So…lots of new news to go along with the recap of my recent weekend of fun!…. We have a new addition to the Darrah family.  His name is Gus.  We call him Gus-Gus and he is named after Gus-Gus, the fat mouse on the movie Cinderella!  ha!  He is soooo cute!  He is a blue weimeraner, 6 weeks old, the cutest puppy ever!  Very active, hates to be left alone…follows you around like a little lost pup…literally.  He is Thomas’ dog and Gus has been giving him a run for his money for sure.  ha!  Keeping Thomas up late, waking up every hour, and then waking up with the chickens.  Full time job!  Sadie is still a little unsure about him, but she is getting better with him.  She is a little jealous and territorial, but I think she’ll get used to him.

I have a new hobby!… PAINTING!!  There is this super cool place called Sips-n-Strokes here in town!  It is this place where you go in and they give you a canvas and you can choose to have a glass of wine or a cup or coffee if you want and then stroke by stroke they teach you and walk you through how to paint the designated painting for the night.  They have a different painting every night and it is done in class form.  They have select colors of paint set out specifically for the painting of the night.  They furnish all supplies including smocks   See pics below!!  My first painting was an Alabama fball player…imagine that!  It was so fun.  Amy Dodd, Kimberlee, and I went and we had a great time.  The next time we are going is on a Tuesday night in a few weeks.  We’re painting a pink cross.  I’m so excited!

I made a 100% on my first test of Graduate School!!!  It was an essay/short answer test.  I was so excited!  I think it was my first 100% of my college career…ha!  Good timing!

Strive for Five is still going.  It’s going well.  My team has lost every week, but we have lost a total of 44 pounds throughout the competition so far.  Everyone is doing really well.

I have a really stressful week coming up… Test today, test on Wednesday, presentation on Wednesday, then I’m going to Nashville on Friday to see Ang!  It will be a fun weekend, but I’m a little nervous about my 2 tests and my presentation.  Come on Friday!

Work is going well.  I’m getting the hang of it.  I have recently started working on Marketing for Men’s Tennis.  Ashley and I put together a Marketing plan and I presented it to the asst. coach.  He was very receptive and I think things are going to go really well!  I’m excited because I’ve actually started playing a little tennis myself.  I think I mentioned it in my last post, but just in case…I’m mentioning it again.   Haven’t gotten much better at it, but I’m still playing!

Still doing cycling.  It’s still really fun, but it’s making my legs really big!  I had to cut back on the amount of days I go to the class, but it has still been a really good source of exercise.

Hummus…my latest obsession…thanks to the Chapman family.  You can always expect to see Hummus in the Chapman refrigerator so when I got back to T-town yesterday I bought some.   ha!

Fall Break is here…No class this Thurs. or Fri.  Doesn’t really effect me because I don’t have class either of those days, but it will still be nice to know that it will be somewhat relaxed and quiet around campus and in the office.

Thomas is doing well.  He’s just trying to hang in there with his football.  His classes are going well also.  His attitude has been pretty positive overall about everything that has been going on with him.  He has been attending a QB bible study every Wed. night.  I think that’s been going well for him.  We also go to FCA every Monday night so that’s been good too!

Same ole same ole with everyone else…Mom and Dad are good.  They have been up for the past 3 weekends to tailgate for the fball games.  It has been really fun!  Work is good for both of them.  Dad is going to stay home with Kenna during the Homecoming festivities so that he will know that she got home safe and sound from the dance.   Mom is going to come to T-town to hang out on Thurs. night because she is off on Friday.  I’m excited.  That will be the weekend of the UA/SC game.

Things have been going great overall.  Looking forward to the holidays and I’m looking forward to seeing everyone soon!  Gonna try and get to Athens for a few practices and games this season!

Hope all is well with everyone back home and back in my second home   and wherever you may be reading this from!

