AuburnChick's Adventures

What is dedication?

Is it a mama who drives two hours after work so she can watch her Rooster play in the band during a very good football game?

Although the team lost by two points, some fans still managed to have a good time…

Could dedication be the same mama who gets up at 4:30am the next morning for another five hour drive…

With a pan full of brownies and several movies in the seat beside her…

Of course, dedication has its payoff.

Like…

Watching the sun rise…

Oh yes.  Dedication has its rewards.

Like being allowed to sing your own rendition of “Bohemian Rhapsody” at the top of your lungs.

Five hours into the trip, it looked like it was going to be a beautiful day…

Good thing.

Chicky had a game, and I was ready to watch!

The Lady Fire won by a score of 6-0, and after the game, both teams gathered for a prayer…

After the game, Chicky and I went to Panera for lunch, and then we went to her hair cut appointment.

We still had a couple of hours before the annual Alumni game, so she went back to her room to rest, and I took a nap in the car.

We met up an hour later and ate lunch at the school’s restaurant…

True dedication means eating school food, which was actually delicious but gave me gas that lasted the entire night.  Yeah.  I know.  TMI.  Whatever.  File a complaint with the blog police.  heehee

After dinner, Chicky played in the Alumni game.  It was fun to watch former players play against the younger ladies.  Some of the gals still had it, but they still got beat soundly.  Nevertheless, the girls had a great time.

During the game, I had watched the sun set.  This is my favorite time of day…

After the game, I said my goodbyes to Chicky.  This is something that still isn’t easy.  I am longing for her to be my friend, and she says it hasn’t been long enough.

Dedication hurts sometimes.

I made my way to the hotel and found this lovely room waiting for me…

The hotel was crawling with baseball player munchkins.  Their presence reminded me of the many soccer tournaments I’ve traveled to over the years.

I felt a little melancholy.  This was the first trip I’d ever taken by myself.  The quiet was a welcome respite, but I wasn’t used to it.

I settled in with a glass of Merlot and a bag of M&M’s.

It wasn’t long before I dropped off to sleep, putting the busy day behind me.

But, I had another drive ahead of me.

Sunday was as beautiful as Saturday…

I only made a couple of stops and saw the following sign in one bathroom…

The sign begged to be edited, and being the English teacher, I just couldn’t help myself…

Dedication means always carrying a Sharpie so you can fix the world’s spelling mistakes.

I stopped for lunch at Bagel Bagel, where I had the most delicious thing ever, although I can’t remember the name of it!

Because I had left so early, I arrived home by 1pm, leaving plenty of time to relax before creating final exams for my students.

However, I took it somewhat easy because my narrow-focused dedication led to this…

Ouch!

Dedication.

Sometimes it can be painful, but the dividends it pays makes it all worthwhile.

Filed under: soccer | Tagged: parenting, soccer, Southeastern University |