Livin' On a Prayer!

Ohhhh we're halfway there! That is, I'm halfway through my Insanity program! Well, I'm done with the first month at least. Next week is "recovery week" (who knows how much recovery it will actually be) and then I have one more month left! So, I'm just gonna keep telling myself I'm halfway there and if you could play along with me that'd be great :) Best part is is that I can definitely feel myself more conditioned and in better shape than when I started. I haven't lost any weight (which is okay with me) but I have toned up a little bit! I can't wait to see what my finals results will look like! We can do it Eric (yes my brother, Eric, is doing the 60 day challenge with me)! It's all downhill from here!

Still nothing concrete to report about volleyball. One of the agents I'm working with is "presenting" me to a team in Greece. The league isn't considered a top league and the team I'd be on finished 4th last year in the Greek league. But damn, I'd take that contract just for the opportunity to live in Greece for 7 months. That would be amazing! Wow I can't even imagine. So say some prayers for a contract to come my way! This is the city I would be living in. It's called Thessaloniki and it looks absolutely stunning! And of course you all would be more than welcome to come visit me. I'm really hoping this one works out!

It's gonna be another uneventful Saturday night for me, which I'm totally okay with. I'm currently watching the Husker footballers play Ohio State while simultaneously getting updates from the Husker volleyballers taking on Indiana, drawing, and making brownies for Andy's birthday tomorrow! It's my first time ever making brownies so hopefully they turn out yummy!

The Husker vball team plays at Iowa on October 17th (Wednesday). I'm thinking I'll head to Iowa City on Tuesday for that match (and definitely plan on going out that night) and head home to Dubuque for maybe the rest of the week. So if you'll be in Iowa City or Dubuque and have on your party pants let me know!

I'm sure you've noticed the changes I've made. I decided to redecorate a little bit in honor of it being Fall in Lincoln. The most special time of the year for this city. Hope you like it!

Until next time...

Sending all my love to you!

Kayla

P.S. Today I was just thinking that all my friends are scattered throughout the country. Believe me, if I had the money, I'd visit you all! I miss everyone very much!

A Few of My Favorite Things!

There are a few things that I am obsessed with right now...wanna hear about them? Okay good :)

An epic Husker football win! Just like the one we got this Saturday in the first Big 10 game of the season against Wisconsin! Here is a picture of the crowd celebrating outside the stadium after the game! So amazing! Nebraska seriously has the best fans in the country! GBR!

Sparkling Ice! This drink is so amazing! It's ZERO calories and is a flavored carbonated water! It tastes so good! 10 for $10 at HyVee so of course I stocked up! It's a way for me to cut back on drinking pop.

Being artsy! In high school I took an art class every year and I loved it! Well, now that I have a little more free time on my hands, I've decided to start drawing and painting again. It's a good way to take my mind off the fact that my volleyball career has hit a little lull (I know I've said that I'm okay with being in Lincoln right now, but all you active people understand that not having much to do can drive you crazy). Here is the painting that I just completed a week ago. Not bad for my first one in about 6 years right?

Reese's Pumpkins! Tis the season! These (in my opinion) are the best food ever!!!!! I am absolutely obsessed! I know they are absolutely awful to be eating, but I can't help it! They are so good and addicting! I am in love! 

This quote Jess Yanz tagged me in on Pinterest! This is for all book lovers out there! For anyone who knows me, I LOVE reading! So this is pretty perfect in describing me!

Goodreads.com! This website is amazing! You have your own profile where you can list and rate the books you've read, and you can start a "to-read" list. Then you can add your friends and find out what they are reading, have read, and want to read. It's brilliant! And I will never be without a good book to read. I'm currently in the middle of "Divergent" by Veronica Roth. And once I'm done with that I've got 31 books on my "to-read" list. I'm a happy girl! 

Speaking of "Divergent" I'm gonna go see what happens next :) I love being a nerd! Until next time...

Talk to you later!

Kayla

I Can't Think of a Good Title :)

Hey all! Don't you just love fall weather? I forgot how beautiful this season can be! And for some reason, especially in Lincoln, fall is just a magical time of year.

On the volleyball front, nothing new to report. I'm still looking for a contract but nothing has worked out so far. So, I'm still in Lincoln just hanging out, staying in shape, and training with the Huskers. On a side note, I have applied for an internship at a publishing company here in town. I thought it might be interesting to explore some of the things my English major has to offer me. Plus, it's paid so it'd be a nice way to earn some cash while I'm in Lincoln. I've also applied for a few other temporary part time jobs so keep your fingers crossed for me. Hopefully something works out.

I'm in my third week of Insanity! These workouts are, for lack of a better word, INSANE! I still cannot get through an entire workout without having to take a few breaks. It is easily the best workout I've ever done. But you know what? I put on a pair of jeans today and they were a little bit loose on me! Woo! That might be the best feeling ever! Only 6 more weeks til' I complete the whole Insanity program!

Other than that, there really isn't anything new going on with me. I'm just hanging out in Lincoln being boring. I'm sure I'll be heading back to Dubuque sometime soon (even if it's only to get my fall/winter clothing out of storage). In the meantime, say some prayers for me that one of these jobs/internship works out!

Until next time...

Sending all my love to you from Lincoln!

Kayla

P.S. I don't know if I've told you this yet, but Larry the Cable Guy is coming to Lincoln October 13th and I can't wait to see his show in person! So here's a clip from one of his shows for your entertainment! Enjoy!

White Blank Page

Out of nowhere, inspiration hits me. This lit a fire in my heart today. Hope it does the same for you.

