The Road to the Final 4

I've mentioned my Butler Bulldogs in a few posts. And yes, they are mine because that's how all Bulldogs feel about their basketball team. I had the pleasure to read a little 'note' on Facebook written this evening by one of my good friends and probably the biggest Butler fanatic that I know. As I read them, I shook my head in agreement. The road to this Final 4 has been paved by several years of hard work and dedication, not just by this year's team but by those who have paved the way ahead of them. Much how like a lot of things in life, someone has to set the precedent and set the example. Someone has to go before. There are wins and their are losses, but they are mere battles in a war. And while this is only a basketball game, I am from Indiana. There's no such thing as "just a basketball game."

So I am copying Dave's words here. I lived these games, too. He and I were in the same class so this is what I remember as my beginning in the world of Butler Basketball.

By Dave R.:


As my alma mater's men's basketball team prepares to compete for a national championship, in its hometown, I can't help but reflect back on the journey the program has taken since my freshman year in 1993 to now. I've been fortunate to tag along on a helluva ride.

* My first Butler game, a bus trip to Cincinnati to watch Butler face the Bearcats in the preseason NIT.
* My first game at Hinkle, when Butler knocked off IU. "Trice and Guice Put Indiana on Ice"
* Watching the team build and improve during my 4 years until...
* My first NCAA tournament game, senior year in 1997.
* Making the tournament in consecutive years in 1998.
* 2 Postseason NIT victories in 1999.
* The simultaneous euphoria and heartbreak of the Florida game in the 2000 tourney. If I never see a replay of Mike F. Miller again, it'll be too soon. But alas, even the sting of that shot was mollified by...
* Butler's win over Wake Forest in the 2001 tournament. 2 memories I'll never forget from that game: the complete bewilderment we all felt in the stands with Butler leading 43-10 at halftime, and the cheer from the crowd when the jumbotron showed Butler advancing to the next round.
* The pain of the 2002 "snub". Beating IU in the final "if we can't win then we'll take our ball and go home" Hoosier Classic.
* The 2003 Sweet Sixteen run. Sheets' game-winner over UWM. JC reminding the media that "we are still here." You're damn right we were.
* Rebuilding through 2004-2005 and getting back to the postseason with a 2006 NIT win.
* The 2007 Sweet Sixteen run. Wins over Notre Dame, IU and Purdue. Preseason NIT championship. Giving Florida everything they could handle.
* 2008 Round of 32. A 7 seed and the first-ever meeting of 2 30-win teams in the 2nd round. Thanks, selection committee.
* The "rebuilding" year in 2009 that turned into another NCAA tourney appearance.

And now, a Final Four appearance, an unprecedented national spotlight, and a chance for the University to shine brightly beneath it.

I just want to say to all the players, coaches, and staff who had a role in building this program to its current level:

THANK YOU.

This week is as much about you all as it is the team currently preparing for Michigan State. You laid the foundation. You showed the way. You raised expectations. And you brought us all along for the ride. So thank you. Enjoy this weekend, and know that it couldn't have happened without you.

GO DAWGS!

Thanks, Dave, for the trip down memory lane. And thanks for thanking those men that showed our current team The Butler Way.

I know I'll be shouting at my TV on Saturday evening wishing with my whole being that I could be in Indianapolis to root the team on in person. I know that my friends will be there doing a great job for me.

In honor of that and to share my Butler Spirit with my kids, I made them shirts. :) Ian is excited. He goes around telling people about the Butler Bulldog on my shirts. Now he can have his own!

 
 

Dr Pepper Museum

 
 
 
 
So Jen got the last pick of the trip and chose to go to the Dr Pepper Museum. I had never gone there before so it was something new for me. It wasn't quite as commercialized as the Coke Museum in Atlanta and it was tastefully done and quaint. We enjoyed walking around and learning a little about Dr Pepper and then stopped for a treat at the soda fountain where the soda jerk made our drinks for us. Then we went outside to get a couple of photos with the trucks on display before taking Jen back to the Waco Regional Airport.

We had such a great time with Auntie Jen! We squeezed quite a lot into 3 days and hope that she had fun, too! Come back anytime!

 
 
 
 

Waco: Cameron Park Zoo

 
 
 
 
So Tuesday Jen was going to be flying out of Waco in the evening so it made sense to go back to Waco early enough to enjoy some of the sites that city has to offer. I actually have been quite surprised by the offerings of such a seemingly smallish sized city. But that just makes it all the greater for us to want to visit. So I let Ian decide which he would prefer, The Mayborn Museum or the Cameron Park Zoo. Ian picked the zoo. It was such a lovely day outside that I was quite glad that was his choice. So we whipped out our membership card, walked through the gate, enjoyed another lunch alfresco and then went around and saw the animals. The boys really loved the slides there. Aaron especially loves the one at the playground and they both giggled with glee as they went down the one in the otter exhibit. Auntie Jen was there to catch Aaron so he could go since I could help him up the stairs. I went with him down the big slide at the playground and Jen snapped a picture of us. Aaron even giggles with anticipation. I can't wait for Bill to come home so he can take him. :)

We had a lovely time at the zoo!

 
 

Bluebonnets!

 
 
 

Since this was Jen's first real visit to CenTex and it's actually bluebonnet time, I was on a mission to find a small patch for her to get at least one photo in them. We found one on the side of the road on the way home from Austin. It was near Sun City on Hwy 195 and was too busy of an area for me to get the kids out of the car, but she and I did a quick photo shoot and got a couple of pictures even if they aren't the highest quality. She actually purchased a Christmas ornament in the shape of a bluebonnet as her souvenir!

Chuy's!

 
 
 
All I have to say about that is YUM!

 

Arboretum

 
 
 
 
So our trip to Austin then led us over to the Arboretum to have some ice cream at Amy's and to see the marble cows! Ian loves going to this area and I loved that Amy's always had a dairy free option when Ian couldn't have real ice cream. That has kept me a loyal customer! And who doesn't love a cow in the middle of a serene rest area in the middle of the outdoor mall? Yes, we love to shop at Arboretum!

 
 

Adventures on South Congress

 

 
 
 
 
So keeping with the 365 Things to do in Austin blog and also under the recommendation of my technician at Walgreen's, we decided to drive down to South Congress for some shopping and specifically to check out the Big Top Candy Shop. Can I just say WOW! Ian was in awe from the moment he got in there. He couldn't believe how much candy there was. He just stared! So we took a bag and started filling it with all things gummy and crunchy and chocolately and yummy! My personal favorite is the gummy snake! It seems Auntie Jen was a bit leery of it! hee hee! We also noticed while we were there that there were camera people there filming something. I then saw that it was the Food Network and the guy they were filming was Adam Gertler who was on Season 4 of The Next Food Network Star. They were working on a new show that will air in July called [i]Kid in a Candy Shop[/i] which seems super appropriate! So we continued our shopping and noticed that filming had slowed and the store had cleared a bit when Jen reached for a Charleston Chew to which Adam said, "Those are my favorite." And thus, our photo op. He spoke first so I felt like it was okay to ask! So we had a brush with celebrity while we were there and got some yummy candy to boot!