From Ghana to Buffalo Wild Wings

The Rileys all left the house around 6:45 Saturday morning. I headed to a local park with the girls for a day of soccer, while Meg began her journey to Ghana.

Meg will be in Ghana for two weeks, part of a State Department program for teachers. She had to create a blog to document her experience, so if you're interested, check it out.

The soccer tournament was a lot of fun. I've been coaching Quinn's team all year, and this was the end of our season. We destroyed most of our competition this year, so we decided to play in the most competitive bracket. Our record was 0-2-2, but the girls played with such heart, I was incredibly proud. The teams we played have been together a lot longer than we have, but by this time next year, we'll be ready. 

We tied the team that won the tournament, the only team they didn't beat. After the game, their coach pulled Quinn aside and told her how impressed he was by her tenacity. The smile on Quinn's face was priceless. Quinn is much smaller than most of the girls she competes against, but she's fast and relentless. She will not be denied. It is simply pure joy to watch Quinn play soccer.

Scout's team struggled when they started the transition to club soccer, losing most of their games. In the last month you could see them improving, really coming together. They won a couple games and came close in a few others. They finished their season by winning this tournament, not losing a game. How awesome is it to see a group of girls continue to battle and be rewarded for their efforts? Uh, pretty awesome.

Then yesterday was Quinn's birthday. It doesn't seem possible, but my baby is 9. Quinn loves her some wings, so we ate at the Buffalo Wild Wings by the house. Quinn attacks wings the way she does opponents on the soccer field. It's pretty damn funny.

We used ipods to talk with Meg this morning, something called facetime. Scout knew about it. It's free, and it kind of blows my mind. Meg walked out to the street to give us a glimpse of her surroundings. Very cool.

So now it's almost the end of day four of my stint as a single parent. A lot of emotions these last four days. I am so happy that Meg is on such an amazing journey. But I miss her. Things aren't complete without her. My kids make me insanely proud. So many emotions, thoughts, ebbing and flowing. It's life.