Beach Volleyball

Good evening. So Life has been pretty much beach volleyball. Not a bad thing. Sun, sand, exercise. I love it. I have now played in 3 US tourneys since I have been back in the US. Wow, a different game than FIVB. The players are young and new, but big and physical. Today I was in Long Beach for the Young Guns tourney. Tough one, again. It has been quite a trek playing with different players just to earn points. Although I am feeling great about my game, I have not been successful in winning the tough matches. Experience means a LOT. I am having fun and am ready to qualify in Riverside this week!

Been a While

For anyone that still follows this, I apologize for the delay. I am now keeping up 3 blogs and once I finishe one, i feel like copying and pasting. But, not everyone cares about all the things i blab about. I am going to copy and paste this one from the team blog....I am writing this from Ft. Lauderdale! What an interesting 2 weeks its been. I have been staying with a good friend Brandon in Ft. Lauderdale. I have explored a bit of Miami, Tampa, and Panama City. In addition to rain storms, thunder storms, and near hurricane weather. I will do my best to keep this as updated as my brain can do......here is the copy and paste:
Although there is no place I'd rather be than California, Florida is not so bad. I have traveled through the entire state by car...unplanned. It all started Thursday, March 19 when I arrived in Ft. Lauderdale with Kim. We were playing the Young Guns tourney...took a 13th place...ugh! Played in rain and wind! Kim left Saturday to return to Cali...I stayed. I have some friends down here that I set up training with for Tuesday and Wednesday! But, here's the crazy part....Wednesday before we practiced one of the girls training had an open casting call for a Neutrogena commercial. She brought three of us with her to try out. I got a call back Wednesday night to be at the Plantation Park by noon Thursday. I did have a a 9am flight out Thursday, but this was an opportunity not to be missed! So, I rearranged my flight, flew to Tampa at 2:30pm after the call back. Rented a car, drove to Panama City (5 1/2 hours)...during the drive I received 2 phone calls, one from an agent and one from the Casting company. I got the job....out of 250 people. I did shoot the commercial today. Very easy! On a plane tomorrow and back home:)

Just sitting at HOME!

So, I got back from a ten day vacation to Hawaii. What a great time. It was Heidi's wedding, but also a great vacation and time with good friends. The wedding was perfect, the weather was great (most of the time) and the people there were soooo much fun. I think it needs to be an annual trip. From the time I landed to the day I left we were busy....rehearsal breakfast, bbq, wedding, reception, north shore surf competition, driving around the island, eating garlic shrimp, swimming in a cage around the sharks, swimming, shopping, eating.....it goes on. It is times like these that I realize how great some of my friends are. However, upon return I also felt very missed by my San Diego friends......life is going good right now and is gonna get crazy once the club season starts.......but, I love it! Aloha

Hmmm, what's new

So, I am nearing the end of my JV season with Carlsbad! It has been quite the challenge to be back in the coaching world! It's great though. I am starting to teach some mom's beach volleyball on Wednesday mornings. I am playing a bit and probably resting the least. Something about me finds it hard to relax! But, there are certainly the moments when I really need a break. Life is good between coaching, workouts, playing, yoga, eating, and sleeping I cannot complain. Lots of love to anyone that still reads this!

Sleepin In

So, this morning is my so called day off. Sleeping in for me is about 7:30am and no alarm. I only have to coach his afternoon, so I consider it a light day. I think it has been a while since I last blogged, so a quick fill in.....been coaching every day, been playing a couple days a week, been doing my yoga and running a LOT of stairs. But, the best part is I get to hang out when I want cuz I do nor have to travel anywhere and no one really telling me when to get up......Club season is around the corner, so that will take up a big amount of time for me. But, all in all, life is good! And I am still lyin in bed!

Back in the Game

So today was officially my first day back coaching.....boy, what was I missing! It was a blast. But, needless to say I am wiped out. CArlsbad played in their first tourney today and we played great. A lot to be improved on, but w good start and something to build from. I am so surprised at the level of jv volleyball teams these days. The girls are monsters. Well, life is sort of back to normal....I am training/playing with a group of teams tomorrow getting ready for the Manhattan AVP event that I CANNOT play in....a little bitter, but what can I do! well, off to bed, cuz I am exhausted. Good Day!

