Oh boy. I am so worn out! I am going to start my blog but there is no way I will finish today's amazing experiences tonight! So to begin with, my flight was delayed 40 minutes and I was soooooo nervous that I was going to miss the matches I wanted to see. We finally landed at 10:30, about 45 minutes later than scheduled. We got the rental car and my mom drove us up. I arrived at the grounds around 11:40. The first thing I bought was a draw sheet with the practice schedule. I read it, and got excited only to find that Knowles, Booty, and the Bryans would be on at the same time. Oh no! I headed to Dima's match first and he was down a set. I stayed for a bit and watched him win the 2nd set.

I then headed over to see the Bryans but saw it was way too crowded. But then I saw Richie was on the court next to him so I watched him practice. Woo hoo! I saw it was getting crowded so I waited by the gate for him to come off. I decided it was best to try and get another picture with him, rather than pull the picture out from IW and have him rush sign it. I asked him for a picture and then he said sure. But there was no one to take the picture He signed 5 autographs and then looked at me. I quickly and spastically said to a girl can you take a quick picture? Hold it down for 3 seconds so it goes off! Her hand was shaking while she took it. I got another picture with Richie but it is no where near as good as the one at IW.

I headed back to watch the end of Dima's match and he unfortunately lost. He was not happy about an ace on match point and I was sitting on the line and it was clearly out. He was in a bad mood. He left the court but still signed some autographs. I wanted to give him his Good Luck card but he scampered off. I followed him and then some other kids ran ahead and stopped him. Whew! After he signed theirs, I said, "Dmitry, this is to wish you luck at the U.S. Open. Its from me and the rest of your fans on your site." I handed him the card and he said, "thank you but don't I get the entire package?" I was like huh? And he smiled and said, "the envelope please." He said he would take a picture as the webmaster let him know in advance that he was receiving a card. So of course its all good right? Wrong! The person who took it zoomed in way too far and you can't see the card in it at all.

I went back to where Richie was and I ran into the Bryans Bunch! The webbys of Bob and Mikes site. I talked with them and then we saw that Bob and Mike were moving over to the next court. So I went up there and chatted with them for a bit. I showed them the book for Andy and told them I was going to try and give it to him sometime in the next couple of days. They thought it was really cool. I snapped some pictures of Bob and Mike and when I came back up, the Bryans Bunch said, "Matt. There's Mark!" I circled my head like an owl, well not exactly like one but you get the point, and then finally spotted him and said AH!!! They all laughed One of them said Mark had been looking at me sitting there. So I said goodbye and walked over to the next court.

I got to Mark's side and no one was really there. He was talking with Nesty and Nestor looked to maybe be in slight pain on his shoulder or neck. Mark turned around and immediatley looked at me and said, "Hey Matt! How are you doing bud? I have been waiting for you to show up." Big smile* I said, "I am good. Glad to see you out here." I then watched him and then a man approached me and said he recognized my picture from the site I run So that was good! He said he liked the job I was doing and that Mark is lucky to have me. We talked for a bit and watched Mark for an hour or so. Booty was a couple courts across hitting with Querrey halfway into Mark's practice but I couldn't leave Mark! When Mark finished, he came over and said, Hi Matt! Hope you are doing good. Thanks for the site. It is great. Now you needed me to sign some stuff for it." I replied, "Yeah, I want to run some contests. I have a lot of stuff though, including gifts so feel free to meet other fans needs." I got my stuff out and ready and then it was all fun from then on! Mark looked at everything I had and signed 10 or so items. I told him I would have him do the rest the next time since I didn't want to keep him long. I then gave him his gifts and he loved them! He really liked the coloring book I made for Graham and he said Graham loves coloring at the moment! The guy I had been talking to snapped some pictures for me and told Mark, "you have one generous webby. Gosh!" Mark said, "yes I do!" What a wonderful experience for me!!! I got my picture with him at the end and then saw Booty was leaving!!!

The guy politely said he would watch my stuff so I ran Booty down. I yelled "BOOTY!" and he turned around and said, "Hey Matt!" AHHHHH, he recognized me! I said I wanted you to have the card me and your fans made for you. He was absolutely giddy. He loved it soooooo much!!! He was showing it off and said look inside, the fans wrote these to me. He took a picture with me and the card and then I had him sign my "doubles yes, ATP no" shirt. I said goodluck in doubles and that I would try and be there but that I had to go to Andy's match right now. He said thanks for the support and said hope to see you there!

That's a wrap for now folks but the best is yet to come!!!

