Then I never did. And I never continued. So, here it is. The thing that got me thinking about this was the fact that Christmas is really only 10 days away. What happened to the fall? Where did it go? We had so many plans and so many things to do...
I think it can all be summed up in one picture:
On September 27, the life we lived changed so drastically because of Jen's arm. Let me start at the beginning.
On Wednesday or Thursday of that week, I received a call from Utah Sports Properties telling me that I had been selected to catch punts during halftime of the upcoming Utah vs. Weber State football game. I was ecstatic. This was a chance to win $1000. Jen had entered both of us just the week before for a chance to win and now here I was, poised to show off my killer receiving skills and sheer athleticism to a stadium of 40,000+ rabid Ute fans.
The next three days, all my thoughts were tied up in the dream of catching the punts and winning the grand. Of course, being the natural athlete that I am I couldn't help but think: "Why did I give up on sports? I could have been earning millions in the NFL or something like that. I hope Coach Whittingham gets his eyes on me, cause I still got eligibility baby!"
Of course, those of you who know me will catch the sarcasm. (NOTE: the author of this post has proven that he has severely limited athletic ability. In the words of my dad, "You sure tried hard.")
That Saturday, we'd arranged to go to the game with my dad and brother - Spencer. I returned from a morning meeting to find the family out in the front yard enjoying a nice September Saturday. Out of the blue, Jen decides to put on her rollerblades and skate around the driveway. The next thing I know, she's laying on the ground awkwardly. She didn't even scream. As I helped her up, I noticed the weird configuration of her arm in the picture above and suddenly realized that - gasp! - I wouldn't be catching punts that evening.
Yes, I'm ashamed to admit that was the first thought that went through my mind. "What about tonight? I'm supposed to win $1000!" Of course I couldn't let Jen know this was my first concern, so I didn't say anything. I packed her into the car, called her mom to watch the kiddos and took off to the hospital. As I called my dad to let him know I wouldn't be going to the game, the first words that Jen has spoken coherently come out: "You're still going. Now you need to pay for the medical bills." Talk about pressure...
(Side note: I can only imagine what my family thought upon hearing the conversation between my dad and I.
Me: Hey dad. We won't be going tonight. Jen fell and broke her arm.
Dad: Are you sure it's broken?
At this point everyone who heard my dad groaned. Jake broke something. Of course. We knew the klutz wouldn't actually make it. I even think that my siblings had placed bets on whether or not I would break something before or during the punt catching.)
After several hours in the emergency room, many debates and some cajoling on the part of Jen, I ended up going to the game. Dave, my other brother, took Jen's ticket. We rolled in during the first quarter, enjoyed the game for a bit and then it was my turn to be in the spotlight.
As I got down there, the people running the contest told me I'd have two chances to catch some practice punts. I got pretty pysched standing on the sidelines with all the football players. The trainer dude even gave me some killer Powerade - because we all know that no one can perform properly on the field without all the proper nutrition. Halftime rolled around and we walked to the sideline. Right as the dude helping me said, "Only one practice punt man," a ball landed on the field. I looked at him and said, "Was that it?"
"Yup. You're on."
I'd like to say I was amazing. But I sucked. Missed the first two pretty badly. But, I caught the third. For $500. I was amazed. For a split second I thought about running down the field and trying to slamdunk the ball on the goalposts like football players always do. I actually think my legs started moving, but reality grabbed hold and I realized that making a bigger fool of myself wasn't that important. So I proceeded to spike the ball and scream like a banshee.
And that sums up where our fall went. When Jen broke her arm it was like being thrown into a high-speed washing machine. We've been spinning ever since. Between trying to work, go to school, and take care of her and the kids, the last two and a half months have just flown by. Life is starting to get back to normal and here we are. 10 days away from Christmas.
And yes, I had to wrap all the presents.
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