IT WAS THE FINAL FOOTBALL GAME THAT OUR RED RAIDERS WERE PLAYING IN THE SOUTH WEST CONFERENCE. ACTUALLY, THE CONFERENCE WAS ABOLISHED THAT VERY YEAR ALL TOGETHER.
(THE PIC BELOW IS FROM A RECENT GAME 2008, THE "DOUBLE T" SCORE SIGN IS STILL THE SAME AS IT WAS DURING THE 1995 GAME SO THAT IS WHY I INCLUDED NOW. WISH I HAD PICS OF THAT '95 GAME!!!)
I REMEMBER WORKING OUT IN THE COTTON FIELDS WITH MY MOM AND STEP-DAD. I HAD QUIT MY JOB WITH KMART AFTER 12 YEARS AND WAS TAKING A YEAR-LONG BREAK FROM WORKING. IN THE MEANTIME I HAD BILLS TO PAY AND SAVINGS WAS DWINDLING QUICKER THAN I HAD PLANNED SO I WENT TO WORK IN THE FIELDS. BESIDES, IT BUILT UP MY CHARACTER AND MADE ME A STRONGER PERSON AS I THINK BACK TODAY.
ANYHOW, WITH WALKMAN AND HEADSETS ALONG, I WOULD OFTEN OPT TO LISTEN TO THE RADIO VERSUS A CASSETTE LATE EACH AFTERNOON. ONE FRIDAY I HEARD THAT THE MISSOURI TIGERS WERE GOING TO BE IN LUBBOCK THAT NEXT DAY FOR A FOOTBALL GAME VS. OUR RED RAIDERS. THE TICKETS WERE PLENTIFUL AND CHEAP AT $5 A SEAT, WHICH WAS RARE AND INEXPENSIVE BY TODAY’S STANDARDS FOR SURE. THE MIZZOU TIGERS WERE GOING TO BE ONE OF THE NEW TEAMS TECH WOULD FACE GOING INTO THE NEWLY CREATED BIG 12 CONFERENCE SO IT WAS EXCITING TO PREVIEW THE TEAM.
I BELIEVE WE WON, BUT I WOULD HAVE TO CONFER WITH ERICA OR RUDY TO FIND OUT IF THEY REMEMBER BECAUSE I REALLY DO NOT. TO BE HONEST, IT WAS NOT A MATTER OF WHO WON AND WHAT THE FINAL SCORE WAS, BUT THE FACT THAT IT WAS THE FIRST FOOTBALL GAME I HAD THE PRIVILEGE OF TAKING THEM TO AND IT WAS NEW TO ME AS WELL.
WE HAD END ZONE TICKETS WHICH I WAITED TO PURCHASE WHILE WE ARRIVED AT THE STADIUM, AGAIN, A RARE THING TO DO TAKING INTO ACCOUNT TODAY’S “SELL-OUTS”. THE SEATS WERE NOT TOO BAD, WE HAD A DECENT VIEW. WE YELLED AND CHEERED AND, YES, WE JEERED. I BELIEVE RUDY WAS ABLE TO PURCHASE A T-SHIRT WITH THE BIG 12 LOGO AND TEAMS ON IT. IT WAS A HOT ITEM AS THEY WENT ON SALE FOR THE FIRST TIME THAT GAME TO INTRODUCE FANS TO THE NEW CONFERENCE WHICH WOULD BEGIN PLAY THE FOLLOWING SEASON.
WE ATE AT THE BURGER KING BEFORE THE GAME. IT WAS THE ONE ON 19TH STREET JUST A FEW BLOCKS FROM THE TECH CAMPUS. AFTER WE FINISHED EATING, BEING THAT I HAD NEVER ATTENDED A GAME BEFORE, I CHANCED IT AND FOLLOWED THE FLOW OF TRAFFIC AND WE PARKED ALONGSIDE 4TH STREET. WE HAD QUITE THE WALK TO MAKE TO THE STADIUM, BUT IT WAS FUN & WORTH IT.
