Cops, football and adorable children
Tonight was fun.
It's Senior Night for my cousin's high school, they celebrated all their graduating seniors from the football team, dance and cheerleading squads and marching band with a presentation before the football game. I was tasked with taking pictures of my Aunt, Uncle and cousin while they walked across the track and had their names announced. It's weird to think Heidi will graduate next May. She's the last of my generation of Ryans, #30 of the grandkids. End of an era, so to speak.
She was happy my parents and I came to see her, and very happy that Karrin and Ben joined us to watch the first half of the game and then the halftime show. Ben was stoked because he got to have a hot dog and popcorn and my uncle gave him a big Tootsie Roll.
Then there were the cheerleaders. Ben's a big fan. Bouncy ponytails, shiny pom poms, what's not to like? He pressed against the fence in front of the stands when they stood in front of us to warm up for halftime. Though to his credit, he was highly impressed at how high and far the football teams could throw and kick the ball, and made sure that the guys in the yellow hats were the football players. Took me a minute, he meant helmets. Ben learned a new word! Then all the hats were helmets, it was amusing.
The halftime show was a Western spoof. The band played various familiar western tunes, while the band director narrated a story that some of the band members, dressed in costumes, acted out. Evil Dirty Dan, after a long day of beating up unsuspecting musicians (he assaults a trumpet player, this band member lays comatose on the ground for the whole show) kidnaps the lovely showgirl Daisy and ties her to a cactus (ouch). Who can save Daisy? Can cowboy Rusty Spurs? Nope, gets tied up with his own lasso. What about the cavalry? Nope, all three of them get outshot, and collapse in heap. TV cowboy Hoss Cartwright and his horse give it a try, but alas, the horse tramples the poor man. Then, out of nowhere, Barrack Obama, Joe Biden, John McCain and Sarah Palin arrive! They beat up both Dirty Dan and the still-standing horse, and save the lovely Daisy! Yay! But wait, who actually defeated Dan? An applause-vote in the audience is inconclusive, so the narrator suggests everyone meet back in November to decide who wins once and for all. Ba-dum-ching. Then everyone joins together for a kick line. I love a happy ending! Also? Ben totally threw over his adored cheerleaders to see the horse. And was put out that it did not come off the field (as the two band kids playing the horse clearly wanted some fresh air)
After the band left the field, Karrin decided it was time to go, but first pictures. Ben posed with my mom, though he made it clear he felt cheated that my dad was not there. Then he wanted a picture with one of the dancing saloon girls. A very lovely young lady happily agreed, and even picked him up, but then he got so shy all he could do was look at her and exclaim, "I'm THREE!" The girl laughed and smiled for the picture. Then Ben got excited that he could go onto the track right by the field to take a picture with Heidi, who let him hold her drumsticks. He also met my cousin Mike, and was not shy at all when he looked up and said, "hi!" and smiled.
Then came the trek back to the car. I agreed to keep Ben busy while Karrin got the car from the lot across the street, otherwise he'd demand to be carried. My clever ruse to distract him? Police officers. The high school always has at least two squad cars there to help direct traffic, so Ben and I made our way over to the group of officers chatting near the cars. They saw us coming and looked politely inquisitive, until I said, "This is Ben, and he wanted to say hello to the police officers." Then they were very lively, all saying hello and one asking for a high five. The female officer asked Ben if he'd like to see the inside of a squad car, and Ben was so stoked. She turned on the lights and he got to see all the radio equipment and what not. She then asked Ben what he wanted to be when he grew up. He turned around, looked her in the eyes and said:
"Darth Vader."
Ben is now the favorite citizen of all the male cops at the high school that night. They roared laughing. When she said, "you don't want to be a policeman?" Ben said, "nope!" And all the guys said, "Definitely not, being Darth Vader is cooler."
Alas, the mood was ruined when I mentioned he liked the cheerleaders best, and he realized we were teasing him. Then he pouted and wouldn't speak at all, even though they all kindly said, "Bye Ben!"
While we walked to Karrin waiting in the car, I gently told him not to be so rude, saying specifically, "You're killing me kid." "No!" Ben said, "You're killing ME!" When I asked him how I was doing that, his response: "You say stuff, and then I die."
Then he told me to always use people with lightsabers while playing Lego Star Wars, because you get to flip and stab people. And not to hurt the Jawas, cause they're good, but the Sand People are Bad. Font of knowledge, my godson.
