In my life, I’ve done three notably impulsive things.

The first: Many, many years ago, as a recent and very jobless college graduate in Denver, I spent my last $200 on ski boots, even though I didn’t like skiing. It worked out OK in the end. I was offered a job the next week and had to live on no money for only a few weeks. Because I was desperate, I had to accept a job that paid anything, in this case only $900 a month. (Yes, it was long ago, but $900 wasn’t much then, either.) But I got some raises over time and the pay ultimately became a living wage. And, over time, I learned to love to ski. I still had my ski boots years later when I left Colorado.

The second: shortly after my husband became a stay-at-home Dad and I became primary earner in my family, I left a stable job to accept a job with a company who interviewed me for the wrong position, offered me a position with a weirdly unexplainable title, told me to just write up the job description I wanted, told me I couldn’t do the job I’d written up, then told me to come over and we’d work it out. That worked out ok, too. They still don’t waste much brain power defining my job (or anyone else’s), but overall I’ve been able to do some pretty amazing things, things I would never have guessed I’d be able to do, or would have liked to do.

And now I’m facing down the third, both wildly excited and scared to death. A few weeks ago, an amazing opportunity presented itself to my husband and me, and the part that commits us was bought and paid for this week. This week, we deposited the cash that will provide a share of home match tickets for my favorite sports team and will allow me to try to finally scratch the itch that has plagued and tormented and intrigued and entertained and possessed me for at least the last seven years.

It makes virtually no sense to have done this. Our team is in London. I live near and have a job in Chicago. I’m afraid to fly. I have school age children, one of whom will graduate from high school in a year, and will require money–lots of it–for college tuition. To be followed by 7 more years of college tuition across kids.

But sometimes a thing chooses you, and what has chosen me is this: Arsenal. We have access to a share of Arsenal home tickets and believe me, I’ll be at the Emirates once the season starts in August, every chance I get.