Well this weekend is the last weekend of deer hunting. I just wanted to wish those who havent gotten a deer or are going back out to try and get another the best of luck and hopefully you will get one.
On Thursday the Americans got together after our practice finished at 8:00 and went over to one of the guy's apartments. There we had dinner. Earlier in the day Katy and I went over to his house and cooked so the food would be all ready when we got done with practice. We cooked a turkey, stuffing, mashed potatos, gravy, broccoli and cheese sauce for it, green bean casserole, pumpkin pie, banana cream pie. Every thing we made had to be from scratch as they dont have any stuffing mix, pumpkin pie filling, French's onions, pie crust. It made it kind of fun to make it like that though. Then one of our teammates made candied sweet potatoes, a ham, he had a little cranberry sauce, and made a yellow cake. Another couple of teammates brought rolls and drinks so we were set. We were a little worried that we were not going to have enough food, but in the end it was just about right. For some of the stuff there was no leftovers, but I think everybody got as much as they wanted on the night so it was great. There were eight of us and it was a great night. Made even better by the Packers getting the W. We were able to watch the game as the guy's place we went to had ESPN America on his TV and we were able to watch it live. It was awesome. One of the guys on the team is Cowboys fan so we watched that game as well and they won too. So everyone was happy.
When we played them they were sitting atop the league. We started off a little shaky and went down by some in the first quarter but then fought back. The team played pretty well and towards the end of the game it felt like we were in control. We ended up winning by 9 points. It was a great feeling beating the best team in the league. After many close games with good teams it felt good to win one.
want to wish everyone back home the best of luck with opener this weekend. Hope to hear a lot of good stories (that ended up with getting one or more) in the weeks to come. Wish I could be hitting the woods with ya. 
I couldnt seem to walk on the court without getting a foul, and ended up fouling out in a limited amount of time. Our team played pretty tough for the whole game. With a couple minutes to go were neck and neck. Down the stretch we had our chances to go ahead but just missed out on them. A guy on the other team hit a big 3 with only a little time left to pretty much seal the game. In the end we lost by 4 points. It was tough, it was a game that we could have won if we would have done a few things differently. We seem to play good teams tough, now we just have to find a way to get the game in the end. This next weekend we play the Artland Dragons, who are sitting at the top of the league. So, it would be a huge win for us if we could get it.
I think in the 4th we had a small lead most of the time. In the end we were able to hit our free-throws and won. It was a greta feeling especially as we have been very close in many other games. 2 in overtime and lost by only a few in many others. After a win they have a 'tradition' here is Giessen where you look up at the crowd and hold your hands straight out towards them. You shake your hands for a couple seconds and then wave your hands up and down. The fans are doing this at the same time back to you. You do it 4 times, one for each group of stands (the 4 sides of the court). The atmosphere, as you can imagine, is so much better after a win. After the game, we meet as a team and have dinner in the VIP area. They have served ham, chicken, shnitzel, and goose already. Its really quite good food. It was nice because even in there the atmosphere was much lighter and more fun. Looks like we'll just have to win some more games.
We didnt do a USA vs Europe again but rather divided the teams up from who was playing. Not everyone played as some were resting injuries. We played two games. In the first game it was close. The other team finished before my team did. They totaled up their score and wound up with a 467. As our last bowler finished, he bowled a spare and then a strike in the 10th frame. We were pumped. We added our score up in our head, but we werent sure if it was right as it was close. So somebody got out the phone and added the score up. 468. We beat them by one pin. We thought that was pretty crazy. 4 people, 10 frames, and it comes down to 1 pin. I guess every pin matters. The second game wasnt that close, the other team beat us by 50. I think I am getting a little better though. I had a 130 something and then a 175. Maybe if we win again we will get to go bowling next week and I can try to work on that 300. Although I have a long way to go before I get there. I will have to take Katy bowling one of these nights. And watch she'll come in with a 200 or something, and beat me with big smile on her face.
We played the US versus the Europeans. One of the guys on the European team had never bowled before. Wednesday was his first time ever. Well call it beginners luck or what you will, but he bowled a 135 and a 150 in the two games we played. Another guy on the European team bowled under 100 the first game and then came back with a 192 the second game. We, the US team, thought we had a chance but the Europeans won both games. 
