As a devout Pittsburgh Steelers fan I am excited and elated that we are in the Super Bowl again. The mid-day trips to a Steelers bar, the endless barbequing, and incessant yelling have all paid off. I’ve been on this ride for 21 weeks and I always knew they had a good chance but with the toughest schedule in football I knew it wouldn’t be easy.

When you proudly support your team you pretty much are the team to the people around you. Monday mornings bring out the “Monday morning quarterback” in all of us and the Steelers are often front and center. Talking about close, tense games has become commonplace for me, though it hasn’t gotten any easier watching the games. If the game is on TV then I stay home where I can yell, swear, and throw things at the tv, what else can a superfan do? Living in Northern California, I haven’t had a lot of luck with our other teams so for me, this is pure joy. I have noticed a lot of anti-Steelers sentiment lately, as we try to become the only team to win 6 titles, something 49er fans don’t want to see happen.

This year I feel an obligation to throw the best Super Bowl party I can. My team is in the big game so it is only fitting. I’m going to go back home and have a party with my brother and my nephews. I look forward to spending time with my family and friends as we gather to watch the big game. For my nephews, who are 5 and 6, this will be the first time they have had a Super Bowl party. I’m taking them grocery shopping in the morning to get the supplies and I’m going to let them pick out what they want to eat which is surely a naïve uncle mistake. I want this to be a memorable experience for them. As an uncle who lives far away, I want to be part of as many “firsts” as I can with them.

I hope everyone has a great Superbowl XLIII, go Steelers!