It’s going to be a basketball weekend. The entire family (plus Amanda, Jake’s girlfriend, less Lydia) is staying in a hotel in Bloomington, MN (Home of the Mall of America) this weekend. I went to Priceline.com and got a 3-1/2 star hotel for $45 a night. I’m sitting in the room right now waiting on the family to arrive. The rooms are pretty nice. For $45 they are exceptional! I had a meeting in the Twin Cities today, so I came straight to the hotel after work. Lisa and the kids will get here in about an hour.
Now … they would have arrived sooner, except I had to call them and ask them to head back home. I forgot underwear! If you read Luke’s recent quote on the “True Stories” page of the website, you’ll see why this is pretty funny.
Jake is playing in what will probably be the most difficult tournament of the AAU season. His first game is at 9:45pm tonight. Now you know why we are staying in a hotel. He’ll play 3 games tomorrow, and then depending upon wins and losses, maybe on Sunday (although, not likely). The first game is against the 5th ranked 16U team in the nation. They are from St Louis.
Isabella starts her games at 8:00pm on Saturday. What a crazy schedule. She is also playing in a very difficult tournament. They have selected the top four AAU girls team at the 8th grade level to play each other. I do not know how Isabella’s team was chosen to be included in this group. Bella’s team is a newly formed team and their win/loss record isn’t fantastic. The other 3 teams belong there, but I’m not sure our team does. It could be a rough weekend for our girls. Maybe they’ll surprise me. I hope so!
The two tournaments are about 20 minutes apart, and we are staying in a hotel in between the two locations. It will be a fun-filled, family time. I am looking forward to a good weekend. I’m a little worried what kind of mess Lydia will make of our house when we are gone. If you know Lydia, it’s scary! She says that messes make her feel comfortable. She must be really comfortable in her room!
Jake has received invitations from two colleges to attend their basketball camps this summer. It doesn’t mean much, except that he has received some attention from colleges. Jake’s varsity coach received a letter, addressed to Jake from St John University, a Division 2 school in Minnesota asking him to attend their camp. The other school was a Division 3 school in Wisconsin. The schools use this type of camp as a recruiting and evaluation tool. It is flattering to have a school send you something like this.
I wish my Mom a Happy Mother’s Day this Sunday. I really wish I could be with Mom on this day. I miss her very much. Mom just had surgery this week on her eye. She had a hole in her macula. She had surgery for the same thing on her other eye last year. She is home recovering now. Pray for my Mom (Margit Cook). She is having significant problems with her neck and spine, which causes a great deal of pain. I hate all the health issues and pain she has had to tolerate the last several years. She keeps up an amazing spirit through it all.
Our hot water heater went into shut-down mode last night. It is some kind-of safety feature on our tank. That meant a cold shower for everybody this morning. It is amazing how cold tap water can be. I’m here to tell you - REALLY COLD! I was shrieking (best word I could come up with) uncontrollably, trying to catch my breath just rinsing off. That was one quick shower!! Lisa used the neighbor’s shower. What a wimp. Jerry the plumber came and saved us. Jerry has become a regular in our house. Eli loves him. The last time he was here and was on his hands and knees repairing something, Eli crawled up on his back to go for a ride. Not something a plumber usually has to deal with.
It’s ok, I have a pair on!
Love
JR