We are the Champions, My Friends!

Brenna returned from Cambodia at 1:00 this afternoon. Woo-hoo! When we got to school the bus had just arrived and we anxiously peered at the group of MS kids all wearing the same blue tops, trying to find our special basketball player. Then we spotted her! She looked so happy! She waved and ran over and gave us a hug - a great mom moment! She ran back to the group and the coaches did one last cheer before we were able to take her home.

Her team went undefeated! They won everything and walked away with the championship! What a great experience for Bren. It's fun to go to a tournament, but let's face it, it's even more exciting to win the tournament. This was the first time the SSIS MS girls won the MRISA tournament. Mike and I were teasing her that they just needed a little Brenna action in the mix to bring home the gold! There were 7 teams in total, from Vietnam, Cambodia and Laos. She said she didn't realize how exciting it would be win a tournament! Our boys team also went undefeated. SSIS had a great showing this year. Go dragons!

After we got home, Bren told me all about her trip. She said, "I thought it would be fun, but I didn't think it would be SO MUCH fun!" She thought it would be all basketball all the time and very serious. She didn't realize the social aspect of school sports trips.

Her host family was terrific. They had 2 houses(!), 4 cars and a at least 1 driver. The girls went to the mall and the arcade and got ice cream at Swenson's. Yum! Three tiny, skinny girls shared a huge bowl of 10 scoops of ice cream!!! She brought home 2 photos from a photo booth and there were 6 girls crammed in the pictures! Four of the girls were from NISC (the school sponsoring the tournament), plus Bren and another teammate, Sae Eun who was her roommate. How fun to get to hang out with kids from another school!

They had a dance for the teams on Saturday night. Bren loves to dance and my Shanghai friends and I were excellent role models for her with our crazy dance parties. Bren and her friends danced together, not with boys. Phew for me! She said the dance wasn't long enough. She and her friends wanted to dance longer. Good job, grasshopper. I have taught you well!

As I sat there listening to a very excited 11 year old talk about her trip, I felt so fortunate that both my kids have had such terrific experiences lately. Aidan had an amazing time on a school trip to Thailand and now Brenna's tournament in Cambodia. Such unique experiences that make memories of a lifetime.