BARCA- THE BEST TEAM IN THE WORLD!

Barca have been playing some spectacular football this year. Yes, you heard that right, but I am not referring to the men's first team.  The Barca women's team is what has excited me most.

Last year, they won the treble (League, Super Cup, and Champions League), and currently they are undefeated in the league and in the quarterfinals of the Champions League. Today, they played the Super Cup Final against rivals Atletico Madrid. It was not even close.

Barca dismantled Atletico, winning 7-0 with three goals from Norwegian winger Caroline Graham Hansen, my favorite player on the team! What a performance and what a team!

Visca Barca!

GRYPHON SPORTS LIVE

Nicholas is a passionate sports fan and sports statistics nut. Fortunately, he has been able to channel these interests into sports broadcasting at his school. 

Last year, Nicholas and his friend Austin started the Gryphon Sports Live club that is focused on providing live commentary for many of the school's sporting events. Basketball is definitely the signature sport that they cover, and this year has been great - especially with the boys' varsity squad who have already played some amazing games this season!

The last game was a war with a team from the Detroit suburbs, Royal Oak Shrine on January 20, 2022. Greenhills went down early in the first half, and our boys looked listless and out of sync due to the constant pressure Shrine was applying. 

The coach clearly motivated the boys with his halftime speech as Greenhills came out flying in the second half. 

While I was attending the game in person, I was following along the play by play by Nicholas and Austin on my headphones through the Gryphon sports website. Their enthusiasm was infectious, and their energy definitely made the game much more enjoyable. 

Our star player Finn Klein carried the team on his back, sinking many key free throws and shots down the stretch. In the words of Nicholas, "Trying to guard Finn Klein is like trying to wrestle a ghost!" "If Finn Klein were a named storm, you better evacuate the whole country!" 

What a game and what a broadcast call! Per Nicholas, over 100 people had tuned in to hear the game - many of whom were probably listening to the broadcast from home due to the spiking Omicron cases!

While we lost out on a lot during the pandemic, watching the Gryphons and seeing Nicholas' broadcast career take off has definitely been a highlight! Go Hills and go Gryphon Sports Live!

SNOWY DAY

One of the many adjustments we have made since moving to the Midwest is learning to handle winter weather. Today was a prime example after a night of several inches of fresh snow.

Our lawn folks normally handle plowing the driveway in the winter, but for some reason they did not arrive today. Undaunted, the kids and I took on this duty. 

With three sets of hands and two shovels and one broom, we knocked out the job in about 15 minutes. Well done, snow crew! Thank goodness we do not have sidewalks out front!

GOING TO THE NATI!

Cate and Kathleen travelled to Orlando last week for another National League Pro showcase tournament. The girls won one game 1-0 and drew two games 0-0. In six matches, we have only conceded two goals! 

These results were enough to book them a place in the National Championships back in Florida in July. What an accomplishment!

Go Cate and go Tigers!

STANDING IN THE BREECH

This week marked the first anniversary of the terrorist attack on the U.S. Capitol on January 6th, 2021. It was a somber day for Democrats (and a few Republicans), marked by remembrances and tributes. 

President Biden delivered a speech from the Capitol rotunda - a speech that shined light on the fact that former President Trump and his enablers in Congress and beyond were responsible for this attack. Biden described that our ways of governance and life were at stake and that he would not abide anyone "holding a dagger to the throat of our democracy." Though he remarked that he did not ask for this fight, he declared that he would "stand in the breech" and defend our constitutional form of government.

The President's speech was bold. It was angry. It was full-throated. It was a call to arms for all of us to play our part to call out lies and to hold to the sword (metaphorically) those that would seek to dismantle the world's oldest democracy.

Anne Applebaum has written that we get the democracy that we are willing to fight for. Never before has there been such a reminder of what is at stake in each and every election from the local to the federal level. I hope all Americans who care about the future of this country get more involved by voting, running for office, and supporting candidates who reflect American values and principles. If not, the breach will become a gaping hole - one that we become truly irreparable.

STUFFED

Though the kids are both getting older, one thing has not changed - their love for stuffed animals. Indeed, for the past ten years, we have ordered them a stuffed animal from the list of endangered species from the World Wildlife Fund (WWF). 

Though Cate decided to get a bracelet from WWF instead this year, Nicholas said he was game for getting another one. He let Cate pick, and she chose this lovely fella, an Amur leopard.

We have quite a collection by now, and a few of them looked longingly at the frigid conditions outside on our first day back to Michigan this week!