Has-beens? No way...

Many moons ago, my girls and I were tough. We were athletes, warriors on the court if you will. The Palouse wasn't a geography term, it was a synonym for home. Bohler gym was our battle ground, a location where other teams absolutely hated to play. It was a place where UCLA fell, Stanford was defeated, and U Dub despised. The crowds consisted of loyal fans packed to the hilt, and of course, the Stinson boys who organized cheers, heckled the other team, and carried marriage proposal posters. The training room was our sanctuary, the locker room was our site of secrets, the weight room was our locality, and of course, the cafeteria was our replenishing social zone.

We bled, sweat, cried, and laughed together. We watched one another go thru serious times, life changing experiences, and shared some amazing memories.

And a week ago, it all came back to us. The has-beens have returned.

Philip, Liv, Charli and I made the trek thru the Palouse, and I forgot how incredibly beautiful it was. Even more, I forgot how much I loved this campus. The minute I saw the campus, I got nervous. Or maybe I should say overwhelmingly excited. We drove around and I explained and pointed out to my husband the different memories of restaurants, class buildings, dorms, and social points. Philip was impressed, but Liv? She was so pumped to see her mama's school.

It had been years since I returned, but the minute I saw my girls, it was as if we were back in college. Five husbands, one fiance, and 6 1/2 children later, we reunited. We might have been a little different physically, but our personalities and maturity level haven't changed a bit.

The ball girl, in total heaven and totally attached herself to the hips of my old teammates. She's still obsessed with Kali, still talks about Adrian and Holly and still talks about the skills Natalia taught her. My apologies to some of you who have group pictures with Liv's head slipped in the frame, she wanted to be a part of the team.

So how did we do? Let me tell you.

Besides the fact that we needed oxygen tanks and I needed a serious squat routine in the weight room along with a new pair of spandex, we actually dominated. Adrian's strength and amazing ball control are still used proficiently. Holly's blocking along with her power swing still strongly exist. Kali's humor, slide sets, and total domination of her set dumps still blow my mind. Jen's coaching habits still bring out the best in us, but more than that, she still represents her All-American status. Little Bills is still little, still beautiful, and still digs like crazy. And me? I still killed a few, and as always, had the time of my life being back on that court.

So are we has-beens? In the books, yes. But if you could have seen these old women dominate the current collegiate Cougar team, I don't think you would've even guessed that we were "has-beens".

To those that couldn't make it...Zanda, Kortney, Trina, LaToya, Kerri, Camilla, Brittney, and Chelsie, Nohea, and even Victoria. You MUST come next year. Maybe we could get Farouk and Cindy to join us :-) "Nnnnnnever mind!!!"

I can honestly say that I love these women. Truly, I really love them. It makes me so proud to see them as mothers, and to see them married to excellent gentlemen, and to see who they have become. This weekend made me realize how blessed I was to be a part of their lives and to be able to call these sweet girls my sisters. I love you girls!!!!!!!!!