Love, Love, Love,

meg

My job:  getting better and better daily.  Thus far, I have been put in charge of radio/tv scripts/broadcasting schedules, men’s and women’s tennis (promotional/marketing plans), men’s and women’s basketball group ticket sales, and the solo cross country and track meets that we have this season.  We haven’t started the tennis strategies yet, but radio and tv scripts are good to go and group ticket sales are in the making.  First home football game went smoothly.  It was pretty cool being on the field!  We handled the on field promotions, honorees, and operations (“kick for tuition”, honorary captain, fan of the game, and honoring the sball team at halftime just to name a few).  Lots of fun, a little stressful, but really good experience.  I got to go sit with the fam around 6 min. to go in the 3rd qtr. (just in time to see my little/big brother go in the game!!)  He only handed it off…didn’t get a chance to throw it, but he got in nonetheless!  He looked great out there and we were very happy to see him on the field.  No events this week for me until the vball game on Sunday.  I will be handling the promotions table and the half time promotional activities!  Roll Tide! (it’s getting easier and easier to say, by the way)

Classes are going well.  I have a big research paper to start writing for my research class.  I am writing it on the division of subroles of different athletic department positions and the stereotypical gender labels that are associated with each position.  I have a few exams coming up in a few of them as well.  But, so far so good.  I like all of my professors and I have met a few people in my classes that are pretty cool too!

Found a church!!  Calvary Baptist Church.  I have gotten involved with the singles group already too   It’s called 20/30.  I’ve gone to a bible study with the group, sunday school this past sunday which was really good, and then the 11:00 service for church.  Great minister and great people.  Like it a lot already!

Scheduled a hair apt. for tomorrow!  Excited to get my hair done.   I’m going to go dark with some auburn/reddish highlights!  I’ll put some pics up!

Had new employee orientation this morning.  I had it from 8-12 and then I have it again tomorrow.  Boring!!  But, it was nice to meet some new faces.

Tailgated with the fam on Saturday.  That was lots of fun!  We did it “in style” this time…got rid of our ghetto style (pool umbrella and table)…ha!  We put our “Alabama” tent up on Fri. night and then grilled hamburgers and hotdogs at like 11 on Sat.  Got out there at 9 and hung out till game time.  I had to be at the stadium by 3 so we all headed over at the same time and the fam watched Thomas in “the walk of champions”.  He looked good!!  We went back to the tailgate and ate some more after the game on Sat.  That was fun too although I was ready to be in my bed by that time.

We are doing this thing called “Strive for Five” in our office.  We have 2 teams of 3 people.  I am on a team with Justin (a part time intern that has worked in the office for 4 years) and Allison (asst. marketing director).  It has been great so far!  It is a competition put on by the university that we have taken on as an “in office challenge” as well.  We weighed in as a team and for 2 months we have to:  eat 5 servings or fruits or veggies, drink 5 glasses of water, exercise 5 times a week for 30 min., think/share 5 positive thoughts per day, and lose 5 pounds or maintain your weight.  So far so good!  I was bad at the tailgate and had a couple of brownies , but other than that I’ve been doing pretty good.  We have weekly team weigh-ins.  And after 2 months we will see which team has lost the most weight!!  Our team name is:  “The Bryant Denny Skinnies” (explanation…the fball stadium, where our office is, is called Bryant Denny Stadium, thus…__)!

FCAIA (FCA/AIA) meets every Mon. at 9pm, the leadership team meets on Sun. nights at 7pm.  I have been making the power point slides with the announcements on them for the meetings on Monday nights.  Thomas has been going with me to them.  The 2 that we have had thus far have gone well.  We have had great turn outs, the messages have been good and then student interaction has been great!  I have enjoyed working with the staff and they have been very good about listening to my ideas and including me in their plans and ideas.  I’ve been hanging out with Amy a lot.  She and I have played tennis a few times!  I’m getting better!   Thomas bought a racket yesterday and so he and are going to play soon too!

Sadie…enough said….but, if I have to give you an update, I guess I’ll just have to say….PRECIOUS!!!  MY BEST FRIEND!!!  LOVE HER MORE AND MORE EVERYDAY!!!

Dad and Thomas did some yard work yesterday and the yard looks great!  They also washed mine and Thomas’ cars!  So great!

I sent out some notes to some people with mine and Thomas’ new address, but in case I had a brain “___”  (fill in the blank) and forgot to send you one (so sorry if that’s the case), our new address is:  5 Parkwood Circle Tuscaloosa, AL 35401.  Send us some mail!  We love hearing from everyone!!

Thomas is doing well.  His classes are going well and practices have been going well.  We have been getting along very well and the house has been great for us.  Lots of space so it gives us outlets for when he doesn’t take out the trash and I get angry and get on him about it.  He then has lots of outlets and places to go in the house to escape my “nagging” as he likes to call it. 

Kenna is doing well.  She loves Buford.  They lost their first home fball game in 2 seasons this past Sat.  She was at the game and said it was pretty sad.  She has lots of new friends (most guys…of course my dad and Thomas give her a hard time…why wouldn’t they?!?)   Basketball has been good for her.  They have started preseason pick-up and skills sessions.  Not sure when their first practice is, but I know she is super pumped to get started!

