Back at it

Hello all! I've been so busy since coming back from that "precious" Iowa town I spoke of in my last post, that I don't even know where to begin. Well I guess first off, I have successfully moved out of the apartment and into my dorm room. Everything is unpacked, I love my carpet, my dad built me a reliable loft (he brags about it every time he puts it up), and my walls are decorated. The decorated wall thing was quite the dilemma. You see, my nails didn't appreciate being hammered into the cement walls, so they bent under the pressure and failed me. I tried these cheap plastic hook things next, only to have pictures and posters dropping from my walls like flies and a series of exasperated, angry words coming from my mouth. So yesterday, I splurged at Walmart and bought expensive hooks that are not failing me thus far (knock on wood!). That being said, my little "hallway" of a room (I live on 4th floor Bede where the rooms are long and narrow) is quite cute and homey. =) And the best part: I'm getting a good breeze coming in my window and amplified by my fan, so it's not even grossly hot up here!

Beyond moving back to MMC, my life has been volleyball, volleyball, volleyball. The team moved in on Monday and we were supposed to have a camping trip that evening, but an angry storm stopped us in our tracks. SOOO, we "camped" overnight in the gym and had quite the team bonding experience. We played speed ball to loosen us up and then bonded around the campfire in the gym.....I mean just kidding. We bonded in a circle around the imaginary campfire. We then watched a movie and went to bed. Let's just say I'm not as young as I used to be and sleeping on the hard floor didn't make my hips so happy. We woke up bright eyed and bushy tailed and headed out to the beach to start the morning off with a jog along the bike trails by the river. It was beautiful outside and I enjoyed it (do note that I enjoy running - it is my stress reliever - but a majority of the team didn't find the 20 minute run to their liking). We got funny looks from campers along the way. I shouted a few "good mornings" to elderly people staring at us. I can't say I blame them for their curiosity though. I mean, how often do you see a troop of 28 people running along - some giddy and some half dead? Run completed, we then hit the sand for a round robin sand volleyball tournament. It was a relaxing way to introduce practice. We ended our overnight bonding experience with lunch at pizza ranch. We had meetings all afternoon on Tuesday and then our physicals at 6:00. And then ....THE SEASON BEGAN!! We had our first official practice on Tuesday night. It was a short one to basically introduce the freshmen to our offense.

I'm happy to say that I survived the next three days of two-a-day practices. I believe I lost about 10 pounds of sweat, but feel like we have accomplished a lot as a team. Everyone is fitting in nicely. The 11 new freshmen are starting to get the hang of things (and I know all of their names =)). The inevitable soreness hasn't been a lot of fun, but this afternoon I feel like it is starting to go away. Yesterday standing and sitting and walking and just being was an achy experience. My knees exploded with pain with every bend. My right achilles tendon has been a bit under the weather but is hanging in there.

And who makes it through volleyball practice without an injury? Apparently not me. Yesterday afternoon we were doing a conditioning drill called shadow defense. Coach yells "Down" after a while and everyone has to get flat on the ground and back up as fast as possible - it is a race between you and your partner. Well, beings I am clumsy and manage to acquire the dumbest injuries known to man (usually in a very dumb way) I....well...I definitely got down. I whacked my chin on the floor. It wasn't a very hard hit and didn't really hurt that badly, but I have a scar there from when I was 10 and fell on my face ice skating. I hit the scar straight on and split my chin open. I ran to Andy the trainer who informed me I needed stitches. I was so devastated at the news that he agreed to try and sew me up himself with glue and butterfly strips....and he did it! I So I have a big ugly bandage contraption on my chin, but the wound is holding together and I'm living with it. I'd rather live with a split chin than hip surgery like last year any day!

And as if volleyball wasn't enough to keep me busy, the Riverboat Days celebration is going on in Yankton this weekend. I'm off now to walk around by the river, eat, listen to music, and watch some fireworks. I'll be back early so I can get up and be functional for 6:30 a.m. practice tomorrow. ugh. We practice and then get to walk in the parade. :)

Have a great weekend, and fellow MMC students I will see you soon!