Friday night was Blake's first official Varsity game of the season. He was so excited to have made the varsity team being a sophomore. He is on the kick return special teams and he plays line backer. He has played middle line backer since he was in middle school and loves it.
Being at his first game Friday night brought back such fond memories of high school football growing up for me. I was in the high school band (Yes, it was cool "back in the day" to be a member of the band.) I was in high school in the 80's. You know--the BIG hair era. I can remember teasing and spraying my hair until it was a mile high (and wide) and hard as a rock. Our band uniform shirts were emerald green which I loved. I can remember the girls getting to the band room all "fixed up" and ready for the game. Then came the time when utter depression would set in--the putting on of our band hats. OMG! They were like football helmets. They mashed your hair flat. All that pre-game hard work to get your hair as big as possible only to be flattened in a matter of seconds. But, oh, what fun it was to sit in the band section of the bleachers and cheer with the cheerleaders, play the fight song when we scored a point or two, and watch the game. Then there was half-time. We really were a great band and our trophy case expressed our talent and hard work. I can remember lining up in the end zone next to the woods waiting to go onto the field for our shining moment. After all, the people really came to see us, right? (HA!) The drummers would tap out a cadence and some talented poet would make-up a cadence for us to march onto the field. When our band director would pass by said poet, he would often have to bleep the words. Friday night game-night was just a great three hours to look forward to at the end of a long school week. Anyway, being at Blake's game brought back really great memories of high school football games. I hope Blake makes the most of these next couple of years. I think high school truly helps children/young adults prepare to cope in the real world to some degree. It's like kindergarten again--learning how to make good choices, learning the consequences of poor choices, making friends, learning how to be friends with people who are different and the same, understanding that life isn't fair, that people are different and that's a really good thing, that I am responsible for my choices and actions and that the world doesn't revolve around me (Okay, so maybe that is learned later in life. I don't know. I'm thinking the world should still revolve around me. Ha!). High school is really a special place and time for young people. Sure there is a lot that goes on there that I could certainly do without, but I had much rather Blake face those factors while he is at home with me so that he has an immediate source of support rather than be thrust into similar situations while away at college with no support line and no prior experience. Maybe my thinking is off, but it seems to be working for us here. I'll keep praying that we are doing the right thing by our children. I guess only time will tell.
This is "Nana". She has kept the boys for us since they were about nine months old. When the boys entered PreK, she stayed with ME (ha) for a year. She was with me through Jody's deployment to Iraq. I would come home from school every day to find my house clean, my laundry done and my boys happy. I never asked her to help me clean or do the laundry; she just felt sorry for me (I kid you not) and did what she could to make my life easier. What a blessing!
The boys actually asked for Nana to come back to stay with them. My roosters love Mrs. Walker to death as I am sure you can see from this picture.
"Nana" now keeps twin girls who are eight months old. We miss her, but we are so happy that her new family loves her as much as we do and that Nana still doesn't mind help us when we need her.
When we arrived at the football game, a rainbow was over the stadium. Before the game begins, a group of "Falcon Faithfuls" (parents) gather in the stands at the 50-yard line and pray for the coaches and players.
The band, or part of it, marching through the stands. Hey! Where are their helmets?!
Getting in a few pre-game drills
WhiteKnoll hiding their secrets behind the line. I liked the way they lined their helmets up on the yard line behind them.
Getting ready for the first kick-off.
Here we go again
Friday Night Lights
This was precious. Doesn't everyone remember all the little girls wanting to be cheerleaders and doing their cheers with the "big girls"? These girls cheered all night long. They were so cute.
The Falcons ended up losing their first game, but they played a great game. I mean a really awesome game. Flora is a 3-A school and held this 4-A school to a six point lead only (14-8). The guys had nothing to be ashamed of because they played a good game with integrity and determination.
Way to go, Falcons!!
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