Great Weekend 2.0

Saturday morning started out at 4:30 am wake up for me. See, as the pilot of the weekend, it was my duty to make sure that my passengers arrived at the destination in a safe and timely fashion. With these boundaries set, I knew my mission and took it very seriously. So, after showering and getting my things packed, at 5 am I woke up Dan (who slept on the couch) and Mike and threw them and their stuff in the car and headed on down the road. I will from now on refer to them as "the boys". The boys slept 90% of the 5 hour ride, but rest assure that I woke them up with Lynyrd Skynyrd's infamous Sweet Home Alabama as soon as we crossed the Tennessee-Alabama state line.

My good buddy Will Pierce and his brother were gracious enough to let the three amigos crash at their place for the night in Auburn, and I must say that the accommodations were much to our enjoyment. The boys showered up and before we knew it, 11:30 am and we were starting our tailgate under the blue skies of the plains. Will works for a school company and they were very generous and let us join the festivities with them. The boys and I soon realized we were in among good company. Of course I received a few comments on accounts of me wearing a Tennessee Volunteer hat, but I have to support my football team through thick and thin and they eased up after a bit and we all got a good laugh. Burgers, dogs, and potato chips were plentiful and the scenery was fantastic. Will did a great job on the grill, though the smell made me realize that I did miss my brother's cooking genius. After food and great company, Will gave the boys a campus tour with all the famous stops along the way. We found ourselves seeing sights that make Auburn and the South very unique... I'm sure you can all guess the types of stuff we saw. Jean shorts, cut-off tee's, mullets, you name a southern stereotype and it was probably found. But this isn't something we take offense to. No, we embraced it all and the boys loved it.

After walking around for a few hours in the sun, hearing music with fans dancing their shoes off, and receiving some more BBQ at a high school friend's house, it was game time! The crowds tailgaters erupted with Auburn fight songs and echoes from the stadium grew even louder. This was a big game. Perhaps SEC football at it's finest. Auburn facing LSU. It was a grudge match for the most part but in the end the LSU Tigers had defeated Auburn. At tailgate spot, we tried to keep the mood high and optimistic, but as the occasional fan passed by we could tell by the look on faces that we should probably just pack up and not think about the loss.

Now, I had to call it an early night because I had a severe headache stemming from the sinus infection I have had. The mixture of hot sun, 4:30 am wake-up call, and sinus troubles makes for a volatile cocktail for an early night for Joel. But, I got some much needed sleep and the boys enjoyed the rest of their night. In the morning, of course, I woke before everyone and tried to make myself useful by going to the grocery store and restocking the Pierce Brothers' fridge. I also bought donuts for the boys so they could munch on something when they finally got up. The boys arose and the donuts were a success, we packed our stuff and headed off to eat lunch somewhere unique to Auburn. Momma Goldburgs was a home run in my book. We enjoyed the food and company and stopped by Eric Love's new house to visit some good buddies before heading to Birmingham.

Mike was now seated co-pilot along side me while Dan snoozed in the back seat. Mike read short stories that he found on the internet via phone. It made the two hour car ride to Birmingham fly by. With parents at the door to welcome with open arms and Molly(the dog) present to bark as usual, I felt proud to have my friends come to see where I come from. It was a real treat to all sit around and gab a bit. Mom, the candles were a nice touch :-) . Molly became accustomed to her new visitors and also loved the company who bestowed upon her castle.

Hitting the road again, Mike continued the stories one after the other. This time Dan did not sleep because he too was soaked in. Before we knew it, three hours later we were pulling in to the parking lot of the 205 (if you did not know, we call our apartment the "205" simply because there is a giant 205 written on the side of the building). We unloaded the car and went our separate ways.
Dan- home to do laundry
Mike- off to an important meeting he was 5 minutes late for already (it's ok... he knew he was going to be late)
Me- dove into my art history book to study for a test

All in all, after all the chips were counted, our weekend was great and will not soon be forgotten. The boys made memories, met knew people and became a bit more cultured on the South. Very successful weekend in my opinion. I wouldn't change a thing about it! (except having a head cold the entire time, but I won't complain!)

Here are a few pictures from it.... Now I must be getting off to class!