René of the Day // 9.24.11 // Gators vs. Wildcats

For my dad's 60th birthday and Father's Day this year, I surprised him with tickets to the Florida Gators versus Kentucky Wildcats football game in Lexington. He grew up in Gainesville, Florida and has been a diehard Gator fan since he was a kid. I don't believe he's been to a game since he moved to Cincinnati when he was 17 and I knew he'd be thrilled... We've anticipated the day since the early summer and I was so excited to take him. I really enjoyed riding down together, catching up, laughing and realizing we have the same favorite current country songs in common ("You and Tequila Make Me Crazy" and "Dirt Road Anthem") - I thought he still listened to classic rock all the time. But he's a good ole Southern boy so no surprise really. We had an early dinner at Pazzo's in Lexington, a pizza place a friend who's a UK alum recommended. We sat right in front of a 70" TV and watched the Alabama/Arkansas game which was great. The pizza was delicious but the wait was ridiculously long, considering they weren't slammed. But we did have some time to kill. But the ole boy wanted to get into that stadium to watch the Gators run out, even if we just sat and watched cheerleaders for a half hour til they were ready (okay, Dad, I get it, you're not dead.)

After dinner we drove to campus and searched for parking... He sure as hell wasn't about to pay $40 to park at a fraternity so we pulled down a residential street and a bunch of college kids were tailgating in their front yard and had a handwritten sign in the driveway: "$20: Spot and a Shot." DONE. Dad worried the kids would screw with his car since we were Gators fans but I told him we'd be good. A super nice kid helped us out and three of them offered us a drink as we walked from behind the house. They were clearly making bank on this parking situation so handing out a cheap drink to their customers was a great sell. Dad asked him if he was in business school and he said, "Yes sir." Dad replied, "Alright then good, because that's where you belong." I pulled out my Gators coozie, slipped it over the Bud Light a random girl handed me and we walked just down the street, over a little bridge and through the parking lot tailGATORs to the stadium. Granted, we sat damn close to the top but he was happier than a pig in sh-t. We had a great time watching Florida kill it. Their running back/track star Rainey is just impossible to catch. There was a group of six young dads behind us with their sons at their first UK game - they were super cute and entertaining throughout the game. Dad knows the game really well so it was enjoyable to talk through the plays and see how pumped he got. At halftime he grabbed us drinks and came back with two blue Powerades (of course, Wildcat Country.) He said a guy looked at him and said, "Shouldn't you be drinking Gatorade?" and he said "Y'all don't have any!" and he replied "That's how we do it." He got a kick out of that.

I was laughing all night because Dad and MR were going back and forth via my texts. Dad asked how he took Florida beating Tennessee the week before. I told him I didn't talk much smack. He goes, "I would've. I'd call him and say, 'This is your future father-in-law. CHOMP! CHOMP! CHOMP!" LOL Later he said, "At least one of the son-in-laws likes football." Then MR text me to say he was dressing up as the Tennessee Tech University golden eagle at halftime. Pepsi put on a big tailgate for their employees and their colleagues at Tech have been teasing him to do it for quite a while - thought that night would be good to show off for the employee's kids. Dad said, "Yeah right, golden eagle? It's probably a vulture costume." Ha. He said he shook his tail feather, posed for pictures, hugged randoms, cheered with the cheerleaders and took a knee for an injured player. He's a total ham so I know he loved it. They told him he can come back to do it anytime haha!

The Gators killed it and I'm so glad I decided to buy those tickets and take a day trip together. A few days later I called Dad to chat and asked if he had a good time. He said, "Honey, it was one of the best times I've had." That statement makes it all worth it. Go Gators!

Commonwealth Stadium