Soccer Balls in the Road

I know I'm supposed to be speechless today, but I just couldn't resist writing this post. My cousins have been writing about fall on their blogs. I agree with the various things they love about fall. But a big part of fall for our family is... you guessed it -- SOCCER! You know it's fall in Lander when the Whiting van has soccer balls rolling around inside it -- just like the golf ball inside the door of our blue station wagon when I was growing up. It would roll back and forth every time the station wagon accelerated or decelerated. A smart little deacon had stuck the ball inside a small hole in the door & it created the rhythm & music of our drives around town for the rest of my growing-up years. I am still growing up, I guess, but now the rolling balls have become soccer balls and their playing field is our big white van.

Today was my birthday lunch at the Cooking Crow. I picked out the place we ate and my friends came to celebrate with me and with Becky Larsen, who had a birthday on Saturday. James picked up the foster parent food for me (quite a big job for only one person -- I know, I have done it myself many times) so that I could attend the birthday lunch. Then he came to the Cooking Crow and picked up Rebecca to take her to pre-school. I came outside a few minutes later and saw James on the opposite side of Main Street loading Rebecca into the van. There were 3 soccer balls rolling across Main Street towards me, what a glorious sight! James had opened the van doors and soccer balls came spilling out of the van into the road. Cars were driving past & over them. It was a great memory moment.

Yes, when soccer season is on, our van is full of soccer balls, green & white soccer shirts, black & white soccer socks, goalie jerseys, orange cones; and since we're both also on the youth soccer Board, and I help with ref scheduling, our van is also full of all kinds of papers & schedules, referee flags, whistles, and pretty much everything else you can think of relating to soccer... except the goal posts.

Tonight we lost our game in a powerful way. It was against the same team that beat us last time, Dr. Crane's team. We didn't make our one goal until nearly the last minute of the game and meanwhile they made 6 goals. The disappointing thing to me wasn't the loss or the wide gap in the score, but rather the little blonde nine-year-old who shall remain nameless who spent the last half of the game yelling at his coach & refusing to obey his instructions. Those are the moments when you re-think coaching your own child's team. James was fine with it but I'm a little protective of my Head Coach & was pretty mad at this sassy little blonde nine-year-old by the end of the game.

Still, soccer is a great thing and it is part of what defines Fall for the Whiting family. Jackolanterns and candy corn. Fluffy mashed potatoes & an after-turkey nap. The smell of wood-burning stoves and the earlier setting of the sun. Falling yellow & orange leaves amidst soccer balls flying through the air -- now that is what Fall is all about!