If you know me, you know that I’m a huge football fan. Okay, so let me reiterate that, I’m a huge Pittsburgh Steelers fan. I was born a Steelers fan. I’m not sure what happened to my baby brother ( he roots for the Patriots ) or my nephew ( no one understands why, but the kid’s a Dolphins fan).

The NFL and JC Penney’s have a program–contest– Take Your Favorite Player To School. I kept wanting to enter my youngest son’s name into the fold and just never got around to it. I couldn’t find it. One of the other mom’s did find it and I’ll be sure to ask her where exactly she found it after all is said and done, but her son won. He played baseball with my son and they’re both in the third grade. How very exciting for this nine-year-old to take his favorite football player to school with him.

Now, I adore our Quarterback Ben Roethlisberger. He’s a cutie. I like what he does and he seems to have a nice personality. However, I :love:, :love:, :love: wide receiver Hines Ward. He’s the kind of guy who gets pummeled on the field and comes up smiling. And it’s such a cute smile. Like, I would give away my first born for a chance to just shake his hand. Especially on days when the fifteen year old is pushing my buttons. ( I’m joking. I think.)

Guess who the kid that won picked as his favorite player?

HINES WARD!!!!!!

I had to sign my child’s life away just so he could participate in an assembly with Hines Ward. I am not allowed to go. :sorry: No parents allowed. You would think they’d want a little extra help with a big name like Hines coming, but no. The teachers have strict rules that they have to comply with or the NFL at any time can remove Hines and leave. Our school will receive a $2000 grant to apply towards our gym program, which is uber cool and the kid who won gets to show Hines Ward his bedroom and ride to the school in a limo with Hines Ward. We’re excited for the kid who won, excited that my kid gets to see one of his heroes and maybe shake his hand or do something cool with him…but man, I want to go! I know I can’t pass as a third grader…hell, who am I kidding? I can no longer pass as a fifth grader and my children need me here when they get home from school instead of in jail because I broke the rules to catch a glimpse of my favorite football player.

To see that smile up close and personal. *insert sobbing here*

Seriously, though, I wouldn’t maul the poor man. He might step in my drool, but I wouldn’t do anything stupid around him, despite what Dee thinks. It might be the opposite. I might have what she calls ‘Forest Rae’ and he’d seek me out, ask me if I was the romance author who wrote a book about a Quarterback and want to know if I need to research him as future reference…and I could tell him that he chose a wise name for his gorgeous baby boy. My baby shares his name. It’d be fate, I tell you.

Isn’t he adorable?

A girl can dream, can’t she?

He’s going to be nine minutes away from me, walking through my child’s school and I’ll be here at home watching the noon news to see if I see my kid on the television and hope he remembers to scream, “My mom loves you!”

Who would you love to meet?