
Yesterday was Thanksgiving. This holiday brings everyone together and helps to remind us of the many things we should be thankful for. I am thankful for many things. I am thankful for this wonderful opportunity I have had to live here in Italy and be surrounded by such wonderful people. It is because of the people that the experience has been truly life altering and the reason for such an extended stay. The group has become my home away from home and we’ve come together like a family over this past year. I am thankful for that. I am thankful to have my family. I miss them, and having Thanksgiving this year away from them really brought back memories of being altogether during this time of year, and although usually chaotic, enjoying being with one another. I am thankful for the opportunities I’ve been blessed with as well as future opportunities that will come my way. I know for a lot of people, this past year has been a tough one. I know that things will turn around. You just need to have hope, believe in yourself and in God, and things will work out. I am thankful for life…for the new adventures it brings, from the mistakes we make and hopefully learn from, for the joy and happiness of success and for the pain and agony of defeat. If there is one thing that being here has opened my eyes to, it is that you must LIVE YOUR LIFE. You may not, which path your heading down, but if you commit to your endeavors with an open mind and a full heart, you never know where it might take you. You have to LIVE. Enjoy the people around you, enjoy the moment you’re in, take time to appreciate the little things, laugh, smile, love, and LIVE YOUR LIFE.
To celebrate this time-honored tradition, we decided to host a Thanksgiving feast at our apartment. What at first seamed like a simple gathering, turned into a grandeur occasion with 21 people committed to partake in the dinner and another 6 or so to join after. We had our work cut out for us…a daunting task for anyone, especially someone who has never prepared a Thanksgiving feast before. In the weeks leading up to the event, I spoke with my mother about certain recipes and advice. I gathered some of my favorite recipes from her cooking along with some new ones that I found on the Internet and put together the menu. We were to serve 6 different sides, along with the turkey, stuffing, and gravy, plus 2 apple pies for desert. My roommates took care of the shopping after we made the list to get all the necessary ingredients. Of course we couldn’t find certain things such as cranberry sauce, pumpkin mix, and a meat thermometer, but we did the best we could. We started the cooking the night before. We began with the apple pies. What we thought would be a seemingly easy task, turned into a 3-hour project. I was reminded of why my mother used to let me peel the apples to “help out” on Thanksgiving. It is a monotonous task and it takes forever! We somehow managed to roll the dough out using a wine bottle due to lack of a rolling pin, which was quite challenging. Despite not really knowing what we were doing, we had a finished product at 3:30 in the morning, which we hoped would taste as good as it looked. After 5 hours of sleep, it was time to start preparing the rest of the food for the feast. My roommates ran out to get some last minute things from the market while I started the cooking. It seemed simple at first. We had our time schedule set, and everything looked organized and feasible on paper, but once that turkey goes in the oven, the true chaos set in. I never got the 2-hour break I imagined I would have once the turkey went in. We were baking and preparing constantly. Making food for 20+ people was not easy, especially with an Italian oven, which is the size of an American microwave. A lot of people helped out with the cooking, but the true chaos began when people started to show up. We had everything still cooking on the stove and the bird on the oven. People were hungry and impatient. We had a pear, apple, and walnut salad to hold them over until the rest of the food was finished. Everyone had the need to poke his or her head into the already overcrowded kitchen, making the whole process just crazy. We were running out of clean dishes, space to put things, and burners to cook on, but due to a team effort we were able to get all the food out. Everything finished about an hour later than planned, but I know that’s part of the way things usually happen. Finally, around 9 p.m. we ate! There was plenty of food and everyone tried everything. They really seemed to enjoy many of these American traditional holiday dishes, and I must say myself that we did a damn fine job…not a bad for a bunch of Thanksgiving rookies. Some of the favorite dishes were the sweet potatoes, stuffing, turkey and gravy, and of course apple pie which turned out great! I still have a long way to go before I can compare with the cooking of my mother (it’s impossible to compete) but all in all it was a success! We had a great time eating, enjoying each other’s company, playing games, watching football and laughing…like a real Thanksgiving should be. We even had a little one running around the house, which made it seem even more like home because it reminded me of having my two crazy little nephews around. Thanks to everyone who helped out and who attended! Now, we have the daunting task of cleaning this mess up…this might be even more daunting that the feast itself…any volunteers?
In other news, we won our last game versus Trieste. In a game that was closer than it should have been, we did some good things and some very stupid things. Really, we didn’t play smart, but thankfully to our stout defense and a quasi-productive offense we were able to do just enough to escape with a victory. I think we entered the game over-confident after coming off the big win versus Bolzano. We thought we would stroll to victory with ease because Trieste hadn’t won a game all season, but this certainly wasn’t the case. They came out fighting and looked like a team who didn’t want to end the season with a zero in the win column. They managed to keep it close enough to strike in the fourth quarter. They closed the lead to just 3 points with about 2 ½ minutes to play. Our offense stalled and was forced to punt with just over a minute left. They moved the ball to mid-field then stalled. With only seconds left in the game, they had one last attempt for a big play. The QB chucked the ball down the field, which looked like an easy interception for us, but somehow their man came down with it and was thrown out of bounds by one of our players with one second left remaining on the clock and the ball at the 10-yard line. Instead of taking a shot at the end zone for the win, they sent the field-goal team on the field. I was pulling my hair out at this point. I couldn’t believe we were in a position to tie or lose the game. Were they helped out by an incompetent crew of referee’s, YES, but that is in part because we got the same crew from our first game in Verona, in which our guys talked entirely too much and a few were almost ejected. We had a bad reputation with this crew and they certainly made a point of showing it. So, here we were, one second left, ball on the 10, field-goal unit on the field. They lined up; center snaps the ball, kicker approaches, makes contact, ball in the air…wide left! Doves win! Doves win! I wasn’t happy with our performance, and I made that clear to the guys. I was however, proud of our resilience and the fight that we showed when things got tough. If we have the chance to continue the season into the playoffs, a game like that will prove invaluable. At the end of the day, a win is a win, and I was proud of the guys for fighting to the end to get it.
Now, as it stands, we are awaiting the decision of the IFL federation judge to make a ruling about the Bergamo game. They had previously ruled the game a forfeit, but under false stipulations and improper use of the rules. Bergamo never actually showed up to our field in the attempt to play the game. They improperly filed for the forfeit and the IFL rules were not correctly followed. We believe that we are entitled to an opportunity to play this game. There are playoff implications at stake as well as the division title. With a win, we can win the division and go to the playoffs. The kids deserve the opportunity to play this game. They have worked their asses off to get to where they are. They have transformed from a group of guys with no hope for the season into a team with the belief of playing for a championship. I would hate to see some bureaucratic nonsense rob these kids of that chance. Despite what the judge’s ruling may be I want to personally reach out to the coach and players of Bergamo. I want to play this game, and I expect that you do to. I encourage you to speak up. Let’s play this game. We will do whatever it takes. We are ready and willing. The challenge is on the table, if you accept…LET’S PLAY SOME FOOTBALL! It’s a do-or-die scenario. For us, the playoffs start now. The winner of this game is deserving of the playoffs, the way it should be, not a bid by default. Please, give these kids the chance they deserve. That’s what it’s all about anyway, the kids. The opportunity to PLAY this wonderful game. It would be a shame to decide a game without actually having the opportunity to control the result, especially when proper protocol has not been followed. Let them play.

I’ve spoken my peace. I hope we have the chance to play. My departure to the states is dependent on whether we play or not. If the season is over, I will plan my return. If we play and win, I will stay a few more weeks in Italy and hopefully get the shot to coach a team in contention for a championship. A decision should be made today….hopefully we have one more thing to be thankful for.