Maybe it was way back when…
I was a freshman, sighing with relief to make the high school swim team. Until, that is, initiation began and I had to endure all kinds of odd rites of passage. One of them found me in a smelly old 1960’s sweatsuit, flippers, and snorkeling mask. Each freshman girl, dressed similarly, was to stand up on a starting block while the men’s team waited in the water below. One by one, we were to announce, “I’m a freshman weenie and I love the seniors!” My plan was to fly through the confession and exit invisibly, blending in with the other masked girls.
I stood up on the block, staring out through my foggy mask at the very large senior swimmers. “I’m a freshman weenie,” I started, “and I love the freshman!” For one slow-motion-moment, I didn’t realize that I had just made the worst slip in the universe. Reality struck as the senior men scooped large armfuls of water, splashing loud boo!’s in my direction. I stepped off of the block as quickly as I could, my head swimming with embarrassment. “Do it again, freshman!” I was ordered. While the boo’s still echoed off of the natatorium walls, I sheepishly stepped back to the block and announced – correctly this time – “I’m a freshman weenie and I love the seniors!”
Or perhaps it was this past year when…
My next door neighbor had to give me the old heave-ho through my kitchen window. ‘Remember that story?
Or perhaps it was just the other day when…
I found out that enough of my votes were disqualified to land me in second place in the Homeschool Blog Awards. Yes, the verdict is that we inadvertently cheated… on the HOMESCHOOL BLOG AWARDS of all things. (I know, I know, God sees “all sin as sin” and one sin is not any “worse” than others, but I’m feelin’ like cheating at anything homeschool-blog-award-ish is possibly the worst thing a person can do.) So, next year, we’ll scour the rules with a fine tooth comb and make sure that we understand the letter of the law so that we can participate with squeaky clean records.
My truest apologies to each and every one of you 165+ folks who did cast legitimate votes for me: you really rock. Also to the amazing HSBA women who host the blog awards and had to get to the bottom of over 10,000 votes to uphold the rules and deal with people like me asking, “but why??” all afternoon: your dedication is inspiring. Also to the true winner of the category, Trisch, from Never a Dull Moment: my apologies and admiration (I have to admit, even when we believed all votes were above-board, we felt miserable to disappoint 9 children + one on the way. And wow! What a family!).
