Gooooooooooooal!

(with apologies to Andres Cantor)

As if there weren't enough going on in our life. . .

-------------------------

This afternoon, I was the beneficiary of a completely gratuitous harmonic convergence of warm non-frigid temperatures, dry ice-free roads, no hardly any rain, and no other commitments on my schedule for just long enough to get in a 17-mile bike ride, bringing my total for the year to 1002 miles.  At last!  It wasn't all that long ago that I was pretty dubious as to whether four-digit miles was even possible.  But I made it.  A little good news, and a nice dose of endorphins, are much appreciated just now. . .

And of course, the year still has five or six more weeks to run, so we'll see if the tally runs any higher, or not.  But at least my 'basic goal' is securely in the books. . .

-------------------------

7M's football team played in the state semi-finals yesterday evening.  The team they played had been winning their games by the same kind of lop-sided scores we've been, and they were clearly the best team we've seen all season.  Things didn't start out so well for our kids; they trailed, 14-0 at halftime, and looked flustered and out-of-sync.  But something clicked in the halftime locker room.  They received the second-half kickoff, and drove the field for a touchdown, cutting the deficit to 14-7.  Their opponent took the ensuing kickoff and drove down to our 10-yard line.  They tried to run a Statue-of-Liberty play, but fumbled, and our kids recovered.  Another 90-yard drive, and the score was tied, 14-14.  Our defense held, and then the offense drove to another touchdown, with just over three minutes left in the game.  The defense held again, and then the offense ran out the clock, with the final score 21-14 in our favor.

It was an incredible game to watch, even if you didn't care who won.  The fact that my son was playing for the winning team made it even better.  It was good for them to realize that they could dig deep and win a game that hung very much in the balance right to the end.  They haven't had many of those this year.

So now, they get to play for the state championship at Ford Field in Detroit next Saturday afternoon.  What a thrill for these kids!  The team we're playing is the defending state champion, so they won't be overawed by their surroundings, and they won't be intimidated.  As hard as the semi-final was to win, the final will surely be even harder.  But, what a run!  What a great ride!

(7M is number 33, just right of center)