Hoover Happenings

Summer Vacation

2009-05-29T02:58:00.001-05:00

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.

Catchin' up: Part II

2009-04-14T04:17:00.003-05:00

What else has been going on?... We've had a number of visitors to Teramo! And, we've really enjoyed spending time with each of them! Up above, Lydia is getting to spend some quality time with her Bompy Hoover who was able to visit in March. Bompy's hands were mesmerizing for Lydia, and we were happy to learn that simply moving one's fingers can hold her attention! He was able to catch 2 games while he was here, as well as meet some of our dear friends, Milena, Sandra, and Milos. They are from Serbia and Montenegro respectively, and it was a true joy hanging out with them. Milos is an ex-teammate from Jesi last year. We always seem to glean a new view of world history and culture, while learning about life in the former Yugoslavia. We entertained them with a home-cooked American pancake breakfast. The number of people in Italy trying Ryan's peanut butter/maple syrup combo on pancakes is definitely on the rise!

Next, we welcomed Ryan's sister, Jennifer, for her spring break, as well as him mom. It was so nice to have them here, and Lydia absolutely loved all the love, attention, and gifts she was flooded with! They were here to help us celebrate a win over a team called Rieti (which happens to be where Kobe Bryant was born, while his dad was playing over here years ago). And, they enjoyed a number of dinners and fellowship with teammates Jaycee and Baylee Carroll (Bella's parents) and Jacob Jaacks. We had one of our best dinners yet their last night here at a country house about 20 minutes from Teramo! We continue to find more and more amazing restaurants as time goes by.... just a little carrot-dangler for any of you who are considering a visit to Italy!

Lastly, we were able to spend some time with our Italian friends, the Billiatos, up near Milan, the weekend before Easter. We didn't get the win against Milan that we had hoped for, but we were able to celebrate Ryan's birthday with some great home-cooked Italian food by chef Maria! Maurizio, also known as Billy, enjoyed claiming Lydia and her blue eyes as his own, since he's a rare blue-eyed Italian, and Brian, their son, helped to keep Lydia entertained!

Catchin' Up: Part I

2009-04-14T02:21:00.004-05:00

We're back on the blogger update! Man, is it me, or does it seem extra easy to get distracted these days with various things such as facebook, itunes, skype, LOST, scrabble, 24, NCAA tournament pool, baseball season, visiting guests, baby stuff, earthquakes, and oh yeah, the Italian basketball league.
(Brenna: "uhhm... can I add to that? ---real baby stuff, cooking, entertaining, laundry, and housecleaning"????)
Needless to say, we've been busy like most of you. We just wanted to catch up with the past few months as quite a bit has gone on.

This season seems to be flying by! Brenna and I were just talking the other day about how true it is that life just seems to go by faster and faster the older one gets---kinda like a roll of toilet paper! Since we both celebrated birthdays in the last month or so, the issue hits home even more. And, maybe now that we have added to our family, that "time flying" process is bound to keep on "rolling"!

Lydia has been growing like crazy! She's over 15 lbs. now, and believe me, we feel every last little ounce (or gram, in Italy) every time we bend down to get her out of her crib or the bath tub. I think Brenna feels like she's back in her sales days at times, getting all her sample books in and out of her vehicle. It's been a blast, though, watching her develop and grow and discover new things pretty much every day. She and the neighbor girl next door have enjoyed playing together from time to time as well. Bella is a little bit ahead of her in most aspects of development since she's about a month older, but I think Lydia is quite observant, so she learns from Bella and soon tries to do most of the same things on her own. The most recent developments are laughing out loud, holding herself up while laying on her tummy, grabbing everything within reach and putting it in her mouth, peek-a-boo, walks with the Bjorn, kicking Daddy in the face when he tries to gobble her smelly feet (inflicting pain seems fairly enjoyable to her), chewing on a cold teething ring, and eating rice cereal from a spoon. She's really a pleasant baby, and as long as she's fed, has a clean diaper, and is given a good amount of attention, then she's usually as happy as a clam!

