Thursday, August 27, 2009.

Today was pretty low-key. Practice was at 7:15 this morning instead if at the normal time. Coach didn’t want me running to Cosmo’s so he could keep an eye on me. I ran the track while the guys ran. I kind of felt back cause I wasn’t pulling the same as the rest of the guys. So when the guys ran the second time I was ready to go with them, but coach held me back, so, once again I ran the field but this time I dribbled the soccer ball around. I made it about 10 times around before the guys came back. We didn’t have practice this afternoon cause there was a bunch of guys who weren’t going to be there. So I took the afternoon off to just rest and kind of not do anything. I met my roommate he came in today, it was kind of weird cause everything that his mother said/did, I had to laugh…cause, my parents did that. But yeah, his name is Justin; he seems like a pretty cool guy. We convinced him to play on the soccer team; he wasn’t prepared, but he is now…his mom took him to Dick’s Sporting Goods and got some cleats and stuff. The College had a sort of meet and greet pizza thing this evening that was ok, a bunch of us guys just hung out. Tomorrow we were suppose to have the day off, but cause we didn’t have practice today, we have a last one tomorrow.

Tuesday, August 25, 2009.

I woke up this morning kind of sore from yesterday but nothing too bad; I had no idea what was going to happen. I ate the apple in my fridge that I picked up from dinner last night about 5:45-ish just so I would have some sugar in me since I didn’t eat a big dinner and have enough time before practice so I wouldn’t cramp up too much. Practice wasn’t too spectacular…at the beginning, we did our 5 laps and I actually stayed up with the group despite my legs; we did passing drills, which is when I started getting tired out and fast. We ran another 5 laps before doing the ball control and pushup drills; then we got a 3 min break before running to Cosmo’s and back…today we “picked up the pace”…I was already so dead from all of the stuff we did prior to running to Cosmo’s that I was beat. I stayed with the pack down to Cosmo’s where we took a 2 min stretching break, then we started back. We didn’t even turn off the street that Cosmo’s was on when I started to fall behind. The guys got a pretty good distance ahead of me when they turned around, ran back to me, and pretty much pushed me to the end…literally. Josh, the RA, had his hands on my back pushing me forward around the same pace that we started out with…it was murder; I was so afraid I was going to fall, my legs were so dead, my arms were so dead, my body was so dead, that I didn’t think I could stay on my feet any longer. The guys ran about 300-400 extra yards because of me on that run. After that I was feeling pretty sick, like I was going to throw up; we scrimmaged offence/defense and I was so sick I could barely stand. Coach just pulled me from the field since I wouldn’t have asked for a break; I tried to just walk it off, but I couldn’t my muscles were so sore, and I just kept feeling like I was going to throw up. It was nearing 8:00, when Isaiah, one of the guys on the team, was going after the ball and collided with another guy, Evan, and took each other out; there was a huge smack, like two pieces of plastic smashed together, except no one was wearing shin guards and that sound was bone on bone. Coach dismissed all of us to head back to take showers and eat; I took my shower, ate my other apple and headed to breakfast. My stomach hurt so bad, I barely ate anything even though I was so hungry; so I headed back to the dorm and tried to sleep; I ended up NOT sleeping but rather getting sick. I finally fell asleep around 11:30 only to wake up at 12:00 and not feeling any better; I saw Coach on the way to the bathroom and he asked me how I was and what was up and he told me to get better for the game tomorrow and not to come to practice unless I was 100% (I was NO WHERE near 10%...more like -300%). He left and talked to the nurse and she gave me some pills that would help calm my stomach down as to not throw up anymore, along with some saltine crackers, and a little ginger ale. As I’m writing this I have been here in the dorm for almost 12 hours; my stomach has calmed down and the only thing that hurts now is all my muscles; my lats and abs are killing me, and that is what the nurse was thinking was causing me to be so sick was because the amount of pain in my abdominals. But since I have been in the dorm, all I have eaten were some saltines, but haven’t eaten anything “real” since I ate a sausage and a half scoop of home fries this morning. But I am still alive, God is good.

