As most of you saw on my Facebook page, Tyler was selected for the all star game. It was held in the city of Mantova, which is only a couple hours away from Forli, so Tyler and I were able to drive there together. I was so happy to get to see him play in it. He was in a couple all star games in Latvia but I was never there when they took place.
The all star game consisted of two teams - the Italians and the foreigners - and from two leagues - the Gold league (Tyler's league) and the league below it, the Silver league. Each team had 12 players. So out of 16 teams in the Gold league, and probably just as many teams in the Silver league, Tyler was one of 12 players selected from all of those teams. I am so, so proud of him! I am so happy that he has had such a successful season and can't wait to see what it is going to bring him to for next season.
The all star game was a big deal for Mantova. There were two earthquakes a couple of springs ago causing a lot of damage to the area. They had signs up everywhere in the arena saying "From earthquake to heart quake" ... now although I don't know the whole story behind it all, basketball is huge in Italy and I think that being the host city for this event was an honor and meant a lot to the city after dealing with the earthquakes. Tons of fans were there and the gym was packed. Everyone was cheering the entire time and you could just tell how much they loved being there. The fans in Italy are something else. They genuinely enjoy the game and they absolutely love the players. I love watching people meet Tyler. It is so sweet to see the little kids meet him. They look at Tyler with big eyes and big smiles and you can just tell they think it is the coolest thing ever!
Now Tyler is down to one game left. ONE GAME!!!! I can hardly even believe it! We are hoping that we will find out this week how soon we can leave after his game next Sunday. We aren't holding our breath though. Usually he finds out with only a couple days notice. But we have both already started to pack :) WE ARE SO EXCITED! Thinking of being home in a couple weeks makes me want to cry from being so overjoyed. I am not even lying. It wouldn't surprise me if I started crying when we land in Minneapolis and I am not ashamed to admit it! I seriously miss home so much! I have been gone for almost six months and that is by far the longest I have ever been away. I have grown a whole new respect for Tyler being in his 4th year of professional basketball and being away from home for nine months at a time. It was very hard on me at times because I had so much alone time. I figured it out that on average, I spend about 25-30 hours a week by myself while Tyler is at practice. Then every other week, more time is added onto that when he leaves for away games. He is the one and only person I have out here so when he is gone it gets extremely lonely! I really, really hope there is another American wife next year to spend time with! So if I want to spend excessive amounts of time with you all this summer, it is because I have a lot of making up to do :)
Overall though, how can I complain about spending six months in Italy? Tyler and I spent part of our first year of marriage in Italy and it was such an amazing opportunity. We got to travel and see so many great places and cities. I would 100%, absolutely love to come back here if Tyler were offered another job in Italy. It is a beautiful country and I am so blessed to say that I lived here.
I will continue to keep everyone updated on anything important that comes up. Thank you to everyone who took the time to read what I wrote on my blog over the last few months. I know I only wrote every so often, but I hope it was interesting for those of you who wanted to know a little more about our life out here. It was fun to do and I will continue to blog in the future!
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