Friday Night Football

LO goes to high school next year. The high school is about 6 blocks from the house; we can hear the band practicing from our backyard, and can also hear home games. 

To ready her for next year, we have instituted Taco Dinner on Friday nights. She may invite 1 or 2 or 3 friends for tacos at the house, and then we walk to the ball game. Friends arrive at 6; we prepare and eat tacos, and walk to the game, which starts at 7.

Two weeks ago was our first Taco Dinner. When I picked her up from tennis practice at 5:30, I was surprised to learn it had gone to her head and she had invited 7 friends for tacos. And, they were arriving in a half hour. I dropped her at the house for a shower and zoomed to the market for more fixin's. 

We all handled it with a sense of humor and LO promised to reign it in, in the future. I do have to admit it was fun to walk to and from the game with a huge gaggle of middle schoolers. We hear the most interesting things at times like this. 

Last week was an away game so we fast forward to tonight. She invited two gf's, twins, and we had tacos. I get the shells that you make by building a little pentagonally-shaped box, then draping a tamale over the box on a baking pan, then put it in a 350 oven for 6 to 10 minutes. They are great!

I brown Morningstar Crumbles, a ground-beef-lookalike, and add Taco Seasoning by McCormick. Instead of paying a dollar for a little envelope, I paid a few bucks for a large container of the stuff. It lasts forever. No one complains that the meat tastes funny, so I imagine the taco seasoning masks any difference in taste.

We have a large sectioned platter into which I put salsa, guacamole (Wholly Guacamole rocks!), sour cream, the "meat," and shredded lettuce. A few years ago I quit preparing tomatoes for tacos as they are in the salsa and it seems redundant. 

I have everything ready when the kids arrive except the shells, which we like warm. I get the kids to help build the little boxes, then we lay the tamales over them and bake them. They (the kids) listen to music, gossip, or play on the piano while they (the shells) bake. 

The walk to the school is so pleasant. The sun is beginning to set, the birds are having their dinnertime conversations, and everyone is relaxed and chatty. 

At the game our gaggle of MS'ers meets up with other gaggles of MS'ers and they form a huge gaggle, which stands at the concession stand through the entire game. LO is not allowed to travel to the opponents' stands, but must stay between the two concession stands, which are situated roughly behind each goalpost. 

I glance over to check on her every now and then, and call a couple of times during a game. 

DH and I sit and watch the game. We have lovely stadium seats, which clip onto the bleachers and have sturdy backs, to support our backs. The sun sets across the way, the birds swoop in the giant lights, the players play, the cheerleaders cheer, and all is right with the world. Tonight I just looked over at DH and said, "Isn't this wonderful?" He smiled and nodded. 

The walk home is slower than the earlier walk. The MS'ers have been standing throughout the entire game, and I imagine they are tired. The gf's call their dad as we walk home and he arrives shortly after we get home. 

LO is content and, although she doesn't swamp us with thank you for taco night, thank you for this and that, seems quite appreciative. 

Life is good.