The Week I Shook Hands with the President...of the United States

Even better looking up close and personal

I almost don't know where to start.  Most of you know about our incredible journey to the Super Bowl and how much it meant to me (and many many others).  We went, we won and we came home champions.  I never miss an opportunity to include that fact in most things I do. I figure it will eventually wear off...so far though, it hasn't.

Last week, however, was the technical end to all of the celebratory festivities that Super Bowl Champs traditionally get as a part of their win.  And, it was one of the best week's of my life!

Mid-week, everyone who was to receive "the ring", got invited to go to the White House.  I'm not sure of your political affiliations and frankly I don't care...we live in a land where we can have political affiliations and we can speak freely about them. We live in a country where, we the people, elect our officials and we live under a blanket of safety and freedom that is provided under the direction of our Commander in Chief. And, this girl, was going to his crib. WHAT?!?!?

I was beyond thrilled!  I was so excited I couldn't stand myself.  My fashionista mind was going bananas.  I needed the perfect White House outfit because you certainly can't look ridiculous when going to the White House.  I mean really!

Dressed in our White House Best

Wednesday June 5th:

The weather was perfect...bright, sunny and seasonably warm.  8 police escorted buses left Owings Mills at 8:00 am and headed to Washington, DC. P.S. Sorry to anyone along the commute that got stuck in traffic because of our buses.  We arrived at President Obama's pad at about 9:30. We were greeted by Secret Service agents with the cutest working dogs.  Our bus was inspected before anyone even got off.  Security was tight, but it didn't take very long to get in.  

No pics allowed while going through White House Security.
But this guy checked out our bus.
We were all clear. Obvi.

Once inside, we were allowed to roam about the house. For about 90 minutes, we took in the China Room, the Library, the terrace, and the spot where President Obama told our nation that we had finally gotten Bin Laden.  We strolled on the South Lawn listening to a Marine jazz band, sipping White House water with cocktail napkins that a few of us stuffed in our purses instead of tossing away. We took all kinds of pictures, we soaked in every second and savored the experience.  

When at the White House one should always take very serious pictures.

Oh just chilling at Barack's crib having a little girl talk. No bigs.

We fit right in. No doubt about it.

Excellent Entertainment

Normally, I'm on the outside looking in. So taking a picture looking out was a must.

Vince felt right at home.

Everyone was happy to be there.

We sat front and center as our Super Bowl Champion team stood on a stage listening to the President of the United States crack jokes and congratulate us on winning.  Now, I realize that President Obama has speech writers and people who prep him on the team and details...but think about the amount of knowledge a President has to have and know. It's quite mind blowing if you think about it.  President Obama knew many ins and outs about our Team of Destiny. He made references to Ray's eating grass during player intros, Torrey's brother Tevin, Jacoby's dancing and his amazing catch to tie up that freezing cold game in Denver. He joked about the lights going out during the Super Bowl.  He was polished, relaxed, kind, funny, witty, smart, savvy and super doper awesome.  Oh and Coach Harbaugh told him that we plan to be back next year.

Pretty darn close to the action...3rd row.

After being presented with a Baltimore Ravens number 44 jersey, President Obama shook hands with each player.  Some guys even hugged and joked with him.  It was fun to watch.  When the players exited the stage, President  Obama turned his attention to the other guests...i.e. us.  With a smile, he walked down a line of waiting hands, shook each one and thanked them for being there. WHAT?!?!  Excuse me?? That's correct....When he shook my hand, he said, "Thank you for being here."  Ummmmmmmmmmm, no Mr. President, thank you for having me here.  WOW.

 

Very nice purple tie Mr. President Sir. We LOVE.

I had planned on never washing this hand again.
But, I had to. Good thing I have this pic to capture the moment forever.

Once the hand shaking was over, I'm assuming President Obama had a packed schedule, he is the President and all, he went off to do whatever it is Presidents do.  We couldn't stop smiling. We skipped back to our buses, grabbed our boxed (and yummy) lunches and headed back to the Castle. Being a Super Bowl Champ, really doesn't get old.   

Yep...we just met the President. Not a bad day's work.

Smiling on the way to our awaiting chariots.

Up next....we get the bling!

XO~

P.S. Feel however you want...I voted for Obama and I'd do it again. :-)

It's OK....

Back upon request. :-)

It's OK...

To be so sad and completely unrealistic about losing some of our favorite players.  Tears...Ed Reed, BP, Q.  It's a business, but our hearts are sure connected to that business. Best luck guys...just not against us.  And, #20, your home will always be in Baltimore.

To have mixed emotions on the O's/Ravens schedule conflict.  Obvi, my first love is the Ravens. However, I get why it's difficult to move the O's game.  But I really want us to open at home on Thursday night. We are World Champs after all. (Still not tired of saying it.)

To be shopping for boots still.  It's not warm yet and there is one particular pair of boots that would work nicely for these last few weeks of cooler weather.

To plan a juice cleanse in the middle of the week, around happy hours, weekends, birthdays and burger nights. At least it's on the agenda. 

