UPDATE : Congrats to the 49ers and fans on your victory, it was a great game and even though I’m sad the Saints are out, I’ll be rooting for the 49ers to go the rest of the way!

Today my beloved Saints play my beloved 49ers in the NFC division playoff.

I know, you’re saying WHAT? Beloved 49ers?

Yes.

My daddy played for the 49ers for two years back in the early 60s before an injury forced him out of the NFL. My parents went to the inaugural Saints season in 1967 when I was just a glimmer in my daddy’s eye. I grew up loving Archie Manning and Joe Montana. I adored black, red and gold. I went to Superbowl XXIV in the Superdome and watched the 49ers beat the Denver Broncos like a drum.

I also started going to Saints games when I was old enough to drive and spent many a crazy day (and night) in dat Dome and on Bourbon Street. I remember The Aint’s, the Cajun Cannon, Bless You Boys, coulda woulda shoulda, Da Coach, The Dome Patrol and all the greats like Hilliard, Sam Mills, Hokie and so many others that wore the black and gold. My best friend Sue and I would take off on a whim from Picayune to NOLA, wearing our football outfits, armed with our signs, party cups and beads, knowing somehow we’d find a way into the game to Who Dat to our hearts content. (I was so excited I couldn’t keep my eyes open!)

I adore the 49ers.

I love the Saints.

My heart will always belong to my daddy, but my football soul?

Who Dat forever.

GEAUX SAINTS.

Who ? New Orleans Saints vs. Atlanta Falcons.

What ? Monday Night Football.

When ? December 27th.

Where? The Georgia Dome. Atlanta, GA.

Why ? Cause we’re Who Dats ! We don’t need a reason to party.

How ? Tailgating at the motor home outside the stadium. Come with me from B’ham or meet us there. Everyone is welcome ! Tickets? Not yet. Working on it. More details to follow.

Laissez le bon temps roulez …..

I went “back home” for a few days to visit friends in Mississippi and go to New Orleans for the NFC Championship game. I drove around my old home town, visited friends, left flowers at the cemetery, and just reconnected for a few days. Not much has changed in small town Mississippi, and even though I have, my friends there are like family and I always feel like “I’m home” when I get here. It’s a nice feeling to have. Sitting on the corner and looking across at my old house was tough, but I just thought of the memories I’ll always have and it made it a little easier to drive away. From there, I went to New Orleans. I have spent a large chunk of my life in and around that city, and to say that it’s soul and mine are intertwined would be an understatement. So many things I remember….. shopping with my Granny on Canal Street, my Papaw watching me ice skate at Lake Forest Mall, Christmas in The Oaks, Mardi Gras, Jazz Fest, Audubon Zoo, oysters and poboys with my parents at Acme, dinner at Galatoire’s …. My daddy was born there, his family before him, and he and I both spent our youth on it’s streets from the Vieux Carre to the Garden District, Gregory and I renewed our vows and spent so many happy times there…. it’s a beautiful city and so much more than what the tourists see. It fills my heart with joy each time I visit, and also with sadness at what is no longer because of Katrina. But this trip was different for me and the city, because the New Orleans Saints have finally made it to the Super Bowl. WWL’s Jim Henderson summed up the emotion of a city and her daughter’s and sons in this clip……

…and I was there to see it. It was a moment I will never forget, and one that I will cherish forever. In the city I love, surrounded by my close friends, and basking in the feeling of so many that feel the same way. Grown men crying, strangers hugging strangers, screaming so loud until our voices were hoarse, and cries of “Who Dat” filling the streets. It was one of the most emotional moments I think I’ve ever experienced. And it wasn’t just football. It was the city, the memories, the two men that shared those memories in that city with me. I was crying for my team, but I was crying for them. I was crying for my grandparents, my great aunt. All of the people who passed their love of the city onto me. I felt them with me. And it felt good.

Yes, I know what it means to miss New Orleans.

But I also know she lives within me. And I am never alone.

Who Dat.