Coach and I landed at O'Hare Friday afternoon and it's been nonstop.
Florence sunset
Curly's travel basketball season kicked off. I knew this was on the schedule, but knowing it and wrapping my brain around it - two different things. Her first game was Friday night at 9:10 pm, 30 minutes away. Coach stayed home, and I went even though aside from three naps under an hour each (2 on the plane and 1 before we drove to respite folks' home to pick up the girls), I'd essentially been awake since 11 pm the night before.
She plays near Indianapolis next weekend and my brain had not processed that far out, but it's fine. I love basketball, right?
* I don't love refs who stop calling fouls in order to rush a game along. Sat. night's 9 pm game didn't start till 10 and ended at 11 pm. I felt like I was being pranked, because C'MON, JET LAGGED OVER HERE. Someone (OK, me) had to stand up in the bleachers and remind them to use their whistles after Curly and another teammate were flipped onto their backs/flattened while involved in a jump ball with the SAME player in two practically back to back plays. Zero whistles. Nada. Call the damn foul, so no one gets hurt. Grrr.
What I also don't love (this post is taking a whole different direction than what I planned, but rolling with it) is shopping for b-ball shoes for girls. If I was smart, I'd open a sport store that sells sport shoes for female athletes EXCLUSIVELY.
This message was brought to you by a failed basketball shoe excursion Sunday evening to Dick's Sporting Good, when I really just wanted to crawl into my bed (or write this post earlier so I could crawl into bed early-ish). 
View of Florence from the bell tower
of the Duomo. The stairs photo is my
view following Coach
up some 540-ish stairs.
When I wasn't watching a game and shopping for bball shoes: I had the girls empty their drawers/closet and flipped their winter/summer clothes and collected SO much to donate. This is my least fav job and WHY did I decide to tackle it this weekend? I'm a little cray-cray. Then I did laundry, visited my parents, went to confession, attended mass early on Saturday before Curly's 6:30 pm game, worked out Sat, ran on Sunday, finished my chapter for my writers group (which meant going to bed at 1 am after Curly's late Sat game - in part because I was full of adrenaline as we lost in OT), bought groceries near the venue after Curly's Sunday morning game while she hung out at Culver's with her travel bestie who lives in the city. And finally and most importantly, Coach and I zoomed with our lovely adoption therapist, Katlyn, Sunday afternoon. A very helpful session . . . (I drafted the cliff notes, but have copied them into my next post - My version of cliff notes is not brief).
The trip: OH, YEAH. ITALY . . . we had a great trip. Lots and lots of stories. I thought I'd get to the Prego story referenced in the title. Maybe next time. We so enjoyed our time with Mini. We saw a ton (maybe a record number of Basilicas?, but when in Rome . . . see what I did there?) The worst part?
Mini got the Norovirus Sunday night, and was so, so, so sick. Tank caught the Norovirus when he was in Cancun for spring break (can't remember if I shared that ordeal), so I packed Liquid IV and that was helpful. We were relieved that it didn't hit when we were on a 2 hour train ride or touring Pompeii, hours away from our hotel, etc. Silver lining. Also, grateful I didn't catch it (Coach had it several weeks ago). 
Studio where Mini paint
and draws. So cool.
*****
I never responded to comments before I left, life really did derail a bit with the girls' nonsense - but I did buy Bomba socks. They served me well. I took my Advair religiously while traveling (but skipped it too many times since we got back and feel a little cruddy, but maybe sleep will help). Looking forward to seeing what everyone's been up to. Have you gotten horribly ill while traveling?
Welcome back! I hope the trip was full of good times and great wine.
ReplyDeleteThat travel basketball game would have killed me. You are resilient! Looking forward to more stories.
And someone always got sick when we traveled. One trip was when my daughter kept getting sick - finally figured out later that's when she stated to develop gluten intolerance.
mbmom11 - It was a great trip. We saw a lot, but spending time with Mini, lingering after dinner or going to a bar after dinner for another glass of wine was so very fun.
