Kate Ryan Williams: We are the Aggies, the Aggies are we...

I'm an Aggie, I married an Aggie, my dad was an Aggie, my brother and his wife are Aggies, my best friend and her husband are Ags...I could go on and on. It's Game Day here at our house and I am the only woman in a house full of boys. You would think that the menfolk would be excited, but it's exactly the opposite.

Aquaman does not like football. He doesn't much like any team sports and certainly wouldn't waste time watching them on TV. He'd rather be outside hiking or SCUBA diving somewhere. And our three children are pretty much the same. But I've tried. Boy, have I tried. The boys say that I am too loud when I watch Aggie football games and that my screaming hurts their ears. I can't help it.

This morning I laid out the t-shirt I expected Aquaman to wear, after I put myself in my game day shirt. "I laid your shirt out on the bed," I told him as I left the bedroom. "Oh Lord," was all he said. But he put it on.

"It's on. Go away now, little woman."

One down, three to go.

Thing 2 was still in bed, but at least awake. I dug around his clothes and found his Aggie t-shirt. "You have to wear this today," I said as I threw it on his chest. And then I repeated the same thing with The Redhead and Thing 1, already stationed on the couch playing xBox.

"Are we going somewhere?" they both asked.

"No. But it's good luck. Put them on. The game's at 2:30."

"You're weird, Mom. Whatever."

"It we're not going anywhere, why do I have to put this on?"

"Why do you have to take a picture?"

I made The Redhead take a picture of me and Thing 2 to prove I have my game day shirt on, too. Even though I'm perturbed and they're annoyed.

This is mostly how things go in our house. I act squirrely and they put up with it.

I almost forgot Yellow Dog. She always wears a maroon collar that Thing 2 made for her, but I put her game day collar on.

Yellow Dogs Gig 'Em too.

Once I had everyone properly dressed, I took a moment and looked around our house. Everywhere I turned, I was met with Aggie or maroon. I documented it. Have a look.

Thing 2's new school clothes include this awesome maroon outfit.

Assorted ribbons and medals from the twins. Aggie lanyard.

Thing 2's craft space where he cuts things with an Xacto knife.

Representing the Ags in the duct tape tower.
Why yes, that's a baby shark preserved in formalin on Thing 2's desk.
Did you forget Aquaman is raising marine biologists?

Yes, that's a maroon towel. And maroon drums.

Aggieland yearbooks sit on shelves in the living room.

This flag flies outside our house during football season.

My dad's old parking space sign from outside Kyle Field.

Paint chips on the hall table. I'm considering which wall to paint maroon. It's a sickness.

Even on the fridge. It's a bottle opener - clever and used often.

In the kitchen cupboard.

Coffee just tastes better out of these.

On the kitchen table.

Above the kitchen table. WHOOP!

In Aquaman's office.

Part of my DVD collection, sent to me in Alaska by a dear friend when it was
the only way I had to see the Fightin' Texas Aggie Band perform. Dark days.

I am slowly becoming my father. He drove a maroon Cadillac. We had maroon carpet in our house. He wore a polyester maroon jumpsuit often. Every barn at the farm I grew up on was painted maroon and white.

Barns look good in maroon and white, don't they?

He bought me and my two sisters Yell Leader coveralls when we were toddlers. We were given Aggie t-shirts every year. I still have a maroon and white duffle bag and garment bag that he custom ordered for me, monogrammed with my name, when I headed off to college.