101 in 1001!

Now that Jess Yanz has officially posted her list, it's my turn! Quite simply, this is a To-Do list of 101 things that I want to accomplish in 1001 days. I was inspired to do this after hearing about it from Jess and I can't wait to get started! Some things are simple and will be easy to do, some things are a little more complicated and will be more difficult to do. I will officially start tomorrow and I will keep blogging about the things that I check off the list. Thanks again, Jess for the amazing idea!

101 in 1001!
Wednesday, August 24th, 2011 - Wednesday, May 21st, 2014

                   

1.          Buy a good photography camera.

2.                   Get away with my best friends.

3.                   Go surfing.

4.                   Learn how to drive a motorcycle.

5.                   Audition for American Idol.

6.                   Go to see a Broadway musical in New York City.

7.                   Say “I love you” to the man of my dreams.

8.                   Buy a guitar.

9.                   Learn to play guitar.

10.               Make a t-shirt quilt.

11.              Learn another language.

12.               Visit one of my friends for once (instead of them visiting me).

13.               Watch every episode of "The Office”.

14.               Bike to work for an entire week.

15.               Tie my hopes and dreams to a balloon and let it reach the stars.

16.               Grow my hair out and perm it.

17.               Graduate college.

18.               Give up pop for a month.

19.               Be a model in a photo shoot.

20.               Weigh less than 150 lbs.

21.               Go on a no carb diet for at least two months.

22.               Go ice skating.

23.               Live on the beach.

24.               Go for a morning run on the beach.

25.               Sit on the porch in a blanket and watch the sunrise.

26.               Take a spontaneous trip.

27.               Make a wish at 11:11 on November 11^th, 2011.

28.               Sit on the beach under the stars.

29.               Party with Ryan Walthall.

30.               Take a month off of volleyball to relax.

31.               Give up candy for a month.

32.               Try making twenty new recipes.

33.               Go to a hypnotherapy session.

34.               Go to a psychic/palm reader.

35.               Take a meditation class.

36.               Take pop vocal lessons.

37.               Write and compose a song.

38.               Make a playlist of my 26 favorite songs (one for each letter of the alphabet)

39.               Write a letter to a death row inmate.

40.               Keep a dream journal for a month.

41.               Play in a beach volleyball tournament.

42.               Make a purse out of one of my t-shirts.

43.               Hold an exotic animal cub.

44.               Go to Harry Potter World with my best friends.

45.               Be a bridesmaid.

46.               Go to Carpinteria State Beach.

47.               Swim with dolphins.

48.               Go whale watching.

49.               Go to Sea World.

50.               Learn how to bartend.

51.               Written Paper Rings.

52.               Have Lasik eye surgery.

53.               Use Invisiline.

54.               Go hiking.

55.               Complete the 60 Insanity Workout Challenge.

56.               Go to see American Idol.

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

58.               Go for a walk on the Mississippi River walk.

59.               Go to the River History Museum.

60.               Gamble.

61.               Play softball catch.

62.               Pitch a softball.

63.               Go to a driving range.

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

65.               Sing in public.

66.               Reread the Hunger Games series.

67.               Reread the Twilight series.

68.               Watch 26 movies I’ve never seen starting with each letter of the alphabet.

69.               Dance in the rain.

70.               Send a secret to Post Secret.

71.               Live in my own apartment.

72.               Go to the zoo.

73.               Bake cookies and send them to a friend.

74.               Send a message in a bottle.

75.               Go to Bolsa Chica Ecological Reserve.

76.               Go to a water park.

77.               Go to Gotcha Glacier.

78.               Go to Universal Studios.

79.               Go to San Diego Wild Animal Park.

80.               Go to the Wax Museum.

81.               Go to Ripley’s Believe It or Not.

82.               Go to Venice Beach.

83.               Go celebrity watching.

84.               Go to Olive Garden.

85.               Get Glee Live 3D Movie on DVD.

86.               Get my eyebrows threaded.

87.               Get highlights in my hair.

88.               Visit the Los Angeles Museum of the Holocaust.

89.               Learn how to juggle with four balls.

90.               Make a meal as good as Outback Steakhouse.

