Wanna get away?

Let's play a game. It might be one of my favorite games ever and it goes something like this: I say a word, any word at all, and you say the first thing that comes to your mind upon hearing my word. For instance, I might say "Sami" and you would say "awesome" or "comedian" or "pale". Surely you understand. The word is "Slovakia"--ready, go! You know, it strikes me now that the best part of this game is actually hearing the responses others come up with, and I can't do that. This game kinda sucks now. Seriously though, I played this game with myself earlier and came up with jack for Slovakia. It's adjacent to Czech Republic. I'm out--that's literally all I got. One point for geography class. The point of this little game was to share with you that I signed with a team in Slovakia last week, so that is where I will be moving to after my season in Australia finishes. Suppose I coulda lead with that, but that would have been too easy, and that's not how I roll.

Ideally, I would have really liked to stay in Australia and live here for the year, but, after a lifetime of trying, I've learned you can't always go where you aren't wanted. Slovakia should be cool though and it will certainly be different from anywhere I have lived before. But that's not for a while, so we can table that topic for now.

Ever seen those clever Southwest airlines commercials featuring various terrifyingly awkward scenarios wherein someone ultimately ends up desperate to "get away" quickly? I actually quite enjoyed those until I found myself living in one this weekend and now they just seem insensitive. After having a bye last weekend, we played this Friday at home against Stirling. They ran a box and 1 throughout the game on me and intentionally fouled me quite hard twice-- safe to say they were keen to making life difficult for me. I reckon it worked a bit, but we still scored 51 points in the first half, so it wasn't a real game changer. I was involved in a few game changing moments though at the end that had me relating to the Southwest commercials. With about 15 seconds left in the game, I hit a 3 to tie the game up. Unfortunately, this wouldn't be my most memorable game changing moment. The next play down, I over-helped and my player slipped and made a wide open lay-up to give them the lead. Wanna get away? Sure, but it gets worse, so hold that plane for me. My teammate inbounded the ball to me, and all I can say is I had a complete brain meltdown because I dribbled to half court and chucked a hail-mary shot up... with 11 seconds left on the clock. Not 1, but 11. Yup. Wanna get away? Please God, yes. Anywhere, anywhere at all would've been fine. I've literally never been so desperate to be anywhere other than where I was in that moment, standing at half court, the entire gym shocked and rather unimpressed with my complete lack of awareness. Someone put me out of my misery. Needless to say, we lost this game, the first one since I've been here, dropping us from 1st to 3rd place. I had 23 points, 10 rebounds and 5 assists, though if you're counting those last two plays, I guess I really had 7 assists. Fortunately we have a double-header this weekend so we can get back on track.

Saturday night our club hosted a "Quiz Night" to raise some money for the organization and just to bring everyone together for some general merriment. Honestly, I was not pumped about this event, mostly cause I was still a bit embarrassed about our game the previous night, but the evening turned out to be brilliant. There were something like 10 rounds of questions with a wide range of categories and the team who answered the most correctly won, naturally. Obviously my team won and I can honestly say that I was considerably instrumental in our success for once. It ended up being a great night with great people and the perfect distraction from our loss. We kept the good times rolling at Tucker's place afterward and then went out in Rockingham, as well, to the one club our town has. It wasn't the classiest place I'd been to, but it had music and dancing so I was satisfied.

Last week when we had our bye, I also had the week off from work which opened up my afternoons. On Wednesday I went with one of my Aussie mates from the men's team, Ryan, to Penguin Island to visit with some penguins. The island is only a 5 minute ferry ride away and it's absolutely breath-taking. However, we didn't see one penguin on the island while walking around (I am told this is common), though we did see an alarming number of seagulls. Ick. Thankfully, the island has a "learning center" that houses like 10 penguins to ensure visitors do see at least one penguin before leaving. We watched them swim and waddle and eat inside the center and it was everything I hoped it would be. I was disappointed I couldn't feed one, but it was still pretty awesome seeing them up close.

