"The Best Daughter's" club soccer team was named the Freestate Phoenix, now under the umbrella of Maryland United, as club teams go and morph into new names. She played with a great group of highly skilled soccer players from 2003-2010, winning the State Cup at U16 and many college showcase tournaments thereafter.
But for hubby Bill and me (and sibling, Ryan), it was all about meeting and connecting with the other soccer families. We traveled like a pack of wolves, dining and cheering on our kids by spending weekends together as our girls chased a black and white soccer ball up and down the East Coast (and once out West for the Las Vegas Showcase). It was a precious time in all of our lives.
When we can get the chance to get together with the families and couples we got to know and bond with, the years melt away. The girls are all grown up now with getting married, or already married and having families of their own. Sometimes I still think of that team as 16-year-old girls.
So, it was incredibly special to have the chance to have dinner with Judy and Clarke Brinckerhoff this evening in Washington DC. Their daughter, Rosie, was one of Olivia's teammates and an integral member of the team. We didn't miss a beat in catching up with our lives as we did on the sidelines a decade and a half ago.
Of course, we were cheering the Pheen on to victory then; now cheering those same girls, now women, onto victory with their careers, jobs, families, and significant others.
Cheers to the Pheen, and their families, scattered all over the USA!
BSoleille!
Terri
