The Rerouted Skytress

My Mom’s two favorite quarterbacks played against each other yesterday in Super Bowl LV. Yes, my Mom is a Tom Brady fan. She realizes she is only one of a handful of Brady fans living outside the New England and Tampa Bay areas. But, she doesn’t mind. She still roots for him. Patrick Mahomes is definitely her favorite of the two quarterbacks. So, we were a unified Kansas City Chiefs family as we watched the Super Bowl. It was a very small party of four this year. My Mom, my brother Brian, my sister Patti and I had our own Covid-19 Super Bowl party. It was a far cry from the Super Bowl parties my family used to host. Nonetheless, I served enough Super Bowl food to satisfy a football stadium filled with Chief fans. We really didn’t miss all the other party goers, though. You know me, I love a good party theme!

You may remember my Dad loved a good party. Throw in the Super Bowl and my Dad was in all his glory. Our friends and neighbors loved a good Super Bowl party, too. Everyone was always excited to come to our house to cheer on their favorite team. My Dad and our family friend, Rick, would set up the Super Bowl betting chart. Amazingly, Rick won most of the betting money after each quarter. I believe Rick was in direct communication with the players on the field. But, I can’t prove anything and Rick won’t divulge any information. I remember the year Coke had their big 3-D commercial during the Super Bowl. Everyone sat in our family room with their 3-D glasses on. Strangely, watching everyone wearing their 3-D glasses to view the commercial was more entertaining than the commercial itself. The same group of family and friends were gathered around the TV for Janet Jackson’s wardrobe malfunction during the Super Bowl 38 halftime show. Coincidentally, Rick was the only person paying attention to the halftime show at the revealing moment. I swear Rick was in direct communication with Justin Timberlake on the field. I believe Rick was privy to what was about to happen. Again, I can’t prove anything…..and Rick most certainly has never….EXPOSED …..any information.

One year I was laying over in Chicago on Super Bowl Sunday. My friend Tara came to pick me up at our layover hotel and we went to our friend Kal’s house for a party. Tara’s husband was out of town. So the only person we knew at the party was Kal himself. Kal loves all sports….Cubs baseball, Michigan Wolverines football, racing yachts, just to name a few. Kal is, also, a vey down-to-earth person. Thus, many people aren’t aware that Kal is quite the intellectual. Tara and I are definitely down-to-earth and intelligent women. However, the group of friends Kal had invited to his party were down-to-earth uber intellectuals. They could talk circles around me on a plethora of subjects. Football, however, was not a subject they knew much about. Tara and I giggled under our breaths as we listened to Kal’s friends trying to figure out the complexities of the game. It was, without a doubt, the most unusual Super Bowl party I ever attended. In spite of this, I throughly enjoyed myself. I can’t remember who won the game…or even what teams played in the Super Bowl that year. I do remember I made Paula Deen’s lemon blossoms and brought them to the party. As you know, I adore Super Bowl food. The lemon glazed mini-muffins weren’t actually Super Bowl style food. But, since Kal’s friends weren’t actually football fans, I guess it was an appropriate Super Bowl dessert. Plus, they were yummy tum-tum delicious.

When I lived in Atlanta my St. Louis Rams came to town to play in the Super Bowl. Lucky for me, my friend Shannon had a Super Bowl party. I was beyond excited to watch my Rams play the Tennessee Titans. Thankfully for me, my friends were also rooting for the Rams. We faithfully watched each play. We cheered whenever the Rams completed a pass or made a timely tackle. We celebrated each time they scored. It was thrilling. My Rams looked like they were going to easily win the game. But, no!!! The Titans fought hard in the fourth quarter and tied the game with two minutes left. I was extremely nervous for my Rams. Then without a warming Shannon’s cable went out. We were stunned. No one moved. We waited for the TV to pop back on. Nope. It didn’t happen. There was a little freezing rain in Atlanta that day. Yes. Hot Atlanta was anything but hot. There wasn’t enough time for me to drive home to catch the end of the game. I was beside myself. It’s not every day your team plays in the Super Bowl. I called my parents to get an update on the game. They couldn’t believe we were missing it. My family tried to relay what was happening on the field. Their play-by-play was awful because the game was too exciting. All I could hear was their exuberant cheering and passionate screaming. It was futile to even try to explain to my friends what was happening in the game. Shannon eventually thought to turned the radio on in the kitchen. We all stood around the radio and listened to the game. The radio announcers we ecstatic. The Rams quarterback, Kurt Warner, threw a 73- yard touchdown pass to regain the lead. The Titans refused to quit. They drove the ball to the Rams 10-yard line with six seconds left in the game. Miraculously, the Rams stopped the Titans on the one-yard line and the game was over. It took a few seconds for Shannon and I too comprehend what had happened. Holy Moly…..The Rams won the Super Bowl! Shannon and I were elated! It was ABSOLUTELY the best Super Bowl I never actually watched.