Today was a big day for me. Since day one of arriving in Australia, my goals have been three-fold: win a championship (obvi), feed kangaroos, and meet a koala. Well friends, I accomplished two of the three today thanks to my teammate Tucks. She took me to Peel Zoo this afternoon where I got to hang out with Hamish, the most regal koala you've ever seen, annnnnd I got to feed lots of kangas. It was pure, unadulterated magic. It was a bit overwhelming at first knowing I was about to live out two of my dreams. Once I overcame this, I just went absolutely nuts running around petting and feeding the animals and taking shameless selfies with them. I even saw a dingo!! I did my best to not say it, but resistance was futile and I proudly yelled, "a dingo ate my baby!" Good times. It was a magnificent afternoon that I'd love to repeat... every single day.

With two games this weekend and two games next weekend, hopefully we can bounce back from the loss and string together some good wins again as we get closer to playoffs. Of course I will keep you posted, but until then, here are some more photos from my zoo experience today. You didn't ask for them, but you'd be fools to not appreciate these little gems. So, you're welcome.

Room for improvement.

Two more weeks, two more games and two more wins. Neat. Wannerroo was sitting in first place when we played them two weeks ago, just one game ahead of us, so we went ahead and took their spot, beating them by 26 points. I had 25 points, 9 boards, 4 assists and an alarming 6 turnovers. Despite the final score, the game was in fact close for the first 3 quarters. With a few exceptions, that has been our method all season--outlasting teams in the 4th quarter. This weekend we played Kalamundo at home, a top 4 team that disrupts teams with their in-your-face pressure defense and up-tempo offense. We certainly struggled early on, missing heaps of wide open lay-ups and just as many outside shots. We led by 6 at half and it was still close going into the 4th quarter before we went on our run, winning by double digits. We missed early and often, but when it counted, we made big shots. I had 33 points, 8 rebounds and 5 steals. I made 7 3's for the first time ever, but it took me 17 attempts. You read that right. That is just woeful. Normally taking 17 shots total in a game is a lot, but 17 3's? Someone sit her down!

We have the bye this week and then we start up play for the second half of regular season games the following Friday night. We have been playing pretty well overall, but we certainly have room for improvement if we want to continue winning the second time around. Since we don't have a game this weekend though, we had a little team bonding action Monday night at my teammates place instead of training. Everyone made food and brought games. I know I don't have to tell you what I made--say it with me: deviled eggs. Bingo. In addition to bringing food, there was a dress code--onesies. I have a little experience in this department so I felt pretty confident. And just to clarify, it appears I am flipping the bird in the team picture, but I assure you there is another finger up too, it's just blending in with my hair...or the really white wall.

The Eurobasket website announced their "all-league" teams and awards earlier this week for the German leagues since the championship is over, and it turns out they picked me for stuff. Somehow I was named guard of the year, and was 1st team all-league and all-imports. I don't know who votes for this--I envision a panel of middle-aged men that don't actually watch our games but instead cast their votes based solely on arbitrary facts, like the color of our shoes. I wore purple shoes so naturally I carried that vote--ipso-facto--guard of the year. Thanks guys. Incidentally, I got new shoes recently and they are neon green and a sharp blue, sooooo, my future looks bright.

The more I work at the store, the more I've discovered what years of high school math proved to be impossible--I am rather good with numbers. I think I just lacked the proper arena to truly nurture my gift before. But now, surrounded by numbers and calculating customers' change, complicated math equations are nothing. Your total is $5.50 and you give me $10? $4.50 change, boom. Not impressed? How about the total is $25.75 and the customer pays with $50, but then, last minute tries to bamboozle you by adding in the .75 cents. I can do that change without even counting on my fingers. Yeah... I know. I would have dominated calculus if it was more of this and less of the, well, the calculus.

I have also been able to tap into my undeniable comedic wit at work, as I was put in charge of our street sign in front of the store. This is a real task, I assure you. The space is limited and obviously it needs to be relative to our services, but I accepted the challenge. I included a picture of the verbiage I came up with, and I gotta tell you, I am pretty proud. So here is some background: we sell Rosie's tasty chicken at the store which a lot of people come in for, and most the workers are ladies so... look, if you aren't laughing now, you suck.

