Life of the Culturally Un-Elite

Will's official football picture of the season - his last.  Will actually got injured again in last Friday night's game.  I hadn't been watching (since they were getting creamed, as usual) and then I wandered down to the sidelines.  I saw a player was down and the coaches were trotting out to see if he was dead (I guess).  I thought, "Oh, that's too bad!"  And then I realized that I didn't see Will standing upright out there.  I asked the guy next to me, "Is that Number 7?"  He said he didn't know.  Then, I realized with sickening horror, that it WAS Will!  All I could think about was him getting another concussion and how his doctor had said if he did there wouldn't be any more football.  And then, the youth group is scheduled to attend his game next week and how we'd have to cancel that if Will couldn't play.  And. oh yeah, what if he happened to be paralyzed?  The moments it took for him to arise seemed like an eternity.  All I wanted to do was dash out onto the field.  But I figured Will would never forgive me if I did.   Will slowly rose to his feet and the crowd cheered as he made his way over to the sidelines.  A player had landed on his neck which sent Will into paroxysms of  pain.  In fact, he wasn't able to play any more of the game.  I dashed under the rope to where he was to make sure that he was indeed, going to make it.  Paul and I rooted through our pockets and purses and came up with enough Advil for Will - it was probably enough for  good sized cow to not feel anything, actually. 

I suggested to Will the next day that he might want to see the chiropractor the next week.  He told me no way - that would hurt too much.  Instead, he kept icing his neck and popping Advil.  Monday morning he says to me, "So were you going to call the chiropractor?"  (Rolling my eyeballs here)  He's had several appts. this week with the guy and is feeling much better.  I saw him today for my normal appt and he was telling me that Will is one of the "big guys" now.  He couldn't believe how tall and filled out Will had gotten since he saw him a year ago.

We had his senior pictures done the next morning.  I was fearful that he would be grimacing too much to actually smile, but he did fine.  We met the photographer at Gray's Lake.  I had never actually been down in there, although I've driven by the place millions of times.  I had such bad shin splints afterwards, following the two of them around, toting all of Will's stuff and clothing changes!  For his first picture, Will posed with his shotgun since hunting is a big part of his life.  I had told the photographer ahead of time what we wanted to do and he called the police station just to give them a heads up that if they got any calls about a sniper at Gray's Lake, it was only us.  Later, after we had shot those pictures, we were walking to another part of the park, when this old guy came up to us and demanded to know why we had a gun at the park (by this point, it was locked back in the van).  We explained it was for senior pictures and he started huffing about how inappropriate it was to have that out in public and so forth.  I assured him it was never loaded and walked away.  Some people!  I had a chance to observe those walking the trails there and I concluded that Gray's Lake seems to attract the more culturally and politically elite.  It's not for people like us!  Of course, it didn't help that we happened upon about a 100 people being guided in yoga and meditation out in the open there, too...Anyway, I am looking forward to seeing the pictures soon.

Our next door neighbor was seriously injured last Thursday out on the highway.  He was riding his motorcycle to work (helmet-less) when he hit a deer.  He flipped several times.  He's been in intensive care ever since and is not conscious.  But the doctors do believe he's going to live.  It will be a long road of recovery, though.  He's having surgery Friday to wire his jaw shut and insert a trache.  Paul went up to see him this week and I've been in contact with his daughters.  That's got to be devastating, financially, too, to suddenly not have his income anymore.

We're going to see my parents on Saturday.  I was hoping to have some news from the court before we went, but I don't know if that's going to happen.  My parents have not yet met the girls, so this will be good.  I sure hope I can persuade B to be on her best behavior, though!

Sam was so excited this week when he realized it was finally October.  Every day he looks at the calendar and counts down the days to his birthday.  B is doing the same, too, since her birthday is only a little over a week after Sam's!  The way those two are building up their birthdays, I hope they won't be disappointed by my efforts!

Church is tonight, so I need to keep moving.  I finished my monologue and will give it to Tammy tonight.  It feels like an accomplishment.  I had to write it in bits and pieces, which is difficult.   And yet I am nervous that she may not like it or find it suitable for what she needs.

Our warm weather comes to an end tonight.  I, for one, am glad.  I am always happy for the change in seasons.  This time of year, I especially love the change because the first hard frost, which we should have this weekend, kills the ragweed.  I have had a particularly hard time during harvest lately because it has been so dry.  You can just see all the dust in the air hanging there from the combines stirring it up.

All right - gotta run David to the school so he can practice bowling with Ben.  Then the rush is on to get to church!