in memoriam: happier days

Back in the days when Sooner fans loved going to games...

when they didn't mind close games because they felt sure the Sooners would pull it off...

when the chance at playing for the National Championship was a real possibility...

...yes, back in those days, a happy little five-year-old felt what it meant to be a Sooner.

A sweet strong daddy took his oldest daughter to "eat the biggest piece of pizza I ever saw!"...

...and then he made sure she was properly attired with new OU clothes...
...and finally, took her to the stadium so she could be indoctrinated introduced to Sooner football traditions.
(A big thanks to Pappy for the ticket!)

When Josh got home, I asked him for every detail - did she like the cheerleaders? What did she think about the band? Did she see the ponies? Did she remember the words to the Star-Spangled Banner? Did she get tired and want to come home?

It turned out to be a high-scoring game, so she got to see a lot of Boomer and Sooner, the ponies that pull the Sooner Schooner...a big hit, of course!

She liked the band ok, but was fascinated by the cheerleaders. I remember loving the cheerleaders when I was a little girl, but I think Josh might have tried to distract her during a gyration-filled halftime performance! I'm glad for her to be a Sooner, but I can do without gyrations!
I'm not sure that she understands the actual game of football very much...but I guess that's not so important.
By the end of the game, she had all the chants and cheers down! Being in a stadium filled with that many people is a little overwhelming, but it is such a unique experience to be a part of something huge.
Daddy and daughter made it home by 11pm, surprised to find that Samantha and I were still awake! We'd rented a few movies, popped popcorn and bought strawberry milk and had our own little girl night.

Of course, the Sooners have lost two games since then...but at least we have some memories of happier days to fill our minds!