Gold Medal Match!

Tonight Team USA will be playing in the GOLD MEDAL MATCH of the Pan American Cup! We had a great win over Dominican Republic in the semis. Tonight we take on Brazil! I feel a good vibe going through this team right now and I believe we are ready to take on this challenge! Hopefully it will end with us on top of the podium with a nice piece of GOLD hardware around our necks :) Wish me luck! 

The match is at 9:00 PM CST and again, you can watch live at this link:

http://www.livestream.com/copanamericana2

GO USA!

Kayla

Semifinals!

After a crazy win against Dominican Republic after being down 0-2, we came out of our pool on top! That means we have a bye today and are automatically in the semifinals tomorrow! I really have no idea who we're gonna play. This tournament has kind of a funky points system and I don't really get it. But, I'm gonna guess we'll play either Cuba or Dominican. We played both these teams in our pool. And like I said earlier we beat Dominican in 5. However, we lost to Cuba. So either way, tomorrow's match is gonna be a huge challenge for us. We play at 9:00 PM CST. You can watch it live at this link:

http://www.livestream.com/copanamericana2

The finals are the following day, and we travel back to California on the 21st. I'm ready to get back to the States. I've been eating nothing but rice, beans, and tortilla chips for the past week. You see we aren't allowed to eat the meat here because a lot of the meat is injected with steroids. And if we were to test positive for steroids in our next drug test we are SOL. So needless to say I'm excited to eat a real meal :)

I'm off to practice! GO USA!

Kayla 

Update

Okay folks, I found a website for the tournament . There is a button that says "Live" right next to our matches. I have a feeling that this is just live stats, and not necessarily live video. But, it's all I got so far. Of course, if I find anything else, I will let you know!

http://www.norceca.net/2012%20Events/2012%20XI%20Women's%20Pan%20American%20Cup/Calendar%202012%20XI%20Women's%20Pan%20American%20Cup.htm 

Now if you are on this page and you clicked "Homepage", that would take you back to the NORCECA homepage. However, to get back to the Live Updates/Results page, simply click on this picture

on the right side of the NORCECA homepage, and you will be directed back to the Pan Am Cup tournament homepage. From there, clicking on "Competition Calendars" will take you back to the page with the Live results. I'm praying that this is actually live video but I have no idea right now. I'll keep doing some research and try and get a more solid feed for you. 

We got to Juarez yesterday around 2:00 and went right away to practice. It was a good session to allow us to get the blood flowing after being on a plane. After that we ate dinner and had a quick team meeting. Everyone was exhausted by 8:00 so we called it a night. We were up bright and early today for a 8:00 AM training session. Another good practice in the books. I feel good about tomorrow and I think this team is in a great position to do well here. We have the rest of the day off (with an optional lift later on). I think a lot of the girls are gonna be heading to the pool, and I'm sure I will be there as well :)

Our first match is tomorrow vs. Canada at 2:00 PM (3:00 PM Central time). GO USA!

Kayla 

Juarez Here I Come!

So I'm heading to Mexico today! Juarez to be specific. I know it sounds sketchy but from what I hear it's not as bad as you'd think. Heading with Team USA to compete in the Pan American Cup! It's my first USA roster as the libero so I'm a little nervous but even more excited!  I still don't know about a live feed or not. But if I do find something I'll post the link on facebook and this blog for you so keep your eyes peeled :) Also I'm not sure what my internet situation is but if I do have internet I'll probably be on Skype a lot. So if you ever want to chat you'll know where to find me! I'm super pumped! Love you all! I'll be back in the States on the 21st! Go USA!    

Olympic Roster Announced!

Yesterday the Olympic roster was announced! This was a VERY exciting day for everyone that has been a part of USA Volleyball this past quad. It was even exciting for me, although I realistically had no chance at being selected. Just knowing that dreams were coming true for many of my teammates was awesome! Here is the roster that will be competing in London:

2012 U.S. Olympic Women’s Volleyball Team
# - Name (Position, Height, Hometown, College)
2 - Danielle Scott-Arruda (MB, 6-2, Baton Rouge, La., Long Beach State)
3 - Tayyiba Haneef-Park (Opp, 6-7, Laguna Hills, Calif., Long Beach State)
4 - Lindsey Berg (S, 5-8, Honolulu, Hawaii, Minnesota)
5 - Tamari Miyashiro (L, 5-7, Kaneohe, Hawaii, Washington)
6 - Nicole Davis (L, 5-4, Stockton, Calif., Southern California)
10 - Jordan Larson (OH, 6-2, Hooper, Neb., Nebraska)
11 - Megan Hodge (OH, 6-3, Durham, N.C., Penn State)
13 - Christa Harmotto (MB, 6-2, Hopewell, Pa., Penn State)
15 - Logan Tom (OH, 6-1, Salt Lake City, Utah, Stanford)
16 - Foluke Akinradewo (MB, 6-3, Plantation, Fla., Stanford)
17 - Courtney Thompson (S, 5-8, Kent, Wash., Washington)
19 - Destinee Hooker (Opp, 6-4, San Antonio, Texas, Texas)


I have no doubt in my mind that this team will bring home a gold medal. They are certainly capable of achieving great things.


