Draft House

I finally succumbed to the overwhelming wave of popularity that is fantasy football.  I’ve assiduously avoided taking part in this craze as it swirled around the edges of my attention.  Anything that can make a football fan out of my daughter though should not be underestimated.  My son came up with the idea of a family fantasy football league in an attempt to drag the older family members into the 21^st century of football fandom.  He volunteered to be the league commissioner and went through all the machinations to get it set up in the electromagnetic spectrum.

Wife and ABFA Preparing the Food

The best part about this whole dubious endeavor was the gathering yesterday for the draft.  If taking part in fantasy football is the price I have to pay to have a day like yesterday when most of the important people in my life gathered it is more than worth the effort; and then some.  The league will consist of my wife and I, my son, daughter, wingman, ABFA*, the ABFA’s parents, Keene Friend and my sister/brother in law.

The Draft Room

My Wife Didn't Completely Immerse Herself in the Experience
Exhausted From Her Usual Amazing Food Prep

We’d all arrived at more or less the time agreed upon and my wife prepared a remarkable spread of food before we demonstrated our football acumen (or lack thereof).  The planned use of the big TV as a draft board was shelved and we used the draft board Wing Man spent all of Saturday preparing which turned out to be a godsend for us rookies.  It was a lot more fun than I anticipated but anytime I’m with this group of people – fun is sure to follow. I let my wife announce our team’s draft picks since she had no clue who the players were.

The Commish Laying Down the Law

It was fun to see how excited the younger generation was to drag their older counterparts into the game.  We celebrated the end of the draft by surprising the ABFA’s mother with a birthday cake and ice cream.  Then fortune smiled upon us as my son received notice that the official wedding photographer had posted the pictures from the wedding onto a web site for review.  We hooked the computer up to the big screen and spent the next couple hours going through nearly a thousand memories of that fabulous day.

The Photographer Caught the Moment My Son First Saw His Bride

Since everybody had been there it was fun to recognize a moment and then relive it with people who shared in the feeling from that day.  It soon became evident that one of my son’s groomsmen, a Navy doctor (or so he claims) was “three sheets to the wind” for most of the day.  He successfully photo bombed every phase of both the ceremony and the reception.  His exploits from that day are fast becoming legendary and this photographic evidence will support that infamy. 

The "Navy Doctor" and My Brother in Law

This trip through the wedding nostalgia had some immediate benefits as my daughter then came down wearing her wedding dress from five years ago.  It was a real "Friends" moment and she looked even more radiant than I remembered if that is even possible.  Good memories have a way of self-propagation.

Mother and Daughter in Wedding Throwback

The best part of this entirely special day was having the house full and an almost constant drum beat of noise and laughter.  It reminded us how perfect this house is for entertaining.  If we could keep it this well stocked with remarkable people we wouldn't even consider selling. 

*ABFA – we decided my daughter in law deserved added importance on her blog name – she is now the Amazing Best Family Athlete