91.               Get a professional massage.

92.               Have a cookie dough movie day/night with my mom.

93.               Make a photo album of my pictures.

94.               Complete Laura’s summer workout.

95.               Run 1.5 miles every day for a month.

96.               Tough Mudder with Jess Yanz.

97.               Spend a weekend with Alicia Sieverding.

98.               Go on a photography walk through Austria.

99.        Visit at least one other country for a weekend while I'm living in Austria.

100.      Design myself a new pair of running shoes (and buy them).

101.      Make a scrapbook documenting #1-100.

So there ya go! I'm excited to make some awesome memories! Wish me luck! :)

Kayla

And here is your "The Office" clip for the day! Enjoy!

Daddy's Little Girl!

So I know that this blog post is about a week overdue (as they all seem to be), but I had a paper due this past Friday. Needless to say, I was a little preoccupied. Excuses, excuses...I know.


Anyways! The week BEFORE last week was an AMAZING WEEK!!! Why do you ask? Well, I'll tell ya. MY DAD WAS IN TOWN! Okay, I think everyone reading this knows who my dad is, but in case you don't, this is him...

Dad and I got to spend almost an entire week together hanging out and relaxing! And it was perfect! We didn't really have anything planned, but we didn't need to. Just having him here to spend some time with (whatever we did) was awesome. He came to my practices and watched and got to meet the coaches and some of my teammates. We went down to Laguna Beach one night and ate at BJ's. He liked Laguna and saw it as an opportunity to bust out his brand new camera!

Experimenting with zoom. It actually turned out to be a really cool picture.

The houses we can only dream of living in.

And I couldn't leave there without asking someone to take a picture of us!

The one thing that we did have planned for that weekend was a trip into LA for an American Idol concert! We headed to LA kind of early so we could avoid traffic. So we got to the theater around 4. The theater was in a really cool area so we just hung out there for awhile and checked everything out. 

We ate dinner at a place there called the Yard House and I showed off my new found salad-eating skills while he enjoyed a burger. After dinner we headed into the theater.

The Nokia Theater is absolutely huge! But, thanks to eBay, we found some pretty good seat for really cheap!

And we got to see our favorite idols perform! Dad's favorite is Casey and my favorite is Haley! They even did a duet together! It was awesome! 

It was a great night! American Idol is kind of our thing. We watch it every season no matter if we are together or apart and by the time it gets down to the top 5, we have to pick someone who we think will win. Loser owes the winner a steak supper. Can you guess who owed who a steak supper? Probably because I already told you who our favorites were! Well, you guessed right! I win! So, the last night of dad's vacation, we went to Outback Steakhouse! It was delicious! Afterwards we went to Yogurtland for the second night in a row :) It was the absolute perfect ending to a great week! 

So Dad, I know you're reading this. I want to say "thank you" for coming and visiting me! It was the happiest I've been all summer! I love you! 

Kayla

P.S. Dad got me hooked on the show "Swamp People" while he was here. It is pure entertainment and I'm addicted :)

P.P.S. I know how much Dad loves "The Office" (insert sarcasm here), so here is your clip of the week! This is an episode in which Michael decides to go through the complaints folder. There is an entire box dedicated to Dwight's complaints about Jim. 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 

Weekend Getaway!

Okay, so far, this week is going really well for me. I passed a 3.27 on Tuesday and defended really well today. We have one more day of practice this week and then we have Friday off! Thank God because I need to get the hell out of here. And guess where I'm going!?!?!?!?! LINCOLN!!!!! Yes ladies and gentlemen, I am going back to the place that has become my home and the place that I have so very deeply missed since being in Anaheim. This Nebraskasickness I think has added to the stress of playing with USA. I realize I'm blessed to be here and I'm gonna play my ass off as long as I am here but damn I'm really really bummed I couldn't spend my last summer of college in Lincoln. It would've been amazing to be there working out, relaxing, and hanging out with my friends. ANYWAYS!! I'm done with my sob story. AAAAND I'm flying back to Lincoln tomorrow afternoon to work the last summer individual camp. I'm excited to see all my friends and former teammates and have a fun relaxing weekend. I've been looking forward to this for weeks! This might be the last time I get back to Lincoln for a long time, and once I get back to Anaheim I'll be back at it working hard to make the next roster for the Pan Am Cup in Mexico.

