the thing about rivalries.

I grew up in a very pro-BYU family. My parents went there, I was convinced every single Mormon went there, and for three years in a row I was a Cougarette for Halloween {I will not tell you which three years, because when you figure out how old I was it'll be a little embarrassing for me}. I even remember high school prayers always including the line, "Heavenly Father, please let me get into BYU." Summers for us were spent in Provo on the BYU campus, whether for sports and dance camps, EFY, or just for kicks. Mom and Dad liked to reminisce. In fact, on my first day of Freshman year, I pretty much knew campus front to back. So, the Justesen family is all for the Cougs.

Well...at least some of us. After assuming that all four of the kids in my family would end up there, I am in fact the only one who has attended all four years and graduated from BYU. Tyler graduated from BYU-I, which is where Whitney will graduate next year. There's still some hope for Devin, a Freshman at BYU-I, to come over to the bright side after his mission, but we'll see. Convincing him that BYU has been credited quite a few times for having one of the best looking female student bodies seems to be working in my favor. 

As you can see, having half your family attend a different school can create a bit of a rivalry. Which is all fun and games, until it gets mean {my fault, I'm sorry. But at least we can wear flip-flops}. I could side with Mom and Dad, but because 75% of us attend one school, they seem to favor the majority {family politics}. 

Tonight is the BYU/Utah State game. Normally, this wouldn't be that big of a deal, except that this year USU beat the University of Utah, and the U of U crushed us. So, we're shaking in our boots a little bit. And this wouldn't bother me as much if it weren't for the fact that my mom's family are hardcore USU fans. So hardcore that Grandpa has a building named after him up there, and if I wanted to I could have gone to Utah State full-ride. I think he's still bitter that I followed in my mom's footsteps and chose not to. We are the white sheep of our families. :) Even though I graduated from the school of my choice, I do have a soft spot for Utah State. After our week spent in Provo every summer, we headed up to Logan to visit my grandparents, where I became proficient in learning the names of every ice cream flavor at the Aggie's creamery on the USU campus. I think I even owned a USU sweatshirt {GASP!} at one point.  

But if we lose tonight, I won't hear the end of it. Grandpa A. and I have already been texting back and forth about how the game will go. I've got a lot riding on this {not a lot, just my ego}. 

So rivalries can be fun. Unless you're me and don't really have anyone on your side. And if you're like me and have a soft spot for all of these places, rather than a deep hatred for all things Cougar or Aggie or {enter mascot here}, it's tough to feel extreme happiness or sadness, depending on the outcome of the game. I usually end up feeling extreme indifference. 

Go Cougs!