New Vision, New Year, New Pro Beach Volleyball Season

It has been entirely too long since my last entry, but I will make up for it here with all the new information and updates that I have to give!

First, I hope you all had a wonderful holiday season. It came and went in a flash for me, but was filled with lots of fun, family, and happiness.

In early December, I finally got Lasik eye surgery after years and years of contact wearing. I finally got fed up with all the discomforts of wearing contact lenses; dry eyes, blurred vision if the contact wasn't sitting right, sand caught underneath the lenses just to name a few!

I went to the Maloney Vision Institute and received the best care imaginable. Dr. Maloney and his staff are the absolute BEST in the field and it is very apparent from the first step into their facility. Every employee is just about the nicest person you will ever meet. The staff is extremely knowledgeable and patiently gave me detailed answers to every question I had. I could not have imagined being any more comfortable with anyone when it comes to my vision. Not only did I receive such a warm welcome, but the procedure was incredibly quick, painless, and precise! The results are simply astounding. I went from having 20/200 vision with an astigmatism to 20/12.5 vision - BETTER THAN PERFECT! The recovery was fast and painless. Dr. Maloney is absolutely amazing. He made me feel at ease from the first moment I met with him. His experience speaks for itself. If Lasik eye surgery is something you are considering, I URGE you to see the very best and get it done right. See Dr. Maloney at the Maloney Vision Institute. I will be proudly wearing a Maloney Vision Institute body tattoo this season. Make an appointment and tell them I sent you!

Thanks to Dr. Maloney, my passing on the volleyball court has improved! I feel like I can judge the ball so much better now and I have accurate depth perception which is making a world of difference! It truly is exciting to go to practice and be able to see clearly at all times. I feel like a kid who just received the greatest Christmas present ever!

Speaking of Christmas, on Christmas Eve, I organized a small group of athletes and executives to visit the West Los Angeles Veterans Hospital. We joined Santa and some of his helpers in delivering presents to the patients. I was so pleased to have Matt Fuerbringer, Rachel Wacholder, Holly McPeak, Leonard Armato, Jason Hodell and his son, Chris Akers, and Jeremy Akers join me on the visit. The patients were really excited to have visitors and expressed how much they appreciated our time. It was a great experience which really set the tone for the holidays. I am currently working on a few initiatives to further thank the men and women who have or are currently serving in our military. If you have any ideas or suggestions, I would be more than happy to hear them! Just leave a comment or send me an email.

Besides the excitement of my new vision, I am also thrilled to announce that I will be playing with Tyra Turner in 2009! I will go from being the "big girl" blocker to, most likely, split blocking and playing some defense. I will probably move back to the right side, as well. It is a great opportunity for me to play with Tyra for several reasons. First, she is a great player. She is young and has several years ahead of her. Also, she had great international success the last few seasons playing with Rachel Wacholder. One of our goals is to play on the international tour as well as the AVP Tour so this is a great opportunity for me to play with an internationally experienced partner. I am really excited about our potential and am expecting great things from us this season!

I just finished my first full week of training. It feels great to be back in the sand and working hard in the gym. I have two more weeks and then I go to Grand Rapids, Kansas City, and Indianapolis for the Hot Winter Nights! That will be fun and exciting! Playing in Indianapolis will be really special because it will be the first time for me to ever play professionally in Indiana in front of my friends and family. If you will be making it to any of these events, please let me know!

After the Hot Winter Nights, I will be heading straight to Ixtapa, Mexico for the greatest vacation in the world, the South of the Border Volleyball Vacation. If you are looking for an active vacation in paradise, this is it. You will not meet nicer people than those who attend this trip. It is like going on a tropical paradise vacation with 100 of your closest friends and playing some beach volleyball! It doesn't get any better!

Well, it is time for some playoff football games, so I am going to sign off and go watch. Thank you for reading and I hope 2009 is a wonderful year for all of you!

Peace!

Angie