Aug 14th

After chatting with Booty for a few minutes, I headed over to Andy's match only to find it was crowded! Oh no! So I walked around to another entrance. I saw this guy who liked like Mario Ancic but turned out to be Ernests Gulbis! So I took a quick picture for Zara and then headed up to Andy's match to scout for a seat while I waited for the changeover!

I got there and saw room for me to fit in the front row!! So I headed down there. It was 5-2 Baghdatis. I stayed for the rest of the match and it was hard to see Andy not being able to be Andy on the court But at least he didn't retire and finished out the match. Baghdatis wished Andy good luck in his recovery at the net. It was a gutting match to watch but I was fortunate to see Andy out there. The pics didn't turn out great and Andy looks so sad which is why I am not posting them here. I left and watched Delic and Isner for a bit for heading off to the player entrance to find Fabienne Benoit, the one who was helping organize the meeting with Andy!!! Of course, something bad had to happen before I arrived at the player entrance. Someone from atop center court stands threw ice down at me and yelled, "Murray sucks." I was quite shocked someone would do that to another fan but I didn't even look up or respond. I kept walking.

So I got to the player entrance and Fabienne called my cell. I told her where I was. She came out and said Andy was ready to meet with me!!! We got ready to go down the stairs and the security guy said I needed a badge. She said she was with the ATP and that I was meeting with Andy. He said that I was not allowed down I even pulled out my emails with Judy and the names of the ATP people. Pete came and asked what the problem was. He asked the tournament director to come down to the player entrance. He explained who I was to the tournament director and he approved of me going down!!! YAY!!! I was so excited!! So I got into the hallway and opened my backpack to get the book and suddenly Andy came around the corner!!!!! AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH! He introduced himself and we had quite a conversation. I can't believe he was able to talk with me and still smile, laugh and have a good time! It was definitely my best experience ever at a tournament andf was the highlight of my summer!! I mean 10 minutes of having an everyday conversation without being nervous or treating Andy like I was some crazed fan. I held my own and enjoyed every minute of it!

I headed off to watch Mario Ancic play against Tommy Haas! What a great match that turned out to be and I was excited to see Mario back on the court. It was another one of those amazing first round matches you wouldn't expect to be a first round match. I felt bad that someone had to lose.

Next, I went over to see Booty!!! He was playing with American Sam Querrey against Nole and Zimonjic. Booty was smiling the entire match and I was thrilled to see him play again even though he lost. He talked to me for a bit after the match and said, "Thanks for coming out. We just couldn't get it done today but what can you do?" I had him sign two pictures for two am.com members that I named off the top of my head because I was not having luck with autographs at all and I happened to have two 4x6's handy. He signed pictures for Pam and Kelle!! I wish I had more pictures but those were the first two names that popped out of my mouth lol. Booty remembered both of those names from the forum but I will leave it to those two to tell what he wrote to them. After that, I walked around for a bit. I took a couple pictures of Mahut and got him to sign a tennis ball for me. I had a picture taken but of course the person didn't hold it down long enough for it to go off. Oh well. What can you do?

I had about 45 minutes left until I was supposed to be picked up so I headed by the player entrance and there weren't very many people around as Roddick's match had started. Ferrero came out and I asked for a picture at the last second and handed the camera to a woman I had been chatting with. I look whacked because she took it right when I turned around to smile Thomas Blake, James Blake's bro came out and I also got a picture with him and told him I loved his brothers book and he said thank you very much! Then something amazing happened. Only 3 of us were there and Novak came back to the grounds!!! I yelled, "NOVAK!!!!" Suddenly a bunch of kids ran over as I gave his quiet entrance away, oh dear! He took a picture with me first, took a couple more pictures/signed a few autographs and went in before the delayed rush of autographed seekers got there!

I walked around my last 20 minutes there and took one picture of Federer that did not turn out. Sun was setting so my picture quality was diminishing I wanted to watch a bit of Nieminen/Robredo so I went there for a few minutes before heading out.

The sky was beautiful so I snapped a picture of that as well before I exited the grounds. What a first day I had!!!! I don't know how my other days can live up to meeting and talking with Mark, Booty, and Andy!! We'll see if they measure up at all.

Aug 15th - DAY TWO!!!!

