We were back on the road again on a Friday night… and of course, this was the one Friday where work ran late.
Lately, things at FedEx Freight had been pretty smooth. Easy runs, getting out between 4:30 and 5:30, nothing too crazy. But not this day. The Greenville route popped up, the one I usually get when that driver is off, and it turned into one of those longer days with extra stops out in the middle of nowhere. By the time I got home, it was just after 7, and we didn’t hit the road for Pontiac until around 8:20.
I was already worn down from the day and fighting off a slight chest cold, so when Susie offered to drive, I didn’t hesitate. I even tried to claim the backseat so I could relax, but Elena wanted it, so I ended up riding shotgun while Susie took the wheel. And honestly, that ended up being one of the better parts of the night, because something kind of unexpected happened on that drive.
We talked the entire way.
Usually, when I’m driving, everyone else is in their own world with earbuds in, scrolling or watching something, and I’ve got a podcast on just to pass the time. It’s fine, but there’s always that thought in the back of my mind that we don’t actually talk much during those drives. This time, with Susie driving and Elena in the back, it flipped, and we just had a normal conversation the whole way. Life, people, random stuff… the kind of conversation that somehow feels rare during the week, even though we’re all together every day.
The drive was smooth with no stops, and we pulled into the Marriott in Pontiac around 10:45. Same hotel we stayed at back in February, but this time it felt just a little different in a way that’s hard to explain.
Marriott Gold Status… and Feeling Like It Matters
We’ve been leaning into the Marriott Bonvoy rewards program lately, and Susie handles all of that. It’s technically in her name, but it’s ours, and we’ve been using the credit card for travel and paying it off every month. The points have been stacking up faster than I expected, and this was our first stay as Gold members.
I’m not going to act like it’s life-changing, but it did feel like we leveled up a little bit. We locked in a 2 pm checkout for Sunday, which ended up being huge with volleyball scheduling, and there’s just something about knowing upgrades are at least possible that makes it feel different. I joked about it, like what does the next level get us… are we talking penthouse suites now?
Probably not, but still… it felt like progress.
The only hiccup when we got to the room was that there was no bedding for the pullout sofa, which I had already volunteered to take, so I wouldn’t risk getting Susie sick. The room phone didn’t work either, so I ended up riding the elevator down to the lobby to handle it in person. They had bedding up within ten minutes, no big deal, and we were all in bed around 11:30 with the alarm set for 5:45.
Early Morning Volleyball and a Strong Start
That first alarm hit pretty hard – like a slap in the face.
Normally, I’m fine getting up early, but with the late night and the cold, it definitely took a minute to get going. I made some coffee, got moving, and we were out the door just before 7. Elena needed to be there right at 7:00, and we pulled in pretty much exactly on time.
Rise started the day the way they tend to, a little slow out of the gate, spotting the other team some early points before settling in. Once they found their rhythm, though, they pulled out the first match in three sets and handled the second one in two. It felt like one of those mornings where they were building momentum as the day went on instead of peaking early.
We had a couple-hour break after that, and Susie and I found a quiet table upstairs away from the courts. That’s where I started jotting down notes for this post, just kind of capturing things as they were happening. Meanwhile, back home, Ethan and Eli were both at the Kentwood Classic disc golf tournament, so I had the PDGA app open, checking scores and texting back and forth.
Eli struggled in his first round, which surprised me a little for that course, and Ethan was there caddying for him. Then they’d flip roles the next day, which is kind of cool in its own way. It felt like we were split between two completely different weekends at the same time, one happening in a gym and one out on a course.
A Quiet Afternoon and a Dinner That Kept Going
We wrapped up Saturday’s play around 1:30 and headed back to the hotel, and that afternoon turned into exactly what we needed. Susie and I both ended up taking naps, which I definitely needed, and Elena went to the mall with some teammates. Nothing big, nothing planned, just a reset after a short night and a long morning.
