Sometime in the autumn of this year, it became apparent – with a bit of luck winging my way, there might be a spare week in November that I could possibly take a week off… I had a dog sitter with a sudden vacancy, enough staff to cover my work – and my brain started whirring. It might just be possible to get a flight to America. More precisely, there was a football game happening at Jordan-Hare Stadium that might just see a win, and if I was lucky, I might be able to get there.

My previous good fortune in meeting with Jay Jacobs in the summer meant that I was in contact with him. With his fantastic help, he confirmed that he could help me get seats at the stadium if I could find flights. A quick message to my Auburn alumni friend Jen Roemershauser, who I’ve met in England on a few occasions now, confirmed that she was also available to fly in from her home in Texas, and would be happy to show me her home town. Slowly, a plan came together. We’d meet in the Atlanta airport, drive to Montgomery where we’d stay and pop along to the Liberty game, hopefully roll Toomers Oaks, have a meal, do a tourist shop of Auburn town and drink some lemonade. I said I’d like to meet up with a few of the Twitter friends I’ve made over the last five years and then I’d shoot over to New York to be a tourist for a couple of days, whilst Jen returned to Texas for Thanksgiving.

And, that was how the plan stayed. How little did I know…. A few weeks later flights were booked and Jen and I were excitedly chatting online about what a great little visit we’d have. I put out on Twitter that I was planning to fly in – and suddenly things changed. Invites started to flood in. People wanted to meet up. Tailgate invites flew around. Jen and I played it cool. We’d see what happened when we arrived and I’d tweet where I was, when I got there. That way we could control too many people crowding those I really wanted to meet and, crucially, me and Jen.

That was how it was, right up to the week before I was due to fly. Jay confirmed we’d have tickets available to us to collect when we needed to. Then, Mobile Auburn Club messaged me inviting us both to their Tailgate – an invitation we gladly took up. Then I was introduced to the New York Auburn Club, who invited me for a drink in New York when I’d be alone in the Big Apple.

Things were looking great! The football team media guys contacted me and asked if I’d agree to send out a fun tweet before the Georgia game the week before, and, then, the day before I flew, asked if I’d like sideline passes. Not knowing much about what this entailed, I sent the invite to Jen. I swear I heard her squeal with excitement this side of the pond.

Rich & Jeremy of the Wings 94.3 fm breakfast radio show invited me to be on their radio show the morning after I arrived. Jen quickly had to become my personal assistant and start arranging a schedule of where to be and when. SEC Network contacted me and wanted an interview, on camera, and to film me for a bit. I also had an interview request with WSFA and the Plainsman.

I wanted to meet Clint Richardson of Auburn Uniform Database fame and his new fiancée Autumn Rager, Phillip Crain, alumni of the Wheelchair Basketball team, and John Carvalho, journalism faculty member. They were top of my list of “must meet” Twitter friends. We realised we had to be super organised to fit this all in, and Jen totally got things sorted. Then, the University admissions team contacted me and asked if I’d like them to put on a tour of campus. Things were getting slightly crazy and still Jen juggled my diary so we could do it all. We were getting super excited by now. Literally as I flew to Atlanta on the Thursday, my phone bleeped at me again with another invite. Bankcorp South had invited us to their table at the Friday Football Luncheon. On showing this to Jen on arrival, I swear she nearly fainted with excitement. It was so hard for me to gauge what is good, bad or indifferent because I was so unfamiliar with what was important in Auburn before I arrived. Jen’s reaction and horror at us not having smart clothing (leading to a late night shopping trip after a transatlantic flight!) meant I soon caught on!

And, so my trip began. We got our smart clothes, much to the bemusement of the poor shop assistant aiding us. We checked into our hotel. We met Jen’s amazingly wonderful sister, niece, brother-in-law and parents for BBQ food. That was where normality left my life for a few days. On introducing me to the restaurant manager as an English guest, I realised that my trip was going to be something special. The manager literally stopped in his tracks, knew who I was (someone in a foreign land – who knew of me?! – my brain was in overdrive – what was going on??), and suddenly started producing free food, and free t shirts and hospitality that I found was totally second nature to anyone from Auburn. I got more gifts from Jen’s parents and, with my jetlag kicking in, we retired for the night – amused and me very bemused by events, but happy.

An early Friday wakeup meant the drive over to the radio station to meet Rich & Jeremy. We tuned into the station on the way, only to hear them excitedly chatter about my impending arrival. How bizarre that was to my ears. On arrival, there waiting for me was the SEC Network film crew. They wanted to film me having a radio interview – things were getting weird. They would also follow me for two days and film a segment to go out live during SEC Nation on Saturday.

