Monday, November 19, 2018

Our Weekend - The One with the Georgia vs. UMass Game

Friday I decided to take the morning to be festive, and after I dropped the kiddos off at school I headed straight for Target, grabbed a Peppermint Mocha in our new Starbucks (inside Target – EEK!  Finally!) and I spent the morning browsing their Christmas selection.  I have been slowly phasing out the dark red and gold from our Christmas décor and I have been adding true red and pops of white, so I was on the hunt for some new stockings, and Target did not disappoint.  I was on the fence about the ones you see in the buggy below, but when I got them home I couldn’t get enough, so I think I’m going to keep them!  I cannot wait to reveal our new mantle when it’s done!! 



Friday evening B picked up pizza for us and we cracked open some of our favorite craft beers and we spent a cozy evening indoors.  It was really cold so we put a fire in the fireplace, popped some popcorn, and snuggled up on the couch to watch our first Christmas movie of the season… The Santa Claus!  The kids picked and I wasn’t going to say no to that! 



Saturday morning we were up bright and early to head to Athens for the second weekend in a row, this time for the Georgia vs. UMass game.  We brought the babies along for the ride this time and they were thrilled. 


The day was insanely gorgeous with skies of the bluest blue and all of the fall colors were still at their peak.  We stopped by Chick-Fil-A on the way into Athens for a bathroom break, and I snapped a few pictures of their lights.  They put up an insane Christmas display and they literally cover the entire building in lights and string giant canopies over the parking lot, so it’s quite a sight to see! 



We parked downtown on our usual street and then headed straight to The Office which is a sports bar that we’d never been to.  Thankfully we were able to beat the football crowd and we were seated and enjoying our burgers and mac n cheese right away.  Their mac n cheese is insane, too, by the way. 

After lunch, we stopped by my favorite store downtown to browse for a bit, and then we walked around campus and turned the kids loose on the quad to burn some energy for a bit.  Around 1:15 we headed toward the stadium for The Dawg Walk.  The kids had never been and B and I hadn’t been in years and years, so we thought it would be fun for them to experience all of the craziness. 




The Dawg Walk is a Georgia tradition where all of the fans line up outside the stadium and the band plays as the coach and football players walk through as they enter the stadium.  As per usual it was insane and people were already lining the bridge, the stairs, the balconies, and the path on the ground by the time we arrived, so we weren’t able to see much.  B picked up both kids so they could have a better view and they seemed to enjoy it.  The best part is being so close to the band… the music sounds so great when you’re up close and personal!



After The Dawg Walk was over we still had a little bit of time to burn before it was time to head to the stadium, so we found a quaint little grassy, leafy area in between buildings to let the kids run around some more.  If you’ve never been to Athens, let me paint a little picture for you.  The school is the oldest state-chartered university in the entire country so a lot of the buildings are hundreds of years old and it’s just about the prettiest little college town you could ever want to see.  The buildings are gorgeous and there are huge old oaks and other leafy trees lining every sidewalk and street.  In the fall it really shines with it’s trees of magnificent reds and oranges and yellows.  It’s stunning.  Just stunning.

There was a beautiful tree just near the area where the kids were playing, so we asked some nice people to take a family picture for us and I can’t even believe how gorgeous it is!  Christmas card photo, anyone?  Too bad mine are already printed.  Ha!


After the kids had made lots of “leaf angels” – kind of like snow angels, but with leaves ;o) – we headed to the school book store to grab a charging cable for me because I had forgotten to bring one for my external charger and my phone battery was almost dead.  Womp womp.



The book store was chaotic as always, and they had Nick Chubb (old running back) and Vince Dooley (old coach) signing autographs that day, so that made it even crazier.  The charging cables just so happened to be upstairs right near the signing event, so we walked right by Nick Chubb and Vince Dooley!  I was so excited!  I couldn’t get my phone out in time to snap a picture of Chubb, but I got Vince!  :o) 


After that, it was time to head into the stadium.  The kids had been dying to get in there, and they were just so excited they couldn’t stand it.  On the way to our seats, we stopped for a quick potty break because – kids – and then we grabbed some snacks because – kids.  Haha.  Jacob opted for sour gummy worms (definitely my child!) and Olivia opted for cotton candy. 

They got all sugared up as we watched the pre-game festivities and by the time the game started they were pretty wild.  Nick Chubb and Sony Michel (two of our awesome old running backs who now play in the NFL) were both at the game, so the crowd was excited to see them again.









By the end of the second quarter we were all getting hungry for dinner, so we spent halftime eating hot dogs, letting the kids stretch their legs for a bit, and grabbing popcorn before heading back in for the second half.  Olivia loves some Georgia football, but let’s be real… girlfriend’s mostly just there for the snacks!  Haha.


During night games, we always do something extra special at the start of the fourth quarter and it’s my favorite thing about the games!  The band plays the Superman theme song and everyone in the whole stadium turns on the flashlights on their phones and moves them to the music.  It is SO COOL.  I posted an Insta Story of it this time around, but it definitely doesn’t do it justice.  It is seriously the neatest thing to be there in person.  I get chills every time!


After we lit up Sanford Stadium, we decided to call it a night and head back to the car.  We were whooping UMass 60-something to 17ish or so by that point and we had a long walk back to the car and a long drive home with the littles. 

On the way out of Athens we passed by that Chick-Fil-A I mentioned earlier in my post so I snapped a quick picture.  It’s super blurry because we were driving, but you get the gist.  Just look at all those lights!


