Even with the 40 degree temp and random drizzling rain.

Friday night Mark and I decided the best plan of attack for Saturday would be to get up early and get stuff done, then take a nap and leave for Tuscaloosa and the Bama/LSU football game around noon so we could get there and see some stuff before kickoff at 7pm and the following 4 hour drive home....for which we're gonna have to blame Chelsea since I couldn't find an overnight sitter and there is no way I'm going to introduce her to boarding at the ripe young age of 16 and a half.  We made do with a friend agreeing to pop in for potty visits and extra treats instead.

So the plan....Do I really need to tell you what a colossal failure it was?  Yeah, I totally remember falling asleep peacefully and soundly on Christmas Eve when I was 8.  Don't you?

That 8 year old SANTA IS COMING! excitement is exactly how I felt Saturday morning at the prospect of walking into Bryant Denny Stadium. Go ahead and read that as my inner child was tap dancing all over my 42 year old brain whilst singing her new and not soon to be released hit "No Nap Snap ~ Sleep when you're dead, stupid!"

So...up at 7 am.  Packaging, shipping, Post office, to Mark's for laundry (because he is a boy.  Sigh), to the store, load the car, take a shower, load the cooler, stop for ice, hit the road. Drive!

Once in Tuscaloosa we got lost. Of course we did.  Luckily I have a beautiful and amazing friend who happens to live there, so she drove to where we were so we could hug necks and so she could get us on the right path.  

She's a tiny little bundle of awesome

and everyone should have a Shawn.

So we finally arrive at our FREE parking spot (Yay good ole boy network!) and begin the half mile walk to the stadium.  And the stadium?  Holy Shit...because I have no better words.

6 double flights of stairs, 8 'flights' of 40 degree ramp, 3 pauses for screaming butt muscles, and voila.

The resulting sweaty panting selfie.

When the players ran out on the field to warm up I grabbed this pic before my heart exploded into a million sparkles of happy that reached all the way to Heaven.

There are many many things I will never forget about my first Alabama Football game in Bryant Denny...the excitement, the atmosphere, the grazillion red and white pompoms flapping in unison...the "ROLL TIDE!" screams with every Alabama First Down announcement...but my favorite of all was watching Nick Saban lose his mind during a tv commercial break in the first half.  He was halfway out in the field, gesturing, kicking and screaming, furiously calling the plays himself while one of his assistant coaches was literally dragging him backward toward the sideline by his shirt.  It was unexpected and insane and awesome and I wanted to kiss that Nick right on the mouth.

38-17.  A good edge of your seat first half followed by the dominance of The Tide in the second.

It couldn't have been more perfect.