It's Been Too Long

The last time I set foot in Tiger Stadium I was pregnant with Wilson. This weekend Panola had a break in picking cotton, so Ben and I and were so excited to finally get back down to Baton Rouge to watch the Tigers play again. We also took the opportunity to introduce the boys to Death Valley as well. We used to be the proud owners of season tickets, but had to give them up after having children.

Baton Rouge has grown tremendously since we graduated 8 years ago and I literally feel like a kid in a candy store trying to decide what candy to buy when I go. After the five years we spent there, we have established our favorite places to eat and things to do and add to our list each time we visit. Friday night, we suffered the two hour wait at Superior Grill to enjoy our favorite Mexican and margaritas. John David and Bailey joined us, and I regret not taking any pictures. Saturday morning, we took our boys for beignets and hot chocolate at one of our local favorites, Coffee Call. After they got off of their sugar high, the boys took a pre-game nap before we hit campus.

After walking a mile from our parking spot we tailgated with Berry and Rad Trascher and some other friends. The boys were able to load up on coke, chicken wings, and cookies there before the game. The weather couldn't have been more perfect for football. Only about 1/8 of the stadium was covered in shade and we were one of the lucky ticket holders to be in it. We sat right above the Greek section to the right of the student section which heightened the boys first experience in Tiger Stadium. We had great seats, but I'm just hoping our boys didn't bring home any new vocabulary. And, no visit is complete without being sat next to a drunk who passes out mid-game. Ben happened to be the lucky ticket holder of that seat.


The boys were so fired up to be there, especially Davis. Before the game even started he was getting mad because the fans in front of us wouldn't sit down so he could see. Then when I tried to get him to smile in a picture with his Dad, he fussed at me because he was trying to watch the game. Wilson, on the other hand was more interested in his popcorn which he promptly spilled half of before kickoff on top of the two cokes that they both kicked over . We made it all the way to the third quarter and then Wilson had a meltdown about the bottom of his shoe being dirty. At that point all the boys wanted to do was go back to the hotel and watch a movie. (I guess it is payback for the vacation my parents took me and my brother on to San Francisco when I was six and all my brother and me wanted to do was swim at the hotel) Frankly, we had had enough of the Tigers performance by that time too so we thought it best to get off campus quickly before getting stuck in the post game traffic. We decided to go to George's to eat and watch the rest of the game. Other than a scraped knee and few meltdowns it was a great weekend in Baton Rouge.

Enjoying a beignet at Coffee Call. Mostly he just licked all the powdered sugar off of it and asked for more.

Wilson and Davis taking a pre-game, post-breakfast nap. No nap is complete without Monkey and Charlie.

Playing under the tailgate table

Tailgating with the Traschers

The Golden Band from Tigerland. I forgot about the chills that shoot up my spine when they start up the LSU fight song before the game.

Thanks Davis, for taking a break from the game to let me take a picture.

And thank you Wilson for not smiling in yet another picture.

Please notice the drunk girl passed out next to Ben. Don't let Ben's look fool you. He was quite aware that he could be hurled on at any moment.

Here she is again.

And again. Ben said she would growl off and on. What tiger spirit! Also, I would like to thank her boyfriend for teaching my children some new vocabulary.

Family photo before we hightailed it out of there. We were all trying to put on our happiest smile. You can see for yourself how happy Wilson was, and if I'm not mistaken Ben is gritting his teeth.

This is the meal I wished I would have had at Georges. I chose the lighter option and regretted every bite.

We stopped by Sunday on our way out to see Mike. He was taking his Sunday afternoon nap.

Thanks again Wilson for not smiling or looking at the camera.