Another Great Tourney

So I got back form Aspen yesterday morning.....What a fun weekend! We finished 3rd, but played great and lost only in the Semi's. Barefoot wine sponsored Angela and I so needless to say we were taken care of by Abby and the rest of the crew. Aspen is a very beautiful town and very expensive, so the filet and Crab legs were savored! Now, I am just winding down, getting ready to run some errands and recovering from 10 reps of stairs at Ponto beach. I think this might be a new weekly workout. It was Nancy, Veronica and I pounding away, burning up the stairs. Well, we have our first scrimmage this week, should be exciting!

Aspen Colorado

What a beautiful place! Of all the places I have been in this world, and there are a lot, Aspen is up there with the best of them. The weather here is fabulous 22 hours out of the 24......the rain tends to come in about 2pm every day for 2 hours. Angela and I are playing the MOtherlode event together.....so far we are 2-0......woohooo! We have a tough match next, so we are surfing the net to get focused yet relaxed! I wish I had a good pic of Aspen now, but I will put it on soon! Have a lovely DAY:)

The Little Things

I have found a great bathing suit for playing volleyball in. After watching Pri and Angela in Long Beach and San Diego, I went after the company that made the suits they play in. Just wanted to put it out there! This company is Zsu Zsi, check it out! I got a couple suits to try out and so far so good! It really is the little things that make me happy!

Life in the Fast Lane

So it really feels like everyday is a whirlwind. I woke today, headed to Coffee bean, made final practice plans, then zoomed to Carlsbad HS. The JV team practiced for 3 hours, then I headed straight to SFC to meet with Maria about club try-outs....ALREADY!!!!!! From there, quick lunch, 2 lessons..........then a night out with the girls. Movie and dinner. Just got home. I left the house at 11:30am and arrived home at 8:27pm. ON the go......I am heading off to Aspen this weekend for the Motherlode, and hopefully to see mi familia. We will see!

Love it!

So today was a good day. Many things that could have been done, but very few that got done. I woke, played volleyball at Ponto beach with Veronica, Colleen, and Kelly..... lot of fun! Drove to SFC to interview the new middle school coach, then straight to Oceanside to check out Zsu Zsi swimsuits. These swimsuits are awesome. They are cute and designed for athletic women. Stephanie, the owner, gave me a couple to wear for the Motherlode next weekend, so we will see how it works out. BUt, I gotta say I am very excited for a great swimsuit sponsor. After that, home....relax for a few minutes then off to the movies with Drew....we saw Tropic Thunder......Hilarious! Now I am off to bed! But ahead in the next week......more Carlsbad volleyball, meeting with Maria to get SBVC rolling for the next season and many, many lessons. Life is good, slower than normal for me, but sometimes I need this! tata

What's going on Today, August 21

In case you are still checking out my blog, sorry for not keeping it up lately. Needless to say I have been busy. I am always busy, except for this very moment. So, here is what life has been for the past month, since my return from Marseille, and visit with family. I started coaching for Carlsbad high school, I had some good times with friends for 2 weeks, and I have been debating getting back into the gym to train for next season. Coaching is consuming most of my time right now, and I am having fun! We started with try-outs last Wednesday, had our teams set by Friday and have been running double days since. In between these practices I have been doing some lessons, trying to get girls ready for Fall season. Good times with my friends included being tour guide of San Diego, which I am not great at, a trip to Vegas, a trip to Huntington Beach (which is like a second home), and trips to the airport. I have also managed to move back into my condo, very happy about that. Well, that's my life! Kinda tired now, but its a good thing!

A Day in my Life

So, after an eventful evening at the movies with the family....meaning I got carded to see the movie, and my 29 year old sister was not let in without her ID....I woke this morning on the air mattress in my condo. As I woke, Alicia, my sister in law, was watching tv. Soon, we were off to meet the rest of the gang for breaky at Swami's. Very Good! After that, off to the paint store (success), then to the bed store (success), then home! Once home, I had about 30 minutes to stop and breathe before heading off to yoga. Yoga was great today, and I was beat! After yoga, straight to the sista's house to load up the vehicles and get people to the airport. Upon return from the airport, stopped by Krystal's house for about an hour before heading home. Its 8:42pm, I am tired, and am eating leftover pizza before bed. The most exciting part is that when I wake, I am heading to LB to watch Lewis dominate at the AVP!
Good NIght!