So you know how a lot of talents and gifts can be inherited or "run in the genes"? Well, I am here to tell you that golf is not one of those talents. My entire family is good at golf. My grandpa coached at my high school and can still shoot a 78. My dad has been winning pro am's and tournaments since he was a kid and my brother has always had a natural knack for it too. Even my mom--God bless her nonathletic soul--has game. Maybe the golf genes can only be given to the first born. Seems legit. Don't get me wrong, when I don't whiff the ball, I hit the crap out of it, usually in the general vicinity of the hole. From there though, it's all down hill. I played the back 9 last week at this lovely golf course nearby, and while it's been awhile since I've actually golfed, I don't remember being this bad. It took me one hole to decide I was not going to be scoring my round, but it doesn't take a genius to know that losing multiple balls and 4 four-putting every time adds up. As a general rule for my life, I don't like doing things I am really bad at, but the beauty of this is, I am pretty great at most things. It's a burden really. Still, it was a beautiful day and I had a good time so I will be back to swinging away soon. Putting it mildly, Sam's got room for improvement. I reckon my biggest hurdle will be finding someone willing to play with me again.

I got a new guitar for myself this week. Pretty happy about it. The last guitar I played was Morty's in Germany and you could barely call it playing then, but it's fun and I've got a huge void to fill in my life now that I am caught up on breaking bad. I have more time and lots of sadness, and let's face it, those are the two prerequisites for playing a guitar. Win-win.

I've got two words for you.

Whenever I can, I try to pass along any nuggets of wisdom or pieces of advice that I feel are pressing. But, being that I am not wise and I tend to not listen to the advice of others, I've never had anything to pass along...TILL NOW! So listen up, cause I've got two words for you: breaking bad. Don't confuse this brief moment of sincerity for my typically sarcastic, glib nature. If you haven't seen this show, your life isn't as awesome as it could be. Really, you owe it to yourself to be better--I want this for you and so should you. I started watching it just shortly after getting to Australia and you've seen how great my life is these days. Coincidence? I think not.

Alright, now that that is out of the way, who is ready for a riddle? What's rusty, debilitated and way past it's prime? Kudos if you said the Celtics, but I was actually referring to my new "previously-owned" vehicle. He's a bit of a fixer-upper, but he sure does have character. What he doesn't have is curb appeal...or power windows...or power locks. Or a cd player. But he's got a trunk that won't quit and goes 0-20 in like 15 seconds flat. Least we know I won't be getting any speeding tickets with this bad boy (challenge accepted?). He's a bit camera shy presently, but I'll post some pictures next time.


We've won our last two games, extending our win streak to 7. I expect ESPN will be calling soon--just 27 more wins and we'll break the Laker's record for longest win streak. I don't want to count my chickens before they hatch or anything, but I think we can all agree that the first 7 wins are the hardest, so it's basically smooth sailing from here. Neither of the games were very close, but the wins moved us into 2nd place. I had 26 points, 10 rebounds, 5 steals and 5 assists in one game and the same stats the next game, except I scored 25 points. After our game in Bunburry, our furthest opponent--a mere hour and a half away--both our team and the men's team decided to stay and go out in the city after our games.

The city is actually shockingly banal, but I guess that wasn't really the point. It was a rather fun team activity and served as a platform for me to showcase my sparkling personality as I got to know everyone better. It is stunning to me that no matter where I go to play, I always meet someone who played with someone I know or played with. Basketball is so unique in that regard. We play tomorrow against the first place team. I don't need to tell you how excited I am about this game, but I will so that I have something to write about. I am very excited about this game. Good talk.

I've been a working girl (in its less venereal terms) for 3 weeks now, and I can't be 100% sure since this is purely based on my deplorable narcissism, but I think in congruence with my employment at the store, there has been a coinciding increase in sales and customer influx. I don't have "facts" or "numbers" or anything, but I did earn a respectable B in my college Econ class and it seems this is a classic case of supply and demand. Obviously I am in demand, in case that wasn't clear. Economics isn't for everyone. I'll probably bring that up with management, maybe even include like a bar graph? I pretty much run the store these days--I'm a rather quick learner. Like, this one time, my boss told me not to let anyone rob us. Seems basic, right? Well it's not, don't be fooled. Still, I'm no moron so it only took me being robbed once to understand why we don't want that to happen. Quick learner. Can you say upper-management?

