A 7-1 Valentines Day Win for my Bestfriend

After FINALLY being able to tell Clayton about his V-day surprises, the day finally came! This man has never been more excited for something in his entire life. He couldn't stop thanking me, and we hadn't even packed our bags.

After a long few days of waiting in anticipation, Saturday arrived and we headed out to Chicago bright and early. Let me tell you, Clayton doesn't get up early for anything...but he was sure out of his bed in seconds that morning. He even put gas in his car the night before...he never plans that far ahead for trips! And he was ready before me...which he will probably hold against me forever.

Drive Time

We packed the car, grabbed some coffee from Dunkin, and hit the road. We jammed out to the latest Fall Out Boy CD to start. Another part of his V-day gift is a Fall Out Boy Concert at Wrigley in September. So I also bought the CD and included it in his gift bag so we could learn all the songs. I also found a pretty good 90's playlist on Youtube so we switched to that about half way through. If you have any good playlists on Spotify, let me know! Need some more good music to listen to!

Pre-Game

We stayed at the Fairfield Inn by Marriott near Michigan Avenue. It was honestly the perfect location for us. We didn't want to drive in downtown Chicago if we didn't have to and it turns out we were right across the street from several restaurants and about a block away from Michigan Avenue. After we got to the hotel we grabbed some food and did some shopping...because who would I be if I didn't shop in Chicago? I will say that the best purchase of the day was a Blackhawks outfit for Claytons old Build-A-Bear! I'm obsessed with it! After shopping we headed back to the hotel to get ready for the game.

Game Time

I could tell Clayton was getting more and more excited by the minute. We both got into our jerseys and I quickly ordered an Uber so we could be on our way before Clayton exploded. I decided that we should go to the Billy Goat Tavern on Madison before the game. It's where my dad and I went before my first game and it's filled with fans before the game. It was the perfect atmosphere to get Clayton even more pumped up before we went to the UC. We grabbed burgers and drinks, rubbed elbows with fellow Hawks fans, and counted down the minutes until the United Center doors opened.

Finally we walked into the UC and we got in line to get our tickets scanned. We walked around the entire concourse so we could both soak it all in. It may seem ridiculous to be that dramatic about it, but when you're a fan, and tickets are hard to come by, it means a lot to be able to watch your favorite team in their home building. We did some more shopping in the team store and we were even able to snag a gift for our niece! She doesn't know it yet, but she's a Hawks fan.

Clayton was worried that we would miss warm ups, so we hurried to our seats after shopping. We had plenty of time! Once we got to our seats, we found that we were sitting right under Stan Bowman and some of the sports editors. We tried listening to what Stan was saying, but didn't have much luck. Once warm ups started, it all set in. We were about to watch our favorite team!

7-1...

If you've ever been to a Blackhawks game you know that the production before the game starts is incredible. I don't know if they change it game to game or year to year, but it's always a sight to see. This year they showcased former players and of course showed highlights of the last 3 Stanley Cup wins. It's the best way to pump you up right before the game. After that came the Anthem and we cheered and yelling with all our fellow fans. To be honest, I still have no voice because of that. Then finally, the game was on.

With the way this season has gone, I didn't expect a stellar performance. i was praying that they'd score at least one goal so Clayton could have the chance to hear Chelsea Dagger and celebrate. We got so much more than I bargained for. The goals just kept coming. 7 goals from 7 different players and a LOT of celebrating. We even got to see Kane's 500th assist. I seriously could not have asked for a better performance from the Hawks. I'm beyond glad that Clayton got to see a huge WIN that night. We had a few drinks, jumped up and down a ton, and cheered until we couldn't anymore. It was an amazing way to wrap up or V-day celebration.

Post Game Hawks Encounters

Another little surprise that I managed to snag were tickets to the WGN post game event in the new Concert Club in the UC. I was online and just happened to see a Facebook event for the post game and it was only open to the first 200 fans that signed up. I got lucky and got us 2 tickets. It included access to the club, free food, cash bar, and to be up close and personal with current and former Blackhawks. I knew that if Clayton got to meet a player, this would certainly be a trip he would never forget. Turns out, he got to meet Adam Burish. It was awesome!