Oh...how I wish I could be in Colorado tomorrow night...

I have been incredibly lucky in the fact that I have more good friends than I know what to do with. Some have been with me since before I can even remember...others, I have never met, yet feel as if there is a bond between us that will only become stronger when we are able to sit down and talk to one another face-to face. Some friends, I have known since elementary school...others I met in university (that last one, especially! Why yes...I did go to more than one, thank you, very much!!) A few of the friends that I have met here in Japan that chose to return to their homelands (leaving me here....you know who you are!!!) and all the others in between...I hold each and every one near and dear to my heart.

But, today...I'm going to play favorites...only because she has been on my mind even more than usual. May I introduce you to my very good friend, a "sister from another mister", so to speak...Dena.

Dena and I met at university....I was there as an "oh hell, I guess I'll go back to school to get that damn degree" kind of student...She...was a perky, "I'm gonna be a pre-school teacher..la la la" kind of student that actually had fuzzy dice hanging from her rear-view mirror in her car. We were in a class together the first semester I was there and after making rude comments about the instructor to each other and finding out we shared a love of all things margarita (among other things), we became friends. I won't bore you with all the details of our long friendship....believe me, it's hilarious at times, but...since most of our jokes/sarcasm/reciting of movie lines are not understood by most...it might not be as funny. Suffice it to say that it has been 26 years and I think this relationship is a keeper. (We do have a strange ear cramp thing going that is a message to call the other, but, upon hearing this, people think we are crazy...so...just ignore I typed that, okay? okay.)

Dena has two sons. The youngest is between Issei and Koji in age and we love him. He is such a little corker....the boys both really do enjoy being around him...he makes them laugh. Her oldest is a senior in high school...my boys are just in awe of him now.... and is, as his coach said in an interview, "a stud on the field". The young man has been playing football since he was 8 years old and his high school football career is at its peak right now....his team is playing Friday night in the State Quarterfinals and I reeeeeealllllly wish I could be there to watch...and yell...and whistle...and yell some more!

This was taken when Jason was about 9 years old, I think.....he was such an intense little guy.

And now....this is Jason....a force NOT to be messed with. It was his fumble recover and touchdown that turned one game completely around!!!

I've been following Jason and his team....looking at the pictures...reading what I can from the newspaper and the Colorado Prep site. Oh...and getting messages from and talking to his mom during the games!!! (How much do we love this whole cell phone business!?!?!)

During the regular season, his team lost only one game and soundly romped the rest of the teams....7 of those games were shutouts with Jason and his team scoring more than 30 points each of those game!!!

But now....it's getting tougher. The competition is big. And fast. And really doesn't like Jason and his teammates very much. They will travel to Colorado Springs (about an hour and a half south of Denver) for the game and from what I've been reading, it's going to be a game worth going to. A cold, Friday night football game between two teams that really, really, really want to go to the State game....that's what high school football is about!!!

Before I go any further...I have a bit of a favor to ask of Jason. I've been faithfully looking at pictures that people have posted from the games and I'm kind of tired of wondering, as I look at piles of padded/helmuted bodies..... "Is that Jason?"

May I suggest just a couple of things you could do before the game that would make this process a whole lot easier?

Along with the regulation uniform....could you please

#1 change the color of your mouth guard? A nice red or yellow one would be so much easier to recognize in a photo.

#2 No...Not a real tatoo...just have one of your buds write "Hi Deb" on either one, or both of your arms....their big enough to write way more than that, so "Hi Deb" can be written in quite large letters! Sometimes, in a photo, I just see arms and legs...this would make your's a bit more noticable.

and/or

#3 Make your wrist band and/or brace also more "Hey, I'm Jason!". Yellow is good...I was going to say pink, but I didn't think you'd go for that.

Think about it okay? Thanks, man! Love you!!

And now, something for your mom...just because it was fun and I was procrastinating planning for tomorrow, I give you this.....

Finally......in getting ready for the game....I'm sending you some good thoughts...some thoughts of the "kick ass and take names" kind.....

Some of the Tom Jackson kind.....

...Of the Lyle Alzado kind....but only those before he was a traitor and went to the Raiders (I'm still kind of bitter about that!!) and waaaay before he started doing the 'roids (I'm really bitter about that!!!). He wasn't a linebacker, but he was one tough so-and-so on the field..."grrrrrrrrrr" (but off the field, he was a really nice guy)!!

And then...here are some thoughts of the Randy Gradishar kind....



...and then finally....some thoughts of THE very best, I'm-so-mean-I-could-hurt-you kind (but then I'd help you up and possibly drive you to the hospital-kind)....some Karl Mecklenberg kind of thoughts!!

Good luck Jason.....I'll be cheering for you and ringing my cow bell!!!

Oh...and Dena...I'll be in class, but I will have my cell phone...please send me updates!!!

Remember....breathe...breathe....breathe....

Hugs to you D....not to Jason, though, 'cause he'd probably just put me in a headlock!

Love you both!!!