...And We're Off!

I'm excited to announce that Mrs. Doctor Dear will be on hiatus for the next two weeks or so, because in just over 24 hours, Gil and I will be boarding a plan to Europe!  We'll be spending 8 days in Poland, checking out a couple of Euro 2012 matches and otherwise touring around the country.

Today,  while I was watching Germany beat Portugal 1-0 (whew, that was a nail-biter!), I began to reflect on my love of soccer.  I first got into soccer during the World Cup 1998, when I was working part-time and would watch games with my brother on off days.  It was while studying abroad in 2002, however, when I fell in love with the "Beautiful Game".  Watching games in pubs in Germany, surrounded by fans in full gear, I couldn't help but get drawn in.  10 years later, watching soccer still takes me back to when I was young and able to just throw myself into loving life, even though some areas of my life were stressful and hard.  My friends and I would coordinate our shirts so that we covered the three colours of the German flag, and then ride our bikes in formation on our way to the pub to watch a match.  (Yes, we were that crazy cool.)  This afternoon as I checked into facebook and read my friends' updates, it felt a little like we were watching the game together, even though we were scattered in all corners of North America.

Gil and I had the amazing opportunity to travel to South Africa during the 2010 World Cup, and so watching soccer also reminds me of that first time away with Gil, and how it was really the first time I knew for sure that we were going to get married one day.  (It only took him another year to finally ask!)  All that to say, soccer brings back many happy memories to me, and I'm looking forward to making some more with my husband in the next two weeks.

With my girlfriends in Germany, wearing matching Michael Ballack jerseys

Germany fans in Durban, South Africa, 2010

Anyway, I'll check back in two weeks time, and until then:  Los geht's, Deutschland!!!