Growing up "GO BIG RED"

GO BIG RED!!

We had the opportunity to go back to the "good life", our home away from home, the grand old state of Nebraska this weekend. It always reminds us that being from Nebraska is more of a state of mind and a way of life when you move away than it is just a place you lived. Ryan and I have experienced life as a Nebraskan in some ways differently and in some ways the same.

My family goes way back with it's Nebraska roots...I wish I knew how far, something to look into. My parents were high school sweet hearts who grew up in a small farm town in between Omaha and Lincoln and both went to the University in Lincoln. Some of my grandparents are also grads. Growing up in Illinois, being a Husker fan was a few and far between kind of thing, but I loved that my dad loved it and so that's what we were at our house, BIG RED fans. We had Husker jackets and clothes, a red and white basement, and our cars always had Husker licence place holders so we could make ourselves known on the road. I spent almost every spring break, summer vacation, and Christmas in Nebraska and as soon as I took a tour of the school my senior year, I was ready to join in the family fun and 2 years later so did my brother and then my sister. UNL has had a crazy way of connecting our family.

Ry lived in Nebraska his whole life and so does his family. He grew up wearing the Red N on as much of his clothing as possible. He loved talking, watching, and playing football, more specifically, Nebraska football.

Ry with some of his first Husker apparel...believe me we saved Griffin's first too!

He of coarse would have given almost everything he owned to get tickets to the games in college and tells me it was his desperation to be on that football field game days that made him try out for the mascot:)! He got his wish!

Ryan as Little Red with his sisters and their friends!

Ryan and I met sophomore year of college and graduated in 4.5 and 5 years respectively. We loved almost every second of our time down in Lincoln (it makes us the happy kind of sad to go back and reminisce all of our college memories). We lived in Omaha for 2 years after college and are now here. It seems hard to believe that the time is already so far over. Our time back there is so quick and rushed now. In and out for a weekend, seeing as much family and friends as possible in a less than 48 hour period and then jetting back home. It is even more nutty with a little one. But we love getting to go back and be surrounded by all the family, friends, BO BIG RED shirts, and Runza's (not an easy thing to get around here!). We both just get the feeling we're part of something bigger and we love it! I know this all sounds a little crazy, but it means more to both of us than just football (ok, maybe more to 1 of us)! When we are missing it, just watching a game, flying our Huskers flag, or dressing Griffin in red seems to help, and who knows we may have a fourth generation HUSKER on our hands (or so I hope for Ryan's sake!)

Game time pics....unfortunately the smiles faded during the second half.....

Here's hoping that sometime in our lifetime we can see another Husker National Championship...it'd make a lot of crazy men in my family very happy...and me too!