I had one of the most fun filled weekends with tennis. Our team came so incredibly close to winning our pool. It literally came down to points in two third set tiebreakers....not games or sets, just two tiny little points. And, the drama was fueled by the fact that there was some dishonest calls from the opposing team (really....adults....cheating....gets my blood boiling....). But that's ok, our entire team gave it our all and played as best as we could. My doubles partner and I kept running into our opponent's #1 doubles teams (as in....one was a Canadian volleyball player....no lie....it was like trying to go through and over a mountain. A mountain that moved and had the wing span of a 747. And, the other team told us after our loss that they couldn't remember the last time they had ever lost together....WHAT!!!???). We played well and came so close!
Even better than the tennis is the friendships. By the end of last night on my way home, my face hurt from laughing so much. In between matches, we were joking around, being goofy and thoroughly enjoying time off from our normal busy lives. I felt blessed, full of joy and am so appreciative.
My husband rules. When I came home after the first night of competition and was dehydrated mixed with a bit of heat exhaustion (I played at noon and it was 105 degrees), he sent me to bed and happily took care of the girls. When I was gone for over 12 hours yesterday, he simply told me that he and the girls had a great day together and he enjoyed spending time together with them. When I told him that I felt horrible leaving them just so I could go and play, he responded by looking at me like was insane and then saying, "that's crazy. I want you to go and play tennis. You love it and you need a break." Again...I'm so appreciative. And, his Aunt Becky and Uncle Brett were so kind to keep the girls for us on Friday so I could go and play while Trey worked. In fact, my kids cried when we arrived to pick them up. They cried because they didn't want to leave and go home with us!! That's the ultimate sign of kids having fun! Brett and Becky have always been amazing to us.
My other thought from the weekend was this....my mom would have loved being there. Some of the other girls on our team had their parents there watching. My mom loved watching my tennis tournaments (at least, from my child perspective she did!). She and I burned up many miles in the car driving around in the summertime to play in various competitions. She always sat quietly in her lawn chair with extra Gatorade, bananas and water on hand, and she always knew the score (even when I didn't!). It allowed us to spend quality time together. I think of her everyday, but I especially had her on my mind this weekend.
And so....even though we lost and it still stings a bit (apparently, competitiveness doesn't ever wear off), my body feels tired (FYI....recovering quickly from lots of tennis DOES wear off with age) but my soul feels filled with contentment. And that, is what counts.
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