Grandma, this one's for you

At our regular Friday dinner, I told my grandparents that I had joined a soccer team. Immediately they both smiled in a "what is she thinking" kind of way. When I told my father the next night, he responded with a similar facial expression. I can't say their reactions surprise me. Way back in fourth grade, I signed up for soccer but we moved to another state before practice even started. I played basketball for a year in fifth or sixth grade until, as I always joke, "I got short." By the time I reached high school, I was the anti-sport girl. My dad wanted me to play one because it would look good on my college applications, but everyone else had been playing sports for so long that I couldn't compete in any regular sports. I briefly considered joining the crew team, but the exorbitant cost made my father nervous.

Yesterday, I played in my first ever soccer game. I probably played soccer a handful of times in gym class, but we never had time for an actual game. At first, I was a bit apprehensive, especially since we ended up playing all guys (the team we were supposed to play never showed). I watched for a little while and waited until the second or third time someone yelled for a substitution. Go figure that the person asking for a sub was playing offense, exactly where I didn't want to be. After several minutes of feeling completely lost, I traded so I could play defense. That's when I started getting into it. I did a hell of a lot of running keeping up with the other team, and I managed to kick the ball (in the right direction!) twice. I had a great time and everyone on my team was really supportive and laid back. I admit I was feeling pretty tired and lazy before the game, but I'm glad I forced myself to drive to the field. I hope it's this fun every week.

So there you go, grandma. You wanted to know how the game was and now you know. Sorry I didn't have the update up sooner, but my computer's been acting up.