Now, because the Olympic roster has been announced, the rest of the team was informed as to whether we would be going to Pan Am Cup. And, I am SO EXCITED to be able to tell you that I will be the libero for Team USA at the Pan Am Cup in Mexico next week! We leave Tuesday morning. The competition starts Thursday, and the finals are on the 20th. If we finish in the top 4, we qualify USA for the 2013 World Grand Prix. I'm super pumped! My first tournament as USA's libero! I understand it's no Olympics, but it's a start :)

Here is the schedule for pool play (CST):  July 12 Group A 1:00 pm: R. Dominican - Colombia 3:00 pm: United States - Canada 5:00 pm: Cuba - Puerto Rico July 13 5:00 pm: Cuba - Colombia 7:00 pm: R. Dominican - Canada 9:00 pm: U.S. - Puerto Rico July 14 5:00 pm: Canada - Colombia 7:00 pm: R. Dominican - Puerto Rico 9:00 pm: U.S. - Cuba July 15 5:00 pm: U.S. - Colombia 7:00 pm: Puerto Rico - Canada 9:00 pm: R. Dominican - Cuba July 16 5:00 pm: Puerto Rico - Colombia 7:00 pm: Cuba - Canada 9:00 pm: R. Dominica - United States

I'm not sure what the schedule for tournament play is, but I'll do my best to keep you informed when I find out more. Also, if I do remember correctly, in the past this tournament has had a website where you can watch the matches live. However, I don't know for sure. Again, as soon as I find out I'll let you know!

I'm so excited to be able to represent USA! It's an honor to wear the Red, White, and Blue! Go USA!

Happy 4th everyone!

Kayla 

P.S. I'm pretty sure I've used this clip before but it makes me laugh out loud every time so I'm using it again! Enjoy!

1 Down...4 To Go!

Welp, I survived the first week back in the gym! It went a lot better than I thought it was gonna. Before I got back to California, I really hadn't seriously played for about two months. And for any volleyball player, two months is a LONG time to take off. Normally, if I take a week off, I'm completely out of it. But, after two months, I was thrown right back into the thick of things, training with Olympians. Much to my delight, I held my own and had a pretty solid week!

So, the next month could go one of two ways...

Scenario #1 (preferred): I continue training for the next couple weeks. I play well enough to make the Pan Am Cup roster. This squad would leave July 11th and be competing in Juarez, Mexico until July 21st. We would be competing to qualify Team USA for a spot in next summer's Grand Prix. I'm not sure when this roster will be announced, but keep your fingers crossed for me. I'll let you know as soon as I find out. 

Scenario #2: I don't make the Pan Am Cup roster. However, I would continue training with the Olympic team to help them prepare for London. The team leaves July 20th and I would practice with them up until they leave. 

I would love it if Scenario #1 worked out. However, I'm trying to have a more positive outlook on volleyball this summer. So, I'm forcing myself to be happy with whatever happens, knowing that either way, I'd be competing hard, and continuing to improve.

I have to say, it feels amazing to be wearing USA on my back again and to be able to compete with some of the best volleyball players in the world! 

And there are some benefits. I get to spend my afternoons by the pool :) 

Rough life, but somebody's gotta do it :)

Sending all my love from Cali!

Kayla

P.S. Since this is a sports related post, here is a sports related "The Office" clip! Enjoy!

I'm Baaaaaaack!

Hello all! After a very long hiatus from the blogosphere I am finally back and ready to update you all on what's been going on in my life! I know this is 18 days after I said I would be back, and for that I apologize. But, life's been a little hectic lately, and you will soon see why!

I got back from Austria around April 26th (at least I think it was then). And I was SO relieved to be able to spend some time at home in Dubuque! I got to hang out with my two favorite men, Dad and Eric, and do some of my favorite things! While I was at home, I knocked out several of the things on my 101 in 1001 list including:

57. Go to one of my brother's baseball games.

I'm sure this is about to be a home run :)

61. Play softball catch. (I did this with Eric)

62. Pitch a softball. (And it actually turned out to be somewhat under control!)

63. Go to a driving range.

Perfect form....kinda :)

After having a conversation with USA Volleyball head coach, Hugh McCutcheon, it was determined that I would be an "on call" player this summer. So, that gave me the okay to head back to Lincoln to finish up my degree. I took two classes during the three week May session. Yep, two classes in three weeks. It was definitely stressful. I was in class everyday for six hours with a short break for lunch. After a full day of class, I quite literally had to go straight home and get on the computer to get all my homework done. And that was my schedule for three weeks. BUT, it was SO worth it because...

