It's September 1st and I'm updating my blog from my apartment in Dresden, Germany. When I was younger I would laugh when adults would talk about time flying by, but man oh man they were right!
After nearly 3 months on hiatus, I'm now mentally preparing to recount the last 3 months of my crazy life. In fact, in order to open this post, I had to delete drafts of posts that I had started writing earlier in the summer and never actually finished! I'm determined not to let that happen again...
I set off for California in early June, after spending 3 weeks with the fam in New Jersey. I spent a week in Napa, where I got to hang out with my mom and Anthony and the best dog on earth (Tadgh, pronounced TY, it's Gaelic duh), which was a blast. Then I finagled my way into getting a ride to LA with Crystal, but making a stop over in Santa Clara for graduation weekend! It was really fun to see so many familiar faces after being away for so long, and we had a great time getting nostalgic together!
Mid-June saw the beginning of my time with Crystal in Redondo Beach, California, in a house only 2 blocks away from the house where my Uncle Dave once lived. (How bizarre is that?) I was hoping to find a temporary job of some sort, but life without a car in Los Angeles is difficult, and I ended up spending the summer sans employment. This can be seen as a terrible misfortune or a stroke of luck, depending on where you're sitting! The bad news was that I turned into a total tightwad, and my friends would laugh at my stinginess. The good news was that I was living completely without a schedule, and I found some cheap but fun ways to amuse myself!
My days were usually pretty lazy, often playing beach volleyball with Crystal or the other girls to whom she introduced me. I tried to touch the sand everyday based on the idea that I may never have a chance to live so close to the ocean, and I think I was successful! I got to visit with a lot of old friends who live in and around LA, which was wonderful, especially since I won't see them for at least another year now!
On the 4th of July, I got a visit from my awesome Canadian roommate in Austria: Kristina! She spent a week with me in LA, and I had a great time sharing part of my California life with her! We went to the Getty, did Hollywood with Crystal, ate with some celebs in Malibu, and did all the touristy stuff that we could find in the LA area. Of course her departure date came far too soon, but it was great just to have her around again for a little while!
The following week was great because it brought a trip to go see Talia in her awesome town of Springdale, Utah, home of Zion National Park! I spent 4 days there, in which I got to meet her friends at Zion Adventure Company, swim in rivers with said friends, hike in several canyons, eat fish tacos, and basically catch up with the sister who I so rarely get to see nowadays! I stole my/her/our car (the Silver Bullet!) from her, and drove it back to LA (8 hours! alone! in the desert! eek!) so that I could have it when Marco arrived :)
[Sidenote: Right before I left to see Talia, I had gotten a call from my agent about a first league team in Germany that was looking for a middle blocker. After spending all summer practically certain that I would be returning to my club in Klagenfurt, this threw me for a loop, but I told my agent to let me know if any great contracts were thrown on the table...]
Halfway through my stay in Zion, I opened my email to find an e-Ticket roundtrip from LAX to Dresden, Germany! Apparently I was going for a tryout, which was exciting! I spent the last week of July in Dresden, where I got to meet the team, meet the coaches, and obviously practice a bit. At the end of the week, I signed a contract to play with DSC (Dresdner Sport Club) for the 2010-2011 season! Then, I set on my way back to LAX for one final weekend before Marco came to the states!
That final weekend was a big one, because after arriving on Friday evening (and meeting Frankie in the airport before Kendall picked us up), we started a group celebration of 6man! We had dinner at the Union Cattle Company, Crystal's temporary employer and a delicious restaurant with an electric bull in the middle of the floor. Unlike in years past where our team had been comprised mostly of Santa Clara girls, this year we joined a team that was sponsored by Zico Coconut Water and had plans of actually winning the tournament! Due to extreme jetlag and an overwhelming number of girls on the team (40?!?!), I didn't end up playing on Saturday, but I loved watching Crystal and the other girls, and I loved seeing all the volleyball people that 6-man helps bring together for one weekend every year!
On Sunday I shook off the jetlag and played in a AA tournament with Kristen Luxton-Hinman. We had played in one tournament earlier in the summer in Long Beach, and we had so much fun hat we swore to play in at least one more! August 1st was our last possible weekend together, and we made the most of it! Despite a rough start, we ended up playing really well together, and we took second place (don't ask us who we lost to, they were born post-1995, I'm still feeling ashamed), which meant a big bag of random prizes: gift certificates to restaurants, a bathing suit top, a free massage, etc (a big consolation because the amateurs couldn't accept their first place prizes! HA!). Anyway, it was a perfect day of volley and we finished in time for me to get the sand out of my hair before picking Marco up at LAX!
So it's now September 1st. One month has passed since that awesome day. But somehow it seems like only 3 days.. MAYBE a week. Holy guacamole!