Now on a more serious note, a lot of you have been asking about us and the earthquakes in Italy. Thank you so much for your concern and prayers. The landscape picture at the top of the post, is a view of the Appenine mountains from Teramo. Just on the other side of that peak is L'Aquila, where a lot of the catastrophe occurred. We are about 35 miles from there, and have most definitely felt the quakes, both literally and emotionally. We missed out on the main quake on the morning of April 6, as we were up north. But, have since felt about 10 aftershocks. Evidently, there have been more than 800 tremors since January, and many people had already left L'Aquila for fear something was going to happen. Many women and children have left Teramo to go stay with family elsewhere, and if they haven't left town, they are sleeping in their cars at night, or tents out in open areas away from buildings. We also see a lot of people driving around with their cars packed with supplies, just in case... Brenna and I live in a very new, solid building and though we feel the quakes, we are not overly concerned about our building falling. We do however, have a few bags packed and ready to go, should the need arise. It is hard to imagine that we are so close to such devastation, as over 250 people have lost their lives, and 10,000 some have had to evacute their homes. Our thoughts and prayers go out to all those families who have had to deal with this tragedy, and we continue to support and encourage the heroes who have come to the rescue, and pulled people from the rubble. There have been some amazing miracle stories, as one 98 year old woman was pulled from the rubble 30 hours after the quake, and she had just stayed in her bed knitting away.

Our home game that was scheduled for Easter weekend was postponed as they are still testing our arena to make sure it wasn't damaged from the earthquake. We were able to get out of town for the weekend, but that story is for another time... Until then, we hope you all had a wonderful Easter holiday... the story of Jesus' resurrection! His sacrifice gives us all the victory over death and sin! God bless!

Happy Holiday Times

2008-12-29T04:16:00.010-06:00

It's been a great holiday season here in Teramo, for Lydia and her mom and dad. She seemed to enjoy her first Thanksgiving with grandpa Gus and grandma Sandy, as well as her other American friends. And then last week her first Christmas was a good time, too. It was unusual for Brenna and I to be here over the Christmas holiday, and not with our families in the States. But our team had games on the 21st and the 28th, so this year was a new celebration with our little family here in Italy. "Nanny" Hoover has been here, too, and we have enjoyed a good two weeks with her. It's been great having her here. Brenna and I were even able to enjoy a rare night out together at our organization's Christmas party at the team president's house, while Nanny and Lydia hung out together at home.

Gus, Sandy, Brenna, and Lydia say goodbye in Rome

Nanny and Lydia enjoying the big win in Bologna!

Christmas time is always a special time for Brenna and I, as we get to celebrate our Savior's birth. It's always a good time to get together with friends and family, maybe share some gifts and good food, and listen to some good Christmas tunes. But this year was extra special, as we got to celebrate our own little miracle. Lydia is such a precious gift from God, and we have thoroughly enjoyed watching her develop and grow day by day. We hope you all have enjoyed these past couple of weeks of Christmas cheer, and that you and your families have stepped back, and allowed the true calm and peace of this holiday to inspire and refresh your spirit. We send our best wishes to you and your loved ones, and hope to hear from you soon.

Lydia Vianne Hoover

2008-11-16T15:26:00.003-06:00

Lydia Vianne Hoover has arrived! She is amazing!! She was born November 3rd in Teramo, Italy. At the time of delivery she was 2.85 kg and 49 cm, which converts to 6 lbs 5 ozs. and 19.3 inches. I can say, without a doubt, it was one of the best experiences of my life. Brenna may not agree, as she was the one who had to go through all the pain and sacrifice... and I must say, she was absolutely awesome, while enduring some not-so-ideal conditions. But I'm sure she would agree with the fact that the excitement was at an extremely high level, as we welcomed our little gal into the world. You parents out there may be able to relate... but if there's an experience out there that makes more of a case for God's presence in this world, I have yet to know of it.

Our first evening together as a family was nice. Lydia slept through most of it, but she still managed some grunts and squeaks to let us know she was happy to be here. Brenna said that she didn't choose this first outfit intentionally, but in Acts 16 in the Bible, Lydia was a dealer in purple cloth. Well, I wonder if that Lydia had a high forehead and bunch of sandy blond hair to go along with her beautiful purple garb.

We had a few days back at home before Grandma Sandy arrived on the 10th of November. Lydia seems to love her Grandmama, and Brenna and I have loved having her here. She's been incredible. Between cooking meals, to doing laundry, to cleaning the house (including moldy walls), to figuring out cloth diaper issues, to staying up with Lydia while Brenna and I get some sleep, she truly has been a gracious guest. Oh, and she even lets us win at cards games, to keep the morale high.

