{Road Trippin'}

 

I look forward to our annual football road trip all.year.long.  These ladies are the best to travel with...we have so much fun & I laugh for 4 days straight.  It was just what I needed after all the craziness this year has brought.

Our away game schedule wasn't the best this year, so we decided to head back to Ole Miss.  It was actually the first SEC school we visited back in 2012, but unfortunately Lynn didn't get to go with us that year& it rained the entire weekend so we didn't get to experience everything like we had hoped.  

{we tried to pack lighter this time. ha! that didn't work out so well.}

We left a little after lunch on Thursday & headed to Shreveport.  Driving 10+ hours all in one day is way too much...we are all getting too old for that. =)  So now we divide up the travel into 2 days. We arrived at the Horseshoe around 6:00 & had supper at THE BEST Asian restaurant...Four Winds.  It's in the hotel & if you are ever there - I highly recommend you go {the lettuce wraps are to die for}.  We had enough food to feed a small country, but it was oh so good!  

 

 

Unfortunately I don't have any extra money to lose gambling so after my $10 was gone, I just watched them for a while & then we headed to a little bar in the hotel to watch a local band play & people watch {which was the most fun}.  We were in bed relatively early & on our way to Memphis by 10am the next morning.

Somehow, all 5 of us missed that the largest hurricane ever to form in the western hemisphere was brewing off the coast of Mexico.  Well of course it was...we were going on a road trip & it rains every.single.time.  It made landfall Friday night & that combined with several weather systems colliding resulted in rain starting Friday morning.  It rained the entire way from Shreveport to Memphis, but thankfully stopped early that evening.  

{lunch break picnic at a car wash...hey!  it was raining so we thought this was a pretty genius idea.}

   

  

After checking in & a few drinks at the hotel bar {and one to-go}, we headed down to Beale Street.  If you have never been, it's like a {very} mini version of Bourbon Street in New Orleans.  There are restaurants & bars with live music along the street.  The local A&M club was hosting a happy hour at Silky O'Sullivans so that's where we went for the evening.

 

 

When we first got to the bar, there was a lady {or a man dressed as a woman...we weren't sure} singing & then later on that night it was dueling pianos.  We lucked out & got a table right by the stage so we sat there for over 4 hours & enjoyed the music, supper, & lots of drinks {including maroon beer!}.

 

A little before midnight, everyone headed across the street for Midnight Yell.  The wind had really picked up at that point & it was starting to drizzle.  Thankfully Midnight Yell only lasted about 15 minutes & then we headed back to our hotel.

We got up Saturday morning, packed, had breakfast at the hotel & then headed to Oxford around 10am.  Of course it was raining once again.  Thankfully by the time we reached Oxford it had stopped & it actually turned out to be a really nice day.  We parked near downtown & spent the next few hours shopping & having lunch at a pizza/sports bar while watching football.

I LOVE the town of Oxford.  The houses near campus are beautiful.  I could spend all day walking the streets just looking at them...brick, wrought iron, gas lanterns...LOVE!!!

 

A few hours before the game, we headed to campus to check out The Grove.  Ole Miss is known for their tailgating in The Grove.  Unfortunately because of the rain, we didn't get to experience much of it last time, but it was in full force on Saturday.  And it was C-R-A-Z-Y!  It is definitely something everyone should do at least once if given the chance.  It was a little too much for us, but the people were so welcoming & friendly.  Multiple people stopped us to ask us if we needed anything or if they could help us find something {I guess maybe we looked a little overwhelmed?!}.  They told us how gracious our fans were last year when they came to College Station & said they were so glad A&M joined the SEC.

The game was at 6:00 & by about 6:30, we knew it was going to be a VERY long night.  It was terrible.  Horrible.  Humiliating.  The only positive thing I can say about it is that it never rained.  We ended up losing 23-3.  Yes, all we were able to do was score one lousy field goal.  Thankfully our defense played well because the score probably should have been 59-3!  But, we stuck it out til the end & then drove the 3 hours back to Jackson that night.

We arrived in Jackson around 2am & set the alarm for 5:45am.  We had to get Gail to the airport by 7am, but it worked out for the best because we got an early start home.  Of course it was raining & it rained the entire 8 hour drive back to Brenham.  

As soon as we got home, I headed out to get Nola from where I was boarding her.  Four days was apparently too long for her because she was not herself when I picked her up.  She didn't feel good & it took until Monday night for her to get back to her old self.  It made this doggy mommy sad to see her like that. =( 

{I brought her a treat back...she's spoiled- what can I say!}

Other than the game, we had a FABULOUS time!!  The first 2 road trips we went on resulted in a win...the last 3 we have lost.  So, we were told my more than one Aggie fan NOT to go on another road trip next year...as we might be the problem.  Ha!  Already in the works?  2016 road trip to Auburn!! =)