UT Game

WOW...I just realized that my last post (Rylee's haircut) was my 300th post!!! I think it is time I printed this blog as a book before it gets too long. For those of you who didn't know you could do this here is the link: http://www.blurb.com/create/book/blogbook

So this was the weekend we went to the UT game. They played Northern Illinois and one of my co-workers couldn't go so she sold me her season tickets for yesterday's game. The kids stayed with Duffer's mom for the night.

As we loaded up to head to Duffer's mom's, I snapped a few pictures of the kids since I had my camera out. Couldn't get a smile out of Davis...


Davis is thinking..."do they always have to hang all over me???"


Rylee...my only child who likes to be photographed!


And no I didn't tell her to pose like this...she did it on her own...thought it was cute!


Mr. Jett...Duffer and I were just talking yesterday about how B-I-G he is getting!!!


Posing in front of our house that we may only live in for one more month...depending on how tomorrow goes.


Me being goofy...about having UT tickets for the first time.


Duffer and me off to our first UT game together. Ahhhhhhhh...

We knew we would be doing a lot of walking so after we dropped off the kids, we stopped at Beaty's and each got a new pair of tennis shoes. Mine are very cool because they are white w/ a little bit of blue and orange...perfect for going to a Tennessee game!

So off we go...I got to play with my Verizon Navigator on my phone which I just LOVE!!!!! It gives you directions and it even helped us find eating places and a hotel. Too cool...I want to go somewhere again just so I can use it. I even used it on the way home...although we knew the way of course...it tells how many more miles to go so I could see how much farther without asking even 10 minutes. :o)

When we got to Knoxville, we parked at Calhoun's on the river. (It really surprised me that there was no traffic going in.) It cost $30 to park there but I liked it because we planned to eat there and just seeing the GINORMOUS boats was worth it...I should have taken pictures of them but I didn't.

While we were paying this girl jumped in front of the vehicle...it was my friend, Mollee's daughter Leah, her friend and her dad. They were going to the game too.

We parked and began to walk to the strip where all the action was. I was looking for a t-shirt and something for the kids too. The hill we walked up was unreal...now I have been exercising for 3-4 days a week for a couple months now but you couldn't tell it went I got to the top of that hill...completely out of breathe!

We found a trailer full of Vols paraphernalia and we bought the boys some footballs, Rylee a necklace and me a shirt. I no longer have anything to wear that is UT...I used to and they all got ruined.

Now that we did our shopping (next trip we are shopping in the store in the stadium...we walked by it and it looked AWESOME!!!) we were on a mission to eat a bite before the game. We still had about an hour. We went to Chili's on the strip...I really don't like their food....so we just got some chips and salsa and watched the Alabama game on TV.

Then we headed to the stadium. This is what you see as you get close. If you are like me and enjoy large events like this (i.e. races, games, etc.), you just feel a rush of adrenaline when you see this. It is so exciting.



Here is where the fun temporarily ended though. Now I had never been to anything like this other than a NASCAR race, Braves game, or Kingsport Mets game so I didn't really know the "rules". I am used to the races where pretty much if you can carry it, you can take it in. I had my camera around my neck and was wearing my backpack...with my other lens and all the other stuff that is normally in my purse. AFTER we get through the gate, and they tear our tickets, I was told I couldn't take the backpack in and to leave it off to the side beside the gate attendants. Yeah right...do you know how much money the stuff was worth in that backpack????

We asked if we could run it back to the car but they said we couldn't get back in. I was floored. Of course we had no choice but to leave. Duffer assured me it was fine that he should have remembered the "no backpack rule". He said we could easily buy 2 more tickets but I hated to have to do that. The whole walk to the car I was just stunned and Duffer kept telling me not to worry about it.

So we get all the way back to the car (we seriously walked over 5 miles for the day) put my backpack up, emptied my purse except for the necessities (I am always afraid someone will break in the car) and stuffed my camera and all the 3 lenses in my purse. Good thing I carry rather large purses because it fit and was even zipped! They also said no "large" purses so we still didn't know if they would let me in with the purse!

We started to walk back to the stadium and I was on the phone with my grandma telling her the story when 2 older men stopped us and asked us if we were going to the game. Then they asked us if we had tickets...we said no and didn't elaborate...they asked if we would like to go for free...we said YES!!! They said they would give us 2 tickets for 2 cents...and Duffer said "here's a quarter"!!! To beat it all these guys had on Northern Illinois shirts! Turned out these tickets were lower seats so better than our first set and yes they did let me in with my purse so it all ended well.

These pictures were in front of a waterfall near Calhoun's...obviously on our way to the car to put up my backpack.




Finally in the game!!!


I told Duffer that this was my next purchase...hahaha...he thought it was funny too.



Here was when the band made the T but I had my zoom lens on. (The worst part of the ticket ordeal was that I missed the beginning where they make the T and run through it).


Our seats were great...we were right above those tunnels you walk in...you can see one across from us behind the red shirted section.
A self portrait at the game.



So after the game we walked back to Calhoun's and ate supper...I hadn't eaten any "real" food all day so I got ribs...yummy!!! We decided to stay the night after all and found a vacancy at the Holiday Inn Downtown...Duffer said I owed him big time for that...it cost $198.00 for one night!!!!!!! C-R-A-Z-Y!

Here we are this morning after we just woke up and getting ready to leave.


The hotel was right beside the Sunsphere....which I thought was so cool. No one ever took me to the World's Fair. :( I didn't know...until Duffer told me...that there are offices in this thing. I thought it was just a landmark.


So we had a great time and we are planning to go back in 2 weeks (Miss. State game) and take the boys...they will love it. Besides I HAVE to see the beginning of the game! We will just go down and buy tickets there...they are doing poorly this year so it won't be hard...tickets were everywhere yesterday.