And here's one other picture of Lydia in what seems to be her favorite position (other than on her mother's breast). When she gets an upset stomach or just plain grumpy from time to time, she's usually able to pull it all together as seen in the photo. And her "pillow" can sometimes sneak in some precious shut eye as well. I don't think I've ever enjoyed a pre-game nap like I did last Saturday. Lydia was able to attend her first live basketball game that night, too. She seemed to like it, and I had probably my best game of the season thus far. We pulled out a big win on our home court on national television, as I was able to hit a few key shots down the stretch to help our team to victory. We await the arrival of Grandpa Gus this week, and we thank all of you for your kind words and wishes at the announcement of Lydia's birth.

Slight of Hand

2008-10-27T07:30:00.005-05:00

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!

2008-10-18T16:35:00.006-05:00

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!

2008-10-08T08:05:00.005-05:00

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

2008-10-08T05:10:00.001-05:00

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!

Spring has Sprung

2008-04-21T14:03:00.007-05:00

It's been a little while since the last post, once again, so there's quite a bit to catch up on. We've had some more guests since Brenna's parents, Gus and Sandy, left in late January. In early February we were paid a visit by the newlyweds from the UK, Dan and Chez Melley. Dan was a roomate of mine at Notre Dame, and he and Chez got married last May in Malta. Not only are Dan and I fellow Domers, but we are also both Eurotrash. He recently became a British citizen, to go along with my Belgian citizenship. They also shared some exciting news while they were here, as they announced that Chez was pregnant. We all anxiously await the arrival of their new little one sometime in August.

Soon after they headed back to London, Brenna's brother, Chris, and his wife, Kim, welcomed Benjamin Allen Aberle in to the world on February 20th. We haven't got to see the little guy in person yet, but we are excited to get to Sabetha and see our new nephew. In his father's words, "he sure is a wooly little thing".

During the last week of February, our next guest arrived, Christina Nunnelee. Christina is a good friend of ours from St. Louis. Christina and Brenna became friends soon after Brenna moved to St. Louis 6 years ago. She and Brenna got in some good traveling during her short visit here. Many good meals and good sights on their visits to Jesi, Rome, Venice, Reggio Emilia, San Gimignano in Tuscany, and Cinque Terre. On a sidenote, 2 gypsy women in the metro in Rome escaped with Brenna's wallet one day. They also narrowly eluded a subsequent tail-whooping from Christina, as the metro doors shut right after they took the wallet. So, the next time you visit Rome, just kindly tell any beggers that you may encounter, that Brenna Hoover had you covered in advance.

The basketball season has kept moving right along, as our guests have come and gone. Some of them have seen us play pretty well, and some of them didn't exactly get to see us in our best form. But this brings us to the arrival of our next guest. My dad, Jim, arrived on March 1st, and rode with Brenna to Ferrara, where our league's midseason Final 4 Cup took place over the weekend of March 1-2. That was definitely one weekend during the season, when our team came to play. We were the #4 seed coming in to the tournament, and we took care of the #1 seed, Soresina, on Saturday night, and then the host team, Ferrara, for the Cup Championship on Sunday. The first night, during the 3rd quarter, I ruptured the capsule around the main joint in my right foot. I continued to play through it that night. Then the next day, the medical staff performed a mini-miracle, as I was able to play in the Championship game. It was a very exciting time for our team and organization, as the Cup came to Jesi for the first time. I was happy that a lot of my teammates had family or friends there to help share the moment. I was especially proud that my wife and my dad were there to experience the excitement with me and my team. The greasy, sweaty hugs after the game grossed Brenna out a little bit, but she was able to take a shower immediately when we got home, so she was alright.

My mom, Annette, arrived later on in March, and she and Brenna took off for a road game up near Torino the day after her arrival, in a city called Casale Monferato. We lost a hard fought game to one of the better teams in our league that night, as I continued to play with my injury. At that point I was at about 75%, and our team seemed to go through a bit of a let down period after the Cup. A few days later, on the Thursday before Easter, we beat a very good team from the island of Sardegna on our home court. I was back to good form in this game, as some people accused me of showing off for my momma. We celebrated afterwards, as we're accustomed to do, with teammates and our families at a local pizzeria called Settimo Cielo, which translates to Seventh Heaven.

