what words would best describe the weekend? hmmm...

WHEW. What a weekend! We survived with some good memories and plenty of stories to tell :)
After an uneventful drive to Myrtle Beach with a carload of females and soccer gear, we check into our dump of a hotel, not pausing long enough to see what a dump it really is, and quickly head off to check in for the tournament (my job as team manager) at planet hollywood, where we were to meet up with whoever could join us for dinner. We ended up with about 18 or so and thankfully, check in went smoothly...I had every document needed (plenty were required). The food was awful, but the company was great and the girls were so happy to be hanging together.

We got back to the hotel much later than we should have as Saturday would be an early start; we had an 8am game. The girls settled down by 11-ish. Peyton fell asleep as soon as her head hit the pillow. Kaili had to be told to turn off the TV and get off her cell before she fell off to sleep. Kendall switched beds and tossed & turned awhile before finally sleeping. I chlorox wiped every surface I could find before noticing my bed had a terrible sag in the middle and that the pillows were hard as a rock as well as smelled like someone elses dirty head had laid there. I might've slept 4 hours before that six a.m. alarm told me it was time to wake up. Opening curtains and turning on some music got the girls stirring. They had a quick bowl of cereal and a bananna and we were out the door. I was going to eat some nuts on the field and enjoy a cup of coffee during the game but we didn't pass a single option for coffee...driving along the stip of hotels on the beach-front only brought ice cream shop after ice cream shop :( Thankfully after the first game (which we lost 2-1), several people suggested going to dunkin donuts where I happily ordered a large coffee.

Marce (my car-mate) and I decided we would rather sleep night #2 in a cleaner hotel, so between games, we complained to the manager, requested an early checkout without penalty or fees, packed up the car again and headed to the holiday inn. A MUCH cleaner looking and smelling place. The rooms had two double beds so we decided we could share a room if we got a rollaway bed for Peyton. We moved in and headed back to the soccer fields. The girls played a wonderful second game, winning 2-1 (Kendall scored a gorgeous goal). Afterwards, most of the team headed to the nasty hotel so the girls could play in the indoor lazy river (which was a tiny circle "river" with a gentle current). They also played on the beach a bit before it was time to shower for dinner.

We had the whole team meet up for a seafood buffet that everyone enjoyed. The amount and variety of seafood was overwhelming. I went to one buffet table, never seeing the second and third, so I missed the crablegs, oysters on the half shell, shrimp cocktail and many other things, but my stomach didn't miss them! I had more than enough to eat :)

And, here is where the fun begins.....

We are all exhausted. The girls have played two games, played on the beach and in the pool, I have packed luggage, packed up a car, purchased and packed snacks and beverages into the car, driven 3.5 hours with a chatty car-mate and four chatty girls, had a night in a hotel without nearly enough sleep, been outside most of the day, changed hotels (which means repacking the car, lugging stuff around), watching after three girls in my care, and stuffed myself with food and had a glass of wine. I tried to read, but found my book falling out of my hands. So, lights out at 10 ish. I fell asleep immediately. Feels so good to be asleep again. Until...midnight. Snoring! Snoring like I have never heard in my life. It's the other mom!! Oh NO. I lie there thinking, praying, it will stop soon. I put my pillow over my head. I try coughing in hopes it will stir her enough to turn over or something. Nope. 1:30. I am going to go out of my mind listening to this until 7:30. The girls aren't going to sleep well. Kendall kept sitting up. Peyton was tossing around. I know they had to be hearing this.

So...at 1:45, I go down to the lobby in my jammies. My eyes are as red as they can be for need of sleep. I ask for a second room, near room 1, so I don't have to move my stuff in the night. I get one next door and I get it at a discount! I go in and pull all the covers back, slip back in to the "snoring room" to carry Kendall next door. I help Peyton to her new bed. I leave a note for Marce, telling her we are in another room. I finally fall back asleep at about 2:15 (almost panicked cause I have to drive home that evening). My cell rings at 3:45. It's Marce. She is wondering where we are. I told her we moved rooms because she was snoring. She wants to have a conversation about it. I told her I had been awake since 12 and I just fell back to sleep. I hang up. Thankfully, I go back to sleep pretty quickly. I got to sleep til 7:30!!

The next day, it's rainy, windy. The girls had a 9am game. We ate our free hotel breakfast and head out to the fields. They lost the moring game 3-2. Now we are done at 10 and don't play again til 4:20, unless the afternoon is cancelled due to the rain. Everyones feet are soaked. It poured just before the game started, but we were all out on the field so everyone is wet to some degree. It was a day of dark clouds for 20 minutes, then a downpour for 10 minutes, then slight clearing. Repeating over and over. We went back to the hotel to dry off a bit. I was able to dry everyones socks and shoes by placing them on the air vent. I got to read for a little!! We then met up with some of the team for lunch, a little walk around the boardwalk area and in this time, the weather cleared to sunny skies. We started our last game, another batch of dark clouds rolled in and brought one last downpour which the girls played through, winning 3-0!

At 5:30, we began our 3.5 hour journey home. I settled in with a large dunkin donuts coffee, gripped the wheel- the wind was blowing so hard the entire trip home that I actually have sore hands today. We pulled in at 9:45. Everything is still in the car (and I'm sure it stinks in there). But I am going back to bed before I unpack. After drinking 20 ounces of coffee that late in the day, I wasn't able to get sleepy til after midnight, so another night low on sleep...

Things I learned this time around:

1. I will be very choosy if I ever agree to let someone ride with me to a tournament again. I will think about personalities of both parent and child. It can be very tiresome to be forced to chat with someone you would not otherwise choose to sit down with for 3.5 hours at a stretch.

2. I will never, under most any curcumstance, room with another soccer mom again. It is not worth the lack of sleep. Smack me if I ever forget this. I need my own space and I need sleep.

Now, off to bed I go. That makes me smile!!!