Epic Collapse

3 Years, 42 Weeks.


Okay, elephant in the room.

I guess you could say the Broncos never truly showed up for the Super Bowl last Sunday.

But the fact of the matter is, the Seahawks were just the better team.  Brutal.  Relentless.  Completely dominant on both sides of the football field.  Their defense was suffocating, and overwhelmed our team, handsomely defeating us 43-8.  43-8??  It was a blowout, literally, and they proved themselves the best team in the NFL this year.

I took the loss pretty well, surprisingly, considering all the time I kept up with them this season.  I had gone into the game expecting them to lose, probably because I knew how tough Seattle was, and partly because I didn't want to feel so devastated when they did lose.  I had done the same thing two weeks ago when they played New England for the AFC Championship, although with different results.  Still, I'm grateful for the season ending longer than it did last year.

Which leads me to a an epiphany I experienced during the game:

As I watched the continued dismantling of our team in the third quarter, Braelyn came over and sat on my lap.  She had been watching the game too, and could sense that things weren't going in our direction, probably from the look of dismay on my face.  But it was at that moment of clarity that I realized, despite this loss, how great our football season truly was:  It wasn't because of how far the Broncos had gone, but because I was able to spend a lot of time watching the games with her.  She had become a huge fan this season, asking questions and learning the ins and outs of the game, embracing our team as her own.  It became a time of bonding together, and something that I will always treasure.

It was consolation enough, and gives me more reason to look forward to next year!

Here was our week:

I don't know why they decided to wear their winter hats.

Maddy smiling at Sabbath School.

With Tink Kittrell.  Can you guess who he was rooting for?
We would go to their house to watch the Superbowl on Sunday.

With Mommy at Sweet Tomatoes.

Sunday morning bike ride with Duncan and Jason on the West Orange Trail to Clermont.

Duncan gives me the thumbs up.

A foggy morning, it seemed we were at the edge of the world in some places.

Or gorillas in the mist.

The hills were brutal!

Taking the kids to feed the ducks.

Spotted a monkey in the playground.

Gorgeous day, pretty hot actually.

Braelyn helps with the groceries.

Some time to ride bikes around before the game.

Bronco headquarters in Altamonte Springs.

It was also his birthday!

Stunned spectators.

Some pretty disappointed fans.

The Mrs. was not happy!

Biking around Old Winter Garden.

Happy little girl.

Buddy getting a haircut.

The clean finish!

She's really getting into biking!

Pointing at something on the ceiling at Tijuana Flats.

Washing her hands outside after playing in the dirt.

Brother content to just sit.

Goofing off at Costco.

Randoms:

Chinese New Year happened this week.
We thought this would be a good sign for the Superbowl...
We thought wrong!

A lot of disappointed people on Sunday night!

Food:

Picked up some cookies made by Ms. Jennifer at Sassafras Sweet Shoppe in Winter Park.

Mish mosh appetizer dish:  Mozzarella, Veggie Skallops, and Strawberries.

Quotes:

• Brae was telling me about Ben "The Science Guy" that had come to the school to do a show, and about a particular experiment he had done creating glowing liquid.

          Me:  [with enthusiasm] "Awesome Brae!  Maybe we can find some
                  information online so we can do the experiment!"

          Brae:  "Daddy, it's not an experiment.  It's SCIENCE!"

• A 3-year-old's take on the Superbowl several days later:

           Kohl:  "Mommy, I don't know why we didn't win...maybe 'cause they
                       were bigger than us.  Mommy, we need to go there and help
                       them grow.  That will help them win.  Mommy, we throw the
                       ball to the team.  That's how we play football.  That's how we
                       play catch too."

           All this while sitting on the potty!  Good job buddy!

• Coming home from supper on Tuesday, Madelyn saw the sun setting:

          Maddy:  "Daddy, the sun is going down!"

          Me:  "Yes, do you know what that's called?"

          Maddy:  "Night night!"

Night night!

Have a great weekend!