Friday, September 09, 2005

Change of plans

Ok so I was all ready to post about my solo at the lake but then I realized that this weekend was a very important weekend. Yes, my friends it is HOMECOMING weekend.

And it just so happens that this year marks my tenth year out of high school. TEN YEARS people. That is a stinkin long time. Gosh I feel old.

But a trip down memory lane is not the point of this post.

Instead we are here to discuss this thing called Homecoming. Now I’m sure if your school had a football team they had a homecoming game. Well homecoming in our town is BIG STUFF (even though out football team sucked at the time – but hey my old high school has since won three state championships and played a game televised on ESPN – yep we take our football seriously down here folks). I’m getting off the subject again.

Homecoming is so much more than the game (especially when you know you are going to lose). It is a week full of festivities including Spirit Week, Pep Rallies, a Bonfire, the game, and then the dance.

It just so happens my senior year that I was the mascot. In fact every couple of months or so when I go into the local grocery store one of the checkers or baggers will remember me as the mascot (hmmm, not so sure that is the thing I most want to be remembered for). The most important part of being the Raider mascot was that I had a whip. Yep, a whip. See our administration thought it would be a good idea for the Raider to be like Indiana Jones instead of a cowboy or pirate like other raider mascots (bad idea, very bad idea). So I got to wear an entirely khaki outfit with the leather bomber jacket, brown fedora, and carry a whip. And yes boys, I do know how to use it and I still have it. And no, you will not ever see pictures of me in the mascot outfit.

Homecoming is an EVENT to rival all events. It is bigger than prom or graduation I think just because the entire school is involved. So I’m thinking I might venture out to my high schools homecoming game tonight and visit one of my good friends who is the drill team instructor and check out the game.

And as I venture back in time to the high school days I will be greeted with one of the most outrageous homecoming traditions here in Texas.

The MUMS.

There really is no way to describe what a mum is in words so I found a couple of pictures for you to peruse.

Image hosted by Photobucket.com

Image hosted by Photobucket.com


Now for some reason in my youth I thought that mums were the greatest thing in the world.

I was WRONG.

As I got older and wiser I have come to the understanding that these things are the tackiest, ugliest, biggest waste of $50-$100 ever invented.

The sad thing is that there was an unspoken competition to see who could have the biggest, gaudiest, most expensive mum in the school.

It didn’t just end with flowers and a few ribbons people. It was four flowers; all kinds of ribbons (in coordinating school colors of course); you had to add the teddy bears (one for both you and your date); the football garland; the plastic footballs (or basketballs or soccer balls or whatever sport you or your date played); then there was the ribbons with your name and their name and the name of the school and the name of whatever else you wanted, and then the cowbells (yes cowbells in various sizes, tiny to regular size); you also added glitter ribbons, and other crap to make your mum large and expensive looking. I’ll never forget the site of girls walking down the hall (because you had to wear it to school on the day of the game as well at the game and the dance) with fifteen safety pins trying to hold this 15 pound mum onto their shirt as gaping holes appear from the duress of the weight. I even knew a guy who bought his date a mum so big she had to wear it as a backpack. Then there was the sound of these girls coming down the hall with the garland and the cowbells. It was HILAROUS.

Ahhh memories. So as I venture back to the old stomping grounds of high school I will be visually assaulted with the mums once again.

AND I WILL LAUGH.

26 Comments:

Blogger chirky said...

wait. ten years? i thought you graduated in 96?

9/09/2005 12:01 PM  
Blogger Katie said...

Yes Jes I did.

Homecoming happens in the fall. My senior year was 1995-1996. It is fall 2005. So ten years.

9/09/2005 12:05 PM  
Blogger chirky said...

whatever. did you forget that i went to school in Terrell?

therefore, anything to do with mathematics is automatically forgiven.

zhbiwhpb!

9/09/2005 12:07 PM  
Blogger Katie said...

It's ok Jes you have so many other redeeming qualities it more than makes up for your mathematics troubs.

Jes as a former student from Terrell I bet you had some TACKY mums. Hmmmm?

9/09/2005 12:10 PM  
Blogger chirky said...

oh, yes. except i never had a date to Homecoming, and if you don't have a date, you don't have a mum. And on the dance team, we actually WORE OUR MUMS OUT ONTO THE FOOTBALL FIELD for our team's entrance.

And since I had no date, and had no mum, this might have proved embarrassing, since EVERY OTHER GIRL WAS WEARING ONE.

However, I'm a daddy's girl, and every year he went to the Florist and had them create one for me.

I'm not sure if that is better, but I had one, and I have memories of my daddy carefully choosing my mum and presenting it to me. Isn't he wonderful?!?

9/09/2005 12:13 PM  
Blogger Katie said...

Oh Jes, sweet daddy. I never had a date for homecoming either, so no mums. Oh wait, yes I did have one my senior year, my parents bought it for me. I think I wore it for 10 minutes at the dance and then threw it in the back of my car (sorry mom and dad). Oh well.

Hey Jes we can trade my math skills for your scrapbooking skills.

9/09/2005 12:27 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Have fun Katie - and PLEASE stop reminding me that you've been out of HS 10 years - WOW!! Hey, that makes me 10 years wiser, right?

Jes - I too had to pause and figure out the 10 year thing. But luckily it came to me while reading the post and not Katie's comment - seeing as I have an accounting degree it would've been most embarrassing had I not.

And yes, it was cool that your Dad bought you your mum - the memory of that is so much better than getting one from some teenage guy. Cherish your Dad - they are not replaceable.

Jes - I'm putting you in charge of reminding Katie not to forget about my 3 babies - Rugger ('little man'), Maggie ('Magga-lee') and Sebastian ('sea bass') while I'm in La. for 4-6 months.