Anywho…gotta get back to work, just got assigned another task in the office …gosh, i don’t like being a grown up!

Love, Love, Love,

meg

So for the past 23 years of my life…I’ve known school, basketball, a little time for friends, and the remainder of time for family.

For the past 2 weeks of my life…I’ve known work (internship with the Alabama Athletic Dept.), school, a little time for friends, and the remainder for family, which includes Sadie…and yes, of course my crazy roommate/brother (full time!)  haha!  jk! 

A little about my job first.  I am doing a full time internship with the Marketing Dept at UA.  My office is in the fball stadium…fun!  I work regular business hours working on game day promotions, operations, sales (individual and group), advertising (radio and tv broadcasts), and lots more that I haven’t been made aware of yet, but I know it’s out there.   Busy, Busy, Busy, already!  We handle all sports at the university.  I haven’t worked a sporting event yet, but I will be working one soon.  It will probably be volleyball or soccer since they are in season right now.  And then of course the first football game!  I am really enjoying it so far and I enjoy the people that I work with.  I have met lots of really cool people so far and I am excited about all there is to come with my job and all that it will bring this year.

My classes are good so far as well.  I am taking 9 hours in addition to a 6 hour fellowship which credits my internship.  (6 hours of credit!!)  I have a research class, an athletics administration class, and a sports facilities management class.  I really like my professors so far and I think they are going to be very helpful to me throughout my time here.

Sadie is fabulous, as always!  I took her to the park yesterday and she ran 2 miles with me!!  Can you believe that!?!?  She’s awesome.  Such good company and always something happy and joyous to come home to.  Thomas is in the process of getting a golden retriever.  He is continually telling me that Sadie needs a friend and as most everyone knows…animals are one of my weaknesses so of course I am in agreement with his idea.  We’re thinking early November.  That is when the next litter is due.

The house is great!  We are loving it.  It’s still clean, so if you feel that you will ever visit in the near future…make your plans soon while it is still clean and new!!   haha!  We have done lots of yard work with the help of my parents, grandparents, and sis.  We planted some really pretty flowers, got the grass lookin good, trimmed hedges, and lots more.  It looks great!  Thomas and I bought a Gandhi poster at a poster sale on campus the other day.  It says, “Live as if you were to die tomorrow.  Learn as if you were to live forever.”  My favorite quote!  It looks really good.

I babysat for Marybeth Smart’s twins the other night.  They are precious.  Hopefully I will get to do that again soon.

I played tennis with a friend that I met through FCAIA (that’s what they call their athletic ministry on campus here)…same as Team United at UGA.  Her name is Amy Dodd.  She is interning with AIA this year.  She played basketball at Gordon College.  Her and I hit it off really well and we went and played tennis this morning.  I am soooo bad at it!!  It made me mad because I hate it when I’m bad at something and can’t be good at it right away.  ha!  I bought my own racket so now the rest is history because I’m not gonna be that bad anymore!!  haha

The rec center is great.  I have worked out a few times there.  Played pick up with the women’s basketball team the other day too and that was fun.  They’re pretty cool!

The only downer as of right now is that we don’t have a washer and dryer.  If anyone knows of a set or if anyone is planning on getting new ones sometime soon and wants to get rid of their old ones…we’ll take em!!  I’m about to go to the laundry mat right now because that’s our only option right now.  ha!

So…gotta run…

More updates to come!

Headed to Atlanta this coming weekend for the UA/Va. Tech game in the Dome!  Roll Tide!  (gettin easier, by the way)   ha!

Love, Love, Love, and hope all is well with everyone!

meg

When I got home I didn’t miss a beat with my workouts.  Thomas, at the time, was working out at XPE (a workout facility in Roswell).  He was working out with about 10-15 NFL players about 4 times a week before it was time for him to go back to Alabama for summer workouts.  I tagged along and got great workouts in.  It was a good way to stay in shape and continue on with my workouts once I left Spain.  Right before it was time for Thomas to head back to Tuscaloosa we took a trip to Pensacola Beach (just the 2 of us)!  It was a blast!!  We had lots of fun and the beach was awesome.  We stayed in the good ole Super 8 Motel, but it was surprisingly decent .  It did it’s job and we were not ready to leave once Sun. rolled around. (pics below)  He left for T-town the next week and then I began working camps for Coach Tucker. (Collegiate Prep Bball Academy)  I worked a couple for him and then headed to Athens to work a few of the bball camps for Ga.  It was good seeing everyone in Athens.  (Jon and Julia, the Smith’s and the Ross’s…always good to see you guys!!)  Worked a few camps there and then headed back home to prepare for my trip out west!!

