Game Days...Oh How They've Changed

I am a HUGE Clemson fan. I didn't start my life that way but I am now. When I was little my parents were Gamecock fans and so was I. We lived not far from Columbia so I guess that's why. My oldest brother went to some kind of event at Clemson when he was in high school wearing a USC hat and when he came home he was in love with Clemson and wanted to go there. Thus, started my family's love for all things Orange.

When it was time for me to apply for college, I applied at one, Clemson! I loved the campus and couldn't imagine going anywhere else. So, in the fall of '99 I moved into Lever Dorm. I loved it! I couldn't wait to go to the games. That year I believe I went to every home game. I sat in the Campus Crusade block. We had so much fun. I was crowded in with no place to sit and I didn't care. The more the merrier. The louder the better. The next year was pretty much the same. In fact in 2000 I became a part of a group who spent a good amount of time getting painted up. They would paint my face like a tiger and as I walked around campus people who stop me to take my picture. I loved it. I lived for SHOUTING: 1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4 C L E M S O N T I G E R S FIGHT TIGERS FIGHT TIGERS FIGHT FIGHT FIGHT (I know Allison is going to correct me that there should only be 2 fights but I am just putting what we yelled).

In (I believe but could be wrong) 2002 we got season tickets for the first time. We actually had our own seats and could sit down when we wanted. That was different. We would go out to the campus about 6 hours prior to the game and tailgate. We had so much fun. For the next several years we gathered more and more stuff to make our tailgating even more fun. We had 3 tents, a tv, a sallelite, a grill, chairs, etc. We did it right!!!!! That was the most fun we had.

In 2007 all that changed. Not only did the price of season tickets go up a large amount but we had the addition of a 4 month old! We discussed what we were going to do and since we didn't know how she would do we decided not to get season tickets and just buy for the games we wanted to attend. That way if both of us wanted to go, we could, or if Zach wanted to go with someone else and I wanted to stay home we could. I still went to almost every game. We would take Carly's pack n play and her exersaucer out there and tailgate just as long as we did before.

Now with the addition of another little one, things have changed. I am sure Carly would love to go to the game and cheer on the Tigers. She loves putting her cheerleading outfit on and screaming Go Tigers. However, mommy loves to sit at home in her comfy chair and watch the game. (In fact, I am blogging as I watch the game now.) I don't have to worry about the weather, whether I can comfortably nurse Alyssa, whether my children will hear things I'd rather them not, or the hoards of people (a lot of whom are quite drunk). I can dress how I want to dress, I can put my child down for "rest" time. I can go to the potty without walking up and down a million steps. I can adjust my thermostat according to how I feel. I can even change the channel if we don't show up.

I am still a HUGE CLEMSON FAN! I just love being home more since I have become a mommy!