To hate DWTS, even if Jacoby is a star. That show is awful and there are 2 hours of my life I will never get back after watching those "stars" wiggle all over the floor, many of which in ill-fitting dancing dresses.  No thanks.

To pin, like on Instagram and be inspired by exercise pics, quotes or plans.  Whatever works!

To be known on a first name basis with Jon at Hummus Corner.  One wrap combo with extra salad = 2 healthy dinners.  #singlegirllife

To keep in touch your exe's family.  Call it weird, call it unusual, call it whatever you want.  For however long a period of time, those people were a part of your relationship and part of your heart. Just because the relationship with the dude didn't go the distance, doesn't mean your relationship with the family can't.  Period.

To dislike having my news feed filled with selfies but still love the word selfies.

To have a busy social calendar. It's not a crime to be out and about doing all kinds of fun things. It's not that hard either.  And the only casualty is my laundry. Live out loud and retrieve life!

To do random Random Acts of Kindness on my assigned day of the month as well as on additional days of the month.  Be kind. Everyday.

I received this Random Act of Kindness today from a bestie and it made my day.
 

To stay up until 11:30 to watch one episode of Friends on Nick @ Nite. Best show ever.

To keep your $4.98 thrift store motorcycles on the beach dress in the not-so-secret hopes of wearing it again and having just as much fun the next time.

Motorcycle Dress, $20 in her pocket and hottie in the middle

To be super excited for new bronzer and summer shades eye shadow.  Did anyone else get the email from Bare Escentuals introducing their summer shades??  Bring on the sun or the faux tan look that protects from wrinkles but still makes you look kissed by the sun.

To have a 2 hour lunch with a friend you haven't seen in forever and feel happy to see her but sad at the same time because it reminds you how much you miss her daily.

To wait until the last minute to do your taxes...well technically it's not the last minute yet, but it's not looking good.  Ain't nobody got time for that. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8cT_Ulmcrys

And, to laugh out loud every single time you watch this... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EzNhaLUT520 and then http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2mKwgwH1UTo


Happy Thursday y'all!

XO~

SUPER

 

Super Super SUPER

Super...Super Bowl. Super Win. Super Team. Super People. Super Amazing. Super Blessed. Super Smile. Super Gifts. Super Trip. Super Great. Super Fun. Super Super.

I'm not sure words will every truly express the past 2 weeks of my life. I did my best to post pictures for anyone who was interested in seeing parts of our Super Trip.  You may already have a taste of what was and what continues to be. So, I won't bore anyone with details that aren't interesting or be repetitive.

I will start by saying (again - repetitive but not boring) I work for and with the most amazing people on the planet.  I have no idea how I've been so very blessed.  We were treated likes kings and queens on a stage where most of the world was watching. OK, I wasn't actually on the stage with Beyonce, but hey, I was in the building and I played a very important role in the show. 

Yup...those were our hands!

Who needs a ring on it??


 

As you know, several of us went down early to prepare for the arrival of our families and friends.  We worked for about 2.5 days on logistics, packets, credentials, gifts, rooms, etc.  We spent a lot of time inside of the hotel. For those of you who know me, you know my philosophy on life and welp, instead of resting when we were finished for the day...we hit up Bourbon Street.  So for the first days, it was lots of work with a little play and very little sleep.

Packet Stuffing by Super Peeps

Dinner Break...Super Food!

 

This crew can sleep when they are dead or not at the Super Bowl

On Thursday, our families and friends arrived...in style, I might add. They were treated to privately chartered planes with first class treatment.  They were served food and drinks. They were greeted in NOLA by coach buses with police escorts to shuttle them to the team hotel.  Some might say they were given the Super Rock Star Treatment.

Right this way family...your chariots await.

Friends and family checked into their rooms and got ready for what can only be described as a Super Bomb Diggity Welcome Party.  AFC Champion Baltimore Ravens meet New Orleans in a themed and fantastic outdoor party.  We wore party dresses and socialized with old and new friends. We were treated to delicious food and drinks of our choice.

Some of us took this pic more seriously than others.  :-)

Friday and Saturday were basically free days. We could spend time enjoying all that NOLA has to offer...and, if you've never been, you should definitely go. It's a lot of fun.  The beauty of this location was that everything was within walking distance.  We could walk right out of the hotel to all the hot spots and touristy locations. The weather during the day was a sunny 68 degrees...it was super. In the evenings we socialized with each other and took in the sights. See also: Bourbon Street, Pat O'Briens, Wolf Packs, Hurricanes, gambling, karaoke, beads and one cowboy bar.

Exploring NOLA and the Super Bowl Experience

It should be mentioned that while walking around the city, purple passion was EVERYWHERE.  It was as if Baltimore relocated for the week. The locals were also routing for our boys...they had a rivalry with the 49ers so most of the helpers were all about our boys in purple. We got along swimmingly with them.  The sounds of Seven Nation Army could be heard on just about every street. It was the universal language of future champions.  It was super.