17. Graduate college!

And since I was at home for two weeks and in class for the next three weeks I didn't play ANY volleyball. The longest I've gone in awhile without training or competing. And that means...

30. Take a month off of volleyball to relax.

This is such a HUGE relief! I'm glad to finally be done! After my last day of class, I headed to Iowa City. For those of you who don't know, my mom has been in the hospital for awhile. She was diagnosed with ulcerative colitis about three years ago. When she first was diagnosed, the doctors gave her steroids and meds and got it under control. Well, she had a flare up and went back to the hospital during a trip back to Dubuque. The steroids and meds weren't working as well as they did three years ago, and she ended up having to have surgery to have her colon removed. Bad news bears. So I went and spent three days with her at the University of Iowa hospital. Good news though, she has been released from the hospital and is slowly but surely traveling the road to recovery. She will have to have a follow up surgery in 4-6 months but soon after that things should be back to normal for her. So please send up some prayers for her speeding recovery.

Next up was Nebraska Volleyball Camps! A week and a half of coaching young girls and hanging out with some of the coolest camp coaches ever! Let's just say I am super pumped for camps to start every summer and by the end of camps, I am just dying for it to end! But, it's a great paycheck and I get to spend a ton of time with my favorite people!

So after an awesome time at Husker camps, I got the call to come back out to California and start training with USA Volleyball again. So, I am currently sitting at my mom's apartment blogging to you. I'll be here until July 21st at the latest, and I'll do my best to keep you updated on what I'll be doing. My agenda for the month is pretty much gonna be train in the morning, sit by the pool all afternoon, watch TV and movies all night, and then sleep. That's the plan thus far. But, I will be getting out some more and I'll be trying to get some more of my 101 in 1001 things done. Here's to a month of adventure! 

Sending all my love from California!

Kayla 

P.S. I know you have all been desperately longing for more "The Office" clips. So, here ya go! Enjoy!

Pan Am Games!

So I've been on a blogging sabbatical (much to the dismay of my brother and Aunt Serri), and its been almost two months so it's about time I got back on the horse. So I guess I'll just pick up where I left off. And yes, in case you haven't guessed, this is going to be a ridiculously long blog post.

So October 11th, I was headed to Guadalajara to play in the Pan American Games with Team USA Volleyball. The Pan Am Games was quite literally, a mini-Olympics. Any summer sport that was an event in the Olympics was competing in these games. And from what I understand for the city of Guadalajara, it was basically a test to see whether or not they were capable of hosting an Olympics (which they are trying to do in the future). Anyways, we got there about 5 days before the volleyball part of the games started. And we got about and hour and a half of training time every day. We lifted a few days during this time and had access to a really nice weight room. I guess I should explain the living arrangements first. All the athletes from all sports stayed in what was called "The Village". In the village was an apartment complex that housed all of us, a weight room/workout facility, a makeshift dining hall, and the "International Zone". In the "International Zone was a stage where they had various artists and performers come in, a Starbucks, a Burger King, a Blue Bell ice cream booth, and a hang out area with chairs and couches we could relax. So we went and lifted in the weight room a couple times. And in the weight room there were spin bikes! YAY! For those of you who don't know I got really into spinning the last two or three months I was in Cali. So I was happy to be able to spin while I was in Mexico for a couple weeks. We had access to the weight room whenever we wanted to use it. The food we ate in the dining hall was...a challenge...to say the least. Basically, I lived on refried beans, rice, and tortilla chips while I was there. But, they had PEPSI! Coolers full of Pepsi! Thank the good Lord above. I would've died, literally died from a headache if I couldn't have Pepsi while I was there.

And since we were there for the beginning of all of the Games, we got to go to the opening ceremonies! This was AMAZING! It was just like the opening ceremonies for the Olympics. They were held in a soccer stadium and it was sold out with 50,000 Mexicans screaming. I have a video but the sound is terrible. Okay, the sound is non-existent. And if you want to watch it you're going to have to turn your head to the side because I can't figure out how to turn it. But, this is the American athletes about to take part in the Parade of Champions during the ceremonies.We are waiting in the tunnel about to be introduced. It takes a minute to get out of the tunnel but once we do the stadium is amazing! And it was so loud! Completely surreal experience.

