COOUUUGGAARR FOOOTTTBALLL SAAATUURRDAAY!

It’s official! Football season is here! Take a deep breath, and you’ll smell it: fresh cut grass, pizza and beer, the crisp winds of fall and the sweaty stench of athletes in dire need of a shower. Ah, yes, football season, four glorious months of jersey-wearing, beer-drinking, sports-bar-frequenting, finger-crossing, smack-talking, nacho-eating Fun (with a capital F). I must admit it’s one of my favorite seasons, by far, and I can barely contain my excitement just thinking about it.

When I was a kid, fall meant the end of summer and the start of yet another seemingly endless school year, and when the days inevitably started to grow cooler, I’d get bummed. Don’t get me wrong, I’m still always sad to see the summer go, but knowing that football season is waiting impatiently just on the other side makes the transition into fall so, so much better.

To me, football season is freedom. Freedom to eat bar food every single weekend without counting one single calorie. Freedom to wear jerseys on both Saturday and Sunday (and sometimes on Monday) without feeling out of style. Freedom to spend an entire day on a barstool without worrying what your mother would say. And of course, freedom to hate other people simply because they don’t root for your team (or they’re blocking your view of the TV).

Tomorrow morning, I’m heading to Seattle for five days. While I’m there, I’ll be lucky enough to experience the first Cougar Football Saturday of the season in person, and honestly, I couldn’t think of a better way to say goodbye to the summer and hello to the fall than with a little tailgating, a little fight-song singing, a little crimson and grey and a whole lot of football.

I hope you all have a fantastic Labor Day weekend! I know I will!

P.S. — If you happen to be wondering just how and why this Texas girl turned into a Washington State fan, read this for a little background info.