All that I know most surely about morality and obligations I owe to football.
-Albert Camus
Fall is great. It involves cooler weather, beautifully colored leaves, and pumpkin spice scented everything. However, if you ask me, the best part about this great season is a widely-known sport where men are men and smack talk is at its highest. What I'm talking about is FOOTBALL!! What better way to spend a Saturday night after work than to drive across the county to Lawrence, KS for a good old Sooner beat-down against the Kansas Jayhawks.
My love for football started at a very young age. On December 26, 1981, the Oklahoma Sooners played the Houston Cougars in the Sun Bowl in El Paso, TX. My grandparents lived in El Paso, so as a Christmas gift to my parents and me, we all attended the game. I was three days short of turning nine months old. I believe it was then, when I actually became a football fan and a Sooner fan.
(That's me in the middle- in the pink. Nice hat Dad!)
Last night's game wasn't Koko Bean's first college football game. It was actually her third. She was nestled in my tummy for the first two. That didn't stop her from dancing to the tune of "Boomer Sooner" in utero. (I know you are singing it in your head now. It's quite catchy.)
(Korbin is that big bowling ball looking thing under my hoodie.)
Last night's game didn't disappoint. As we walked into the stadium from Uncle Polly Wog's house, Korbin was perched up on my shoulders taking in everything. From the smell of the popcorn, hot dogs and cotton candy, to the crowds chanting, "Boomer!" She would answer their "BOOMER" by yelling "SOONER!"
She did get super excited when she saw the big Jayhawk and said, "Look Mommy! Rock Chalk Jayhawk!" My poor baby girl is going to be so confused when we don the crimson and blue during basketball season. As for her college career, we're keeping her options open.
We were all starving and didn't have time to grab dinner on the way there, so we opted for some hot dogs, sodas, and a pretzel for a whopping $30!! She even sneaked a few sips of Daddy's soda. Uh oh!!
As if the expensvie junk food we called dinner wasn't enough, there was a man pacing the bleachers with a pole dressed in about about twenty bags of blue and pink cotton candy. When Koko Bean saw that, her eyes lit up and she exclaimed, "OOOOOOOH boy! It's a dress! I need one! I need THAT!" So, with the last five bucks in my pocket, I sent Uncle Polly Wog after the man carrying the dress of confection. Unfortunately, it wasn't exactly the texture Koko Bean was hoping for and she decided cotton candy wasn't her cup of tea. That meant Mommy, Daddy and Uncle Polly Wog had to eat some. (At the end of the night, the majority of it was left with Uncle Polly Wog for a study treat.)
As the game went on, and each team took turns putting points on the board, we thought KU was going to pull off the upset. I don't think Koko Bean noticed though. She was too busy dancing to every song the Jayhawk Band played. She even waved the wheat with them when they scored. Uncle Polly Wog enjoyed some banter with Daddy as the Jayhawks had more yards at one point during the game.
After halftime, a lady behind us came back to her seat with a container full of nachos, and what did Koko Bean do? Of course, she begged us to get her some. We figured that since she didn't actually eat much of anything we had gotten her, what was one more thing to top off our night of complete nutrtional deprivation? I think the nachos were her favorite of the night.
After eating the entire container of nachos (okay so maybe the adults had a few,) and licking the cheese out of it, the game was drawing near the end and the Sooners had a comfortable lead. We left the game eight minutes until the end to beat the crowd, but I actually think the crowd beat us. Either way, traffic out of Lawrence wasn't half as bad as it was coming into the town. As soon as we hit the highway, Koko Bean was fast asleep, and Mommy's fingers were swollen from all the sodium consumption. (Hooray for Dandelion Root.)
All in all, it was a great evening with the family. Koko Bean was very well-behaved compared to what could have been and the Oklahoma Sooners remained undefeated. The Kansas Jayhawks put up a valiant fight, but couldn't score. Polly Wog wasn't too disappointed and reverted to what all Kansas Jayhawk fans say without fail,, when any of their other sports teams lose.....
"Just wait until Basketball Season....."
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