Flashback Friday: Our Blood Runs Blue.

I'm a third generation Cougar.  Saying my family loves BYU might be putting it mildly.  When I was a wee little lass, my father decided to change careers, and this necessitated a return to Provo to pursue a masters degree.  Being avid sports fans, they still tried to attend as many of the games as possible, which resulted in half of my wardrobe looking like this:

When I finally got my chance to go to BYU on my own, I was pumped.  However, my first semester was....a little rough I guess.  I had a hard time adjusting to being on the other side of the country, far from my family and friends, learning in a class room setting (I had been homeschooled for two years), but most of all to the Utah culture.  Don't worry, I got over all the angst by Thanksgiving, and then proceeded to have some of the best years of my life in good ol' P-town.  However, during my few months of wallowing, my parents became concerned that I was missing out on some very important aspects of student life.  Namely, the football games.  So, I received this e-mail from my father.  I printed it out and hung it over my desk, because I loved it so much.  I still have that copy and will treasure it always.  It's just classic.

"Lauren

You are required to go to the Utah game on Saturday.  I will not pay your winter semester tuition unless you go.  I don't care if it is snowing and it's 15 degrees outside.  The Cougars need your support.  This is a critical part of your college experience, not to mention you education and indoctrination.  You see, you may not realize this as it is happening, but you are undergoing a gradual change as you live out your experience in Provo.  At some point in the experience (usually between your sophomore and junior years) your mind and body will experience a strange metamorphosis which will actually cause your blood to turn blue and create an unexplained loathing in your mind for the color red.  Replays of Cougar victories over the red menace from the north will become your most cherished memories.  This change will stay with you for the rest of your life and will firmly ensconce you in front of the television for every televised BYU sporting event (few as they may be depending on where you may live).  This change is not just physical and psychological, but spiritual as well.  [Warning, this is where my father gets slightly sac-religious, so you may want to skip over this next sentence if you are easily offended...but it's kind of funny.]  Once you have been endowed and have the privilege of wearing garments, you will feel inspired to use a blue sharpie to write the name of the Lord's university (in very small, reverent letters) on the tag.  This is entirely appropriate and will serve as a constant reminder to you of the more important things in life.  But if you don't go to the games and get behind the teams, you may not experience this change and my money will have been wasted.  So get your butt out there and wear blue."

My husband is just as much of a BYU sports fanatic as my parents, if not more so, and our future daughter's wardrobe is already reflecting this.  Here are a few of her most choice outfits for the first few months of life.

Please note that my mother saved the outfit on the left from when I was baby.  Hence the awesome retro blue.

It's hereditary.