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OSU Buckeyes

I just had to give a shout out to the Ohio State Buckeyes basketball team – the #1 seed in the March Madness that’s going on.  (And a shout out to my Ohio customers as well, especially those in Columbus, Ohio!)

And I should preface it by saying this has nothing to do with making clutches, and I’m not a ball fan of any sort.  I fall in that “mom-demographic” of gymnastics and ice skating … 🙂

But I would be remiss if I didn’t say anything about the #1 team in the country.  Having grown up a large chunk of my life in Columbus, Ohio, you are brain-washed and get an extra credit point for wearing “scarlet and grey” on game days – mainly football.  But with the infractions for Tressel (the high and mighty always fall … how disappointing), this basketball team is really something to root for!

This is a very good article about their #1 player, Jared Sullinger.

And the reasons I am posting this is because of the wonderful family he comes from.  I should know because his father, a life-long teacher, was one of my middle school teachers in Columbus, Ohio!  They are a great example of a tight-knit family who support each other and are just great models in our community.  Mr. Sullinger, the father, was a great teacher:  warm, inviting, kept us kids engaged on learning.

Another tidbit about why I am supporting my home team, and this goes wayyyyy back in the 1980s (Hello, BIG hair!  Hello, mall perms!), is that the former coach of OSU Buckeyes men’s basketball team, Eldon Miller, was my best friend’s dad.  We were in 7th grade and she and I just bonded and she was my best friend for years until she moved to Iowa.  Coincidentally, I would later go to Iowa for college!

GO Sullingers! GO OSU Buckeye basketball!

So as March Madness gets under way, I will be rooting for my “home” team!  And having been to 35 states for business and personal trips, I can’t even list the ones that I’ve been to and which ones I haven’t been to anymore …  But my husband’s been to all 50 states, and our family goal is to take the kids to all 50 states before they head off to college visiting as many family and friends as we can.  We have to shelve that for when we live abroad, but it remains a great goal to strive for, nonetheless.

Along with growing up in middle America of Columbus, Ohio, here are some of my favorites:

*falling asleep reading Glamour on the beach on Amelia Island,

*driving in my Suburban by rolling acres of hay in the Nebraska sunset,

*swimming in the warm natural springs and breathing in the cool mountain air of Colorado Springs,

*listening to Simon & Garfunkel while at the Roosevelt State Park in North Dakota,

*walking among the giant sequoias in California,

*visiting Elvis’s home in Tupelo, Mississippi

*having the experience of the worst motel in the US — the Curve Motel in Oklahoma panhandle — where I was dirtier getting out of the shower than going in!

… These experiences, and many more, were all done on my own … solo.  And I loved it.  I was building my corporate career but made time to enjoy the sites.  I met some amazing people!  I’ve seen gorgeous sunsets and vistas and have had many unforgettable experiences!

If you haven’t made it very far out of your home town or state, I would highly recommend spending your money on experiences, and not on “things”.  You will find that people are people everywhere.  (By that I mean, none of the rhetoric about “small town/big city”, “main street”, etc…  Every town has a main street and all parents want their kids to go to a good school!  Everyone wants their community to be the type of place where they leave their cars unlocked and they have BBQs with their neighbors.)

And you will see that the United States is. simply. amazing.

Enjoy your day!

March 15, 2011 - Posted by Thy K | WhileBabyNaps General Updates | family, OSU basketball, osu buckeyes, Sullinger