Nike Challenge Cup, Dublin

This past weekend we were at the NCC in Dublin, Ohio. The forecast was for rain, rain, and more rain. Unfortunately for us, they were right.

Leaving on Friday was a breeze...Evan had a half day of school and we pulled Em out a few hours early. We started out just fine, but something always goes wrong! This time it was the GPS, which took us off the expressway and diverted us through backwoods Ohio. Naturally, the fuel light came on. There were some tense moments, but we made it through mostly unscathed.

The boys won the first game. We only got a little wet; but it was windy and I quickly got chilled tot he bone.

The boys won the second game by a huge margin (12 - 3, I think) and were excited to go back to the hotel and swim. I was excited to see the Kettle corn guy, and visit with my friend Heather. She was passing thru the state with the cutest puppy in the world and dropped by. I love her.

Saturday night we went to a Columbus Crew game. It was really cool, sort of the same atmosphere as a college football game. It started to pour as soon as we got there. We brought in umbrellas and raincoats, but they weren't enough to keep us very dry. I thought we were going to be in the middle of a brawl...a group of people in front of us were standing with their large umbrellas, therefore blocking everyone's view. The people behind us starting throwing stuff at them after they wouldn't sit, and they started swearing and screaming. It was not cool.

We left after 70 minutes. The Crew won, everyone was soaked but had fun.
Our last game on Sunday was a heartbreaker. After 2 rain delays, they shortened the game to 15 minutes. We were playing our closest rivals It was a rough, fast game, and we came out one goal behind them, cementing their place in the finals. They went on to win. I can only guess what would have happened had we played a full game. It was an epic battle!

I'm so glad to be home, sleeping in my own bed. Thankfully the next tournament (this weekend!) is here at home.