Nothing like a beautiful fall weekend with 80* weather for a night football game on the shores of Lake Michigan!
The kids and my folks and I took to the highway (or espressaway as Mallory still calls it) to watch Michigan play “the Kitties” (Northwestern).
We made a stop at Lou Malnatis in Chicago for my favorite pizza before going to Evanston. We tried to scope out parking and tailgating options but they don’t have golf courses and high schools nearby (and for some reason my package of football parking passes didn’t come with a pass for Ryan Field…)
So, we thought we …
Category: Football
Game 4, 2011
Hmmmm…
CW – could you please just smile for a picture with your dear old mom?
Grandpa – was this as insulting to you as it was when I read a book during our tour of the Grand Canyon back when I was like 12?
Tackle football with the K kids. The first day back to school after playing with B, K & A usually results in the teachers mentioning that C was a little rough with the other kids ;-)
Weally weally fast…
We won. We beat San Diego State. Go Blue!
“I thought you said we won?”
Michigan played their first ever night game in Michigan Stadium last night. We won. It was awesome. It was exciting. It was everything it could have been.
I told Rick before the game that Michigan better win because otherwise it would have been a waste of a perfectly great tailgate and day. I left the kids with a sitter (thank you Miss Joy!) and prayed it wouldn’t rain and that we’d win. I wasn’t disappointed.
Our day started off with a family trip to Lowes – Rick actually didn’t have to go into work until about the time I was going to …
Game One
Michigan’s 2011 season started yesterday.
The weather predictions were all over the place the whole week before the game. As late as Thursday night there were predictions of 60% chance of strong afternoon thunderstorms on Saturday. By Friday morning it had dropped to 20% chance – HOORAY! But it was now forecasted to be in the mid-90s. Hmmm.
As we packed up the van Saturday morning I totally forgot to pack rain gear. But it was like 80* and not a cloud in the sky at 9.30a. I had sunscreen though, which was all I thought we’d need.
Biggie & Rich had a …
Yup, I went there.
The opportunity presented itself so I just did it. If it had been more socially acceptable, I would have thrown my arms around Denard and gotten a picture of me with him too.
Rick was mildly embarrassed taking the pictures. Mallory didn’t want to be in the picture (she’s looking at me who snuck out of the frame just as Rick took the picture), and Carson was just mad it wasn’t Biggie he was getting his picture taken with.
This young man is special. Every single person that has interacted with him talks about how cute and polite and real he is.
Last …
2011 Gator Bowl, also known as I HATE COWBELLS
Blah.
Let me start by saying that the cowbells were obnoxious before we even got to the tailgate. The Mississippi State fans were ringing them all around downtown Jacksonville for days leading up to the game.
We had the nicest weather of the week for gameday – I made sure to sunscreen up the kids and we headed off to the stadium with the standard police escort. And nope, still doesn’t get old.
Some friends from home were down for the game and had a tailgate that the kids & I stopped by. The beer (for me) and hotdogs (for the kids) were …
Two weeks’ worth
Here are two weeks’ worth of tailgating pictures.
First is the Michigan State tailgate. Notice it is the first time all season we didn’t have fleeces and raincoats and hats on (well, except for Rick because he was “working”). Notice also that it was the first time all season that I didn’t have kids at the tailgate. Instead I had a lot of jello shots and beer.
These next pictures are from the next week.
Carson is fired up on Football Friday.
Now – before you go call protective services, be aware that Mallory is doing FAKE jello shots – just …
Bowling Green is a bad team
Another nasty rainy cold windy day of tailgating…must be Michigan in September.
It only looks like I’m drinking a bloody mary in this picture, but I promise I’m just holding my mom’s drink while she took our picture.
The funniest thing about this day – Mallory was about to head back into the van – it was freezing, by the way – when she spotted her cousin Lauren about five tailgates away with Gigi. Mallory was in the middle of telling me “I’m going in the van, I’m cold…WAIT – WHAT IS LAUREN EATING???” and Mallory took off …
Undefeated!
I am so glad today is over. I was so nervous going into it – I just wanted the game to be over. I wanted to know how the team looked, I wanted to know who was going to start, etc. You’d think since Rick is at practice every day he’d give me some scoop but he doesn’t tell me anything. Blah.
We had a new tailgate spot today and we also had very unseasonably freezing cold weather. Well, it wasn’t really freezing, but there were like million-mile-per-hour winds. Well, they weren’t really a million miles per hour but the temps …
Belated Pictures
These pictures are soooooo last year.
In my busy-ness with my business (get it? my photography “business” that I’ve been so “busy” with? I’m so clever), I never posted these shots from the O-State tailgate.
Firstly – a bevy of self-portraitsCheri & me
my dad & me
Rick’s buddy Kevin and me
Carson pulling Bryce’s hair
Shocking…Mallory is eating!
With Rick’s buddies again – Mike & Kevin.
With my children at the game…who’d-a-thunk we’d be coat-less at the OSU game (but I needed to scramble and get Carson a snowsuit for the Delaware State game back in October??)
…