New to this blogging thing,

This is my first blog. I thought I would try to do this a few times a week to keep out of town family updated, as well as have a place to record significant things in our lives. This week has been pretty ordinary. The kids had their usual activities, school and baseball for Charlie, preschool and dance class for Juliana. Juliana also had Kindergarten round-up on Friday. I can't believe next fall, both kids will be in school. Juliana will be half day only, in the mornings. They do offer full day, but you have to pay $60 a week, and I can't justify spending $240 a month for public school when my job hours are flexible. Juliana did well at round-up, she was her usual shy self, and did not talk to anyone, but she wasn't one of the many who were screaming and crying when seperated from their mom's. She went calmly with the 6th graders and adult helpers, and did her tasks while I listened to the parent information in another room. I hope when she starts Kindergarten, she will come out of her shell a bit, and actually talk to other kids. She does pretty well in preschool now, and asks to play with some of the other kids after school. These will be all new kids in Kindergarten though.

Last night my college basketball team, the University of Kansas, won their first round game in the NCAA championship Final Four against North Carolina. What a great game. We came out strong and were ahead 40-12 in the first part of the 1st half, then we got sloppy and tired and let NC come back to within 4 in the first part of the 2nd half. Then amazingly, we came back strong again and ended up winning by 18pts! It was an especially sweet victory because 5 years ago, our coach, Roy Williams, left to coach at North Carolina. Fans of KU basketball have been bitter ever since, even though we all love our new coach, Bill Self. It was hard to accept the resignation of a man who 3 years earlier swore he would never leave KU. To defeat him and keep him out of the championship game, just felt good somehow! Now Monday night we have a chance to beat Memphis and become the National Champions. We last were National Champs exactly 20 years ago, when I was a senior in high school, 1988! Our road to the Final Four was exactly the same, 2 games in Nebraska, 2 in Michigan. The location of the Final Four is different, but I really feel this is again our year!

Go Jayhawks!