Our Town | Griz Football

I'd like to pretend I'm not more than two weeks late in posting these photos but, unfortunately, that is the truth of things. Having a three day weekend has finally given me a chance to get caught up on things. Yesterday, the house and laundry. Last night, homework. Today, a marketing paper is being written, photos are being edited, Christmas shopping is getting worked on, and perhaps I'll even get around to grocery shopping before my three-day holiday comes to an end.

Thanks to Scott and Michelle, we got to enjoy our second Griz game for the season. While the first was sunny and hot (In fact, I've still got the tan lines from my sunburn), this time I spent the game with hand warmers in my boots. I may or may not have also put on two extra pairs of pants, three pairs of socks and four shirts on the side of the road before the game. It happens.

That morning, we hit quite a snow storm on our way to Missoula. I chose to take my GMAT at the college I will hopefully be attending in the fall and that meant a two hour drive at 6:00 in the morning. While I did well on the test, it was still a stressful way to start the day. Thankfully I got to finish it off with hot breakfast at Food for Thought and another winning football game. But, the icing on the cake? Trevor surprised me with a new Griz hat.

We're trying awfully hard to become Montanans.
Yes, it is "Montanans." I asked.

Griz Football

This afternoon, the Montana Grizzlies opened their fall football season against the Coyotes from the University of South Dakota. And, thanks to our good friends Scott and Michelle, we were there to see it. Though I missed the Blue Band and cowbell from the school I once called home, I was impressed by the school spirit shown by the 25,000 people who entered the stands. 

Since we weren’t able to enjoy hot dogs or huckleberry ice cream at the game, we started the day off with breakfast at Food for Thought in downtown Missoula, home of the Griz. As tradition for home football games in any state, we stopped by the bookstore to view t-shirt options, lines of students getting “new colors” for the game and plenty of maroon and gray. With the sunny mid-80’s weather forecasted for the afternoon, I left with a new hat. (That being said.. we’re still red from head to toe, regardless of SPF 30.) 

After a walk through the spirited tailgates, we rented our seat cushions and found our section. Quickly enough, the stands were filled with Griz spirit, football players took to the field to stretch and the countdown to kickoff ticked by. We started the game with Griz Water, but like they say, don’t drink the kool-aid, so we finished the second half with cold sodas form the concessions. 

Despite a few poor calls, the Montana Grizzlies set a school record for the number of first downs in a single game - 34. And with each? A chant of “MONTANA!” following every “and that’s another first down for..” that came from the announcer. In the end, we got to see a double pass to a touchdown, a surprising interception with a score, and a winning season opener.

While I have and will always love football of any kind, this afternoon (despite it’s sunny, smoky weather and consequential sunburns) was a warm welcome to Montana and to the Griz family. If you didn’t know,  football's a big thing around here. 

Classy

There are few things I love more than getting packages - or really, mail in general... even the credit card applications with nine pages of regulations and restrictions in English, nine in Spanish and four in Russian. But as you know, I've been anxiously awaiting the arrival of my new camera strap. Today, I received the USPS tracking update that the package had been delivered to my home at precisely 12:25 and only four hours of babysitting and a night class stood in my way of opening the newly arrived manilla envelope.
 

My house lacks good acceptable lighting.

I couldn't be happier with it. The best feature is the plush lining across the shoulder but the ruffles are nice too. Every girl could use a little more ruffles in her life. If you happen to be looking for a new camera strap too (or would like to start thinking about a birthday gift for me..), check out Sassy Strap on Etsy - she carries straps for your DSLR, Point & Shoot, and even simple lanyards. The best part? Quick shipping. Mine arrived in less than five days including a southern snow storm and a Sunday. Now that's classy.

For those of you who are lucky enough not to talk to me every day, you may not have realized that "classy" has become my catch phrase - the word of the day, week, and month. Typically, it finds itself being used sarcastically and mockingly at the situations and people I encounter from day to day. But, occasionally, it means just what it says - classy. [Ahem, see the paragraph above.]

I always seem to have cling to words. You may remember the "legit" phase. Maybe "meep"? Or  possibly "bahaha"?

I don't think many things are classier than Sunday night football with the guys except a simultaneous taco night and Steelers win. Who am I kidding? There's nothing classy about the Steelers.

You can bet that such a combination is how I spent my Sunday night. After watching a miserable Bears lost and consequently seeing Ryan's heart break a little, Sean joined us as we ventured to Giant to seek out the perfect dinner choice. So we braved the 7 degree weather and piled into Ryan's not-even-remotely-warm Mazda to wander the fluorescent lit aisles until deciding upon tacos. Soft and hard, we do it right. Honestly, we couldn't have made a better choice - they were delicious. But then again, dinner always tastes better when you can leave the dishes to someone else your boyfriend.


That's Ryan's "Please put the camera away, already" face. Love it.

I know it's not much of a post but I wanted to simply stop in and update you on the musings of my weekend before a week jam-packed with interesting (no, really) blog posts. You can look forward to a Penn State York THON feature including Basket Bingo and our Dancer Announcement, a look at the Hope Express and my advice for surviving forty-six hours on your feet.