World Cup and Catch Up Time

It's been over a week since we got home from our epic trip to France. The jet lag is gone (it was for me after two days), but catching up with life back home has taken some time. I've been writing France stories in my mind, and plan to get a few out soon.

One thing about the trip, or should I say once I got home, was how impressed I was that I wore almost everything in my suitcase. That's a big deal to me since I don't want to waste the precious real estate in a smallish roller suitcase. In fact, before I left the front door, I quickly glanced at the weather on my phone in the South of France. When Nîmes indicated it was in the 90s that day, and would be all week, I quickly unzipped my suitcase and took all the "warm" clothes out. I moved fast and hung up my denim jacket, then I swapped those items for two more skorts and short-sleeved tops. I wore almost everything I brought! Since it was cooler in the Cévennes, the "warm" clothes I packed (pants and long-sleeved shirts) served me well on a few evenings.

No sooner had we gotten home and acclimated than FIFA's World Cup started. It's been on for a week now, and I am excited about most of the games, especially today's USA WIN over Australia! I'm also happy I got my USSF badge for 2026, with the World Cup year and a lot of games being played in the USA. Although none of the 26 USMNT rostered men played club or college in Maryland, or that I know of, or I possibly refereed in a youth game, it is thrilling to see this group going to task in the last two matches. I hope they will continue their energy and soccer acumen when they get to the next round(s). If so, it will be very compelling to watch every second of the action.

What do you think about all the Yellow (caution) and Red (Send-Off) Cards? It's wild, but warranted IMHO - maybe even more should be awarded!

Cheers to all the teams! Good Luck to Team USA!

Maybe I'll ref some games this summer...

bSoleille!

Terri