The next morning we drove to Bologna and flew direct from there to Brussels, Belgium. One of my mom's cousins, Jean Paul Van Langenacker, met us at the airport and took us on a tour of Brussels. We saw quite a bit of what the city has to offer, and then from there we drove to see my mom's aunt and uncle in their small village of Anthines, right outside of Liege. We stayed with aunt Janine and uncle Raymond all Easter weekend. It was a great time with our Belgian relatives, as we got to see many cousins, as well as see some sights and we had fresh snow every day. One of the highlights of the trip, other than the great celebration of Easter of course, was that they all got to meet Brenna for the first time. They loved her (what is there not to love?) and welcomed her as one of them... at least that's what we gathered from their broken english. It was a weekend full of smiles and hand gestures, as you can imagine, with my 82-year old great aunt being our lifeline of communication. The few days of rest were good for us all, and especially me and my injured foot. I continued with the therapy and pool work right away when we got back, in an attempt to get back to full strength. It definitely helped that I had, not only my wife here to nurse me back to health, but also my mother. How lucky was I?!

We celebrated a couple of birthdays in the last month and a half, as well. In March, for Brenna's birthday, we took a little mini-vacation to a village in the mountains south of here, near a national park. It was a good little getaway, as we saw some beautiful sights, and enjoyed a private meal in a trattoria in the center of this city. We literally had the place to ourselves. For my birthday a couple weeks ago, we took a trip to San Marino. San Marino is a small little country of its own, surrounded by Italy, about an hour and a half north of Jesi. Some of the best views we've seen in all of Italy were from the upper part of this city in San Marino. Due to the fact that we only get one day off a week, these day trips have been good for us. It's nice to see some different areas around here, that aren't the typical tourists spots.

Well... in closing we'd like make an official announcement, which some of you may know by now. Brenna is 11 weeks pregnant! She is due November 11th. We finally got a doctor's visit last Saturday and saw the little critter in there. It was not your typical sonogram, but it got the job done. What I mean is, as we entered the private room, the women said in Italian, "drop your pants and hop up on the table". No gown, no privacy, no step up, no "make yourself comfortable", nothing. As I sat down by Brenna's side, and the woman gave her a paper towel to cover up with, everything seemed fine. My hands were just a little sweaty, until the lady started jabbing the ultrasound tool into Brenna's gut. I didn't realize that this was normal, and she was just trying to make the little thing move, so she could get some measurements on it. We heard the heart beating, and found out that the size is in the 97th percentile at this point, 4.51 centimeters.

So, that's the update from Italy. As you can imagine, we're very excited about this development, and we're also looking very forward to being back in the States... especially my pregnant wife, who gets nauseous at the smell of pizza and pasta. Not such a good thing when you live in Italy. Her plan is to be back in St. Louis on May 8th. As for me, we have one regular season game remaining, and then the playoffs will begin on May 4th. Depending on how far we advance in the playoffs, I will be home anytime between May 12th and June 13th. We send all of our best wishes to you and your loved ones, and we look forward to catching up this summer.

2008

2008-01-29T10:45:00.000-06:00

Cinque Terre (Manarola)

2008 is off and running. Many blessings, and a lot of good stuff took place in 2007, but we're excited to see what the new year will have for us all.

Our first Christmas as a married couple was a success. Other than some travel delays and cancellations, it was about a perfect week in the States for us. Let me tell ya, though... Alitalia's not exactly climbing the ladder of airline power rankings lately. We got in to Kansas City on Christmas eve around 10:15 pm, after stops along the way in Ancona, Milan, Frankfurt, and Chicago. Brenna's brother, Tim, came to get us in KC, and we arrived at Gus and Sandy's house in Sabetha within minutes of midnight. Although tired and weary, they welcomed us with open arms, Christmas tunes, egg nog, a fresh-cut tree, and lights illimunating the way. They didn't even seem to mind that we wore the same clothes the whole time while we were at their house, since our baggage got lost along the way. We spent 2 good days with the Aberle's, as well as many other friends and relatives around the Kansas and Nebraska area. A big thanks goes out to all of you that came to spend time with us there. We enjoyed seeing you during our short visit, and appreciate you making time for us over the busy holidays.

