I am whole again...

I am whole again. Okay, maybe not whole. But close. Basketball has begun again. That part of me that goes into hibernation for a few months a year was allowed to awaken yesterday. For those who do not know this part of me, I am wired to a basketball. I think my Mom hoped this weirdness would go away when I grew up and got married. She even pointed that out when I got a basketball permanently drawn on my ankle. But alas, it has not. I live to watch the game. I can't explain it. I feel whole when I am able to sit and watch five players cut, screen, pass, slip, rebound, jump, shoot, high-five, and yell. When the other five players try to figure out how to stop it. I get into my hunched-over position, one I've been told can identify me in a crowd of hundreds, to watch the game. Study the game. I coach from my seat. I talk to the players as if they're mine. It allows me to live and use my mind in a way no other thing or activity can. Every game, every movement, is a puzzle for me to solve. And I love it when I can see it happening in my mind just before it unfolds on the court.

Yesterday, Karl and I went to Seattle to see the home opener for the Storm. We decided not to do season tickets this year, the cost was a bit high, and getting to and from games during the middle of the week wore on us the last few years. So we will catch what games we can this year. Yesterday, we splurged on tickets, and ended up with seats right behind the Storm bench. It was awesome. There are a handful of times I have missed coaching. This was one of them. It's a whole other experience sitting at floor level, seeing how fast and physical the game is. I listened to all the coaching talks at time-outs, and coach's comments during the game. The best one being on the first play of the game. It was a poorly executed post-up, and the coach turns and says: "What was that crap!" I miss those days.

Anyway, here's some shots of the game. This is the team before heading out to play:

My favorite player, LJ:

Karl's favorite players, Sue (#10):

And Ashley:

This one's for KB. Recognize #14?
It was a great experience sitting that close. My one gripe was the coach kept standing right where our line of site was for a large portion of the floor. So we missed a lot. But oh well, the price we pay for sitting there.

The other part of our weekend consisted of Karl continuing to work on the garage. He and some buddies worked most of Saturday to get the roof trusses set, and the roof sheathing on. Here's a couple pictures:

I worked in the yard most of the day, mowing and weed whacking. I would never have guessed that was such tiring work, but I was feeling it Sunday. I think I still might not be 100% recovered from my surgery, too. So I spent Sunday feeling like I was going to be talking to the porcelain throne. Not fun. I'm still not feeling that great, so I played hooky from work today. Karl was feeling the wrath of his day as well, he was pretty dead Sunday.

All in all, a crazy busy weekend. But we accomplished a lot. What more can you ask for?