Flashing Back Again - Trojan Family Weekend Part IV - 10/2013

Okay, so I'm trying to clean out my computer and figure out what I've posted and what I haven't.  Wow.  I have a lot of old stuff.  

I'm flashing back to 2013 and my daughter's first semester at University of Southern California.
  

We had an AMAZING time at the Trojan Family Weekend.  

To prove how long ago I took (and edited!) these photos, here is a picture of the new Wallis Annenberg Hall at the time:

And what it looks like now after its grand opening:

Photo courtesy of www.bernards.com

That gorgeous new building opened in 2014 and my lovely daughter has been taking classes there for the last two semesters. 

A few more shots of the beautiful USC campus. #FightOn

USC Gold rose

 A Fountain in Blue

 The entrance to USC's Loker Stadium Track and Field facility, called Louis Zamperini Plaza.

So, Day Three!  This day was ah.may.zing.   

USC had a tailgate before the game against Utah. This was our area. 

And they had cotton candy!  I love cotton candy.  

Nothing like pure sugar, no matter how old you are. 

"Clever" slogans by some of the students.

After our delicious meal, we walked over en masse to the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum.

The matchup on the scoreboard:

Cool shot of the Good Year blimp above the Coliseum.

The song girls wait to welcome the team to the field.  #FightOn

Yay team!

Opening kickoff!

The "families" had a group of seats above the band and across from the students.  

Cody Kessler takes the snap.

The Olympic cauldron with L.A. in the background. 

Action shots! Kessler passes under pressure:

 I like this shot with the logo. 

The song girls and Traveler!  So pretty.  

Traveler and the Spirit Leaders with the students in the background.

This is the Utah Utes cheer squad, but I thought it was a cool picture.

USC Marching Band

The students got into it, showing their love for SoCal.

USC won and it was an awesome game and day.  I'm so proud and happy that my daughter is a Trojan.

Fight On!

xoxo

2013 Trojan Family Weekend - Day 2 Part 2! Trojan Marching Band & Football Team!

Yep, that's Will Farrell.

Nope, we were not there.

It's to set the theme people, come one!  :-)

After getting our grub on at Annenberg, we walked over to Cromwell Field to watch band practice.  I love marching bands. 

When I was in high school, a couple friends were in the band/flag twirlers and I remember going with them to band competitions.  It was really awesome.  And we had one of the best drum lines in the State at that time.  Good times. 

Anyhoo, give me sun, good company, a marching band, and a camera...I'm a happy girl. 

And the man who makes it happen, Dr. Arthur C. Bartner.

Forgive a moment of cheesiness, but the California sunbeams were raining down in blessing...

Practice is a lot of fun because Dr. Bartner encourages running instead of walking and lots of yelling in between.

And dancing.  Of course, dancing.

After the practice was mostly over, the band gathers and the football team and spirit squad come out for a mini pep-rally.

FIGHT ON!

Playing the fight song makes for happy team!

Cheer+Football+Band=School Life

It was really amazing seeing these kids respond to Coach O.  Under Lane Kiffin and the mountain of sanctions USC was hit with after the Reggie Bush fiasco, the team was struggling with a 3-2 record for the year. 

It's hard not to feel for kids in this situation.  These are kids people.  Under a brutal program with sanctions that had absolutely NOTHING to do with any of them.  But this day, under Coach Orgeron, these kids were happy and they believed.  In each other and their program.

They finished out the year 6-2 under Orgeron.

And in their school.

And in turn, they inspired people (and parents) to believe.  And had fun while doing it.  Thanks bandmembers, spirit squad, and football players.

And thanks to my daughter and the University of California for making my dreams come true.

(Sorry for the melodrama, but I'm proud and grateful. #SorryNotSorry)  

xoxo