Best Friends Forever!

Today I smiled because I got a letter in the mail from one Jess Yanz! It was her birthday card to me! With a very long note inside :)

 It pretty much made my year! And yes, Jess, I laughed very hard :) And seriously don't worry about sending me anything. I know it's outrageously expensive. I LOVE YOU!

Kayla

Christmas in January!

So after waiting over two weeks to receive my package from Dad and brother (that was just sitting in Vienna somewhere), I FINALLY got it tonight! But, not only did I get my Dad and brother's package, I got another package and two letters! You can't even imagine how happy I was. Well, I bet you wanna see what was in them?

Well, it's gonna have to wait :) I'm gonna tell you about the presents I received from my mom first :) I got these on Christmas Eve if I do recall and I got to Skype with her while I opened them. She got me....

The Kindle Fire! Yay! Now I don't have to worry about carrying books around with me everywhere I go! Perfect! And she got me a gift card to get started (and I definitely have already gotten started reading). 

Yummy smelling body wash, lotion, and perfume! MMM!!! 

A sweet fossil watch! Awesome! I've already worn this out for a night and I've fallen in love. And I kept saying that I wasn't a watch girl. Once again, Momma knows best :)

And last but not least...

A super cute key chain! "Home is where your mom is". Ain't that the truth :) So, mommy, THANK YOU for this. I LOVE YOU SO MUCH and you mean EVERYTHING to me. I'm glad I got to spend my Christmas with you (even if it was through a computer screen). I can't wait to be "home" again :) 

Okay, NOW I can tell you about the packages I got today...

The first package I opened was a "mystery package". It was a mystery because the return address said that it was from "Your Friends". Who could that be? Ah the excitement! Well, upon opening it I learned it was from my best friend, Alicia Sieverding and her family! Also, there was a card in there from another good friend of mine, Kali Blocklinger! Alicia, a.k.a. "Goose", sent me: 1) A really cute wintery red headband 2) the book "Water For Elephants, which I'm sorry Goose, I've already read it but I can't wait to read it again :) and I would highly recommend it 3) taco bell taco seasoning (if you love Mexican food and you live in Europe, you'll understand) and lastly 4) Dove chocolate! Ah, she knows me too well :)

EDIT: The adorable red headband is actually from Kali, as well! Thanks Block! :)

Also in this package, I got the Sieverding family Christmas card, which I LOVED! So to Goose, Kali, and the Sieverdings, THANK YOU SO MUCH! These gifts are absolutely amazing and I am truly truly blessed to have such wonderful people in my life. I LOVE YOU all very much and I can't wait to see you again! 

I opened the letters second! One was from Donna Mueller (my Husker teammate, Tara Mueller's mom) and enclosed was their family Christmas letter. How amazing that she sent it all the way to me in Vienna! Awesome! The second letter was from my aunt Becky wishing me a Merry Christmas! She also sent me a few photos she had taken of me and some of my family members. Needless to say, the pictures and the cards are hanging in my kitchen for me to look at every day :)

Last, but certainly not least, I opened the package from my Dad and my brother! First thing I saw upon opening it was this...

Now, for those of you who can't quite see what the bottom present says (partly because it's upside down) here's a close up...

Oh my brother always knows how to make me smile. Also, he knows the way straight to my heart! He sent me three things. The first two being: 

Like I said, he knows the way straight to my heart :) Yeah we have a weird obsession with animated movies, I ain't ashamed to admit it. The last thing he sent me was....exactly what I asked Santa for! Good work brother! 

I've been doing my very best lately to become addicted to working out...so far, it's going pretty well. Anyways...BROTHER! THANK YOU SO MUCH! I honestly don't have enough words to describe how much I love you and how much you mean to me! You are seriously the best brother I could've ever asked for! Can't wait to see you again! I LOVE YOU! :)

Next up was the gifts from my Dad.

I opened the biggest present first (I'm still a kid at heart) and inside I find a sweet Under Armour sweatshirt! 

Awesome! AND it fits perfectly! Yay! Okay, so the next present was small...under the wrapping was a little box. I knew this was going to be awesome because I fell in love with the box before I even knew what was inside! 

Ahh! What's inside? Only the best present a girl could ever ask for from her dad...

I immediately felt tears running down my cheeks. Tears of joy because this made me feel so happy and special and because I love my dad so much. And, tears of sadness because I miss him every day. So Dad, obviously you're reading this, I love you so much. You are so special to me and I'm very lucky to have the best dad a girl could ever want. I miss you every day, and I can't wait to come home and see you again. 

What else did Dad and Eric send me? You guessed it....chocolate :) 

Yeah, it says "party bag" on it...oh boy...funny but, just today at practice, my teammate, Jenna Hagglund, and I agreed to stop eating so much chocolate. So much for that idea :)

To sum up...I have the best friends and the most amazing family I could ever dream of. I wish there were enough words in the English language to describe how much you mean to me and how much I love you. You are keeping the fire in my heart going strong. Sending all my love to you from Vienna. I am counting the days til I get to be with you again. I LOVE YOU!

