Michigan State vs Univ of Washington tailgate with RevelXP

Sometimes things turn out even better than you could have hoped for. I put out a lot of hype calls, texts and emails trying to bring my friends together for a tailgate on campus at Michigan State for the MSU vs University of Washington Huskys game 9-16-23. Our Husky friends Matt & Sally had taken us to the football game when MSU played Univ of Washington in Seattle last year, so this was part of the master plan. Return to Michigan State and revel in the fun of being on campus again, but how? 

It was all a dream until I found out that REVELxp was a company that was founded on making tailgating easy. They handled all of the logistics that were hard for me as someone coming from out of state. They provide the reserved space; They put up the tent and fill it with a couple big tables and folding chairs and a few coolers full of ice. They hung a banner (they printed) so my friends could find me. They met us at a designated drop off spot and unloaded our car into a golf car and drop our load to our designated tent. (Am I dreaming?) At the end of the game, they make it all go away. Incredible. It was just what we needed and I can't say enough positive things. 

These 2 great friends of mine Tricia (and Tim) and Alicia (and Alan!) also went above & beyond to make our tailgate a success. They brought a huge bar of mixed drinks, a grill for hot dogs and tons of tailgating supplies. Things I never would have been able to come up with flying in. They are the best and I think they had as much fun as I did. What a great reunion. Tons of our friends from Junior League dinner club came with bells on.

Lots of my friends brought food or drinks to make the party great. Btw, REVELxp also offers catering. It's expensive, but it does allow you to guarantee that you'll have some bites for your guests. We had sandwich platters and chicken wings to fill people up. And we were able to get all of the drinks in cans at the local Meijers the morning of the game. 

Our Junior League of Birmingham, MI dinner club (started in 1997) came out and it was so wonderful to see so many of our friends again. I was levitating. I stood for 3 1/2 hours, didn't eat or drink and it felt like a wedding reception. I knew everyone there and I didn't want to miss a moment.

I couldn't pack a lot in my suitcase, but I did manage to bring football stadium tablecloths (cute!) and tiny beer can dessert picks with me. Don't they look darling in my friend Karla's brownies? They are my kind of beer.

Another whole part of this event was getting my Kappa Alpha Theta sorority sisters together. Many of these women, I hadn't seen in about 25 years and I had only been writing on Facebook. The photo above shows 22 women from my time as a Theta at Michigan State. It was fabulous.

We were known as the "4 H" 

You can see from the image above that our UW friends Matt & Sally made sure that the Husky fans they knew (that had also travelled) felt welcome to come tailgate with us. It was so fun seeing everyone together. Dan & I had stood in a sea of purple in Seattle the year before, so it was wonderful to host this year and include everyone.

Liz and I met our first year volunteering with Junior League in 1997 and have been kindred spirits ever since.  

There was a great banner so tailgaters can tell which tent to go to. This was just as we arrived - I'm so glad we took a photograph. Smartest thing we did in 2023 - host a tailgate and get all of our friends and family together. Yes, my brothers, sisters-in-law, nieces and nephews came too. It was a awesome.

The game was a disaster. University of Washington won 41 to 7. It looked like we had sent our Tennis Team to try and play them. Horrible. But, our seats were great, the weather was beautiful and we had a blast! 

And, University of Washington went on this season to be in the National Championships, so clearly they were an excellent team. 

This was the best thing I planned all year. If you get a chance to do a reunion tailgate, I highly recommend it.