Even with my part time job, I find myself with heaps of free time and so I decided to start working out with a personal trainer. My teammate Tucker has a brother that started training people professionally about a year ago and she and I had been doing some workouts with him, occasionally. This past week I decided I wanted to do it regularly with him and see how it goes. So far, it's not fun, I won't lie. Garth kicks my butt, which is great after the fact, but during it's absolutely miserable. I was actually scared to sneeze the other day because my "abs" were so sore. I should have bought a puppy.

Sunday is Mother's Day! I sure did get lucky in this department. Not only did I score the greatest mom, but I have been blessed with having a lot of other people's really awesome moms in my life too. I've sorta got a monopoly on the quality moms in the world. Jan, when you aren't annoying me, and we've seen great improvement in that department over the years, you are such a delight! I love you SO much and am grateful you put up with all my nonsense. I know it's moments like these that make it worth it :)

Call me shop girl.

Getting acclimated to a new city can sometimes prove quite tricky. Be it the language barrier, unusual climate or the general lack of familiarity with everything else, sometimes it takes ages before a new place feels like home. And then sometimes, things just click. You get along with the people, you love the weather AND it turns out you are a pro at driving on the wrong side of the road. Who knew Australia and I would be such a perfect match? I won’t pretend the driving issue didn't have me a bit flustered momentarily, though, but I really stepped up and showed that car who was boss. There was only one incident with the curb, but aside from the two curbs (which came out of nowhere) and the whole side walk mishap, I was good. Honestly, once you get past the whole "the wheel is on the passenger side" and the constant surge of paranoia that a car is going to come barreling over you every time you turn, it's cake. Really, really scary cake. 

I gotta tell ya, there's nothing like a double header on back to back weekends to remind you you aren't 14 anymore. It's really not the worst reminder though--14 wasn't my best year. Still, I miss having an infinite supply of energy. Friday we played at home against Cockburn, pronounced Co-burn (pity, I know, but it would've been too easy anyways) and it ended up being kind of interesting. Every now and then players have games where they find themselves in a zone, they are on fire and can't be stopped. I scored 47 points in Fridays game, but I am sorry to report that the only zone I was in was a shame free zone cause I shot the ball a lot. A lot a lot; like a bakers dozen, times three... minus 2. But more exciting than the obscene shooting was the win, extending our little streak and keeping me happy. And that's really the goal here. The next night we had another game and this time against an old college rival no less. Taylor Lilley is a former Oregon Duck shooting guard... and really, that's all you need to know about her...she's a duck. And while she is a very lovely person, some things are deal breakers I'm afraid. And so, to pay respect to the time honored tradition of Huskies despising and defeating Ducks, I was determined to win. We got up early by 20 or so but refused to close the door and let them sneak back in. With 2 minutes left it was an 8 point game and we were able to hold on and win by 10. I had 21 points and 10 rebounds in a miserable shooting effort on my end. There were a couple times I thought I was trying to break the backboard with some of my attempts, and I nearly did. Zero exaggeration. I ended up getting player of the week and a false promise regarding an accompanying gift card. I have received no such thing. Stupid award with no prize. Who wants the recognition without the gift?

These days, I am no longer just a basketball player. I've always wondered what that would feel like--it's not so great. You can call me shop girl. My first day was Monday and, I gotta say, I'm pretty dreadful. Dreadful might be the wrong word--let's go with inadequate. But give the girl an A for effort, hey? The thing is...okay so here's the thing: I don't understand a single word coming out of these people's mouths. It's like a foreign language, but worse, cause it's not, so I just feel dumb struggling to comprehend them while they stare at me indignantly. "You'd like cigarettes? No? Oh, you wanted fish and chips." So close. That's usually the low point, confusing every customer with a smoker. However, every now and then I get a cool customer who appreciates my misery and offers me a bone: "Oh I love your accent," they'll offer, to which I reply, "well if you like mine, you'd love yours." Usually the high point in my work day. I'm confident things will improve. But that is mostly founded on the premise that it cannot get worse.