9/09/2005 12:27 PM  
Blogger Amstaff Mom said...

Oh, the days of mums. I saw mine when I was moving this last time. They're in a Rubbermaid container in the attic. Some from my parents, some from my highschool boyfriend. All heavy, all tacky.

I remember that you had to get the largest safety pin known to man and pin it through your bra strap to keep it from completely ripping your shirt. Even then, you always had two holes from the giant safety pin that you then had to deal with.

Memories. And where's the picture of Katie and the Whip????

9/09/2005 12:41 PM  
Blogger chirky said...

sweet! something to pester KT about daily!

or, wait. is this a ploy to get me to call her every day?

xutsxwfl!

9/09/2005 12:42 PM  
Blogger Katie said...

No pics of Katie. BTW - that of course is not me in the picture but some random girl that came up when I googled "homecoming mums". Sorry AM, but you will just have to use your imagination.

9/09/2005 12:43 PM  
Blogger Shelley L. MacKenzie said...

I've never heard of those mum things...guess they didn't (or don't) do that thing up here in Canada.

I graduated in 1986...yes, that's right, in June of next year it will be 20 years since I graduated!! Now THAT is old!! lol

9/09/2005 1:04 PM  
Blogger steve said...

Sweet Father of al that is good and Holy! Do NOT tell me thats what you all do in Texas??? That is like Child abuse! Oh that just isnt real... it isnt real... it is NOT real!

9/09/2005 1:43 PM  
Blogger steve said...

The picture of the girl... that THING is actually deforming her! You can see her sagging to the left... her shoulder is actually out of socket!

9/09/2005 1:44 PM  
Blogger Katie said...

Her mum isn't even that big. I've seen some that are so much larger and more obscene.

Ha ha, yep this doesn't give Texas any cool points at all does it?

The girls and boys (yes boys get mums but they wear them on their arms) are teens so it wouldn't be considered child abuse. Besides they do it to themselves.

9/09/2005 1:46 PM  
Blogger Amstaff Mom said...

I had NO idea other states didn't do this. That's kinda like
Groom's cakes. I didn't know that it was a Southern thing. Can you IMAGINE? No groom's cake? And I don't even like chocolate!

9/09/2005 2:58 PM  
Blogger Katie said...

Oh JCol - Mums are pretty much only found in Texas, Oklahoma, Louisiana, and Arkansas. Hmmm there's a joke waiting to happen in that sentence.

On the groom's cake: I KNOW. People do not understand they are missing out on chocolate covered strawberries. They don't even need the cake, just a platter of groom's strawberries.

Oh well, good thing we live in Texas.

9/09/2005 3:05 PM  
Blogger Greg said...

Do the girls Moo in Texas as they wear their cowbell mums?

In typical Saturday night fashion... needs more cowbell.

oovgfqkt

9/09/2005 3:56 PM  
Blogger Katie said...

Ben - I cannot speak for other girls but I have not mooed while wearing a cow bell. In fact I've never worn a cow bell.

9/09/2005 3:59 PM  
Blogger Heather said...

Makes me appreciate Oregon more and more.

9/09/2005 4:02 PM  
Blogger Eddo said...

OOOOH Katie, this was a Brilliant - "RIGHT-On" Post!

I recall my sisters getting mums and me even getting one of those small mum things you wear on your bicep. I don't recall the girl I was dating at the time, but yep, I wore it with pride - TEXAS PRIDE!

Great trip down memory lane. Love it.

9/09/2005 4:19 PM  
Blogger Katie said...

Oh Eddie the "bicep mum", there was something wrong about a guy wearing a flower with ribbons and such on his bicep. Hahahahahaha

9/09/2005 4:22 PM  
Blogger Eddo said...

Steve! Your comments are so right-on! H.I.L.A.R.I.O.U.S!!!!

No mums in oregon?

9/09/2005 4:23 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

See Jes - you will have to pester her daily - I mention my 3 babies and she just ignores it. It is not a ploy - both her Dad & I will be gone for who knows how long (me 4 - 6 months, her Dad - no telling) - at this point my accommodations are a four-letter word (TENT)) so please pester her daily.
You'll love it - you know you will.

I didn't know groom's cakes were a southern thing...sad, they are missing out on a lot. You out of towners really need to visit the great state of Texas. However, with that being said...

Ben/Sydney - I had the pleasure of visiting your great state last year. I especially enjoyed Duluth and got to stay in a hotel with a view of the lake - it's amazing how big it is. It was really neat to hear the horn of a huge ship coming in one foggy morn.

Steve - I too got to visit Portland last year but only to drive to the airport from Vancouver and fly away. I did get to spend 4 days in WA - from Seattle to Bellingham to Olympia to Vancouver. Beautiful state, as I suspect Oregon is. Bellingham was my fav - hope to return for fun someday.

Sorry I yapped so much...I'll go back to being the silent Mom!

9/09/2005 4:43 PM  
Blogger Chad said...

I'm trying to remember if I ever bought one of those hideous things for a date in high school. Nothing comes to mind. I do remember watching the competition of who could get the biggest mum with more than a touch of humor. Being in Texas, it was not only the big mum, but the big hair as well. I think some of the girls used the hair to counterbalance their mum. Or vice versa. Thanks for the story. Funny, as ever.

9/09/2005 8:16 PM  
Blogger Amstaff Mom said...

I was talking to a teacher today and she's having to chaperone the Homecoming Dance tonight. We were talking about states that don't wear mums. Too weird when blog conversations and "real" conversations end up being the same thing back to back!

hvkjppeq

9/10/2005 7:42 PM  
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