The Gridiron Proposal

What's up, sports fans.

Today, at long last, we had ourselves our first Home Football Game of the School Year.

. . . not that any of us Houghs really care (at all) about football as a sport - far from it - but Abby, as a Varsity Pommer this year, has to perform at every, Home, Varsity Football game this season.

So, consequently, we Houghs will be attending every, Home, Varsity Football game this season. 'Cause parenting.

When Abby was on JV, she performed at the younger MHS games, but now that she's performing in the big leagues, she's front-and-center during the Halftime Show, the Pre-Game crap, and after every, single, Midland High touchdown. The crowd's bigger, they're performing with the marching band, playing under Friday Night Lights, etc. - the whole (excuse the pun) nine yards.

Earlier in the day, at the school's Pep Assembly (video courtesy of the Cannonball). . .

So now, folks, Kris and I are resigned to our fate of watching a LOT of football over the course of the next couple months. Like, way more than we'd prefer, but whatever - we just had to have kids, so now we get to embrace the consequences.

Check it out. . . .

(Abby screenshot this video off her one of the school's social media thingies.)

MHS Varsity Pom, ready for battle.

Alayna and one of her friends, walking into the game (she drove up separately with some of her crew, who had been getting ready for the evening's theme - red, white and blue - at our house for a couple hours before the game.)

Preparing to kick off the first routine of the game, before Kick-Off. . .

Abby, doing something with poms.

(She's second-from-left, here.)

Lexi and Alayna (who is showcasing her Bloods affiliation.)

Abby isn't in this pic, Kris took this of Alayna and some of her friends (at bottom right, walking along the track.)

Later on in the game, doing the MHS Fight Song routine.)

It was a little chilly out this evening, but not that chilly - like low-60s. Man up, girls.

At Half-Time, trailing by like 20 points (Midland was getting their asses beat by some school from Portage, down by Kalamazoo), the MHS Marching Band took the stage field.

MHS Varsity Pom's Half-Time Routine.

(About the best I could do from our vantage point.)

Stole these from some 'official' photographer's uploads (you're welcome). . . .

After the game (which was ugly as hell, Portage mopped the floor with Midland), Abby and Alayna did the usual post-game thing where they took a bunch of pics with their friends on/near the field. Here's Abby and Brooklyn. . . .

The Cannonball and some of her friends (left to right: Alayna, Bree, Amelia, Kyle and Lexi.)

Abby and Emily

Ella crashes the group pic

The Dynamic Duo

One with their moms (of course.)

So Abby's new boyfriend, Kingston, was there with a bunch of his hockey buddies, and Abby and him posed for a couple pic on the field.  Look at the right side of this pic with the group of boys approaching to Kingston's left. . .

This was pretty smooth, just watch that hand-off - they must have practiced this a couple times. . .

(Another angle someone else got.)

(She obviously said 'yes.')

Not sure how she could be this surprised about this proposal and all, considering they're, you know, DATING and everything. . . 

I'm soooooo glad this 'proposing' trend where boys have to make a grand gesture about asking a girl to a dance wasn't a thing back in the '90s. . . .

So be sure to tune in next time, gang, when we're probably sitting in some stiff-ass bleachers, watching more high school football. Like a couple of assholes. . . 

- Brian 

Prom 2025

Hey gang.

The Cannonball has been chomping at the bit for months about her first Prom. Since this right-of-passage is only available to Upper Classmen, this was her first year that she was able to go (having no junior or senior ask her to the dance during her freshman or sophomore year. . . thank f***ING God.) Kris and her picked out her dress back in early February, and ever since then she's been meticulously planning out her jewelry accessorizing, her hairstyle, her shoes, and minute-by-minute plans of before, during, and after Prom.

None of this is surprising in the slightest if you know Alayna at all.

So for Kris and I, this just felt like any other Homecoming Saturday: we arrived at Dow Gardens at 3pm (as we were instructed), took a couple hundred pictures on my SLR (Kris took two with her phone, so she helped a little), and we were out of there by 4:30pm. From there, the Cannonball and her squad headed over to Maru Sushi for dinner, then from there to the dance itself. Afterwards, there was some kinda bonfire over at her boyfriend Sebastian's house, and she was home by midnight.

