What’s my idea of heaven? Attending a Green Bay Packer game, in the winter, at Lambeau Field. Hell, it’s probably most NFL fan’s dream to do it once in their lives. The rich history, the tradition, the football. Ahhhhh. 
Living in Oklahoma most of my life, and being a middle-class working woman with not much disposable income, I knew that getting to Green Bay, WI to live out my dream would have to wait. So, I did what any green-and-gold-blooded fan would do. I put it on my “bucket list”. My list of the Top 100 things I want to do before I die.
Many of them have been crossed off, like #39) Get a tattoo. Getting a tatoo obviously was not a priority, I wasn’t going to get a tatoo just for the sake of getting one. It had to be meaningful. It wasn’t until I went to Hawaii (#47 on my bucket list) in January of 2002 that I decided what to get. In fact, during my Hawaiian vacation in 2002 I was able to satisfy a number of items on my list. #100) Ride a city bus, #83) Go on a whale watch cruise, #61) See the Pacific Ocean, #47) Go to Hawaii, #42) Go to the NFL Pro-Bowl and #39) Get a tattoo. (By the way, I chose a Hibiscus flower with the beautifully scripted word “Aloha” beneath it to symbolize the love and grace of that island and intense feeling of serenity I felt while I was there.)
*Note: Obviously, if I was too poor to afford a trip to Green Bay, I was too poor to go to Hawaii. I was just extremely fortunate to work for a very appreciative boss and a company that believed in rewarding employees for hard work, dedication and contribution.The CEO Excellence Award consisted of 2- Roundtrip tickets to any state, including AK and HI; An extra week off with pay and $5000.00 spending money. (I cried like a baby when I won ).
So, you are probably wondering what number on my bucket list does going to a Packers game at Lambeau Field rank. Surprisingly, it’s #2. It would have been number one, but I wrote this list when I was 25 and I had one other “to do” that I thought was more important at the time.
Fast forward, to September 12th, 2010. I was checking out my Face Book page (and yes, I’m a social media junkie, if there was any doubt), and Donald Driver’s fan page posted this: “AirTran Airways In honor of Donald Driver’s 50th Touchdown, we’ve got super fares to/from Milwaukee from $50* one-way! Book by September 14, 2010! See fare page for complete rules.”
Congratulations to Donald Driver for his 50th TD!
My brain immediately began to spin. I held my breath, are you serious, maybe this is finally my time! I checked to see the rate from San Antonio, it was a little higher, but totally do-able! I run down the stairs, up to my husband and a flurry of words comes streaming out of my mouth, “In honor of Donald Driver’s 50th Touch Down we can go to Green Bay Wisconsin for a game and the airfare is really cheap and we can see them in person at Lambeau Field in Green Bay for a Packers game at Lambeau can we go, can we?!”.
My husband smiled and said, “Sure honey, anything you want”.. he didn’t even get it all out before I was flying up the stairs, blurry eyed, head spinning, full-blown fanatic mode. Okay, what do I need first? Book airfares..no, see if I can get a hotel room… no, I need to get tickets first, what good is all the rest without tickets to the game?? Wait… which game are we going to?? Sheesh! Take a deep breath. Relax. Breath out. And.. now go.
I took a look at the home schedule, decided on a game (more to come on that later), followed by more research on the internet, fingers flying, and within the span of 10 minutes I had booked our airfare; bought a package deal for the hotel and game tickets, and booked the rental car. Confirmed, booked, done! WOO-frikken-Hoo! I’m going to a Packers game at Lambeau Field, in Green Bay, WI, in the winter! Joyously, I wept.
And then it hits me. I’m gonna need some warmer socks.
42 days and counting.
10/22/10
I just realized that I’ll be in Green Bay two weeks from today! Time sure does fly! November 7th the Cowboys vs Packers at Lambeau!
A lot has happened since I planned my trip and posted this 4 weeks ago, most notably, injuries. UGH! Most of our starters have some injury or another. It’s really disappointing to think that I won’t be able to see Nick Barnett or Jermichael Finley out on the field in Lambeau.
The IR list has gotten so long that my husband suggested that we cancel our trip. Um, no! I’m still going. I’m still excited, even though we’ve had a couple of tough losses in OT and have a 3-3 record, we still have a great team!
