In Which I Cannot Contain My Excitement

So it's taken me a little while to get a post done today because I don't know if you're aware of this or not but COLLEGE FOOTBALL STARTS TONIGHT with a 7:00 match-up between my beloved Mississippi State Bulldogs and the South Carolina Gamecocks.

Or, as we like to call them in Alabama: chickens.

I am beside myself with joy. Giddy, in fact.

This morning I hopped out of bed, made a pot of coffee, walked to the front closet and engaged in a bit of pre-game ceremony. I awakened our big M-State flag from hibernation and placed it in the flag holder on the front porch (is that what it's called? a flag holder? flag bracket? why am I struggling to remember this basic fact? am I so excited that basic vocabulary eludes me?).

I have also played the fight song several times, watched the Game Day Cam on the interweb (see that tree on the front right? I've eaten many a piece of fried chicken under that tree...it's where we used to park for games when I was a little girl), and wished with all my might that I could be there in person. Unfortunately, three year olds don't really enjoy having to sit still on their assigned twelve inches of bleacher space, and since I am a mama who wants to watch the game, NOT chase a toddler up and down section 204 of Davis Wade stadium, we'll be staying home for this one and counting on ESPN to make us feel like we're in the middle of the pigskin action.

I could bore y'all to tears with memories of Football Games Past, but suffice it to say that this is my favorite time of year. There's been a little bit of breeze outside today, and while it's still so humid that with every two steps you feel like you're walking into a wall-o-dampness, there's an undeniable hint of fall in the air. And when the Dogs run out of the tunnel in Starkville tonight - well, I'll know beyond a shadow of a doubt that the most glorious time of year is here. It makes me smile.

And whether we win or lose, there are a few non-negotiables that go hand-in-hand with football season:

1) My sister and I will talk at least 10 times tonight. Probably more. Pretty much all it takes to prompt one of us to pick up the phone is a decent run, a first down, a solid hit, a touchdown, or an annoying announcer. We give the announcers much grief, especially when they say stuff like, "What he's hoping to do here, Bill, is score."

REALLY? PLAYERS WANT TO SCORE? I HAD NO IDEA!

2) Sister and I will also be doing a lot of vacuuming. We both like to clean while we watch the Bulldogs - it's a way to channel the energy. So when things get tense - 4th downs, drives that make it inside the 10 yard line, clocks getting too close to 0:00 for our comfort - we pull out our vacuums.

I never claimed we were normal, people.

3) We'll be eating rotel dip in our house. I went to the grocery store this afternoon, and it'll be Game Day Buffet in our living room tonight, even if there are only three people "tailgating."

4) I will at some point yell so loudly that I either scare our dogs or wake up our child. I know. I should be more quiet - and I try, y'all. I do. But it is impossible for me to watch State (or any SEC team, for that matter) without getting VERY vocal. Somehow I convince myself that the players can hear me, and it makes me feel better to cheer for them specifically ("Go, Brandon! GOOOOOOO!").

Now you're sort of worried about my mental state, aren't you?

Really, I'm fine. Promise. I'm just a Southern girl who loves me some football.

5) Win or lose, I'll go to bed happy. I mean, SEC football AND rotel dip? All in one night? I'm golden.

So if you'll excuse me, I need to fry some hot sausage for that rotel dip. I'm already wearing my State t-shirt, and D. has already programmed my phone to play "Hail State" when it rings, so I think all that's left is to dig out my cowbell and commence with the ringing.

Did I mention that I'm excited?

I'll see y'all tomorrow.

Happy Football, everybody.