The kids both passed out in the back seat about an hour or so before we made it home, and B and I were able to get them to go potty, change into PJ’s, and make a successful transfer to bed without totally waking them up for a second wind.  He and I then enjoyed some frozen yogurt on the couch before hitting the hay for the night.

Sunday morning we all slept late and then we made some homemade waffles with Christmas sprinkles for breakfast.  My MIL didn’t cook lunch so I spent the rest of the day doing mounds of laundry, unpacking from our trip, doing dishes, and getting caught up from being gone the day prior.  B played tennis Sunday afternoon and the kids and I had to make a quick Target and Michaels run to pick up a couple of things I had forgotten on Friday.  Then we headed back home as quickly as we had left.  It’s always good to stay around the house after being gone for a whole day!

My Momma made homemade beef stew and beer bread (OMG so good.  I need to blog the recipe!) for Sunday dinner, so we cozied up over there, and then it was back home for the evening. 

Now today we’re not doing the usual Monday things because the kids are out of school all week for Thanksgiving, so you can find us doing lots of fun stuff with our friends! 

I’ll be back each day all week with new posts even though it’s a holiday week, so be sure to come back each day for more goodness!  Have a wonderful day, y’all! 

Don't forget to link up with HeatherJohannah, and myself... just grab our new Christmas graphic and link up below!



*Linking up with B Loved Boston for Weekending and HoHo Runs for Weekly Wrap.








19 comments:

  1. I love the new stockings you found -- they are so cute!! I love all of the Target Christmas goodies they have this year.
    Glad y'all had a good weekend, hope y'all have a great Thanksgiving week too!

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  2. I love your Target morning and fun Game pics! Sweet weekend girlfriend especially with those festive waffles!

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  3. What a fun weekend and yay for a win! I can't wait to see your home all decked out for the holidays! We watched a few Christmas movies this weekend too :)

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  4. I still can't get over how awesome that Chick fil a's lights are! There was a CFA when I was in college that did a ton of lights outside their store on the hill next to their store that was timed with the music that played inside, so you sat inside and ate while watching the lights outside. It was awesome!
    Sarah at MeetTheShaneyfelts

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  5. Absolutely love how much fun they had at the game with you guys!! What a treat! xo, Biana -BlovedBoston

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  6. Anytime we can get to a football game we try to go and my kids love it too. I love that picture of Olivia with the snack. Also, cold nights cuddled up watching Christmas movies...sign me up! I love this time of year!

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  7. Love that you guys share this tradition with your kids! And seriously..that fall family picture is perfect!

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  8. Love night football games. And seriously the Georgia twirlers are probably one of my favorite lines in all of college football. Love the 4th quarter light up how fun! And now I need your waffle recipe lol. Hope you have a good week.

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  9. What a great weekend. I haven't been to a game in Athens since 2004 and I need to go next time we play y'all, I loved it! Sounds like the kiddos had a blast. WE had all the kids out at LSU this weekend too, training them young! I love the stockings you got. Enjoy your week home with the kiddos!

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  10. What a great weekend! Your Chick Fil A trumps ours, big time. How neat that they go all out for Christmas. I love it. Looks like I need to add Athens to our bucketlist! What a gorgeous place. I love the family pictures y’all got. GORGEOUS! The superman thing sounds so neat!

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  11. That is sooo cool that Chick fil A lights up the whole place in Athens. I love that. So pretty. I wonder if our CFA's will do that this year (they are newer here). I love that you took the kids to the games. My girls are there for the snacks too, but they do love watching football games.

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  12. How much fun was your weekend!! Starbucks inside of Target is dangerous... be careful. ;) Looks like a fun football game too! One of these days I hope we can get back to State....

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  13. You got a couple of great family photos here! I also LOVE those stockings!! You know... our Target has a Starbucks in it and I have never been to it.

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    1. I'm so glad that you like the stockings! We did decide to keep them and they look fabulous!! And now I'm going to have to get really good at ignoring that Starbucks every time I go in Target because that could get reeeeaaaalllly dangerous!

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  14. I have to tell you, we were at the Notre Dame / Georgia game last year in South Bend -- my husband, our 6 kids, and I -- and even though our Irish team lost :o( my kids STILL talk about how great the Georgia fans were. Y'all were so interested in our campus and you were so gracious and enthusiastic. We did not have a single "bad" experience with the visiting Georgia fans and were were amazed so many came up north for the game. Dedication! (We also loved seeing all the RED and the neat outfits the fans wore...) :o) Becky in OR

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    1. Oh my goodness, Becky, this just warmed my heart so much! I'm so glad to hear that you had such a wonderful experience! It makes me even more proud to be a Georgia fan! My aunt and uncle were at that game and they had the exact same wonderful things to say about your fans as well. They said y'all are all just so classy and a joy to be around! And I have to say, I'm Catholic, so I've always pulled for y'all, too, as long as you're not playing Georgia! If y'all happen to make it to the National Championship game this year instead of us, I'll most definitely be behind y'all 100%!!!! Somebody needs to beat Bama!

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  15. Ahhh your weekend sounds SO lovely! As usual. :) I love that the kids picked The Santa Clause - that is one of my favorite movies. The day in Athens sounds perfect. LOVE that Chick fil A - I don't think the ones around here do Christmas lights, but I am going to have to check it out for sure. Just talking about the Georgia campus has me wanting to go. Maybe my future kids, hahahaha! A Sunday at home would be just what was needed after a day out. Especially if it ends with beef stew. Yum!

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