I was hoping to see Al Harris, Atari Bigby and James Starks off PUP this week and activated, but I guess they still have work to do to get back on the field. Hopefully by November 7th, when we meet up with the Cowboys, they’ll be ready to play. 
I’ve spent much of my time preparing for the cold Green Bay temps by making some needed purchases. Insulated boots, thermal socks and thermal shirts, gloves, hats, scarves. I’m pretty much covered.
It’s been over 2 years since I’ve felt freezing temps that are average for Wisconsin. It will be a shock to the system, but I’ll be able to manage. My husband on the other hand… I’m a little concerned about him. He wears a jacket in the house when I have the A/C set at 78 degrees. (This is no lie.)
14 days and counting!
10/30/10
A week from today and I’ll be in Green Bay Wisconsin! 
Fortunately for me, I have the best sister-in-law in the world, because I forgot that when I moved from Oklahoma, she had agreed to store some things for me, including my Packers leather coat and my extra warm Green and Gold Packers Stadium coat…which we WILL need.
Checking the forecast, it looks like the temps will be hovering right under the freezing mark. But my sister from another mother has shipped the coats to me and we will have them in plenty of time for our trip. Crisis averted! Thanks Christy!♥
My Packers coats!
We’ve already started packing, have a dog sitter/house sitter arranged (son and daughter-in-law).
All that’s left for me to do is wait…7 days and counting!
11/03/10
So.. very exciting day; my Green Bay Packers vs Dallas Cowboys tickets and package has arrived! (Finally! nothing like waiting till the last-minute)
My first Lambeau tickets!
They are really good seats, on the 50 yard line Section 120 on the Packers side of course. Tailgate Party passes, Player Autograph Party, free this, discounted that, lot’s of drink tickets.
Then, this evening, I was working in my office and I smelled the odor of gasoline, like straight gasoline from a car. I walked down the hall and asked my husband if he smelled it too and he said he thought it was natural gas. I disagreed, and started walking through the house. The odor was REALLY strong down stairs.
I walked through the kitchen and opened the door leading to the garage, and it hit me like a ton of bricks. I yelled up to TDB, “I think gasoline has spilled in the garage!” He comes down to check it out, and sure enough his motorcycle has a gas leak, dripping down the air filter, onto his pipes and down the back of the bike. I (like a dummy) go back inside. 2 minutes later I hear my husband yell “Linda!” which is normal when he calls from another room, I walk back over to the garage door, open and shout “WHAT?!”
TDB's bike
And there he stood in the shadow of smoke with a 5 foot wide and 8 ft tall wall of fire behind him! I shouted for him to open the garage door, I run back into the house, grab the phone in one hand, and one of my three dogs with the other, dialing 911 and scooting the dogs outside simultaneously. Then I thought, he wasn’t on fire was he? I run back out to the garage, nope, he’s not on fire.
The dispatcher answered, and I said FIRE Dept.. she connected me and I gave my address. Meanwhile, the house is filling up with smoke, the smoke alarm going crazy and I go back outside, still flames going, and I see the fire extinguisher by the dryer, pick it up and hand it to my husband, because for some STUPID reason, I couldn’t figure out how to use the damn thing! (Please take my advice, practice using a fire extinguisher before you actually need to use it, otherwise, they are useless.)
He finally gets the fire out and brings the hose around to clear out the gasoline on the floor of the garage as the local Fire Department pulls up. They assess the damage, nothing got to the ceilings, just burnt the inside of the garage door. But the weird thing, I had a singular thought “if my house burns down, I won’t be able to go on my trip this weekend.” It’s so weird how the mind works!
Anyway, that crisis is over, we’re all okay except I guess I had some minor smoke inhalation because when I blow my nose, the tissue is sooty- TMI I’m sure, but it’s weird when you don’t expect black flakes to come out of your nasal passages!
But we’re fine, the dogs are fine, the bike appears to be fine. And of course, we’re still going on our trip, just a minor glitch along the way. Hopefully the last one and we can have an awesome time in Green Bay.
I think we’re about ready to roll.
3 days and counting!
11/06/10 – And so it begins….