I wrote this the night of opening ceremonies after got back to the village. I wanted it to be fresh in my mind.

"Pan American Games Opening Ceremonies:

Oh. My. God. I am mind blowed.

Tonight was the opening ceremonies for the 2011 Pan American Games.  I can confidently say that this was the biggest/coolest/most significant thing I have ever experienced in my entire life. I have never felt more inspired, happy, excited, proud, American, overwhelmed, or amazed. Period. Ever. This was the most amazing thing I have ever been a part of.

I have been training with USA since January 17^th, 2011. I have done nothing but train for close to 10 months. It has been a very rough journey, so far. I have smiled. I have cried. I have loved it. I have hated it. I have seen myself as a future Olympian. I have wanted to quit. It was never easy.

So far, it has been 270 days of this crazy life I have chosen. And tonight, at this amazing opening ceremonies, it all became worth it." 

So yeah it was pretty cool! 

We started competing, like I said, about 5 days after we got there. We started off playing Puerto Rico. I got in as a serving sub, and I'm pretty sure this is the match that I got an ace in! Yay! Pretty good for not serving in a match since December! Next we played Peru, and the next day we played Mexico. I got in as a serving sub in all these matches. We won all three to go undefeated in pool play, which meant we had a bye the first round of tournament play. We played Cuba in the semifinals. We lost in four :( but we still had a chance at medaling (which was our ultimate goal for the games). And the next night we played Domincan Republic for the bronze. WE WON! So, we got to go home with a sweet bronze medal!

It was kind of funny because EVERYONE cheered against the USA. Like, no matter who we played the crowd was cheering for them. Basically, the Latin American countries vs. USA. They didn't like us very much. But, then after the match, they would always ask for pictures and autographs. Two-timers! And because we weren't very liked down in Mexico we had two body guards from the State Department with us any time we left the village. They were super cool and fun to be around. I kept giving them a hard time about their job. I mean all they did really was hang out with us all day. Pretty sweet job huh? Anyways, they gave us all code names, and my name was "Taken". This was because one of the first things I asked them was "So, you two are kind like the guy from "Taken" huh? Like you could pretty much take someone down?" They got a kick out of it and from then on I was known as "Taken". 

So, overall, it was a great trip for me and I'm so glad I got to go!

Kayla

Guadalajara!

Okay so I know that a few days ago I told you all that I wasn't going to be traveling to the Pan Am Games this year. But, that all changed a few days ago. I woke up on Saturday morning to a text message from my coach, Hugh. All it said was "pack your bags....". My heart seriously like leapt out of my chest! I was so happy!

Then something hit me. It was Saturday morning. The team was scheduled to leave Sunday morning. Eff. I had ONE day to pack up my entire apartment. Since I won't be going back to my apartment before I head home for my week break and then head straight to Austria, I had to separate my stuff into things I was leaving in Cali, things I had to take to Austria, and things I needed for Pan Am Games. And all the things I needed for Austria and Pan Am (which ended up being two overweight suitcases) would leave with me Sunday morning. Let the stressing begin! After a full day of packing and organizing, I got my apartment cleaned out and I was ready for the trip!

We were scheduled to leave the gym on a bus to LAX at 5:30 the next morning. The bus didn't show up til 6:00. Perfect. Great start to the day of traveling. We got to the airport and checked in and got to the gate right in time for the start of boarding. The lady at the desk announced, "We will now begin boarding first class passengers and members of the elite miles club. Also we will be boarding the US Women's Volleyball team at this time." Awesome! So we walked right up to the front of the always annoying boarding line (decked out in our USA gear) and walked right onto the plane. Little did we know that we would eventually spend a ridiculous amount of time on this very plane. We were supposed to fly into Houston, what should've been a three hour flight. We first sat on the runway at LAX for 45 minutes because they wanted to let some weather blow over in Houston. So we took off and got to Houston right on time, however the bad weather decided to hang around. As we started our decent, we experienced THE WORST TURBULANCE I HAVE EVER BEEN IN. It was awful! Like I literally thought I was gonna throw up it was so bad. We get to an elevation where we could possible be landed in like 5 minutes. I'm freaking out at this point because we are almost on the ground and we are still getting tossed around sooooooo badly. Then, out of nowhere the plane shoots upward and we start climbing back up. We then circled around and tried the same entrance over again with the same result. We were in this AWFUL turbulance for about 45 minutes. I literally (not exageratting) almost started crying. It was horrible. The pilot then came on the speaker system and told us that the cross winds were too bad and they didn't feel comfortable trying to land in these conditions and that we would be proceeding to San Antonio instead. After landing in San Antonio, the pilot told us that we would just be gassing up and getting a few more supplies while the bad clouds blew over Houston. We sat on that runway for maybe an hour and a half. Another hour flight back to Houston (which was successful) and that all added up to 8 HOURS on the same plane for what should've been a three hour flight. Can you say torturous?

