Hello, September 1! And hello football season!
Who remembers back in the day when Patrick and I both had season tickets for two different football teams? Ah, the glory days of two 20 somethings who didn't own a house, didn't have any kids, and who didn't have that many responsibilities. There would be 14 weeks of the the season and between our home schedules, adding in an away game each year, and usually an ACC championship, we'd somehow get to 13 or 14 games during the fall.
All the fabulous tailgates.
All the fun of hanging out with our friends each week.
All the exploring and adventures we had visiting new cities and football stadiums, as well as that epic tailgate at Churchill Downs.
All the rivalry games we attended together.
These days, we're in a different phase of life. One where driving to Clemson at 6am, tailgating all day, attending a game, and driving home afterwards with a 2 year old and a 4 year old sounds absolutely miserable. One where, unfortunately for me, driving into downtown Columbia for a football game is just so much easier even if we're going to see the wrong team play and my girls are decked out in garnet and black.
We began our return to football season last year when I made it to not one, not two, but FOUR football games (including one in Clemson!) and we took the girls to their first Gamecock games.
This year, there's a possibility of attending 5-6 games. Dare I say it's starting to feel like old times?
We're celebrating the start of football this weekend down in Kiawah with our favorite tailgate dips and appetizers as we watch the Gamecocks take on the Tarheels. I love fall weekends in the low country! It's cooler, but still warm enough to spend a few hours on the beach and in the ocean. It's much less crowded. The bike trails are wide open for miles of biking. There's football on TV to look forward to in the afternoon and evening.
On Monday, I'll be up entirely too late the night before the girls' first day of school watching my Tigers take on the Duke Blue Devils.
And next weekend? We'll be back to tailgating outside of a football stadium and attending a game in person! Even if it is the wrong stadium and the wrong team and the wrong colors... it's college football and I can't wait.