The radio show was as fun, as I expected. After five years, Jeremy Henderson, who wrote the first press article about me, I’ve spoken to many many times since, and I consider him a friend now, and we’ve exchanged gifts. Talking to him is natural now and he easily puts my nerves at rest. Rich is as nice a guy as he sounds on the radio, and to be honest, a bit of a smooth talker! Hopefully, the radio show goes well and as my staff back in England are listening in – tweeting as I speak – it seems everyone was having as much fun as I was. I had already asked to meet Jeremy’s kids in person. Meeting his lovely wife Jennie and the three of them, I managed to find enough time to quickly leave some little gifts and say hello and goodbye before rushing off to meet WSFA for their interview at Toomer’s Corner.

The interview went well and the SEC Nation film crew followed on. It seemed even more crazy to me as people stopped me where ever I went, said hello and recognized me. I guess with a film crew in tow, I wasn’t too hard to spot! We did a few shots and I got a chance to pop into Toomer’s to meet up with John and Phillip. Suddenly a student couple appeared, having heard I was in town and drove over from Birmingham specifically to meet me – much to my shock! We all shared Lemonade – a definite “must do” activity I wanted to share with special people.

Our time there was far too short, but I had to go over to the Friday Football Luncheon and meet my host Johnny Kinsey from BankCorpSouth. In the elevator to the Luncheon, I was overheard speaking in my very noticabe English accent, and suddenly in the packed space, a voice chirped up from the corner – the elevator guy spoke out to say “is Miss Dee in the elevator?? I wanted to meet Miss Dee!!” Much giggling from us all, I sheepishly waved hello and said he’d met me now. The day was definitely getting more surreal as it went on. Johnny and his boss were perfect hosts. I felt immediately at home. So many people greeted me at the luncheon, people who had heard of me (half the room!!) and those who follow me on Twitter. Rod Bramblett was the perfect MC and it was lovely to talk to someone I’d heard so many times before on the radio – and yet more gifts were showered on me. Soccer (“real football”) head coach Karen Hoppa stunned me by announcing she followed me on Twitter (shouldn’t it be me making that exclamation about her?!) and Jen cried again at meeting the wonderful Kodi Burns, a man Auburn can definitely be proud of. Another “must do” selfie came with the appearance of Aubie! It was such a lovely time.

From there we were whisked over to Admissions to do the University tour, TV cameras and all. The fantastic Andrew McGill showed us the entire campus by golf cart and explained the history of the University, giving me a chance to be a proper tourist and take some camera shots to show everyone at home.

Once that was over, we were taken to the trophy room (the Rane Room in the Athletic Department), where the formal SEC Nation interview would take place, where I also had a chance to sit and chat for a bit whilst admiring the silverware. That done, (associate athletic director) Kirk Sampson appeared. This was unexpected, and off he took us for a tour! My mind was starting to boggle at this stage – Kirk Sampson was showing me the facilities! Then, out of the corner of my eye, I spotted Allen Greene. I whispered to Jen that he was there – and suddenly there he was, being introduced to me! If I thought things were weird earlier, this was certainly getting weirder and more crazy and exciting by the minute.

We also had the chance to meet up with Kim Trimble, superfan of Auburn. We’d stay with her for the Reverse Tiger Walk and see the team go off for the evening before the game. Little did I know that this meant Kim knew everyone. Everyone!! We were allowed to stay with her inside the University and meet players. I had photos taken with some of them. Much to my amazement – these guys I’d seen on TV and read about were happily taking selfies with me! It was at this point that I’d started to see Jen’s eyes well up a bit whenever something new happened to us and she started telling me I had no idea how special this was for a fan. I was certainly getting the vibe that this wasn’t the usual fan treatment, that’s for sure.

By the end of our trip, if I saw Jen well up, I knew that something amazing was about to happen!

Superb photographer Todd Van Emst was also in the building. He started snapping shots like the paparazzi. It was clear that Todd also knew anyone who was anyone and he started calling me over to meet players and staff. I swear my eyes were bulging out of my head now. This couldn’t get any better, surely?

Yes, it could.

Todd instructed me to hang around, because Gus Malzahn would be going out for the Reverse Tiger Walk too, and if I stood where I was told I could get the chance of photo with him. And so, I waited as instructed. And, then, there he was. Head Coach of the Auburn Tigers, coming down the stairs at me. He warmly greeted me with a handshake and the words, “You must be Dee Ford!” I am so glad Todd took a photo of my delight at this special moment. I’ll treasure it. That, and the photo of me and Jarrett Stidham – from Texas, who is engaged to his fiancée… but for different reasons, of course… #winkwink.

That wonderful moment gone and our thanks and goodbyes to Kirk, Kim invited us to meet her at the Tiger Walk sign before the game the next day. This was getting even better! All the official tours over with, Jen and I popped over to have a meal with Mae Margaret Davis and her friend Erika, more Twitter friends.