DeleteThe late time of the games don't bother me as much as dumb fans who think they can tell me how to cheer for my team. Not having it.
Getting sick while not at home - the worst. A friend did point out that it's probably a blessing that it happened to Mini when we were there. True.
We didn't manage to climb the Dumo - next time. That sunset picture is gorgeous. You must be so glad to have context for all of Mini's go-to places <3
ReplyDeleteShoe shopping - ANY clothes shopping - for the female body just feels like torture. Why must it be so hard?
I can't imagine being up so late for a basketball game. Yikes! I would have been passed out on the bleachers.
Elisabeth - Those steps were a killer. Coach kept calling out to me, "Let's go Kimmy B!" because that's the name of the woman that teaches my favorite classes at our health club. Wise ass. Basketball shoes - Curly doesn't want anything flashy. That doesn't really exist. She doesn't want to spend $200. Then there's the comfort factor. She wants it to be flexible to be able to move/flex her feet.
DeleteBaseball games are so long and drawn out - at least basketball games are fast. Plus high energy and it helps that Curly plays most of the game and I love hanging with the parents so much, so it's social and fun.
Well, my brain went to thinking you came back from Italy with a wee souvenir in the oven "Prego". We've bought men's basketball shoes for Maggie before, I'm sure you've gone that route too. She has a pair now that she loves and wears for volleyball even though they are basketball shoes: https://shopstyle.it/l/ck1Jz
ReplyDeleteMy mind went there too! Catholic moms of big families, unite!
DeleteColleen!!!! What? WHAT? I can't believe that crossed your mind. I guess when you get to be of a certain age Prego only means pasta sauce OR, if you've just returned from Italy it means that you ate at a restaurant where the waiters greeted you with 'prego' so many times that you thought you might be in an SNL skit. Prego in Italy means welcome, I think. But maybe also, Hello.
DeleteOh yeah, we are not afraid to buy men's shoes. I think she doesn't like flashy shoes, and she needs some flexibility (maybe), but she was just under whelmed by what they had to offer. I showed her the link to Maggie's fav shoes and she said they're OK. I think she usually wears Adidas and she prefers those.
Welcome home! You were missed! I’m glad the trip went well, despite the illness. Were you able to handle the food? And this is a dumb question, but how do you know it was Norovirus? I’ve never gotten sick on a trip (besides Covid last year), but my son has numerous times while out of the country and he always thinks it’s food poisoning.
ReplyDeleteBijoux - Thank you. It was overall a great trip. I did fine with the food. A few restaurants had GF pasta, but mostly I ate other things. I ate octopus, rabbit, and lamb.
DeleteMy SIL is a doctor. I texted her and she said she's got Norovirus. I think she knew that because of the symptoms, like how fast it came on, um both ends, and the duration. I think food poisoning ends faster. Maybe?
Welcome back! I'm glad you had a great trip! Can't wait to hear more about it! Hope you have more pictures to post too!
ReplyDeleteIs it common for a game to start so late at night?
I did get sick traveling once. I was on a work trip to Atlanta and came down with a bad cold. I bought dayquill but didn't think I could take it through security at the airport so ended up throwing most of the bottle away. My mom picked me up from the airport and all I wanted was a nap, but she informed me that company was coming!
Jenny in WV - Thank you. It was a great trip. I really was so busy before we left getting all my ducks in a row at home that I never really wrapped my brain around the trip. It was enjoyable. My favorite part was spending time with Mini but our tour of the Vatican museum given by a wonderful nun was a highlight. Oh, there are more photos.
DeleteCompany coming when you've returned home from a work trip where you were ill, well that's no fun. Thank goodness we had liquid IV with us.
Welcome back! You really had to hit the ground running, didn't you?
ReplyDeleteLove the view of Mini's art studio. What a terrific place to create.
