Life Update

Again, this is going to be a random blog, but I have about an hour of free time. I'm sitting in the Union right now people watching and have a few things on my mind.

1. I have 12 credits left to complete my degree, and they are seriously haunting my nightmares. Since I'm not planning on being in Lincoln more than a few days for a while (if ever), I've been looking into completing my degree via independent studies. These 12 credits consist of two English classes, a history class, and an elective. My history class and elective will be easy to complete and I'm planning on doing that over the summer. It's the English credits that are looming over my head. I went to meet with my English advisor to see what my options were and it turns out that she is on maternity leave until June. Great. So, I talked to "stand-in" advisor who didn't really know what she was talking about. She did, however, refer me to another staff member in the English department: Laura White. So, I emailed Dr. White and filled her in on my situation and requested to set up an appointment to meet with her. She emailed me back and referred me right back to the "stand-in" that didn't know what the hell she was talking about. Awesome people. I would try and tackle this problem with Dennis LeBlanc (our athletic academic advisor), but an English major is a rarity with athletes on campus so he needs help in figuring out what would be best for me to do. I'm about to just give up on this English department and explore other options with Dennis like finishing at a junior college, or maybe even foreign exchange (when I, hopefully, get signed with an overseas volleyball team).

2. I start up training with the USA team in exactly one week, and I am super excited for a few reasons. First, I get to be with the girls I played with in the spring again (Jenna Hagglund, Becky Perry, Kindra Carlson, Lauren Gibbemeyer, and Carli Llyod). We all got to be pretty good friends and I miss them. I also get to see former Husker teammates Jordan Larson, and Tracy Stalls. The idea of being back on the court with them seriously gives me butterflies! I'm very excited. Second, I get to learn and compete with some of the best players in the world and make myself a better player. I just love chasing dreams. And although it may not be a real possibility, I have set my sights on London. "Shoot for the moon. Even if you miss you'll land among the stars." -Les Brown. Third, I get to get my life figured out. I don't enjoy not knowing what's going to happen. So, I'll hopefully get to plan out at least the next year of my life; figure out more about the summer training process, what I'm going to have to do to get signed with an overseas team (if I need to this year when the Olympics are only a year away and there are qualifying tournaments during the overseas seasons), what the process is for the year of the Olympics, and hopefully I'll learn more about playing in Olympic qualifying tournaments. And lastly, I'll get back to 80 degree weather in beautiful Southern California.

3. This break has FLOWN by. I've been in Lincoln working out, training with the Huskers, and finishing up my online class for this semester. It has seriously been a blast. I've never been so happy to go to practice. Being back in the Coliseum was a dream come true. I've gotten to see all my teammates and friends that I love so much! And I've gotten to experience happiness to the fullest extent. My heart is truly happy right now and as much as I am excited to get back to Cali, leaving Lincoln and the people here might be one of the hardest things I'll have to do.

I'm flying back to Cali on Saturday the 30th, and I'll be back in Dubuque this Wednesday, the 27th. So, if you're in Dubuque and want to hang out, shoot me a text.

Goal for the next month: figure out my one-year plan. I'll keep you posted as I start to figure things out.

And of course, like I promised here is your "The Office" clip of the day. Enjoy! :) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=poDLjwSmaW0

Kayla

BOOM! Roasted!

I've decided that "The Office" is the funniest show on television. Although I've seen this episode a hundred times, I was watching the episode where the office "roasts" Michael. And I'm laughing just thinking about some of the quotes from this episode. Here are some of my favorites from this episode:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xMac0Ys5CNY
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YZpYQLGJDGQ
And of course who could forget Michael's last monologue? 


