Would it snow? Be icy? Freezing cold? A traveling nightmare?

Those thoughts ran through my brain as I bought six tickets to a Patriots-Philadelphia Eagles game two months away on December 6.  We didn’t know what to expect.  All I knew is that we’d have a lot of fun.

Boy were we surprised when game week unfolded with mild weather and temps in the 50’s.  December ended up being the warmest in recorded weather history in New England, so we got lucky.

I had asked you – do you want to go to a restaurant at Patriot’s Place or tailgate like we did last year?

Tailgate! was the unanimous supply.  So we got to our favorite parking lot early (fourth car in), set up our stuff including the important “Warm Greeting to All” Pineapple.  Here we are enjoying ourselves for the four hours pre-game:

We played football in the parking lot, enjoyed the sunshine and relaxed. After getting our fill of burgers, hot dogs, chips, salsa, doritos, Moody Beach drinks, devil dogs and who knows what else, we picked up, packed up and proceeded to make our way to the stadium.

This year we got there early enough to beat the rush and throngs going through security.  Once through the gates, I brought you to the Patriots gift shop and let each of you pick two things.  You were already wearing the funny foam hats you picked out in 2014.  We were lucky to see Bob Kraft and Brady make their way out before they hit the field. Very cool.

The last two times I brought you, our tickets were on the sidelines, about even with the 30 yard line.  This year, we had end zone tickets, facing the Lighthouse.  We were underneath one of the two big jumbo trons.  Emma said “I love these seats!” as we settled in and watched the Pats burst onto the field. Always a big thrill.

At this point in the season, the Pats were 10-1 on the season, having lost their first game the week before vs. Denver.  I’d say most people were figuring the Pats would come back strong and handle the Eagles fairly easily.  That’s how it played out early, with the Pats taking a 14-0 lead. But things started falling apart and Philadelphia scored five straight touchdowns. New England came back, taking advantage of an onside kick and a fumble to have a chance to tie the game in the final minute. But then their receivers dropped three passes in a row to turn the ball over on downs.

It was the first game you’ve seen (in person) where the Pats didn’t win.  Oh well.  Despite the loss, there were several records set:  It was the 71st 300-yard game for Brady, third-most all time. With his 30th touchdown pass of the season, Brady has six seasons with 30 or more, joining Brett Favre, Peyton Manning and Drew Brees. And Brady became the #3 all time TD passer in NFL history.