Last weekend I knew I had only one more chance to see my grandson Payton play football. Because I was in NC for the last 6 weeks, I had missed most of the season. So saturday morning silly dog and I jumped into the truck and headed east towards Merryville, LA. It is about a 3 hour drive so I was able to do a lot of talking to God and catching up on Fox News on my XM radio. When it would get boring listening to the same old, same old news I would switch over to The Message on Channel 63. I am one of those people who has to constantly be switching stations when I drive so I don't start zoning out. I also pledged a while back to be a part of the It Can Wait campaign so I never text and drive which makes my techie family crazy. For some reason my kids think that if I don't text them back right away I must be dead or incapacitated in some way. When my lack of response forces them to call me you would think that I had committed a grievous crime by not texting them back while driving. Does it look like I care? :)
I linked up with Dwight, Amber and the kids at the Merryville High School where Payton was playing. He plays for the Deridder Blue Dogs. Let me tell you that in our family sports are serious business so while we know it's all about having fun, it is also about doing your best every second that you are in uniform. Slacking off and being disrespectful is just not allowed. By parents or by kids. It appalls me to see parents act like raving lunatics when it comes to sports activities. There is just no place for that. Why would the kids have any respect for the coach or the referees if you are standing along the sidelines questioning every call or screaming obscenities? Parents these days blame everyone else for the shortcomings of their own children instead of looking in the mirror where most of the blame lies.Anyway....enough of my soapbox. Back to football. It was cold, cold, cold. We sat like dutiful spectators on wickedly cold metal bleachers. You would think after 25+ years of being a sporting event parent I would remember to bring something padded to sit on and a jacket. But alas...I never learn.
Mark decided to surprise me by driving up from his job in Cameron, LA. It made my day to have him sitting there beside me and Payton was ecstatic to have Grampa and Gramma watching from the stands. We definitely have that cheering section thing down!!!! I was shocked to see that the other team had only 11 players. In total. That meant that they had to play offense and defense and be on the line for every play of the game. Many coaches and players would have forfeited but these brave little boys strode out to the kickoff like the warriors they were. By the end of the game we had all gained a measure of respect for the home team. I don't remember what the score was but it was close! I have to admit I was secretly glad every time they scored because I hate blowout games. It just showed the level of heart these boys had for the game. The Blue Dogs did win the game though so it was a happy walk back to the car. We were able to take some family pictures as well. Even silly dog got into the shot. Then it was off for the celebration lunch at Stu's Diner on Hwy 110 in Merryville. Simply one of the best burgers I have had in a while! And to top it off they make fried apple pies like the ones McD used to make. You know the ones!!! Crunchy gooey totally bad for you goodness that melts in your mouth and leaves you wanting another one. My only suggestion would be that they add ice cream to it and it would be the perfect dessert.
So all in all it was a great weekend. I got to see my grandson play football, I got to sit in the stands holding hands with my best friend, and I got to spend time some quality time with my kids. Oh and not to forget my granddaughter who was there with her friend. There was no doubt whose side she was on as her hair matched her brothers jersey!!
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