bowling

I hit a new low. Last night was bowling league. We got off the train with an hour to spare before bowling. Exhausted but looking forward to a fun night of bowling. I could not keep my ball out of the gutters. Shot a 24 in the first game. Ack. Then one of the subs on our team suggested a new technique. Rather than taking my thumb and hitting my forehead in my follow through, as Tom has me do, he suggested in the release of the ball I flip off the center pin. I more than doubled my score the next game. It kept me from turning over my hand. I am still trying to prevent the cross body arm swing. This helped .

In golf I would visualize the ball as some one's head before I hit it with the club. In bowling there are ten pins. Too many heads to aim for. Flipping off the head pin works. I was running on adrenaline. I had to have two cups of coffee to stay on task for three games.

My last game I think I shot a 96 . I don't know what they will do to my handicap next week. Hard to handicap someone that shoots a 24 then a 96 in the same night. Just keeping the ball in the alley was challenging. I got excited when I would barely squeak by the corner pin and knock it down, before falling into the gutter. One pin, just one and the whole place would cheer. Nothing makes people happier than rooting for the underdog.

I slept soundly and slept in late today. It felt so good to be curled up in my own bed. The dog tried to come under the covers all wet from the rain outside when the boys let him out before going to school.I finally raised the blankets and let him into my warm spot so he would let me sleep longer.

I feel refreshed and invigorated by a good night sleep. Glad to be home, but I can't help smiling over the last 24 hours. WE can still pull off a good time, Tom and I, old though we are getting.

 The boys survived without us, without incident. No fighting, No biting.  Trev even had a babysitting gig for extra pocket money. The child was dropped at our house for a couple of hours. Gone before we even knew she had been there. I like that the boys were otherwise occupied as a few of my friends have children in their teens that have discovered the opposite sex.

 My boys are still in the early stages of group dating or chaperoned dates with tag along parents dropping the children off at the mall and picking them up again. Can't get into trouble in well lit public places and small windows of time, and no privacy. Mostly they just go out with groups of friends.

Riley still doesn't want to get his drivers license. I am in no hurry to push him as it saves us money not having a male teen driver on our insurance. I told Trevor he needs to get his grades up before I pay for his driving class. That will buy me some time or motivate the boy, a win win situation as far as I am concerned. Meanwhile, I breath easy as my boys don't have a serious girlfriend for us to worry about, yet.

 Tom was right again as I  now see my friends with teen daughters deal with teen issues. Tom prayed for only boys. Now that the boys are teens, I am grateful. WE have it so much easier in some ways than my friends with teen age daughters. The thought of my babies dating is freaky. Especially when, in this modern age, dating seems to be  a euphemism for having sex.