Springtime Football

Anastasia has really missed watching (and playing football). She loves to take her football outside and throw it around when we're sitting on the front porch. So, when she learned that we'd be going to an actual football game, she got very, very excited. When she learned that we'd get to see "the turtle" on the same day, it was almost too much to handle.

Every year, University of Maryland hosts "Maryland Day", a giant open house for families with food, entertainment, moon bounces, activities from the academic departments, and a springtime scrimage called the Red and White Game.



We arrived a bit late in the day, and headed down to the Mall to take in some of the activities, but because it was so close to the end of the day, there were pretty long lines for all the things that Annie would have really enjoyed, so we didn't linger too long on the Mall, and instead made our way to the bookstore for the new shirt that Annie had been promised. Her old "Turtle shirt" was getting a little small, but that didn't stop her from asking to wear it every day.

She picked out two shirts, and then we were off to the football game. On the way, we had to walk all the way around the stadium and when the game came into view, she got very excited, but then got mad when it disappeared again from view. Once we got inside, she couldn't take her eyes off the game.



Before we left the game, we managed to get a really rare picture of Annie and me together. Note that we're facing the field, so she could continue to watch the game as soon as the photo was snapped.



It was over 90 degrees outside, so we didn't stay at the game too long before the sunscreen was starting to wear off. On the way back to the car, Anastasia spilled her strawbery milkshake all over herself. She realized very quickly that it was the perfect opportunity for her to wear one of her new "Turtle Shirts".



After a very exciting ride on Daddy's shoulders, we found ourselves at the Turtle that she so desperately wanted to see. Testudo is the Maryland Terrapins' mascot, and rubbing his nose is good luck, so stopping to visit and take a picture was a necessity.



We had a great afternoon and are now definitely looking forward to more visits to the campus during football season this fall. Can I get a "Let's Go, Maryland"?