With hurricane Joaquin threatening to make landfall on the east coast we weren't sure whether or not we would be able to make our first family trip to see the Hokies play. One thing was for sure, our first big camping trip which was to surround the game was definitely out of the question. With the outlook grim Mommy was literally posting the tickets to resell them when Daddy called from work reminding me that it had been ten years since we graduated that he really really wanted to go. By Friday morning, it was looking as though hurricane Joaquin was going to stay out at sea so with that we packed up our bags and hopped on the road for a long (rainy!!) trip to Blacksburg. Fortunately, the rain actually ended up working in our favor as my people canceled their hotels rooms and we were able to get a great rate. The kids woke as soon as we got to the hotel at 11 pm and didn't settle back to sleep till nearly 1 am. They were so excited, especially Colin who was so happy to be staying at a hotel.
The next morning we bundled up in all of our rain gear ready to do whatever we needed to see Virginia Tech play Plitzburgh (as Colin would say). For weeks we had been excited to take part in the Hokie Village, a newer event prior to the game on the soccer fields which included music, games, and various activities to get everyone pumped for the game. We were pretty much the only people there when we arrived but the kids enjoyed running around in the rain and practicing their cornhole skills all while doing some moves to the music. The joy of watching Colin and Genevieve in that moment is something I will cherish for a long time!
We had club level seats for the game and access to the special club zone room. We knew it would be nice to have this with the kids but we're even more grateful to have it once we knew how wet the game would be. Thankfully once the game actually started the rain slowed down and nearly stopped for the second half. This allowed us to spend almost all of our time outside besides half -time where we went inside to warm up.
Before the game started we loaded up on snacks and a giant turkey leg....
Waiting patiently for the game to begin...
Genevieve enjoyed the High Tech's Dance Number...
And put on some moves of her own during their show...
(It was so nice to have so much room for her to roam since she does not like to sit still!)
Sadly, the Hokies ended up losing 17-13 only earning 100 yards on offense. But we kept smiles on our faces as we really did have a great time during our first family game.
It took less than five minutes of leaving the stadium before Genevieve was OUT...
Colin on the other hand was still just as excited as ever and couldn't wait to go see where Mommy and Daddy use to live.
We did a little campus touring. Daddy snapped a shot of Mommy and Genevieve in front of my freshman dorm Main Eggleston.
We discovered that the bottom floor of the library was now a large coffee house. I guess with all the technology these days they don't need all that room for books! While Genevieve continued her nap, The rest of us warmed up with some drinks and snacks.
Next stop was the campus bookstore to find something for the kids since they were so great at the game. Colin was certain he was going to be able to find a Lego football set...we told him good luck with that and assumed there was no way. Well, turns out they actually had one and Colin discovered it on his own. Impressive.
We finished up our time in Blacksburg with dinner at Gillies, a vegetarian restaurant downtown Mommy use to frequent. Turns out given, our new diet, I eat a lot differently than I use to but we still had a yummy meal! It also gave Colin a chance to put his set together and play with the "quarterbank."
We weren't anxious to leave Blacksburg and spent some time just driving around after dinner. Unfortunately, we'd planned to drive all the way home and had to get on the road. A few hours in, we realized there was no way we were going to make it home and decided to get as far as Nana and Grandpa's before calling it a night. The kids were so excited to wake up at their grandparents and enjoyed spending all morning together. Colin also got to brush up on his football skills with Grandpa.
While we were away the Derry family kept Lilly for us. We were so thankful for their help and know that Lilly was very well taken care of by Liam and Joergen.
Daddy and I had such a great trip that we decided to try to take the kids back to Blacksburg at least once a year in future. Go Hokies!!