"Jim, you’re 6’11” and you weigh 90lbs, Gumby has a better body than you, boom, roasted. 
Dwight you’re a kiss ass, boom roasted. 
Pam you failed art school, boom roasted. 
Meredith, you slept with so many guys you’re starting to look like one, boom roasted. 
Kevin, I can’t decide between a fat joke and a dumb joke, boom roasted. 
Creed, your teeth called, your breath stinks, boom roasted. 
Angela, where’s Angela , well there you are, I didn’t see you behind that grain of rice, boom roasted. Stanley you crush your wife during sex and your heart sucks, boom roasted. 
Oscar you are, Oscar, you’re gay. 
Andy, Cornell called they think you suck and you’re gayer than Oscar, boom roasted."


If you didn't laugh out loud just now then...well I don't know but I'll be disappointed. 


And the rekindling of my relationship with "The Office" has brought me to this video clip. Please bear with the video clip a bit because it is well worth it. 


"The Office" never fails to make me laugh, especially when it comes to the relationship between Jim and Dwight. You know what? Every time I blog (which who the heck knows how of then that will be now after my horrible track record), I'm gonna include a clip of "The Office" just to provide those of you who read with a good laugh for the day :) 


Anyways, I know that this is kind of a weird blog, but I was inspired the other day watching my now favorite T.V. show, and I'm trying to get back into blogging after my very long blogging siesta. I hope you get a laugh out of it. I know Eric will :) 


Until next time...


Kayla

The Verdict

Well, I officially report back to the USA gym on May 2nd. Yep! I MADE IT!! They said the liked me and they want to see me back in the summer. My mind is reeling right now and I am having trouble organizing my thoughts, so this is gonna be a short blog. But, I just wanted to let you know how the meeting went like I promised I would.

I've officially booked a flight home for Tuesday and I can't wait to see my family and friends.

No, I'm not freaking out (sarcasm inserted here). I can't stop smiling :) :) :) :)

Kayla 

3.64

I have to start off by saying that this is the number I passed today in practice, and I couldn't be happier. Yes folks, that is the best I have passed since being in the USA gym. I'm stoked. Sorry you're always getting my passing numbers but lately they have been weighing heavily on my mind so bear with me :)

Anyways, today's practice was so fun! Why? Well, I'll tell you. During our last hour of practice (during which we always play some sort of six vs. six activity) Karch and Hugh played along with us. This is probably because we were a couple players short today. Naomi, Dominique, Kari, and Becky are no longer in the gym with us. Naomi, Dominique, and Kari started their next quarter of school today, and Becky is playing professionally in Puerto Rico. So, we practiced today with only eleven players. Karch stepped in to take over an outside hitter position, and Hugh played on the right side. Every time I see Karch play, I find myself completely awestruck. He is truly the king of volleyball. He is so patient; he never makes mistakes. But, at the same time he gets kills because of how smart he is. He gives the ball to the opposing team's setter more than any player I've ever seen. That's just an example of how he sets himself apart. And on defense he just makes ridiculously impossible plays look easy. For example, digging a very hard hit ball with a chicken wing. Basically, getting pegged and it going perfectly to target. Jenna Hagglund tweeted today saying, "How come when Karch gets hit w/ a ball it miraculously pops up and we get the pt? When it hits me, I just look stupid and we lose the pt." That's a great question Jenna, and I'm thinking that it will remain a mystery for awhile.

AND, I am very pleased to inform you that I have officially scheduled my meeting with Hugh and Karch (to discover what my future with USA Volleyball is) for tomorrow at 1:30! I'm very excited for it! I have a good feeling. I will be sure to blog and let you know how it goes as soon as I get a chance tomorrow. Until then...

Peace. Love. Bearcrawls.

Kayla 

This...is American Idol!

