Is There Hope For This Marriage?

It's not always fun and games in the Grockle household.  Dr. Laura would have a heyday with the relationships under this roof.

Today I had a kiniption politely informed my husband that I shouldn't feel lonely when living with 5 other people and that we just might possibly survive if football weren't playing on the telly or radio 24 hours a day. Just maybe.

Unfortunately I stated my case only 10 minutes before kick off and I was actually able to watch sweat bead down the Hubby's temples as he desperately tried to pay attention to my rant our discussion.

I gave in by busying myself so that he was able to get two radios blaring from different sides of the house.  Kind of me, I know, but I draw the line at doing foot massages. I don't care what some radio psychologist thinks I should be doing to keep my husband happy.

We won. Norwich City, that is. I know that because if I had wanted to, I couldn't have escaped the sounds of the game. I also know that the win was largly in part to this guy and his brilliant cross--Mr. Eye Candy himself,

Simon Lappin.

Yes, you poor people, it's Simon Lappin season again.  Don't bother trying to reason with me either, because you could end up reading more riveting posts about shoes or the always amusing (cough) children toilet stories.

Blame the husband.

We used to play board games for fun.


How's your summer so far?

Going Up, Up, Up!

This weekend Simon Lappin's shirt sold for £201.01 (small change).
The three top scorer's (Simon is a midfielder) shirts went for £300 to £350.

For £350.00 I want more than sweat and dirt...


there had better be a little footballer blood on that shirt as well.

Pull your minds out of the gutter, you thought I was going to say something about "the body better still be in the shirt", didn't you!



Oh, did I forget to mention something?



WE WON THE LEAGUE!!

Wow, what a thrill. It made up for the HUGE disappointment last year when our team got relegated.

Because I know you mostly just humour me when I post about Norwich city, I won't go on and on about how we screamed our heads off and danced the happy dance for the last 20 minutes of the game, or how the other team could have stripped nekked and run around the pitch and no one would have noticed.
I won't tell you how we hung out long after the game to bask in the celebratory atmosphere.
We won't even mention that horrible day at the beginning of the season when we were crushed by a visiting team and it made the fans so mad that some of them invaded the pitch and threw their season tickets at the manager...huge difference to have 25,000 singing and chanting fans instead.

I'll save you all of that and show you our happy day.



Refusing to go home until at least 30 photos are taken...



This is J2's recording of the winning goal. Nice and jiggly and he stopped recording to shout and jump up and down. I wouldn't have.




I'm so proud of our guys, I couldn't possibly be sad that I didn't win the shirt.
This would be a good time to promise that since we have now won the league and are being promoted I will stop posting photos and posts about Simon Lappin... but I won't.

What was the highlight of your weekend?

Sports Fanatics Missing Common Sense Gene

Sexy Guy is tapping his foot.
He's waiting not-so-patiently for me to get in the shower and get ready.

Because today, our football team is one of the ONLY two matches in the
entire country that is being played.

This is why. You are looking at Nasa's view of the UK right now.

We have undersoil heating our pitch.


That's great for the guys running around in their cute little shorts in -5c temperatures, but I'm going to be sitting in the stands concentrating on the cold permeating the marrow of my bones.


Luckily Miss Ky has some sane people in her life and they've insisted we leave her behind with them. In their warm house. Why didn't they request my company as well?



Hubby will be layered.
Unfortunately he thinks he's layering in his woolen blend undershirt that I wore while building my snowman the other day.


Hopefully I'll slip on the way out the door and hurt myself so that I can stay home.

Author's front garden at the time of this writing... Perfect day for a drive to a football game.

Grays Have More Fun

Norwich City Goal Keeper, Declan Rudd

When I was younger,

I dreamed big

and didn't see the hurdles other people saw.

A friend and I called Pat Benatar's agent,
and asked if she would consider playing
at our High School Prom.
We weren't discouraged when kindly told she wasn't available.

Norwich City's Manager, Paul Lambert

We called for Thin Lizzy too.

Neither were at our dance.

Now I am older

and I don't dream as big

Midfielders Darel Russell and Simon Lappin

but I also don't see the invisible lines

that may have been drawn between

celebrities, sports stars and

me.

Huge thanks to the Hubby who was good enough
to take a picture of his wife drooling over Simon
(and where did those kids come from? This was supposed to be MY photo)

Because of that,

I have more fun

than the women who don't take risks.

Have you stepped out of your comfort zone lately?

While the Big Cat's Away...

The canaries will play.

While Hubby is picking dust particles from his teeth in Iraq, I am doing his dirty work over here...

The Sexy Guy loves his boys and loves his football, so last year he purchased season tickets to the local Championship League, Norwich City Football Club. My guys attend all home games (except on Sunday) and listen to the rest on the radio.

When we found out Hubby was deploying, one of the first things that went through their minds were that those season tickets that would sit idle.

He managed to arrange for a friend and his wife to take them-- which is asking a lot since there are the three boys and Miss Ky (of course we explained she wouldn't be going anymore).

Well, that first saturday without Dad rolled around and I had heard nothing from this couple. The Hubby kept emailing to see if the kids had been contacted. Nothing.

I texted the wife.

"Oh, there must have been a miscommunication. We didn't even know Sexy Guy had left".
"But he TALKED to you guys about it the day before he left!" Her husband had already left for the game.
My kids were dressed, sitting and waiting for a ride that wasn't coming. That saturday or any following saturdays.

Last week I decided to take matters into my own hands.

I stepped WAY out of my comfort zone: I called someone to take Miss Ky. I drove into a city I'm not comfortable driving in, during a busy traffic time, to end up somewhere I've never been. All in my hubby's British spec. car that I'm less than happy driving.

I escorted my deliriously happy boys into the football stadium and plopped down into my seat. Other than feeling like my knees were precariously close to my chin (surely I'm not the only long-legged person on this island), it was kind of exciting. I took pictures. I geared up for the great shots. My kids cheered.

Only one problem.

No one told me you're not allowed to take pictures...
so the security people did. During the game. With a personal visit. I blush easily.

At least they didn't confiscate my card.


These shots weren't my technical best, but I caught an exciting moment.
Norwich was 1-0 and the excited spectators were chanting their praises and support.

Burnley was pressuring their way down the pitch--

David Marshall (Canary Goal Keeper) stopped a spectacular shot,

but spilled it.



Only seconds after the first photo... the crowd shouted in surprised disappointment.

The game ended in a draw. That's a bad thing when you're close to being relegated.

I get it now. This father-son bonding thing.

I get how four people could stare straight ahead and make grunting noises rather than communicate verbally with one another and feel closer for having done so.

The Hubby has asked me if I want him to add another ticket to next year's pass.

I don't think so.

I'm going to drop back into the role of the one who catches their rush of adjectives as they spill into the house, tummies hungry and eyes shining.
That's my comfort zone.



Hosted by Cecily and MamaGeek