Kayla

#58

#58 Go for a walk on the Mississippi River Walk

Kayla

Insanity!

Hello all! I'm blogging to you from Lincoln, NE! I'm still living here working out on my own and training with the Huskers so I can stay in good volleyball shape. Life is good! I can't really complain about being in Lincoln in the fall. With football and volleyball going on, plus the beautiful fall weather, it's a very special place to be!

I am still looking for a contract to go play overseas somewhere. I was contacted by one of the agents I'm working with about a team in Romania that is possibly looking to sign me. Nothing is for sure yet so take this with a grain of salt. I'll for sure keep you updated as things occur.

In the meantime, I decided to finally take on the 60 Insanity workout challenge! It's #55 on my list of 101 in 1001. I'm super excited to see some amazing results! I did the first workout today and DAMN it is rough! It's gonna be super hard to get through the next 60 days but I just have to keep my goals in mind, especially my biggest goal: 2016 Olympics in Rio! Wish me luck! Hopefully I'll have an awesome "after" photo that I'll get to show off to you :)

Anyways, you'll have a few more blog posts coming your way very soon I promise! Until then...

Sending all my love to you!

Kayla

P.S. Larry the Cable Guy is coming to Lincoln in October and I'm definitely gonna go see him. Not only because he's one of my favorite comedians and a HUGE Husker fans, but also because it's on my list of 101 in 1001 (#85)! So here's a clip courtesy of Larry for your laugh of the day!

Life Update!

Hello all! So, a lot of things have happened since I last blogged. This has been one of the best summers of my life! But, wow, time sure does fly when you're having fun! So here's what I've been up to!

Well, you all know that I was selected to play for Team USA at the Pan Am Cup this year in Mexico. And I'm sure you know that we won! Woo! We were down 0-2 against Brazil in the finals and came back and won! This is one of the greatest matches I've ever played in. It's even up there with the Washington and Penn State matches my sophomore year. Yeah, it was pretty spectacular!

Match Point!

After Juarez, things started to get pretty hectic for me. We left Mexico on Saturday morning and flew back to California. Then I turned right around the next morning and flew to Lincoln because I was still committed to working Nebraska Team Camps. So, I landed in Lincoln around 4:30 and headed straight to the Coliseum in order to be there for the night session. Needless to say I was completely exhausted and delirious. And so were some of my fellow camp coaches...

This is where you'll find the camp coaches in between most sessions...passed out in the Coliseum!

Camp coaches pulling their hair out!

After about a week of camp, I had a few days to relax. On July 30th, I flew back out to Cali because a group of my girlfriends and I got a team together and signed up to play in the Manhattan Beach 6-Man tournament. Now if you haven't ever heard of this tournament, it's basically a giant party! Every team picks a theme and they dress up in costumes to play. It's just a lot of fun! Our team chose to be cops and called ourselves "The Joint". Kinda cheesy I know but whatever. We didn't place. In fact I don't know how we ended up finishing, but that's okay. Our main goal this tournament was to let loose and have some fun, and we definitely had a blast! 

I flew back to Lincoln after that tournament on August 2nd, and then had to turn around the next day again and drive home to Dubuque! I was invited to a wedding in town and decided to make the trip home for it and attend. I even brought home a date for the wedding (you'll be hearing more about him soon I promise).

Well we went to eat at Kalmes with my best friend, Alicia Sieverding, and her family. After that, we went for drinks at her uncle's bar "The Bronco" in downtown Bellevue. Well, we ended up drinking a little more than we planned on. And the next day, the hangover trumped any plans we had of going to a wedding. I know, I'm a horrible person. So what was supposed to be kind of a crazy fun weekend, turn into a nice relaxing weekend at home (which I'm not upset about at all). 

The very next weekend was another big weekend for me: the University of Nebraska August 2012 Commencement ceremony! Finally, I'm officially receiving my degree! Mom, Dad, and Eric all made the trip down to Lincoln to celebrate with me! I'm glad I decided to walk in the ceremony because it turned out to be a pretty cool day for me! 

I'm the front row on the far left! (Of course we lined up in alphabetical order...and I had to go first) 

Woo! I did it! 

Now since I, unfortunately, have not yet been able to find a contract to go play overseas this season, I'm living in Lincoln, training with the Huskers. For some extra cash, I'm reffing league vb games at a local sports bar and club called "Spike's". I "work" weeknights Monday thru Thursday. So, I go straight from the Huskers training session to this sports bar and it makes for some long nights. But, I can't complain because it pays well and it's the easiest money I've ever made. Hopefully a good contract comes up soon so I can head to Europe and play (keep your fingers crossed for me). But, I do enjoy being in Lincoln! It has definitely become my home over the past four years and I love it here. Plus, because I was in town, Coach Cook invited me to play in the Huskers annual Red/White scrimmage. I was so happy he asked because getting the opportunity to play in the Coliseum again is a dream come true for me! I got to play with my friends in front of a near sold out crowd in the greatest volleyball venue in the country! Needless to say, I felt very blessed to have that opportunity. I had an absolute blast!

And that brings us to today. The Huskers aren't practicing today, so after a quick run this morning, I don't have anything else to do the rest of the day. But, I'll be reffing away at Spike's tonight! Also, I'll be back in Dubuque this weekend for my cousin's wedding (which I'm super excited for) so if you want to get together give me a call!

Kayla 

P.S. My "date" and I watched the movie "Up!" last night and I was reminded why it is one of my favorite movies! So here's a little clip that I just love! Hope you do too!