Flight out of San Antonio at 6:15am – after staying up all night like a little kid on Christmas Eve, we made it to the airport and the very first couple we see in the parking garage shouts, “See you at the game!”…. huh, what? I forgot my husband and I were already decked out in Green and Gold, Packers everything! This couple walks with us to the terminal, telling us that they are originally from Green Bay. We say our “GO Pack GO’s” and go our separate ways.
Once in the terminal, we are harassed by Cowboys fans…employees at the airport, they jokingly say the Cowboys will beat us..knowing full well, it wasn’t going to happen. Throughout the airport, through security and to our gate, I noticed one thing.. Packers fans outnumbered Cowboys fans 5 to 1! The few people who were dressed in Cowboys attire admitted that they were shocked at their team’s poor performance and would have never booked their trip to Lambeau if they had any idea how bad they would be.
We take our flight to Milwaukee via Atlanta, get our rental car and drive the two hours to Green Bay. I was so excited, I didn’t even mind the 9 hours of air/car travel, I just wanted to get there!
Finally, we see the Green Bay City Limits sign and drive toward our hotel. One mile from the hotel and I see it, larger than life, red brick’s gleaming, I knew immediately, Lambeau Field! (I didn’t realize my hotel was just blocks away, how lucky was that?).. I drove down Lombardi Ave., driving under the 30mph speed limit so I could soak it all in….just like a wide-eyed child going to Disneyland for the first time… don’t blink, just look. Smiling from ear to ear.
Lambeau Field
We check into the hotel, take a quick nap and out to a player autograph party. While standing in line to meet Jermichael Finley and Nick Collins, we start talking to a couple in line with us, turns out this trip to Lambeau is her husband’s 50th birthday present. “That’s so cool! My husband is celebrating his 50th birthday too, but not until the 13th. ” She grabs her husband by the arm and tell him about my husband’s birthday. Then she tells me her husbands’ birthday is 11/13 too. Ok, this is too weird, both of these men who are standing randomly in line together were born on 11/13/60?! What are the odds of that? AND, both were wearing #52 Clay Matthews jersey!
Brothers from another mother
(Oh, and we found out that neither my husband nor I know how to use the camera we borrowed. Most of my pictures look like crap!)
We have a good time at the party, get some signatures, and are both extremely tired, so we head back to the hotel. Tomorrow is Sunday, and we have BIG plans…gotta get some rest! In bed by 9 pm. That’s a first.
11/07/10 – Tailgating and Game Day!!!
I wake up at 3:30am, hoping it would be time to get up, but noooo… I still have a few more hours before daylight. Can’t go back to sleep, so I watch Avatar, again. Three hours later, I’m up and dressed, ready to go. I look out of my hotel room window.. palms and nose against the glass.. c’mon Green Bay.. OPEN, OPEN, OPEN.
Finally the sun is coming up, I run down to my car and I tour the town. It actually reminds me a lot of Broken Arrow, Oklahoma, population 75,000. Well, except for the massive football stadium. 
Lambeau Atrium - West Side
I spend the next 4 hours driving around, soaking it all in. I love this town. They had me at hello… then I start noticing a few For Sale signs. Hmmmmm.
Back at the hotel, my husband wasn’t feeling well, so we relax for a while. I almost forgot there were other games going on today!
Around 4pm we get ready, first tailgating, then the game! At Lambeau Field!
I put on my #12 jersey, my Green/Gold scarf, a hat and I’m ready.
We make our way over to Tailgate Party. It’s jam-packed with people. All the Cowboys fans are wearing paper bags on their heads!
LeRoy Butler is there, and he happens to be one of my all-time favorite players. I make my way over, and make a small donation to his foundation. In return, he gives me an autographed photo, and a hug!
LeRoy Butler (I know, bad photo but it's all I have)
We mingle with fellow Packer fans. I’m loving the feeling of “family” here. No one is a stranger, we all have something very important in common.
Just a few more hours until kickoff! We decided to head over to the hotel to get our coats. (I forgot to mention the weather was perfect! 60+ degrees during the day.)
Now on to Lambeau Field. There is a tsunami of people walking in the same direction. We get to Oneida street, cross over at the light. And take in the parking lot. Everyone is cooking, playing games, drinking, laughing, and have a great time. We stop and talk to many of them along the way. Everyone appreciates the fact that we’ve come all the way from San Antonio to see the Cowboys get beat by the Packers!
