Thanks so much for your valuable insights on getting caught on comparison traps in yesterday’s post. It’s good to know I’m not alone in this and I appreciate everyone’s encouragement!
I come to you today live from Barnes & Noble, mooching off wi-fi while I wait for my car to get its “check-up”. Car check-ups are way more expensive than human check-ups, unfortunately. And who knows what else they are going to tell me the car needs done to it – we’ll see.
I am going to be behind on recapping my days for eons on end if I don’t keep telling you guys about my Tennessee trip so I’ll waste no more time on getting back to it.
After a Quizno’s lunch of dreams, I vegged out in our room a little until it was time to head over to tailgate with my parents’ old friends. It was great to meet them, and their setup was incredible! When we arrived a Sysco truck was there setting up bratwurst, a nacho bar, hamburgers, hot dogs, chili, and desserts. Restaurants and brands send extra food they have over to Sysco, who provides it for free at these games as a form of advertising for said restaurants and brands! Pretty sweet deal if you ask me – the only thing that costs anything was the Sysco van’s sketchy-looking bar setup, which asked for a contribution toward the booze and mixers.
I brought my own Bacardi Green Apple though, and had that on the rocks, but my parents enjoyed the beers, ready-made mojitos, and Bloody Marys!
I wasn’t very hungry at all during the tailgate so I decided to save my appetite for the buffet we’d be offered at the game (we were sitting in box seats), but that food did look GOOD.
Condiment bar for nachos, hot dogs, chili, etc.
Condiment bar for burgers, plus sides.
My sister's burger! She said it was amazing.
It was someone's birthday – though not sure who?
My beverage definitely got me pretty buzzed and I had a great time with my family. I always have a good time, but let’s just say it was a little better than usual!
Nana Connie (grandma), Hannah (sis), and I.
Showing spirit with my hat and hair ribbons!
The Vols parade to the stadium!
My mom and I have quite a height diff, no?
My mom and I started getting pretty cold when the sun began to go down (story of our lives) so the fam trekked over to our box about an hour before kickoff. I was ready for dinner at this point! I was also very grateful to not be sitting outside because I honestly don’t think I could have even made it through a quarter. Now do you see why I dream of leaving New England? I can’t even survive fall in Tennessee!
I felt pretty special to have a reserved seat in the box, but then felt very un-special when I saw they’d spelled my name wrong.
I had barely even sat in that seat for a few minutes before deciding that it was buffet time. And oh, what a buffet it was.
Corn on the cob, shrimp, and potatoes.
BISCUITS
BBQ pulled pork…
…and so much cheese!
Got back to my seat and settled in with my plate. What a great view! Of the food, and the field 😛
I had another plate almost equivalent to that one, plus a cookie on my way out. I ended up leaving at half time because I was STILL cold in the box, despite the fact that I was inside, and Nana Connie was cold outside. She and I walked back to the hotel together and I was asleep by 11, just the way I like it.
There is still more to come in my Tennessee weekend recap – imagine how many recaps I’ll need to get through my week-long trip to FL in December, geez!
Have you ever been to a college football game? What’s the best tailgating food?
