Sometimes the best-laid plans go awry.
That was the case for Eric Cole, who had every intention of experiencing his first snowy playoff game at Gillette Stadium when the New England Patriots hosted the Houston Texans in the AFC Divisional Round.
He bought his ticket and was ready to make the 13-hour drive from West Virginia to Massachusetts. With a baby on the way, and having just bought a house, he figured he would save money on a flight and hotel this way.
Eric and his wife, Mariah, even checked with their doctor to make sure it wasn't too close to her due date. They got full clearance.
"We had just gotten the OK from my doctor two days before for him to go to the game," Mariah said.
"Our doctor was like, 'Oh, yeah. You're not even close yet.' And I knew this was his dream. He always wanted to go to a snow game at Gillette."
The snow still fell in Foxborough that day, but Eric wouldn't be there to see it.
As a surprise to everyone, Mariah went into premature labor the day before the game. The newest Patriots fan, Ireland Rose, was born three weeks before her due date.
Ultimately, Eric didn't think twice about selling the tickets. He was overjoyed to watch the game from the hospital room with his wife and brand new baby.
Mariah pulled out her phone to record his reactions to the Patriots win, and when she woke up the next morning, she realized she went viral to the tune of over 1 million views on Instagram.
"He's not one for attention, but he's so funny and I love his enthusiasm for the games," said Mariah.
"I knew he was going to have great reactions the whole time and that's why I took my phone out. It was more for memories. I never thought the video would go so viral, but I woke up to a message from SportsCenter and Barstool Sports asking to use the video and that's when I realized."
The comment section of the video didn't disappoint. Fellow Patriots fans suggested "Drake Maye" or "Kayshon Boutte" might be a great name for the little girl.
Eric and Mariah didn't take it that far. They already had a name picked out to honor Mariah's grandmother, but don't let that take away from their fandom.
In fact, the Patriots were a crucial part of their love story.
"When Eric and I met almost 12 years ago he told me he was a Patriots fan," Mariah said. "And I said, great, this is my husband, because we might have been the only two Patriots fans I knew of in Kentucky."
Mariah's family were big Boston Red Sox fans when she was growing up, and while she inherited their allegiances for baseball, she didn't like the Cincinnati Bengals, who her family all rooted for. Already a Red Sox fan, it made sense for her to adopt the Patriots as well.
Eric's fandom, however, was passed down from his dad.
"I've been a Patriots fan since before I can remember because my dad was stationed up in Boston in the military years ago," Eric said. "So I've been a fan since I was little because of him. He became a big Patriots fan, and he was a big Marshall fan as well, so we got to see guys like Randy Moss and Troy Brown and a few others go on to play for the Patriots. We try to go to games any time we can."
Early on in their relationship, Eric and Mariah attended a Super Bowl XLIX party and watched their Patriots defeat the Seahawks. They took their first anniversary trip to Massachusetts to attend a Patriots game, and go to New England once a year. They even learned they were pregnant with Ireland Rose on their July trip to Boston to catch a Red Sox game.
Now, with the Patriots back in the Super Bowl against Seattle, things have come full circle. They see why the universe had it play out this way.
Ireland Rose was due on the same day as the big game, so missing the Divisional Round was worth it for Eric, who had a new buddy to watch the AFC Championship with – and now, the Super Bowl, too.
"That's why Ireland came early," Mariah said. "She didn't want her dad to miss the Super Bowl."
