Leaving the mini van in the garage

This past fall, my husband did what any couple expecting their third child would do - we bought a mini van. According to their awesome You Tube Video, I should have pride in my Sienna ride.

I don't.

Yeah, yeah. I know, it's now cool to be a parent. (That's a marketing trick by companies who want us to spend copious amounts of money on our kids.) I know that our Sienna has the same tight turning radius as our Camry. But...

 A van is not the same as a car.


And today, I got to leave the van at home and take the car. Whee!

I didn't have to put the Mommy mirror up. The doors didn't slide open at the push of a button. And, I had to remove my hands from the steering wheel in order to change the radio station. Ahh... sweet freedom.

Don't get me wrong, I like the insane creature comforts. I like the cargo space. But really, nothing hugs the road quite like a car.

I really miss the go-cart like ride of the Corolla... but that's another story.

Our teams are like a familiy heirloom

My Grandfather was a Packers fan. He had season tickets. Passed them to my aunt and uncle. My Mom and Dad are Packer fans. So am I. And my children? Will not be.

Tonight, on the ESPY awards, in presenting the award for "best team" Kenny Chesney explained that "Our teams are like a family heirloom, passed down from generation to generation."

I cried.

Yep. Cried.

I cried in England the night my team won the NFC Championship. I cried when they won the Superbowl; and I cry as I realize that my children will never love my team the way that I do.

In the United States, sports are like a religion. We each stake our claim, our territory. We believe that our team is the best - even though we know, they're really not. We buy jerseys and hats, talk smack about teams that are obviously better than ours.

But we do it all with pride.

I'm learning in a very hard way that I will not pass my love of my team on to my children. I've tried, but in nature vs. nurture, my children are being nurtured in an environment where they will learn to love another team.

No, your team is not the same as your faith in God. But, it's something that you strive to pass to your children.

I will not.

I feel ashamed; like I pawned Grandma's wedding ring.

Why blog?

Because it's popular? Because as a writer type I feel pressured to? Because two of the writers I admire most are doing it?

Dunno. But I'll try. We'll see where this goes.