AAU 12U D-II Nationals 2008 (Day 3)

Bloomington IN is about 185 miles from Centerville OH and has been a pretty cool place to visit so far...

Given the 11U team did not attend a Nationals this year, Naddiyah was ecstatic to get the opportunity to join the Dayton Lady Hoopstars 12U White team at the D-II championships in Bloomington. It has been a great nationals already and we are not even into the bracket play yet. What makes it so great is the closeness of the girls and the parents on the team.

We came up on the 4th of July (Happy Fourth!!!) and found a way to enjoy the night despite a lack luster opening ceremonies. The cool thing was that the girls were given t-shirts, bags, and traded for other memorabilia on the first night. I don't remember all that at Disney, but maybe I just wasn't taking in each moment as I was this year.

Oh yeah, we are here for basketball. The pool play was up and down. We played the first two games in a shooting slump (I mean bad -- even on layups and free throws), but still found a way to split 1-1. Then at the 6:00p game today, the girls put together a pretty good win that should boost their confidence going into the championship brackets. All the girls seemed to be firing on all cylinders and Naddiyah even got to a play a fair amount which was cool for her as she really enjoys playing with these girls. They are a great group. I am glad this last game was so successful as I think they were mentally beaten in middle game.

Anyway, back to Bloomington. We went to Lake Lemon yesterday, which was very fun. Afterwards, we enjoyed the night some more in the cozy area behind the Quality Inn we are staying at. Speaking of which, we ended up in the Presidential Suite thanks to Zayannab's wisdom (a lot of years put into...ok I'll stop there), which isn't as big of a deal as it sounds in a small hotel; however, it is very nice. We have a jacuzzi in the master bedroom and our own TV, so we actually feel like we are on vacation.

Well, I will have to keep you all posted, but the girls are on their way.

Peace.

Pittsburgh PA

Pittsburgh is a lot closer to OH than I thought. I knew it was close, but I drove here today with a couple of guys from work and it only took four hours, including a pit stop in Cambridge OH.

Up here for work and it is pretty nice area. We came out of the office building around 7:30p and the sky was lit kind of cool from the setting sun. Anyway, if you are ever passing through OH an don't mind driving through West Virginia for a few minutes to get to PA, you can visit Washington (PA) or Pittsburgh real easy.

:) It was a cool trip, especially because the OSU Buckeyes came back from a 3-7 deficit to beat UW Huskies 27-7 (or at least that is when we stopped keeping track).

Michigan did pretty good too against Notre Dame, but we won't talk about them (38-0).

Graduation 2007

On Friday, June 22nd, 2007, we set out on a mission to drive the arduous journey from Centerville OH to Masonville NY. After diving through Columbus OH, we detoured in Burbank OH, but we pressed on filled with the nutritious goodness that is McDonald's.

Onward we drove through Erie PA and Jamestown NY until we reach Alleghany where we found - pause for dramatic effect - PIZZA! Never mind the town fair with super cool carousel rides in the background; we were there strictly for resting but still we managed to acquire a black spiderman doll through the hard work of the kids who strained themselves to look ultra cute and saying "oh cool" as the teen who won it at the fair passed by us enjoying, PIZZA.

Alas there was more travel to be done that day, so off we went through Elmira NY and then down to Bainbridge as we drove towards the very familiar blinking red light followed by the unforgettable winding hill. And so we pressed on until we came to the final resting place before our ultimate goal: Umi and Nana's house.

It was a gruelling task, but we were there in Masonville NY awaiting the right moment to go out for out intended purpose in Sidney NY. NO NOT PIZZA. The GRADUATION of Awliya and Atiya and the enormous class of 50+ Sidney seniors on Saturday, June 23rd, 2007 @ 10:15am.

It made us all proud to watch these two walk down the aisles towards a ceremony that represented all the hard work they put forth over 13 years of education. To celebrate, we proceeded from the illustrious bus garage in Sidney back to the land where we played and ate and enjoyed family.

Though the road was treacherous and filled with locations like Oneonta and Guilford which we visited on Sunday, it was well worth the drive and we even brought back two mementos for the summer: the twins...but that is another story for another day.

Until then, keep loving life...

Peace.

Wapakoneta OH

At roughly 70 miles north of Centerville OH, we have found the following to be true about Wapakoneta or at least the BP gas station we visited which right off the I75 exit with a population 4 until we rolled into town.

+The slushes are GREAT according to the boys.

+The coffee sucks according to me.

+You can leave your car keys not only in your car, but also in the ignition. Not saying I personally did this while tired and in search of a good cup of coffee -- just an observation.

--Kev