Kickin it around again

One of the things Lindsay and I both love to do is play soccer. We met while both playing soccer at Judson College, we were engaged on the soccer field there, we played indoor together in a league in Dekalb for the past 3 years, and also played pickup soccer together for the past 3 years in Sycamore. It has also been fun to watch our kids embrace this part of our lives also, as they have all enjoyed learning to play. Last fall all three of them participated in AYSO soccer in Sycamore, which meant our Saturdays were very full of soccer, usually from 8 in the morning to 530 in afternoon, when the adult pickup games would end. Lindsay and I enjoyed those saturdays immensly, spending those days as a family doing something we all love.

So... one of the things we have been looking forward to doing when we arrived in the DR was getting involved with FC Revolution, the soccer club that Doulos runs. Lindsay and I have been able to play with them on a few occasions over the past year, and we knew that it would be a good opportunity to get involved, work off some energy, and relieve some stress.

The past two weeks, Lindsay and the kids have been able to practice and play with the girls and younger boys teams at Doulos on Tuesdays and Thursdays. All of them have had a great time, even Jakey, who doesn't really have a team or a practice, but keeps himself busy by kicking the ball around with whomever is willing. It hasn't been too hard, since he seems to be loved by just about every girl at the school, regardless of age. The other two have enjoyed going to "real" practices, learning how to do legitimate drills and training, and also just having fun playing the game. Lindsay has been able to assimilate into the older girls team, and also help Amanda as she is by far the littlest girl out there.

All in all, it has been a fun and rewarding time for everyone, and something that we feel will help all of us in many ways. Most of the other players speak only spanish, so it is good motivation to learn spanish in order to speak with them. Playing is a great stress reliever for both Lindsay and I, and it also fills the need of finding areas where we can have fun and laugh and not worry about the other things of life.

But Fridays are a whole different thing... On the wall near the field is a sheet with rosters on it, and then a schedule of teams to play one another on friday after school. These games are reserved for older players, usually high school, but some even older. So Lindsay and I each were able to be put on a team and play this past friday. What a great time we had, even though we had to play against each other!!! It was a good game, and both Lindsay and I enjoyed a little competition. I hadn't played since the spring, with all the business in our lives, so needless to say, I am a little sore today. I am hoping to play a few times this week to prepare for next friday's games.

We will keep you posted on scores and such. Here is a pick from this weeks game...

God's peace,

Jayson