Mendo/Ft Bragg

30+ Friends
3+ Houses
2 Full Days of Soccer
Hot Tubs
Nice Weather
Beer
Liquor
Baked Goods

One Word: EXHAUSTED

Mendocino for Labor Day weekend was a treat. I played 6 games of soccer in 2 days and didn't sleep much between late night chauffeuring and partying. The late group that I drove left later than anticipated. When Jenna, Eva, and I finally arrived at our house, it was pitch black. We walked around one side and finally found the front door. There was a map and a note. With no flashlights to lead the way we went exploring like school girls in a haunted house. We tried to be quite, but couldn't help but to burst out laughing. We finally decided to crash in the "living room" off the kitchen. It wasn't bad except that the house awoke at 7:30 am for the first set of games.

Coffee grinder in full swing, Jenna looked at me probably with the same though I had, please make it stop. We were up 30 minutes later and out the door shortly after that as we got a call to help the first team, Bridezilla. By the time we got to the field, the rest of the players had shown, they were moving slow because of their hard partying the night prior.

The first game I played was rather rough. We weren't as warm as we should have been and we definitely weren't playing like a team. We started to flow in the second game and outplayed the opposing team in every aspect of the word, however they had scored a fluke goal and even with 30 shots on frame, nothing hit the back of the net. We cruised to a 3-0 victory over the final team on Saturday.

Saturday afternoon was met happily with a nap. The girls that were not playing in the tourney made a lovely dinner. Ten of us sat at the table, cocktails in hand, making toasts to great friends and a fun weekend.

A group of us visited the other house on Saturday night to watch some beer Olympics. I was impressed by the organization, although I don't think many events were completed. I was in the hot tub for a short spell before it was time to head home. The morning cracked early again with the alarm blaring at 7:30 am. Our first kick off was 8:30 am. We won the first game with flying colors, as did Bridezilla, meaning they were our next match. My team played well. We shifted the field nicely and played to feet. We had a 4-1 victory. The highlight for me was stopping Slover on the line about 4 times. Classic when you have all your friends watching. :)

I was a bit productive in the late afternoon - updating my resume and such. The view from our house with some chill music made the day simply perfect. The weather was warm and the sky was clear - couldn't have asked for a better weekend.

The big party was initially supposed to be at the other house, but due to some technical difficulties with the HOA, we had it at our house. It worked well. Two kegs, a full entertainment system, hot tub, and karaoke machine made it easy to party until 6 am. People drifted in and out. Keg stands were done. Twelve plus people jumped in the hot tub after 3 am. It was good times with good friends. I finally hit the pillow at 7 am after helping Nate cart people back to the other house. 10 am was a bit earlier to wake to people cleaning, but I didn't have a choice given the location of the bed I was sleeping in.

The last highlight was Jenna, Eva, and I returning 2 half full kegs in the middle of the labor day parade. They stopped traffic to let the three of us cross the street, kegs in hand. Jenna had the middle, Eva and I had the sides. No idea what people were thinking.

We made it back and I was luckily still awake. Great weekend. Now if only I could find time to catch up on sleep.