PFUFA

PFUFA

Monday, August 6, 2012

Trip to Canton & Back!!

As you already know, we took a road trip to Canton, Ohio for the Hall of Fame events and to meet up with the Pro Football Ultimate Fan Association. I had been nominated and became a prospect for joining... We'll get to all that fun in a second.


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First, a message from our sponsors *giggles*

Liz Renfro at www.LizRenfro.com - if you are buying or selling property in Texas, get in touch with Liz and tell her you heard it from me! You will be glad you did!

The Big Game USA at www.TheBigGameUSA.com - be sure to check out their website and get ideas for a custom football to celebrate a special occasion in your life! Here's my custom football:



Mel Renfro from www.MelRenfro.com - My favorite Hall of Famer and all around terrific person, Mel has a variety of items for fans - including a custom, limited edition football that's far cooler than mine!! He'll even autograph it for you! Follow Mel at: facebook.com/MelRenfro20 to see where he might be doing his next appearance and autograph signing!

Spirit Star Hat from www.SpiritStarHat.com - my favorite hat ever! Not only does it help me rep my team in a big way but it also serves as a food & beverage tray! It will carry up to 3 of your favorite gameday drinks plus snacks! Check it out & order today!!

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Okay - Back to the fun!! Many of you followed along as I posted every 2 hours from the road to let you know we were okay. (The fan-family worries about me... I wonder why!? LOL!) You can see all the photos from the trip at: facebook.com/TxShelby

We left Monday at about 10am, partied with the fan-family in Memphis and kept moving. Before I knew it, we were miles from our hotel almost a full day early! We got a room, kicked back & relaxed while waiting for the rest of the gang! And yes, I know you're not surprised as I am early for Everything! LOL!

Wednesday, peeps starting arriving and the fun kicked off with introductions, tips and time with fans from around the League. We toured the city, went to the store to stock up on goodies for the hotel and drove up to Canton to get a feel for where everything would be located. It was a nice, relaxing day... By the end of the night, I knew one thing for sure: I had found my people!!

Thursday got an early start with the 1st Play event that ran from the beautiful McKinley Park to the steps of the Hall of Fame. We were greeted by a bunch of enthusastic children who passed the ball behind us along the route. We shook hands with the kids, signed t-shirts and handed out our trading cards. The ball made its way to the steps for the official beginning of the new NFL Season. It was spectacular!




After that, we were off to an appreciation party where the kids were treated to a sack lunch and got to spend time with some of their favorite characters from the P.F.U.F.A. - It was a really neat experience. Then we were off to visit with some children who couldn't join in the fun that morning as they were in the Akron Children's Hospital. The Ultimate Fans brought the kids all kinds of goodies. The children and their parents were happy to see all of us. For me, it was heart-warming to see all of them smile and giggle at the fan's terrific characters while being showered with gifts.

That night, my husband and I went to a secret location to meet up with... well, if I told you (you know the rest) What a great time we had though! I heard we missed a great party back at the fan hotel though! I'll catch that one next time :)

Friday, we were up early to go where the floats for the parade were being kept. The judges came around and fans let out a huge roar! I have a video of that on the facebook page mentioned above! Check the wall!! :) That night, we attended the first tailgate party of the season! It was awesome! Fans from all over the country representing nearly every team in the league had tents up and were serving some of their favorites from gameday at their house!




Saturday, we were up and on the road very early for the parade! WOW! What a treat! Fans lined the streets and were looking for fans representing their favorite team on or behind the float. I could talk about this for a while but I'll let the photos tell the story. After that, we were back at the Hall for an event directed towards the kids. They recieved school supplies, high fives and autographs from their favorite fans and left skipping down the street. Those kids were so excited about meeting the fans. I loved it! Saturday night was part two to the tailgate party... after the announcements were made about the P.F.U.F.A. Class of 2012.

**Insert Drum Roll Here**

And yes!! I was one of them!! Big thank you to all our friends who sent messages of support! I couldn't ask for a better group of friends and I'm so happy to have you in our lives!
Sunday morning, we packed up the car before heading to the Hall of Fame where the breakfast and awards ceremony was being held. Awards for many things were given out, inductees were announced and given the members only coin then we toured the Hall.


We had to take a quick tour so we could get back to Texas as quick as possible. Many of you noticed we changed the plans for our return trip. We needed to get back to be with the family as we've lost one of our most treasured family members. Over the next few days, you may not see any of us online much. We will be spending time with the family while we celebrate the life of the one who was recently called home. For our friends who caught the news of this before now and reached out to us, thank you. Your prayers and friendship are comfort as we say our farewells to a loved one. Pops will be missed but we know that when our call home comes, he will be there waiting for us... with his beautiful smile and arms ready for a hug. Heaven got a good one...

Arriving safely at home early this morning, we grabbed a nap and are currently waiting for the temps outside to come down so we can unload the car before we go offline for a few days... We know Pop was very excited for us. He wanted us to enjoy the trip to Canton... and most of all, he wanted me to be able to join the P.F.U.F.A. - I am so glad we were able to do both. I hope to continue to make him proud of his son's wife.

I hope you will all make plans to attend the Hall of Fame events next year! It was a little strange doing football related things without the fan-family! We thought of you guys often and could be heard saying "____ would love this!"

Lastly - Congrats to the P.F.U.F.A. Class of 2012!!




And thank you to the current members for such a warm welcome and treating us like family from the start! We will see you next year at the family reunion!!

Love always,
Shelby






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