Kayla

P.S. In the spirit of Christmas (in January) here is your "The Office" clip!

Yummy Yummy In My Tummy!

Hello friends! Today's Written Paper Ring (see last post) simply said "BLOG!". So, here I am! And seeing as how I just finished my lunch, I thought it would be a good time to tell you about the food here. So, pretty much everything I've eaten at a team meal has been some sort of meat and potatoes dish. Which, for those of you who know me, you must be thinking that the food is perfect for me. However, every kind of meat that they serve has some kind of weird sauce on it. So, it kinda looks like the mystery meat from the cafeteria. That being said, it actually tastes alright. And, yes! I have had schnitzel a few times. It's basically fried chicken! Yummmm!

I haven't really been out to eat that much. Where I live, there aren't really any restaurants around me. I'd have to get on the U-Bahn and go into town. But, I do have a favorite place to eat here (maybe because it's pretty much the only place I've been). It's called Vapiano's. It's a very delicious Italian place in the city. I first went there with Jenna, Svenja, and a girl from our 2nd team, Sophie.

Okay, so the way it works is as soon as you walk in you get a card. You can go up to whatever station you want (Pasta, Salad, Pizza, Dessert) and place your order. They prepare it for you and then you scan you card right there on this strange register, and the machine will put the charges on your card. You pay on the way out. The first time I went there, Jenna and I split a Caesar salad and the I had my own personal pepperoni (which I learned that they call "hot salami") pizza. It was so good! I go back often just for the salad! 

Now, I know it may still be strange to hear me talk about how much I love salad. So, this might just blow your mind. For those of you know me really well, brace yourself...at this point in my life it is safe to say that I eat more broccoli than I do chocolate! WOAH! I know! It has become my latest obsession. I brought two giant bottles of ranch with me to Austria, and broccoli dipped in ranch has become my new favorite snack! 

Okay, I'm about to drop another bomb on you. Ready? Alright, for those of you who really REALLY know me, hold on to your hats. My New Years Resolution is to stop drinking caffeinated pop. So, today will be my fourth day without a Coke or Pepsi. I've gotten a few headaches, but I've been drinking some Cappuccino to kind of gradually weed myself off caffeine. Phew! Those are the only surprises for today I swear :)

I know you are totally mind blown right now so we'll go back to the old Kayla for a bit. THANK GOD Europe has these: 

and...

Haha you didn't think I would cut these out of my diet did you? ;) Now don't go thinking I'm eating half my meals here. These are a very rare occurrence when I need some happy food or I really deserve it. Also, I brought 12 boxes of Macaroni and Cheese with me. I'm afraid that this supply won't last me much longer :)

Basically, I cook a lot at home. Whatever I can cook on a stove top, that is. 

On the menu tonight: chicken, golden potatoes, peaches, and of course...broccoli :) 

Kayla 

P.S. I'm pretty sure I've never posted this one, so here is your "The Office" clip. Enjoy!

Written Paper Rings

#51. Written Paper Rings.

 So, I got this idea from an online magazine called "The Violet". It's called Written Paper Rings. Basically, it acts as a countdown.  You make a bunch of little paper rings and on each paper ring you can write either something fun you could do that day, something funny, or even an inspirational quote. For example, some of mine rings might say "Go see a movie!" or "Start your puzzle". Some of them have fun things that I could do in Vienna, like "Tour the Opera House". Some of my rings are more complicated like "Plan a Trip to Another Country", while some of them are as simple as "Draw". And, several of my rings have cool quotes about love and happiness, as well.

All in all, I have 129 written paper rings now decorating my apartment, because in 129 days I will be home!

This is a fun way to look forward to coming home while still making the most of my time here in Vienna! It begins tomorrow and I can't wait to get started! :)

Merry Christmas to all my friends and family! I love you very much and wish I was there to celebrate the holidays with you! Sending hugs and kisses from Vienna!

Kayla

P.S. Here is "The Office" clip for you! Sorry, Eric, I forgot which one you suggested to me the other day :/ Have a good laugh!

LOVE

Kayla

A Walk Through The Park

So, my dear friend Ellie Blankenship, is playing in Innsbruck, Austria (about a 5 hour drive from me) and her team was playing today in Vienna! She came up early to see me and Jenna (who she knew through USA). We spent last night at the Christmas markets and this morning at Starbucks. We had to drop her off at the gym today at 1:00. However, she wasn't playing until 3:00. So we had some time to kill. There was a park nearby and we decided to just go on a walk to pass the time. Low and behold, we walked through some very breathtaking nature. Sometimes something so beautiful can be so close, you never know when you'll stumble upon it.

 (Our other teammate, Svenja, decided to come with us.)

The water was so blue!

These are the kinds of things in life that I draw inspiration from (I am truly a romantic). It was gorgeous. And of course after this amazing stroll through the park, we got to watch Ellie play :)

Her team won in 5!

So, all in all, it was a pretty good day for me :)

Kayla 

P.S. Here's your "The Office" clip.

Part 3: VIENNA!