So I finally had my moment with a kangaroo and thanks to my talented coach, we were able to capture the moment on camera! It was a historic moment for both the roo and myself, I dare say. Our eyes locked and I can't be too sure, but I think I saw him wink at me. I was a little disappointed when I couldn't persuade him to pose right next to me, but he was kind enough to pose in the same frame with me, and really that was enough. I'll forever remember that day as the day a kangaroo almost certainly did not wink at me. Good times.

I am living with my teammate Tucker now in her fancy condo since my coach was rather keen to kick me out. Can't blame him--his dog was beginning to love me more than him. Anyways, Tucks is great and has been showing me around the area. We took a lovely coastal drive to Perth the other day, on one of our rare off days (HA!) and went into the city. Goodness, we must have passed like 4 gorgeous beaches on the way though. This place is absolutely stunning and even my fabulous pictures don't do it justice. The city is great too with some amazing views from King's park where we took a stroll in the sun.

We play Saturday away this weekend and just the one game. Our club also has a men's team and they always play right after us, both home and on the road which is pretty cool, hey? Both teams are going to stay in the city afterwards to go out and hopefully celebrate a couple more wins. Tomorrow I will be taking in my first Aussie Footy game! It's not soccer, it's not football, but it is a marvelous blend of the two and I reckon it's the manliest sport I've ever watched. I'm pretty sure there are no rules, but I'm still checking on that, and there is a lot of hitting. Are ya sold yet? Look, I'm not a writer so if you want a more articulate description, google it.

Life down unda

Lycra. This is my nightmare. I can't imagine any scenario where wearing this promotes any variation of greatness. It's itchy and rubs in the wrong places, and while I'll concede that it certainly encourages a healthy diet (or simply not eating at all), it's a poor excuse for a uni. Fortunately this is NOT what my team wears. Thank God. I've posted my real uni below, and it's heaps better. Sorry for the disappointment, but you're welcome for this incredibly embarrassing image. Just further proof of my desperate dedication to keeping you entertained.

So I'm living in Australia now. I wake up every morning and actually remind myself of that. I've found it puts me in a proper mood to start the day. Feel free to try it--I'll admit you're at somewhat of a disadvantage not actually living here, but I bet you'll feel good for a second or two, and you can't put a price on that. For those of you counting, I've just jumped another 6 hours into the future, so if you got questions, fire away. I mean, I don't know everything, but I certainly know more than you guys still living in yesterday.

I've only been here 4 days, but I like it a lot already. I really got lucky with the team and coach again, as they have been incredibly welcoming and seem really fun. And the team is good, which is great cause who likes being on a crappy team. Nobody, that's who. I sincerely miss my girls in Germany, but I think I am going to have a great experience playing with these Aussies too.
Speaking of playing, we had a double header this weekend already. I landed Thursday night late and I had my first game with the girls Saturday. We didn't have a practice before the game either, so other than getting some shots up at the gym Friday, I was a little rusty. I played around 20 minutes and wasn't terrible, but wasn't too sharp either. I had 13 points and we won which was great. My body was a little confused though during and after the game. I think it still thought we were on vacation so it didn't handle the abrupt shift back to the court with as much pleasure as my mind. Sunday's game, though still a bit rocky, was an improvement for me. I had 22 and 8 and we won again and I got to shake off a few more cobwebs. We have a double header again this week on Friday and Saturday. For the few of you interested, there isn't live feed to these games unfortunately, but there is live stat tracker, and my mama assures me it's impressively efficient. Just go here: http://www.sbl.asn.au/
Not sure but I think I forgot to mention what team I play for--Rockingham Flames--which I gotta say is rather appropriate cause it's been bloody hot since I've been here. I love it except when we play. Then it's just gross.

