PDA Spring Kickoff

Last weekend, Emily and I packed up the car and traveled with her sporty bestie Abby and her mom Kate to New Jersey to play in the PDA Spring Kickoff with the CFC 05 team.  The team played three games, two of them at 8 am.  On Saturday, it was brutally cold - high twenties, low thirties with winds gusting up to 20 miles per hour.  We were freezing in our winter coats!!  It was much nicer on Sunday and ended up being a nice weekend overall.  The team went 1-2, losing two very close games to two highly ranked New Jersey teams - much better, I think, than the coach expected them to do.  Emily had a great first game and her second and third games were good.  The weather on Saturday afternoon definitely took a toll on her and she was exhausted on Sunday morning.  She took some really great shots and came very close to scoring - she's still trying for the elusive goal for the 05s.  Overall, her confidence skyrocketed over the weekend as she realized that she could compete with girls a year older than her and, as a result, got a lot amount of playing time (much more than we expected).  It was a great weekend for our girl, particularly the bonding with her teammates, who are really nice girls.

Selfie with Abby after we packed the car.

Road trip selfie, brought to you from the Merritt Parkway.

Saturday morning game. 

Acting like a teenager between games. 

Waiting on one of Emma's beeee-uuuu-tiful corner kicks. 

This is not a great photo, I know, but the PDA player's face is priceless.  Emily does NOT get pushed around.

Hanging in the hotel pool on Saturday afternoon. 

A nap before dinner. 

She never goes to bed without reading her daily bible passage, even on the road. 

Brown rice and chicken for breakfast.....thank goodness for hotel microwaves. 

New tournament swag. 

Duck Donuts.