Twelve Men on the Field

November 16.

Time for the Crusaders' football team party.  Football moms can cook, that's for sure.  I left my camera in its bag, but the guys--twelve were left at this point--wanted their picture taken toward the end of the party, so there I was, in the church lobby, trying to take a decent picture of twelve guys who couldn't take a decent picture.  Someone kept cracking up, or hamming up.

Here they are, in all their end-of-season glory.

Back to life,
Christine

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CYC Sports Banquet

November 7.

Time for the CYC Sports Banquet!   Crossroads Youth Center coordinates several homeschool sports teams, one of them being the Crusaders.  What a great night for all the teams to honor their players, to celebrate another season, and to have a lot of fun, too!

Fernando was honored as an assistant coach.

Team cheer.

Back to life,
Christine

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The Last Game

November 1.

Our last game of the season.  We didn't know it at the time, because if we won this game, we'd go on to the next in the playoffs.  This was the first game in the regional homeschool playoffs, and we got to play in it!  We drove up to Wisconsin to play the SWCHA Saints, another homeschool team who had organized the playoff tournament.  We had played them at home earlier in the year, and it was an evenly matched game.

Pre-game prayer.

One of my favorite shots of Thomas.

Kickoff!

For several minutes, while our team was struggling, I stopped shooting the action to capture a few shots of Thomas.  I was blessed to get these of him blocking.

Post-game prayer.

We're so thankful Thomas got to play football.  It was a tough year, but he knew it would be his last one on the team because of future plans, and we hope he not only enjoyed it, but at times endured it, learned patience, teamwork, and love of the game.

Thomas, Dad and I praise the Lord for you, for your dedication, diligence, and perseverance this season despite all the challenges. We thank Him for your quiet steadfastness and commitment to Him, and we can’t wait to see what He does in your life as you prepare for graduation. Love you, son!

Back to life,
Christine

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A Bus, a Hotel, a City, and Football

October 25.

We took a long bus ride on Friday night, stayed overnight at a hotel, then hopped on the bus again for the short ride to the football field to play the Panthers, another homeschool team which had recently just formed.  Everyone was excited to play, even though the afternoon ended up being hot--in the mid 80s on the field!

Pre-game team meeting at the hotel.

Celebrating a touchdown!

Thomas sure had fun this game--lots of playing time!

Taking a break at halftime.

After the game, both teams gathered for coach talks and prayer together.  And then, the Panthers had arranged for a huge meal for everyone, players, coaches, parents, and siblings!  What a feast.  And, it was great to see the players mingling after the meal, chatting and having fun together.

Fernando was working again this weekend, so he missed the game.  But Thomas understood, and we both continued to be thankful that there was a job, and a paycheck coming in!  With all the things we've dealt with this year--unemployment, trying to get health insurance, dealing with workers comp insurance company (still) from Fernando's injury/surgery last year, and an upcoming situation now that our mortgage modification (a hardship modification) has just about come to an end--football has been a great stress reliever, an avenue to just have fun, to enjoy the sport, and to spend time together before Thomas graduates.


Back to life,
Christine

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