After the big bulldog victory, everyone headed south to our house. We were excited to have Doug and Scott spend the night with us because that meant Micah got to meet his uncle Doug. As you may remember, his middle name came from our brother's middle names. Doug is Douglas Andrew. My brother is Scott Andrew. He will be here next month so when he comes, Micah will have met the two men he is named after.
Micah was asleep when we got home but Uncle Doug picked him up and introduced himself. Uncle Doug came bearing gifts so Jonah was consumed with that. After a little time, he moved beyond the gifts and took a few pictures with the others dressed in maroon.


Maggie is the product of a split home. Her mom is Ole Miss and her dad is State. But, for this special occasion, Melanie took one for the team and let Maggie be all decked out in Maroon.



Uncle Doug with his two nephews. Doug has three girls so I'm sure we live polar opposite lives. My house is full of Star Wars and Super Heroes. His is full of princesses.

Jonah ADORED Rob. Actually, to quote him, "Rob is my best friend!" He cried his heart out Sunday night when he had to tell them goodbye. We left for the airport at 5 a.m. Monday so we knew he wouldn't see them. He cried himself to sleep. It was terrible. The first thing he said when he woke up was "I really miss Rob and Melanie!" And, he does! They have been gone several days and he asks numerous times a day about them.


Since all of our bedrooms were taken with guests, both boys slept in our room Saturday night. I put Micah in the Moses Basket in our closet until he drifted off. Since Jonah was in a different place, I let him watch an episode of Curious George to settle him down. I knew the light/sound would keep Micah awake so he camped out in the closet for a while. He didn't seem to mind.
I'm so grateful we had the opportunity to experience the big MSU Gator Bowl win together. While I do enjoy college football, it is nothing on the scale of how much Dan loves it. I don't quite get it all and actually like watching on TV better. I like the yellow line so I know when there is a first down. I like knowing why a flag was thrown. I like the opinions of sports casters so I can figure out what just happened. You don't quite get that in a stadium. But, what I did get was the sheer joy of watching my hubby have the time of his life.
The night before the game, some church members called to tell us they had some tickets they couldn't use. They are FSU fans and bought tickets in case FSU ended up in that bowl. They didn't and were therefore stuck with 4 tickets and a parking pass. Dan offered to attempt to sell them at the game for them. They had $340 invested. Dan landed them a cool $55...TOTAL! A salesman he is not! :-) Actually, after we got into the stadium and saw how empty it was, we were all impressed that he was able to sell them at all. People were selling $100 tickets for $5 and $10 each. OUCH!

The guy on the left is Doug's friend from church and work, Scott. He isn't dressed in Maroon because he is a Michigan fan. Obviously, his day wasn't as great as ours.
The next picture makes me laugh! Melanie and I kept trying to talk but the incessant clanging of cowbells prevented that. So, we resorted to texting each other! HA! We finally got used to the cowbells and were able to hear each other. It did take a while though.
I was so happy Dan and Doug got to experience this game together. The entire football season has found the two of them with phones in hand either talking or texting each other. They are both MSU grads so it was a happy day for the both of them.
We loved being able to experience this game with Rob and Melanie. He is the biggest state fan we know so it was great to watch him relish the moment! We attended one other bowl game with them back in 2007. State played UCF in the Liberty Bowl in Memphis. I promise you, this game was light years better and more fun that that one. You see the smile on Melanie's face in the picture below? Yeah, it wasn't there in that game. Even though State one that night, it wasn't a fun game!


Poor Scott! After Michigan's first drive and score, his excitement level went way down and he pretty much spent the rest of the game like this. At least he was a good sport about it. And, to make the night even worse, he spent the night at our house with 8 other bulldog fans and a poodle in a bulldog jersey! 