That was supposed to be in the voice of Ryan Seacrest. Use your imagination :)

So, this isn't really American Idol (even thought that would be super awesome), but it is USA Volleyball and a lot of us think that we would make a pretty good reality show. Anyways, there is only one week left of this training block, and the final individual meetings have started. It feels a lot like the show American Idol when the judges are picking their top 24 contestants. One contestant walks in alone while the others wait in the other room. That contestant meets with the judges and gets a "yes you're in", or a "no, but it's been fun". Then the contestant comes back out to the other contestants and announces what result they got. Well, a few of the girls have had their meetings with our coaches and a few have come out saying that they aren't coming back in the summer, and (I know of) one that has come out and said "Yes! I'm coming back this summer!" Well, if you don't watch American Idol, you can probably imagine that as more and more contestants go into the judges room to discover their fate, the tension builds in the waiting room. Well, the tension is certainly building amongst us. We are all very anxious to meet with the coaches to find out what our future holds. I think we just want to be able to plan out the next stage of our lives. I was talking to one of the guys who is always helping out in practice. And he (Kevin) said that they usually wait until the last minute to make their decisions and tell you guys what's going on, and that can be the frustrating part. Well, yes, it's very frustrating. I just want to know if I'm coming back in the summer or not so I can at least book a flight home or even decide how  I'm getting home. And it would be nice to know what my future holds and if USA Volleyball is a part of that future. In other words, the waiting game really sucks.

Kayla

P.S. I'm in a fiction writing mood, so stay tuned and perhaps I'll post a short story for ya'll :)
P.P.S. Not really sure why I used the term "ya'll". Native Texan, Becky Perry, must be rubbing off on me.

SUGAR SUGAR SUGAR!!!!!

I am currently on a sugar high right now! Ellie Blankenship made cupcakes tonight and left the bowl (with a little of cupcake batter left in it) sitting out. And anyone who knows me knows I'm bout to get a spoon and finish it off. Well...I did...and I don't think I've blinked in the past five minutes. HYPER! So much for me going to sleep tonight and getting rest for practice tomorrow. So, while I'm wide awake, I thought I would blog!

Yesterday, yesterday, yesterday...what happened yesterday? Practice in the morning was a bit of a struggle. Couldn't really pass to save my life. And I was right back on the struggle cruise ship. The universe was not on my side. So to make myself feel better, I went home and began making cake balls. I was unsure of whether I'd be able to accomplish this without Jess Yanz here talking me through it (slash doing it for me). But I gave it a shot. It all went well until I went to melt the chocolate chips...I may or may not have burned them in the microwave. Dang it! I knew I would not get through this unscathed!

BUT! the next day I recovered nicely. I went to the store and got another bag of choco chips and went to take two of melting chocolate! Second attempt was a success and I continued on my journey of making the greatest dessert of all time! Well today I completed the process at around 7:00 PM. So, I took them to my friends Ellie Blankenship, Ashley Benson, Naomi Johnson, and Jenna Hagglund in apartment 420 and invited the rest of the volleyballers in the apartments to come get some. They are gone. Needless to say, they were a hit. This is the most complicated thing I've ever made, with macaroni and cheese and hot dogs in a very close second place. Yes, I am very proud of myself.

Apart from that mini adventure, practice today went better than yesterday. I was still low on energy and my body is getting tired (but not now because I'm all hopped up on sugar!!!!). Tomorrow is another practice with a lift following. And in this training block we officially have 7 practices left. Time is flying. Then hopefully I'll be able to get home to see my family and then get back to Lincoln to see my long lost (and very much missed) friends...Okay I'm gonna go take a shot of NyQuill and try and sleep. Wish me luck :)

Kayla

Again, it has been way to long since I've posted; like a ridiculously long time to keep my avid readers (aka Mom, Dad, and brother) waiting. But, I have an excuse! It may not be a good one, but it's a legit excuse! As some of you know, Christa Harmotto, and Alisha Glass were once roommates of mine, and the internet and cable was under Christa's name and apparently you can't change the name on the account. SO, when she left to return to her professional team in Italy, we had to cancel the cable and internet to our apartment and Kindra and I have been too lazy to call and get it started up again. And now with only two weeks left of this training block, it doesn't really seem worth it. Good enough? Oh well. Anyways, since it has been so long since I've blogged, I made a list of all the things that have happened in the past 12 days. So, fair warning, this will probably be a longer blog. Welp! Here goes!

