#529 Bring on the madness!

In preparation for this exciting month of March, I asked Kelly to name the favorite basketball game that he's EVER attended in his whole life.  After little deliberation, he narrowed the list to his very own Final Four (TM):

#4: Butler vs Wake Forest, round 1, 2001, Kansas City (Butler was up 43-10 at halftime and went on to win their first tournament game in 40 years against the higher seed.)

#3: Butler vs Duke, national championship game, 2010, Indianapolis (minus one final basket by the Bulldogs)

#2: Kansas vs Oregon, regional championship game, 2002, Madison

#1: Kansas vs Memphis, national championship game, 2008, San Antonio (with our Texas family!)

Yours in anticipation of the 2012 Madness,
Mary

#486 Go Bulldogs!

Greetings basketball fans!

We're taking a break from our travel writing just long enough to say CONGRATULATIONS to Indy and the Butler Bulldogs for making it back to the Final Four for the second year in a row. 

We're 12 hours ahead of the US east coast (and Indiana!) now, so we're all trying to keep track of the tournament here on the ship night and day. Here is the official bracket as it appears on the wall in the deck 6 dining hall.

Thanks to all who e-mailed us the good news.  

Yours in wondering whether Kelly can find a place to watch the championship game in Taiwan,

Mary

#424 In the Arena

All roads to the 2010 NCAA men's basketball championship lead to Indianapolis, so we followed them and enjoyed...

friends in the next (fast?) lane...

and friendly places to stay...

and welcome gift bags...

and friends wearing fancy blue boots...

and friends who created the fabulous Destination Indiana exhibit...

and friends at restaurants...

and friends sitting on suitcases...

and friends at the Mass Avenue Pub on Easter Sunday...

and the end of the road at Lucas Oil Stadium where we witnessed basketball magic and cheered with all our might for the bravura Butler Bulldogs. As Teddy Roosevelt said, the credit belongs to the [team] who is actually in the arena.

Check our Indy photos to see all those that wouldn't fit on this blog post!

Yours in counting ourselves lucky to have been in the arena,
Mary

#373 Indianapolis

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For lots of reasons, we want to go to there. Come see us on Saturday at the Rathskeller from 2:00 to 5:00.

Yours in planning a road trip,
Mary

#278 Our Texas Visit - Revisited

Kelly's right. Sometimes things just work out.

But sometimes the things that work out aren't even related to basketball. Shocking!

Sure, KU's last-second shot to send the game into overtime was pretty fun. But lots of other things worked out to make this weekend just about as fun as it gets.

Hanging out on the Riverwalk and running into friends was a highlight for me! Friends provided us with tickets, so that not only we could attend, but so could 4 members of our family. Though Mizzou and UTexas fans, our family helped us root for KU. (It may have been slightly more difficult for those Mizzou faithful, but we appreciate it just this one time.)

The weather was gorgeous - sunny and warm with plenty of Texas wildflowers. The bluebonnets, Indian paintbrush, lavender, and pink evening primrose made for a beautiful drive through the Texas hill country where we stopped to play in this clear creek. The food was scrumptious - Texas barbecue, Mexican food, and large margaritas each and every day.

And as if all of that wasn't enough, American Airlines canceled our return flight (along with about 3000 other flights), so we got to stay 2 extra days in Texas. Our pictures have all been uploaded - just click on the 'see all our photos' link to the right. But the best image of all may just be this video of Kelly riding Uncle Bob’s Pedal-o.

Sometimes things really just work out.
Mary

P.S. to Principal Larry, the KU alum: Sharon is telling the truth. Her brother and sister did go to the Final Four and cheered loudly for the Jayhawks.

#277 Our Texas Visit

Last year, we started working on a plan to attend the NCAA Men's Basketball Championship in San Antonio with our Texas family. And through the generosity of friends, we secured the tickets. Only once in our previous seven men's Final Four visits did we have the pleasure of watching my favorite team, the Kansas Jayhawks, compete. But sometimes things just work out. On Selection Sunday, the Hawks received a number one seed. Two weeks later, we watched in stunning HD as Kansas won the Midwest Regional to advance to the Final Four in San Antonio.

On April 5 in the Alamodome, I watched from section 105, row 31, seat 20 as Kansas overcame a 9-point deficit in the last two minutes, hit a miracle shot to tie the game with 2 seconds remaining, and in overtime, win the 2008 NCAA Men's Basketball Championship.

Yours in appreciating how sometimes things just work out,
Kelly

#272 When Jayhawk fans come to town

It's always good when midwestern friends come to visit us and see the sights in Virginia.

But when those friends are Kansas Jayhawk basketball season ticket holders and the Jayhawks' game is being shown on our ACC-centric Charlottesville television station, what to do?

Sure, we could tour historic attractions, hike on the Appalachian Trail, or visit a nearby National Park, but how can we be expected to ignore the Hawks' last regular-season game?

Larry and Bobbi, be sure to come back when basketball season is over and we'll show you those sights.

Yours in March madness,
Mary