Ode to Ole Miss

It's funny that on the day Polly sent me this link: http://sports.espn.go.com/ncf/news/story?page=sec/olemiss

I told an Ole Miss tailgating story.

For some of you reading this article, it will bring back memories of your Ole Miss tailgating...some as recently as last weekend. But for others of you, you will think its a little on the over-the-top and bizarre side of life. But let me assure you, you're right. But that's the beauty of it all. And it's fun. And there's lots of good food...really good food. Oh, yeah...there's a football game you can watch, too.

My parents tell me that my first Ole Miss game was win I was 18 months. (I'm sad to say that my last Old Miss game was nine years ago. Blame that on this military life.) Going to games is just what we did every fall growing up. And the rest of my family still goes when they can. I remember being checked out of school early on Fridays so we could get an early start to the weekends.

I remember one Friday being checked out early and Mom and I were walking down the hallway we were meet by a teacher. She asked if I was being check out b/c I was sick. I promptly and loudly said, "No, we're going to an Ole Miss game!!" Mom tried to get me to be quiet - she knew the teacher probably didn't think that was good reason to leave school early!

Going to the games also meant seeing family. I remember a lot of games begging my parents to let me stay with Aunt Linda or Mamaw Purvis or Momma Lee. Yes, there was a period in my life where I would do just about anything not to go. I'm sure my parents were glad to get rid of me on those times, too. Of course, my brother Ricky won't miss a game for anything! But the time I was a teenager I was more into going...of course, that may because I had a new dress to wear...

I remember going to a lot of away games as well. If the game was in Dallas, New Orleans, or Memphis, or anywhere close by, we would try to go. We probably made it to at least half the away games back then. I remember going to one away game in Knoxville. It was so cold! I remember Mom putting about three pairs of tights, two or three pairs of pants on me. (I'm sure I totally annoyed my mom by asking for the bathroom as soon as she finished dressing me!)

So many memories! Of course, there are all those games when I attended Ole Miss...and the parties after all the parents went home...but that's another blog.

Here's memory that the moms probably didn't know: As the family knows Drew was trainer for the football team for three years. It was during that third season that he decided that something in his life had to go. One night he and I went to the head-trainer's,Leroy's, house, . Drew explained that he was quiting due to the amount of responsibilities of AF ROTC, upper-level accounting classes he had, he just didn't have time to do it all anymore. He wanted his free time to be spent with me and not at the field house. Leroy seem to understand. After all, ROTC and accounting were going to be his future. Before we left Leroy's wife, Barbara, said, "When you called to say that you were coming by to talk we thought you were going to tell us you two eloped and were married."

uh...no...NO!!

Of course, after the stress we put our moms through getting married at Christmas time, they probably wished we had!!

I'm probably the most home-sick during the fall, missing the games and visiting with the family. I also miss my children not having this experience of being apart of all of this. But still, I love this nomadic military life God has called us to - so many places, people and experiences has been wonderful - a truly great adventure.

But still....Hotty Toddy to everyone!

Go Rebs!