Friday Night Lights

Well since July 12th our Friday nights haven't been quite as action packed as they used to be. OK, lets be honest, our Friday nights weren't typically action packed before Em arrived but hey, it adds to the drama of the story.

This past Friday night we were in for something different, and it was full of small town wonderfulness thanks to the beginning of High School Football Season. When Paul texted me on Friday to see if I wanted to go the the Wharton v. Brookshire game that evening I actually laughed out loud. Then I realized that we had absolutely nothing better to do and that I was dying to get out of the house. So I checked the weather for the evening and it was going to be slightly less than sweltering with a pretty decent breeze making it suitable for Miss Emmerich and then I contemplated the noise level for her. Now I have to mention that I had not been to a high school game since I was in high school, and I was picturing the Churchill high school band and stadium. Paul reminded me that we lived in Wharton, not San Antonio, and that the band was at least half the size of Churchill's. (He was wrong, it was about a sixth of the size (only two tubas)). And therefore I agreed to go.

This was such a cliche "small town" event that I actually caught myself humming a little John Melloncamp ("I was born in a small town...") as we were getting dressed in Tiger Blue (Even Em joined in on the team colors) and we made our way to Tiger Stadium.

There was big buzz about this season because the Tigers have a new coach (apparently they needed it as their last several seasons have been duds) and apparently he has been "whipping those boys into shape" and "giving them the discipline they need." (Imagine overweight balding men talking to each other under the bleachers for maximum effect of these quotes.)

Well, it wasn't just Paul and I who had decided to attend the game, it was basically the entire town. We met the two other doctors from the clinic at the stadium and while we were there we were introduced to what had to be half of the town. We saw neighbors, people from church and one of the local pediatricians who had his grandson of 12 weeks in attendance (which made me feel slightly less guilty for bringing Em to the loud game). 

We arrived during the first quarter and stayed through half time. And we were sure glad we were there to witness halftime. Brookshire had quite the drum major.

Hopefully you can see "Mr. Smooth" on the fifty yard line in the video. I was so enthralled by his dancing that I didn't get the camera going quick enough. Basically he was doing some major jiving the entire time the band played. This included pelvic thrusts, body rolls and back bends. Not everyone in the stands appreciated him as much as I did, but I absolutely loved it and was thoroughly entertained. The Wharton dance team did some lovely ripple moves and stirred some nostalgic feelings. And the tigers went on to win the game.

Overall I would say it was quite a successful Friday night ;) We had more fun than we would have had going to a movie or out to eat - perks of a small town.