I distinctly remember the last Super Bowl I caught on a layover. I flew with Ron and his friend Tim. Ron and Tim were junior to me in in-flight. The boys knew perfectly well they would have to fly Super Bowl Sunday. So, they looked for a trip that would get them to a layover in time to catch the game. Remarkably, another position on their trip opened up. Ron asked me if I would like to fly with them. I thought it would be a blast. So, I quickly swapped on to the trip. I was the only Skytress among three Skyters. Our Skyter In-Charge also swapped on to the trip. His original trip he was to fly with a Skytress named Ting Ting. Incredulously, he didn’t feel he could call a grown woman Ting Ting for three days. Ron, Tim and I couldn’t understand this rationale since Ting Ting really was her name. Therefore, without skipping a beat, I jokingly started calling him Ting Ting. Ron and Tim followed my lead. We casually mentioned to our pilots our Skyter In-Charge name was Ting Ting. You cannot imagine our glee when our Captain came back into the cabin to brief our Skyter In-Charge before the passengers boarded. The Captain turned to our Skyter In-Charge and innocently asked, “Ting Ting are you ready to brief?” The three of us doubled over laughing.

Ron, Tim, Ting Ting and I decided we would go to a bar to watch the Super Bowl game. The first establishment we went to was overflowing with people. We decided we would mosey on to the next place. We discovered a New Orlean themed restaurant-bar a few blocks away. We knew people in New Orleans like to party. Thus, we determined this place would be an ideal spot to catch the football game. The restaurant had an additional bar area set up in the back for watching the Super Bowl. There weren’t too many people sitting in this back section. Apparently, people in San Antonio don’t hang out in New Orleans themed restaurants. This was okay for us. We wanted to catch the game and still be able to talk with each other. Ron, Ting Ting and I were rooting for the Seattle Seahawks. Tim was rooting for whatever team was going to win him money at the end of each quarter. Tim was making out like a bandit. He was very pleased. Ron, Ting Ting and I were happy because it looked like the Seahawks were going to beat the Patriots with a game ending touchdown. But, no. It didn’t happen. Seattle lost the game in the final seconds. Yes, the Seahawks were about to score with 26 seconds left in the game. They were on the 1-yard line when Russell Wilson threw the football and it was intercepted by the Patriots. The game was over. Ting Ting was devastated. The majority of the people in the restaurant were pulling for the Seahawks. Disappointment hung in the air. Ron and I took it all in stride. Thankfully, neither team was really our favorite. We simply liked the Seahawks a wee bit more than the Patriots. I remember it was a strikingly cold evening as we walked back to the hotel. Tim had a lot of energy. He walked enthusiastically ahead of us. I’m sure his quick pace was fueled by his multiple betting wins. Ting Ting was upset and walked back to the hotel in utter frustration. Ron and I followed behind laughing at Tim and Ting Ting scurrying back to the hotel. The next day Ting Ting was still upset about the ending to the game. He would get furious at the mention of the interception. Ron and I laughed about it for days. For months afterwards, Ron would bring up Ting Ting’s name and wonder if he was still upset about the Seahawks losing the Super Bowl.

This year I wondered which team Ting Ting was rooting for…..my Chiefs or Tom Brady’s Buccaneers. Well, My Chiefs lost the Super Bowl. I was sad for them. Although my Mom was rooting for the Chiefs, her second favorite quarterback won. I guess Mom really couldn’t lose this year. This Super Bowl the commercials were better than I expected. I was pleasantly surprised. The halftime show was a wee bit different. But, hey, I usually feel this way after watching it. Will I remember the score in a week or two? Probably not. I probably won’t even remember what teams played in the game six months from now. I will remember the food I served, though. I don’t want to serve the same thing next year when I watch the Super Bowl. That would be an ugly loss in my book.