Many of you know, but this may come as a surprise to one or two of you, that I have been involved in billiard leagues and tournaments for many years. While I have dialed back my involvement in recent years, I still continue to play in the Mississauga CPA Ladies League. On May 7th of this year, our Ladies team won our Regional Tournament giving us the opportunity to compete this past weekend at the APA World Pool Championships in Las Vegas. Words cannot express how proud I am of this team.

Needless to say, with an inability to acquire any form of health care coverage, and the interference of my chemo schedule, I wasn’t able to make the trip. However these ladies, along with my friend Sheryl (who took my place on the team), did their utmost to make sure that I had the best non-trip to Vegas ever!

Before I tell you about my vicarious vacation, I should let you know a little bit about these women. While we may have originally met due to our involvement in the pool league, we are far more than teammates. We play together not just because the team numbers work, but because over the years we have formed great friendships. We have been there for each other through marriages, births, divorces, graduations, and a marathon (for a couple of us!). And unfortunately, this is is not our first encounter with cancer. I am lucky to call these women my friends.

Needless to say, with today’s technology, the ladies made sure that I was part of everything they did this weekend. There were numerous FaceTime conversations with the team along with some other friends. I was included in the shopping trip to the Converse store where I was given a choice of which colour I wanted (guess which one I picked…yup, you got it…burgundy, of course). And I met the bartender at the new Tiki Bar on The Strip!

Of course Facebook let me share in their post-tournament excursions…the Hoover Dam, Lake Mead, the Valley of Fire, and the Grand Canyon, plus a road trip to California. I’ve been to most of these places before, but it was my first time “going” to L.A. Next year, I’m going to see it for myself!