The Commonwealth

It was time for our annual Thanksgiving tailgate at the Tennessee vs. Kentucky football game.
We loaded up the turkey fryer and mounds of blankets to head to Lexington, not without a quick fill of the lovetank from these two before leaving them for some QT with Mamaw and Papaw...

I look forward to this event all year. We all know my husband is a HUGE KY fan, but we have accumulated quite a group of "extended family" for this yearly celebration. We arrived at Commonwealth Stadium around 11:00 and the Godfather and gang had already setup the tent. I have to say...it is quite a setup. It would have to be for me to spend the whole day in the cold weather. We have a heated tent, cooking station, and plenty of personality! I dare to say we are the envy of the Orange Parking Lot. The only downside is the hourly visit to the port-a-potties, but its a sacrifice I'm willing to make.

The day started with a visit from Cousin Mose.

Cousin Mose is the only ceramic monkey I know with his own facebook page. He has been a member of the Blair family for years. He came decked out in his "Cousin Eddie" hat and managed to stay warm all day despite his poor preparation in the wardrobe department.

Cousin Mose currently resides with Virg who is not only one of my loyal blog readers, but also one of Robbie's oldest and dearest. Here you can see Virg trying to entertain us with a card trick that failed miserably three times in a row. He kept blaming Adam, but I think he's just a bad magician.

As you can see from this pic, the boys have all the amenities necessary for a proper tailgate...a heater and satellite tv.

When we were not in the tent, we played some football. The MVP (Nonny) is not pictured here...she was probably still out in the field schooling those Kentucky boys on her spiral. I told everyone it was an awesome coach that taught her those skills (wonder who that would be???).

Of course, no tailgate would be complete without the food masters. Vaughn and the Godfather took good care of us. I ate from the moment we pulled up...veggie soup, fried turkey, french fries...you name it...I consumed it!

There is one small problem with this whole arrangement...a divided household. In October, we went to the wedding of these cat-haters.

Yep...Virg's own sister and her new husband are VOLS fans. Now, you know this isn't a big deal to me, but the KY boys would not tolerate an invasion of this sort, if they weren't so much fun! I have to say they are one of my favorite parts of this annual frenzy.

We have even recruited some non-fans to the lineup. After all, what would a family tradition be without our own adopted family...The Nonster. Here we are bundled up for gametime. Nonny hung in there even though her poor Auburn tigers got beat the day before. What a trooper!

And here is the last picture I have with my husband smiling.

Unfortunately, the cats lost another close one to the Power T. To say there were some heartbroken boys in the heated tent after the game is an understatement. Despite this slight setback, we had a great time and are looking forward to another great tailgate in Knoxville next year. I am already planning the menu...