War Pitiful

We went to Starkville (Mississippi for those of you who are geography challenged) this weekend.  We try to get there every two years (biennially for the word-smiths) to see the mighty Auburn Tigers play Mississippi.  Auburn hadn't lost in Starkville since 2002 (or was it 2000--either way, it had been awhile).  We weren't exactly brimming with confidence going into the game, but we didn't think we'd endure a beat down.  Sadly, we were mistaken.

The trip down was fine.  Bode is quite the plane-rider, and always enjoys looking out the window.

The glare is bad, so it looks like Bode has half a face.  Plus, the angle to Ashley's face makes her look a scosh heavy (she's not).  But that's what happens when you let me, someone that knows absolutely zero about photography, be in charge of the trip pics.  We arrived Friday evening, enjoyed a nice palaver with the Rezeks, and went to bed, still holding onto that naive hope that Auburn could win the game.

The next day, we headed out for the 1100 kickoff.  Historically Auburn does not do well in these early games, so deep down, we knew we might be in trouble, but we did not want to admit it.  Bode and Oscar were ready to go, but we managed to convince them to sit still for a quick photo.  Afterwards, we were off to the game.

Mississippi State loves to ring their cow bells.  Not sure why--tradition I guess.  The NCAA has tried to ban them, but to no avail.  As Auburn fans, we should have nothing to do with the cow bell.  However, Bode was fascinated with the oversized one and proceeded to ring it (and in the immortal words of Christopher Wakin:  "You gotta have that cow bell.")

We then headed to the game.  Ashley got a sweet deal and was able to sit in the President's Box (of Mississippi State, not of the US) with Meghan, who evidently is high enough up in the chain of command at State to merit two places to this prestigious location.  Ashley did not know how lucky she was, because just before kickoff, it started to rain.  We were not amused.

Thankfully Jon had the foresight to bring the panchos.  Otherwise, we would have been soaked.  Here's a quick shot of the field--proof that we were there.  The game didn't go as planned, but Auburn was winning 10-7 during the 3rd quarter.  However, their offense was offensive and their defense has more holes than our backyard (Harley is a digger).

Unfortunately (or fortunately, depending on how you look at it), Bode wanted to leave, just after the kickoff.  I managed to stave off our departure until the end of the third quarter?  How did I do this?  By lying.  I told him there were monsters at Jon and Meghan's house, and we couldn't go back until they called me.  Every two minutes, he kept asking, "Did the monsters call?"  We left when Auburn was down by 18, so it's not like I was fighting to stay.  When we got back to Jon and Meghan's, Elliott (their 10-year old) was there.  Bode asked Elliott about the monsters.  I quickly intervened and explained to Elliott about what Bode was talking.  I then convinced Elliott to go along with it.  Thus, I not only lied to my 4-year old, but also involved a 10-year old in my conspiracy.  Yes, I'm going to h*ll.

We spent Saturday evening licking our wounds.  We watched the Air Force game (they lost) and then the Nebraska game (another loser).  Not exactly our weekend for football.  Sunday was a beautiful day.  We walked to breakfast, ate, and then decided some barbeque would hit the spot for lunch.  On the way there, Meghan ambushed Bode with a giant sword.

We finished our visit to Starkville with a trip to a nature preserve.  We saw a couple alligators, which were very cool.  First is a picture of us from a protected vantage point.  While it's tough to tell the difference between a log and a gator, we managed to spot some.

I'm not sure if you can see the gator, but it's right in front of the tree that is in the water (you are probably mesmorized by Ashley's can).  It didn't move much, but it definitely was a gator.

A bit later, we saw this bigger gator (rhyming not intended).  I always find it ominous to see creatures in the wild with nothing between us.  I think I could take him.

Here's a picture of the same gator--not sure if you can see it, but I included the picture of Ashley, one so the masses get a second look at her a*s, and two, to get a sense of the gator's size.

We flew out of Starkville around four in the afternoon, and got back home by eleven.  We were a little tired at work on Monday, and we were both mad about it due to the Auburn loss (had they won, it would have been worth it :-)  As always, we loved our time in Mississippi and can't wait to get back.  Auburn is now 0-2, and it's not looking to be a good year.  Here's hoping.  Pleasant week to all.