Left for Las Vegas on June 25th and got in at like 2am.  Gill (my roomie from Spain) and her friend Kristi picked me up from the airport.  Gill greeted me with the lovely news that she was engaged!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  Yes, engaged!!!  to Cleve (the guy she met in Spain).  Crazy, I know!!  But, I guess when you  know…you know.  The date was set for July 9th when she told me the news.  Great way to start my vacation out west huh?  Unfortunately though, I was flying out on July 3rd to go back home and I was going to miss the wedding     :(.  We stayed up and chatted for a while then hit the sack to then wake up very early the next morning to get on the road to San Diego to see my bestest friend, Amy Chapman!  It took us about 4 hours.  That was the same day that while we were stopping at a gas station to get snacks, we heard the news of Michael Jackson’s death…isn’t it crazy how you will remember forever where you were at certain monumental times in history?  (twin towers, Michael Jackson’s death, lots remember Elvis’ death, etc.)  that’s kind of mind blowing to me.  We got to San Diego in time for dinner at a yummy Mexican restaurant.  Amy’s place is within walking distance to the beach so it was a great way to start our time in San Diego!!  Kristi, Gill, and I went to the water park the next day while Amy worked.  The little kid in us came out in all of us and we had a great time! (pics below!)  We did a little shopping and ate at California Pizza Kitchen that night and then saw “My Sister’s Keeper” after dinner.  Saddest movie ever.  If you haven’t seen it…don’t go see it…   The next day we went and did some more shopping and then hung out at the beach for a while!  Amy then took me to this great hamburger place with the best french fries in the world!  I didn’t believe her at first, but these fries…ahh!  so delish!  We headed back to Vegas the next day…short, but sweet trip to San Deigo! 

Got back to Vegas in time to relax a little and then we got ready to go out to Body English (a night club in the Hard Rock Cafe Hotel)!  It was lots of fun and it was a sight to see for sure….the night life of Vegas, nothing like it. (see pics below)  The next day we went and played pick up at 24 hour fitness!  It was a lot of fun!  Great to play with Gill and Kristi.  We ran the court… 4 games straight   That night we just rented movies and relaxed and chatted for a while.  We played pick up the next day as well when Cleve (Gill’s fiance…at the time) came into town.  We went bowling that night.  Kristi won both games…she rocked it!!  Wed. night we went to Blue Martini.  Lots of fun!  I met a guy in the Marines.  He was pretty cool and we hit it off, but he lives in Vegas so…yea….  Anyways   The next day (Thurs.), Kristi and I went down to the strip and hung out for most of the day!  It was so fun, but so hot!!  We watched the water show at the Bellagio and then by that time it was too hot to really do much else so we went and saw “Public Enemies”.  Good movie!  I recommend it!  Went back to the house after the movie and then decided we wanted to go see another movie.   So we showered and then went and saw “the Proposal”!  I have now seen that movie 3 times!  ha!  I flew out the next morning and was happy to be going home, but very pleased with my trip out west. 

The fam picked me up from the airport and we headed to Blairsville for July 4th wknd.  We stayed with the Smith’s for the weekend!  Love ya’ll!!!  It was a great, relaxing weekend.  Yummy food and good times.  When we got back home I worked a camp for Coach Tucker that next week and then Mom and I took a trip down to Jekyll Island for the weekend.  She had a conference for school, so I was like well…free trip to the beach…of course I’ll tag along!  It was also a very relaxing and fun trip!  Mom and I had a good time and we were able to spend some good quality time together, not to mention…we had some great seafood while we were down there.

