Summer Is Over

So it dawned on me this morning.  Summer is officially over.

This was the first weekend where we had some free time that we didn't spend at the pool.  Although the wee ones have been in school going on four weeks now, I was still taking them to the pool some weeknights after they'd finished homework.

Last Monday, the pool closed.  We actually closed it down, which was bittersweet.  By 5pm, the lifeguards had started to remove the trash cans from around the pool area.  The ice cream and other foods that  they couldn't store went on sale for $1 apiece.  And by 6pm when the pool closed, the only chairs not stacked up and removed were the ones where we and a few other die hards stored our towels and gear.

On Saturday, I attended my first Northwestern home game of the year.  It was a 7pm game, so we knew it would be chillier than our normal first games, and it was - especially once it started raining at 9:45.  I stuck it out until the clock hit :00  I was ready for football.  And I can even give you proof.

For some reason, it still didn't sink in that summer was really over until Little Miss came downstairs voluntarily wearing jeans and a long sleeve shirt.  Wait, what?

Don't ask me why, but that's what sealed it for me that summer is truly over.  I have my windows open, letting the fresh air in.  And at 11:30, I don't need to close them because it's so humid outside or it's too hot.  I'm enjoying the fresh air while I'm wearing my own jeans and long sleeve shirt.

I like fall.  I enjoy football and the smell of burning leaves and even the cooler weather.  It's the change and the feeling of loss of summer that wrenches my heart just a little bit.  Summer speaks to me of freedom and joy and discovery.  And I miss that.

So how about you?  Has it sunk in that summer is over (for those of you with children NOT in school thanks to the teacher strike, don't answer that and I apologize in advance)?  What are you most looking forward to this fall?

Because A Good Football Name Is Priceless

Every year, I attend all the Northwestern football games. I have a whole tradition and set of superstitions around that, which I'll share shortly. It's my fault actually that they've lost the last three games. I promise to demonstrate why soon. I have my fingers crossed that I've fixed my errors and all will be well this week when they play Iowa.

That said, I have seats behind the Northwestern bench. It's a fun view when there isn't action on the field. I love watching the players on their benches dancing during timeouts or getting the crowd revved up. I giggle watching the players keep warm on the exercise bikes on the sidelines. I watch anxiously when trainers work on players on the tables.

And of course I scan the names. Over the years, there have been some great football names on the Northwestern team. Even this year, we have a quarterback (now receiver since our main QB Dan Persa is back - yay!) named Kain Colter. Tell me that isn't just an awesome name for a quarterback. Sadly, he is upstaged this year by someone with yet a better name.

Sean McEvilly is a defensive lineman, though he isn't a starter at this point. That said, he's a redshirt freshman, so there are another three years after the rest of this season for me to hear the PA announcer tell us all about another McEvilly tackle. Seriously. McEvilly. And he's a defensive player. I love it.

So what's your favorite football name?

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My Favorite Time Of Year

Do you really have to ask? No, I'm not talking about the wee ones going back to school (we aren't there yet anyway), nor am I referring to the end of hot yucky weather (hottest Labor Day in 25 years predicted).

Ahhh, I love college football. And I love my season tickets (13th row on the 40). And I love watching them play.

Especially when there's some good defense being played. Lucky me, I caught them in the midst of bringing that quarterback down.


(Sorry, no shots of scores, especially not Brendan Smith's interception for a TD as I'm too busy cheering at that point in time!) After every score, we do get to see the big Northwestern flag traipsing around the end zone and then cheerleaders doing their pushups. Unfortunately, the view of the cheerleaders was blocked much of the time because of the bad fans who would leave right after each score and make it so I couldn't see them!



Of course, the best part is when they win! Look at all those happy people!

Unfortunately, I could never be a football player. The below explains why. The team manager dips cups into the giant tub 'o Gatorade and then fills them. And they share the Gatorade bottles. And he puts his whole hand including the pitcher into the tub to fill it with Gatorade before distributing it amongst said bottles.

My seats are almost directly behind this, and I inevitably end up watching it at some point during the game and getting totally grossed out. Somehow, I have a feeling that football and hockey are just not in the cards for the wee ones!



New this year was the trivia contest in the Goose Tent prior to the game. Yes, we get two free cups of Goose Island before every game at Wildcat Alley. Except that I don't like beer, so I don't drink it. Which is probably why I noticed this:

Ten points to:

1) The person who can best answer the trivia questions above -- without cheating! Remember, we're at a football game tailgate, not sitting at our computers with Google at our fingertips.

2) The person who can find the error in the questions that is still driving me nuts!

In the end, my husband and I both entered the contest. Winner received an unnamed prize, but I'm competitive enough to go for it! We both agree that my answers were better than his. Yet somehow, he was the winner announced at halftime -- at least we assume it was him. They announced his first name and our last name. Except that our last name had an extra letter in it when they read it. I'm blaming his bad handwriting, but maybe someone else really won the Goose Gift Certificate and gear that supposedly will be mailed to us. I mean him.

This is so my favorite time of year though. Oh, and knowing I was headed to a wedding immediately afterwards (in Lake Geneva that started at 4pm -- you do the math), I was smart enough to put on sunscreen yesterday, so I only had a tiny patch of red on my thigh where I somehow missed application. Not too shabby for four hours in the sun! And lucky me, all redness is gone today, and I'm back to normal.