The last week of "normal"

LJ at FC Barcelona Soccer Camp.

Our last week at home in Ottawa was a good one.

We signed LJ up for her dream day camp – an FC Barcelona soccer camp. It was six hours a day­­ of nothing but soccer and she loved every minute of it. It was just what she needed – a week of doing what she loves most and boosting her confidence rather than a week focussed on the fact that she was leaving her friends.

It also gave L and I some time to get stuff done…And there was A LOT to get done! We packed, we cleaned, we did errands, we freaked out a bit...

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But it wasn’t all work and soccer. LJ played outside and spent a beautiful afternoon in Constance Bay with her friends next door. We took an extra trip to Dairy Queen, visited our favourite poutine truck, had drinks with some neighbours, and ate some nice dinners on our balcony.

Our last day was Sunday and that was near perfect. LJ had a soccer festival and all three of us love those days. LJ is a passionate player, L is an enthusiastic coach and I love being the soccer mom. I like carting around our packed lunch, cheering on the sidelines, chatting with other parents. LJ was bummed about leaving soccer, but she went out on a high note. The sun was shining, her team won all three games and she played phenomenally.

After the festival, we said farewell to the other coaches, parents and kids and went home to enjoy a pizza party with our neighbours and friends. LJ stayed up late hanging out with her buddies and we all went to bed exhausted from the sun and fun.

The next morning, LJ ate breakfast with her friends on the front porch and said her last goodbyes. Then, she curled up on the couch for a lazy day while L and I finished the preparations. Mid afternoon, we packed up the car and said goodbye to the house. We were to spend the night at L’s mom’s place before heading to the airport the following day. There, we enjoyed some tasty meals with L’s parents, including some strawberry shortcake!

The week was bittersweet – a mix of special moments, fun, excitement, stress and hard goodbyes.

But the last week made something very clear.

We aren’t taking this trip to escape our “normal” life.

We have a lovely home, amazing friends and family, a great community and much to look forward to upon our return.