Saturday came around all too soon. It was time for us to do a little more TV work for SEC Nation at Toomer’s Corner, before popping back to J&M Bookstore to buy some souvenirs. We had to get to the tailgate too, and Tiger Walk, and meet our lovely friends from Mobile Auburn Club, which we just managed to squeeze in, and meet yet more wonderful fans and ex-players. Then we met up with Clint and Autumn, arranging to see them later on for the chance to roll Toomer’s.

We met Kim once more at Tiger Walk, barely managing to get around without people stopping to greet me and say hello, and ask to take a selfie. Kim made sure we were in prime position to watch. She was an absolute star to make sure I had the best place to see the spectacle that ensues. What an opportunity! High-fiving the players, it really ramped up the atmosphere and added to the experience.

From there, we headed over to take advantage of our sideline passes. My goodness – I don’t know what I expected, but it was beyond my imagination when I arrived. Jen and I were surrounded by the good and great of the Auburn football team. The band – oh the band!! The sound, the spectacle… quite outstanding. The new eagle sort of made her maiden flight and Todd Van Emst appeared like a knight in shining armour to photograph us with every possible “star.” Kristi Malzhan had asked to meet me, Allen Greene appeared again to say hello. The cheerleaders were performing magnificently and the players were warming up. The bleachers were filled with fans, and strangely, instead of hearing chants for the players and coaches, there they were, shouting greetings to ME! The Plainsman journalist Lily Jackson stopped to interview me, as did Auburn Tigers’ own Greg Ostendorf.

Todd flew around making sure we’d met everyone we possibly could. Jen had tears in her eyes. All of a sudden we were instructed to head to the players tunnel. We watched the players run through the smoke out onto the field – then we followed them! Gus Mulzhan lead the players out and on seeing me, he stopped, saying “it’s Dee Ford!” This wasn’t just special, it was a memory I’d never forget.

Reluctantly, we headed off the field to find our seats. Jen had already pointed out that this was a new area opened just this year, and that the fan experience might not be the same as down in the bleachers. However, once there, we realized that Jay Jacobs had performed some kind of miracle and that our tickets were as special as the rest of the trip had become. We had a view to die for, food fit for a Queen and the atmosphere was more than special. I was honoured to watch the Tigers resoundingly win the game. At the end, as the players kneeled in prayer, I joined Jen in sobbing with her. This truly had been an experience we could never have imagined would come our way. The game had seen the last two days of filming for SEC Nation culminated in the interview being shown live on tv and soon my phone was red hot with UK Facebook and Twitter friends (and those elsewhere in the US) letting me know that I was “famous!”

We ended the evening Rolling the Oaks with Clint, Autumn, Kyle Loomis, and met up with a number of other Twitter friends. One I was delighted to meet was Mandy Thompson, who some years ago came to London, and, unbeknown to me, mailed some Auburn gifts to me. I was so pleased to finally meet her in person.

From there, I was taken over to Waffle House to taste their famous delights (nope, I still don’t understand why you’d eat grits) with Jen and her sister Brooke. I retired for the night completely dazed and delighted by all I’d seen. Sunday would see Jen and I go our separate ways as she headed off to Texas and I flew to New York. By Monday, I was able to watch the Kansas City Chiefs game and my namesake Dee Ford play in the company of the New York Auburn Club at St. Pats Bar, with Twitter friend and journalist Brian Stultz playfully face-timing in to say hello.

With that, my first taste of Auburn ended.

I’ve tried to describe as best I can my trip. But I fear that I cannot accurately enough portray the experience I had. It started as a little jaunt to see a football game for Jen and me. It ended up as the journey of a lifetime. The University and the football team and their staff pulled out every stop they could to give me memories I can never forget. For all those I mention here, thank you for being part of the journey and making my trip so very special. For those I haven’t mentioned – there are so very many – thank you for all you did to enhance my time in your home. Jen, you especially made my trip special every second of the way.

I have to finish up by saying to Jay Jacobs: Thank you for making a grammatical error. It was the best mistake you could have ever made and I don’t know if I can ever repay you. It also goes without saying, I also owe my thanks to Dee Ford. For loving the mistake, for letting me join in the hilarity that ensued and for continuing to let me use our name to show me the town you also know and love, all these years later.

The Auburn Family I’d heard about so often went out of their way to show me that it’s not just a phrase – it’s a “thing.” It’s a real, live, feeling and series of actions that proved to an English woman who hated America that there’s this special little place in the Plains called Auburn. A place that doesn’t just welcome you with open arms, but one that is filled with people and places that scoop you up in those arms and tells you that (despite 1776…) they want to share with you the Auburn they know and love. And in the instant that those people start to welcome you, that town, those people, that football team, the other athlete students and coaches, somehow work a little magic that makes that Englishwoman know that despite her true home being the other side of the world, that there is also a home for her in Auburn.

It’s a special place with special people, and for that, my saying “Thank You” to you all doesn’t seem enough.

War Eagle, my friends. It won’t be the last time you hear me say that.

Dee Ford

Featured image via Todd Van Emst, Auburn Athletics