Life down unda is fairly different from life in Germland. I would say the most distinct difference is the training schedule. Here we only train twice a week. Yup, that's 2 times, one more than once, two more than nothing at all. It's no big deal though. Psh, I'm totally fine with it--not worried at all. I am actually really looking forward to having some quality me time and--OKAY FINE! I'm freaking out. I'm gonna fill that free time with shooting workouts and cardio. Ugh, I've got problems. Fortunately, Ryan, my coach, hooked me up with a lucrative alternative to killing time--a part time job at his Dad's shop. Starting next week I am gonna be a little Aussie shop girl. I hope I get a name tag, I really want to make up an awesome native persona and name her for while I work at the shop so I blend in. I know my British accent betrayed me, but I really think I got this one down. I nearly got the lingo mastered, so it's just a matter of practice. According to google, Amelia was the most popular name for baby Australian girls in 2012. That name happens to hold a dear place in my heart, so I am running with it. My life just got super exciting.

Likewise, my living arrangements here are unique, too. The American imports more commonly live with host families over here rather than teammates. I am living with my coach Ryan for the moment, just a temporary set-up till I move in with my host family, but it's actually not terrible. He has the cutest dog and a gigantic theater room so I've got all the necessities. He also lives quite close to the beach so that is wonderful too. I do get a car this week like I did in Germany (praying for a jackaroo) and yes, the wheel is on the other side AND they drive on the left side of the road. What is that? Ugh. This is gonna be miserable. But ya know, as miserable as anything can be in Australia...so actually, pretty great.

When one door closes...

Excuse me everyone, I have an announcement to make: I've decided to take my talents to Rockingham beach. Hm, that didn't have quite the affectation I desired. Perhaps it wasn't as dramatically drawn out as my pal Lebron's was. I'm no Lebron and it's not South Beach, annnnnd my so-called talents are...well, considerably less talented, but the statement is true nonetheless--I am moving to the west coast of Australia to play basketball for the next 6 months. Wild, I know. Just when you thought you were done with my blog email updates, I come creeping back.

The contract is signed and the flight is booked--I leave tomorrow morning on perhaps the most objectionable plane ride ever. Hannover to London, London to Hong Kong, Hong Kong to Perth, Australia. Really? What, no New York? Couldn't squeeze Brazil in there, either? Pity. Still, I can't complain, I have always wanted to go to Australia and jump around with some Kangaroos. Now I get to do it while playing basketball--how lucky can I be? I guess that saying is true: when one door closes, another one opens...to an airplane going to Australia. Can't remember who said that oddly specific quote, but boy they hit the nail on the head.

I am all packed and my apartment is emptied and clean. The other Americans have left, so it's just me in there now. The past few days have been a whirl wind--applying for an Australian visa, signing scanning and emailing paperwork, packing, cleaning, messaging, trying to recall how to play basketball. I've managed to cross everything off my extensive to-do list though, save that last one. Tricky business.

I don't know yet my living situation for when I arrive, other than that I will be sharing an apartment and have my own room. I put in my request to live with a kangaroo, so keep your fingers crossed. Evidently I will also be getting an automobile. Now, correct me if I am wrong here, but don't the aussies drive on the wrong side of the road? I know it's not the autobahn, but something tells me this driving distinction will prove wildly more challenging than what I faced in Germany.

I was reminded the other day that the Australian teams typically play in like a spandex type onesie rather than a traditional jersey. This not only scares me, it makes me incredibly uncomfortable just imagining myself running in it. I assure you, if my team participates in this blatant sexist custom, I'll get a doctors note excusing me from it under the argument that I am allergic to being ridiculous--except when it's whimsical, that I like.

I still can't access most my pictures from Dublin, Munich and Innsbruck but I have posted some from my last days in Wolfenbuttel and some from traveling. I won't be posting my next blog until I have at least one picture with a kangaroo. Ideally the kangaroo and I are doing some sort of well known pose (maybe we'll "tebow") but I don't know if we'll have time for all that. I have also heard a lot about this "thunder from down under" and while I don't fully understand what it is, I am anxious to investigate and let you all know :)

Making lemonade.

I should’ve seen this coming. Call it naivety, call it sheer stupidity, but I genuinely believed that we were going to finish this season. But here we are, packing our bags and booking our flights, grieving over what could’ve been. Dying to know what happened? Good, cause it’s killing me to write this.

