Turkey Bowl / Iron Bowl

This has been like a week-long Thanksgiving celebration for me. All the activities normally crammed into one day have been spread across from last Sunday through today (Sat). Sunday was the giant turkey meal. Thursday was, of course, the real holiday as well as a service at St. Paul's Cathedral. And this morning was the Turkey Bowl!

I organized the Turkey Bowl here in hopes that we could get at least enough people to play a game. And we did! It turned out better than when I once tried to organize it in Madison a long time ago when it wasn't a tradition yet and 2 people came. We actually had 9 people playing at one point today! And they were good! Well... not like amazing, but good enough to enjoy a good game of football. One actually was amazing - the one I mentioned from Thursday who has an amazing throw. 6 of the 9 were Americans, the others English. At one point 3 had to leave leaving a good 3 on 3 match. That's like the minimum for a decent game. So I really lucked out that that many people showed up.

We found a spot on a local park to play. There were a ton of kids playing their "European" football. So we had to avoid them and avoid the giant mud patches that were all around. The ground was wet, which made it really hard to play without cleats. But at least we were all at the same disadvantage. It's hard to play football without traction though!

But man, that sure was a lot of fun. And everyone had fun, which always helps. And no injuries! That helps too. I brought my football and pump out with me just for the specific purpose of hosting a Turkey Bowl, and I'm sure glad I did it. Who knows if anyone will host it next year? Only 1 of the 3 English even knew what a Turkey Bowl was - he learned on his mission playing with all the Americans. So at least 2 more have been exposed to the joys of it now.

And this evening at 8:30, I joined 12 others to watch Alabama slaughter Auburn. It was so deliciously sweet. I got a toothache, it was so sweet. 36-0! And half of the 4th quarter was with our 2nd string! We all had scratchy voices by the end of the game bc we had been cheering so much. I can't ever keep up with the enthusiasm of the guys around me after they've downed a few beers, but they sure keep the energy of the game up. I sure wish I could be in Tuscaloosa right now. It's got to be crazy there! And everyone is going to be in a great mood on Sunday at church too. A winning football team always brightens spirits. :)