Hot Time in Oxford

(See what I did there? Hot time in Austin–hot time in Oxford? Yeah, I thought of it in the first quarter, and I sure hoped I’d get to use it.) 

Before the ink was even dry on any agreements moving A&M to the SEC, Mr. Gray and I had pretty much already decided we’d be taking at least one trip a year to see some of the great football venues that make up SEC football. We kicked this year off with Ole Miss. Their football team might not be the most decorated, but they pride themselves on never losing a party. 

We set off Friday to see what Ole Miss football and The Grove were all about. 

We got to Memphis Friday evening with just enough time to eat and head to Midnight Yell. Aggies were all over the place! It’s always so fun to see Aggies come together like that. 

We did a little walkin’ in Memphis

on our way to eat some barbecue in a basement in an alley. It definitely wasn’t Texas barbecue, but not too shabby.

I loved their slogan–great creative thinking! 

It was a little cold and drizzly as we headed up Beale Street, but still a pretty neat scene. Think 6th Street, but toned down. Way down.

We headed to Silky O’Sullivans, the official Aggie hangout of the night, before walking over to Yell to freeze our booties off.

It didn’t take us long to realize that we were way short on clothes for Saturday night’s game. It was much colder than any of us thought it would be based on the forecast. So, instead of hitting up Graceland Saturday morning, we did some cold-weather shopping. Huge shoutout to Grey for being patient while I was picky! I got a really cute sweater out of the deal, but I was bummed we didn’t make it to Graceland. 

Also, huge shoutout to Grey for being patient while I was picky! 

We had a 6:00 kick Saturday, so we headed to Oxford to tailgate a little about lunch time. Clouds were looming, but the radar kept showing it moving on through before the game. We figured we’d eat, check out the 12th Man tailgate, and then save The Grove for last.

We ate our prime rib Mr. Gray had cooked up and started packing our things. About the time we got ready to walk, it started to rain. 

The guys were nice enough to wait while I headed for the car. It did rain hard enough that we all retreated to the car before it was all said and done. I was sure glad we hadn’t left yet. 

Radar looked good, sky was clearing out, and off we went. We made it about 200 yards before the drizzle started again, and I decided it was time to don the rain suit. 

Good-bye, cute sweater. Good-bye, cute pants. 

Despite the weather, The Grove was tailgating in full force. Tents were up, chandeliers were hung, meals were elaborate. It was really cool to see. Tables were dressed in table cloths and centerpieces. No detail was too small. People were still dressed in suits and dresses, even with the rain. Many of them didn’t even have umbrellas or rain suits. I was disappointed we didn’t get to see a beautiful weather tailgate, but The Grove is definitely an experience to be had–if you’re into that sort of thing (yeah, no photos; my phone was tucked away in my layers of clothing). 

Game time.

After a roller coaster of emotions, the Aggies brought home the win. It was hard-fought, and pretty impressive how they pulled it together in the last seven minutes. You would have thought we were playing a title game the way everyone lost it when Swope caught that last touchdown pass in the endzone. Hurd’s pick was the icing on the cake. 

The players went nuts, the stands went crazy, and we came home with our first SEC road win. 

It was a blast–once it was all said and done. We had great seats, as is evidenced in this photo, which actually makes us look farther back than we were. 

We had heard Oxford Square was the place to be after the game, so we headed there and happened upon a fun little cover band–they had a great mix. 

We witnessed the worst proposal in the history of the world and had a fun time people watching. 

Sunday morning, we headed home, and I finally caught a state sign (two road trips later). 

Hello, Arkansas and your fried corn. 

We made it home in record time, and I headed to get the boy. This was definitely a trip for the books.