Well, it wasn't the ending we hoped for, but finishing up second in the State soccer tournament (for the third time) is pretty dang good. I like blue, but red is still one of my favorite colors.
Saturday everything fell into place - the rainclouds that had delayed earlier games moved out of the way, and the girls were pumped up; they worked together like a well-oiled machine for the 3-0 win. But Sunday, a bad call against us early in the game dampened the girls' spirit more than the thunderstorm that caused a 30 minute delay. The other team won, 1-0, for the blue ribbon.
It was still a wonderful weekend. The first game, scheduled for early Saturday morning, was canceled, which meant more time hanging out at my childhood home with my parents, and a long walk around the old neighborhood with Tom. Since the state tournament was held in Houston, my parents (and brother, niece, sister, and brother-in-law) were able to watch Kendall play.
And Saturday night, we had a great time getting really acquainted, in person, with new/old friends that I've been "talking" to on Facebook. I first knew Robert in 7th grade - one of those brief junior high romances, the kind where you're drawn to someone, but really too shy to get to know them and find out why. His wife Shari and I share a high school memory...from different perspectives - the night I was crowned Homecoming Queen, she was a member of the Homecoming Court, representing the sophomore class. Two years later, she was crowned Homecoming Queen herself.
But I never really KNEW them until the last few weeks, or maybe months (I've lost track of the time), since we started writing to each other. Life continues to be full of wonderful surprises, like finding new friends in people you've 'known' for years and years. They are such an interesting, impressive, loving couple with funny quirks and fascinating stories. It was amazing how much we had in common.
Writing to someone and talking to someone face-to-face are two totally separate things, and I admit I was a little nervous about our "date". Thankfully, they were, too. And no telling what Tom was expecting - he doesn't 'Facebook'; he just rolls his eyes about all the time I spend catching up with friends on there. He had probably tuned me out about Robert and Shari a long time ago. But we all had such agreat time, and the staff at Mamacita's Restaurant had to pretty much turn out the lights to get us to leave.
Overall, it was a weekend of endings and beginnings - the final chapter of TG's Cosmos' soccer days, but I hope just the first of many good memories with Robert and Shari.
