The Willbanks Traveling Circus Is Back On The Road

That is right. We are on the move yet again... Santa Barbara, California is my new home. After a wonderful and amazing time in Long Beach, it was time to make a move. I consider myself extremely blessed since this town is just gorgeous. Stay tuned. I hope to revive this blog (I know, I've said this before) with details of this new chapter in life!!! Until then, checkout some pictures of this glorious place called SB:

See what I mean? Just Beautiful.

USA Is Through!

Amr Abdallah Dalsh/Reuters

What a rollercoaster of emotions; the United States is through to the round of 16! Thanks to a last minute goal by Landon Donovan, a deserving USA team will advance from the first round of the 2010 World Cup. Not only have they advanced, but they've won the group in front of England!

My group arrived at Durban FanFest close to 4PM local time. A few small groups of American's were already on the beach. As kickoff drew near, more and more entered the FanFest. We were all wearing Red, White and Blue. Neil was even wearing Stars and Stripes paints. Both Neil and I waved flags. Before the game, we were shown on the big screen. Everyone wanted to take pictures with us including the Durban US Consulate and a wire service photographer.

The game was a nail-bitter. Algeria had their chances, and the USA didn't look as organized as I'd like. The USA also had chances, and we even had ANOTHER goal disallowed. For the second time in two games, the ref blew the call. As the game reached the 75th minute, the tension on the beach was unreal. No one could stomach defeat or a tie. We wanted to advance so badly. At the death, Landon Donovan willed the ball into the net, and we erupted. All the Americans gatherd in one group. We threw down our beers, we jumped in the air, we waved our flags, we played our vuvuzelas, danced and sand "Ole, Ole, Ole, USA, USA." It was an unbelievable experience. We got multiple texts from the West and East Coasts saying friends and family saw us on TV!

The euporhia lasted into the night, and we trounced around Durban singing and waving our flags. Everyone was so happy for us. We even purchased tickets for the USA game on Saturday v. Ghana. Next stop, Rustenberg.

Soccer City Is Gorgeous

Gerry Penny/European Pressphoto Agency/New York Times
Luis Fabiano scoring the first of his two goals for Brazil, which got two assists (and an ejection) from Kaká in its second victory.

After a very long three nights, I finally made it to South Africa. Three red eyes is not fun, but the experiences along the way made the travel worth the effort. Jo'Burg is rather depressed but city is pulsing with the fever of the World Cup. I'm now visiting Durban, and the warm air and beautiful Indian Ocean are amazing.

I saw the USA win tie in an Irish Pub in Miami Beach. The atmosphere was exciting. Each goal brought screaming and jumping from everyone. In Germany, I was lucky enough to grab a shower in the airport. Cario was a whirlwind. Dave and I barely made the trek to Giza to visit the Pyrimads. We rode horses through the sand and saw the Sphinx and a few of the Pyrimads. It was a surreal moment, but unfortunately hurried. I'm glad we had enough time for the experience.

After landing in Jo'Burg, our entire group meet at the hostel in Yeoville. The hostel is an enclave in an otherwise unnerving area. The people of Jo'Burg were very welcoming and happy, but the city has seen better days.

Our entire hostel (about 20 people) went to see Brazil v Ivory Coast at Soccer City. We walked as a group to the train station which was safer than walking by yourself or with only a few people. We had to wait over an hour for a train, but the platform was crowed with Vuvuzela playing fans covered in yellow and orange. I didn't know it then, but this was going to be an amazing evening.

The train slowly made its way across the city, and a drunk German kept our entire train car laughing with his views on Italy's history of diving. Eventually, Soccer City rose on the horizon. As we moved from right to left, the entire train would shift from one side to the other to get better views and pictures. Everyone was astonished. I kept hear, "It looks like a spaceship" which it does.

With plenty of time before the game, we downed Budweisers outside the stadium. I took a ton of pictures of the facade. The real excitement was inside of Soccer City. Not only is the stadium brand new, but our seats were excellent. We sat behind the goal were the Ivory Coast attacked the first half in the 200 level. In the section to our left was an entire Brazilian band. Over the 90 minutes, they played their drums and horns. The music was amazing.

The fans weren't the only entertaiment. The match ended 3-1, and Brazil deserved the win. They held off the Ivory Coast and capitalized on their chances. Fabiano's first goal was sick, but he did handle the ball at least twice. I guess the ref was too busy gawking to notice. Drogba should have scored more than 1, but the night belonged to Brazil. Which makes me wonder why Kaka lost his cool. I've never seen him push another player, but the drama just added to the entire experience. I'm so glad this was our first game.

As Herczeg pointed out, I believe this was the best sporting experience of our lives. I don't want to see another soccer game without the Brazilian fans. The stadium kept pulsing an pulsing. It was unbelievable.

I can't send pictures with my phone, and I am not sure why the local network won't let me. Anyway, I haven't been able to send any to Momentile. I'll kept trying, but I don't think I'll ever be successful.

Headed to South Africa for the 2010 FIFA World Cup

For over three years, I've been waiting for this day. Later tonight, I will begin my journey halfway around the world; my journey to South Africa for the 2010 FIFA World Cup.

Over the course of two weeks, I will be visiting Johannesburg, Durban, Hluhluwe Umfolozi Game Preserve and Cape Town. I'm attending five games which include Brazil v Ivory Coast, Nigeria v Korea, two round of 16 games and a quarterfinal. Many of the usual suspects are joining me on this adventure such as Mark, Jeff, Alex, Dave and many more. We will wear our USA jerseys and sing at the Fan Fests. Someone will probably buy Vuvuzela and get a soar throat playing it. It should be an amazing trip. Stay tuned for updates and pictures!

Wow, Maryland Is Snowy

Maryland? Treaure the (frozen) Chesapeake — (GladysFL) — Baltimore Sun

My homeland is covered in a blanket of white. I'm astonished by the numbers I'm seeing. 4 feet? I hope everyone is safe, warm and at home. For those elsewhere in the country (like me), checkout the views via MDOT cameras. My favorite is the I-95 corridor.