It's Senior Night for my cousin's high school, they celebrated all their graduating seniors from the football team, dance and cheerleading squads and marching band with a presentation before the football game. I was tasked with taking pictures of my Aunt, Uncle and cousin while they walked across the track and had their names announced. It's weird to think Heidi will graduate next May. She's the last of my generation of Ryans, #30 of the grandkids. End of an era, so to speak.
She was happy my parents and I came to see her, and very happy that Karrin and Ben joined us to watch the first half of the game and then the halftime show. Ben was stoked because he got to have a hot dog and popcorn and my uncle gave him a big Tootsie Roll.
Then there were the cheerleaders. Ben's a big fan. Bouncy ponytails, shiny pom poms, what's not to like? He pressed against the fence in front of the stands when they stood in front of us to warm up for halftime. Though to his credit, he was highly impressed at how high and far the football teams could throw and kick the ball, and made sure that the guys in the yellow hats were the football players. Took me a minute, he meant helmets. Ben learned a new word! Then all the hats were helmets, it was amusing.
The halftime show was a Western spoof. The band played various familiar western tunes, while the band director narrated a story that some of the band members, dressed in costumes, acted out. Evil Dirty Dan, after a long day of beating up unsuspecting musicians (he assaults a trumpet player, this band member lays comatose on the ground for the whole show) kidnaps the lovely showgirl Daisy and ties her to a cactus (ouch). Who can save Daisy? Can cowboy Rusty Spurs? Nope, gets tied up with his own lasso. What about the cavalry? Nope, all three of them get outshot, and collapse in heap. TV cowboy Hoss Cartwright and his horse give it a try, but alas, the horse tramples the poor man. Then, out of nowhere, Barrack Obama, Joe Biden, John McCain and Sarah Palin arrive! They beat up both Dirty Dan and the still-standing horse, and save the lovely Daisy! Yay! But wait, who actually defeated Dan? An applause-vote in the audience is inconclusive, so the narrator suggests everyone meet back in November to decide who wins once and for all. Ba-dum-ching. Then everyone joins together for a kick line. I love a happy ending! Also? Ben totally threw over his adored cheerleaders to see the horse. And was put out that it did not come off the field (as the two band kids playing the horse clearly wanted some fresh air)
After the band left the field, Karrin decided it was time to go, but first pictures. Ben posed with my mom, though he made it clear he felt cheated that my dad was not there. Then he wanted a picture with one of the dancing saloon girls. A very lovely young lady happily agreed, and even picked him up, but then he got so shy all he could do was look at her and exclaim, "I'm THREE!" The girl laughed and smiled for the picture. Then Ben got excited that he could go onto the track right by the field to take a picture with Heidi, who let him hold her drumsticks. He also met my cousin Mike, and was not shy at all when he looked up and said, "hi!" and smiled.
Then came the trek back to the car. I agreed to keep Ben busy while Karrin got the car from the lot across the street, otherwise he'd demand to be carried. My clever ruse to distract him? Police officers. The high school always has at least two squad cars there to help direct traffic, so Ben and I made our way over to the group of officers chatting near the cars. They saw us coming and looked politely inquisitive, until I said, "This is Ben, and he wanted to say hello to the police officers." Then they were very lively, all saying hello and one asking for a high five. The female officer asked Ben if he'd like to see the inside of a squad car, and Ben was so stoked. She turned on the lights and he got to see all the radio equipment and what not. She then asked Ben what he wanted to be when he grew up. He turned around, looked her in the eyes and said:
"Darth Vader."
Ben is now the favorite citizen of all the male cops at the high school that night. They roared laughing. When she said, "you don't want to be a policeman?" Ben said, "nope!" And all the guys said, "Definitely not, being Darth Vader is cooler."
Alas, the mood was ruined when I mentioned he liked the cheerleaders best, and he realized we were teasing him. Then he pouted and wouldn't speak at all, even though they all kindly said, "Bye Ben!"
While we walked to Karrin waiting in the car, I gently told him not to be so rude, saying specifically, "You're killing me kid." "No!" Ben said, "You're killing ME!" When I asked him how I was doing that, his response: "You say stuff, and then I die."
Then he told me to always use people with lightsabers while playing Lego Star Wars, because you get to flip and stab people. And not to hurt the Jawas, cause they're good, but the Sand People are Bad. Font of knowledge, my godson.