There’s Only One…

I think Tripp starts looking forward to the first OU home game right around the time that college football season is over – my dear husband is Sooner born and Sooner bred. But this year’s season opener was even more special because it meant we’d being seeing our sweet girl for the first time in a couple of weeks. Plus, our friends from Houston were coming with their family. Family, Friends, and Football – what could be better.

Or Football, Family, and Friends – It’s a pretty tight race between me and OU football on any other day, but game day Saturday???

Yeah, I’m not going to push it.

Anyway, on Saturday morning Tripp and I left bright and early and hauled ass all the way to Norman (to say that we were excited would be the understatement of the century). Thankfully the traffic wasn’t too bad and we made great time. We met up with everyone at the hotel and finally got to see our delightful daughter looking positively radiant – college life definitely agrees with her. Some friends from Tulsa followed us (or tried to follow the speed demon) to the game and wanted to see Kelsey’s dorm room. Plus Tripp hadn’t seen Kelsey’s sorority house yet, so we all went back to Kelsey’s dorm and sorority house, then met up with Carrie and her family at the parking area a bit later.

Several weeks ago, when we found out that both of our families would be there for the first game, I suggested to Carrie that we do a big tailgate party to celebrate. Tripp had, during the course of the summer, joined every Sooner booster club known to man and scored (what we thought at the time) an awesome parking spot. Carrie’s husband, Bryan, did the same so she and I began to plan a Sooner Tailgate Extravaganza! The first thing I did was call my mom for her potato salad recipe, then I spent the better part of Friday getting everything ready. Carrie packed every available square inch of her trunk with tailgate supplies and then we all met at the parking area. Er – I mean the North 40.

Our parking area was not “right near” the east side of the stadium, but rather at least half a mile away in a vacant grass field. (Well it would have had grass if central Oklahoma had received any rain the past eight months.) But we decided not to the let that minor inconvenience ruin an otherwise fun day, and being the problem solvers we are, Carrie and I managed to pull of a pretty awesome little tailgate party for 20.

Tripp and Bryan managed the grill…

…while Carrie and I got everything ready.

Sooner moms know how to get stuff done!

Everyone had a great time and it was wonderful to see all of our kids and their friends together.

After our awesome, albeit dusty, dinner, we got everything cleaned up and put away and then walked back over to the stadium. (I was hoping no one would notice how nasty, dirty my feet were. Or the dirt-ring around my neck.)

Then it was time for football!