VENICE

We're here safe and sound!! Check SCVA blog for updates! Limited internet access - will try to post a longer update in next day or two. Our apartment is awesome!! Hope you guys are having a blast in Laguna! Love you!

Mom & Dad

UPDATE (9:15 PM Venice Time, on Sunday) - we had a great day today, enjoying a drink at Cafe Florian in San Marcos Plaza, eating at a VERY authentic/local Osteria (little family run restaurant), and then doing some shopping at a local mask shop (all hand-made from paper mache by a sweet little old Italian grandma and her daughter - each mask takes between 14 and 24 hours to make!).

DAY 10 - GC 2008 Finals

Hi gang! Our SCVA Blue team ended the tournament with a tough fight against a HUGE Romanian team, losing 2-1. We enjoyed watching the Championship match and Closing Ceremonies, and now as I finish this (midnight our time), we need to finish packing still for the bus that leaves for Pordenone tomorrow morning! The GC 2008 tournament was a great experience for all the girls, Kaila included. She's made some great friends (especially the Slovenian Youth team!), and has had the opportunity to compete at a very high level against some very strong/older teams. We've also had lots and lots of fun, and are looking forward to the last "official" team night in Pordenone, and five nights of just pure fun in Venice! Hope you are all doing great!

Kevin (and Darci and Anthony and Kaila).

DAY 9 - GC Day 3

Hi again - two posts in one night!! Kaila's team had a big day today again, facing two very strong teams - first OK Pula (who are now playing in the finals tomorrow), and the Slovenian Youth team (who they scrimmaged with in Ljubljana). The girls lost both games, but played very tough. In between matches, me and Mom walked down to a little beach just down the street - the Adriatic Sea is wonderful - the blue is so deep, the water is so clear (and so salty it's easy to float!). While we were there we watched a sailboat race that started in our lagoon and headed out to sea. We're all gearing up for a big final day tomorrow, with the girls playing for 7th place tomorrow morning at 9 AM against Romania (out of a field of 16 teams). After the Championship matches, there will be a GC 2008 Closing Ceremony, then we pack and take the bus for Pordenone/Venice.

Keep us posted on the homefront!!! James & Hannah - hope you're having a blast in Laguna!!

DAY 8 - GC Day 2

Hi everyone!! We've been busy here in Pula!! Hope you are all having a blast in SoCal! The weather here has been very Hawaii-like - humid, warm (sometimes hot), with some early evening thunderstorms. Kaila and her team had a big day Tuesday, as SCVA Blue beat an older Austrian team, and then played the older SCVA Red team and beat them 3-1! We went out to dinner last night at a great local restaurant, right above the little market we shop at. Darci had pasta with shrimp (one was on top, with its little eyes staring at Darci!), and I ordered pasta with calamari and risotto, which was served in squid ink!!

DAY 7 - Pula (GC Tournament - Round 1 - Monday)

Day 1 of the Tournament! SCVA Youth played very well, losing to a very strong team of older girls (Pula), and then beating a very good Russian team (it's quite a big deal to have them in this tournament, due in part to the involvement of Nikolai Karpal, a famous Russian coach). Me, mom and Deedee went on a grand adventure to Rovinj (a REALLY cool little coastal town - reminds us of Balboa). We walked around for about 30 minutes, had an ice cream (while we were waiting a boy got an ice cream with at least 12 scoops - it was ginormous), and then had to return to Pula since the traffic into town was so heavy and we didn't want to be late for Kaila's 5 PM game. We went on a side street and found some back alleys with lots and lots of little shops (Darci found some hand-made soaps by "Lush", and I found some very good locally grown wine). Our side streets took as further inland than planned, and we ended up getting lost and taking a taxi to make the 5 PM game (barely made it in time!!).

Love you and miss you guys!!

DAY 6 - Train Ride to Pula, and Opening Ceremonies!

Hello everyone!! Today we had another early departure, taking the 7:10 AM train to Pula instead of riding the bus. We had SUCH a nice train ride!!! We arrived in Pula about 11:30 AM (the bus didn't get here until about 1:15 PM). We checked into Hotel Pula - basically a nice Best Western on the coast (functional, with some resort amenities). The girls all had some great time on the beach right below the hotel, and Darci and Kaila met two very nice girls from TCU (Texas Christian University). After a quick dinner, we headed by bus down to the Opening Ceremony in Pula's "Town Hall" (forum - a 2,000+ year old Roman plaza). The Ceremony was great, and included some cultural and modern dancers. We enjoyed some relax time in one of the Town Hall cafes (it's 1 AM now as I finish this blog!!).

Hannah and James - it should be about 4 PM your time right now, so hopefully you are having a great dinner at Aunt Dorothy's!! We will keep you all posted as the tournament begins tomorrow (Monday) morning at 9 AM! Kaila continues to have a blast!!