For anyone that knows us, it’s no surprise we bleed blue. Andy and I both went to Xavier University and met there while we were Resident Assistants. I loved that school. I still LOVE all things Xavier. And we’ve done a great job raising our kids as Musketeers as well.

I looked for some college photos and discovered I’m not in half of them. I was always the photographer – which again should not surprise anyone who knows me. I had such a great time those four years on campus. I had forgotten that I made a free throw during half time at a game during my freshman year to win $100. In four years of photos I had one and only one photo of me visibly wearing anything with Xavier on it. I was fondly reminded of years living down the hall from the basketball team. They really were great guys. To me they were “normal” people by day and then really fun to watch on the court in action.  Even though the players change, we still bleed blue at our house.

So fast forward a few years and three kids later, we are definitely a Xavier family. We’ve had season tickets for many, many years and just this season upgraded to 5 tickets so that the whole family can attend the games. We were hesitant but they love it and are not tired of it yet. We attend Xavier events and fundraisers. We are proud to be Musketeers. We even have Xavier artwork in our new dining room. We have awesome friends who are also alumni and we all bleed blue together.

We have other friends we love dearly – we go out to dinner, we spend time together…heck, we vacation together. But there will always be one thing we will never agree on with this one particular family. Ever. Because they are Bearcats fans. Just typing “Bearcats” makes my heart hurt. Ha! And they are big time fans with a wrapped Bearcats truck to prove it. But amazingly…we are still close friends. Crazy, right? Shouldn’t differences tear people apart? Um, no. It’s a fun rivalry. My kids always greet them with a “Boo Bearcats!” and then a big hug. If the family happens to be wearing any blue, my kids point it out immediately with a “nice Xavier blue!” And every year when the big Crosstown Shootout rivalry game comes along, we definitely cheer against each other.

But again, it’s not hateful. It’s all in good fun. Especially when you are the visiting team and therefore, watching the game from home. And suddenly the Bearcats are shooting a free throw and WHO is that in the stands being held up high in great fathead form? Donald Trump? Yes. Large Cheese Coneys? Yes. Jack Black? Yes. My Husband? WAIT? What? Um, yes. And with a UC tatoo on his face. The kids were shocked. We laughed. We cried. (His poor face!) And now we hope it didn’t end up even more defiled in some frat house later.

True friendships are about being together in good times, bad times and crazy fun shenanigans. We are lucky to have a close group of amazing friends nearby. Even if some of them cheer for the wrong side. Now to figure out how we get them back….

Is there a college team you love?

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