Alabama Tailgates: Part of "The Process"

If you are not from the south you may not understand the infatuation with "tailgating" for SEC college football games every Saturday. Growing up with a step-father who attended LSU and a mother who can cook the best Louisiana dishes you can imagine, I have always known that fall and tailgating were the same seasonal holiday if you will. From LSU tailgates as a child, New Orleans tailgates and town visits in college with friends, and now Alabama tailgates- I feel as though I have had a fair share of the "tailgating" experience.

Since marrying my husband, we have officially started our second year of Alabama tailgates (You can see our first year of tailgates here). This tradition is something that he started as a college sophomore with two buddies, one tent, an ice chest and grill. Today our set-up is filled with twenty to thirty friends and family, four ice chests, two TVs, and two grills cooking some of the best BBQ you have ever tasted. Totally not kidding. We actually have our own personal chef. Not kidding again. Although our days begin at 5:00AM and end after midnight on Sunday mornings, my husband is in love with these Alabama Crimson Tide home football tailgate dates.

Each Saturday that there is a home game in Tuscaloosa we leave Birmingham before the sun rises with baked goods and finger foods in tow heading for the corner of the quad closest to the stadium. Tony and I actually enjoy spending our game time watching the game on the quad inside of getting tickets to the game. Last year his Tide pride urged me to buy an elephant button and this year I even went as far to buy a door hanger for our little home. I am not sure what it happening to me these days. :) I still love my LSU Tigers and those memories I have, but I assume this phase of life is teaching me that the love of college football is as wide as can be.

Our first game this season it rained all.morning.long. and it was miserable. The second game was absolutely beautiful, luckily and thankfully. This past weekend was homecoming and the next game will be against Arkansas in a few weeks. I am really looking forward to the weekend in November when the Tigers come to T-town, my family is near, and friends from Baton Rouge are visiting. It will sorta be like my LSU days, only we will be in Tuscaloosa. But... I will definitely pull our my purple and gold. :) While I absolutely loved doing something with my husband that he loves each weekend, the away games are a nice break from traveling, early mornings, and late nights. I don't really care much for the whole football competition hoopla, but I do love being able to see him happy on the weekends after he has worked long, hard hours away from home all week.

I think on the weekends there is a home game there needs to be an extra weekend day between Saturday and Sunday. Who wants to work this out for me? :)
What are some of your college football tailgate traditions?