But for now, I'll be enjoying my time back in Huskerland :)

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

Willy's Wedding!

This past weekend I was so lucky to be able to be back in Lincoln for the most anticipated wedding of the year! Okay it wasn't the royal wedding, but it was my good friend and teammate, Jordan Wilburger, who tied the knot this weekend. As soon as I found out that we would have that weekend off practice, I booked a flight into Lincoln for Friday night. But, I didn't arrive on Friday night :( Okay here's the story. I got to the Orange County airport on Friday a little earlier than I needed to get there. Not sure why...nothing better to do I guess. I get to the self check in and enter in my confirmation number. Immediately a screen pops up that says, "Your flight has been delayed causing you to miss your connecting flight. Sorry for this inconvenience." My heart starts racing a little and I turn immediately to the lady working the desk and tell her what's going on. She looks to see if there are anymore flights out of Denver that I would be able to make. There weren't. She looks at if there are any other flights to Denver from Orange County that would get me there in time for my connecting flight. There weren't. Oh no... After about another five minutes of fiddling around on her computer, she looks up and informs me that the earliest she can get me to Lincoln is 6:00 Saturday evening. My jaw drops. I stare at her for about ten seconds. And then I start crying. I'm literally standing at the United Airlines check in bawling. The lady stares at me horrified and I beg her to try and find another early option for me. I tell her about the wedding and how I have to be in Lincoln before 5. She immediately sets to work and literally after 45 minutes gets me on a flight to Denver, where I have to stay the night (they put me up in a hotel). Then she gets me onto a flight Saturday morning getting into Lincoln at 12:30. I hugged her. No joke.

So, I get into Lincoln at 12:30 Saturday and my teammates Megan Pendergast and Gina Mancuso pick me up from the airport. We went straight to Megan's house after a couple quick errands. We hang out and watch  The Office for a couple of hours and start getting ready for the wedding. So, me, Megan, Gina, Morgan Broekhuis (another teammate of mine), and Chris Schumann (Meg's boyfriend) all go to the wedding together. We arrived early because we wanted to make sure and get good seats. Right after we sit down, it hits me. Willy is actually getting married today. It's actually happening. She is younger than I am, not by much but still, imagine if I was getting married. Can't picture it, can you? Anyways, the music starts and the flower girls and bridesmaids and groomsmen make their way down the aisle. Jess Yanz, Brooke Delano, and Brigette Root are all bridesmaids and they all look absolutely gorgeous. As soon as I see Willy walking down the aisle, looking absolutely stunning, I immediately have tears running down my cheeks. I've played with and loved this girl for four years, she is a great friend of mine. Tears of joys are streaming down my face. This confirms the fact that when I do get married, I'm gonna be a crying mess. The tears didn't stop any time soon. Her dad stood up there with her for the first few minutes of the ceremony and eventually hugged her and placed her hand in Jon's. The waterworks continue. They said their vows and "I do's" and then it was over. They were married. The ceremony was beautiful and the reception was so much fun! I got to see my old teammates and coaches and relax and dance! It was pretty perfect for me. And Megan Pendergast and I finished the night downtown celebrating her 21st birthday. My little bro is growing up so fast ;)

I went to the airport the next day to fly back to California. I walk in and the first thing I see is that my flight is delayed...weird. And I'm missing my connecting flight...again, weird. Sounds about par for the trip. So, I was blessed with another night in Lincoln with Megan, Gina, and Morgan. Although, I did miss practice Monday morning, I got back into Orange County Monday night around 9. Even after all the delays and all the trouble, just to be at Willy's wedding it was all worth it. I am so happy I could be there. Love you always Willy!

Kayla