A Birthday Present measured in Touchdowns and Field Goals

The sky weighed in heavy with dark, turbulent cloud cover.  The ominous blanket of gray hanging over my head was threatening to turn into yet another cloudburst on this dreary, wet, dismal day that clearly marked the end of summer and embraced the beginning of months of nasty weather to come. Dragging my gaze away from the sky, I picked up my pace, pulling my roll-aboard behind me, daring the sky to drench me on today of all days, September 29.  Today was a big birthday for me, one whose corresponding number I dare not utter, lest I have to face the fact that I am getting old.

I was a mere twenty steps from the entrance to cover and the subway station when the rain began.   I assumed it had held off for that long because of my threats to each and every bloated cloud overhead. I was grateful for only 20 steps that left me damp and uncomfortable but not drenched in a downpour that wasn't particularly welcome on this afternoon.

As I boarded the underground train, I breathed a sigh of relief.  Onward from the wrong Washington to the right one, at least in my limited view of the world.  I was happy to leave the D.C. version of Washington behind and head back to the sweet, peaceful Evergreen State. With any luck, I would arrive there before my birthday ended.

Bless Alaska Airlines' heart.  Their wonderful spiffy airplane sped across the country with the greatest of ease, depositing me at SeaTac one hour before our scheduled arrival.  Although the parking shuttle did not come with the greatest of ease (or efficiency), I nevertheless coasted into the ferry parking lot, several minutes before the departure of the 11 p.m. ferry and was grateful to set foot on Whidbey Island half an hour before midnight.

I had requested a quiet birthday, one without parties or big celebrations, because I'm an introvert, and THAT'S OK.  You got that, ye masses of extroverts out there?

Friday began with a trip to a new nursery.  More trees than I could possibly hug on the way home but that didn't stop me from trying:

A quick lunch, a swim, a ferry ride, and then.... Barry pressed the button, the TV came on, a ridiculous assortment of dips and dippers were laid out on the table, and... the University of Washington Huskies football team marched onto the field on a beautiful night in Husky Stadium to play a slightly better known, nationally recognized team, that had of all things, a TREE as its mascot.  There is only one tree in the world I want to cut down, and the Stanford Cardinal is IT (at least in the world of football).

Truly, I expected a nail biter... a fight to the finish.  An adrenaline roller coaster that went on for three hours, before maybe, just maybe, the Huskies pulled it out and won a difficult game on national television between two top-10 teams.   It didn't go that way at all and I spent most of three hours with my jaw on the floor trying to pick it up so I could actually eat from the buffet before me.

In the end, there is something very sweet about the public school in the little known or recognized pacific northwest winning out against an elite private institution in a very BIG way.  44-6.  That was enough birthday present for me.  All day long, I had been advocating for 'pee'ing on the tree' but I never thought we would actually fell the Stanford Cardinal (Tree).  

I was grateful.  I love to watch the common folk win the battle over the elite.  I know it doesn't often happen, but being a common folk myself who just happened to go to Stanford, I still prefer being the common folk.  Personally, I think we (the common folk) are funnier, but I digress.

44-6 was awesome.  Really.   REALLY.  44 points were enough, all by themselves.  But, I didn't anticipate another 97 points to follow:  27 by the Seahawks two days later and 70 by the Huskies the following week against those pesky Ducks at Oregon.

141 points in touchdowns and field goals for my birthday.  What a present!  I'm still trying to figure out how Barry managed to finagle such football-induced bliss for this very memorable birthday!

Yay Huskies!  Yay Hawks!