I love this time of year!

Football is in the air!!
Can you smell it?

I'm not talking about the smell of stinky boys in sweaty uniforms that haven't been washed in 3 or 4 days.

I'm talking about the anticipation, the thrill, the culmination of months of planning, hard work and focus!

I married a football coach, which means I married this sport. He hasn't always coached, but he's always been a coach at heart. From very early on he knew this is what he wanted to do. There have been a few side steps, but this is where we have landed.

It's not an easy task. It's not a 9-5, low-stress job that always pays the bills. It's not easy for those that are able to coach full-time, but exponentially harder when one coaches and has a full-time job, as well.

It's countless hours planning, practicing, and planning some more. It's some missed family events and good night kisses with your wife and kids and relaxing Saturdays with the family. It's setting a good example and being a role model for a hundred boys who are trying to figure out and plan their own futures.

And for the wives, it's being, essentially, a single parent for months on end, selflessly, and sometimes begrudgingly, handling all things house and kids, keeping your cool when message boards are knocking your team or husband, and being a sounding board and constant cheerleader when the games or seasons aren't going like we'd all hoped.

So what's the catch? Why do we keep doing it, year after year? Why do I love it so much?

It's butterflies at kickoff, the sigh of relief when the scoreboard shows a W as the final second ticks off, or the sense of disappointment when the other guys play better.


It's seeing a team that you are personally invested in succeed. Or seeing them fail and get up and go for it again. It's waking up on a Saturday, dressing in your team colors, anticipating the crowds, the cheering, the possibility of a sweet victory.

It's making friendships that will last a lifetime.



And, more then anything, it's seeing my husband's face after the game, when we both know all those sacrifices mattered.