Buh-Bye Chicken Curse!

Wow, what a week! As many of you know, I am a very dedicated University of South Carolina Gamecock fan. I have been known to get into one too many heated arguments over how "next year" is always around the corner for my Gamecocks. I have a passionate love for sports...college sports mostly. I don't get professional sports really, especially the NFL and NBA...I just don't get how a person born and raised in South Carolina can all of a sudden love the Redskins or the Lakers. Just don't get it...but anyway, I LOVE SPORTS. I have a passion for College football...during the fall, I can rattle off the top 20 teams ranks, who is playing who in most major conferences, etc...I LOVE SOCCER...this comes from a life-time of watching my big brothers play the sport, and from going to Irmo High School who has the BEST soccer program out of any high school in the nation! And of course, I love America's past time, baseball. Something about baseball just makes me feel all warm and fuzzy. I really love how unpredictable the sport is...I also love the combination of individual achievements mixed with the spirit of a team.

When I was five years old, My daddy sat me down and told me what it was like to be a TRUE Gamecock fan. It's going to every home game when your record ends up being 0-11. It's supporting your team even when they have dumb plays and interceptions and fumbles. It's supporting the Coaching staff who has to deal with all of the crazy fans. Its WB stadium, it's the horseshoe, it's Thomas Cooper Library, it's the BA, the Greek Village, the Coliseum, it's 2001, the garnet and black, we hail thee Carolina, and a plain sense of PRIDE in being a Gamecock...and of course, so much more!

The past couple of weeks I spent with my family at a Lake house that my Uncle rented on Lake Murray. It was a wonderful place to be to watch the Carolina Gamecocks march through Omaha and take the Nation by surprise. We fought our way OUT of the losers bracket having to beat the number one team in the nation, Oklahoma state, CLEMSON TWICE...to move on and beat UCLA twice in a row to bring home the SECOND major TEAM NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP in school history since people began competing for National titles(that's about 150 years for anyone who is counting). I cried. I literally CRIED. I had goosebumps, my cousin, her bff, my husband, my mom, dad, aunt, uncle and two dogs DOG PILED in the middle of the living room. My daddy who just turned SIXTY and has been a Gamecock his whole life had a sense of pride and accomplishment on his face...We popped champagne and celebrated the whole night. I didn't sleep...I didn't need it. The emotional high was extraordinary. The next day, my Bffer Amy and I went and stood in line for an hour at the Colonial Life Arena to welcome our boys home in true gamecock fashion, with about 14,000 other loyal fans...people took off work, probably got fired from their jobs to attend this monumental occasion. July 1st was named as South Carolina Baseball day in the State of South Carolina, and the Gamecock flag flew proudly over the state house. Friday was a classic ticker-tape parade to welcome our boys home down main street, and I had the pleasure of taking my adorable niece Eliza to it. I am truly a PROUD member of Gamecock nation. Here are some pictures from the events!

PS: My niece, who hardly talks, is now saying "GO COCKS" loud and clear...SHE IS AWESOME! :)



The state house, with the Gamecock flag flying proudly...with some creative editing of course. :)



More images to come soon, when my internet isn't taking 15 minutes per picture to upload! :)