High Flyin'

Army-Navy 2007 was our typical family affair, with an added spin. Okay, a couple of added spins...

#1 This was the first time since 2000 that the Army-Navy game was hosted in Baltimore... most years, the game is hosted in Philly.

#2 Thanks to #1, my family was able to celebrate the entire weekend together!











My parents, Chris and I all met up at my brother's house (with brand-new, self-installed, beautiful hardwoods, throughout the main level) in Columbia, MD, for the weekend. What a great time, complete with some serious bonding between Granddad and Charlie while taking care of various home improvement projects. Charlie is quite the little fix-it-upper and is quick to correct you should you accidentally call a tool by its incorrect name. Saturday morning, the guys and I were quite the urbanites, taking the light rail into Baltimore for the big game.











#3 The game didn't disappoint (though even though I'm a die-hard Navy fan, I do wish Army's program would at least give Navy a run for their money one of these days) especially the fan-fare surrounding the game including the march-on by both schools (as usual, Army's marching abilities embarrassed Navy), Army and Navy's parachute teams, and last but not least, the fly-over. The Cadet and Midshipmen "spots" were a little subpar this year, though happily, I was able to track down the only one worth showing again... here for your viewing pleasure.

Oh - and did I mention the Lee Greenwood sang "God Bless the U.S.A." at half-time? (why am I so excited? have you HEARD that song... though my music tastes are somewhat varied... remember how excited I was to see and hear Taylor Hicks at last year's Orange Bowl?)

#4 Back to that flyover... no big deal, right? As it turns out, these happen so often nowadays that there's even an official government form that must be filled out in order to request the "Aerial Event Support". But has one of your old friends ever piloted a F/A-18 Super Hornet in the Army-Navy game flyover? My friend, Colin "Farva" Price, stationed in Lemoore, CA, was one of the 4 pilots chosen to perform before this year's game - and as he says (in true fighter pilot fashion), they were treated like royalty all weekend. We got a glimpse of this when a random woman approached him and asked if he would take a picture with her.

What a great way to get to see an old friend! It doesn't get much better than that!

#5 Not a new spin but part of the weekend nonetheless, Navy takes home the Commander-in-Chief's trophy once again as they emerged victorious over USMA for the 7th (or so) time in a row.

#6 After a cold but thankfully not freezing afternoon watching the greatest rivalry in college sports, we headed to Little Italy for a delicious and warm meal at Sabbatino's!

And to wrap up a packed day, we shared a variety of Vaccaro's desserts and warm drinks while driving through the Columbia neighborhood light display!

I feel like a broken record saying this but once again, Sunday afternoon came too quickly - my parents headed on their way back down to Atlanta, my brother's family went off on their merry way to chop down their Christmas tree, and Chris and I were back to Virginia. Each year, this weekend feels like the kick-off (albeit a late one) to my Christmas season, so I guess there's no turning back now!