This is a pic of us with our Aberle "nipoti"---Gideon and Azzariah (nephew and niece)

From Sabetha it was off to Rockford. Although more travel challenges ensued, we made it up to see my parents, as well as my sisters and their families the evening of the 27th. It was more good times there with the Hoovers along the Rock River, including some games, a family-wide snowball fight, the creation of a rather unique snow "woman", and a good time on the 29th at Brad and Sarah McLarty's wedding. All of our luggage finally caught up with us piece by piece, too... thankfully... I don't think Brenna could've stood to see me in my gray Notre Dame sweatsuit for one more second. So, our bags were just in time to head back to Italy with us. It all made for a short, but sweet, few days in the good ole US of A.

Back to Jesi we came. Due to our regularly scheduled flight on the 30th being cancelled, we got to welcome 2008 with cheer, vino and champagne... along with our new friends... on Alitalia. We actually got to bring in the new year in 7 different time zones during the flight, although we might have slept through a few of them.

We returned to work right away on New Year's Day, as we quickly tried to settle back in and adjust to the travel. Our team had practice that evening, as we had to prepare for a road game on the 6th in a city called Imola. It seems as if the week off for Christmas was good for our team, as we won that game in Imola, as well the next 2 on the 13th and 20th, both of which were home games. The win on January 13th had added importance for us as well. Not only was it a big win over one of the top teams in the league, but it also qualified us for a mid-season tournament that is held for the top 4 teams at the half way point of the season. And, on top of all that, it brought us closer and closer to the top spot in the league. As it stands now, we're 10-7 in a very balanced league, leaving us 2 games behind the 1st place teams, and we play one of them at home this coming Sunday. We're almost doing as well as my beloved Fighting Irish. Look out for ND... they've already enjoyed big wins over the Wildcats of Kansas State and Villanova this year.

We had our first visitors to Jesi recently. Brenna's parents, Gus and Sandy, arrived on the 16th of January, and just left on Tuesday the 29th. We really enjoyed our time with them, and hopefully they had a good time, as well. They saw quite a bit in their 2 weeks here. Some of the highlights included trips to Rome, Siena, Gubbio, Florence, Pisa, Cinque Terra, Lake Como, and of course, Jesi and the surrounding Marche region. I have to admit, Brenna was quite the tour guide, as her ever-improving grasp of the Italian language never ceases to amaze. I think 4 crucial things were realized throughout the trip:

1. Gus and Sandy are glad they packed their walking shoes
2. Italy has some very diverse, but very beautiful, regions of the country

3. Gus picked up some unique souvenirs (ask him)
4. The food and wine in Italy aren't too bad

We wish you all a great new year, and hope to hear from you soon. We now await our next guests for the weekend. Some of the finest that London has to offer... the newly wedded Melley family will be arriving via RYANAIR on Saturday, February 2nd.

Lake Como

Trevi Fountain in Rome

Coliseum in Rome

Arch of Constantine in Rome

Newlyweds

2007-11-30T08:21:00.001-06:00

The romantic Sienna Piazza del Campo, known for the famous horse race, the Palio.

Ciao from Italy! Our season's moving right along. Not sure where the months of October and November went, but I guess we just get busy with various things and here we are.

Married life is great! Brenna and I have really been enjoying our time together here, and the laid-back lifestyle of Italy has actually been good for us (especially her... I think she needed it). We seem to learn more about each other all the time. For the most part that's a good thing, but sometimes it's just normal newlywed stuff. For example, I now know that she likes to leave a couple squares of toilet paper on the roll, so when it comes time for a replacement, I will be the one to do it. Or another example is when I finish brushing my teeth, I better rinse off every last bit of toothpaste from my mouth before I use the towel on the rack. These are types of things that all couples deal with, I'm sure, but now we're getting to learn them for ourselves.

As far as basketball goes, we've kinda been up and down in this early part of the season, as our 6-4 record indicates. I still think we have one of the best teams in the league, but we don't really show it on a consistent basis yet. Our fans don't really seem to care. Win or lose, they're still as rowdy as ever. In October we beat our inner-region rival, Fabriano, and some of our fans take the rivalry so serious that they stormed the court after the game, and some were seen with tears in their eyes. Oh... the Italian passion and drama.

