C-L-E-M-S-O-N!!!

It's almost here. It's like I can smell it or even taste it in the air. Football. 3 weeks. Football. 21 days. Football. It's becoming difficult to contain myself.

I wanted to let everyone know that the fam and I (along with several friends) will be loading up to head to The SC for the Clemson/Middle Tennessee State University game on September 5. You may know that Kyle graduated from MTSU and is utterly devoted to his Alma mater's growing football program and thinks they really have a chance. Isn't that so cute? I would like to go ahead and tell my husband that I'm sorry they lost and sure... it was pretty close.

It looks like we will have quite the crowd for this game! My BFF Heather and her husband, Jason, Kyle's BFF Gary and his friend Mikey. I am also bringing my friend Brittany. I am almost more excited for her to experience this than myself! She's going to absolutely fall in love! I am thrilled that my friends Steph and Emily will be making the game as well! Thanks to Steph, we will be sitting pretty behind the Esso, among that gorgeous jade green palmetto grass and those towering Carolina maples. I could name a hundred different things that I love about Stephanie Young, NOT including her picturesque tailgating oasis. But that certainly gives me an excuse to make it a hundred and one!

This picture was from the Clemson/Boston College game in 07. It goes into my memory bank as being pretty close to a perfect day! And that's not a label I use lightly. The game ended up being quite the heart breaker but I had the best time with these two amazing women! I think... no, I know that if these two girls and I lived closer together... we just might be inseparable!

I wish that I could find the right words to describe my personal adoration of Clemson football- for the school in general. It started at an early age, passed down graciously and feverishly from my father. My dad was devoted like no other. I vividly remember in the early 90's when he worked for Pepsi and his route included the Clemson campus. Every week he was able to interact with several of the guys on the football team. And he was like a kid at Christmas. I would listen to him talk about kidding around with Chester McGlockton, who went to the Los Angeles Raiders in the 1st round of the NFL draft in 92. My dad was so proud to say that, even if for a short while, Chester was his buddy. To this day, when I think of my Father, I think of him loud, laughing and wearing something orange.

Unlike many of my friends, I did not actually attend Clemson. I think at one point I told people this was because they didn't have a softball team and I really wanted to try and play ball somewhere. Truth was, I didn't have the money or grades to get in. But that's ok...everything works out how it should. I did, however, attend Clemson for other reasons. Reasons that mostly center around boys and beer. If that was a class, I would have been the star pupil.

My memories of my days at Clemson are some of the most cherished ones I own. I made wonderful friends, engaged in all kinds of debauchery, and learned about myself in the process. It was the most fun-loving and care-free time in my life and I am looking forward to re-visiting at least some of that on September 5. Good times will be had!