gettin’ my Wolfpack on – part deaux | raleigh wedding and portrait photographer

So a previous post about my game-day ensemble for our first home football game of 2010 elicited a number of comments….ranging from “oh cutest dress ever” from the girly-girls (thank you very much) to “I can’t believe you’re worried about what you’re wearing. It’s a FOOTBALL GAME, not a fashion show” from my husband. Seriously. Those words actually came out of the mouth of the man I love. To ME!  Helllooooo, my love. Have you MET me????

Technically, he’s correct – it IS a football game. But, in the south, fashion IS important for football. Maybe I should chalk Jeff’s comment up to the fact that he was actually born in New Jersey and he just doesn’t get football in the south  (though, he’s also a diehard Wolfpacker who’s lived in NC for over 30 years (and with me for the last year), so he should!).  I’m now wondering if maybe he hit his head. But, I digress.

At any rate, for those of you not from the south who might agree with him…let me assure you fashion IS important. An old girlfriend once said it best…”You see, in the south, football is a religion. Here, we dress up to go to church and by golly, you better believe we dress up for football, too!” So, the key is to find something that nails the three Cs: cool (especially important during these HOOOOT early season games), comfortable and cute. With particular emphasis on CUTE. And, in my oh-so-humble opinion, that little dress hit the mark on all accounts!

For those of you who asked for a photo, I’m happy to oblige. That’s me – the Wolfpack Girl – on the left and that’s my fashionable hubby on the right, sporting an awesomely fashionable pair of red and white seersucker shorts! How southernly (yes, that’s my own word) dapper of him!

Of course, it’s not JUST about fashion. There’s also the tailgate party. And what a party it is! NC State offers one of the best tailgating atmospheres in the ACC and we typically arrive in our spot five hours before kickoff. We look forward to spending the day with our crew chatting, laughing, eating, tossing footballs, etc. We carefully plan our menu for each game and will serve everything from burgers and dogs to pork tenderloin to seafood and steaks! Over the years, friends and family have graciously given me an assortment of NC State dishes and serving pieces (more on those later) so our table is always festively decked out!

My handpainted gameday glass….(would you expect any less??) Grillmaster Trent manning the burgers and dogs….

Time to eat…..(you can see more of our super cute table here)….
We also enjoy celebrating with 60K of our “closest friends” each week of the season! Some of our tailgating neighbors…
Our friend Patty on the left with her boyfriend Robin’s mom, who was visiting from Switzerland and enjoyed her first American football tailgating experience! (Major props for her rockin’ potato salad too!)
My dear friend Heather lookin’ hot! hot! hot! My honey and me!  For those of you wondering if I care about the football game as much as I care about the pomp and circumstance leading up to it, let me assure you I DO!  Once inside the stadium – from kick-off until the clock hits :00, I am ALL. ABOUT. THE. GAME! I hang on every pass, every catch, and every tackle. It’s in my blood. In fact, some of my best childhood memories involve football and family. My parents took me to games when I was a little girl and I remember sitting on my grandfather’s lap watching game after game each season. In fact, he is the one who instilled in me the love obsession for the game. I think he’d be proud to see how his “training” has paid off! 🙂

The team running onto the field amid fireworks (LOVE this, especially at night!)….. Kicking off the 2010 season….

QB Russell Wilson fakes the handoff and rolls out to the left…. And a few plays later, looks downfield for an open receiver…. And finds a wide-open TJ Graham….
And a play or two later — one of many Wolfpack touchdowns… I love watching kids at football games — and these two little girls were too. darn. cute!! Check out the Raybans, the tat she’s showing off AND the bling in her ears! A girl after my own heart!
And now a favorite  photo…. I just adore this image of dad and daughter….reminds me of the Bible verse…”Train up a child in the way [s]he should go”…and [s]he’ll be a Wolfpacker forever!