We had a VERY quick turnaround/ making preparations for attending the ACC Championship game. FSU was going to play Virginia Tech in Charlotte!
We decided it was a doable drive, loaded up nearly every bit of warm clothes we owned, and hit the road early Friday morning. We stayed at the team hotel and we really enjoyed seeing many of the players and coaches hanging out in the lobby.
Friday evening, there was a reception at
Whiskey River. We headed over with Rick and Joanne and enjoyed a few beverages and snacks with a whole bunch of Noles.
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| Rick, Joanne, Leann and Frank |
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| Super Nole prepares to take on the bull. (We opted not to give it a try.) |
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| Scenes from Whiskey River. |
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Busted!
(Ok, maybe they were looking 'out into the crowd',
but I couldn't resist snapping this when I noticed all three made a bee-line for the rail.) |
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| The Marching Chiefs were in Charlotte and made an appearance. |
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| Since this was the ACC Championship, all the team mascots were there. |
We had dinner with another group of Nole Boosters at
BLT Steak. It was great spending time with some people we hadn't seen in a while and meeting new ones. (And the food was pretty good too! Popovers the size of your head!!)
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There are four statues at the intersection of Tryon and Trade (Independence Center).
Two of them were draped in team jerseys. |
Our friends Tom and Raquel, came up from Rock Hill and we enjoyed a late lunch/early dinner before the game. It was so nice to catch up and make plans for our next visit.
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| Frank, Leann, Raquel and Tom |
We had been watching the weather every day before our departure. It was going to be cold and wet with a possibility of snow. But we were prepared! I'm really glad Frank suggested we bring our BDCs (Big Damn Coats) we got several years ago, prior to our Europe trip. Lots of layers, in various combinations, were in order: long underwear, lightweight shirt, pull-over, fleece, hooded sweatshirt, vest, gloves, scarf, hat, cashmere socks, shearling-lined shoes and handwarmers! We were ready!
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Thankfully, Frank made arrangements for seats in the club level.
We met up with Tad and Bonnie and were able to top off the "anti-freeze". (wink wink) |
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| Leann, Frank, Bonnie and Tad |
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| Noles take to the field! |
It did rain before the game started, but fortunately, we were underneath an overhang.
To make a long story short, the Seminoles did not win the game (44-33). But they played hard and commited to finishing the game, even scoring a touchdown in the last few minutes!
We are very happy with Jimbo's first season as headcoach and are really impressed with how the team has transformed. The Seminoles had several successes this season: beat Miami, beat Florida, lead the nation in sacks and were nationally ranked. They had the opportunity to play in the ACC Championship and will now play in the Chick-fil-a Bowl in Atlanta on New Year's Eve!
