Monday, October 27, 2008

Our Trip Back to Tennessee (10/17-19)

After Adam and I stopped off at the University of Alabama for one amazing night with Dr. Cornel West (see previous blog), we continued on down (or, up, rather) the road to Knoxville for our first time back since leaving for Mississippi in late July.  
We arrived to my parents' house around 2 or 3am and the plan was to quietly go on in the house without disturbing my parents and just wait until the morning to visit.  Well, as we were unpacking the car, Adam reached across the driver's seat to grab one last thing and accidentally bumped into the steering wheel causing the horn to sound!  This sent us into histerical laughing fits.  Things always seem funnier when you are supposed to be quiet.  It was reminiscent of trying to hold a giggle during class or trying not to laugh out loud at a slumber party when people were trying to sleep.  As you may have guessed, the brief honk woke my parents.  But, Dad was happy to greet us at the door and Mom was more than ready for a hug.  
The next morning (Friday), Mom and Dad stuck to their usual routine and started their day in the early morning.  Meanwhile, Adam was also up early to head over to UT campus to do some research and catch up with former colleagues and friends.  When I finally rolled out of bed with no schedule to follow, I felt pretty worthless.  However, this down time provided me with some much needed one-on-one tummy rubbing time with our cat, Panda.  In Starkville, there are a few neighborhood cats who roam around, but none who just walk up to you, weave around your ankles and drop to the ground ready for some attention.
Anyway, my day truned out to be somewhat productive.  I was able to do a little gardening for my parents, as well as, saw a fallen branch from the very far edge off the back yard and move it to the farthest most edge of the front yard for curbside pick-up.  That afternoon, I was able ot do my MUW mentoring correspondence work from the Starbucks down the street, too.
Friday night was fun.  I met Adam on campus (yes, he was there all day) and we went to the Lady Vol Volleyball match against Ole Miss.   The match was played in Thompson-Boling Arena.  Funny, but on my recruting trip to UT it was believed that UT volleyball would be playing in TBA during my UTVB career (my career was 96-99).  We started in Alumni Gym then upgraded to Stokely Athletic Center.  It's funny how things work out.
Well, the Lady Vols won in front of one of the largest crowds in UTVB history.  An exact attendance number was not given, but it was "Student Night" and there were over 700 students present.  It was amazing to see so many people supporting Lady Vol Volleyball!
Saturday night was the football game between UT and Mississippi State.  We had a nice time tailgating with my Mom and Dad and their G-10 friends.  Adam and I enjoyed walking around, running into a few UT friends, and watching the Vol Walk.  We actually saw a couple from our swing class (in Starkville!).  Miss State was well represented with fans sporting their Maroon.  
Our seats were great; located on the end by the aisle and across from the aisle was not just the MSU fan section, but the MSU band!  By the way, Adam and I wore our UT shirts, but I represented with my "Dawgs" hat.  We enjoyed sitting near the MSU section because we were able to hear all the fun chants and cheers throughout the game.  (Not to worry, though)...Our seats were in the UT section, so we belted out "Rocky Top" and our Alma Mater.

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