As am.com members like to say, WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!! I had my pictures with the players I met yesterday off and I arrived at 9:15. I went to go see Lleyton warm up for his match. He was very quiet and he was hitting well. Not too many people there. I had picked him to win it all in the Pickem. Don't know if that really has a chance of working out for me, lol. I then headed over to the practice courts and I first watched Ferrero and Ferrer. Juan Carlos has always been nice to me and he is a great player when he is on. He signed my picture of me and him and said "here you go buddy!" hahaha, sounds so Americanish

I then went to the next court over and Bjorkman/Mirnyi and Nieminen/Cermak were practicing. I love doubles so it was great to see these guys playing points out. Jonas came up with some unbelievable volleys ... one was good enough to make Jarkko flip him off Afterwards, I got pictures with Jarkko and Max, both players who I had met in the past and had good experiences with. I wished them luck in their doubles matches.

Berdych and Del Porto came on the court Ferrero/Ferrer were on so I watched them as they had a short practice session since both had early matches scheduled. I had no idea what to expect from Del Porto since I hadn't read about a fan experience with him but he was really nice. He took a picture without hesitation and warned me that he was very sweaty and apologized for it. I had experience in the past with smelley players so now I know to put my hand on their big tennis bag and not their sweaty shoulders, lol. Of course, I didn't mind with Vaidisova back in Indian Wells. Oh dear, FITZ, stay on topic!! I said thank you and said he played terrifically against Canas even though I only saw 5 minutes of the match. He is going to be a great player in his prime!

Next, 3 of my players/tandems were on at the same time. Knowles/Nestor, the Bryans, and my DUDE!!! I went back and forth between Dima and Mark/Daniel at the beginning. Dima looked at me and said "whats up man?" haha. You guys can guess what I said. A simple, "nothing much dude." I then watched Mark and Daniel until Dima packed his rackets in his bag. I talked with the same guy I met the day before who visits my site for Mark. I got my picture from Indian Wells out and ran over to get it signed. He came out and I was the first person he turned to. He thanked me for the good luck card and said he would gladly sign my picture. I wished him luck in the doubles and then took a picture for the guy with Dima.

I then went back to watch the end of Mark and Daniel's practice. I talked to Mark for a bit when they finished but I wasn't in the mood for asking him to finish the autographs for me. We talked about when he thought they would finally play there 2nd round match and he estimated midday on an outer court. He said Graham loves the coloring book I made him! I said I would see him tomorrow.

Of course the Bryans had finished their practice I have been waiting 5 years to get a picture with them since they were the first players I saw live at the Adidas Smash along with Gambill, Edberg, and Laver. There was a huge crowd of people waiting for them come off. Then some luck came my way. They split off and Mike went across the court Mark was on and he came straight to me. I got a picture with him before the fans got over there! Well I got one Bryan so I was so excited!! I was hoping to have another chance at getting one with both of them.

Then Jamie and Bhupathi came out for their short 20-30 minute warmup on the same court the Bryans were on!! Robredo also came out on Mark's court so I took a couple pictures of him before going to see Jamie hit. He had a good practice session from what I saw and I figured they would have a nice chance in winning their match. He was a lot different than Andy. Way quieter, no yelling or cracking up, haha.

I pulled the card out for him and when he came out, I told him it was from his fans on Andy's site to avoid saying Booty's name He said, "ah yeah. I remember hearing about this. Pretty popular, no? laugher*" He then did the exact same thing as Del Porto when I asked for a picture. He was like with his cool Scottish accent, "So sorry. I am very sweaty so you may not want to get too close." I said, "No worries. I am pretty sweaty myself from all the walking around. Not that it takes effort to do that" Those big tennis bags really come in handy for getting pictures with the players especially if you are sweatodorphobic I then asked him to pose for one picture for am.com and he said no problem! I told him I would be at his match and he said, "look forward to seeing you out there and thanks for the card." I forgot to have him sign the picture of him with Jelena.

I watched Robredo for ten more minutes and then he finished. I didn't have anything for him to sign so I asked for a picture. He was very kind and waiting for someone to take it for me. I wish he had played a better match against Jarkko but I wished him luck for the rest of the season. He signed some autographs and then headed off. I did too to go see what match I wanted to go watch.

So I decided to go see Super Mario play. Da Da Da Dadadada Dadadadadada dadada!! It was a great match and Mario played well. Melzer had match point but Mario fought it off and another one and eventually had two of his own. Unfortunately, he could not close it out. He played great though. No chance of an autograph though with him losing.

I had lunch sometime thereafter ..................................... boring.

Next, I went to get in line for Querrey's autograph session. I was the fifth person in line. Woo hoo! Sam was really cool and I had nothing for him to sign but they provided paper photos so I got one of those. Had a picture taken too of course.

