Tigers Vs. Huskies

For those of you who have followed our blog from the beginning, this entry will be closer to those first entries. For the rest of you, please indulge me a bit. Based on the title of this entry, one would expect this entry to be about football and it is, but not really, well kinda, but it’s a whole lot more. When I was a little girl, one of my favorite memories was sitting with my grandpa on Saturday nights listening to LSU football games. Sometimes my great uncles would have been fishing and there would be a big fish fry or a crawfish boil. Each dinner included my great Aunt Ouida’s toast. You never knew what kind of bread she had leftover but you could always count on it being burnt! We didn’t care- we loved getting together and being with family! But no matter what we ate, the dishes would be cleared so we could settle in before the game started.

Funny, I don’t remember ever watching a game with Grandpa but I remember him once saying that listening to the game was just like being there only better because they told you the things you missed. I often wonder what he would think of the technology today that lets coaches challenge plays!

As we moved to Oregon, we switched to watching games when they were broadcast, they were rare but bittersweet as my grandpa passed away a few years after we migrated west. As I married and had children, any time LSU came on, everyone knew not to disturb me during the game. Occasionally a child would join me for a short time, but most often they just laughed as I yelled commands to the players on the screen. Throughout the years, I learned that LSU fans in the NW were non-existent or at least very quiet about being fans. I never understood that 'cuz Tigers ROAR but whatever!

When Ben returned to Oregon for the first time after 30 years, the agenda that long weekend was to watch LSU play in the National Championship game. It cemented my love for him. I know it may seem silly but for 30 years, I had no one to share my beloved games with. The fact that he not only enjoyed LSU football but that he travelled 2500 miles to watch the most important game I had ever watched them play made me love him all the more.

Over the last two years, LSU games have been posted on our shared calendar (thanks Google) with the time and channel posted. They are a priority in our household just as they were so long ago at grandpa’s house. As soon as the 2009-10 schedule was posted, we knew we were going to the season’s opening game in Washington. We called season ticket holders to see if they would be heading north. We registered on all kinds of lists watching for tickets to be released. We learned of the Portland/Vancouver chapter of LSU alum and joined their group. We attended a couple of their events and discovered that there are hundreds of LSU fans surrounding us! Through the group, we got tickets and planned our trip north to Husky Stadium. And that is where this entry turns to being about football. I attended my first LSU football game with my husband of 182 days. I got to yell and scream and cheer with 20,000 of my new found friends. I got to attend my first tailgating party and boy was that an event! I was even kissed by a stranger but as Ben’s cousin Cathy said “There are no strangers wearing purple and gold...only friends you haven't met yet.” It was a day I will never forget and one I will forever by grateful to Ben for making happen for us.

Life is good! And the fact that the Tigers won is just icing on the cake! (BTW- we have also acquired tickets to the last regular season game as well. We will be in Tiger Stadium in November when they play Arkansas. I can hardly wait.)