However, it was soon made up to us because we headed to our Hilton hotel (in my opinion the best hotel ever!) and started our processing for the tournament during which we got a bunch of new Nike gear (including a new pair of shoes and a dufflebag/suitcase). Also, we got another surprise that I didn't know about. We all got to pick out a brand new pair of Oakleys sunglasses for free! It was awesome! And we got an amazing dinner after that and an even more amazing bed to sleep in that night (yeah that's where my priorities lie :)

The next morning was another early morning. We left the hotel at 6:30 A.M. and headed back to the Houston airport to catch our flight to Guadalajara. This flight went just as planned and we arrived in Mexico around noon. We went through customs and headed to the apartments we were staying in. They are brand new apartments and there are five of us to an apartment (kind of like how our apartments in Anaheim were set up).  We went and got a work out in that night at the weight room here at the apartments. The weight room is so much nicer than I expected and even had exactly what I needed....SPIN BIKES! I got a great spin workout in. It felt good to sweat and get some of the jet lag out. We showered after that and headed to the dining hall for dinner. The food is....well.....let's just say I don't think I'll ever feel satisfied after eating a meal here. But, good news...they have fridges FULL of Pepsi at every meal! Therefore, I'm not complaining about the meals here :) After dinner we walked around and checked out the rest of The Village (thats what we call the area where the apartments are located). There is an international zone that has a bunch of different restaurants and lounges. There is even a Burger King and a Dominoes there! Yeah definitely will be hitting that up before I leave here!

Today we got two good practices there and tomorrow will be the same, I think. Here are some pictures I've taken so far. It's a pretty cool environment. It feels like a mini Olympics :)

The stadium where the Opening Ceremonies will take place.

A stage/concert area that's in the international zone. A few different music groups have performed so far. 

The front of the stage. 

More to come! So far I'm having a great time and trying to enjoy every moment! My very first international competition and I'm gonna make it a memorable one :) Talk to you again soon!

Kayla

Pan Am Games

I'm not going to Pan Am Games. Yes, I'm upset about it. No, I don't want to talk about it. My plan is to train until roughly the 20th and then take about a week off to get back to Lincoln for a few days and Dubuque for a few days. After that I'll head to Vienna, Austria to begin my season. Sorry this is a short post but, obviously, I'm not in a good mood right now.

Kayla

Pan Am Games

And the verdict is.......still out. Awesome. I know you've been waiting anxiously, and I've definitely been going crazy, but, we still haven't found out who will be traveling to Guadalajara, Mexico in a week. Yeah, the team is leaving in a week and we still don't know who is going. This is the pattern that USA Volleyball seems to enjoy. And the whole "wait until the last minute to announce rosters" thing is really frustrating. So, I'm sorry I don't have any answers. But, as soon as I find out, I will update you on what's going on. Say some prayers for me!

Kayla

Life Update (again)

Once again, it's been forever I know. But, as you've probably guessed, things have occurred since the last time I blogged. So here is a short summary!

64.               Go to a Husker volleyball game wearing my 2010 Big 12 Championship Ring.

I got to get back to Lincoln for a long weekend to relax! And luckily, the Huskers played Iowa State that weekend! Perfect! It was their match at the Devanny Center which was even more awesome! And to top it all off, they swept ISU 3-0! Great night!

91.               Get a professional massage.

After a particularly tough day in the gym, I decided it was time to treat myself to a relaxing massage. It was amazing! 90 minutes of aromatherapy amazingness! Much needed!

Also this past weekend I made the four-hour drive to Las Vegas! My Aunt Mary was there for work and my mom took a trip down to hang out with her so I thought I would go and spend a fun weekend with them! We had a great time and Mom and I got to go see a couple shows! We went and saw "Jersey Boys"!

And we went and saw the Beatles Love Cirque Du Soleil show! 

Right after I took this picture I got in trouble :/ but, oh well, I got a good shot! And as you can see, we had awesome seats for both shows! They were AMAZING! Like I cannot possibly describe how much I absolutely LOVED these shows. SO GOOD! If you're ever in Vegas I HIGHLY recommend seeing both. 

