So I will just say it...I forgot I had a blog. I've been so wrapped up in my interesting life, that writing it all down just escaped me. You might be asking yourself what interesting things have I been up to since I last wrote? or you may not but you're reading this for one reason or another. Today for instance, I opened my first jar of Nutella since living back here in the US of A. Later, I'd forgotten to open my advent calendar, so caught up on that. Now, I'm trying to remember everything I've done since moving out of France. Sure I've done more today but that may just bore you. I'll just continue to tell you the fun things...

Since moving out of the land of snail eating, I competed in my first European League with the Great Britain National team, lived in the ghetto of Sheffield and learned how to set a house alarm and lock windows, rode a hybrid bicycle named "Lance" from Sheffield to London with the best teammates in the whole entire world, moved back to California, starting coaching at my Alma Mater (which was an incredible experience to be part of), and now I'm waiting, patiently to hear about the future of our Great Britain National team. Look back here on Tuesday or go to gbwomensvolleyball.co.uk for the news.

So the hardest parts about moving back to the US have been:

Top 10

1. My first time going to the gas station. I felt like the most naive person in the world. I couldn't understand why there were two different signs for gas prices that were drastically different. Also, why can't I pay with debit at the pump? I don't want to walk to 5 feet inside to pay.

2. Going into Peet's Coffee (on many occasions) and asking for a "Tall" coffee. Their response to me "A WHAT!?" With their friendly response I realise I'm not in Starbucks anymore, apologise, and ask for a "small".

3. When people talk about restaurants/stores that I don't know. I feel like an alien.

4. "collect the balls" is not the most efficient way to ask for the volleyballs to get back in the cart. Correct way: "shag the balls"

5. It's not the 3 meter line, it's the 10 foot line

6. I won't meet you anymore at "half five" but rather at "five thirty"

7. It's OK if I want to leave the house in my sweats and not dressed up.

8. Using the debit machines at Safeway and other stores. Oh my gosh that took me awhile to get used!

9. Using my rewards cards.

10. Driving through the caldecott tunnel. All of a sudden, my lane was filled in by two other lanes, that appeared out of no where!

St.Mary's Alumni ('03, '05, '07, '10)

What would Julia Child say!?

"What a shit house" the infamous quote of the year. It pretty much just sums up our living arrangements in Quimper. I probably should not be writing now, as we're currently having to deal with our constant electric problem, but the fact that nothing has been solved for the past few months that we've lived here is just inconceivable. We're currently trying to cook dinner, which in itself should be easy. A simple pasta dish with chicken and garlic bread to accompany. However, it's turned into one main fiasco...

We have the kettle boiling in the living room, a portable "oven" cooking the garlic bread next to fire place, a 15 meter lead connecting the stove to the garage, and a dark fridge with soon to be spoiled yogurt screaming for some coldness. Oh, no! And I've just remembered, for the first time since we've been here, our special purchase of haagan daze mini ice cream cups are going to soon become frothy milk with chucks floating to the bottom.

What are we supposed to do???? Solution, as we've been told to do, not cook.

I just wish Julia Child would have written a book called "Mastering the Art of French Cooking when Living in an Old House" or "My life in France with No Oven, Stove, or Fridge"...

Bon Appetite?????

The Flinstones aka La Famille Pierrafeu

Monday January 25th

I turned 27 with the help from my friends.


Friday January 29th

Meet the british in Quimper. We're the ones stranded on the side of the city roads with an empty tank of gas. We ran on an empty tank for over an hour, obviously without knowing it. It was the excitement of having just picked up two of our GB teammates at Brest airport (they've come to train with us for over a week) that distracted us from the illuminated orange sign on the dashboard.

On our first morning taking the girls to training, we were heading in early to bulk up those muscles, and as we turned the corner over the river, we slowly came to a stop. Merde! We ran out of gas. We decided pushing the car 200 meters would suffice as our workout. As me, Grace and Lucy pushed, Rach steered ever so smoothly, and Maz so kindly took pictures.



Yabba dabba dooo!!!

Saturday January 30th

We lost a great match 3-1. home crowd: 900 + supporters

after our match, at the bar (rach, me, luc, maz, and grace)

Sunday January 31st

I wouldn't choose to go to a football match in the cold and rain on my only day off in January, however I will choose to write about my commitment to sponsorship events for the team ; ) So we show up, just me, Luc and Rach (Grace came for the fun of it) at this match, knowing nothing of what we had to do. Right before the game starts, we were told to walk out onto the field, and that someone had to kick the ball to start the game. So in my white converse I gracefuly kicked the muddy ball and was apploaded by all 10 fans. It may not have been their best game but they did win. The highlights were: the same player be offsides 4 times; the keeper kicking the grass and the ball, sending the ball flying out; passing to the opposing teams. Hey, maybe the cold got to them as well...