We pick up our program. Mr. Clay Matthews is on the cover! Sweet! My heart is beating with anticipation. We make our way inside the stadium, find our way to our section and begin the steep climb up to row 58. When I say steep.. I mean STEEP! My knees were at right angles with every single step. (Thank god I had been exercising regularly!) Our seats were awesome! Right at the 50 yrd line. We could see everything!
The view from our seats 50 yrd line!
We sit back, talk to some fellow Packer fans nearby and just soak it all in.
It didn’t take long before every single seat has a butt in it. Luckily, I took the advice of one of my Twitter pals and we rented the stadium seats, they definitely give you added tush room as well as a back rest. This stadium is OLD SCHOOL, which adds to its charm. There are no theater seats, it’s bleachers! Cold, metal bleachers! 
The teams come out to warm up.. the crowd goes wild. They go back in the tunnel, the crowd cheers. Lambeau personnel handed out flags in celebration of Veteran’s Day. Before the game starts, they do a presentation honoring the service men and women. 70,000+ fans waiving their flags. It’s was another amazing site.
Next up, KICK-OFF!
As everyone knows by now, the game was blow-out. It was all Packers all the time! Offense, defense, Kicking Game (except for the blocked field goal). There were so many great plays that I spent the entire night jumping to my feet in celebration. It was definitely the perfect game for a first time Lambeau visitor. There was never a doubt about the pending outcome.
During the 3rd quarter, the “Wave” started. This was exciting, waiting for it to get to my section, stand up, arms in the air, yell…and then it starts to pick up steam. As it makes its way around the stadium the second time, you could feel the energy as it rolls toward you. We stand up, arms in the air, and yell even louder.. then something amazing happened….it got even bigger, louder, more energy, it’s coming around a third time! The wave seems to have taken on a life of its own! In all, it made 7 strong revolutions around the stadium before it died.. like an EF5 tornado, it blew through, building up speed and strength. I’ve never seen the wave go more than 2 times around ANY stadium before, college or professional. And then I remember, this is no ordinary stadium, these are no ordinary fans. This is Lambeau and these are Packer fans! That explains it all.
Fourth quarter and the play Roll Out the Barrel, most people stand and dance, and almost everyone is singing. That was fun too, although I’m not much of a Polka-er.
Five minutes into the 4th quarter and the Packers starters take a seat, second string players on both offense and defense play the remainder of the game. That’s smart. Give our team some extra rest. They deserve it!
After the game, I felt as though I was walking on air. The walk to the hotel was a breeze, we were surrounded by thousands of Packer fans and we walked down the closed off roads. Everyone I meet shouts, GO Pack! or “Up Top” for a celebratory high-five!.. god, I love this place.
Back to the hotel and I’m too wired to sleep, I go downstairs and talk football with some other fans. In my hotel, I met fans from Oklahoma, Texas, Arizona, California, German, Venezuela, New Mexico, Minnesota, Illinois, Indiana, Canada…and New York! It was so amazing!
11/08/10 – Last Day in Green Bay and Hall of Fame tour
Monday mornings comes and I’m sad that I have to leave, but we have a late checkout time, so I go back to Lambeau and visit the Hall of Fame. I must have spent 3 hours in there, reading everything, watching all the movies, trying to absorb as much information as possible.
My favorite part of the Hall of Fame has to be the trophy room. It’s so beautiful and the 3 Super Bowl trophies and rings in their individual cases were awe-inspiring!
Lombardi Trophy room
After completing the tour, I head back to my hotel to pick up my husband and start the 2 hour drive back to Milwaukee to catch our flight home.
This trip was everything I hoped it would be and more! I will remember every minute of every day and I will tell everyone who will listen to me about the time I went to Green Bay for a Packers game and we slaughtered the Cowboys.
Thank you Wisconsin! Thank you Green Bay! Thank you Lambeau Field and Thank you Packers! It was, without a doubt the BEST TIME OF MY LIFE!
