Thurs 6/18 and Fri 6/19

Friday

Game day!! The bus was leaving at 10:30 for the pre game bar and we needed to pick up laundry so we headed to the mall first thing in the morning. We came back to the room and got last minute preparations done for the day. For me, that included getting my tiara and glitter tattoos put on. J We headed down to the lobby where everyone was gathered and waiting for the bus. The mood was excitement with a bit of nervousness. We boarded the bus, did a roll call and then took off for the pre game bar. We were jamming a bunch of US themed songs including Duece’s Don’t Tread on This. We got to the bar and half was tables and the other half was the bar part. I decided to eat a good meal to last me for awhile so grabbed a pizza and some beers. It was a fun time with chants and songs being sung throughout the bar. This continued for a couple of hours and there where a couple of news outlets coming in and recording footage and getting some interviews. We left the bar at about 1:30 to head to the stadium.

The bus on the way to the stadium was rocking and the excitement was building. We got the bus parked and went across for the street for a few minutes where the people there were playing Wave Your Flag and Waka Waka and dancing. Quite a few of us joined in and attempted to learn the line dance they were doing. After that finished up, the march to the stadium began.

We went in and enjoyed some of the pre game festivities around Ellis Park. We went to the MTN sponsor stage and I managed to score a little yellow case that came with face paint, wet wipe and ear plugs….essential game day things.

We headed into the stadium and found our seats….we saw a bunch of our friends near the front row….so after the game started we decided to head down and see if we could get a better spot. Most of you who watched the game know we were successful. The game seems like a blur. Going down two goals was very dejecting but all the people around us kept going with chants and songs. In the second half when we came back it was just amazing. When we scored the 3rd goal…we were ecstatic until we all realized it had not been called a goal. We didn’t know what happened. It was still amazing to have come back.

Walking back to the bus was pretty celebratory because of the comeback. Once we got back to the hotel we had a few beers and talked and watched the England game. It had been an exhausting day…so we stayed pretty low key.

Saturday

First off…Happy 2nd Birthday to my niece Mia. So sad I am missing out on her birthday party today.

A bunch of American Outlaw guys were playing a game with a local club here, Fat Cats FC, at 11:00. We boarded a shuttle and then headed to Sandton for the game. The guys played a great game and it was a fun time. After the game, the guys traded jerseys and had fun talking.

We headed back to the hotel and then later we headed to the mall and ran some errands…..cash, reload the cell phone, etc. We came back to the hotel and have just been hanging out since. Rey and Antonio are heading home tomorrow, so they are organizing and packing up. Sean and Max headed to a casino to watch the late game and do some gambling. We may head downstairs and watch the game and grab some food. In the morning we are going to head to a market to look for souvenirs and then head to the Brazil vs. Ivory Coast game. That is all for now. Pics HERE!!