Fed Cup! The United States women’s team (the defending champs of 2017 Fed Cup) played its 2018 first round tie versus the Netherlands in Asheville this February, so Ella and I got tickets to go. When we purchased the tickets in the fall we did not know which WTA players would be representing the USA, but during the Australian Open they announced the team—Venus Williams, Serena Williams, Coco Vandeweghe, and Lauren Davis. Serena Williams gave birth to her daughter Olympia in September, so Fed Cup was her official return to tennis—and we were there to see it! We also got to see adorable Olympia and Serena’s charming husband. And it was lovely to see Venus supporting Serena. I admire the close and supportive relationship they have maintained throughout their competitive careers. Venus and Serena haven’t done Fed Cup in years and I totally think Venus did it because Serena wanted a lower pressure place to get her feet wet back in tennis. The whole experience felt pretty epic for us. We drove up just for the day, enjoying brunch in downtown Asheville before spending the afternoon watching Venus Williams and Coco Vandeweghe play the first two singles matches of the tie.
My only other picture from February is of Ella’s beautiful smile to mark the end of her orthodontia work. Her name was on the “Braces Off Today” board but it’s a little anticlimactic when you just stop wearing your Invisalign. Still, pretty teeth and the end of an era (that started in 2nd grade) is something to smile about.
