Arizona….THE FINALE…THE BIG GAME!!

The last leg of our journey…and the reason for the trip to begin with.  Little did Thomas know way back in September that he’d have to follow through on a promise.  After a last minute win against Clemson, in a moment of pure joy, Thomas promised the boys (as they were heading to Toomer’s Corner) that if AU made it all the way to the National Championship, that we’d be sure to be there.  A Dad just couldn’t let a promise fall through, so here we are in Glendale (yes, the whole family).  We arrived in Phoenix late Saturday night.  On Sunday, we visited the AU Under Armour tent and then headed to Scottsdale for the Auburn Pep Rally.  The crowd was unbelievable and we had a great time.  PIN

Eating our hand dipped ice cream at the pep rally…PIN

The night before the game, we made a Target run to get supplies for our sign.  The kids begged to make a sign for the game.  We came up with Good 2 Great.  It was Gene Chizik’s manta ever since the beginning of 2010…and we thought it was fitting that we could pay homage to our Heisman Trophy winner Cam Newton.  Here are some silly shots the morning of the game outside our hotel.  PINPINPIN

We arrived at the Stadium early to hang out for the day.  Here’s Thomas and the kids outside the dome.  PIN

The one decent family shot…
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We met up with our good friends Matt & Rachel for lunch before the game…PIN

We were even able to sneak in a shot with the actual Heisman Trophy…pretty cool.  PIN

Waiting patiently for Tiger Walk before the game…PIN

Inside the stadium…it was incredible.  I can’t even begin to describe what a great atmosphere it was.  The boys were obviously very excited.  Fortunately, it happened to be a great year for the Busby boys and Auburn football.  Thanks to good sports’ schedules, they only missed one home game all year and even made their first road trip to Ole Miss.  They have no idea how lucky they are!PINGetting ready for the action…Thomas was just a liiiiiiitttttleee excited…and nervous.  PINFamily shot before the game…PINStadium was incredible and we were very fortunate to have good seats.  It nearly felt like a home game too…AU fans love their Tigers and travelled well.  PINCam…nuf said.  PINPINI got a feeling…that tonight’s gonna be a good night.  PINPINGlory glory to ole Auburn, glory glory to ole Auburn, glory glory to ole Auburn…A-U-B-U-R-N.  PINCountdown to kickoff…PINPINView from our seats…PINCaley was content to have her seat, cheerleading outfit on, and a frozen lemonade.  War Eagle…
PINNot sure…but Thomas may have been crying he was so overjoyed to be there.  Carter stood in the seat beside him the whole game to watch.  Camden was…being Camden.  PINOpening Kickoff…PINPINThe winning kick…and the end of 53 years of frustration.  Auburn wins the NC 22-19.  As Rod Bramblett said from the AU network…”the view from the top is sheer…Perfection”.   After the kick, Carter jumped on Thomas’ back and said “Dad, we did it.  We’re National Champions”.  He was thrilled.  Camden was jumping up and down hugging him.  For those that asked about the amount of money spent taking three kids to the game…let me just say, that made it worth every penny.  Let’s hope they never forget it either.
PINLet the celebration begin…PINPINPINPINPINIt was an incredible ride this year…a storybook ending to a season we’ll never forget.  Yes, it’s just football, but there’s something about Auburn football that brings families together.  For me and Thomas, we’ll never forget being there on that Monday night in Glendale with our three kiddos.  But more importantly, we’ll never forget the lifetime of memories made during the Fall of 2010.  Until next season, so long and War Eagle!
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