Nance - Thank you. I did hit the ground running. I probably could've put off reorganizing the girls' room, because the weather is still so cold - but I really could not take it anymore. To demonstrate: we filled over 2 big laundry baskets of clothes to get rid of. There was so much excess in there and even though they wear uniforms their floor is covered in a deep layer of clothes ALWAYS. I was so excited to get to see her studio. That reminds me of a funny ha-ha moment, I'll have to share in an upcoming post.
DeletePrego in the headline definitely made me think of a pregnancy announcement but I immediately thought - NOPE NOT HAPPENING IN THIS CASE! Ha! But dang, a game that starts after 9? That is utterly ridiculous! I'm not jetlagged but would still be on the major struggle bus if I had to pep myself up for a game at that time of the day!! But I guess it's not bad for the circadian rhythms of the players...
ReplyDeleteLisa - My friend Delilah texted me just as I was reading these comments and I was like OH BROTHER - I CAN'T BELIEVE THEY THOUGHT THAT . . . and Delilah was like Why did they all think that? I explained that people say prego as an abbreviation for pregnant, and she was like OH, I GET IT. I guess once you are as old as we are, you forget about that. We were dying laughing. Def not in this case.
DeleteYes, a game after 9 pm and the next day the game that was at 9 pm (she also played at 6:50 and then we waited till for her next game) started so late . . . not until 10. That was nuts. I'm laughing at you being on the struggle bus. I really enjoy the social side of her games, because the other parents are some great, fun people.
I'm so happy that your trip was a success! Bummer about Mini getting sick; that is always the worst. But like you said, Silver Linings that she wasn't on a train at the time.
ReplyDeleteUm, I had a terrible stomach bug in Spain, and the Coach had food poisoning in Portugal. Also Silver Linings that these things happened on days where we were not traveling away from our hotel.
I hope the girls did well while you were gone! Basketball is a full time job in your family and keeping all your people in shoes sounds like an endless journey!
Suz - It was a success and if we'd all gotten sick, well - it could've been so much worse. I honestly thought of you and how you and your Coach had gotten sick on your recent travels.
DeleteThe girls had the best time with the other family. We texted back and forth a little, and they let me know that they were enjoying the girls and that they seemed so comfortable. That worked out so well. And the family said the girls are welcome back anytime.
Basketball is a big deal over here, and right now both Reg and Curly are trying to get offers to play in college and it's a lot. Exciting, but stressful.
Both little girls need new running shoes and that's such a chore, because of the club feet. I dread it. Fingers crossed we find something that they like and that fit without much difficulty.
Welcome back! I'm getting caught up on blog reading and as usual you've been busy!! Poor Mini.
ReplyDeleteBeth - Hi there, my friend. Great to hear from you. Thanks. We have been busy. Yeah, that was brutal and just heart breaking, but it is true that it was probably best that we were with her and that she wasn't in some hostel in a communal bathroom.
DeleteI remember playing indoor soccer, and the games would start as late as 11 PM. I had to arrange my own transportation for games after 9, because Mom needed to sleep.
ReplyDeleteI've never gotten anything like a norovirus while on vacation. I did get pneumonia. Thankfully it was a driving vacation, so we cut it short and went home, because sharing a hotel room with me was miserable.
Kara - What? Games starting at 11 pm? That's nuts. I don't blame your mom for skipping it to get sleep.
DeleteOh, I don't know - pneumonia is pretty rough, but probably not as emergent as norovirus. Bummer to cut a workout short.
Welcome back! It sounds like you need a vacation from your vacation! The norovirus!? What even is that? I used to help my friend take her girls to and from games and I had to beg out of the ones starting after 9 pm because hello, that is past my bedtime, even when I am NOT jet lagged! Woof!
