That is a ridiculously long name for a soccer tournament….they should really try to cut that down a bit!  We had to choose between a baseball tourney in KC or an out of town soccer tourney.  In the end, we hit the road with a van full of snacks, a PS4, and lots of extra clothing & rain gear.  Our destination was Springfield, MO, and on the way, my sidekick was not much company!I don’t know if I’ve ever realized this before, but on this stretch of highway, there is a billboard for “Fantastic Caverns” about every 50 ft.  I’m not joking!  I wished I would’ve counted how many I saw because it was a staggering amount.  The marketing team for Fantastic Caverns is really going all out!I almost felt the need to stop there.  But, I didn’t…I decided a dinner date with Drew was a way better choice!Once we got ourselves all settled in at our hotel, the FortNite frenzy started in.  UGH!  Is he playing a video game or is he a switchboard operator?Saturday, Drew had 3 soccer games to play in very rainy and cold conditions.  Thank goodness I was prepared with several layers of clothing and rain boots.

Saturday afternoon, while the rest of the team actually did go to visit Fantastic Caverns and the Granddaddy of all outdoor stores, Bass Pro Shop, Drew guest played in another soccer game.  And after a long day of soccer, and challenging weather conditions, we ventured out to downtown Springfield for a team dinner.

Clearly Drew is being a goofball here…too many rounds of Sprite I guess!?

On Sunday, we played in the Semi Finals game and Finals game and came up just short of going home champions.

Parents spent countless hours trying to get the mud out of these white uniforms.  Thank goodness my neighbor told me years ago to use Fels-Naptha soap for stains.I tipped off the rest of the team and they are all believers!  Listen, I have 2 boys that play baseball in white pants, if I didn’t have this soap, I would be toast!

We lost in the finals 1-0 on an own goal and a goal wrongfully called offsides (we have video proof!).

Sunday night, I had a 3 hour drive home with a very disappointed, wet and muddy soccer player!  Despite the loss, my heart was completely satisfied because Drew played his tail off all weekend.  He never gave up, gave it 110%, and rarely subbed out.  That’s a job well done, bud!

Love you to pieces #16…your championship is coming!