The past two days were Track and Field days at school, which basically means that we spent two days running relays and stuff instead of doing any schoolwork. It was WAY too hot, but fun and sort of undramatic. My favorite part was the "Tug for Fun". You probably know the "Tug for Fun" as the "Tug of War" -- it's the same game. A bunch of people grab one end of a big rope, and a bunch of people grab the other end and they tug until one team pulls the other team past a certain point. There were very exciting Tug of Sweetness and Light's between various classes (my class lost both of theirs, ah well) but the most exciting match was the finale - teachers verses the parents. There maybe 30 adults on either side of the rope, and apparently the teachers had been beaten, soundly, for five or six years running. But not on my watch! It was a hard fought Tug of Acceptance and Happiness but we got 'em. Woo! The kids who were watching, pretty much the whole school, went pretty much apeshit. It was like winning the goddamn Superbowl. The kids were just OUT OF CONTROL and, of course, bother the parents and teachers were too exhausted to reign them in. After the psychic dust form the Tug for Fealty, Prosperity and Good Hygiene finally cleared the whole school joined hands in a ring around the track and playground while "We Are The World" played over the temporary PA system. I am not making that up. Then, much later, after school, we had a kickball game. Erin made the most amazing catch. She was playing second base and, with a runner on second, a guy kicked hell out of the ball, a line drive (the hardest kind of kick to make) far to Erin's right. She really had no business even getting to it to knock it down but not only did she get there but she bonked it so that it ricocheted up into the air and then she corralled it in for a catch before it hit the ground. It was breathtaking. If that ball had gotten past her it would have rattled around in the outfield for 10 minutes before anyone could get to it. Easy triple or more likely an inside the park home run. Yowser. Boy did we cheer. Even the other team was appreciative. It was such a good catch you couldn't help but love it, even if it was against your team. Funniest thing about it was that right as she caught it, or more accurately, in the instant between when she realized that she had not only gotten to it but made a spectacular play but before she fully stopped running she was like "I fucking RULE!" HA!! That's my wife! THEN in the bottom of the seventh (Kickball is a seven inning affair), down by one run (4 to 3), two outs with no-one on, Erin managed to get on base, legging out an infield hit. That was followed with another infield hit by Patrick, and then, miraculously, a THIRD hit form Derek that fell in between two guys in right field. The guy threw the ball in right as Erin rounded third and, from my vantage point just up the third base line from home plate, I watched, slow motion, as Erin barreled down the line, with their pitcher ALSO barreling in to retrieve the ball which was, as this was all happening, flying in from the outfield. I really didn't think she was going to make it, it looked so close, but she beat the throw by a foot or two! Tie game! AND THEN before the pitcher could even get control of the ball, Patrick, hustling all the way, came in to score the winning run not even a second later. He was really hauling ass. So good. 4-5, walkoff double, beer and tacos all around. It was the most satisfyingly athletic day of my life. (I was 2 for 2 with a couple of nice put-outs at first, but no fireworks like Erin's. Funny, though: the Stangland's were involved in about half of the outs and half of the scoring. We fucking RULE!)