When we got back from Jekyll, I worked one more camp and then headed to Nashville, TN to see my presh, Angela!!   Ok so…Nashville….I LOVE IT!  I had never really gotten a chance to experience it because we would always fly there, stay in the hotel, go to the gym…play Vandy, then fly back.  So needless to say…It was a pleasant surprise!  I had a great time!  We stayed with Suze and Freddy (Ang’s aunt and uncle).  Their house is gorgeous!  (see pics below of my trip to Nashville).  Ang is doing well.  She is adjusting, slowly but surely.  It will be tough on her this year having to sit out and all, but she will make it.   On Monday I drove to Tuscaloosa straight from Nashville to visit Thomas.  We had to get some things done with his school stuff, apt., etc.  I had a good time in Tuscaloosa despite the stress of the scholarship situation and everything else we were having to deal with at the time.  I stayed for like 4 days and then drove home to then go to Athens with Liz to visit Rebecca and David for the weekend. (see pic below).  It was great seeing them and we also go to hang out with Shannon Becker, our trainer, for a while as well.  We went to Athens Church on Sun. and then ate at the Last Resort with Dr. Hutchinson…always good to see her!  Drove home Sun. afternoon and then headed to Tuscaloosa on Mon. night.  Mon. was the day that Thomas found out he would not be getting a scholarship until Jan. so I drove to Tuscaloosa to start trying to figure things out.  Within a matter of a few days we had a place to live, had all the numbers worked out from a financial standpoint to make it work for Thomas to stay at Alabama for the rest of his college career and for me to attend grad school there as well.  We moved all of his stuff and my stuff into the new place this past weekend with the help of Mom, Dad, Nan Girl, and Pop Boy…thanks Nan Girl and Pop Boy for your help!!  love ya’ll!!!  and as of today, Wed. the 12th…we are somewhat settled and functional.  Thomas is in fall camp right now and is doing well!  He will be done on Sat.  Mom and Dad are coming this weekend for my orientation on Sat. and then for a “yard work day” on Sun.   yay!  THomas and I start classes on the 19th.  We’re very excited, but a little nervous about how tight these next 4 months are going to be financially.  I know it will work out because God is in control, but it’s always difficult to stay calm and collected in situations such as these. 

A sports marketing internship with the university is in the works right now.  I should be starting that within the next week or so.  I thought it was going to be with the academic office, but I think it has changed to Sports Marketing now.  I am excited about that!

First fball game…Sept. 5th in the dome against Va. Tech!  We’re all excited about that!

Kenna is loving Buford High School…so far so good with that.

More updates to come, but until that happens… all is well with the Darrah’s.  Now that could change within the next 5 min., but for now…all is well!   ha!

Keep reading! 

Love, Love, Love,
Meg

P.S.  Sadie is more fabulous than ever!  She will be joining me in T-town this weekend!  Can’t wait!!!

Movies:  Sex and the City “the movie” and the tv series, Lost (the tv series), Wanted, Changeling, Step Brothers, became addicted to Grey’s Anatomy (thanks to my precious mom for sending me the seasons), Good Luck Chuck, Knocked Up, Taken, Slumdog Millionaire, Twilight!!!, Seven Pounds, Bride Wars, Flyboys, and lots more…we rented out the movie store by the way… haha!  So excited to be back home to see all of the new releases!!

Books:  I read lots of Jodi Picoult books while I was out here.  She’s my new fav author!!  Read a few books by Charles Stanley, compliments of my precious mom and her fabulous care packages!, and also read a few trashy romance novels that were fun and kept my mind off of boredom and lonliness.

Songs:  “All Fall Down” by One Republic, “Crushed and Created” by Caitlyn Smith, “Better in Time” by Leona Lewis, “Broken Strings” by James Morrison, “Never Again” by Kelly Clarkson, and ”So What” by Pink  (all of these songs helped me get through different times out here!)  Music is great therapy!… however…shopping is still my first choice for therapy…can’t ever go wrong with retail therapy   haha

I became addicted to coffee.

…and I can’t wait to start going to church on a regular basis.  I have missed that most of all!!

Last off day today.  Practice tomorrow.  Last game on Sat.  Team lunch on Sunday.  Last minute packing and cleaning on Mon.  Barcelona on Tues. thru Fri. and HOME on Sat. just in time to say HAPPY MOTHER’S DAY to my mama!!!

Love, Love, Love!!

meg

A long 8 months…for sure!  But, it was well worth the journey.  I have grown up tremendously out here and I am so thankful for the opportunity.  I have gone through lots and lots of crap, but I have also gone through lots and lots of fun times/experiences as well.

