To be honest with you I was not prepared for this night. I had no idea what to expect nor did I spend much time thinking about it beforehand. I was too busy writing lists of all the things I had to do before Thursday night came. Work was insanely busy, the dishes were piled high, laundry desperately needed to be done, and we had yet to pack for our 6:00am flight to NC Friday morning. By the time we walked through the front door of Robert Kraft’s house, I was just thankful I remembered to shave my legs?! So you can image how caught off guard I was, within minutes of arriving, to turn around and find the most important person at the party reaching out his hand to say, “Hi, I’m Tom.”

We pulled into the courtyard of Kraft’s secluded New England cottage around 7:00pm, past a number of security, staff, and an ice sculpture of the Patriot’s logo the size of a small boulder. My first thought when I saw the front of his house was: Wow. Mansions don’t look the same up North. Don’t get me wrong – it was beautiful. It was charming and homey with a lot of greenery and trees around. It was so secluded that I probably just couldn’t see a majority of the house. I just expected a flashy 1,000-bed, 100-bath Cobb County mansion with a 10 car-garage.

As soon as we stepped out of the car I became acutely aware of how quiet it was – the kind of quiet that makes you nervous. Not one staff member moved or said a word and I couldn’t help but think that somewhere during my busy week of rushing and checking off lists, I may have underestimated the magnitude of this event.

The inside of his house was classy and vintage, with heavy-looking drapes and patterned wallpapers. It felt old, but expensive. As soon as we crossed the threshold we were directed to an open room where guests were lined up – waiting to be welcomed into the back yard by the host himself. No one had come in behind us, so we were at the back of the line when AJ nudged me and said, “There’s Tom.” Next thing I know, I’m turning around to one of the most famous pro football players of all time and his even more exquisite supermodel wife walking towards us! Tom and AJ said what’s up to each other, then Tom reached out his hand to introduce himself to me. 

Ok, he’s Tom Brady… I would have accepted a simple, “Hey! What’s your name?”… but I guess he’s a humble man, because he gave me the full, “Hey I’m Tom. Nice to meet you.” as if I didn’t already know.

And I’ve gotta be honest with you: I had no idea I’d be so starstruck. I really didn’t. AJ’s career has lead to us meeting a couple well-renowned stars already, and I’m no stranger to the array of public attention AJ has received himself. So I’d like to think I’m able to see these people as normal humans who live and breath just like me, but this was different. It wasn’t even Tom that got me. It was Gisele. Gisele Bündchen: a tall, thin, insanely beautiful Brazilian angel. Sent straight from heaven down to the Victoria Secret runway (and like 500 others throughout her career).

It took me at least thirty minutes to shake that moment. Just wow. I mean, that’s the epitome of meeting a celebrity. I met one of the biggest supermodels in the WORLD. Shook her HAND. Lord help me, I didn’t expect to fangirl like this.

After that *all too fleeting* encounter with Tom and Gisele, we turned back towards the line and I was whispering all kinds of things to AJ. I was like, “Should I sneak a pic? Nope, way too close to go unnoticed. What do we do now? Do we just carry on like that didn’t just happen? Am I talking loud enough that they can hear me?” LOL. He was laughing, I was laughing, and the people in front of us moved forward in line. We crossed through the doorway to find Robert Kraft and his photographers standing right outside. We exchanged niceties and he arranged us on either side of him for a photo, and about 30 seconds later we were on our way to the main attraction (already on track for greatness, if you ask me).

We started down the stairs leading from the back of the house to the party and passed two more ice sculptures: three tall rectangles on our left and three on our right, representing the six Super Bowl wins. Each was complete with a dancing flame behind (which doesn’t totally make sense to me, but the ice sculptures were still solid by the end of the night so I guess it was fine ??). To our left at the bottom of the stairs was an open area featuring the six Lombardi trophy’s lined up on a table and an enormous display of the team logo painted in the grass. Directly in front of us was a large patio where most everyone was mingling, and to the right was the dining area setup for the night.