Back in the USA gym, things are still trucking along. I'm no longer on the brink of insanity. No longer flirting with that line between sanity and delirium. No, no, no, I've taken a running leap and cannonballed over into insanity. I've been doing nothing but training since January and it's definitely taken a toll on me. But, good news! Only about a week and a half more of training and then hopefully I'll get to go compete at the Pan American Games in Mexico. I'll find out if I made that roster at the end of this week. I'll let you know how it turns out. After that tournament I'll get about a week off before I head to Vienna, Austria to join my club team for this season, where I'll be until about mid-April. And that's the furthest into the future that I have mapped out. After that, who knows? 

Welp, there is the update. I'm sorry it's been so long. I'll do my best to blog more, especially now that changes in scenery are coming (which I am so excited for). Love you all! 

Peace. Love. Bearcrawls. 

Kayla

P.S. I've been going to spin class at a local 24 Hour Fitness and I feel really good about it (even though it is exhausting after training all morning). I don't know why I'm telling you this. Seems relevant.

P.P.S. Whenever I'm having a crappy day, "The Office" bloopers always make me laugh. It's long but super funny! Enjoy!

Chocolate=Love

So, I'm still here in Anaheim training hard for USA. Things are going okay for me, I guess. I'm playing pretty well. The team has been gone the past week and a half. They are currently in Mexico competing in the Pan Am Cup. Well, I guess I should say they just finished competing in the Pan Am Cup. They placed third today, securing a spot in the World Grand Prix in 2012. Good job ladies! They get back tomorrow and its back to having everybody in the gym on Monday. We then have three full weeks of practice before the team leaves for the next tournament: World Grand Prix. They'll be gone for the entire month of August. Summer has been flying by, which might be a good thing, because it's been a tough summer (as I'm sure everyone's first summer with the team is). But, hopefully once I get this first one under my belt, it will only get easier.

Like I've said before, I'm SUPER bummed I didn't get to spend this summer in Lincoln (again, don't get me wrong, I'm grateful for being blessed with this opportunity). But, a summer relaxing, working out, and hanging out with my friends would've been amazing! So, needless to say, I've been a little homesick here this summer. However, this past week I received a few smiles in the mail! The first came on Thursday from my best friend, Jess Yanz! You all know about Jess. She is amazing! The best friend anyone could ask for! Aaaaand, she has recently been named Director of Operations at the University of Dayton! Read about it here. And to learn more about my bestest friend in the world, you could also read her blog Expected Serendipity. Anyways, she read a recent status update of mine asking if anyone had any suggestions of good books that I could read. And about a week later, I received this gift in the mail. Let's start with the card. Actually, let's begin with the envelope. This is why I love her.

You laughed right? So did I. :)

And here is the card...she added her own special illustrations to it. The inside says, "This is a card to say that number 3 sucks." That is does, Jess. That is does. Anyways, like I was saying, Jess, being the bestest friend that she is, came to the rescue and sent me a beautiful, brand new book!

I'm only a few chapters in, and already I'm finding it hard to put down. But, that is not all she sent me!

Oh Jess, you know me so well :) Okay, you caught me, they're opened....but at least they're not already gone! THANK YOU JESS!!

So, after an already pleasant surprise this week, the VERY NEXT DAY I received another package in the mail. This one was from my former teammate and good friend of mine, Jordan Wilburger (I guess I should say Jordan Sauer as she was recently married to the man of her dreams). It wasn't another book, but it did include a thank you card for her wedding gift. And guess what else it had inside?

Wow. Do my friends know me or what? Gosh dang it...YES OKAY YES! THE HERSEY'S BLISS BAG IS OPEN! Geez...get off my back will ya? :)

So, thanks to my amazing friends, I received two huge smiles in the mail this week! And I feel your love from Dayton and Lincoln. THANK YOU! I LOVE YOU BOTH VERY MUCH!!

On a different note, today is July 9th, which means it is my dad's birthday! HAPPY BIRTHDAY DAD! I'm super bummed I wasn't at home for it, but I am so excited to see you in a few days! I love you!

That's all I have for tonight. Sorry, Eric, but the clip you requested was block on YouTube. But, I hope you like this clip instead because I literally just laughed out loud when I saw it (I will preface it by telling you that they are trying to figure out which one of the employees was smoking).

Enjoy!

Kayla

Bears, Beets, Battlestar Galactica

Here comes another random blog post. I have a few things to tell you about. So, here goes...

1. After the girls got back from Montreux, Hugh gave everyone a long weekend (16th-19th) which was much much needed. So, I decided to go back to Lincoln for a few reasons: to get out of Anaheim for a few days, to see my old teammates and friends in Lincoln, and to make some money working the last individual skills camp at Nebraska. It was an amazing weekend! I didn't get much sleep and working camp was exhausting but I got to see all my old teammates and coaches and have a night downtown with one of my best friends, Tara Mueller, and my momma. And even if it was only for a few days, I completely regained my sanity. I definitely needed a break from Anaheim to get out and spend some time away from the gym and the same faces.