I went to go to the court that Jamie was supposed to be on but Cermak/Nieminen vs. Fyrstenberg/Matkowski hadn't finished yet. It was good for me to see this anyway because the winner would move on to play Knowles/Nestor. It was a close match but Fyrstenberg/Matkowski wound up winning it in the end. I am sure Mark and Daniel will beat them though.

The Bryans Bunch spotted me so I went to go chat and sit with them as we waited for Jamie to come out. After 10 minutes, the doubles teams arrived. Woo hoo! I watched them play until it was 2-1 and then there was a rain delay. Jamie had a good start with his serve. Fed came out on the next court over so I took a picture but again, it was far away.

The Bryans Bunch reminded me that Bob and Mike were having a signing so I left to go get in line for that because I had wanted a picture with them for soooooooooo long! After waiting in line for a 1/2 hour, I finally met them and had the picture taken. One with my camera and one by the webbys! It was pretty much simple as awesome! I had them sign a shirt I am using for a contest on Mark's site. They and the webbys rock!

I headed back to catch Jamie for 15 more minutes before I had to leave. They were up a set and a break so it looked like it was good news!! It was great seeing him out there and doing well with Bhupathi! Before I left, I saw Roddick with his golf clubs so I decided to take a picture of it because it looked hilarious to me for some reason. I can't see him having a good handicap since he tries to hit the tennis ball sooooooo hard when he plays I had a GREAT DAY AGAIN!!!! I surely met some players that I wouldn't have thought I would have and it was wonderful seeing Jamie and of course the Bryan Bros! Tomorrow and Friday probably won't have nearly as many as experiences. Hopefully I can get some autographs as it has been tough to get them thus far. Hope you liked my day two experiences!

Aug 16th - DAY THREE

So after two days of running around and trying to meet players, it was time to foucs on the ones I wanted to see most and attend more matches. You all can probably guess where I went first, to see Mark. Del Porto was just finishing up so I pulled out my picture with him and he signed it!! Woo hoo, my 3rd autograph. I hadn't really gone after autographs as I was trying to watch more matches and focus on watching tennis. After he left, Mark arrived a little bit early. And I was thrilled when he arrived because Dawn and Graham came so I got to meet them officially for the first time!! Graham has to be one of the most adorable kids I have ever seen and Mark's wife is one of the sweetest ladies I have met. She had me take another picture with Mark because she said it is good to get as many pictures with him since he doesn't mind and they always turn out differently. Of course I had my Bryans Bunch shirt on so I felt a little akward, haha. So Mark played with Graham for 5 minutes and then it was time for practice. The Bryans Bunch spotted me watching Mark and Daniel so they came down and we chatted for a bit. Mark was practicing well but Daniel was having problems. I think he has had problems with his neck or something. They finished up and Nole and Zimonjic came out to prep for their doubles match. I left because it became sooooooooo crowded.

I needed to kill time before Mark and Daniels match so I headed out to the practice courts. And I found Amer Delic hitting with Mardy Fish! Sweet! Took some pictures of Amer practicing and then I went to sit in the shade. His brother was there and he was trying to return his and Mardy's serve. They then had points where the loser had to get up against the wall and the winner would get a free shot at them Mardy came out first and I of course took a picture with him since I hadn't met him before. Then Amer came out and he signed the picture of us. He said, "Woah, would you look at that? Great photo!" He smiled too and then headed off.

It was time for Mark and Daniel to play so I got a drink because I didn't want to have to leave. I sat with the Bryans Bunch and we cheered them on. Most of them left to go watch Moya play after a few games but the dad stayed and we watched them. Mark was playing well but again, Daniel was not playing his best. Mark was ticked so after he hit this beautiful volley, he went over and kicked the wall three times!! They won a tight first set tiebreak and then went on to win the 2nd set 6-4!! I did all the slow claps when Mark/Daniel had break points but no one else joined in. I didn't care. Afterwards, I met up with Dawn and I spoke to Mark briefly. He gave me a high five and said thanks for cheering for us. Dawn then introduced me to a couple of her relatives and they all complimented me on the site! Dawn then asked me if I had a ticket to the night session and I said no so she offered to use one of the ones Mark is allowed to give out so I could go see Blake and the Bryans What a wonderful family those guys are! After saying goodbye, I went to go get lunch.