It should also be mentioned that each morning a new and amazing gift was placed in our hotel rooms.  As if the gift of an all expense paid trip to the Super Bowl wasn't gift enough, we were given actual presents!!! #ifimdreamingpleasedontwakeme

Super Sunday finally arrived.  Our day started with a pre-game tailgate party just outside of our hotel.  As you might expect, it was top notch.  Fabulous food, drinks, entertainment and spectacular weather.  It was the first time since Thursday that our whole Ravens family had the opportunity to enjoy each other's company and relish in the experience.  It was also a time when I took a pause to soak it all in and feel the blessings.  It was a bit overwhelming...because in a matter of hours what we had been working for for years, would be upon us.  Wow. Monumental.  Super.

We established a wolf pack. Super!

I borrowed that hat from her.  I think it was a good luck charm.

These ladies are the best!


 

At 2:30 a sea of purple made its way to the Mercedes Benz Super Dome for the game of our lifetime.  Game time was at 5:30 NOLA time. We walked just under a mile to the Dome united in support, excitement, nerves, cheers and chants.  It was amazing!

Upon arrival at the gate...we may have been a touch excited.

This is REALLY happening!!!! Super! (P.S. these girls are the best plus ones ever!)

 

So exciting!

We're IN.  Super!

One for the memory books.

I'm going to assume that most of you watched the game. If not, well, you probably aren't reading this entry and we probably can't be friends, let's be honest. Our seats were on the Club Level and they were great.

This pic doesn't do our seats justice. They were super.

So fun to experience this with these Super Fans!

Oh hey, Super Bowl MVP.

The first half was SUPER. The second half was also super...just not as super, until the end.  As John Harbaugh put it, "It wasn't perfect.  It wasn't pretty. But it was us." How great are those words?  Teams are not perfect.  Teams are rarely always pretty.  But it was us.  Us.  Us. Our team. Our way of winning and our way of making it happen. Isn't that the way all relationships are??  They are our own special way that works for us.  And now, our team is a team of Super Bowl World Champions.

YUP! SUPER!

Couldn't have written a better story.

You might be thinking...what an amazing day.  You were probably exhausted.  Well, it was an amazing day and NO we were not exhausted. We had an after party to get to.  We walked back to our hotel and changed into our Super Bowl Champion party dresses and headed out to our 3rd party of the day.

I'd heard about the after party from 12 years ago.  I knew it was going to be good.  How could it not be?  We just won the freaking Super Bowl.  Good could be the understatement of the century.  It was the Super of Super Dooper Super Bowl After Parties!  The entertainment was kept a secret and turned out to be Mary J. Blige.  Yes, that's correct, she played a show for us.  And, she was fantastic! Our players were walking on Cloud 9.  Employees were hugging each other, drinking champagne, smoking cigars, laughing, smiling and DANCING.  I believe we danced for the better part of 3 hours.  I really don't have many pictures from that party b/c I was so busy celebrating, chatting and dancing, that I didn't take many pics. The ones I took, I already posted on Instagram.

Cheers to being a Champion!

Champagne shower?  Super!!

We stayed until the end.  The very end.  (Shocking I know.)  The end was at 5:00am.  We weren't ready for it to be the end. But after a rousing and totally fitting rendition of "We Are the Champions" alas it was time for that fab.com party to end.  

We still had 3 hours until flights began to leave.

That meant that we also had 3 more hours in NOLA.  We didn't sleep. Some of us spent the last hours of our time with those who could truly understand how great this was.  We relished those last hours.  It was hard to really let the day's events sink in. We had dreamed about this for years.  Then, it happened.  We really won the Super Bowl. It took time to process...all the years of hard work, dedication, desire and dreaming.  It finally happened and there are only a few of us who really get that magnitude.  So, we couldn't sleep. We had talking and celebrating to do!

At about 7:30 am, nearly 24 hours after it began, we packed it up and packed it in. It was time to go.

Champions don't need sleep.

If you're curious as to our actual timeline on Super Sunday here it is:

11:00am - 2:30pm - Tailgate Party
2:30pm - 3:00pm - Purple Parade to Super Dome
5:30pm - 10:30pm - Game (including Black out time)
11:00pm - 5:00am - Post Game Best Super Party Ever
5:00am - 7:00am - Celebratory last minute Super fun in NOLA
7:30am - Bags to the lobby...time to go home.

It was a long and perfect day.  It was how it was supposed to be.  A story that couldn't have been written any better.  A true and living testament that things happen when they are supposed to happen how they are supposed to happen.  There are no mistakes.  If it's meant to be, it will be.

I know I've said this before, but I will say it again, I feel so very blessed and thankful.  I've met some of the best people in the world through my association with this winning team.  The love and joy I've been blessed with is hard to describe.  It's simply amazing.

Thank you to every single person who supports us.  As evidence by the Welcome Home Parade crowd, what we do matters.  It makes a difference and it unites us together. We are a team.  So thank you for supporting, cheering, listening, loving and reading. Thank you to everyone who sent messages of congratulations and well wishes.  Thank you to every single fan. Thank you for loving me and loving us.

Welcome home Lamar and Vince!

We are a TEAM of Destiny. We are blessed.

xo~