2. While I was in Lincoln I did receive something that I've been waiting a long time for! And....drum roll please!

YES! Our Big 12 Championship rings are in! Designed by yours truly along with fellow seniors Lindsey Licht and Tara Mueller! And I think we did a pretty sweet job if I do say so myself! The only sucky thing about it is that it doesn't fit :( So, looks like I'll have to get it resized to fit my fat swollen fingers. But, oh well, at least it's cool to look at!

3. For those of  you who know me, this may come as quite a shocker so brace yourselves....I've started eating salad. AND I LIKE IT NOW! Like if I go to a restaurant, I may actually order a salad as my entree just like I did recently at JT Schmid's:

You got it! This, ladies and gentlemen, is a chicken caesar salad. I ordered it. I ate it. I enjoyed it. Like I actually get cravings for salad now. Even tonight Carli (Lloyd), Gibby (Lauren Gibbemeyer) and I went back to this restaurant (we received gift cards as a meal stipend) and I ordered one of my usual favorites: Chicken Parmesan. I got done eating it and I literally thought to myself, "I should've ordered the salad!" Crazy right? I know what you're thinking..."Why Kayla! Chicken Parmesan is normally one of your absolute favorite meals!" I KNOW! My mind is still boggled by it. But, I'm gonna go with it because salad is like good for you or something right? ;)

4. So, it looks like I won't be making any rosters for the summer. Which is understandable as Team USA needs to qualify for the Olympics this summer and they don't want to send any rookies to try and do that. So, I get it. It just sucks to be stuck training while others get to go and compete. So during tournaments, the traveling roster will go and compete, leaving about 12-14 people in the gym to continue practicing while they are gone. So, it looks like we might have to forget about London in 2012 and look towards Rio in 2016 because I might have set my own expectations a little too high. "Reach for the stars. And if you don't grab 'em, at least you'll fall on top of the world." Nothing wrong with setting big goals for yourself. I'm not sure how long I'll be in Anaheim for, but the team will be gone competing the entire month of August and I'm not sure I want to stay here during that time to train with a small group without our coaches. So, we'll see what happens. I'm trying to figure out where I'm going to go play this upcoming season. Austria is looking pretty good right now (maybe because I don't have any other offers). I think I would like Austria. Maybe because the coach of that team is actually one of my USA assistant coaches, and my USA teammate, Jenna Hagglund, is for sure playing there too. And my USA teammates that have played there before have all told me that it is a great first year experience and a great way to get better. So don't worry Mom and Dad, I'm not signing any contract yet, at least not until we figure out some more details. But, Austria right now is a strong possibility for my first overseas league season.

5. Alright, this may be the most random sentence of this entire post, but I think I'm going to get back into drawing. I know, random. I was in art classes all through high school so I love drawing (and I think I was pretty decent at it too). Not only do I enjoy it, but I think it'll be a good way for me to relax and mentally "get away" now that life has become a little more stressful. Maybe if I do start drawing again I'll post some on here so you can see.

6. Anyways, things have been a little rough here with volleyball and school. It hasn't been the easiest road so far but I gotta keep telling myself it'll all pay off in the end. I miss home and I miss Lincoln and I miss my friends very much! I want you to know I love you all! And Goosey I will call you soon I promise :)

And I know I've been faltering on my "The Office" clips so here is a good one I think you'll get a laugh out of! Enjoy! Identity Theft

Okay that's all I have right now. Goodnight all! DREAM BIG!

Kayla 

Struggle Bus

Welp, I didn't make the first roster. It's in Montreux, Switzerland and the team that did travel is there now. Not gonna lie, it sucks. The past two Saturdays we had morning scrimmages. Little did I know that the people that were going to Montreux were going to be participating in this scrimmage. I went to the gym the first Saturday scrimmage and warmed up like I would for a match. When warm up was over, we all gathered at the white board to find out what exactly was going to happen with the scrimmage. Hugh pointed at a couple of lineups on the board. If you're initials weren't in any of the lineups it meant two things. 1. You weren't going to Montreux. and 2. You could cool down. Wait...didn't I just warm up? So you're telling me that I woke up early this morning and prepared to play, warmed up, only to cool down right away? Really? Wow. I don't feel like a loser or anything. There were maybe five outcasts that didn't get to play. Awesome.