Next, I watched Nole and Zimonjic play Max Mirnyi and Jonas Bjorkman. I stayed until the first set was over and then I decided to walk around for a bit. I saw Mathieu practicing with Wawrinka. Interesting that both were still there after they had early exits in the tournament. I saw Roddick was down a break to Ferrer in the 2nd set so I went to go watch the end of that. It sounded like it was an ugly match from what I heard from the fans talking. Roddick blew a great chance to get back in the final with the draw opening up big time.

I went back to see the final set of the doubles match I left earlier. Nole was a lot better at volleying than I thought. I wasn't surprised they upset the #2 seeds as Bjorkman/Mirnyi have not won a title this year and have had early exits in quite a few of the last tournaments. Nole signed the picture of us after they won and he said, "we look unbelievable" He uses that word sooooooo much and we actually don't look that good. I think he liked the fact that I didn't have one of those big tennis balls, lol.

I went to go see Davydenko play Berdych and met up with the Bryans Bunch. Berdych was playing awful and should have stayed in the lockeroom. After that boring match, we all headed off to get ice cream. It was yummy and they payedf for me! We went check out Erlich/Ram versus Almagro/Ferrer while we waited for the Bryans to come out to practice. It was a pretty "blah" of a match as singles players make doubles look horrid. Singles players who don't play doubles regularily should not be playing doubles because it causes the level of play to not look as exciting. I mean Ferrer was trying to play by ralling from the baseline.

Bob and Mike came on and we watched them practice. I wanted to get a picture of me with my shirt in case I didn't get to stay for the Bryans match as I was getting picked up at 9:30. I had to hope for James to have a quick match. Bob and Mike finished up so we all headed off to our seats for the night match. WOO HOO! I couldn't move down to sit with them during Blakes match because it was very packed.

After Blake beat Ferrero easily, I moved down to sit with the Bunch! I felt so cool to be part of a vocal group. Sorry Jamie but I was rooting for the Bryans. Its not like it was Booty and Stretch out there anyway. The Bryans played sooooooooo amazing and Bhupathi was having a terrible night. Jamie helped salvage a few games with some nice volleys and poaching but his play unfortunately did not measure up to that of Bob and Mike. I got a picture with the Bunch right after they won! After a match on center court concludes, the winners hit 3 autographed balls up to the fans. The Bryans hit one towards out group. It was a bit off target but I ran over to see if I could get close to catching it. It hit off a stairway bar and I caught it off the rickashade!!! I couldn't believe it!! It had to be fate getting that free ticket from Mark and Dawn!! What a great end to the night and I got out just in time to meet my mom who was a bit late anyway due to the traffic. The Bunch kindly waited for me to be picked up and then I said goodbye. What a night!!!

Aug 17th - DAY 4!!! LAST DAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

So I had to get up way earlier than planned because they put Mark and Daniel on Center Court at 10am, which a lot of us found ridiculous for a quarterfinal match. I had picture troubles again as the new place we went to had someone who didn't show up for work, so I was not able to get the pictures I printed for Mark/Dawn until 1pm, which was when my mom was coming. I arrived at 8:50 in hopes of being there in time to see Mark warm up and also to see Dawn. I bought the draw sheet and it said they were slated to practice at 9:30 on center. I just went there to scout their opponents who were due on at 9am. This matchup was a rematch of the French Open final and I could not be more nervous. Dlouhy/Vizner came out and started warming up.

Dawn spotted me sitting there and she came down with Graham and let me know they were coming out earlier on center and were going to share the court with their opponents. And the first thing she did was give me a shirt that she had Mark save for me!!! It was this wonderful Red shirt that says "Doubles Rules" on the front. It was only given away to a few fans in DC and to the doubles players so I was very grateful to be given one! There will be a picture of me wearing it later. She then told me she had a couple other shirts for me but one was back in the hotel and the other was in the lockeroom! WOW! I told her they were being too generous but let her know I had surprise pictures for them on the way. Graham wanted to hit with Mark but there wasn't too much time and he got sad so she had to take him back to the hotel. I told her where I would be sitting during the match and she left. I put the shirt on and then Mark said, "Hey Matt. Love the shirt on you, " I then wished him luck and I headed off to get a drink and find my seat.

