football season

yeah...not really a subject you think i would blog about, eh? but i've been reflecting a lot lately about how my life seems to be flying by...and what better way to put my thoughts into words than with a little seasonally appropriate football anecdote?

in my teens...i cheered/danced from the sidelines.

i wore school colors, pinned my "crush the cougars" (or whatever alliteration they had for the week's team) ribbon to my much too short skirt, and giggled at silly boys. my only worries were whether or not i knew the all the moves to our half time routine, if i had both pompoms, and how hard would that chemistry test be on monday morning?

in my early twenties...i hung in the grove.

parties began on thursday night and didn't end until the wee hours of sunday morning. i wore my cutest dress, high heels, and my steady frat boy's blue blazer when it was too chilly. we chanted hotty toddy, gossiped about the girls who stood while they smoked (gasp!), drank bourbon and cokes, and ate abner's chicken.

we were blissfully high on the fact we were "adults", and blissfully unaware we had no idea what that really meant.

in my late twenties...i was a newlywed.

saturdays were reserved for us (also newlyweds to the REAL working world), we soaked up the time together. we would snuggle on the couch and dine on big plates of clif's favorite foods i had made (okay, sometimes ordered in). and in between smooches and him yelling at the television, i would fall asleep in his lap.

occasionally we would go to the park with our "kids" and play a bit of football ourselves. we felt like seasoned veterans, but were just beginning.

now i am in my thirties...and even though i rarely sit through an entire game, i still love to have it on every television in the house. as i fold the clothes, rush to get ready for another birthday party, finish sewing a halloween costume, working on one of my volunteer projects, or sorting through a lesson plan...i still love those sounds.

the announcer calling fourth and ten, the roar of crowd when their team almost intercepts the ball, that crisp smack of the players pads, the band playing the time honored fight song.....and when you add to that clif hollering with all his heart, explaining to bauer why the ref is nuts, and vivian teaching frances to cheer for the rebel razorbacks. well, i do believe this is the best season yet...