How to Prepare for the Big Game

Every team has their rivalry that when they meet in the season that is considered the big game. The University of Kentucky has the University of Louisville, Purdue University has Indiana University, just to name a couple.  If you are anything like me, the big game means a reason to party.  I am going to give my tips on how to prepare for the big game and party.

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Food: So food is very important during any sporting event, but it is especially important with college basketball and football.  The favorite in our house is queso and chips.  I usually make a spicy one with sausage in it and a mild one that has no meat in it.  My best tip would be to stick with finger foods during games.  I have discovered that people don't want to hold plates with food on them during intense games that arms are flailing. 


Drinks:  Make sure you stock up on drinks before people start arriving.  I always forget to get ice, so somebody always has to run to the store and get a bag. Oops. You need to decide if your night of enjoying the game is going to be a BYOB, bring your own beer, or if you are willing to share your alcohol with them. I am usually a person that doesn't mind sharing, but my house is a BYOB kind of place.


Gear:  Every team needs to have their gear ready by game time and that includes their fans. One of the first things I do the week of the game is make sure our team apparel is washed and ready for game day.  My husband makes sure he has his lucky hat on before every game because he feels it really helps the team.

Image from JD Becker website

Friends and Family: Make sure you invite your favorite people over to enjoy the game with.  It really stinks to be so busy preparing for the game that you forget to invite people out to watch the game. Personally, my favorite way to watch the game is with a ton of friends having a great time. It is usually a night of laughter and yelling at the television, which is always awesome!

Now, enjoy your game!

March Madness

     March is that time of year that people start getting antsy.  The weather is changing and becoming warmer and college basketball is down to the final tournament, March Madness.  This is my favorite time of year for both of these reasons. College basketball is something I remember watching with my dad when I was growing up.  I loved when the Kentucky Wildcats played with Coach Pitino by their side.  I believe those were the years it was instilled in me that I was born to be a Cats fan.

March Madness has always been a huge event and something that many people talk about around the water cooler at work, but it is turning into so much more with social media.  People are able to communicate to anyone during the games through Twitter and there are many hashtags based on March Madness alone. You can follow all of the happenings of March Madness through social media and not really worry about what you are going to miss.  Every team has a hashtag now, but the University of Louisville and the University of Kentucky have many to represent different aspects of the team and their fans including #tweak, #BBN, #L1C4, #LouisvilleHateWeek. There are also people you can follow to get in depth detail of the game and get a behind the scene look at what is going on. Nick Stover (@ULFlyingCard) is a great example of this for University of Louisville fans.

This week is the most exciting game of the season for both University of Kentucky and University of Louisville since they are meeting in the Sweet 16 (#Sweet16).  This has sparked many conversations and friendly rivalry trash talking on social media about who's team is going to win.  I think social media is great for this and really adds to the excitement and experience of the game.  I know I look forward to it because of all the hype this game is receiving.  After all, it is the biggest game of the year!

Barry's Cheesesteaks

One day my husband came home and told me about a new cheesesteak place that opened on Preston Hwy in Louisville called Barry's Cheesesteaks. Ever since our favorite cheesesteak place moved out of Louisville, we had been searching for something even close to it. We googled it and found a WHAS 11 interview with Barry Washington.  We watched the interview and had to visit this place. I am sure you will too.

Barry Washington grew up in a rough neighborhood in Philadelphia and lost his way as a young teenager and started selling drugs like cocaine and heroine.  He had hit rock bottom after years in and out of jail and was stabbed multiple times after people he robbed retaliated. It wasn't until he was living on the streets that he asked two men walking if they could help him get something to eat that things changed.  The gentlemen that helped invited him to church that evening and he went, which ended up being one of the best decisions he made.  Since then he has earned his GED, went to school for ministry,  and became a pastor at a church called Redeemed Christian Church located in the West end of Louisville. His story was featured on the 700 Club.

As a pastor he began to notice that the church didn't off many activities for their teenagers and young adults.  That is when he decided  he needed to find something to keep them off the streets.  They decided to open Barry's Cheesesteaks, but he made the youth prepare everything from finding the location and renovating it to running most of the everyday operations of the business.



While it was the back story that led us to this place, it is the food and people that keeps up coming back almost weekly.  They have a basic menu that includes, or course, chicken and steak cheesesteaks sandwiches, burgers, wings, fries, etc. The philly cheesesteak (#2 on the menu) is my absolute favorite and because it is so good I have not tried anything else. This restaurant is one of my daughter's favorite place to go.  The people there just adore her and make her feel so special. You can tell they are loving what they are doing.  I look forward to seeing their smiling faces when we walk through the door.  I am telling everyone they must go and check this place out because they will not be disappointed.  Everyone we know that has tried Barry's Cheesesteaks has been back multiple times.  In other words, if you come to Louisville, KY go to Barry's Cheesesteaks, get some amazing food, and witness yourself what he is doing for these kids.  He is keeping them from making the same mistakes he did growing up and giving them something to be proud of.  They ALL have every right to be proud.