The Spirit of Aggieland in Annandale

Today was a very up and down day for me, and it all revolved around Aggie football. We played Alabama this afternoon in a game that I have been looking forward to since college football finished up in January. I fed off of all the hype - redemption for the Tide who had suffered their only loss to the Aggies last year or validation for the Aggies that last year was not in fact a fluke. I don't want to focus too much on the game itself, but I will say that I think both teams got what they came for. We ran out of time, losing by a touchdown, but we never gave up and proved that while we may not beat the reigning national champions every year we will certainly compete and play at their level. Alabama of course got their win and therefore revenge, at least until they meet again next fall.

What I came away with at the end of the day had less to do with football and more to do with my daughters. Ava and Jocelyn did what they do at every opportunity, heading outside to play just after 9am and only coming in to eat once or twice for a minute or two before being dragged into the house just before 8pm. There were moments throughout the afternoon that I felt a bit guilty. I could hear the kids playing outside having a great time, and I saw a few parents outside chatting from time to time. I felt a pull to go outside so as not to miss out on the fun my kids were having, but couldn't bear to pull myself away from my television set. I even took a picture during a commercial break:

I went outside when the game was over, but of course by then everyone had gone inside for the day. I went to collect my children from one of the neighbors' houses and was saying how bad I felt that I had missed out on everything. She made a great point: the kids would not have cared at all if I had been outside. I could have caught up with some of my neighbors, yes, but there was no reason to think my children would have had more or less fun with me being out there with them. I certainly try to keep my football obsession under control, but it's nice to know that my children are old enough and independent enough to have a nice day all on their own.

The other side and really highlight of my day was getting to bond over some A&M football with Molly. She came in and out but spent most of the game in the living room with Ben and I. She was yelling "go go go go go!" all the time and putting her thumbs up and shouting "Gig 'em!" the entire time. She thought it was HILARIOUS when Ben and I would get really excited about a big play. I had such a fun time rooting for my favorite team in the world with two of my favorite people. It was still a special day regardless of the final score. These games do not have a direct impact on my life (although sometimes I have to remind myself of that), but these memories will stay with me, and I truly cherish them.