IT PLEASED ME SO TO HEAR THEM AND TO SEE THEM HAVING SUCH A GOOD TIME. IT WAS RAINING CATS AND DOGS ON THE WAY HOME, BUT THANKFULLY WE MADE IT. RUDY WAS SUPPOSED TO SPEND THE NIGHT AT THE GUZMAN RANCH, BUT HE CHANGED HIS MIND SO WE TOOK HIM HOME FIRST. ERICA, PHILIP AND I THEN MADE THE TREK TO THE RANCH. THE RAIN CREATED A FLOOD ALONGSIDE SOME OF THE FARM ROADS AND IT WAS NOTHING SHORT OF A MIRACLE HOW WE GOT TO THEIR HOUSE. THE WATER WAS HALF WAY UP TO THE MAZDA PROTÉGÉ I OWNED BACK THEN. THE KIDS LAUGHED AT ME AS I SORT OF HAD A COW ABOUT IT ALL. THEY WERE USED TO IT AND THOUGHT IT WAS FUNNY HOW THEIR AUNT DORA WAS FREAKING OUT. NOT SO MUCH BECAUSE OF MY CAR OR WHAT NOT, BUT I WAS CONCERNED FOR THEIR SAFETY. MY NEPHEW, PHILIP, ASSURED ME IT WOULD BE OKAY AND THAT THEY WERE ALWAYS ENCOUNTERING RAIN AND FLOOD ISSUES LIKE THAT. MY NIECE ERICA AGREED AS IF TO REASSURE ME AND HERSELF. AT SOME POINT, I BELIEVE MY SISTER, EVA (PHILIP & ERICA'S MOM), DROVE HER PICK-UP TRUCK TO MEET US SO I WOULD NOT HAVE TO GO FURTHER THAN I HAD OUT IN THOSE COUNTRY ROADS. I BELIEVE WE WOULD HAVE GOTTEN STUCK HAD MY SISTER NOT DONE THIS FOR US. NOT SURE IF I SPENT THE NIGHT WITH THEM OR NOT, BUT I THINK I DROVE BACK INTO TOWN WHERE I WAS STAYING WITH MY OTHER SISTER, JOSIE, AND HER FAMILY (MY BROTHER-IN-LAW, JABIER, AND MY NIECE, ALEX). WE LIVED IN AN OLD BUNGALOW-STYLE HOME OVER ON 16TH ST.
IT IS THIS EVENT THAT I WILL NEVER FORGET AS LONG AS I LIVE. NOT HAVING HAD MY OWN KIDS, I LOVE AND ADORE AND AM SO PROUD OF ALL MY NIECES AND NEPHEWS. SO, WHEN THE OPPORTUNITY ARISES FOR ME TO HELP THE OTHERS SHARE THE SAME EXPERIENCES AS I HAD THAT DAY WITH ERICA, PHILIP AND RUDY, I WILL DO SO. TODAY, AS I SIT HERE, I REMEMBER THE DAY AS IF IT WERE YESTERDAY AND IT FLOODS MY EYES WITH TEARS WITH JOY AT HAVING BEEN ABLE TO TAKE THOSE 3 WITH ME THAT DAY AND THE FUN WE HAD. IT BREAKS MY HEART THAT PHILIP IS NO LONGER WITH US, BUT FOREVER WILL I BE GLAD I HAD THAT DAY TO SHARE WITH HIM AND WITH WHICH TO REMEMBER HIM BY; HE WAS A TRUE RED RAIDER FAN AS WELL.
SO IF THE NIECES AND NEPHEWS OF TODAY GET TIRED OF AUNT DORA TRYING TO GET THEM TO ATTEND TECH EVENTS SUCH AS THIS, THE STORY ABOVE IS THE REASON I DO SO. IT MAKES ME GLAD KNOWING I COULD SHARE OUR FIRST FOOTBALL GAME TOGETHER (ERICA, PHILIP, RUDY AND I) AND THAT I HAVE THAT ONE MEMORY OF PHILIP. IT MAKES ME SAD THAT I DO NOT HAVE MORE MEMORIES SUCH AS THAT ONE WITH PHILIP.
TODAY, I JUST WANT TO DO AS MUCH AS I CAN WITH AS MANY OF MY LOVED ONES AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE. "LIFE IS SHORT" AS MAMMA ALWAYS SAYS.
+WEB+LARGE+WITH+BORDER.jpg)
Posts
No comments:
Post a Comment