Slight of Hand

Our most recent game was against Siena, the 2-time defending champions of the Italian league. It was a hard fought contest, back and forth for 40 minutes of regulation and 5 minutes of overtime, but we ended up a point short on the scoreboard. A tough 81-80 loss, and our first of the season, but we have a lot of positive things to take from this game. One of our rookies, Jaycee Carroll, played his second great game in a row. And our Italian National Team point guard, Giuseppe Poeta, played well, after a short absence with a hamstring injury. Next week will be just as difficult, as we travel to Rome to face another quality Euroleague team.

38 weeks and counting! Brenna is quite the pregnant gal. She doesn't seem to slow down. She still does most of the same things she's always done... except she needs help from time to time on getting her boots on and off. And her self-applied pedicures aren't quite as easy as they used to be. Other than that, her appetite is pretty good, and if I could get her to rest more often, it'd be better for everyone. Believe it or not, we have her first official Italian doctor visit today (we think). The team, and the people handling some of these details have been fairly elusive to this point, causing some uncertainties, but we try to remain patient, and hope that everything is fine with our growing little kick-boxer.

This is about as recent of a picture as we can post. You may notice some similarities between the top picture on this blog, and this bottom one. My right hand seems to be in about the same position, and the objects in the hand seem to be roughly the same size. As you can imagine, we're getting very excited about the upcoming events. The due date is 2 weeks away now, and Grandma Sandy's arrival is right around that time. All of this, as well as the presidential election about a week away, November will be quite an eventful month. For those of you that are still undecided, please read as much as you can about the candidates, and watch some unbiased news reports before you make your decision... this is an important election. With that being said, may God bless you and your families. We hope to hear from you soon.

Season off to a Good Start!

Teramo Basket opened the season October 12 with a big victory over Ferrara, 84-68. Teramo commanded most of the game, and the attached video shows some of the highlights. Ryan is back in his favorite jersey number, 4 ! The team was in Biella, up near Milan and Torino, not far from the French/Swiss border this past weekend---about a 7-1/2 hour bus trip. The game was on national television, so even though I was unable to make the road trip, I was still able to see the game. Though the team was missing both their starting point guard and their back-up point guard due to injuries, they still managed to pull off a tough 5-pt. win. This weekend Teramo will face the 2-yr. defending Italian champs, Siena.

Siamo tornati in Italia! We have returned to Italy!

At long last! We are back in Italy and back at the blog. As you can see, it has gotten a much-needed face lift, and our goal this year is to enter more concise posts, more often---and yes, you are more than welcome to hold us to it.

This year brings us to Teramo, Italy where Ryan was 6 years ago when they won the A2 championship to move up to A1, where they still remain. Teramo is a quaint town of 50,000 nestled in the Apennine mountains, and more specifically in the Gran Sasso d'Italia range, which translates to "The Big Rock of Italy". The Corno Grande (Big Horn) of the Gran Sasso is the highest peak of the Apennines.

The A1 basketball season is starting one week late this year, due to 2 teams being eliminated for failure to meet league dues. So, this coming Sunday, Teramo Basket will face Ferrara on our home court.

More to come sooner, rather than later!!!!

Wild Crocus Near Our House

I invested in a new camera this summer that I plan to put to good use here in Italy with all the wonderful architecture and history, and of course with a new baby arriving!