Clemson vs Citadel

This past weekend we traveled to Clemson, South Carolina to watch Josh's Clemson Tigers take on the Citadel Bulldogs.  Josh went to grad school at Clemson and we were excited that being in North Carolina we were close enough to take in a game or two.

That morning we got up bright and early.  Thankfully Mara didn't wake up for her first feeding till our alarm clocks went off at 3 am.  5.5 hours of sleep for her.  Unusual and definitely an answered prayer.  The drive was supposed to take about 5 hours and we wanted to get there with some time to spare before the noon game to get Mara settled with Josh's parents.

Mara was a doll sleeping most of the drive only waking up once to feed (and taking a bottle!!) We got her settled, the gear unloaded (traveling with a baby requires a lot of stuff), and headed down to the game.  On the way down we took a quick pit stop to get me a Clemson shirt because I had absolutely no purple or orange in my wardrobe.  We also stopped at one of Josh's favorite pre-game hangouts, Essos.  Its an old gas station that has since been converted to a grill/bar.

At Essos for lunch

After a beer and some lunch it was game time!  Besides being the last home game of the season and Senior day, Clemson was also honoring the military.  They had tributes and honors presented during almost all the timeouts and between quarters.  The band even invited all active and retired military personnel to join them for a tribute featuring all the services songs at half-time.

The game itself was a blast.  Clemson crushed Citadel 52 to 6.  There were some amazing catches and great defense.  I just love the atmosphere inside a college stadium: the student section, traditional chants, the proud alumni.  It was great!

Waiting to go in

Afterwards Josh took me around the campus showing me some historical and meaningful spots to him.  We even tried to tour his old building but unfortunately all the doors were locked.  Its so nice to hear all the stories from his time there and I was so glad that I was able to share that with him.

Team running in

That night we met back up with his parents and had dinner at a little Persian place.  The food was decent just maybe lacking in the quantity given.  We all crashed early that night (or at least tried to).  Mara wasn't having the hotel room and was awake most of the night.  I must have managed to grab an hour or two at some point because I wasn't dead to the world the next day.

Go Clemson!

Sunday was a long day.  We headed out of town hoping to catch a few of Josh's friends on our way back to Fayetteville.  Although our stops along the way seemed to make the drive longer it was well worth it to reconnect with everyone.  Everyone was so kind and welcoming and loved seeing Mara.

After getting home at 9 we all crashed.  It was a long haul for a short weekend but I'm so glad we did it.  Josh was able to connect with some close friends and catch a football game.  We were also able to have some much needed couple time while Josh's parents watched Mara for the day.  So thankful that they were willing to come join us there!!  Overall it was a great weekend.  I'm already looking forward to the upcoming seasons and hope we can make it back down!

So excited for a little couple time