My facts and figures, grab your calculator: The end of an era....

Okay, okay, okay...an "era" might be slightly exaggerating...but it feels like an era...the 2009 football season is now sadly, officially, over.  We made the trip to the UNI Dome to play in the semi-final game last night and in a great battle of 2 undefeated teams, the game was ended by a Marshalltown touchdown with 5 seconds left.  Dowling 25, Marshalltown 28.  For the last few minutes of the game it appeared Dowling was going to be headed on to the state title, then those annoying Bobcats drove and drove and drove...and won.  Sigh.
The boys and I waited about 40 minutes after the game to talk to Troy, then he calls my phone....from the bus...already on his way home.  Sigh. 

So here's the breakdown from Mommy's point of view:

• 1,224 hours of time Troy spent in practice/camps/weights/film over the past 4 months
• 13 games played....approximately 39 hours of time cheering for the Maroons
• 14 hours of driving, waiting to park, waiting in line, schlepping kids and stuff in/out/around the stadium
• 90 explanations to Ryan about where Daddy is, what Daddy is doing, how much longer until the game start/ends, the cheerleaders "jump" again, the band comes back on the field
• 8 bags of popcorn consumed
• 16 hotdogs purchased
• 6 rolls of free LifeSavers from Valley Church parking people
• 36 extra loads of football-related laundry
• 2 jerseys purchased
• 80 dinners saved and warmed up for hungry Daddy
• 9 team handouts proofread and edited
• 1 cofee table ruined by too many Xs and Os
• 51 DVDs added to our collection
• countless pieces of paper, playbooks, playcards, stat sheets, etc.
• 1 more GREAT SEASON for Coach Rider - we are proud of you, Troy!

From Troy's point of view:  very depressing, "put so much time and energy into this season and I don't know that we'll ever have a group of kids like that ever again". 

I did everything I could to make today less miserable for Troy: made his favorite cheesedip (at 8:30 in the morning- blech!), made football-shaped chocolate-and-cream sandwich cookies, ordered pizza and wings for dinner, gave him the remote control all day...but he asked for 2 days of mourning, so I'm counting down the hours.  

Still.....life goes on:
Seth is walking like a champ.
Ryan is full of hugs and "moochies" for Daddy, and has said, "Daddy, are you HOME!?!?" (in wide-eyed-unbelief) about a dozen times today.
The dog doesn't leave Troy's side.
And I am glad to have my husband back, until the next season begins....

The Register's Game Analysis