1. My brother Eric, has been bugging me for the longest time about putting up another blog. This has convinced me that he may very well be my biggest fan! He has asked me in the past, "Is it weird that my favorite athlete is my little sister?" NO! It's not weird! I talked to him the other day on the phone and I told him when my training block was over and instead of saying, "Oh YAY Kayla! I can't wait to see you!" The first thing he said to me was, "So, do you want to play in my adult volleyball league game?" Priorities bro :) And even right now I know he is just so anxious to read this blog! He probably keeps checking my website with the slightest hope that something new has been posted...well here ya go brother. And PS...I may be your biggest fan too. But, you really do need to quit that job...just sayin...seriously quit...okay I'm done.

For those of you who don't know him, this is my brother, Eric. 

2. Not this past weekend, but the weekend before (March 9th-14th to be exact) my mom and aunt Mary were in town visiting, or vacationing whichever you'd prefer. Every day consisted of at least two hours of sun bathing, along with a little bit of shopping. The most memorable night was Saturday. We (Me, Mom, Mary, and Liz) spent the night in LA at a BEAUTIFUL hotel called Vagabond. It was absolute PARADISE! Are you picking up on the sarcasm? It's kind of hard to get it across in typing. Anyways, honestly, it was a complete dump! Like I literally thought we were a part of the next Criminal Minds episode. After settling in at our hotel, we went to the UC Irvine men's volleyball match vs USC which turned out to be right down the street from our five star hotel. Perfect walking distance. After the match we went to a bar near the Staples center and eventually made our way to an Irish pub. It was there that more drinks started flowing and we all started to loosen up a bit. It was also there that I gave out a fake number to a guy who I couldn't shake off. Too harsh? Maybe. Anyways, after this bar we wanted to go to another bar that one of our waitresses from earlier told us about. So, we hailed a cab, hopped in and told the driver where to go. He informed us that the bar we wanted to go to was quite literally two blocks down the street. And as soon as we were about to confirm that it was in walking distance, he took off. I guess every dollar counts for these guys. Even if it was only the $3.45 that we paid the man for the ride. Anyways, by the end of the night we made our way back to the hotel thanks to a cab driver that was convinced we were all alcoholics. The next morning, we got up bright and early, and after a McDonald's breakfast we made our way to Laguna Beach. It was a beautiful day. We sat on the beach for hours catching some rays and watching some bad volleyball. And after awhile Mary got an urge to pepper, and when am I ever gonna turn down volleyball? Never. So, we played around and let me tell you, Mary's still got it! It was very fun and we got to work up a little sweat. Workout for the day? Check! We ended the day with a little shopping at Diane's and a nice dinner at BJ's. Then it was home and we were watching Criminal Minds for the rest of the night. I gave them a ride to the airport the next morning! Overall, a GREAT WEEKEND!

Me, Mom, and Mary in LA.

Shoot, I'm only on #3...okay...

3. The Friday morning that mom and Mary were in town, I received a missed call from my brother Eric. My mom actually answered the phone and from what she said, this was their conversation:
                     "Don't go to the beach today!" -Eric
                     "Why not?" -Mom
                     "There is gonna be a tsunami!" -Eric
                     "Aww! Does that mean you would care if I died?" -Mom
                     "No, I just don't want to have to take days off for your funeral." -Eric
                     "Well you'd get bereavement days for it, paid days off." -Mom
                     "Oh, in that case, I hear there are gonna be some sweet waves                                                                  
                      today!" -Eric
So, you could say I woke up with a laugh. I went to practice and all the midwesterners were freaking out because of the tsunami that was gonna hit! All the Californians there were like "meh

4. This past Wednesday, March 16th, we held an intersquad scrimmage. Red vs. Blue. I was the libero for the Blue team. Also on the blue team was Becky Perry, Carli Lloyd, Lauren Gibbemeyer, Naomi Johnson, Kari Pestolesi, Kaitlin Sather, and Julianne Piggot. We played at a local volleyball club called T-Street. This night was a success! The blue team won in 5 sets with the 5th set being 15-13. I was sooooooo happy with the way I played. I got into a passing groove that allowed be to feel comfortable covering more area that I normally would cover. I passed a 3.45!!!! No, that is not a typo. 3.45!! I was 80% perfect on 30 attempts. Let's just say that it is the best I've felt passing since starting this training block. It was such a fun match. 