Love Volleyball Camp

So, since I have been in the USA, I deplaned, drove home, ate, slept, woke and started coaching. We finish every day at 4pm....so 830am-4pm, I am coaching kids! After 4 pm, I have a million things on my brain. Unpacking has still not happened, laundry....nope,finding a decently comfortable bed....kind of, and deciding where I am going to live, think I got that taken care of. However, dinner with the family is mandatory every evening and usually an evening activity. So, basically, I have not really had any time for me. But, I cannot complain....I have my beautiful nephews here, Alicia and Bil also. It has been fun, tiring, but fun! Today is the last day of camp, and I think it is has been a good one this year.

Jetlag

So I have been home for 3 days now, and my normal wake up time is anywhere from 4-6am. No one else is usually up, so I grab my computer and check out what's going on in the world. After that, I shower and get ready for camp. Camp, camp, camp.....there are over 60 kids we are coaching this week. There's nothing like getting off the plane, sleeping a few hours and then hanging out with 7-14 yr olds all day. But, really, I am beat! The whole family has been here for the week helping with camps, so every evening after camp finishes, we have a bbq or go out to dinner and then usually I am out by 9pm. Such is life, huh! Well, I hope all of you that read this know that I am home now, so drop me an email or phone call.

Coming Down

Coucou everyone! So, we are in Dublin airport.....kind of hard to believe we are finished with this season. I am beat.....totally exhausted. I love volleyball and I love competing at the highest level, but there is a point of balance you need. I am so excited to be going home and getting back to some normalcy, but I will miss this spontaneity in life....of traveling to random places and meeting crazy people. Heidi and I have certainly made some great memories, and I hope they continue. I have camps to caoch for the next 3 weeks, Heidi's got a wedding to plan, and then who knows what's next. Our last night in Marseille, we shared a bottle of vino, sat on the port and just reminisced about how lucky we are to do what we do.....TRAVEL the world and play volleyball! These are 2 of the greatest things ever invented! Well, tata for now, I will do my best to keep this updated even when I am in the US.
Bisous

It's been good!!!!!!

Well, we have come to the end of our season in Marseille, France. We ended on a positive note, by qualifying! This has really been an amazing summer and beside the fact that we did not qualify for Beijing, we played at the top of our game and have had an experience of a lifetime. So many people have followed this journey and kept up with where we are and how we are playing. We will leave tomorrow morning for NYC and then to LAX.......home sweet home!

Rough ONe!

So yesterday we played in the qualifier. We had only one match to win, but do oyu realize how much pressure that is?????We were the number one seed playing the 16 seed, Netherlands. They were 2 young girls, but very athletic....We proceeded to get the most out of the day by losing the first game terribly...21-13. We continued to play very poorly, and were trailing all of the second game, until 12-14, then we scored 2 in a row, for the 14-14 switch. After that, we were point for point, but we got the 18-17 switch. From there, we pulled out the veteran plays and won 21-18. To start the third.....we scrapped for every point, then took a timr out at 4-7 (yes, we were down). We were thinking, but never said it out loud....we could be finished here. However, after that time-out, we scored 3 point to make it 7-7. Next thing we knew we were up 10-9, the switched at 11-9. We proceeded to finish the game out at 15-11. Woohoo......good ending. Today, we face Italy....the same team that knocked us out in Moscow. All we can do is have some fun while doing what we love.

See you all soon.....

In Marseille, France

I know these titles are far from spectacular, but at least they get to the point. We arrived in Marseille this afternoon. Since the last blog we drove to Montpellier (la Grande Motte-to be exact) to stay with some friends in their parents house. It was a cute French house, fabulous food, and great people. It was a great change from the hotel and 5 Euro breakfast we have been feasting on. I think one of the best things you can do while traveling is immerse yourself in the culture. Well, now we play tomorrow...our last event....will let you know how we do!

8 more hours

We started off this morning in Munich...frantically getting to the post office before it closed, then deciding we needed to DRIVE south. So, from 2:40pm til....now, 11:25pm we have been having a Smarty Party.....really, it was not sooo bad. Heidi did most of the driving from Munich to France, then I finished us off for about 300km to Lyon. We are at the Etap (cheap hotel) and will head south in the morning. Bonne Nuit!!!!!