Thanks for a Good Time, You Gophers.

We got the mouse.  Actually I heard the trap snap right after I posted my blog yesterday.  And there it was, squeaking and panicking.  Very sad, actually, but I don't want the things in my house.  It died shortly after that and I had hubby get rid of it.  We have left out the traps, but no more mice and no more sounds.  Hopefully we're ahead of the game.

Quarterback MarQueis Gray had an amazing game

And speaking of game, holy cow what a game we watched yesterday!  I have written before about how difficult it is to be a Minnesota sports fan.  Well, in particular, it is difficult to be a Gopher football fan.  It is a dedication to something other than good football.  We have dedicated, loyal fans, a beautiful new stadium, but it still breaks your heart over and over.  My husband is a die hard.  He picks the Gophers every year to go to the Rose Bowl, and he picks them to win every single game.  It's become a joke, but he has stuck to it for 26 years.  And yesterday they pulled it off.  They were in no way supposed to win.  They played Iowa, here at home, and everyone--even their most loyal fans--knew they would lose.  We have a new coach that we are all very fond of.  We want to see the team have some success not only for the University, the players, and the state, but for Coach Kill.  Yesterday they played well.  They played like my hubby always believes they can play.  It was a nail-biter to the end, and we won 22-21, keeping Floyd of Rosedale here in our trophy case.

Gray was sweet to the kids at practice

I have not screamed and jumped around so much about a football game since the homecoming game against Wisconsin in 1993.  My kids were looking at hubby and I like we were nuts, but joining right in with us.  It was such a sweet thing, as I was giving myself a heart attack, to look around at my kids laughing and yelling and loving the moment.  I almost felt like I could cry, watching the TV as the camera panned around to the crowd, going from looks of heartbreak and worry to sheer joy, time after time.  I so know that feeling.  You feel like you don't just want your guys to win, you NEED them to.  I remember being at all the games, in my marching band uniform, wanting so badly for them to have a good game.  The feeling you have as a student when you're leaving your game after a win is like nothing else.  You feel exhilarated, proud.  Like you could celebrate for a week.  And when you lose--especially when you lose in the fashion the Gophers are capable of--you leave feeling like somebody stole your Halloween candy.  You just want to go home, are no longer in the mood for the drink specials at Stub and Herbs.  

Coach Kill with the Crowd

And yesterday to watch those kids jumping around in the stands, being urged on by the players, hugging each other, and rushing the field after the game to just share the joy with their team, was really something to see. The team celebrated with their coach and their fans for a long time after the game, knowing they had won an important one, finally, and it was for their fellow students, for their coach, for their fans and their state, and they were proud.  And so were we!

I'm still geeking out about it.