By early evening, we headed down to the hotel restaurant and grabbed a table that started as eight people and slowly grew to twelve. More parents showed up, more players filtered in, and before long, we had this full group just hanging out and talking. We ended up sitting there for almost four hours, and it honestly didn’t feel like it at all.
That’s probably one of the best parts about this group of volleyball parents. It doesn’t feel forced, or like we’re just there because our kids are on the same team. We actually enjoy being around each other, and that makes a long dinner feel like it flew by.
The food was great again, just like the last time we stayed there. I went with the hot honey chicken sandwich and truffle fries, mostly because I already had my eye on the key lime pie with raspberry sauce. Susie started with an espresso martini, and I stuck with Diet Pepsi most of the night since I still wasn’t feeling great. At one point, I tried to join in with a Stella Artois, but that didn’t go very far, and I barely touched it.
At least it looked like I was participating.
The girls went off to the pool at some point while we stayed back and kept talking, and around 9:30, we finally called it a night and headed upstairs. Another early alarm waiting for us, because that’s just how these weekends go.
Sunday Morning, the Matchup, and Reality
Sunday started with some real anticipation, mostly because of what could happen if things fell into place. Rise had made the Gold bracket, and if they won their first match, they’d face Legacy 1. That meant Elena would be playing against my cousin Molly’s daughter, Tessa, which added a little extra storyline to the whole thing.
We don’t see each other all that often, maybe once every few years, so it’s not like the girls really know each other. But for us parents, it was one of those moments where you realize how small the world can feel sometimes.
First things first, though, Rise had to beat Legacy 3.
They did, and once they got going, it wasn’t particularly close. Two sets, solid win, and suddenly that matchup we had been talking about was actually happening. Legacy 1 turned out to be exactly what everyone said they were, with strong hitters, solid defense, and just a really complete team overall.
Rise held their own early and even had a lead in the first set, but against a team like that, everything has to go right. You have to play your absolute best and hope they’re just a little off, and that just wasn’t the case. Legacy 1 won in two sets and eventually went on to win the whole thing.
Finishing Strong and Heading Home
The part I liked was how Rise responded after that loss.
They came back out and played Legacy 2 for third place, the same team that had beaten them on Saturday, and this time it was different. Rise controlled the match, won in two sets, and locked in third place, which felt like a really solid finish after everything.
After it all wrapped up, we said our goodbyes and started gathering our stuff, ready to head out. Right as we were about to leave, Elena asked if we could stay a little longer because her friend Jaylyn was about to start her match. She wanted to watch, so we stayed for a set before finally heading out.
As we usually do, we stopped at Art & Jake’s on the way home, which has kind of become our go-to on these trips. It’s just one of those reliable stops where the food is good, the service is solid, and it feels like the last piece of the weekend before heading home.
The drive back was easy, no traffic or delays, just a smooth two hours back to Grand Rapids. And just like that, another volleyball weekend was over, blending right into the next one like they all seem to do lately.
A Couple of Small Moments That Stick
Some of the things I’ll remember most from this weekend aren’t even the matches themselves, which is kind of funny when you think about it. It’s the drive where we actually talked the whole way instead of just existing in the same car. It’s sitting at that dinner table for four hours and not realizing how much time had passed.
It’s also watching Elena want to stay and support her friend before we left, which says a lot more than anything that happened on the court.
And then there was one small thing I noticed on Saturday that stuck with me more than I expected.
Susie was wearing the necklace I gave her on our wedding night, and I realized I hadn’t seen her wear it in a long time. It’s a simple white gold necklace with two connected hearts, nothing flashy, but it carries a lot of memory with it. I remember her wearing it on our honeymoon, lying her head on my leg in an airport while we waited for a flight to Las Vegas.
And there she was, years later, wearing it again at a volleyball tournament in Pontiac, Michigan, like nothing had changed and everything had at the same time. It’s funny how life works like that, where things slow down just enough for a second, and you notice something small that ends up meaning a lot more than you expected.