We made our way through the crowd at the patio entrance and, being an extremely perceptive person, I didn’t miss a beat. The floor was covered in an exaggerated black and white tiled pattern. The walls were white-painted brick and the ceiling was glass. There was an oval-shaped bar right in the center of the outdoor room and couches set up along the exterior walls. People were everywhere and staff was coming around offering an assortment of h’ordeurves. I honestly can’t even tell you what they were by name, but I can tell you that the sushi bar was a hit! And right next to that was a bulletin board where our table assignments hung.

It wasn’t long before the staff urged us all towards a set of double doors that had just been opened into the dining area. And let me tell you, that room was ~ p r e t t y ~. It was obvious that the patio and bar space was a permanent fixture of Kraft’s home, but it seemed like this room had been created just for this night. It was beautiful. Plush white carpets. Large sphere-shaped flower arrangements hanging from the ceilings, alongside modern-looking chandelier lights. Everything was glass: the walls, the ceilings, the centerpieces.

We found our table easily and sat down to our personalized place settings: a menu card with our names on them, folded up in a napkin with the Patriot’s logo embroidered on the front. Each table had a few Chik-fil-A bags when we arrived – because I guess the h’ordeuves were just the appetizer to the appetizer. But I can’t even lie… I destroyed that chicken, and the fries next. A southern girl just can’t turn down Chik-fil-A, what can I say?!

On the far end of this beautiful dining space was a screen that ran across the entirety of the back wall. Directly in front of it stood a stage with a small podium. Robert Kraft began to speak and from there forward things just went with the wind. Funny videos were shown. Jokes were made. We were all seated, so the salads came around to each table. Then everyone was up again, socializing before Tom came up to speak. He talked awhile, then the main course came out. People got up and moved around the room again, then back to our seats for Kraft and Belichick to speak a little more. We ate, we socialized, we had a good time, and then things got crazy y’all… because next came the rings.

This part is somewhat of a blur. The last thing I remember Kraft saying was, “Don’t open your box right away,” before the lights went down. The song, “We are the Champions,” started playing and waiters and waitresses showed up surrounding our table, holding a box in each hand. Someone probably announced the opening of the boxes but we were honestly too eager to notice. The next thing we know the boxes were being handed to each player. The lights came back on, confetti began falling all over the room, and the music got louder. And there they were… literal ROCKS lying before us. 422 Diamonds and 20 Blue Sapphires – almost 10 carat’s of pure *Championship* sitting pretty under a single spotlight in a black velvet box.

Of course we took a million pictures and videos. Who wouldn’t?! I can’t even tell you how many times I made AJ pose with that thing on his finger. We were in awe. I have never seen anything like that in my entire life. I mean, it put every diamond ring in the building to shame (sorry ladies!). It’s no wonder AJ can’t even remember when the fireworks came. Seriously. He has no recollection of fireworks at all.

But they definitely happened. Red, white, and blue fireworks filled the sky above us – which was clearly visible through the glass ceiling. They were the cherry on top, the icing on the cake, the well-deserved grand finale rounding off the unveiling of the Super Bowl LIII Championship rings. After that there was no choice but to party! So the celebration began…

The surprise performers came out: T.I. and Migos, and the energy was high. We were all high on diamonds and sapphires, on dreams come true and prayers answered. We were high on a long awaited moment that these men have dreamed of since they first picked up a football. A moment that is achieved from incredible faith, hard work, and a destiny that only God can determine. Camera’s were flashing, music was playing, drinks were being poured. It was the most blissful and light experience – like floating on a feather.

It was a crazy night. One that we will both remember and talk about for years to come. It’s an incredible honor to have been given this route in life. It wasn’t too long ago that AJ was playing for the NY Giants. We never guessed he’d end his season there and 7 days later be a part of the playoffs as a New England Patriot. In his first year he experienced not only a Super Bowl, but a Super Bowl WIN! 

There are so many talented men out there fighting for this role, so many that deserve it. But God chose AJ. We could not be more thankful, humbled, or aware of our blessings as we are today. NEVER GIVE UP ON YOUR DREAMS. Destiny cannot be stopped! What God has for you can not be taken from you!! Your book is written. So trust the next chapter, because faith is very REAL and nothing can stop your blessings from coming!