the people in section 105 did. HAHA!

After the shenanigans, the poor kid couldn’t find his clothes. “Man, that’s harsh,” I heard him sigh! Ok, people came thru and gave him his duds back. Because that would have been way wrong. He wandered away…with his beers and his food and fond memories of section 105. And we never heard from him again. Sniffle, sniffle.

Enough! Halftime. Time to get warm. Into the Leinie Lodge we went. Met up with the rest of the troops.

Tina and Troy - where all the beautiful people are - at the Leinie Lodge.

Bad Brenda. You know, I'm just gonna do a blog some day that is entitled 'Bad Brenda.' Would you all like that? I know Brenda would probably not.

Tracy and Stacy. They call me..Tracy. They call me...Stacy. They call me...Sara.

Tracy, Stacy and David. The Leinie Lodge is awesome because you can get warm and then go back out and drink cold beer. And then do it all over. Again and again and again...or until they stop selling beer at the end of 3rd quarter.

Talked stupid. Took some pictures. Then Brenda had the idea of going to Curly’s for a shot. Off we go. Curly’s is just PACKED. I scream, ‘go back to your seats, people.’ No one listens. Hmmm? We make our way to the bar where more men are talking very strange languages – where are we, Russia? It sure sounds like it. Tracy orders shots and Stacy wants a ‘snakebite.’ Well, that got the attention of one of these ‘foreign’ men and he wants a shot too. Tracy is not impressed and Stacy is not impressed either.

Tracy...NOT happy with the cling-on.


Stacy...egging on the cling-on.

Stacy kinda of eggs him on – Tracy tells him to get lost. HAHAHA! This was a beautiful interaction. Brenda, in the meantime, has found a man talking in tongues as well. Wow, did we hit the jackpot or what here? Ok, we slam our shots (I swear these “snakebite” shots were like 4x the size of a regular shot) and head back to the stadium.

Easy girl! You'd hate to spill that beer. It could create a frozen puddle and someone could slip and fall in the concourse area. Or worse, they might close the beer stands before we can get you more. Walk slowly.

Love the holiday decorations behind us. You'd never think we were at a GBP game, huh?

It’s almost 4th quarter. Hmmm, wait a minute. Aren’t we supposed to be in the club section by now? No call from Lance. Nothing. I’m cold. I’m really cold now. I should have taken my advice and taped my you know what’s, but I didn’t because I thought Lance was going to come thru. You know what – I’m mad now. If you’re gonna tease, you better come thru with the goods because I never forget. Ever. I’m like an elephant. Whatever that means. I call Lance. He does not pick up. I leave him a message. Basically saying that in order to keep my friendship, I want to be in that Miller Lite bottle costume at the next game. Really. I do. But you all know that already. OR, I’m calling Sambuca and seeing if they have a costume I can rent, because then I will go and kick that Miller Lite bottle’s *ss!! It’s gonna happen. It is. I am destined to be a Miller Lite bottle, if just for a little while. Simple. I’ve not heard from Lance yet. I wonder why??

Oh hey, there is a game going on, did I forget to mention that? Anyhow, 3rd quarter – a little scary. All I can say is that I don’t find our team very ‘fluid’ right now. As in graceful. They are digging down deep to bring it together but there is still work that needs to be done. I guess I need to watch the films to find some other fitting adjectives. I mean, it’s good – but not consistent. Highs/lows. Ups/downs. I can’t put my finger on it. But it doesn’t matter because as the clock is ticking down, a victory is within reach. A little more song. A little more dance. A little more seltzer in my pants (kidding…I just like how that goes together – who’s quote is that anyways?). A little more screaming ‘Stacy’ at the top of my lungs. A little more dancing and high kicking to YMCA. And before you know it, the clock strikes 11 pm and I am OUTTA there. This princess is going to turn back into a pumpkin and soon. I beat cheeks – literally – as I run around the stadium to get to my car..in those shearling boots that now feel like cement coffins on my feet. I can feel blisters that are ripping apart as I stride. I’m cold. I need some food. And I just want to get home before all these other maniacs venture out on 41 south. I get to the car – chuck the garbage – throw the table in the backseat and peel out of that lot. Get stuck on Morris Ave and finally lose it and start beeping the horn – within seconds, our lane is moving. Nothing wrong with a gentle prod every now and then. I do my Cormier ‘sneak route’ and get a phone call. It’s Mary. “Kathy, where are you?” “Mary, I’m almost at 172 – I want to beat all this traffic.” “Kathy, my cell phone is in the bag I left in your car.” “Mary, there’s a Shell station at 172 and Babcock Road…I’m dropping it off there. Pick it up.” I screech into Shell – talk to the youngster behind the desk and drop the airpot and bag of goodies with him. It’s Green Bay – it’s after a Packer game – people want to help out. I have no idea if Mary got her phone or not. Hahaha!

The drive home is slow for a while and then is actually very nice. Good way to come down off that high. I roll in to Pickett around 12:30 am – unload the cameras and Chex mix (why…I have no idea) – peel layer upon layer off and climb into bed. It’s 12:56 am when I look at the clock. And then, before you know it, I am WIDE awake and ready to go! I cannot get back to sleep. That buzz and adrenalin is still pumping. Lambeau – it’s like Chucky Cheese for adults!

It’s 4:42 am. EEK!

So kiddies – one more REGULAR season game. A belated Christmas present. 12/27. I’ll be there with bells on!! You should be too!!