A Lovely Day on the Plains - eventually

We had a fun family day Saturday, at the Auburn vs. Arkansas State game. My brother was able to get us great tickets from a friend of his, and the weather was beautiful, even if a little chilly. James' sister Angel and brother-in-law Phillip went too, so it was a great time together. The kids love being in Auburn as much as we do. They truly enjoyed the tradition of Tiger Walk, cheering as the players enter the stadium a couple of hours before the game and then after the game, enjoyed playing in the toilet paper-covered environment of Toomer's Corner, and Angel got some great pictures there. At J&M Bookstore, a couple we've seen before was there with another of their pet tigers. This one was only 6 months old, and so gorgeous. Seeing him up close was definitely a highlight for Isaac and Abigail. It was nice that Auburn shut the Indians out, too! War Eagle!



The only hard part of the day happened right after we parked and walked to the area where Tiger Walk was to take place. If you've never been there, it's a sight to behold, as thousands of fans mingle around, waiting on the team to come down the street leading to the stadium. We've always miss the beginning of the Walk, so were excited this time to be there before, and get a decent place to wait. However, finally experiencing the whole thing didn't quite meet my expectations, due to the fact that we lost Abigail right after arriving. Let me just say, those were the longest 5-10 mins. of my life. I mean, we're in the middle of blocked off intersections, people everywhere, music blaring - it was an exciting, busy time, and so chaotic, that it happened so fast and we didn't even know where to start looking. She was right with us, clustered around 2 guys buying our other tickets we had. They had cash, were holding and looking at the tickets, and James was working out the deal with them, while we stood beside him. Seconds after I had
looked down at her and said, "Stay with me," she was gone. I frantically glanced around a minute later, and couldn't see her. I tried not to panic and freak out the rest of the family,and I didn't think she was kidnapped, but thought she'd just gotten separated, then couldn't spot us, in the sea of thousands of people wearing orange. As little as she is, I figured she just couldn't figure out where she was, or where we were, when she got turned around, and we'd just gotten there, so there was nothing really familiar to her. James was still brokering the deal and so he stayed put, and Angel, Phillip and I split up in each direction. I was shaking and so sick feeling, knowing she was probably o.k., but wondering how far she'd get, and how people would find us - I couldn't see any police or security people anywhere, and in all those people, thought even if a well-meaning person found her, how would they get word to us? There were many tears on my part, and greatly elevated blood pressure on the part of 4 adults. Finally, she reappeared with a police officer. Poor Phillip was almost in need of sedation, but he was the one who found her, with Isaac, who promptly asked, "Abi! Where have you been?!" :-) (like a good big brother!) Like I thought, she just kept walking and was nearly 2 blocks away, sobbing and calling for me when the policeman/angel from heaven found her. He said she was entering an intersection, crossing from the sidewalk, and he scooped her up. She calmed enough to trust and tell him everything about us - our names, hers, number, address, etc. His job was just that he had to figure out where we were, which wasn't too hard, given the situation. When they spotted Phillip and Isaac, she called out, "Bob!" (which is what the kids call Phillip). The policeman asked if he could follow them back to us to make sure they were with us, which was kind, and we were so thankful. Whew...I think we have hammered home the concept of "Do NOT EVER leave your parents, even to walk 2 steps away. And, if you get lost, freeze where you are and we'll come to you." Several times throughout the day, she looked at me tearfully and said, "I'm so sorry Mama!" and "I'm so sorry I scared you like that. I was so afraid." I'm so thankful, and we did enjoy the day, but it started so emotionally, that the game and activities could hardly compare to having the kids safely beside us, and all over us. They were both pretty subdued for a while. It scared them both a whole bunch, and I'm glad. They need to be scared enough to never leave us again! It's amazing how quickly you realize your life could change forever, with the loss of one of the people you love tremendously. Suddenly, even something as fun and enjoyable as football really ceases to be important. I had put so much stress on James to get us there at the right time, and even had been ugly and short with him about the details of the day, and when I saw her face again, I cried for joy, and out of shame too. Priorities...mine were seriously out of whack. Lesson learned, I hope.