Excitement and disappointment

We had a pretty exciting weekend. We drove down to Nashville and visited my parents, who are Vanderbilt season-ticket holders. They bought those tickets specifically for the Auburn game, not knowing how good Vandy would actually be. We bought into the hype and got up reasonably early (though not busting down the doors at 7 AM) and headed over to ESPN's broadcast of GameDay. Once we got parked, getting to the location was an adventure in itself. The only reason we found it was that we got there right aroudn the time Lee Corso was picking teams. We heard what we thought were cheers. Either there were that many Auburn fans, or they were actually boos. Either way, Lee Corso...not my favorite person. We hung around while they taped a segment to air at half-time (you might see my arm) and then wandered around as the guys signed autographs for the volunteers and the crew tore down the set. We went searching for water, while greeting other fans with a hearty "War Eagle!" I knew the Tiger Walk would be taking place at some point and begged (ok, not really BEGGED, but politely asked) to see it. We found out it would be around 2:30 and figured out where it would be. We hung out in the shade for an hour and then scouted out spots. It was amazing! I know why other SEC teams ripped off our idea. It's pretty awesome standing with all the other fans, cheering and chanting. My parents both high-fived Tommy, while I tried to snap a picture. That was hard since I couldn't see who was coming, so he was in front of me before I realized what was happening! Either way, it brought me back to my days as a UNA Bleacher Creature and we did the same thing as the players lined up to take the field. We grabbed a quick lunch/bathroom break and headed back to the stadium to get our seats. The first quarter was awesome, even though our view was pretty bad with all the tail-gaters still streaming into our section. We were in the middle of the Auburn section, except for a few obnoxious Vandy fans. After the first quarter though, we unraveled. We gave the game away in penalties (81 YARDS) and deserved to lose. Disappointing, yes. Made worse by the fact that Alabama won (though barely) against UK. It's not all a wash though. I'm glad that Vandy is having a great season. It's their time. We're heading back down next month as Vandy fans for the Florida game. I'll gladly wear black and gold that time.
After the game, we headed back to Franklin and stopped for dinner at Famous Dave's. A Vandy couple sat in the booth behind us and as they left, I told them good game. They graciouly reciprocated and wished us a safe trip. This is also why I love Nashville. In all of our wandering around campus, a Vandy official (he was wearing a neck badge) welcomed us. That doesn't happen everywhere down here, and I'm glad some people haven't lost their Southern hospitality. WAR EAGLE!