Nothing could be finer...

Eat your heart out, Clemson fans. On Saturday, October 9th, 2010 I witnessed an event that will forever go down as one of the greatest days in history. Before I get ahead of myself, let me first set the stage. Me, mom, dad and auntie Caroline piled into the Jetta and set out for Columbia...a trip all of us have made enough times in our lives to do it with our eyes closed. There's only one wonderful thing about Columbia: CAROLINA FOOTBALL. It's even more wonderful on days like this past Saturday. You see, we all have suffered (and when I say suffered, I really mean it) for years and years (and years) through what ESPN calls 'the agony of defeat.' Very seldom did we get to experience the 'thrill of victory.' But not this time. And maybe, just maybe, the tide is turning for us faithful Gamecock fans. The good Lord has maybe decided that we've endured enough. So, as the Crimson Tide of Alabama rolled and strutted their stuff into town, our Gamecocks waited in the wings, eager to pluck them from their number one in the nation position. Few of us believed it was possible (not me. or my brother or my uncle Steve). Even fewer dared to hope that this was the day that the chicken curse could be put into eternal rest. 

So, we started the day (naturally) with some yummy bloody mary's and MASSIVE pieces of celery (since we would not likely be focusing on our vegetable intake the rest of the day) 

It was a gorgeous day for football. 

As we made our way into the stadium, we ran into George Rogers, ex-Carolina Heiseman trophy winner and running back for the Washington Redskins. I took this as a good sign. I even mentioned to my dad that I had a good feeling...the mojo seemed to be in our favor.

And then it happened. We scored. And then we scored again. And again. And again. And at half time we all looked at each other in disbelief and thought 'is this really happening???'

It was a great day to be a Gamecock. Me and 90 thousand of my closest friends celebrated the biggest victory in USC history. Perhaps the best part of the whole day was my dad. He was like a kid on Christmas morning.

Here he is early in the 4th quarter when the reality that we might actually win was sinking in...

And here he is in utter disbelief that after all these years, his team is pulling out the victory he has always hoped for...

 And I've saved the best for last:
Here is the celebration...

My dad always says that the perfect day is when Carolina wins and Clemson loses. He says that the planets are all aligned and the birds are chirping. He lives with a permanent smile on his face on days like these...

ROCK 'EM SOCK 'EM!