Summer Vacation

Another season has come and gone. We truly enjoyed a great year, on and off the court, here in Teramo. Our team ended the regular season on a good note, winning 4 of the last 5 games and qualifying as the #3 seed in the playoffs. But we stumbled in the first round, coming up on the short end of two 1-point games at Milan. And now we begin our summer vacation.

Brenna and I were able to spend some time in Rome late in the season, as our good friend, Stacey Lehman, was able to come for a visit. She got to witness the most exciting game of the season, in my opinion. It was on the road in a city called Avellino, near Naples. We were down 1 with 4 seconds to go, and I was able to get the ball, and hit a 3-pointer from about 25 feet as time expired. The next day, on our tour through the Coloseum, we were able to get a family picture... although Brenna wasn't pleased with the result, due to limited "prep time" that morning. And Lydia seems disinterested about the whole deal, as well. Nonetheless, a good shot in a historical spot.

Brenna and Lydia were able to get back to the States for a few days at the beginning of May. They went back to St. Louis for a couple days, where Lydia was able to meet her cousins, Mackenzie and Keegan for the first time, as well as get reacquainted with her Nanny and aunt Jen. And then it was on to Kansas to help Gus and Sandy prepare for their class reunion, held Memorial Day weekend at the Aberle household. While in Kansas, Lydia was able to meet many of her relatives for the first time, including: uncle Tim, uncle Nick and aunt Shana, uncle Josh and aunt Kristi, and uncle Chris and aunt Kim, as well as her closest cousin in age proximity, Benjamin. It seems that she took quite a liking to Benji right away, although he doesn't quite seem to share in the excitement. It was a good visit for them, though, and we're looking forward to more family time soon. Speaking of family... congratulations to our niece Alexys Cleaver! Along with all of her outstanding athletic accomplishments over the past 4 years at Dakota High School, she graduated last week... and was awarded for her hard work and dedication in the classroom, as the salutatorian of the class of '09.

We were able to visit an up-and-coming vineyard near here this week. Keep that in mind, any of you who like wine, and plan to visit the Abruzzo region next season. So, we send off from Italy for now, as we leave behind memories of a great and historical season for our city, organization, and team. We will miss our teammates and friends here in Italy, but we know that we'll return in a couple of months, and hopefully be able to build on what we did this season. The last picture is of Lydia in her car seat. We kinda get a "kick" out of her cute little bubble feet. She's been developing strength and agility day by day and these chubby little things could possibly be walking on their own the next time they touch down in Italy. Our love and wishes to you all for a great summer, and we hope to see you soon.