BENTLEY, LIKE THE CAR: Date Night - Auburn Alumni Club Meeting

When J mentioned the idea of moving back to Georgia, I told him that I would go on one condition. That single condition involved us becoming season ticket holders. Go big or go home.

I love football. I love Auburn football. Most importantly, I just love Auburn.

When the local Auburn Alumni Club sent out an invitation for their spring meeting, I was ecstatic.

Why?

Because the guest speaker was none other than Kodi Burns.

Many commentators described Kodi Burns as an “Auburn man.” He started his college career as a quarterback and was eventually moved to the position of wide receiver. Despite this transition, Kodi’s character prevailed and he handled the move with grace. He was a huge part of our 2010 National Championship team.

Does this picture refresh your memory?

I was beyond THRILLED when Kodi caught Cam’s pass and scored the first touchdown in the National Championship. So fitting. So perfect for so many reasons.

Tickets for this event included drinks and dinner at a country club. Since we don’t get the chance to live the country club lifestyle very often, J and I jumped on the opportunity for a date night, even though it was during the week. #turndownforwhat

Upon arrival we received shakers for our overflowing collection. We signed in, purchased a few raffle tickets (why did we waste our money?), and headed to the open bar. The next hour was spent socializing and we had our picture taken with a celebrity. That’s right, we met Aubie!

Dinner was served buffet style and complete with peach cobbler.. I love any meal that I don’t have to cook. Can I get an amen?

Near the end of our meal, Kodi began his speech. He was entertaining, engaging and I was ready for game day. Whoever wrote this ( Kodi very well could have, but I know someone had to approve it) did a fantastic job. It was what my favorite Auburn forum refers to as “sunshine pumping.”

Despite our rough year in 2015, his speech was positive and made you excited for football season. He also made a few a jokes about everyone coming to see his surprise guest, Jonathan Wallace. Jonathan is a local, former player who recently became engaged and is currently a GA at Auburn. I was equally excited that he made the trip over.

Kodi began his speech talking about the Oregon catch (apparently he slipped) and why he went to Auburn. He also discussed our defense, offensive coaches, and raved about our new recruits. He finished with a Q&A session answering questions about returning to #auburnfast, his favorite memories and how he wished our transfers well. I am 99% positive that the transfer inquiry ended the Q&A, which worked to our advantage because we were able to take pictures and talk with the guys (we are practically BFF) before they left. He still smiles hardcore – there must be something about that 2010 team and smiling...

Apparently he is still close with many of his teammates from his college days. In particular, Zac Etheridge and Josh Bynes are two he mentioned.

I also met Jonathan who told us that Auburn extended an offer to him a few days before signing day and he said no (I think he was heavily recruited by Southern Miss).