Wednesday, January 23, 2008

January Changes

Welcome back, everyone. I hope you are staying warm in this cold weather. Even LA is cold right now, by our standards. It is currently raining and gloomy, but thankfully I do not have to go anywhere.

I have news to report before the rumor mill starts turning. Late December, Brooke had surgery to repair her shoulder. It was worse than her doctor thought and a longer recovery period than initially anticipated. She told me that she would be out for a good amount of time. Although she will be out and recovering, I have every confidence in her that she will recover to better than 100% and be stronger and more eager than ever.

Injuries sometimes can be a blessing in disguise. It was for me when I injured my knee 12 years ago. Being forced on the sidelines to painfully watch builds up a hunger in you. It helped me to play smarter rather than harder. Plus, all the painful rehab that is necessary makes you feel tough. Practices no longer felt hard. I had been through serious pain and practice was certainly nothing compared to that pain. I appreciated my health more. People handle situations differently, and it is all in how you perceive what is going on around you. You cannot change what has happened, so it makes more sense to accept it and move forward. I know Brooke will make the most of it. Her best years are still in front of her.

This leads me to announcing my new partner for 2008. I am really excited to partner up and play this season with Holly McPeak. Holly needs no introductions. You all know what a great player she is. I am so excited to learn from her. If you have not noticed, she elevates her partner's game to a level they have not previously reached. I am looking forward to working hard, learning heaps, and having fun kicking butt. It is no secret that Holly is nearing the end of her career. I want to ensure that she has a great season consisting of fun and results. It has always been my dream to play with Holly and now I am. It is going to be a great year.

As soon as the 2008 schedule is released, I will be posting it on my website. I will continue to give you updates from our training. Hopefully this rain passes quickly so we can get back in the dry sand.

Next week I am off to Ixtapa for the South of the Border Volleyball Vacation. I am really looking forward to it and will tell you about it when I return.

All my best... Stay warm,

Angie

Monday, January 7, 2008

Happy New Year - 2008

I hope you all had a very happy holiday season. I just returned from a long road trip. My husband and I were scheduled to visit our families in Indiana and Miami over the holidays. About 10 days before our scheduled departure, I got a phone call with an invitation to play in Mr. Peter Nygard's Bahamas weekend get-a-way tournament at Nygard Cay. I had never been to the Bahamas before, so I jumped at the opportunity. Before we knew it, Jeremy and I were on our way to the Bahamas to jump start our Christmas vacation.

Mr. Nygard is an avid beach volleyball fan. He started playing the sport 3 years ago and, like so many others, has fallen in love with it. He decided to invite several of his friends that play recreational volleyball as well as 5 men and 3 women Pros to travel down to his private island and play volleyball for 4 days. (Yes, I did say "his private island!")

It was absolutely amazing. The "house" or resort is enormous. It reminded me of an ancient Mayan, Robinson Caruso house. In case that doesn't make any sense to you, I will be posting pictures from my trip in my galleries very soon so that you can check it out for yourself.

While we were there, the Travel Channel was also there filming. They will air an episode sometime soon featuring Nygard Cay and you can bet you will see us playing volleyball and hanging around.

I will let the photos speak for themselves. We had a wonderful time, but were anxious to continue on our travels to see our families and spend Christmas in the cold again.

We left the warmth of the Bahamas for Indiana where we were welcomed by 8 inches of snow on the ground. Our time there was very fun and relaxing. We watched movies, played games, ate my mom's home cooked meals, and spent time with my family. It was really nice for me to be back home with no particular agenda, except to torture my parents with my workouts everyday. They were very admirable in their efforts! In fact, I think they are continuing to do the workouts even now! Good for them!

After 10 great days in Indiana, we packed up and continued with our travels to Miami, our last stop. We were relieved to get off the plane and feel the warmth of the South Florida air. We spent 6 days with Jeremy's family, celebrating our second Christmas of the year and New Years. We had a terrific time there enjoying the warm weather. We ate meals outside, swam in the warm ocean, laid on the beach, met up with friends, ate some great meals, and were introduced to Joe's Stone Crabs. We spent a quiet New Years Eve with some family and friends and watched the fireworks from a rooftop deck.

Every stop of our holiday travels was really nice. We are finally back at home in California after the 3 weeks of travel. I started my workouts again and will be hitting the beach for the first time this week. We are home for 3 weeks and then we travel again. This time to Ixtapa, Mexico for the South of the Border Volleyball Vacation. If you are interested in finding out more about this trip, check out www.sobvolleyballvacations.com. I hope to see you there!

All my best for 2008!
Peace, Health, and Happiness!
Angie