Starkville 2014

Over Columbus Day weekend, we went to Starkville for Auburn's game versus Mississippi State.  As many of you know, we've been taking this trip every other year since 1998, having only missed the 2008 game when Bode was less than a year old.  We love the trip to Starkville, and not just because we get to see Auburn play; rather, it's the easiest anniversary gift a man can have.

I was fortunate enough to not have any classes that day and was able to sneak off.  We left early on Friday morning.  Bode was his usual cheery self on the plane (really--he's amazing on these trips--never crabby or anything like that in the morning, not that the below picture supports this :-)

We flew through Atlanta.  We had about a four-hour layover.  To pass the time, we got some lunch and finished off with some ice cream and sprinkles.

We eventually got on our flight, arrived in Tupelo after a bumpy ride on a prop, and were greeted by Miss Meghan.  The hour drive to Starkville was fast, we arrived at their home, and then went out for pizza.  There was a bit of a street party happening in celebration of Halloween.  We didn't bring Bode's costume, but Jon and Meghan were kind enough to lend him a Clone-trooper's helmet.  Here's an interesting shot of Oscar, Elliot, and Bode in their gear.

There was a nice display in the center of the festival, so we posed for a family photo.

We woke up early Saturday morning.  The game wasn't until 2:30, but ESPN GameDay was on campus.  Of course, we didn't get up quite as early as Meghan and Oscar, who arrived at 0330 to try to get one of the coveted places right up front.  Sadly, they weren't there early enough, and returned home just as we were getting up.  Jon and Meghan live within walking distance of the stadium, so Ashley and I hustled over to GameDay.  Here's a nice shot of Ashley in her Auburn gear; note the abundance of maroon all around us.

The GameDay atmosphere is very exciting.  However, it's not very entertaining to watch after about five minutes.  I thought there would have been a better sound system, because we couldn't hear anything, and we weren't all that far from the stage.  After a few minutes of standing, we decided to walk around and see the glory and glamor of a football Saturday in the SEC.  I am amazed at the amount of tailgating--I probably should call it picnicking, as tailgating implies a bunch of rednecks with a keg of beer and a pickup.  These "tailgates" were ornate--tables, table-cloths, flower arrangements, and there were hundreds and hundreds of them (and it was only 8 am).  We wandered to the front of the ESPN set, and were surprised in that we could see the "talent" doing the show.  I don't know if you can make out Kirk Herbstreet in the background...

We were close enough to get this picture of Lee Corso during a break.

We continued roaming around and came upon the GameDay bus.  We think this is where the stars relax and prepare.  We were hoping to catch someone famous coming out, but the closest thing we saw was the MSU mascot getting on the bus.

After awhile, we headed back to Jon and Meghan's.  We grabbed a bite to eat, and then headed out for the game.  Bode, Elliot, and Oscar stayed home and entertained themselves (I was glad Bode stayed home, because the streets were packed walking home).  Here's a good shot of Ashley and Meghan...

and a good one of Ashley and me in front of the stadium.

Mississippi State's big thing is the cow-bell.  It's nice once or twice; all day, and it gets old.  I took the below movie but it simply doesn't do justice to the cacophony of 20,000 cowbells being rung.

The people behind us let us borrow their cowbell for a quick picture.

The game started, and before we could blink, Auburn was down by 21 points.  Yikes.  They came back and made a game of it, but they had far too many turn overs.  It also poured rain during the second quarter.  Note Meghan in the above picture--all white.  She mocked me at the start of the game because I was wearing my jacket.  She was thankful for it after she was soaking wet (no pictures--this is a family blog after all).  In the end, Auburn lost, but the MSU fans were very nice to us, and despite the loss, we had a great time at the game.

The evening following an Auburn loss is always tough, but Ashley was in good spirits.  We sat around the couch, watched football, and enjoyed being away from our jobs.  We stayed until Monday, so Sunday was a day to decompress, enjoy the fall weather, and go bowling.  The boys had a great time--well, we all had a great time.  Here's a picture, simply because it's really the only one I have with Jon (somehow he avoids the spotlight).

We made it back safe-and-sound, although the flights home are an interesting story, but not one for here, as there aren't any pictures nor is Bode really involved, and who wants to read something without the star even peripherally involved :-)  Pleasant day to all.