ReplyDeleteKyria - Thank you. I would not have minded a relaxing weekend to ease back into life. Being a tourist is hard work, but alas. The norovirus is a form of torture, where you are sick from err . . . both ends for hours. And hours. It was awful. Poor Mini. Games starting after 9 pm - it's silliness. Especially when the games run late and the refs don't want to be there. Overall I've found that refs since covid have been subpar. I've heard there are shortages and thus we are scraping the bottom of the barrel. I should not throw stones because I would never want to do that job. But still, call the game in such a way that no one gets hurt. A game on the court next to us ended abruptly when the coach refused to let his players play because of a bad call that left his player injured on the floor. He was like, We're done.
DeleteCan't wait to hear all the details! The pictures you shared are just beautiful. But that is nuts about the game starting so late and really nuts about the refs not calling appropriate fouls! Although thinking about safety in a basketball game reminds me of one 4th grader on another school's team we played several times over the course of this year (in regular season and tournaments) who literally fell on the floor if another kid even brushed her. The first few times I was sure another kid pushed her and was waiting for the whistle (which never came), so then I purposely kept my eyes on her and, nope, she just toppled over at the slightest contact with someone else. Obviously not the same situation but I'm still puzzled by that (and can't imagine how many bruises she must have!).
ReplyDeleteOof, so sorry for Mini that she got noro. It's nasty. But I'm sure she was glad to have her mama there and really glad you didn't get it!
Kate - I do have some stories, as I always manage to end up with things turning a bit sideways and adventurous. I think what you are describing is what we call flopping. Faking being pushed in hopes of getting a call. In high school, I believe, that's now punished with a technical or something. I think, but I might be making that up. Noro was so nasty. I do think timing wise and having your parents there to carry your bag and mix you up some liquid IV and tell you when to ease back into nibbling and to um, loan you extra underwear and pj bottoms - well that beat doing that at a huge hostel with no privacy. I cannot believe I didn't get it. We were looking at the directions on one another phones, etc.
DeleteWelcome back!!! At least you had a gentle re-entry- just kidding, it sounds brutal! Glad the trip was great (other than Mini getting sick) and I can't wait to hear details.
ReplyDeleteJenny - It really wasn't a horrible re-entry. At least the bball was local and we didn't have to travel. Plus the girls were on good behavior since they know they are skating on thin ice. And - Reg and Curly had worked to keep the house clean, which I didn't anticipate AT ALL. There will be details forthcoming. Mostly the funny ones, because the rest would probably bore you to tears.
DeletePoor Mini! There is nothing worse than getting sick when you aren't home. Sending her a hug. I'm so glad you didn't get it! Your immune system is amazing!
ReplyDeleteI'm glad you had a good trip. 💜
Kari - So true - traveling while sick? Thank goodness that I had packed liquid IV. We also bought her a sport drink at a train station. I was so convinced that I would get it and I could not figure out how the rest of the trip would play out if I went down.
DeleteHow lousy to be sick when you're far from home. I'm glad your trip went smoothly despite Mini's ick. I'm smiling about seeing all the basilicas. You said it, Ernie: when in Rome whatcha gonna do?
ReplyDeleteAlly - It really is unfortunate timing. Otherwise, the trip was enjoyable. We relaxed, ate well, toured plenty of things - the basilicas do blend together after awhile. I did happen to say When In Rome a few too many times while we were out drinking at a bar after dinner and I was banned from saying it again. It was one of those, But it seemed funny at the time moments. It still makes me smile, because I can picture Mini's face and her 'That's it Dad, we need to cut her off.' Ha.
DeleteWelcome back! Put me in the crowd who thought that there is another Shenanigan on the way from the title of this post LOL.
ReplyDeleteHow was navigating gluten free food in Italy?
Joymarie - Oh brother. Not you too? Maybe I've got you all fooled to think I'm a lot younger than I actually am. I'm WAY TOO OLD TO BE PREGNANT. I think I'm so old that the playful 'prego' term was not in use when I was of childbearing years.
DeleteI did fine with the GF food. The hotels we stayed (most of them) knew I was coming and bought GF food for me. A few restaurants had GF pasta, but they all knew what it meant and advised me accordingly. One place even brought me out a warm GF dinner roll/bread.