Holiday weekend = birthdays and soccer games

I missed Joey's 8th birthday last Friday. Not intentionally. In fact, until last week, I have never missed any of my boys' birthdays over the last 12 years. Ever.

Until this year. Why? Well, I had to be in West-by-Gawd-Virginia for our eldest son's soccer tournament championship. And while that may seem really fun and exciting, it was mostly not for me. A fourteen hour bus ride down and back was never on my Bucket list of things to do and it only left me with too much time to think and dwell on events of the days before that were the saddest of my life. (My little friend had passed away.)

Still, I managed to keep my emotions in check and dutifully cheered on the boys like any parent would do, despite their unfortunate losses. While they proved to be the best soccer team for their division in New Hampshire, earning them the privilege to participate in the 2010 Youth Soccer Region I Championships, we were able to see the talent of the all-star teams they rivaled, with crystal clarity no less. If our boys want to participate in next year's championships, they now know the work they have ahead of them.

But there were some fun parts during the trip. It wasn't a total bust. Dinner out with old friends, making new friends, checking out a college town (Marshall University), thankfully made the entire experience worthwhile. And Huntington, West Virginia does put on a decent display of fireworks to celebrate Independence Day. I also learned a whole lot while I was down there, especially how no matter where you go or what you do, politics will always prevail, and there are a lot of people with the same last name of Jones.

Joey still got his cake. Three, to be exact: a giant cupcake his best friend's mom made for him, a cake our neighbors got when they celebrated over the weekend, sans Yours Truly, and the ice cream cake I bought him after I returned home.


I will have had a 10-day respite before we embark on our 20-hour drive to Myrtle Beach, just G and me and the three younger boys in our trusty minivan. Tommy went ahead with my parents after the tournament ended. They drove from Myrtle Beach to Huntington to watch him play and took him back home with them. Yay for him and yay for us and yay for summer and birthdays and soccer.