Deb and I went to Miami for Superbowl XLIV (Colts vs. Saints)!
It was a great weekend and everything worked out perfectly. At first, there was a snowstorm coming through Indy so we moved our flights to earlier in the day, but the snow got here a little too soon so we barely made it out of Indy. Upon arriving in Ft. Myers, we then drove to Miami and arrived around 2AM at our hotel. Now, our hotel was a little “too nice” (a.k.a. I felt like I had stepped into a retirement village for millionaires) and we decided we needed to be closer to the party, so we checked out and headed toward Ft. Lauderdale where Deb was able to get another hotel room that had a Tiki-bar outside our door (an apparently Jimmy Buffett has been known to play there)! We headed to the beach for some sun, relaxation and a few beers. 
We went to a nice dinner on Saturday night with some of Deb’s friends and ended our night having drinks at the Colts family hotel. On game day, we took a walk on the beach and arrived at the stadium at about 3pm. We got to our seats about an hour before game-time and we were 26 rows up from the field! We ended up getting Colts “family” tickets and you can see from the picture how close we were to the field. 
Chris Berman (ESPN) and Jeff Fisher (Titans Head Coach) walked past us while we were there as I’m sure we probably walked past a bunch of celebrities and sports figures we have no idea who they were! At halftime, The Who rocked out with all their hits and as you now know, the Colts lost and it was quite tough to swallow because we just didn’t play well the last 3 quarters. 
Overall, it was a great time and an event Deb and I won’t forget anytime soon (except maybe the result of the game!). 
Deb went to San Diego a few weekends later to accept her certificate for passing her exam last year (Sports Specialty Exam). She had fun with her co-workers and enjoyed the warm weather. There was a silent auction and where Deb and her co-workers had a few drinks and she came home with autographed pictures of Dwight Freeney, Jeff Saturday and Peyton Manning! It was quite a souvenir to bring home and with those kinds of gifts, she can go have drinks whenever she wants! 
While Deb was in San Diego, I had a bachelor weekend. Lawton came over on Friday and we enjoyed some Filet-O-Fishes from McDonalds (I like to eat things Deb wouldn’t allow when she is out of town and Lawton supports this habit!). We enjoyed some beer and watched a few movies. The next day I babysat Claire and Grace and even though I will admit I was a little nervous about having 2 kids to look after, it was quite easy as Claire and Grace were in great moods. Afterwards, I went to Sam Foulke’s 4th birthday party and then back to Pete and Laura’s for a few beers before heading home.
A few more items from this month:
• Valentine’s Day was pretty low-key as we stayed at the condo for dinner. Deb and I exchanged cards and I got a small bouquet of flowers for her.
• We went over to the Wahman’s for some drinks on a Saturday night in February.
• Deb enjoyed drinks at Moe’s with the “bookclub girls.” Now, they have officially stopped reading books, but they can still get together and drink, right?
• Lawton, Foulke, Watkins and I met up for some beers in Broad Ripple. We went to Barley Island, the Wellington, OPT’s and Average Joe’s.
• We hired a new employee at Hurco that will be working for me. Her name is Melissa and this is my first experience with having a peer working for me.
While Deb was in San Diego, I had a bachelor weekend. Lawton came over on Friday and we enjoyed some Filet-O-Fishes from McDonalds (I like to eat things Deb wouldn’t allow when she is out of town and Lawton supports this habit!). We enjoyed some beer and watched a few movies. The next day I babysat Claire and Grace and even though I will admit I was a little nervous about having 2 kids to look after, it was quite easy as Claire and Grace were in great moods. Afterwards, I went to Sam Foulke’s 4th birthday party and then back to Pete and Laura’s for a few beers before heading home.
A few more items from this month:
• Valentine’s Day was pretty low-key as we stayed at the condo for dinner. Deb and I exchanged cards and I got a small bouquet of flowers for her.
• We went over to the Wahman’s for some drinks on a Saturday night in February.
• Deb enjoyed drinks at Moe’s with the “bookclub girls.” Now, they have officially stopped reading books, but they can still get together and drink, right?
• Lawton, Foulke, Watkins and I met up for some beers in Broad Ripple. We went to Barley Island, the Wellington, OPT’s and Average Joe’s.
• We hired a new employee at Hurco that will be working for me. Her name is Melissa and this is my first experience with having a peer working for me.
New Year’s Day we were off to West Lafayette for a basketball game between Purdue and West Virginia. These 2 schools don’t play often, so it was quite a battle for bragging rights in our house. Beth, Pete, Kathy and Bob (Keith’s parents) came along for the game and let’s just say it was a good day to be a Boilermaker. Purdue beat WV and as you can see from these pictures our little photographer (Deb) stopped taking pictures shortly after tip-off! She must have decided she had enough early in the first half! We stopped at Harry’s beforehand and met up with the Watkins and enjoyed some cheap college beer and lunch. 
We celebrated Pete (Laura’s husband) and my birthday at my parent’s house. We enjoyed some Papa Murphy’s pizza and I received a gift certificate to Beef and Boards (restaurant here in Indy), a Dave Matthews CD, and some new shirts from my family. I received a new sport coat from the Cyphers and Julie gave me a ski boot bag. Deb gave me a shirt and tie, a few new shirts, some ski socks, a pair of Purdue basketball shorts and ski jacket! I made out really well on my birthday and we ended up going out to Barley Island for a beer and dinner and we were met out by Jeff and Tom. Beth and Laura were out with some friends and stopped by for a beer. I was lucky to have received some nice gifts and had such a good time!
The Colts continued their great season by making it to the AFC Championship game(against the Jets) and we were fortunate enough to be in attendance! They won the game and it wasn’t as nerve-racking as some games have been this season. The Colts are off to Miami for the Superbowl…. and Deb and I are going to the Superbowl! We hope to celebrate a Colts win, but making it to the Superbowl is going to be a great experience. 