Monday, August 24, 2009.

I woke up at 5:00 a.m. before my alarm clock went off. So I did my devotions before crawling out of bed. We had practice at 6:30, and it was murder. We started off by stretching out and all that then did a few drills, ran around the field 5 times (the “Knoll” is about the width of a soccer field but about ½ the length, and you run down a hill then up it), more drills which include half the guys practicing controlling the ball and the other half doing pushups or sit ups, then ran to Cosmo’s and back which is about maybe 2-3 miles altogether, then more offence/defense drills, more pushup/sit up drills…all this until 8:00 when we finally got to go and take showers and eat breakfast.

After taking my shower and eating, I went back to the dorm and played a lil’ guitar before just crawling back in bed at 10 and sleeping till 12:00. I ate lunch, slept for another 20 min, got ready for practice at the big field. We had practice from 2:00 until 4:00; that practice consisted of running around the “big part” (that’s equal to 2 soccer fields) twice, there was a hill climb that we did (hill climb= jogging in place waiting for the pair of guys ahead of you to get to the top of the hill then you go…5 times…), we played shirts vs. skins - 6 on 6 offence/defense (it actually wasn’t too bad kinda fun, except for the part of having to guard guys that are all nasty sweaty without shirts on…), but that’s how we ended practice, got into the van, rode home…ate dinner at 5:30 but I wasn’t feeling to good so I ate some fruit and grabbed an apple to eat tomorrow morning; and I have been here in my room photoshopping pics ever since. Its 10:45 and I’m going to bed now.

Sunday, August 23, 2009

I am currently riding down to Davis College where I am going to college for soccer camp/orientation. My goal for college is to complete a concentration in pastoral ministry and then finish up the concentration of foreign missions. The trip according to the GSP would take about 2 ½ - 3 hrs. I decided I might was well try to get a little sleep since for the past two nights I have not gone to bed before 2:00 a.m. Friday night to Saturday morning I was sorting clothes and making sure I had all my stuff, and Saturday to Sunday I was packing all my clothes and didn’t finish that until almost 2:30.

I slept for about 30 min. and have about 40 min until we get to the college. It’s been raining on and off for most of the trip, but thankfully has been pretty uneventful. Around 3:30 we were getting close to the exit, and so far everything we did getting off the freeway is a repeat of the last time we came down here. At 3:40 we finally pulled into the driveway and are looking to find where we register and get our housing information. At 5:00 I finished unpacking all my stuff and am just kinda waiting around till my parents get back and for 6:00 to hit so we can get on with this college thing. We have a meet at 6:0 for all the soccer peoples, so we can figure out our all of our goals for the season on a college level as well as on the individual level.

It’s about 10:40 p.m.; I’m getting ready to go to sleep. We had our meeting and all that, basically we all said our names, signed papers, and all that fun jazz. We have practice at 6:30 tomorrow morning until 8, then again from 2-4 that afternoon; everyone else is dreading getting up at that time, and I kinda just laugh inside cause it ain’t that bad. It’s kinda funny actually, but yeah the only thing that stinks is that I don’t have the code to sign onto the internet yet, but I am hoping one of the other guys has it…I’ll probably ask Matt the DA tomorrow. So far so good.

Updates...

I know it’s been awhile since I updated my blog; I’m sorry. There has been so much going on these past few weeks that just have been so crazy.
Well I’m not sure where I left off but I will just try to pick up where I left off; but it doesn’t matter that much. Anywaz…

August 13th-18th
We took a little vacation after I came home from camp and headed down to see my brother and his wife in Virginia Beach area. That was cool just to spend some time with them, having not seen them since I started camp, and won’t see them again until Christmas. We got to spend 4 days with them in their house, playing some guitar, bass, and drums. We shopped at some military supply stores called “Little G. I. Joes” where the military personnel go to buy rank insignias. That was fun to look at stuff there; I purchased a full set of woodland fatigues (pants and fall/winter coat), an urban fatigue fall/winter coat, a decommissioned pineapple grenade, and a set colonel eagles.