Happiness is a tie dyed field hockey ball with your face on it

Dearest darling Aurelie:

1. Autocorrect in my phone just changed "Aurelie" to "Wheelie" which I thoroughly enjoyed. 2. Bacon spinach risotto sounds phenomenal. You'll have to teach me how to make risotto in general, since I can't. 3. I will gladly make EMT crack every time I come to visit you in your awesome new apartment. Maybe the 6 year old can help us!

Tonight, I had my field hockey banquet, where we get to celebrate our awesome team members and shower our seniors with gifts and love. Among those seniors, my baby goalie, whom I have groomed since the first day she ever wore goalie gear. During camp when she was 14, the first time she ever stepped into the goal, I knew she would be great. She was awarded the "E Ball" which, as you may remember, is only the best award you can get at a UVM field hockey camp. I made hers into a baby giraffe, lanky and wobbly, like her. She loved it and keeps it on her dresser to this day.

Last night, the captains got up and gave us our coaching gifts. Allyson got a 50 dollar gift certificate to a fancy restaurant in town and a can of sardines, hommage to the fact that she has to teach elementary schoolers phys ed this year and makes them be sardines to sit down and shut up. I got a manicure/pedicure certificate, since I've never gotten one before, and my very own E Ball. My goalie told the story of how she'd gotten her first E Ball at the first camp I coached her at and how, because of that, she knew she wanted to pursue goalkeeping. Basically, she made me cry like a baby and it was fantastic. I'm so proud of the young lady she's grown into. I'm like a momma goalie watching her baby dive or double leg stack for the first time. (Okay, I guess you have to be a goalie to get it...)

All my love, my lerv (autocorrected to perv... lol)

Brooke