Florida Game

Calvin Jones #11, my new BFF (best football friend)
My bestie wife, Kesha, and I in front of the hotels' own Clydesdale horse
The wives on the trip- Mrs. Karen, April, Kesha, me, and Mrs. Pam

My hot hubby (who could pass as a player) and I at the hospitality suite

Game day!! I love how my hubby color-codes everything...don't you like his pens?

Getting ready to leave for the Stadium!

Blazer fans were there to greet the players as we got off the bus.

Ben Hill Griffin Stadium- where Tyson's dad played.

Another view of the stadium.

The wives and I were on "craziest Florida fan" lookout...this guy was definitely a winner in his orange and blue striped overalls with no shirt underneath. He even made the jumbo-tron during the game. I will say, though, I didn't see any jean shorts-mullet combos. :(

I assume this alligator statue is important since everyone wanted to get a picture with it, so Kesha and I got a picture with it.

My cousin Trey and his girlfriend, Holly, came to the game!

Tyson is in the box this year, so there won't be many action photos of him this year. I did manage to get a few of him during warm-ups. That's Tyson in the white hat doing the drills with the safeties.

Ok, so Kesha and I got a little photo happy at the game. ;)

Tyson's dad's twin sister, Aunt Ann and me

Again. Love her!

The husband again.

And again.

"This is The Swamp"

Albert

Jake would have been in Heaven! Those Florida mascots loved our fans!

The captains heading out to the coin toss.

Here come the Blazers!!!!

Remember #11? My BFF? Had to get a pic of him...even if it was of his backside on the sideline! ;)

That's Coach Muschamp in the middle. I felt lame taking his pic, but I had one of Fulmer when we played Tennessee that I ended up deleting and never posting and I wish I hadn't. This is for you, Dad. Oh, and if I had a new zoom lens for my Nikon, this picture would have been even better...hint, hint.

Mary Ann's brother, Tommy, and his daughters, Brittany and Melissa, and his niece on the far right.

Tyson with Aunt Ann, Uncle Ward, and their granddaughters, Jayde and Marika

Tyson with his dad's first cousin, Donna, and her husband Adam

Mary Ann's college roomie, Susan

Tyson and I got back early this morning from our trip to Florida to watch UAB take on the Florida Gators. The score of the game will go unmentioned, but we (I) had the best time despite the outcome!

As I mentioned in a previous post, this trip was the wives trip, which we means we get to travel with the team. I started out with every intention to document the whole trip so y'all could see what it was like to travel with a college football team, but I quickly realized that I was embarrassing my husband, so I put the camera away. :) I will break it down for you guys anyways because I always want to remember what it's like.

First, the wives/boosters/support staff/cheerleaders all load up onto bus #3 (offense is bus #1 and defense is #2) and get a head start to the airport ahead of the players and coaches. Everywhere we get bused, we get a police escort, which is awesome. What's also awesome is how quickly we get through the airport- we go through our own security, our baggage is handled for us, and then we take our own plane. Everyone pretty much has their game face on (mainly the coaches and players) the whole time; the players all have on their "Dr. Dre" headphones and are in a zone. There is little to no talking, and if you do talk, you do so quietly...I always have a hard time with this. ;) I talked to my newest favorite player, Calvin Jones, almost the whole trip there, though. Tyson was favorite smart in seating Calvin next to me...it definitely took some pressure off of Tyson to entertain me.

After we arrive, there are buses literally waiting for us on the runway. Again, the wives load up onto bus #3 (where we are allowed to cut loose a little and actually talk), and we head towards the hotel. We usually stay about an hour or so away from the stadium, so it's a little hike to get there. Once we arrive at the hotel, the guys start meetings and the wives go to dinner. So much fun! In the five years that I've gone on these wives' trips, I have never failed to have a good time.

At the end of the night once we get back from dinner, we meet up with the guys and hit the hospitality room. The night ends pretty early and we hit the bed for our big day.

On game day, we usually "sleep in" (even though my hubs got up at 6am to watch film) and the girls hang out while the guys meet. We basically plan our day around eating and watching football and more eating. It's the perfect day in my opinion. ;)

We usually get bused to the game about 2 hours before kickoff, so we kiss our hubbies good-bye and start tailgating. For the most part, the opposing teams' fans are generally pretty nice to us, but we do get heckled a good bit, too. It's all in good fun, though.

Okay, I'm tired of giving the details, so I know you must, too. The ride home isn't much different, but it's definitely a lot more quiet (almost silent) after a loss. :(

This game was a lot bigger to us, though, than just a "W" or a "L." Tyson's dad played at Florida, and this was Tyson's first time coaching on the very field where his dad played. A reporter for the Gainesville Sun did a little write-up about it, so check it out if you haven't already seen it. It's an amazing article. I'm pretty sure there were some teary-eyed folks in the stadium that day, myself included. I know Tyson's dad would be so proud of him! I sure am! Love you, babe! We'll get 'em next time!