I Am Tennessee (Author Unknown)

I am Tennessee. I am the 30 year old couple coming back to campus for thefirst time with both little ones in tow. One wears her orange and white cheerleader outfit; the other wears #16 even though he's too young to understand why.

I am the 50 year old man who hoped no one saw tears in his eyes when the T wasformed by the band. I was too choked even to sing "Rocky Top". For a moment I felt foolish and then I didn't care. God, I love this place.

I am the 60 year old woman meeting her freshman grand-daughter who is now the3rd generation of UT students in our family. Despite my age, I'd strap it onSaturday and hit someone if it weren't for my gender and this blasted arthritis.

I am Tennessee and I have always believed I was different. You can see it whenyou look up into the stands. My orange is not the same as Florida's or Auburn's . But the differences go much deeper than my colors.

Read my creed. What other school has one? I genuinely believe in these things.To be a real Tennessee man or woman speaks of character, not of geography. All are welcome to walk though my gates, not just the wealthy or the elite.

Georgia and Alabama may have their nations, but we have always been family. Make no mistake, we loathe defeat, but even in defeat, we would rather be aTennessee Vol than anything else.

We are family and you are the sons of Heisman, the sons of Majors and Neyland.You come from a long line of brothers who names include White, Gault, Wilson,Manning, Shuler, Nash and Mahelona. It is a great heritage.

So this Saturday, when the warm ups are over and the prayers and amen spoken,when you hear my thunder growing in the stands above you, when you stand inthe tunnel and the smoke begins to form, listen for my voice when you run on to my field.

Behind the frenzy of the shakers and deafening roar, I will tell you something in a whisper you may miss. I will be telling you that you are my sons and I am proud of you for the way you wear the orange and white. I am telling you that you are my sons and I love you.

Tennessee is so much more than a state or a school or a team or a degree. It is something that, once you have experienced it, will live inside of you forever and become a part of what makes up who you are. It is driving into town on a game day.

You may have come from hundreds of miles away and as you get closer and closer to the city limits, you feel it rising inside of you. Other cars on the highway proudly display their Orange and White flags or magnets or car tags, and you honk and wave at them, because, for that one day, you are all on the same team.

It is the smell in the air and the ritualistic act of tailgating...catching up with old friends, making new ones, and invitations from perfect strangers totry their ribs or watch their satellite TV showing all of the day's important match-ups...of course, all being secondary to the one that will occur in thegreat cathedral of Neyland Stadium later that day.

It is the Vol Walk...where you might just see 300 pound men overcome withemotion and weeping with pride, because you have come there to cheer them on. As they walk by, you might exchange a glance with one or two of them, and youcan see it in their eyes...it is going to be their day.

It is the students...dressed in their best, because going to a Tennessee game is like going to church for Tennessee people....you show the same respect as you would if you were in God's house. Those students remind you of the dayswhen you were walking in their shoes and Tennessee was your home...but thenyou realize, in many ways, it is still and always will be HOME.

It is that lump that rises in your throat when the band plays Rocky Top as the"T" is formed.

It is walking around on a "foreign" and sometimes hostile campus. You are easily identified (Tennessee people always are) and the enemy jeers and shoutsthings at you to mask their feelings of intimidation. But just then you happen upon a friend you have never met before. You know they are your friend by the colors they wear or the shaker in their hand. You exchange a "Go Vols" and a confident grin, because he/she knows what you know.

It is when your heart leaps with every touchdown, field goal, sack, andinterception...because those are our boys. And win or lose, they will alwayshave our un-dying support. After all, it is those boys that you are really there for and not a coach or a logo or a trustee or a president.

It is the complete and utter exhilaration of walking away victorious over a worthy opponent...that feeling of pride and accomplishment as if it were your own feet that had crossed the goal line scoring the last points yourself...that feeling of wanting to scream "Go Big Orange" at the top of your lungs and hug complete strangers...and then there is the ultimate high of defeating your most hated foes from across the state.

No words can describe what this feels like, but you know because you have experienced it. It is the sheer agony of defeat as the last minutes tick off of the clock andyou realize that all hope of a victory is gone.

You feel like crying and maybe you do...then you hear the faint sounds of a cheer that grows louder and louder...."Its Great To Be A Tennessee Vol."

It is knowing that year after year, no matter how things change in our hecticlives, you can always come back to "the Loveliest Place on the River"... theplace where you came from...your home.