Packers Passion 
I can relate to most of what you are saying. I even got my first tattoo in Hawaii while there to watch the Purdue Boilermakers take on the Univ. of Hawaii several years ago. I got a Sea Turtle to remind me of the day spent snorkeling with them off the cost of Kona on the Big Island. I grew up in NC Indiana in the days before the Colts left Baltimore. Most of my friends were Bears fans. I always loved to watch a specific linebacker for the Packers….Ray Nitschke. He became my childhood hero and thus a love of everything Packer was born. I never thought I would make it to Lambeau to see a game. All I had ever heard as a kid were the stories of endless waits for tickets. Even during the less than awesome years. Then with the resurgance of the Packers, it was said it was even harder to get a ticket. I met a gentleman through my work who was originally from Appleton, WI. We were discussing the Packers one day when he asked me if I had ever been to a game. I said I never had and he told me he thought he could get me a set of tickets to one of the late season games. The game was GB vs. TB 0n Dec. 24, 2000. My wife and I went up. She was originally interested because at that time Mike Alstott played for TB, and he was a stand-out player for Purdue. I will never forget my first time at Lambeau Field, (Before Remodel). I was completely in awe of being at a place that had only been something I had dreamed of for such a long, long time! I remember making a comment to my wife, “I’ve made it!” It was an extremely cold day, my wife only lasted until halftime. She said, “I know how important it is for you to be here, but I cannot take the cold any longer. Enjoy!!” Luckily we had found a hotel within waking distance to the stadium. The game went into overtime and the Packers won. The next day Christmas morning it was -25 in GB, (no wind chill). I have since taken both of my Daughters and their Husbands, and my Brother and his son. It is a yearly experience for us now. I still feel the same chills, and sense of wonder everytime I go there. I tell everyone I know who is a Football fan that they should go once. I will be at the 49’ers game this year with my wife, youngest daughter, and her husband!! And like you, it cannot get here fast enough!!! GO PACK GO!!!
you’re gonna have such a great time, i was lucky enough to go to lambeau for favre’s 200th start on monday night football. it was 31º during the game and i’m from california, i was FREEZING, but it was a blast. have fun and GO PACK!
GREAT story, Jeff – anyone who’s ever been to Lambeau Field “knows” what it’s like to visit a slice of Heaven. You probably need to go back and see the Hall of Fame – a very serious NEED TO DO when one gets there. Along with going over to say Ya Hey to Fuzzy Thurston’s Bar – you might get lucky and run into the likes of Willie Wood or Jerry Kramer, like I did awhile back. You give them Niners a kick in the pants, first thing.
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Now, Melinda – your story does bring back some very fond memories for this diehard cheesehead. I’ve been to Lambeau, twice now – at the Home Opener in 2004, seeing all the greats as they honored the completion of the renovation work efforted by Bob Harlan. The 2nd time was to see the Pack go up against the Steelahs in 2005. It’s a tough decision for me to either go to Lambeau or enhance what we do here at Lambeau Midwest. Both houses are full of Lambeau Hospitality. We threw a HUGE tailgate party in 2004, when the Packers came to the old RCA Dome (NipperDome) and watched Manning go up against Favre. The count was around 850 people, going thru 1500 Johnsonville Brats and 7 GIANT barrels of Miller Lite – not to mention all the other items we brought to the event. We even gave about $8,000 to charity for Riley Hospital and one other group to help out 169 kids — something to be real proud of.
There is so much to do when so much to wonder about, the minute you hit Green Bay. You must:
1. Take the Lambeau Field Tour (seems cheesey, but, it’s not)
2. Check out the nearby restaurants – including the Favre Steakhouse
3. Everyone stops at the Stadium View for some awesome cheesecurds
4. There is a Jersey Store right nearby – hope you saved your fiat cash (LOL)
5. Fuzzy’s place is over on the other side of the field from Stadium View (and Scalper’s Alley)
6. Make sure to check out if there will be any events where some Players are attending the game – like they did for us in 2004. I have a large signature board with Willie Davis, Carroll Dale, and over two dozen other’s signatures now framed over my fireplace – intention is to get as many of the other Greats to sign it before they’re gone, as well. The only one I missed was Bart Starr as they had him in a separate area because (as usual) he’s the biggest draw there is. But, I got to see him give a speech down here in May 2006 and now he has a IPB Club Tee shirt to remember our meeting. He later sent back an autographed photo, all framed – now hanging in its proper place in my (Loft) Shrine.
