Happy Birthday to Me!

So my 40th birthday is just around the corner, and my (insert most complimentary term here) wife had been racking her brain for the best way to celebrate for me. She isn't one to enjoy hosting parties or spending a lot of money. So this is what happens this week. Her girlfriend sends her a text while we are driving somewhere in the car that reads "Have you thought about getting tickets for Jeff to the UCLA game?" My wife asks me "do you want to go?" I say "of course, in fact I would love to go to all the games in September!" She says "you should! 4 games for your 40th birthday! Then I don't have to throw you a 40th birthday party."



How cool is that! I get to go to Lincoln (never been there). I get to go to Provo (I've been there, but not since RN completed the comeback against USU). I get to go to LA (I'm here right now on a little beach vacation with the family, but I've never watched BYU play live here), and I get to go to Ann Arbor (lived in Michigan for several years and was already going, but I've never seen BYU play there).



I can't tell you how excited I am for my "4 for 40"! I know that it'll be one of those life experiences that I'll never forget (like when Yolanda signed my ball at Notre Dame, but better). If you have any suggestions as to how I might maximize my trips, feel free to share. Go Cougs!



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Way to celebrate in style! Sounds like a great month of September. :)

Start doing lots of yoga and meditation. Because if you are at all prone to allow your mood to be dictated by BYU wins and losses--like many fans do, you are going to have a crappy month. 1-3 or 0-4 is going to suck for you. Otherwise, Ya, it's pretty cool you get to see 4 of the coolest and most historic stadiums in the country.

But the mere chance of beating any of those teams on their home turf is also a pretty cool prospect, just unlikely.

While admittedly, I am generally optimistic about BYU's ability to compete in every game they play, I am not optimistic that they will go 4-0 on my "4 for 40". I do believe that the Cougs will be 3-1 come October. They are going to win in Lincoln, Provo and Ann Arbor. Go Cougs!



If I am Proven to be unprophetic, I will still have the trips of a lifetime. Losses can't ruin my "4 for 40"!



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Happy birthday indeed!!!



Would love to see BYU play at those stadiums. Will be a ton of fun, regardless of W-L. I'm predicting BYU to come away from those games with a 3-1 record, Loss coming at UCLA.

Thanks! I see that we're on the same page regarding w/l. If the Cougs are 3-1 come October, where does that place them in the polls?



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You're wife is fantastic! I think this will be the experience of a lifetime. I have enjoyed my road games a great deal, win or lose. Give yourself plenty of time before each game to walk around and enjoy the scenery. You'll run into some bad fans, but you'll run into a lot more great fans.

Thanks Hawk!



My buddy is taking responsibility for booking and planning the Nebraska game. I am planning on making the BSU game a work trip. My wife is attending the UCLA game with me, and I am planning & booking the Michigan game. I am planning some stay and play golf in northern michigan, and my BIL is possibly doing some display & sound work for BYU at Michigan, so we might get some VIP treatment there. I can't wait!

Seriously looking for input as to how to make our trips more memorable, and am still in need of Nebraska tickets amongst the Cougar faithful. If anyone has tickets or knows of tickets that will be available I'm interested. Thanks in advance.

Anyone familiar with Lincoln out there? Our flight doesn't land until 11 pm on Friday night. We are flying in to Omaha and staying somewhere in between. We're going to miss the fireside, but would like to enhance our trip to Lincoln on campus before and after the game.

Having done two years in grad school in Lincoln, unless you want some affordable but average golf, the greatest sight to see is the third largest city in Nebraska (yes, the stadium during game)--the historic and amazing Cornhusker stadium.

Go see the tailgating and what true fans do to show their true colors! Not a lot of idiotic pink Huskers apparel. Maybe some camo apparel, but ya, go wander around the pre-game festivities and see how a real (vs a wannabe) university preps for its games. Usually fans are pretty good folks unlike the deplorable ute fans. Not as nice as KSU fans, but pretty good hosts and fans who are excited for a much better than average home opener.

Never been to Lincoln. Looking forward to your report.

The Lincoln game-day experience is a great one. I took a customer (who is a former player) to the Nebraska vs Northwestern game their 1st year in the Big 10.



Couple things I noticed when I was there:

1) Red Everywhere (peppered with a few blackshirts)

2) Unanimity - they know why they are there and are united in that effort

3) Red! The faceplates on the steps are painted red... makes the stadium look more red

4) Lots of the same music (no Popcorn Popping) but the band plays a lot of the same bumper tunes... I kept wanting to yell "Go Cougars"

5) Not a ton of food for sale (that I saw)... most are tailgating with food.

6) Satellite TVs on cars, trucks and RVs. Only 85K or so can get into the game. Some will hit homes or bars, but if you paid to park why not stay and watch the game where you can hear the cheers!

7) Savvy fans... they were quiet when the Huskers had the ball, and rowdy when the D was on the field.

8) Seat backs are the norm... everyone (well, huge majority) pay $10 to get a seat back for the bench. Makes the game more pleasant, and they are all red, so the stadium pops more.



I had planned to be there, but my work schedule has me traveling that week. Go, yell loud, and wear blue!

I picked up the new game day shirts last week while in Provo. I'm a big fan of jerseys. I would love to pick up an authentic stitched game jersey that I can proudly wear on my September tour. I wish there was a reasonable place to find one. I can't bring myself to pay charity auction or Ebay collector pricing for one. If any of you know where I can get one at a reasonable price let me know.