To elaborate a little on the list above, #1 & 2 combined:  …such a great opportunity and gift from God to have the privilege of playing professional basketball in another country.  I am so fortunate to have been blessed with enough athletic ability combined with a huge support system starting with my dad and going all the way through middle school, AAU, high school, and college to finally finding myself achieving a life-long dream to reach the maximum level of  a sport that I fell in love with at the age of 7!!  So many years, so much sweat, tears, and hard work, and to finally reach the end and achieve a life-long goal is extremely fulfilling and extremely rewarding.  This experience turned out to be “what I made out of it”.  There were times when I was extremely frustrated with how things were going, especially in terms of basketball, but there were also times when I was extremely happy and thankful to be out here.  It has been a long and hard 8 months, but to elaborate on #3 a little more (from the list above)…how many people in a lifetime get the opportunity to travel out of the country to live for 8 months and play basketball for a living??  ….not many!!  So…just another reason to be thankful for the opportunity and grateful for my God given talents that enabled me to come out here and see another part of the world.  Skipping down to #8 and elaborating a little more on the basketball sitatuation…things didn’t go as planned for the whole 8 months during the season.  After Christmas was very hard and it made me a whole lot stronger in the end after going through it.  I didn’t understand the situation at first and to be honest…I still don’t understand why it happened and the way in which it was handled, but being able to overcome it/get through the situation…helped me to appreciate this experience that much more.  Having to sit those games and just practice and work my butt off only to find myself sitting the whole game….built me up and made me stronger and taught me a lot of lessons on how to overcome adversity, deal with hard/ “not logical” situations, and how to treat people around me in the process.  To I wish to have to go through something like that again?…No!  but, I am thankful for the lessons I learned and the strength I gained throughout the process.  I experienced my first losing season out here.  Not something to be proud of, but that in and of itself is just another lesson learned and another obstacle to overcome….learning how to deal with losing and how to cope with things that are a lot of times…out of our control.  I hate losing, but learning how to deal with losses builds character as well as learning how to deal with success and winning.  On to #4…Sadie!!!  I love her more and more everyday.  She is very ready to go home and be reunited with Woody, Ruby, and Lily, but she has had such a great time with Gill’s Lillie out here.  She speaks a little Spanish, but prefers English of course!  She loves the beach and I can’t wait to take her back.  She met a few friends out here, but for the most part…she’s pretty independent and shy and doesn’t like to go up to many dogs or people.  She is still out of control all the time, but she now sleeps through the night only waking me up once around 8am to be fed.  She loves drinking water.  I have to refill her dish at least once a day.  She’s getting better about using the bathroom outside, but she still uses her puppy pads a pretty good bit.  She loves it when I talk and sing to her and sometimes I can even get her to talk back to me J  Her favorite food that I eat is salt and vinegar chips…haha!  Loves them!  She barks for me to give her some.  I love the way she smells, but most of all I love how happy she gets to see me when I come home even if I only leave for 5 min.!!!  Elaborating a little on #6 & 7… not too much because I don’t like talking about it, but things just didn’t work out between Ted and I and the strength that I gained from having to deal with that is what I am most proud of!  It was sooooo hard during all of it, but now that a little time has passed…I am thankful for the lessons that I learned.  Speaking of guys and significant others…us 5 foreigners have had our fair share of problems/tears/anger/sadness/…and I guess maybe a little bit of happiness thrown in there speaking from the relationship aspect of our lives.  It has just been one thing/person after another.  We have all gained a lot of knowledge and strength from eachother’s experiences….that’s for sure!  And Ieva, Maria, Gill, and P….I am proud of you girls!!  We survived and we made it through even with all the drama and trouble that the men in our lives put us through!  Rock on sistas!!  Love ya’ll!!  Elaborating on #5…I got it before Christmas on my lower back.  It is a West African Adinkra symbol that symbolizes “God’s presence and protection” in my life.  It is a reminder of the trials and hard times that I went through out here when I was alone and away from everything I had ever known before, yet I still had God with me and His presence and protection over my life.  It is turquoise.  And then last, but not least…elaborating a little on #9 & 10:  learning to live on my own and experience life from an independent point of view.  It has been difficult, yet simple at the same time.  Gill and I hit it off right away which made things very simple.  But, from a money/living expense point of view…things were a little difficult.  Learning how to save money and what to spend at the grocery store, how to budget, etc. took a little more effort.  But, in the end…we did pretty well and things turned out well for us.  I am bringing home a pretty good amount of money and I am going to invest a little for the future.  Hoping to have a substantial amount to help me through grad school.  A blessing for sure! 