7. Obviously, having lunch at Curly’s just inside the Atrium – is a must. There’s also a newly renovated house right across the street from the PackerProShop which will be packed on Game Day – you might want to check that out, if you have time.
8. I ran into an old couple in 2004, selling four boxes of Packer Stuff (each for a $1) and came back with some prize items for my Shrine – so, keep yer eyes out.
9. Our last stay at Green Bay, was at the TUNDRA LODGE – and well worth it.
10. Last, but not least – ? – it’s the fans that make the trip worth it, the most. When you hit town, you can almost feel it crossing the city line. GAME DAY is where it goes over the top. The Tailgating is definitely a must-do. Checking out the old cars dressed up in Packer paint, ..on to just going up and down the lanes and seeing all the fans keeping with tradition and taking the time to just chat with them or throw a football around.
I know this – every Fan’s trek to Lambeau is unique and photos are a must. If you have a camcorder, take it – even though you won’t be able to take it inside the field during the game / it’s still a good idea. Our seats for the Steeler game were around the 26yd line in the 10th row, behind the Packers – we got to see Tauscher after every play, or William Henderson. IF I have a preference, I would take 20th row, center field behind the Packers – where I can see the opposite Offensive Tackle (Clifton or Tauscher) during plays. [Hint: the game goes so fast when you are actually there – totally so not like watching it on TV, remember that!)
They can’t stop ya using your cell phone for photos, ya know. And, there are a whole host of those who actually do get their digitial cameras inside passing security … like any Jimmy Buffett concert (another must do on your List, I hope)
I KNOW THIS – walking up into the Stadium, for the Tour was an awakening to many things PACKER that I had never had first-hand experience with. I absorbed it all, with every breath. Took it all in, thinking the whole time, the day is going tooo fast, and how can I slow this down.
BUT – ON GAME DAY – WALKING UP THE STEPS and seeing the Field, just an hour or so before the game starts… THAT’s when the little 12 year old football packer luvin kid in me came alive and even though my seats were on the other side of the entrance – I just had to ‘run’ up to the first doorway and catch a glimpse of the field. I had just walked out there, the day before on the Tour… but this was different – this was GAME DAY.
YOU ENJOY, GIRL – I hope it snows, just like it did for that last Favre/Seattle Playoff Game, a few years ago. Just make sure to bring layers of clothing – against the Steelers, we have a 45mph wind all thru the Tailgate time, but once inside at our 10th row seats, it was like the heat had been turned on and we had to take several layers off – but that tailgate was freeeezing … it’s all part of the experience and to be savored as much as possible. Especially the Fans.
GO U PACKERS GO
Prez
PS: If you’re ever going thru Indy … stop by and say Hello to the IPB gang. Another worthwhile Packer Event.
IBP did a fantastic job with help..
He needs to come back to PF to post again 🙂
When you get to stadium, get the stadium seats they rent. Not sure on cost but well worth it. The benches can be a little cold and these seats have backs to them so you can be comfy.
One thing no one ever seems to mention is the closing of doors hour and a half?? before game time..You can enter stadium and walk around atrium and such (not sure of the bowl area) but then they kick everyone out that hour or hour and a half before kick off
Cant park in lot unless season ticket holder, or disabled. And even then its $40
If anyone has tickets they dont want let me know 🙂
IBP Pres-I’ve done the Hall of Fame, the old one prior to Lambeau renonvation and the new one since. I have taken the Stadium Tour. Highly recommended! I’ve had lunch at Curly’s. Used to always go to BF Steakhouse game day mornings for Bloody Marys. Now we go the lounge at the Best Western Hotel across the street. Always make a stop at the Jersey Store. The only thing I didn’t see on your list, and something I would recommend to Melinda, is a visit to Chili John’s. Some very unique Chili. Was rated in USA Today several years ago as one of the Top 10 places in the country to get a bowl of Chili. It is a must stop for us when we go to Green Bay. Melinda, you can’t go wrong with the things IBP has said. I hope you have a great time, and glad everything turned out ok with the house fire. VERY LUCKY!!
I can’t wait for DEC. 5th to get here!!