Regionals rained out

Whoever said it is sunny over 300 days a year in Colorado, must have been talking about the weather before we moved here. We have had week long blizzards, dark wind storms and lots and lots of rain. I am sure I am exaggerating, but I know it is mid May and my freckles are still dormant.

This past weekend was the Special Olympics regional track competition in Grand Junction, a mere 1 ¾ hours from our house. The Niños must compete in the regionals to be eligible for the state competitions, so we were obligated to go. This did not bother me at all; Alex loves track and field and the more competitive practice she gets before the Nationals the better. I looked forward to watching her race.

We left our house at 6:15 on Saturday morning in the rain. We drove the 105 minutes in the rain, and arrived in Grand Junction in the rain. When we arrived at the location we were happy to see Alex’s team was already there (we are usually a bit late - life on Alex time!). We got out our umbrellas and sloshed to meet the group, only to find out the competition had been rained out. The athletes are still eligible to compete in the States, the first weekend in June, but I wish Alex has been able to practice her speed at the regionals.

We sloshed back to the car, drove 105 minutes in the rain and arrived home in the rain. Alex was disappointed, but she did not cry. This is a new level of maturity for Alex, who often has had difficulties managing her disappointment.

I alleviated Alex’s disappointment by taking her to see “Letters to Juliet”. Alex loves going to the movies, and is often my only companion when I want to see a sappy movie. Alex loved the movie, loved the kissing parts and picked up on every romantic innuendo. She makes me look tame in the movie enjoyment department!

I learned that a little romance is a good substitute for a rained out track meet. It was a nice, rainy day with my extraordinary daughter.