Last weekend I made the trek back to Auburn for the first full weekend since I graduated college. Yes, I had gone back for the Alpha Psi Rodeo – but that doesn't count in my book.
My dear friend, Jack, let us use his lake house for the weekend which was incredibly generous on the part of his parents. Very thankful, because in the long run it saved us hundreds of dollars. Over $300 a night for a hotel room for LSU weekend? No thank you! Just wish Jack could have been able to make the trip down from Winston Salem!
Will, Lindsey, and Lee joined me for the weekend trip. I was so excited to see everyone again and to finally get to spend the whole weekend in Auburn. Will had bought two tickets to the game – one for Lindsey and one for himself. I had no luck finding a ticket, so my plans were to tailgate and watch the game on TV. As we were all finishing getting ready to head out on Friday night, I walked into my room to find a football ticket placed on my suitcase. Sneaky Will. He had acquired a few extra tickets and being the sweet friend he is, he gave me one. I was ecstatic!
We had planned on trying to eat someone nice on Friday night but literally EVERYWHERE was over an hour wait. So we grabbed a quick bite to eat downtown. It was like the old days. Going before nine to get a stamp at Sky Bar to avoid paying cover then heading over to my old stomping grounds, Quioxtes. To tell the truth, I felt SO OLD. Everyone looked like they were eighteen years old. Well, a lot of them probably were. After seeing a few familiar faces and grabbing a few drinks at the Q, we braved Skybar. And man has it changed. It is enormous! We could only handle a hour or two once we decided to head home for the night.
Saturday morning was accompanied by cold weather. Perfect football temperature! We started the day pretty early with a breakfast of corn nuggets (closest thing to a corn dog that we could find) since you know, we were playing LSU! We got into Auburn and did a little bit of game day shopping – J&M Bookstore, Kinnucans, and of course ABC!
We mixed our drinks and decided to walk to the amphitheater to tailgate. We passed the stadium, the RV park, and probably over a thousand Auburn tailgaters. It was officially game day on the plains! Throughout the day we saw old friends and relived our college days. Once it was time to head to the stadium, I was pumped. This was my second time to attend a game this season! I was on a roll. We were pretty much at the top of the stadium, so the crisp breeze was definitely not welcomed like it was that morning. We happened to sit next to a group of dads who were from Charlotte and were hilarious. A definite plus!
The best part about sitting high in the stadium is seeing the breathtaking sunset. Everyone around us were taking pictures – including myself.
As our game was starting, the Alabama/ Ole Miss game was ending. And lets just say it was not a great turnout for Alabama. Poor Lindsey was surrounded by thousands of Auburn fans as her team lost. Still love you, girl! You are a real trooper!
Auburn played a heck of a game and beat the hell out of LSU. I couldn't wait to head down to Toomer's and roll downtown! I know I have said this before, but Toomer's is not the same after the poisoning of the trees. They now have wires erected to help, but the effect is nowhere near the same.
We ended the night with another trip to Quioxtes and a stop at Checkers to grab late night food. So typical and so like the college me! Maybe that is where the freshman fifteen came from!
It was sad to say goodbye to everyone Sunday morning, but we had such a wonderful weekend. It is truly great to be an Auburn tiger!
Until next time,
-H
