20 Years of Cougar Memories

Rise and Shout! The Cougars are out!!! I love this time of year! I love the fall weather; I love the leaves changing color; and I love Cougar football! This love of BYU football was ingrained in me at an early age. Even growing up in California, we watched every game! I swear my mom paid off the PFR in our stake to hook up the satellite and a TV every Saturday so that we could all troop over to the church with popcorn and drinks to cheer them on. And, I have vague memories of a family home evening when I was quite young where we learned the ENTIRE BYU fight song!

So, it occurred to me this weekend as I was watching another great victory over the Wyoming Cowboys at LaVell Edwards Stadium that I have been cheering the BYU Cougars on to victory IN PERSON now for 20 years!!! 18 of those years I have been going with my awesome hubby and true blue Cougar fan, Paul.

Now, after you pick your jaws up off the floor because I know you are all thinking we couldn't possibly be that old, let's take a look back in time. Turn back the clocks to Fall 1989--I was a happy, carefree BYU freshman coed (yes, I know this is dating me. Be sure to help me up the stairs next time you see me! It's been a long time since I climbed the "duck pond" stairs south of campus multiple times a day!!) Anyway...I thought it would be fun to look back in time to one of my first BYU home games. And yes, I was one of those annoying students who stood for the ENTIRE 4 hours of play!! (What's that all about? I can't even remember! I just know that's what we did, and they still do it! Again, I ask, why? I really must be getting old!) Anyway...here I am with my sis--everything looks pretty much the same, right?

Okay, so only the mountains and the number of fans look the same! Obviously this was my younger, thinner, bigger hair version--long before gray hair, wrinkles, and having 4 babies! Even Cougar blue has gone through a revision in shade, and Cougar Stadium has undergone a name change. However, the one thing that hasn't changed in 20 years is the fun of the game! There is nothing better than watching and cheering for the Cougars of BYU!

Now the game is always great fun, but just as much fun is enjoying it with good friends!

Another great highlight is seeing who can turn their tongue the appropriate Cougar blue color by ingesting a monster grape icee!!

Lastly, one of the things I love about BYU football games is running into old friends! This was one of my cute laurels when I was Young Women's president. She actually saw me sitting across the stadium and came to find me!

Thanks to BYU for all of the awesome years, and here's looking forward to at least another 20 years at LaVell Edwards Stadium! Hope to see you all there some day!