But, looking back on my first month or so here, I can't really say that I'm surprised anymore. I'm super bummed I'm not in Switzerland right now, but I haven't been passing nearly as well as I normally do, especially this past week. I've never been so frustrated with my passing. I don't think I've passed this bad ever. Literally. So, I've started coming back to the gym in the afternoons to get some extra passing reps. Which is really nice because it gives me a chance to work on technique and to get some one on one time with Hugh. AND not only was Hugh there yesterday, Stacy Sykora was there, as well. I've told you all about how I could sit and listen to Tracy Stalls talk forever and never grow bored. Well, Stacy is that kind of person as well. She is full of awesome stories and is super funny and so easy to talk to. Anyways, Stacy was there yesterday to get some easy passing reps as she's still trying to recover from her accident. She was AMAZING to me! She talked me through that entire hour of passing reps. She told me what I was doing right, what I could do better with, what I needed to fix. We would take turns getting reps and literally after every single one of my turns she had some sort of feedback for me. It was so great. She was so helpful and genuinely wanted me to do well and improve my passing. She told me about when she was first learning this style of passing how she would go and cry everyday after practice because she would get so frustrated. So, she understands the position I'm in as I'm trying to make adjustments that will help me become a great passer on a professional level, and she has been so empathic and helpful and wonderful. Even after practice yesterday morning, she talked to me about communicating strategies that she uses with the outside hitters she passes with. Over the past two days she has instantly become a mentor and role model for me. It's like an amateur guitarist that wants to make it big in the music industry getting a jam session with Leonard Skynard. I am so lucky. I can't wait to keep working with her. Needless to say, she gets my vote for teammate of the week.

So, goal for the next week (or I guess forever): PASS BETTER. That's what is going to get me to the Olympics. That's what going to set me apart from my competition. It is essential.

Wish me luck...

Kayla

Week One

Well, I survived week one. And not only did I survive it, I think I held my own just fine. I defended pretty well and put up good passing numbers. On Friday, I passed a 3.53 with 67% perfect! So yeah, I'll take those numbers any day. The thing I like most about this training block is the level of intensity. In the winter, we all had fun every day playing and getting better. As Hugh would put it, it was "all rainbows and ponies". Well, this summer is not going to be "all rainbows and ponies". The stakes are much higher, therefore the level of intensity is climbing. After all, people aren't just playing to get better anymore. People are competing for a spot on the Olympic roster. And to add to that, the coaches keep score of EVERYTHING. So, you work your ass off to win every single point as it may be the difference between making a roster and not making a roster. And if you take points for granted or let a point slip away on a play that you should've made, you will definitely be hearing about it from the people around you who are trying to get as many point as they can. Basically, the "rainbows and ponies" are gone. So, I'm grinding every day because like I've said, London may not be completely realistic for me, but it's what I have my sights set on.

Anyways, this last weekend was definitely a good one! My good friend Brooke Delano was in town and spent the entire weekend with me!!

Brooke and I in Hawaii!

Brooke and I have been playing volleyball together for the past four years at Nebraska. We came in in the same freshman class in 2007. Brooke redshirted her freshman year so she still has a year of eligibility left. It was definitely weird having senior night without her :( Anyways, she flew in to Santa Ana on Friday afternoon and after a quick stop at my apartment to drop off her bags, we headed to Long Beach to have dinner with fellow ex-husker Tracy Stalls. We went to a cute little diner that served breakfast all day! Yum! So, It had probably been four years since the three of us had sat down and had dinner together, and it was a great "catch-up" session. After dinner, we went to "First Friday" which is just basically a chance for local artists to display their work and live musicians to show off their music. It was cool to experience something different. We didn't stay too late. We were back to the apartment by 9. We had plans to go out in Newport, but fatigue took over and we decided to have a chill night. We watched a movie and hung out with fellow USA teammates Jenna Hagglund. Friday night we decided that Saturday was gonna be a beach day. We planned on leaving at like 11 am and spending literally all day there. Well, the weather didn't like that idea and decided to be cloudy all day. We still went in the hopes that the clouds would clear up. They did, eventually, the minute we left the beach. The sun started peeking out on the drive home :( When we got home we had a baking session with Jenna and my roommate Destinee Hooker. We made delicious Oreo balls! We spent the rest of the afternoon watching the men's volleyball championship match. Saturday night we went out in Hollywood! We went to two clubs and it was super fun! The weekend ended with us heading back to LA on Sunday for a taping of Simon Cowell's new show "The X Factor". The show was really poorly run and took way longer than it needed to but the acts were very entertaining. This is including a 62 year-old woman who sang "I Touch Myself". It was hilarious. After the show Brooke's cousin picked her up and they were off to Bakersfield for the week so she could spend some time with her family. Overall, it was a great weekend! 

I guess that's all I have for now. And of course, here is your "The Office" clip. Enjoy!

Kayla