We were on the bus when we found out. After just losing to Marburg and completing our regular season schedule (qualifying for playoffs with a 7^th place finish) we heard our season was over. Now, if this season has taught me anything, it’s this: men who wear suits are bad—do not trust them. Also, don’t believe everything you hear. I learned that lesson in 3^rd grade too when Wally told me that Anthony liked me. He didn’t. I have been jaded ever since. Anyways, this time the second hand information was true, our season was effectively over after the Marburg game—our President pulled us from playoffs due to insufficient funds…and because he wears a suit and is bad. 

So no playoffs, just like that. Still processing this fact and something tells me it's gonna take me a bit to get over. I feel like I should have something more meaningful to say about the end, something encapsulating of what this season has meant to me, despite all the ups and downs, but I just don't. Perhaps once I am more removed, but for now, I just hurt.

Marburg was our final game of the season, and for some, the final game of their careers, unbeknownst to them at the time. With the exception of the loss, it wasn’t the worst game to go out on—we competed and were up most the game, and had opportunities to tie/win, but came up short. I finished with 23 points. Our previous game, our last home game, was against Rhein Mein and was an exciting win for our fans and us. We lead the whole game, though not by much, and were able to pull away at the end. I had 26 points, 7 rebounds, 6 assists and 7 steals and was player of the week.

Things happen quickly out here. Saturday we heard that our season was over and Tuesday was our farewell party where fans and players could meet and reminisce on the season. It was hard, I’m not gonna lie. Seeing so many people in tears and distraught by what was happening was emotionally taxing. On the other hand, it was wonderful to have the opportunity to see most these people for probably the last time in our lives. This season was just another brief chapter in my life, but it’s been one of my favorites, in large part because of those people.

I ended up finishing first in scoring and steals in our league, with 19 and 2.7 respectively, but honestly, this season was a far greater disappointment than last year. Sure last year we didn’t make playoffs and we weren’t that good, but there also weren’t really any expectations. This season though we were good and capable of winning the championship. AND we earned our playoff spot. Had we not been penalized the 5 point deduction, we would have finished in 3^rd place. I suppose though, our club would still be financially insolvent, so that fact becomes irrelevant. I loved this team and my coach and it makes me sick to my stomach that we won't get our chance to finish what we started. 

This season has been unusually dramatic and so I've heard my fair share of platitudes from friends and family alike, attempting to console me. It's thoughtful, but a person can only be told to make lemonade so many times. Normally I am totally a lemonade out of lemons girl—I mean who doesn’t like lemonade, such a delightful beverage. But in this instance, if you offer me that in lieu of comfort, know I’ll probably find a real lemon and throw it at your face. Just sayin. However, I will do my best to fashion a silver lining out of my season unceremoniously ending. Being the worldly woman that I am, my silver lining has become traveling. Sidney and I aren't going to Greece until May, when we thought I would be finishing up playoffs, so I've got some time to kill. Our suit wearing president is kicking us out of our apartments after our guests leave Monday, so I am going to relocate to Viernheim where Sidney lives and do some additional traveling and visit some friends (making lemonade).

In the middle of all this chaos, both Morty and I had visitors come. Morty's mom got here March 13th and Chris came to visit me on the 26th. The four of us went to Dublin for Easter weekend and had an incredible time. We spent Easter Sunday at St. Patrick's Cathedral for service which was phenomenal. We did what every Christian does after Easter service--went to the Guinness storehouse and learned all about brewing beer! It was quite the experience. Friday and Saturday was spent seeing the city, taking a bus tour and enjoying the Temple bar area. Dublin really is a beautiful city (sorry no pictures, the internet hates me right now).

Morty's mom left us this morning but Chris and Morty don't leave till Monday, so the 3 of us are going to travel a bit more. We head to Munich tomorrow and from there we'll go to Innsbruck, Austria and then maybe Zurich, Switzerland before making our way back to Wolfenbuttel. It goes without saying that I would much rather be playing than traveling, but being unemployed now as I am, I figure I ought to pick up a new hobby. Gonna give this making lemonade thing a try.

Looks like this may very well be my last post then for this season. Perhaps I will post pictures and charming anecdotes from my travels, lord knows I'll have time. If not, thanks again for the support this season and following along. I intend to continue playing again next season, and of course, once I know where, I will update all 20 of you. Till then, I hope everyone has a fantastic Spring and Summer and keeps in touch elsewhere!