So….lots of “firsts”, but as the saying goes…. “there is a first time for everything” and I am thankful for all of the “firsts” that I was able to experience/go through out here in Aviles, Spain in an 8 month time period.  Now it’s on to a new chapter of my life.  I am on to Alabama for grad school (as of 4-30-09).  Things may change, but I will definitely keep everyone updated.  Thomas and I are planning on looking for a place to live when I get home.  Hopefully all will fall into place and it will work out for us to live together.  I still haven’t heard anything about a grad assistantship, but I am hoping to hear something soon.  I am going to keep blogging as time permits and keep this going as I enter into a new chapter in my life.  Thank you so much to those that have kept up with my blog while I was out here.  Thank you for the support and the prayers.  This has been an experience of a lifetime with lots of adventures and lots of life changing trials and obstacles that I overcame.  I changed a lot and grew up a whole lot in the process and I am so thankful for the opportunity.

One more game left.  It is against Zamora.  3 and ½ hours away.  Not too bad for our last trip.  We have a team lunch on Sunday to tell everyone bye.  Cleaning and packing on Monday and then…..

“P” and I are off to Barcelona on Tues. the 5^th-8^th!!  We’re excited!  We don’t have many things planned… we are just hoping to get there and go and go and go until we can’t go anymore!  Lots to see and lots to experience in a small amount of time, but we can’t wait to get there.  I will post pics when we return, but it may be a little while after because my flight home is on the 9^th…the day after we get back from Barcelona.  Sadie will stay in a kennel while I am gone.  It is very nice and worked out well for her and I.  This time next week I will be getting on a plane back to the U.S. of A. for good!!!  Can’t wait!  I miss everyone lots and can’t wait to be home!

Love, Love, Love!!!

meg

Not a whole lot of news.  Our last game was this past Sat.  We lost by 2 at the buzzer   The shot SHOULD NOT have counted and the refs KNEW IT, but instead ran off the court right after the game without shaking anyone’s hands and without consulting with eachother…NADA!  Gah!  It was such a hard game too and we had it.  The game was tied with 2 seconds left.  They had the ball out of bounds underneath their basket.  They had time to throw the ball in, catch, shoot, offensive rebound, put back…all in 2 seconds…NO WAY!  There was no way that should have counted.  But, you win some and you lose some like that…it’s just unfortunate that we got the raw end of that deal.

2 games left!

We play at home this weekend.  The #1 team.  They just moved into first place last weekend.  They upset Badajoz and now they are the team to beat.  Ahh!!  Two really strong post players and some really good shooters.  We have a chance to beat them, but we’re going to have to play our best ball.  The tough thing about our team is that you just never know who/what team is going to show up.??

Took Sadie to the beach today with “P”.  So fun!  She loved it.  I took a lot of pics.  I will put them up when “P” sends them to me.  The water was super cold so she didn’t get in, but she ran and ran and then ran some more.  She met a few friends!  One was a cocker spaniel puppy…too cute!

Mom’s bday is this coming Sunday.  The BIG 50!!  haha!  Love you Mom!

Mom, Pop Boy, and Nan Girl had a good time at the A-Day game and Thomas did well.  Mackenzie and Dad had a good time at their tournament in VA.  They won the championship!  Biggest AAU event all summer with the exception of the state and nat’l tourneys…so good for them!  Mackenzie played well and I hear she is lookin a lot like me these days   Go girl!  That’s a compliment, lil sis!!

Busy week next week!  Getting my hair done, have to get Sadie ready for the kennel, pack up stuff, clean the apt., etc.

2 practices tomorrow, game Sat.  We are having a pizza party after the game at “P”, Ieva, and Maria’s apt!!  Should be fun!  Gotta get my dance on too!! haha!

Caught up on Grey’s Anatomy!  Now I am on schedule with the episodes in the states!  YAY!  Don’t know how I ever made it through 23 years without it.  ha!

Whelp…gotta run eat some dinner!

Love, Love, Love,

meg

This past Thursday we celebrated Gill’s bday!!  She turned 27!!  I decorated the hallway outside her door before she got up on Thurs. morning so she walked out to a fun surprise!   Then we went and got coffee and doughnuts for breakfast and gave Gill her presents.  The 4 of us (Maria, Ieva, P, and I) went in together and got her this cute “Pastry” purse that she had been wanting and then P and I also got her a cute bra from Intimissimmi from the 2 of us.  Gill had to wear a Hawaiian lay all day so that everyone would know it was her bday!   After breakfast…Gill, P, and I went and did a little shopping!  Fun!  We all got some really cute things.  After shopping we went and got pedicures and then had Ieva and Maria over for pizza.  After we ate pizza we played the game, “Would you Rather”.  A board game that includes questions in the form of:  “would you rather eat a bottle cap or a spider the size of a bottle cap??”  (example)  We had a really good time!  There are challenge questions in the game and P, Maria, and Ieva all drew challenge cards.  For P’s challenge she had to sit in my lap facing me for a whole turn.  too funny!  For Maria’s challenge she had to shout out our apt. window, “Happy Birthday Gill!!” for 20 seconds as loud as she could!  I was laughing hysterically!  Then for Ieva’s challenge she had to make up a cheer for 60 seconds and perfom it.  Hilarious!  After the game we got ready to go to dinner at this Italian restaurant.  Well we got all the way down there and the stinkin place was closed   It ended up being too late by the time we walked around to find something else so we just settled for some ice cream at one of the restaurants.  Overall it was a really fun day!  Gill was happy and everyone had a good time!