It will probably look a little different and there will be new names on the backs of the jerseys, but deepdown, no matter what, it is still the same. You still love it as much as you always have, because Tennessee is as much a part of you as your arms and your legs and the orange blood that runs through your veins.

And, finally, it is the feeling you have right now as you read theselines....the anticipation inside of you, because you know its almost time....Its about to start all over again...but then it really never goes away, does it?

GO BIG ORANGE!

Viva Las Vegas, Part Deux

In honor of my Viva Las Vegas buddy, I am writing installment two today of our trip to VLV! To say that even the shuttle drive to the hotel was totally exciting would be an understatement, I guess that is what happens even when a 40 something country girl goes to the big city. The lights we saw from the airplane were overwhelming, inviting and exhilarating.

I'm sure the other riders en route to their hotels thought there was a Vegas newbie on board, because I vascillated between sharp intakes of breath and little squeals especially when I saw Paris Las Vegas and the Golden Nugget! Also cool to behold was the skyscraper size billboards for Celine, Toni Braxton and other celebs playing the crowded rooms on the Vegas strip.

We threw our bags into our rooms and didn't return until daybreak. This would set the schedule for the rest of the week. Leave the room at 10 return at 5 or 6 and sleep ALL DAY! A luxury for someone who gets little downtime. We agreed to stay in the safe confines of our hotel and venture out the next day into the wild world of VLV.

After being dissed at the all-night restuarant that was not serving the Prime-Rib sandwich we had hungered for across the country we descended into the pits of the casino and lo and behold we ran into Little Richard, Shania, Dolly, Elvis, Tina Turner, The Blues Brothers and Ricky Martin Living Las Vida Loca above the black jack tables. It wasn't the real deal but the dealertainers of Imperial Palace - who needed Celine when this was going on 24/7 in our home casino.

OMG, I Have Become My Mother

Throughout this life, my mom has been my hero, my mentor, my role model to follow as an example as the woman I have most wanted to be like. We have always called her "Miss Stewart County High School" because simply put - she was. Valedictorian, President of the Beta Club, Captain of the Cheerleaders, Editor of the school yearbook and columnist in the local newspaper, were all titles attached to our mother's name. Andy Holt himself promised her a four-year scholarship to the University of Tennessee when he witnessed her commencement speech that she recited from memory.

It's an understatement to say how proud she made her parents. Another still to her three daughters and how it felt to grow up with an academic "rock star mom" who was not only brilliant, but fun and beautiful and strong. Upon "going into town" while visiting our grandparents, her former classmates would stop us on the streets, introduce themselves and say "I went to school with your mother... I'm (fill in the blank) and we had so much fun together, she was so smart, she helped me so much." To hear them speak of her impact on their lives, you would have thought she was the first woman to orbit in space.


The wonderful thing about our mom is that not only did she cheer on the Stewart Co. Rebels, but she was personal cheerleader, advice lender, and a positive reinforcement to everyone she knew, especially her three daughters and now her granddaughter. As her children, we blessedly were the direct recipients of these accolades. She has always looked for the best in people, never allowed us to gossip and always stressed to us to be the bigger person, to take the high road in life.

Words cannot even speak of the sacrifices she made for us before and after our father left - but she she took the high road, did not become bitter, remained beautiful, fun and entered the workforce. She excelled at every position she accepted. She never met a pair of high heels she didn't like. She met the career of her dreams when she became a real estate agent. It was the perfect fit for her positive personality, her intelligence and her cheerleader personality. We began calling her cyber-mom when her prowess on the computer became evident.


After Granddaddy died, her sweet mother remained at home growing even prouder and even getting our mom a few real estate clients. When I got married, it was she who walked me down the aisle.

What I'm trying to say in this post but taking too long to get there is that I understand now and am trying to be forgiving when the cheerleader has a bad day. Always expecting her to be the positive one and cheer us on her way, it's hard for me when she is down. But I have to say now in light of being a divorced mother myself and forging onward each and every day for my daughter, I'll change places with you mom and give you a break. It's okay to have a bad day, a bad week, a bad month even, I will not give you the "pep talk". Mainly because I tried and it didn't work.

My sweet grandmother can no longer be the proud anchor for my mom that she once was so we try to fill her shoes not as a mother, but daughter anchors. I hope she'll use us and let us be her cheerleader for once.