5. The next day, (Thursday, March 17th) we held another intersquad scrimmage at Irvine Valley College. Same teams: Red vs. Blue. However, this night was not as successful. Red team won in another 5 set match with the fifth set score, again, being 15-13. However, I didn't play as well as I would've like to. I think I passed something like 67% perfect, and I didn't even bother looking at the other passing stats. I didn't think I'd like what I saw. The match was sloppy, uncomfortable, and ugly. One word I used to describe this night was embarrassing. We were representing USA volleyball and that was the best effort we could come up with? Maybe this is too harsh, but it was very disappointing. 


6. But, a disappointing match wouldn't dismiss the fact that we still had another three hour practice the next morning followed by an hour lift. I woke up that Friday morning and thought to myself, "I can't do this. There is no possible way that I have enough energy to make it through this practice." But, I got to practice and once again FRS (the most amazing vitamin energy drink in the world) had my back. 

I chugged one down at the beginning of the practice and then convinced myself that I had enough energy to do this. AND THEN I PEPPERED WITH KARCH KIRALY! That energy quickly evaporated. The King of Volleyball is still the King and he worked me, and potentially proved to me that even though I am much younger than him, he may still be in better shape than me. Well, after the pepper from hell I officially hopped on the struggle bus. And by the middle of practice, fellow libero Cami Croteau and I upgraded to an all new level of struggle. We came up with new struggle terms because we didn't think that the term "struggle bus" would do us justice for how much we felt like we were struggling at the time. We came up with "struggle plane", "struggle cruise line", and "struggle army fleet of tanks". So, I guess we reached a point of delirium as well. 


7. Even though I was super exhausted I felt like I had a good practice on Friday. Every play was an inner battle but I pulled it out nicely and played pretty well. So, every Friday we vote for who we thought was the player of the week that week and the winner receives a $200 gift card to Lululemon Athletica (the most comfortable yoga pants you will ever wear). Well, my teammates voted me player of the week last week! So, I got to take myself shopping! There is one more goal I can check off the list. 

8. Friday night I went to Santa Monica to see my good friend Prince Amukamara. I went to school with him at Nebraska, where he played football. He's an okay athlete. Okay he's pretty good. He may or may not be (but definitely will be) a first round draft pick this year. Yeah, he's kind of a huge deal now. It was weird to see him now that he's super famous because I knew him before all this. So as soon as I get to his hotel I call him to see what room he is in. He told me to walk down the the Adidas store (he's sponsored by Adidas now) which was two blocks away. So, I walked down there and as soon as I walk in he goes, "I have a $1500 dollar shopping spree and I'm not gonna spend it all. Go pick out what you want." It took me awhile to pick my jaw up off the floor. And then told him that if was serious then I was gonna get a pair of shoes or something. He told me that I should and after a little hesitation I went and picked out a brand new pair. It feels weird. I seriously couldn't get over how big of a deal he is now. And I'm pretty sure the people who checked us out at Adidas had to have thought that I was his groupie. After that, we went to dinner with his Adidas rep, and first round draft pick from last year CJ Spiller. He plays for the Buffalo Bills, and he was in town doing stuff for Adidas too. Basically, I was at a dinner with two superstars and a man who pays them just to wear his brand. It was bizarre! After dinner, Prince and I went for a short walk before I headed home. It was really good to see him and catch up. He's a fun guy to be around.

This is Prince backstage of American Idol with Steven Tyler. Yeah...I told you he was a big deal.

9. I don't really have a #9. I think that's it. So, there ya go brother. There is the update from my life. Hope you enjoy! And, my apologies. I will try to blog more often because I'm sure you will keep yelling at me if I don't. 


Kayla