Marco's arrival marked the start of an unforgettable cross country trip that brought me to see a big chunk of my awesomely large and dispersed family, and a chance for Marco to see a lot of the US!
We spend 3 days in LA, full of beach runs, BBQs with the Hinmans, the Staples Center, Universal Studios, a tour of the Oakley Headquarters with Megan, a trip to Venice/Muscle Beach, and me dragging Marco around to introduce him to all of my friends :) We then took off on a road trip to Vegas, where we stayed in the Flamingo hotel/casino and spent the evening walking the strip before eating dinner at NewYorkNewYork. The following day we drove from Vegas to Talia, where we went on a hike in the Narrows, which is definitely one of my favorite parts of Zion!
After one night with Talia, we left the car with her and took off for Vegas on a shuttle that would bring us to our flight to San Francisco. My mom and Anthony picked us up from the airport, and we drove through the city on our way up to Napa where we had a feast at Fume, one of our family's favorite restaurants. After dinner, we went home to freshen up before heading up to the Lincoln Theater at the Veteran's Home in Yountville where we watched a spirited performance of "The Pirates of Penzance." Initially, I think Marco was a little unsure of whether he would enjoy this part of the trip, be the performance was wonderful, and we all had a great time.
The following days in Napa were somewhat relaxed, which was a welcome change from our daily schedule of travel! We ate delicious meals, worked out at the local club, went to the library for internet, shopped at the outlets, saw "Dinner for Schmucks" and got In 'n Out Burger, among other relaxing activities! I introduced Marco to pulled-pork sandwiches at the Golden Bagel Cafe (he is a FAN!) and we drove through the valley and over to Santa Rosa to find the nearest mall, which was a good bit of touring for both of us.
On Wednesday of that week, my mom and Anthony were awesome enough to book a room at the Hilton in Fisherman's Wharf for Marco and I, which gave us a chance to explore San Francisco! We stopped in the Marin Headlands on the way in for a foggy photoshoot, then walked halfway across the bridge for some more Kodak moments. We then spent the afternoon walking around the Wharf, Pier 39 etc, and had an unplanned marathon adventure down the Embarcadero to AT&T Park (whoops! Sorry Marco, it's further than I thought...) That night we had dinner with Koryn, an old friend from high school, at a small Italian place in North Beach. It was a perfect day in San Francisco!
The next morning we set off on Highway 1 South, which hugs the coast all the way down California. We drove through Pacifica, down to Half Moon Bay, and eventually got to Santa Cruz, where we met my Uncle Dave, Carolyn and Caleb for a walk around town and some pizza before heading up over Highway 17, which brought us to my old stomping grounds of Santa Clara University :) Once there, we walked around campus, got some new gear from the bookstore, and I got to practice with the girls!
Friday afternoon was wonderful because we spent it at the winery playing bocce and BBQing with my mom and Anthony. But alas, our week had to end, and on Saturday we piled into the truck once again en route to Oakland Airport and a redeye to JFK. We stopped for a delicious last meal of dimsum (why has no one ever told me that Peking Duck is SO YUMMY!?!?!), and then we said our last goodbyes for 2010 and jumped on our JetBlue flight east!
Our arrival Sunday morning is worth recounting because it was such a comedy of errors. The family was up in Cape Cod at the time, so my dad had left his car for us at the house, along with specific instructions on how to get to our house using the train. We had originally planned on spending the day touring around NYC, but a combo of sleep deprivation and gross weather quickly helped us change our minds to set off straight for home. We managed to make it on to the right train to Penn Station, where we were again successful at choosing the right train towards Madison. However, upon exiting the train, Marco's suitcase stopped cooperating (the handle broke off entirely), and it got pretty funny (for me!)!
The situation wasn't helped by the fact that we had a 2 mile walk home, uphill, on the streets of Chatham, NJ. Of course Marco had a nice rolly suitcase, but those suitcases aren't really made for adventures on asphalt/uneven pavement! Sans handle, he was using the strap from my purse to drag his suitcase behind him, when all of a sudden, the zipper broke completely and the whole thing popped open. Needless to say, he was a little bit frustrated (understatement of the century!), so I left him with the luggage on the side of the road while I ran home to get the car and make our lives a little bit easier!
Naps and food made us feel a little better, and we spent the afternoon at the Short Hills Mall, looking for a new suitcase for Marco. We weren't too excited about the idea of a "little investment" of $750.00 (!!!!) for a Tumi bag, so we left the mall empty handed and laughing about the Tumi saleswoman actually spending 10 minutes trying to pitch the sale to two twenty-somethings in jeans and t-shirts with flip flops and baseball caps.
We got dinner that night in Madison, where Marco experienced a FiveGuys Burger, which he gave a 9 out of 10 on the delicious scale. We also went to see "The Other Guys," which was pretty funny!
