Swing Dance; Picture Day; Hoop Dreams

Every year, the middle school creates a program called Swing Team, or as we call it, Swing Dance. It's an optional thing where you can ask someone of  the opposite gender if they want to dance with you in Swing Dance. There are tryouts, practices, and a few performances. (Or is it just one?) Anyway, it's a big deal for the 6th graders. Here and there people are asking boys and girls if they would like to participate. During the Rocky Mountain football game where Tanner got hurt, I asked a 7th grader if he would do it with me. He said yes. This boy is in my ward, and his family is really good friends with mine. He's really tall (pretty much the same height as me...surprising, right?). 

As we all stand in line, our legs are shaking; well, at least mine are. We are in alphabetical order, which means I'll go halfway through. As I get closer to the camera, the seat, the lady who takes your form, I start asking everyone around me, "Do I look okay?" Now, it may be pretty ridiculous fretting about a picture, but this picture will go on my activity card...permanently. I fix my hair quickly, and when the photographer tells me to sit in the seat with my shoulders square, my posture upright, I do just as he says, even though I usually slump when I sit. I try to keep my eyes from blinking, but the bright flash--even with an umbrella covering the flash--is too strong. I blink. I begin to panic, wondering if my picture has me blinking, or semi. In pictures past, I've always been to known to have one eye bigger than the other from the flash. I anxiously await my activity card, tingling inside. Finally, it prints; I stare at the picture...and smile. It was the best picture I'd had since kindergarten. My hair looked straight, my smile looked good, despite the ugly crooked teeth, my posture looked fine, and my eyes were the same size!!! I was overjoyed. Other girls didn't like their pictures, but I was very proud of mine. No retakes for me!

It was a warm September day, just a week and a half until the first day of fall. It had been a long day at  school, it had been a long game with Tanner's injury (read my previous post), and now we were home, drowning our sorrows into ice cream. Remembering the Hoop Dreams tryouts, I jump into the brown stool, quickly go to the website, and find the teams. I made it. But as I looked closer, I saw that everyone had made it, which means an 18-player team. I got confused. After some conversations with the staff, I learned that as the season progresses, they'll place nine in an Advanced Travel Team and the other nine in a development team. It's also possible that I could move up to the 7th grade team if I did good enough. Practices haven't started, but I am so excited to start!

Swing Dance, good-looking pictures, and Hoop Dreams, here I come.

♥ Abigail ♥

Those Delicate Bones

Emma and I drove excitedly over to the high school. We were almost falling out of our seats, for we were so ecstatic for tonight's football game, especially this one. We were against our arch rivals, Rocky Mountain, a high school just down the road from our beloved school. Since my brother, Tanner, is the quarterback, these types of games were important to my family.

We got to the stadium early to claim good seats. We weren't going to be watching, because all the middle schoolers gather somewhere other than the bleachers, but Emma's father was determined to grab a seat before there wouldn't be any at all; after all, tonight would be packed. Home games were always packed.

I was impressed to see the large amount of 6th graders coming to the game. Back at Timberline, I was the only 11-year-old to come support the team. There was nothing to do except watch the game, so I was never pleased whenever I heard, "We're going to Tanner's football game tonight." Now, if I hear that, I perk up and get very excited. Everything is always better when you're doing it with friends.

Emma and I watched the kickoff, and then ran off to say "hi" to the many friends that were just now arriving. We hung out beneath the bleachers and didn't pay much attention to the game. We were so engrossed in our conversations that we didn't know or hear absolutely anything that happened on the field.

At the end of the first quarter I spotted Mom walking towards me. I merrily said "hello" to her and was about to introduce her to my friends when she whispered into my ear, "Tanner's hurt." That was the moment when all the glee and happiness inside drained out of me. I felt like crying all of a sudden.

"What happened?" I immediately asked.

"We think he broke his collar bone," Mom retorted. "We're all going to the ER right now, but we think you should stay here." I reluctantly agreed. Shortly after the brief conversation, I saw Tanner being wheeled out in one of those mobile carts. Mom hopped in and off they went. I cried to myself just then. Tanner's junior season: ruined.

Nothing seemed like fun for the rest of the night, although I did try to laugh and keep my spirits high. Soon I just had to go home and see how Tanner was, so right after the game our friends drove me home. Instead of worrying and fretting, I stared into space blankly, waiting for my family to get back.

Finally they came. Tanner wasn't in as much pain as he was before, but he still didn't feel all that well. It was confirmed that he had broken his collar bone. Our other friends brought ice cream over and before you knew it we were all in bed asleep. The day after that Tanner was already scheduled for surgery.

On Sunday morning I woke up alone. I was to be picked up by our neighbors to go to church. I worried about Tanner for the three hours I was at church. I stayed with my neighbors all day until I walked home to  see Tanner sleeping peacefully. Then he started experiencing pain. Lots. Of. Pain.

Now it's almost been a week since the injury; Tanner is recovering well. It could be less than a month until he'll be lifting weights and throwing again, which is a very quick recovery. I am so grateful that my brother is okay, and that he has NEXT YEAR to set/break records.

God works in strange ways, and this is just one of them.

♥ Abigail ♥