I have some great teammates and people around the organization, who treat Brenna and I with care and respect. We get invited for meals and other activities regularly, but we pick and choose our times, as we seem to prefer our quality time together at home with just the 2 of us. However, some of us did get to visit good old Ronald McDonald on one of our free days. Mickie D's is not that common of a thing over here, so some of my American teammates and their families took the 30-minute drive towards the coast to get a "taste of home".

Earlier in November we had 3 days off in a row, which was a bonus, since most weeks we only get Mondays off. We were in the Tuscany area for a game, in a city called Livorno, so we were able to get out and see some things during our little mini-vacation. Florence was as beautiful as ever! To avoid traffic and parking difficulties, we took the train and walked around all day. We were able to do some Christmas shopping, see the sights, as well as wish my Dad a happy 70th birthday, with some of Michaelangelo's statues watching over my shoulder (as you can see from the picture). The following day we drove down through the Tuscany region and visited San Gimignano and Siena on our way back to Jesi. I realized, during this little trip, how much I like hanging out with my wife, and how much better it is to experience this stuff with her.

Thanksgiving was a big success last week, as Brenna put on quite a spread. There were eight of us here at our place. Three of my American teammates, one of their fiancees and daughter, and an American volleyball player who plays professionally here in Jesi, as well. We truly had so many blessings and so much to be thankful for over the past year... but in regards to the meal... the turkey we found at the grocery store (rare), and the amazing pumkin pie cheesecake she made, were huge hits. If only we had enough room at our place for all of my teammates, I think the Italians would've definitely enjoyed our true American Thanksgiving.

We hope all of you are enjoying the holiday season, as we prepare for Christmas. All our best to you and your loved ones. We hope to be in touch soon.

Every day life in Jesi...

2007-10-16T14:48:00.001-05:00

Hey, let's try this again, with pictures this time~!

Also, in case it hasn't been made clear yet, the actual website for the blog is:

http://www.hooverhappenings.blogspot.com/

Hi! 2 games later, we are finally posting a 2nd blog. It took us awhile to figure out the whole "google groups" mailing list, so now hopefully you'll each receive an email when I publish this post.

I wanted to share a few pics of our house and neighborhood. We live about a 6 minute walk from the City Center, which is where there is a lot of shopping, restaurants, etc. When walking to the Center, I pass by several fresh fruit and vegetable shops, pastry shops (pasticcerias), coffee shops, and little drug stores. Our apartment is on the 2nd level of this green building.

However, just a 1/2 block from the house is a Segafredo coffee shop. Segafredo is to Italy like Starbucks is to the States. It just so happens that the family that owns this particular Segafredo, the Manoni's, is also the owner of our apartment. I was already familiar with Segafredo, because the first one in the U.S. happened to open up about a year ago 2 blocks from my showroom/office in St. Louis. You can see the old guys wondering what the heck I'm doing taking this picture. They all sit out on the patio everyday and are big basketball fans, so they all notice when Ryan and I come and go, since it's hard to miss our car!!! Later... Brenna

Hello from Italy!

2007-10-06T13:56:00.001-05:00

Buonasera!!!! We are both here in Jesi, and doing well. Ryan is a veteran, so all he has to do is concentrate on playing ball and winning games. I, on the other hand, have had a number of new things to learn, not the least of which, was setting up this blog!!!

I have been here one week now, and I am finally able to find my way to the two grocery stores, the arena, and the city centre. Driving here is a whole new experience... At the moment, I'm driving like a little old lady, which is driving Ryan nuts, but I'm sure that I will soon be able to keep up with the crazy pace, the turn abouts, and the winding one-way roads.

Tomorrow is Ryan's first regular-season game. He is playing in Montecatini which is just on the east side of Florence. It's a 4-hour drive and I will be going with another player's wife. Ryan played for Montecatini in the 2003-2004 season, so this game will have higher personal stakes for him, but it is also an opportunity to see old friends and teammates!~

I miss you all, but I'm also enjoying this new season of life... not much to be stressed about these days... I'll post pictures of Italy when I get back from Montecatini! For now, I'm posting a few wedding pics that people have been asking for...