Indoor American... Football.

I found myself back in high school, at a youth group event at a bowling alley/movie theater. (The screen was above the lanes, lest you think it's somewhat normal.) Many of the other kids went to St. Teresa High School and we're talking about the deplorable condition of their team. (The actual high school has an excellent football team and the rivalry between them and my hometown was THE THING growing up. At the games, everyone from both schools would be there.)

My middle sister (who was 16 even though when I was 18 she was 13) said sure, I'll help out. And so she did. I was still being my normal swimming and avoiding-contact-sports self (I lack hand-eye coordination), when one Sunday after Mass, somehow she got into trouble and the team needed someone to fill in.

And my parents, ignoring pleas about such trivial things like work schedules, classes, and homework, made me do it.

Not the school where the team was, but it was where we played. In the gymnasium.

So there I am. Stuck playing tackle football in a tiny community where football is practically a second religion. For the enemy. And did I mention the fact that we played inside a normal gymnasium?

And when some of the team members (rightly) started to make fun of my (all-too real and terrible) lack of ability, the coach kicked them off the team. And that left us with seven players. Total.

Somehow we got to State, and I'm of course freaking out because I'm missing classes and not making enough to go to college and I'm TERRIBLE and they won't let me quit. We walked onto the (still inside a gymnasium) field...

And I woke up.

13 weeks today! Yay for the second trimester! I'm getting a weird lethargy in the mornings - I just can't drag myself out of bed in a coordinated fashion until I've been awake at least a half hour. And I keep getting hiccups today. Maybe because the baby is rearranging my innards again?