I arrived in Vienna on November 17th, around 5:00 PM. I traveled for about 16 hours total. I went from Dubuque to Chicago; Chicago to Warsaw, Poland (about an 8 hour flight); Warsaw to Vienna (about an hour and a half flight). I was picked up at the airport by a club administrator. After a quick stop at the gym to pick up my gear, we headed to a hotel (I would be staying here for a few days until an apartment opened up). I was dropped off and then told, "I'll pick you up at 9:15 tomorrow morning. Pack for two days." Apparently we were going on a road trip to Slovenia and Croatia during the next couple days. So I was picked up the next day and went to the gym for a morning serve and pass practice. After practice we hit the road. It was a 4 hour drive to Maribor, Slovenia. We got off the bus and went right away to play the match. I didn't play libero because I was a little bit jet lagged. But, I did get in a few times as a DS. We lost in 4. The next day we got on the bus again in the morning and drove another 4 hours to Croatia. It was the same routine here: get off the bus and play a match right away. I liberoed tonight and we won in 4. Still didn't quite have my legs under me yet but I did okay. After the match we got on the bus and drove the 7 hours back to Vienna. It was a LONG trip and we didn't get home until about 4. And because I was still on a completely different time zone, I couldn't fall asleep til about 5 and then (being the idiot that I am) slept til 2 :/ Which means that I didn't fall asleep the next night either. It took me about a week to get on the right time zone. I had to force myself to stay awake during the day and took some Tylenol PM to fall asleep at night.

After about a week I moved into my apartment...my tiny apartment. It has one bedroom/living room/dining room, a teeny tiny kitchen area, and a teeny tiny bathroom. But, I'm not really complaining about it anymore because I've made it pretty homey, and to be honest I don't really need much more that this. The only thing I would love to have though is a microwave...and maybe an oven :) I have a stove top with two burners, a sink, and two small counters. So, except for the things I can (and know) how to cook on a stove top, not much cookin gets done here. Want the grand tour? Okay here we go...

Here is the living room/bedroom/dining room. Picture taken from the kitchen.

I have lots of shelf and closet space which I love.

My sink and stove top. Yeah that's the front door on the left if you want to kind of piece it all together (not that there is a lot to piece together).

The other side of the kitchen. You can see the corner of the refrigerator at the bottom. The teeny tiny refrigerator :) Again, lots of cabinet space. More than I know what to do with. 

As soon as you walk in the door, the bathroom is on the left. 

Small shower. Like really small...

Told you it was small. 

View of the front door from the window in the living room/bedroom/dining room.

And lastly, my bed/futon/couch. Again, huge closets next to the bed. Yeah I brought my teddy bear, go ahead, judge me :)

I was a little disappointed because I thought my apartment would be right smack dab in the center of the city of Vienna. But, I live in the part of town that is called Schwechat. The best way I know how to describe it is "Asbury is to Dubuque as Schwechat is to Vienna". Make sense? Anyways it's about a 12 minute "U Bahn" (aka subway) ride to the city center and WOW the city of Vienna is absolutely beautiful. These pictures aren't of the exact center of the city but you can get a feel for the architecture in Vienna.

Gorgeous right? Needless to say, I look forward to the days that I get to go into the city. AND one of those days is coming up soon! Wednesday night, my teammates, Jenna Hagglund and Svenja Engelhardt, and I are going to see a production of the musical "Hair"! I'm so excited! And I'm even more excited that it's going to be in English! I also got to spend last night in the city, as well. Jenna and Svenja and I went to a few different places. What did we do? Well, we got into the Christmas spirit and went and checked out a few local Christmas markets! Each year during Christmas time, a bunch of different markets go up around town and they have a ton of booths that sell anything from ornaments and candles to paintings or hats. 

Ornament booth. All hand-made, I might add. They were very beautiful.

All the markets have places you can get food, as well. And of course, I'm learning that the biggest hit of the Christmas markets is the punsch! It is a hot wine fruit drink. There are normally several booths selling punsch at each market and majority of the people there can be seen nursing a warm mug. And I must say, the punsch is so delicious!

We went to a few Christmas markets yesterday. The first we went to was in front of the Schonbrunn Palace.

Amazing, right?

We finished up the evening at the Rathaus Christmas market. Wait til you see this...

So beautiful it doesn't look real. From what I understand (aka wikipedia told me), this is where the mayor works and they have city council meetings and all that kind of good stuff. Anyways, I got some orange punsch at this Christmas market! So good! 

I've been here for almost a month, and I'm very much in love with Vienna already. We have Wednesday off so before we go see "Hair" that night I'm planning on a day of shopping and being in the city! Can't wait! Then on Saturday we're headed to Budapest to play a match. The number of countries I've been to has rapidly grown in the past month and I'm sure will continue to grow. Very exciting. Next blog I'll tell you more about volleyball, but for now the inspiration from the city has taken over me :) 

Sending love from Austria!

Kayla

P.S. Here is your "The Office" clip. Backstory: Dwight is hosting a garden party. Jim wrote a book called "How to Throw a Garden Party" knowing that Dwight would buy it. In the book he wrote that everyone who entered the party needed to be formally announced. Jim has some fun with it.