Two hours later, we drank our body weight in hot tea!

Surprise! GB in Quimper!

Thursday January 7th-Saturday January 9th

I'm going to take you back 2 weeks time. You may not remember what you were doing on that Thursday the 7th, but I sure do. If I didn't, this blog might be a little boring. A typical thursday usually consists of breakfast 9:30am, French class 10am-11:30am, Training 12-2pm, lunch 3pm, video anaylsis 8pm, Training #2 8:30-10:30pm, dinner 11pm, and then an episode of "Rescue Me".

However, on this particular thursday, the Great Britain National team arrived at the Ibis Hotel in Quimper in preparation for a 3 day training period with my french team Quimper Volley 29.

It was great to see the girls again! I missed them over the christmas training period. I don't know why they thought they had to speak french with me. Anyways, they had arrived safely and full of banter!

We trained the following day in preparation for our "official" match on Saturday evening.

Ok, so now we're to Saturday evening the 9th. We're playing in a brand new gym in Quimper. Our typical home crowd has come, 600 people, "God Save the Queen" has been played energizing team GB, and now we're ready to play.

Great Britian vs. Quimper

Maybe nows the point to mention, I played with Quimper against my national team. Due to having now just 2 middles on Quimper, it was necessary to play with them. Lucy and Rach (my fellow brits on Quimper) played with GB.

It was a challenge mentally that I hope I never have to do again. The only thing I could focus on was...to just play. I was psyched up to play a great game of volleyball and wanted to win. The match went back and forth, lasting 5 sets. I suppose the biggest challenge occurred during the match right after Rachel got a line drive hit smack in the face. She was not being able to see and a time out had to be called. So after this time out, I'm up to serve. As I'm walking back to the end line to serve I'm thinking, "I can't believe I'm about to do this". Do what? Serve Rachel. And that I did.

It's all in the past now. In the end, GB pulled out a better performance in the 5th set, beating us 15-10 (I'm not sure if that's the actual score, but it was around there).

So it was a successful weekend for GB. They won, played competative volleyball for 3 days in France, got to meet the major of Quimper, eat well, and practice their french (ou est la salade?)

The weekend brought lots of excitement for our summer season beginning in May!






(first photo, i'm right behind the libero for GB, maz)
(second photo, about say good luck to #2, lucy)

I'm #15, 2nd top left









The Mayor of Quimper

west coastin

So it's apparent I'm not the best blogger but that''s all about to change. I've set myself the task to blog it once a week. Giving you updates on volleyball, living in France and I may even throw in a funny story or two!

Well since I've last written, much has happened (maybe that's why I haven't written, excuse #1). My season in France is a little more than half way over. We have 9 matches left and are currently tied with 2 other teams for 3rd, 4th and 5th. So in my mind, we are currently 3rd in the league with the ambition to take 1st!

We've had a great new addition to the team. So now not only do we have two Brits (yes I'm a Brit) on the team but we now have a 3rd. To join Rach and I, Lucy's come to run her quick and wonderful offense (no I'm not sucking up to the setter).

Our last match before Christmas was in Lille, 9 hours away. Straight from there, me, Rach and Luc drove to Caille to catch the Euro Tunnel. I definately had someone looking out for me, because we were lucky to catch the tunnel due to the mountains of snow and glacial streets. All it took to get home was a 30 min Euro Tunnel journey, 2 hour drive to London Heathrow Terminal 3, one sleepless night in the airport for 11 hours, a delayed flight, 11 hour flight to LAX, 2 hour wait in LAX because I'd

missed my connecting flight to San Francisco, one 55 minute flight to SFO, 2 giant hugs from Claire and Manolo, and to finish a 45 minute drive to my sister's.

After meeting up with Bogie (Lindsey Bogason, for those who think I'm talking about boogers) in the city for dinner the night after my arrival, Claire and I woke up early the following day to drive down to LA along the 101 (Highway 101) beca

use the grape vine was closed on the 5. Our should be 6 hour drive became a 9 hour drive.

If you must know, by this point I was so tired of traveling. Thank goodness for the next week I was at home with the parents and brother, taking in the greatness that California is.

Had a wonderful time playing Wii, watching the Lakers loose Christmas Day, catching up on movies, driving ar

o

un

d to find starbucks, "Shazzaming", watching the sunset, eating my body weight in mexican food and desserts, midnight mass in spanish and english, and just chilling with the family. Ryan and I slowly learned that when playing Wii Ski Jump, you need to reset the weight on the Wii board, otherwise you just keep falling off and score 0's across the board. The laughter from my mom made that fact that I was loosing a lot more enjoyable.

Having been away from California for so long, I've now picked back up on the slang and really enjoy using "yummy" and "totally" more in my vocabulary. My literary liscense is expanding!