All in all, a day that might not have lived up to the hype in her mind, but fun nevertheless.

Behold, readers - Prom 2025. . . .

They raised their prices to $5 (up from $2 in the Fall) for admission for non-attendees of Prom (parents, siblings, etc.) into Dow Gardens, which is a complete rip-off - this will hopefully be the last time we go there for pictures. After fighting through the stupid crowds in the front entrance building - Prom consisted of both Midland High and Dow High, so it was packed more than usual - the kids wanted to stop here in this boulder alley for a quick pic. Kris took it on her phone because there was no way I was going to be able to get everyone in on my SLR with only six feet to work with.

Once the kids got through the boulder area, we hit up the usual waterfall locale first (it's a mandatory pic spot for the girls, as much as Kris thinks it's overused.)

She poses her hands like this so folks can see her nails (I'm told.)

Maddie wanted to recreate the Titanic pose in front of the waterfall. Who knows why.

Alayna and Sebastian (who based his look off of Indiana Jones in the opening Shanghai sequence in Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom, which is pretty bad ass if you ask me.) 

Lexi and her boyfriend, Kyle.

Alayna and Maddie (being weird again.)

While folks were still getting waterfall pics, Kris asked me to snap a few more of Alayna and Sebastian in a nearby clearing.

Walking further into Dow Gardens. It was difficult getting pictures this year due to the sheer number of high schoolers and their respective entourages clogging up the joint.

Alayna and Lexi, now on a bench.

Lexi, Bri, Amelia, Maddie and the Cannonball.

We moved about with these five kids and their families, along with half a dozen boys and their families. It was a straight-up nightmare orchestrating all of this.

The girls in front of some tulips (we'd never been to this place in the Spring, so we didn't know they planted so many damn tulips throughout the place.)

The girls with their dates (not pictured: three or four other boys who accompanied us around the Gardens but didn't have dates.)

(Yes, Sebastian is a twin.)

The girls pull out this pose that was all the rage with Abby and her squad from Homecoming back in September.

Boys gotta be boys. . .

Had to make a stop off at the ol' archway to get a set of these pics. . .

And a few with her date. . .

Sebastian and Kyle (who are pretty close friends themselves.)

On the stone bench, through the archway.

Check out these boys' hands. They kept messing with each other throughout this entire series on the bench. Pain in the ass keeping the girls looking at me instead of those two clowning around.

Moving on to another location. We had about a half hour left of time, at this point, before the kids had to leave Dow Gardens in order to make their 5:00pm dinner reservation.

Had to practically lie down flat on the ground in order to shoot up like this, but had to get all those flowers in frame.

Alayna and Sebastian had to walk around this giant flower bed in order to get to a different photo op spot that was only twenty or so feet away 'cause there were so many people packed around. I did my best to time it so a minimal amount of a-holes were in the background, but it was unavoidable.

Some more Cannonball-in-front-of-flowers shots. . . .

And one with Sebastian

A couple other orchestra kids were nearby at this time, so the group decided to get an impromptu pic for Mrs. Mammassian.

Amelia and the Cannonball

Standing around confused, trying to get the group organized to move to the next spot.

Amelia and Alayna requested a pic with this random kid who was walking past us. No idea who she is.

We were basically out of time by this point, and on our way towards the front entrance we came down these circular, stone steps and one of the other parents requested we stop so all the kids could line up down the stairs. Started off with just the dudes.

Gotta have a weird one, for good measure.

The whole squad, assembled down the stairs.

Another 'fun' one (had to cut Maddie and her date out on the right, when I formatted this for an Instagram post, because otherwise it would've cut off Alayna and her date.)

The girls.

We got a family pic, too, right before we left.

Alayna didn't take a lot - if any - pics throughout the rest of the night (the dinner, the dance itself, afterwards at the bonfire, etc.) She did take this random pic of her holding Sebastian's hand at their table during the dance, though. That's all we got.

Alayna and Maddie recreated this famous pose from Sophia Loren (think that's her name) that the cast of Modern Family recreated fifty years later.  Pretty funny shit. Anyway, that was Prom '25, gang - we'll see how it pans out next year. See ya next time.

- Brian