Hawk Stalk 2016

It seems like just a little while ago that footy season was over, and now it's just about to start again! Kobe has especially been excited about starting again, and couldn't wait for the NAB cup game in Launceston with Hawthorn playing against Carlton.

When I bought tickets I knew that Jay wouldn't be keen, so ended up just getting tickets for the other two boys, Mum and Helene and her kids.

It was such a beautiful night for it. It was so warm and we didn't even have to wear jumpers at all. 

We took a selfie at the beginning of the game, and I put it up on Instagram with the hashtag #nabchallenge

At half time the boys and I made a trip to the loo and to grab some food, and I got a text message from a friend who was at the game.  I was taking photos at his engagement party a couple of weeks after, and he said 'I hope our engagement pics are going to be as good as this' with a photo similar to this (this one was put on Facebook by another friend).   We made it to the big screen! What a boof head taking up almost the whole screen! 

Hawthorn won by a lot and we hope they have another good year, but I don't know if they can go four in a row. Then again I said the same thing last year. 

Because Hawthorn were down for Community Camp as it's pre season they were doing a lot of different things around Tasmania. We didn't end up going to anything this year, but on the Saturday morning I was at the Harvest Market when I saw Hawthorn put a video up on their Instagram page. It was a video of Sam Mitchell saying that he was at the Gorge (our favourite place to swim!).  He said that the first person to come up to him and say 'what a Gorge-eous day' would win a signed football. 

I knew it was about a 10 minute drive there if the traffic was okay and wondered whether it was worth the stress as I knew someone would probably get there first, but ran to the car and sped through town.  Well - I didn't actually break the speed limit, but I did drive like I've never driven before :)

The boys weren't with me, and I was having a little laugh about how crazy it was that I was getting so anxious about whether I was going to make it in time. Aaron would've been loving it.  When I got to the Gorge the car park was quite empty, so I got a really good park and then ran down the hill like a crazy woman.   Just as I was getting to the bottom of the hill, a teenage girl was just leaving with the ball in her hand! I had just missed out.

The Hawthorn players saw me and laughed and I said 'what do you get for second prize!?' so they asked me if I wanted a photo and to share some of their lollies. I took them up on the offer. We then had a chat and I told them my boys would be jealous that I had got to see them. 

I then said 'what's Hodgey up today?' as I was hoping he was going to be one of the players there as I knew he was in town.  Jordan Lewis asked me if I was a fan and I said 'yeah he's going to be my new husband' and laughed.  Jordan then said 'what, when your first husband dies?'.  I actually laughed and said 'yeah he has already' and Jordan was SO embarrassed. I laughed and told him it was totally fine (well it's not fine that Aaron isn't here, but I'm fine with it as I feel like I can joke about it now, otherwise I wouldn't have brought it up) and that I have a joke going on with all my friends as I have a crush on Luke Hodge and Aaron loved him just as much as I do, and that whenever people see him they comment about him being my husband. 

All the players laughed and Sam said 'well that was awkward' and asked the camera man who was filming got it on camera.  Sam said he wasn't sure about what Hodgey's wife Lauren would think about it, and I told him that Kobe has told me that I can't marry Hodgey as he already has some kids.  When they realised that I have boys, they said that with Hodgey's three boys we already have our own footy team. 

A few days later the Hawthorn Football Club put the video up online of giving the ball away.  My friend Kylie tagged me in the video, and my heart started racing when I realised that I must've been in the video if she tagged me.  I was hoping they didn't put our funny conversation up, and thank goodness they didn't. I appear at about 2 minutes.   You can watch it by clicking on the picture below.

Aaron would be proud that we are still stalking the Hawks four years later, even though he's not here.