Go Broncos!

Today is a monumental day. A day to go down in the history books - at least the history of the Shumways. Today I am going to a professional football game AND I am excited. Yes ladies and gentlemen, it is happening, I am going to sit through an ENTIRE football game and I'm pretty sure I am going to enjoy the entire thing. My dear husband Bryan couldn't be happier.

Let me just explain WHY this is such a monumental event.

I have never really WATCHED footabll. Growing up my dad and brother we quite the football fans and when I was little I knew a few names Danny White, Tony Dorsett, because my brother Jim talked about them CONSTANTLY and would pretend to BE them dressed in his little Cowboy uniform. My dad was a big Bronco fan so of course I knew John Elway. I was sitting in the living room when Joe Theisman broke is leg - Wow! That's pretty good that you remember that it was Joe Theisman, not being a football fan - you might say. Do you know how I remember?

Phonetically Theisman is THIGHsman - he broke his LEG

Growing up Dad and Jim were downstairs watching football while Mom and I played Yahtzee or Bible Trivia or watched movies. Girls didn't watch football. I did watch the Super Bowl most years, but that was only because there was a party involved. If the Cowboys or the Broncos were playing I would feign mild interest just because those were the teams my dad and brother cared about - and usually there was some guy at the party I was trying to impress. One year, that "guy" was Bryan.

The one thing I didn't think about when feigning interest that day in 1998 was that one day I would be MARRIED to this guy and my cover would be blown. Football season of 1999 started and I couldn't be less interested in what was happening. Bryan was devastated. Who WAS this woman he thought he married! Here he thought he had hooked a good one who even if she didn't like to watch ALL football at least was a Broncos fan and would watch those games with him. I would give a half hearted try every now and then, and usually make through half of the first quarter and then go read a book.

Over the last 9 years Bryan has tried DESPERATELY to get me interested. My argument has been "Women just aren't into football." Which thanks to my mother-in-law and sister-in-law who are HUGE Clemson fans and season ticket holders, Bryan knew was not true. So over the years, every football season I give it another try - I try to make it through more and more of a game - and really I do enjoy what I DO watch, it's just hard to hold my interest through an entire game. Last year my mother-in-law gave me good advice, if you can only keep interest though 1 quarter, make it the last quarter - it's the most exciting. So that's what I did, and I really enjoyed it!

So today is the beginning of a new era of the Shumway household. An era where Julie likes to watch football! I'm still not sure I can make it through an entire televised game, but I am trying...