The next morning we took off for Verona, NY, where we would be visiting my Grandma Cmaylo! All was going well when the odometer hit 260,000 mi (those Toyota Landcruisers last a LONG TIME!), but at 260,002, the accelerator stopped working entirely and I had to pull over to the side of the road. I had never broken down before, so of course I was a little concerned about what to do, but with Marco by my side and a few calls to Dad, we got the State Trooper out to see us and a then a tow truck came to haul us to the Toyota dealership in Johnstown, NY. What a detour!
We were hoping that we could get in and out and back on the road, and tried to kill some time having lunch at Friendly's. However, when we got back to the dealership, the fix-it guys had decided that our alternator was shot, that they didn't have the part they needed, and that we wouldn't be leaving Johnstown that night. Fortunately, an Enterprise rental place was a couple towns over, and they came to pick us up for a one-day rental so that we could get to see Grandma!
Our night in Verona was pretty uneventful, besides the delicious burgers and apple pie that Grandma had waiting for us. The next morning we went on a run around Verona (no really, we ran AROUND Verona), and I got to show Marco some of the classic sights (the bull that has quarters coming out of it's nose, Uncle Joe's house, the fire station, etc). We then took off back to Johnstown to pick up the car which we were hoping would be finished by noon!
Of course, it wasn't ready 'til 5ish, which tested both Marco's and my patience! But at 5 we jumped back in the car and headed towards North Bennington to see my Grandpa Hewitt. Upon arrival, my Uncle Brian prepared a feast of ribs and corn on the cobb (so yummy!) and we watched the Red Sox game before going to bed. The next morning, we went on a run around the Harvest Hills Drive area, down to the old farm and back up the hill, starting our day of touring Bennington!
My Grandpa is basically the best tourguide, because he knows everything about everything in Bennington (possibly in general), and we stopped at the Bennington Monument, the Old First Church, and Bennington College before meeting June for lunch at Kevin's in downtown North Bennington. Then we stopped for some pictures by the pond before going back to Grandpa's to pack our stuff!
We said goodbye to my Grandpa and Uncle Brian and took off for Boston, where we would meet old roommate Jordan for the Red Sox game that evening! The game was great, and again I got to introduce an old awesome friend to a new awesome boyfriend, which never got old. Post-game, we took a night drive to Mimi's house in Cotuit, which would be the final stop on our cross-country adventure. Despite some driving confusion, we made it there by 1AM, and I fell asleep to the sound of the ocean :)
The next day was spent at the beach with Jack and the twins. We went kayaking to the spit, and BBQed that night with the Turnbull girls. Then Marco impressed the group with his Austrian army fire-starting skills when we went to the beach for a bonfire and s'mores. Marco roasted a marshmallow for the first time, and now he understands the delicate but wonderful balance of graham cracker, Hershey's chocolate, and roasted marshmallow deliciousness!
The following morning we woke up early for a round of golf with Jack. After our plans of a nicer club called Quashnet were squashnetted (ha), we settled for the 9 crossing fairways of Cotuit Highgrounds, and it was a BLAST! Of course the Austrian who had never played before beat both Jack and I by about 15 strokes, but we all had a good time and made it back to the beach by noon.
That night we had our last sunset in the states, and celebrated with a dinner at the Chart Room in Cataumet with Mimi, Aunt Marie, and the Moussa clan. It was a pretty funny night, as both Tyler and Chase ended up getting sick and later falling asleep at the table, but the ride home was probably one of the funniest parts!
The next morning we were up early to pack and head to Boston for our flights from Logan. Chase was still feeling a little under the weather, so the boys and I piled into the car for the last time! We dropped Marco off for his flight around 11, and then the rest of us went into Boston to walk around and have some lunch since my flight didn't leave til 8. It was a great end of my time with the family, and then I set off back to Euroland!
I spent 3 days in Austria with Marco, mostly helping him organize stuff for his new apartment. This meant several trips to IKEA, a trip to the paint store, and endless chatter about possibilities of seating arrangements in the living room :) I also got to spend some time with Sophie, one of my teammates from the Klagenfurt Widlkatzen. But Wednesday night brought my flight to Dresden, after which Alex picked me up and brought me to my new (temporary) apartment on Neubertstrasse, next to the Elbe and 2 kilometers away from downtown Dresden!
So far it's been pretty interesting, and I'm definitely still getting used to my life here. Practices are extremely challenging, and there are great expectations for everyone, individually and as a team! But the girls have been wonderful, and the city is beautiful, and I've learned to drive a stick shift, and I'm back to learning German, and... so, I can't really complain!
I had a wonderful summer, and hopefully this season will bring me as much fun and as many adventures as the last one did. Now I'm off to spinning, then practice, then home for some food and sleep before I wake up and do it all again tomorrow. Ahhh, volley life.
XOXO
Would love to hear from you! Email me!!! (acmaylo@gmail.com)
Anna
