Friday again . . .

So it was Friday, and bowling I went.  This week it was a little bit late, but I got a lot done in the morning.  And also, it was only about 10 minutes late.  There are five minutes of "practice" bowling before the league bowling begins.

On my team, there are only two of us.  This week we were playing against a team of three - but only one showed up.  So our bowling moved pretty quick.  When I got to my shoes, got a ball and made it to the lane, they were bowling me "blind" and already in the third frame.  Bowling blind is what they do when someone doesn't show up.  The computer is programmed to enter in a score for each frame that will equal that player's average.  My average for last week was 80.  Luckily, when I showed up, they were able to erase those scores and I got to start all over again.

The first frame I bowled a Strike!  I was so excited . . . thought maybe it pays to show up late!  Because I was behind, I was up for another turn.  How did I go from strike to two gutterballs?  I don't know.

That first game ended scored at 68.  Game two, 87.  Game three, 98.  Really?  A thirty point improvement?  And I almost broke 100.  That's pretty good.  Strike total : five, spread between the three games.  Not bad.  But it gets better.

E was the first one to take me up on my offer of coming to bowl with me.  It was easy since he had Friday off this week.  He got to the bowling alley just at the end of our third game. . . . Oh, yeah.  Right after I threw a strike - on the wrong lane!  Let's not talk about that, though.

We were done pretty early, since there were three of us.  I already mentioned that most teams are three people.  That means six bowling together.  Takes a little longer that way.  When my grandma and her team were done, we wandered down to say hello.  And I introduced E . . . as my boyfriend.  I think that was a first for me.  Our relationship just became public (to me) last week, when I told my parents, and then let "everyone" know here . . . So my grandma was the first to meet him.  We had a nice, quick conversation.  And I was going to walk grandma to her car, but I was wearing those lovely rented shoes and couldn't leave the building . . . So E carried her bowling bag to the car!

E got shoes, and we got all set up on a lane.  I was a little nervous, afraid that I wouldn't do very well - I was a little tired, and getting hungry . . .

But I didn't get worse.  I got way better!  Game one:  136 to 89!  Really?  Holy Cow!  Four strikes just in that game . . . and yes, I jumped up and down, excited after each one.  But 136!  I was ecstatic . . .  but also a little nervous that I would end up bombing game two and kill my joy.  So game two wasn't that bad.  103 to 102.  Two spares, one strike.  But E didn't want to let me win by one point.  And even though I was getting hungry and pretty tired, I thought I was still doing pretty good, so he went to get us another game.  Game three, 73 to 94.  Still better than I started out with the league that morning, but I was disappointed.  Six gutterballs in a game.  We'll just say my concentration - and excitement - weren't what they were in the beginning.  I think I remember that E wanted to say that we weren't too far apart on our scores.  So I sat down and figured out that the total was 312 to 285 . . . or average 104 to 95.

When I started league bowling last week, I thought the score didn't matter because I was just here for fun.  I think a good score makes it more fun . . . and so do the people that you're with.  I know that my grandma has fun bowling.  She wouldn't have been doing it so long if she didn't. . . . but I don't really know anyone on the league yet.  I had more fun bowling with E, and not just because I got a 136.  We were talking and joking about the bowling, school, and everything else.

After we were all done, we ate lunch, which was more great time spent together.  I'll admit that a lot of my to-do list didn't get done . . . like folding the laundry, doing homework, and going grocery shopping.  But even without those things crossed off, there was something else :  Have a great day!

Thanks, Grandma. . . for inviting me to join the league.  
Thanks, E. . . . for bowling with me.  For lunch. . .  For being you, and for giving me a great day!  

I had a great day!!


That's about it.  Probably the longest post anyone's ever written about one day of bowling.  And it was just Friday.  I still have Saturday to write about, which was even better! 

So, until next time . . .