Success!

Initially, AJ was disappointed that he'd traveled all the way to the Metrodome and Brett Favre wasn't going to be there.

We made the trip, I reminded him, to watch his cousin Jessica play soccer. It's quite possibly the most important game we'll ever get to see her play. That's why it was okay to play hooky for a day. (At least that's how I rationalized it.) I took a vacation day, and cleared it with AJ's teacher to pull him out of class. And so to the Dome we headed.

Jessica definitely made the trip worthwhile! She not only scored the winning goal, but also an insurance goal after that, helping her team win the Class A State Championship, by a score of 3-1. And to think she once walked down the aisle as my flower girl. Look at her go!

I don't think AJ recognized the significance of it all until a few hours after the game. As we walked back to the car to begin the journey north, he told me he'd had "only kinda fun" because he'd hardly gotten to see his cousin.

By the time we reached Sydney's daycare, he'd had time to think about it all and so was happy to tell his old teacher all about Jessica's success and the stats of the game. And by dinner time, when we met up with some friends of our for a playdate, he excitedly announced, "Guess what! Channel 5 talked to me cousin because she was really good. She scored the winning goal."

Sometimes it's easy to forget or take for granted the talent in the people around you... until it becomes so apparent you can't ignore it any longer. Last Friday my sister-in-law Barb achieved her personal trainer certification and was invited to participate in a weight loss program involving one of the contestants on The Biggest Loser. Saturday, my nephew Jonathon finished fifth or sixth in a 5K race that had more than a thousand runners. Today my niece played a critical role in her team's state championship win. And tonight my husband is working his first shift as a lieutenant. Wow!

I hope AJ's paying attention. He's got some tough acts to follow.