After our rainy stay in DC, we decided to head for warmer, dryer weather; so we returned to the Upstate, the northern-most region of South Carolina encompassing the cities of Greenville, Spartanburg, and Anderson along I-85. We made a stop here a few weeks ago on a whim; however, we came this time with plans. Agenda: Clemson MBA Alumni Social at Soby’s on Friday night and the Clemson vs. Wake Forest football game on Saturday.We pulled into my old roommate Jeff’s driveway just as the Clemson MBA Alumni Social was set to begin; so we quickly made a wardrobe change and headed to Soby’s Restaurant and Corporate Apartment just off beautiful Main Street in downtown Greenville. Fashionably late by only a hour, we had plenty of time to mingle with fellow Clemson MBA Alumni and munch on Soby’s yummy crab cakes and other hoers devours. Nearing the conclusion of the event, we ironically bumped into a few other MonaVie distributors. We talked shop for a bit and then headed out for a few drinks with friends in downtown. Wings and beer, of course!
On Saturday, we woke up early and made the 45-minute drive over to Clemson with Tracey Murphy, a Greenville friend who was attending her first Clemson game! Despite the Noon kick-off, we arrived a few hours early to participate in a little pre-game tailgating, a rich tradition at Clemson almost as big as the game itself. Of course, we also packed a few Emv to share with our fellow tailgating friends. Neither a few raindrops nor the Wake Forest Demon Deacon defense could keep Clemson superstar C.J. Spiller and the Tigers from finding the end zone multiple times. The Tiger defense also dominated, and our boys were victorious by a score of 38-3. I love college football!We left the game to find Adam Tepe’s tailgate, a former MBA classmate, and then headed for the world famous Esso Club to watch my other team, the Razorbacks, take on the defending National Champions and #1-ranked Florida Gators in Gainesville. Although it was a hard-fought game, the Gators squeaked out the 23-20 win (aided by a few untimely and very questionable penalties as the game was nearing a close with the gators needing a score to win, I might add) to remain unbeaten. After the heartbreaker, we decided to take the party back to Greenville and hang out with my old roommate.
On Sunday, we drove back to Clemson to walk the corn maize at Denver Down Farms and watch little kids pick pumpkins and play on hay bails. Growing up in South Florida, Stef was amazed by the corn stalks and that you could actually pick your own pumpkin from the patch. We also met our former MBA advisor Martha Duke and her husband (and marketing professor) Dr. Charles Duke for dinner at Copper River Grill in Seneca. Martha was like a mom during our time in the MBA Program at Clemson, so we thoroughly enjoyed catching up on life events and sharing the adventures of our trip.
On Monday, we had lunch with Lanetta Singleton and Michelle Masters, a few of my former colleagues from Regional Management Corp. Later that night I had dinner with my old Clemson friends who had spent the weekend in Charleston and then caught up with Jeff and Tracey for Monday Night Football at Quaker Steak and Lube sports bar. The South Carolina climate was wreaking havoc on Stefany’s allergies, so she ordered pizza for a girls’ night on the couch with Syndey, Jeff’s miniature schnauzer. Up and moving early on Tuesday morning, we packed up and headed out…but not before I was caught by the crazy neighbor who smells like cow manure and always wants to chat. Convincing him we had to get on the road, we did just that…headed for our next stop…Orlando!