Yesterday we traveled all day.  We played a team that is right above us in the rankings.  We lost by 2 at the buzzer   The shot SHOULD NOT have counted!!  It was a terrible call!!!  There was no way she got the shot off in time.  After the game the refs just ran off the court without discussing anything.  Terrible!  We got back around 2 this morning.  I played ok.  Had some good looks that I needed to knock down…but overall it was pretty good.

We have off today (Sunday).

Heard from Dad last night and he told me that Thomas played the 2nd and 4th quarters of the A-Day game!  He did really really well!  He threw a touchdown pass in the 4th quarter and he got the non-scholarship award at the end of the game.  That concludes spring practice.  HOpefully we will find out soon about his scholarship situation!

Found out from mom and dad that I got accepted to UGA for grad school!  If everything works out…I am still planning on going to Alabama for grad school, but it’s good to know that I have a back up plan if things don’t work out at Alabama.

Only 2 games left!

May 5th:  Barcelona and May 9th:  Home!

Off day today and then practice all week.  Home game on Sat. and then our last game is away.  Gill and I did some cleaning today and took the dogs for a walk.  Sadie was running like a chicken with her head cut off!!  She was running through this construction area and there was this huge mud puddle.  She saw it, but by then it was too late and she was going too fast to slow down and dogde the puddle.  She flew into the puddle face first and was drenched in muddy water…ahh!!  Needless to say she got another bath when we got home!  So funny!

Whelp gotta run eat some lunch…leftover pizza from the bus ride last night.

Love, Love, Love,

meg

So here I am out in Spain…thinking…well for Easter…all they do out here is celebrate with a simple Easter cake with lots of decorations and gadgets on it.  However, I stand corrected!  They go alllllll out!  And when I say all out, I mean all out because it’s a whole week’s worth of festivities.  I believe it’s spring break for students because kids/students were all over the place for the whole week this past week.  Everything was closed down for most of the week and on Sat. night things started getting cranked up.  Fireworks, the whole nine!  A big carnival was set up in the middle of the town and people dressed up and went all out.  There was a big parade on Sunday and instead of kids going on easter egg hunts, etc. they brought their baskets to the parade and collected candy from the kids/people on the floats that were throwing out candy.  (see pics below)…The only sad part about the day was that it rained, but it was fun seeing what all they do out here for Easter.

Tough game this past Sat.  I won’t elaborate on it other than tell you that we lost by 20 and I only played 10 min.  Long story…we’ll just leave it at that and I’ll also add to that comment:  only 25 more days!

“P” (my teammate from Estonia) and I booked our flights to Barcelona.  We are flying out on May 5th and coming back on the 8th!!  I will then fly home to the U.S. of A. on either the 9th or the 10th!  Can’ t wait!

Gill’s bday is tomorrow.  We have a big day planned.  Coffee and doughnuts with Ieva, Maria, and “P” in the morning then pizza for lunch.  Pedicures at 4 and then Italian for dinner!  Happy Birthday to my Roomie!!  She’s turning 27!

Sadie is doing well.  I am including a few pics of her as well.  She is still into everything as usual.  She TP’ed the house again the other day…still haven’t learned my lesson I guess….forgot to close my bathroom door !!

Mom’s bday is coming up soon on the 26th!  Sent her package off the other day!

Got my computer cord from Mom today so I’ll try and finish out strong on my postings now that I have 24/7 access to the internet

Sent some sweats home as well with Gill to lighten the load of our baggage for the trip home to try and eliminate the “God awful” extra fees at the airport these days!  So when we got stuff ready to send home I did some early packing as well to get a head start on things…made me want to leave even sooner!

Hope everyone had a Happy Easter!

Can’t wait to be home….

Love, Love, Love,

meg