Last weekend, we made the nine hour trek to Clemson, South Carolina to cheer for my Clemson Tigers as they faced (one of) Eric's Alma Maters, the Florida State Seminoles.
I havent been back on Campus since 2002, and while a LOT has changed, I was really happy to see that a LOT has stayed the same. :)
Eric's has a younger brother who graduated from FSU and played golf for the Seminoles. As well as a younger brother who is enrolled as a Junior at FSU right now, and a nephew who, despite my best efforts, insists he wants to go to FSU when he graduates high school. Kyle even went so far as to decorate his entire bedroom in Seminole colors and gear. (gag!)
Dont get me wrong. I am not a fair-weather fan. I LOVE Clemson Tiger football. It is just such a rollercoaster that I was having a hard time truly believing they are THIS GOOD this season. I mean, two weeks ago, they beat the reigning National Champions, Auburn. They are lookin' GOOD! But they ARE still the Clemson Tigers. Known for starting strong and then throwing in the towel, as much as they are known for starting weak and pulling out an amazing win. You just. never. know. with these Tigers. I love 'em, but I am often found yelling at the television when they play.
Win or lose, I was very excited to show Whitney around Clemson and to be on campus with Eric for the first time. The stadium improvements are awesome, my old favorite places look the same (with bigger trees), and the same traditions still fill the air. I loved every minute of the trip. :)
Whitney was excited to see the big football field in person, and her eyes lit up when I told her the stadium would be FILLED with people the next day, all cheering "Gooo TIGERS!" She couldnt wait!!
Right after this picture was taken, Whitney turned around and said "I wanna go to Cwemson NOW, Mommy!" It is sorta contagious and its fun to know her blood may run orange as well :)
We were excited to meet up with one of my favorite friends from freshman year, Devon, and her family. Devon and Dave's son, Ethan, is just a week younger than Whitney, and the kids got along GREAT! They cracked each other up regularly and whenever we got in a car to change locations, they would repeatedly ask for each other ("Where'd Eefan go?" "Where is Whit-a-ney?") until we all arrived at dinner, campus, etc together.
Tailgating takes on a whole new meaning when A) you are pregnant and B) there are toddlers involved. Wild and crazy, we were not. But we had fun and couldnt have asked for better weather! (Ok, maybe a litttttle more breeze wouldve helped.)
We walked forEVERR from our parking spot to the stadium, but it gave us a great chance to check out the student union, see the library, listen to the band play, and walk passed a lot of the buildings I had class in.
I made Ethan's shirt and we were all smiles whenever people would ask to take a picture of it or compliment it :) Ethan was a superior model and he surely picked an AWESOME game to be his first :)
We sat in the west end zone, right next to the FSU marching band. All 3,093 marching band members. They were loud, but respectful, and Whitney liked dancing and drumming to their music. Right before the game, the Clemson kicker was practicing field goals. His kicks were amazing, but headed straight for us! We had to duck a few times, and were surprised by a few that banged into the stands, but no one was hurt.
One of my new favorite pictures. I seriously cant believe we will be a family of four.
Like most freshman, my very first football game was spent on "The Hill" at Death Valley. It is BRUTALLY hot, but the MOST fun in the stadium. The football team and coaching staff run down The Hill after rubbing Howard's Rock at the beginning of the game, and it has been dubbed the "25 Most Exciting Seconds in College Football". I cant IMAGINE anything topping that atmosphere. It gives me chills :)
The football team arrives on huge buses, which they rock back and forth with excitment as they wait to enter the stadium. Coach Dabo Swinney runs off the bus first, rubs Howard's Rock, and tells the rest of the crew to head to the Hill.
The crowd goes wild, the Clemson cheers start, they shoot off the cannon, and the Tigers run down The Hill. AMAZING.
Whitney loved the balloons :)
Kickoff was at 3:30pm...prime naptime. After getting some wiggles out and seeing the Tigers score the first touchdown, Whitney promptly passed out in Daddy's arms. Isnt he the best!?
She slept for about 45 minutes, even snoring at some points. But woke up to see the Tigers earn another sweet victory!
We had an awesome weekend from beginning to end. I wasnt as tired as I had been last week, and I was able to eat enough to avoid getting sick or feeling yucky. Couldnt have asked for a better weekend!
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