The Bryans Bunch came to the match and they allowed me to move down and sit with them! They had way better seats than I did, lol. The match was very hard for me to watch as Daniel was having a very hard time closing volleys out and honestly, he looked like he was not awake. I did all I could with cheering for them, yelling, and starting slow claps with the Bryans Bunch. We all thought after they broke back in the 2nd set that it would be good news for them. It was not. They lost 6-4, 7-5 and I was just as much in a bad mood as they were. Mark still stayed as nice as could be and signed a few autographs for the kiddies but Nesty walked off furious. It was not a good way to play in their 2nd to last tournament. I decided to go wait by the player entrance/exit for Mark or Dawn to come out. I waited 30 minutes and I saw Mark but he looked so mad that I avoided making eye contact with him. Dawn came out 10 minutes later and said sorry about them not winning on my last day. She then handed me a Knowlzee Knocks Em shirt!!! YAY!!! Now I had something to wear with Mark's name on it. We made arrangements to meet at 2pm in the same spot. I watched a few games of the Hewitt match and then left. He was playing great and Moya was simply not playing well at all.

After that, I went to go find my mom and we had lunch. She gave me the pictures that I had printed for the Knowles and also the ones I made for the Bryans Bunch thanking them for all of their help. I went to go watch Ullyett/Hanley play against Damm/Paes. We were rooting for Hanlett as none of us like Paes' on court behavior. Plus, it was technically Hanley that gave me the ticket to the night match the day before as Mark had used all of his. I handed them their pictures and they loved them. It may be on the Bryans site so stay tuned for that! Unfortunately, Kevin's back flared up again so he and Paul had to retire from the match.

We all headed off to wait for Bob and Mike to come out to practice. I had about 30 minutes until I was due to meet Dawn so I tagged along. The Bryans arrived and boy did they have another good practice session. There must have been one warm up rally where they hit 50-60 groundstrokes in w/o being wide, long, or in the net! I took a few pictures but then I decided to go wait for her to arrive. Luckily, there was a spare chair so I sat down in that. She came at about 2:10 and said Mark was in a bit of a better mood. I handed her the pictures and we went through them. She loved all of them and said it would cheer Mark up! I told her I was afraid to ask him to sign the last of the contest autographs but she said she would have him do it in the hotel. I showed all of my tournament photos in my binder and she saw I had the one with me and Mark with the book and offered to have him sign that to me as well!! What a sweet woman she was. She then told me that Nesty already left to catch a flight out but Mark was coming back to practice to work on some stuff!!! AHHHHHHHHHHH! I would get to say goodbye to all of them. Woot Woot!

I went to watch the first set of the Bryans match and boy was it a tight set. The Bryans kicked butt in the tiebreaker though and went on to win the match. I waited by the practice courts for an hour and a half and there was no sign of Mark. I kept walking around to all of them and checked at the player entrance. I asked three security personnel who are in charge of letting players/family enter the player entrance if they knew if he was on the grounds and none of them knew who he was! They should be fired if they don't know who is is. I sat down in the same chair at the player entrance and saw Querrey enter and the Bryans exit.

It was now 5:45 and I had 15 minutes until I was due to leave. I was sooooooo worried that I would not get any of my stuff back. Out of nowhere comes Dawn with my photos and says, "why are you sitting here?" I said, "oh, I thought Mark didn't show up." She then told me he had been on the grandstand court practicing for the last hour and a half!?!?!?!? That was the only court I didn't check but still, the security people should have known he was out especially on that big court! She got everything signed and I looked through it and Mark accidentally signed one of the photos that was for him to me, hahaha. We walked over and I got to see him practice for a bit. I begged my mom for 15 extra minutes and she obliged. I talked to Dawn and she asked me if I was going anywhere next year and I said I would try and go down to Miami for a weekend. She offered to get me tickets if I went!?!?!?!?!? Woah!!! Does it ever stop! They are too nice! Graham was out there with Mark and was trying to hit! He then saw that Mark turned his hat around backwards and he said, "daddy, hat on wrong way." and he tried to turn his around. It was so cute!

She then had me go down to the court and I said goodbye to Mark. I took a picture with her and Mark for my final picture and then said goodbye to her mom and Graham. Awwwwwww, what a wonderful boy they have. She then ran to go get me another shirt and it was the Cincy one that is given to the players!! I don't know why Mark would give that out to a crazy person like me but I thanked both of them from the bottom of my heart. She gave me a hug goodbye and I was off.

WHEW!!!!!!!!!!!!! What a trip I had! Sooooooooooooooooo many experiences and I just can't believe it is all over. I can't rank any experience as the #1. I thought the one with Andy would blow everything by miles but all the time I had with Dawn and Mark and rooting for the Bryans with the Bunch and catching the ball and chatting with Booty twice has to be right up there with presenting Andy the book!! I know this tournament blog was not as good as the IW one but I hoped you enjoyed reading about my experiences. I certainly enjoyed telling my stories!