Happy New Year!

Wishing you all a very happy, healthy, and successful 2014! 

I've done New Year's Resolutions before and they last maybe a couple weeks, or maximum a month. But this year I'm serious about my resolutions! I believe that every resolution I've made will better myself. I have several. 

1. Fix my posture. It's dreadful. I mean really dreadful. And I'm pretty sure it's part of the reason my shoulders are so messed up. So from now on: shoulders back, chest up! 

2. No sweets! That's right, you heard me! No sweets! I've emptied my apartment of all my candy and sweets! My goal is to make it to end of this season (Mayish). I hoping to change my body a little and maybe drop a few body fat percentages. We'll see what the results are in a few months!

3. Journal every day. I'm starting a daily journal. Basically, I got 365 note cards marked with the date (one for each day of the year, obviously) and every day I'll take out the respective note card and write a couple lines about my day or what is inspiring me at the time. The point of the journal is to do it for several years. Think about how cool that's gonna be in about 5 years! I also have another daily journal. In this journal I have a daily question that I answer and write about. For example one of the questions is "What are you grateful for?". You can find the list of questions that I'm using here. 

Good luck with your New Year's resolutions! 

Kayla 

Observations of Azerbaijan (so far)

So I've been in Baku just over two months already. November flew by! Baku is so different from America. Here are some observations I've made so far:


1. There are stray cats everywhere. This was one of the first things that stood out to me. I walked about three blocks from my apartment to the nearest mall and I saw about ten strays. Not an exaggeration.

2. People openly litter. I mean not to be mean but Baku looks like one giant dumpster. There is trash EVERYWHERE. The city is very dirty, which is unfortunate because it could actually be a nice city if it wasn't so disgusting.

3. In greeting, men kiss each other on the cheek. It's weird.

4. Apparently, it's perfectly normal to kill and skin lamb right in the middle of a neighborhood…on the sidewalk…no joke. For a few days there was a pen of lamb right outside my apartment building and the butchers were just butchering them up right there on the sidewalk. I came to understand it has to do with some kind of Muslim holiday and way of eating. Still…disturbing.

5. There are no street sweepers in Baku. Let me rephrase. There are street sweepers in Baku, but it is literally just a woman with a crappy broom attempting to sweep the curbs…they tie a rope around their waste which is connected to a bucket that they drag around behind them. This bucket acts as their waste bin. And there you have it…street sweepers.

6. Traffic is ridiculous. If I had a car here, I would have gotten in a wreck within 5 minutes. Even crossing the street feels a lot like the game Frogger. People go wherever they want. And to let everyone else know that they are going they honk. So I hear about 100 car horns every day. Most days, it's a car horn that wakes me up in the morning. It's not uncommon to see traffic moving in three lanes down a two lane street. I witnessed two cars crash in front of my apartment building. They both just drove off like nothing had happened!

7. Last observation for now, and I learned this the hard way. It is apparently very rude to put your feet up on the back of the seat in front of you. I had a man scold me for doing it at our gym one day.

That's all I got for now! More blogs from Baku to come!

Kayla

395

That's how long it's been since I blogged. That's right, a year and some change. And for those of you who have been missing it, I apologize, but I just wasn't inspired to blog. I know that seems awfully selfish of me, but I always felt like blogging was something I wanted to do because I was inspired to do it. For me.

A lot has happened to me (and for me) this past year. And although you may not know all the details, I kept my own personal journal, and I'd like to share with you the things I've learned in these 395 days. Some of these were easy lessons, and some were very tough.

1. Expect nothing. Work your ass off. Hope for the best. 

2. Boys are stupid, but I still love him (them, I meant them). 

3. Sometimes you have to smile through the tears, even though you may not want to. 

4. Adversity will find you sooner or later. Be grateful it came sooner rather than later. Roll with the punches. 

5. There are things you can control and things that are completely out of your hands. Why spend time worrying about something that you have no power over? It's a waste of time and energy.

6. Your opportunities will come. Stay ready. 

The 2016 Olympic Gold Medal match is 1,019 days away. And after the first year of this Olympic Quadrennial, I feel more prepared and motivated than ever to (continue to) battle for a spot on the Olympic roster, and to win a Gold medal. I believe I am a better, stronger woman today than I was October 6th, 2012, and I'm very proud of myself. The journey is just beginning for me.

Kayla

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!