ROLL TIDE ROLL!!!!

I will preface everything I am about to say with this: every single solitary person in my family who is a generation right above me and beyond – is from the great state of Alabama. Most of them were also born and raised in Alabama, some have since moved on and branched out into other states.

But let me also say this to make sure there is no confusion where their loyalties continue to lie: it does not matter where they go, or how far away – they are ALL still University of Alabama football fans. With the exception of one or two black sheep that wandered off into Auburn territory – but we don’t talk about that; its in bad taste.

I, myself, am from Georgia – technically though, as both my parents will tell you – I was born right across the Georgia/Alabama line at St. Frances Hospital in Columbus Georgia; however we lived in Phenix City, Alabama which is where they would have brought me home to; so minor is that technicality, no one even pays it any mind.

Alas, I did grow up in Georgia, so my loyalty is divided. Actually, to get down to the brass tacks of it all, my loyalties are divided three ways. I was “from” Alabama, grew-up in Georgia, and moved to Florida in 1998.

I’m a huge football fan, so when I moved to Florida, I felt like I needed to pick a Florida team to root for; I settled on the Florida Gators. So when the season for college football rolls around each year, I am all over the place as a fan.

BUT – not the night the University of Alabama played the University of Georgia. The Tide ~vs~ The Dawgs. Folks – I was dead in the middle of the Tide that was rolling that night, even if it seemed to take us until the 4^th quarter to start rolling in the right direction.

My house was SO loud that 4^th quarter, I was expecting the neighborhood to petition to evict us. There is no way I could have watched that game in any public forum. I was too loud, my mouth was WAY to salty in language and I would’ve had to go alone, as my husband didn’t even want to be associated with me in our own living room!

He has probably only seen me get like that a few times in our married life. I mean, let’s face it, there are not a lot of do or die games that come along like that – not for teams I really have an attachment to anyway. You would have thought I had our house bargained-up as part of a bet, and we had to win to keep it, the way I was carrying on.

I literally stood-up the entire 4^th quarter, in the middle of the floor, between my recliner and the television, screaming and hollering, fist pumping and stomping, carrying them across the line for the last two touchdowns they needed to move out ahead.

Sunday, I woke-up with a hoarse throat, but still able to holler ROLL TIDE, for every ESPN replay I would see throughout that day. Tide Nation – we are a loyal bunch.