day 21... day of rest

i don't know if you can call a day of travel, restful, but i got to sleep in til 10 am and that was literally the greatest thing ever! so i know i was and still am upset with losing, but to look on the bright side of things, not having to be anywhere til noon today was pretty much a slice of heaven! those extra hours of down time definitely made our flight delays and getting home at 1 in the morning not so bad.

i am thankful for a much needed day of rest and being able to spend one last day with this group of girls in wonderful chicago!

day 20... sports center

today was the semi-final match of our conference tournament, , but we did not expect it to be the final match of the season. the girls were playing so well and completely dominated sets 1 and 2... but our lack of mental focus and toughness set in and we just couldn't finish. we ended up losing in 5 sets, and it was such a bummer to end the season like that. some of us were a bit more upset than others, but we put our game faces on and put on a happy show at our team dinner to hide the frustrations.

instead of going straight to my room and to bed after dinner, i went and hung out with scottie and nate. we watched espn whilst we mourned the loss and did some minor venting. they are such fun guys and great friends, and today i am thankful for them!

thank you Heavenly Father for blessing me with such great friends who give me comfort and perspective, and who bring out the best in me!

day 19... magical surprise

i am so thankful for sam and his super surprise of the morning! he told the girls to come down for a "bus ride" this morning instead of doing study hall. we got on the bus, and i slyly directed the bus driver to the amc movie theatre... yes, wonderful sam took us to see HP 7! the girls freaked out and were jumping up and down with excitement! it was priceless! and the movie was AWESOME!

thank you sam for giving in to the not-so-subtle hints that we all gave you. thank you for the fabulously phenomenal harry potter series. thank you for my truly amazing team who i love so much! great beginning to a great day!

day 18... hp trivia and christmas carols

we are in freezing cold chicago for our last trip of the season, hallelujah! where we are staying is right between the city and the gym, so we have long bus trips to and from wherever we go. today on the bus our activities varied from movie watching, telling stories, and in honor of the season and harry potter 7, we did harry potter trivia and sang christmas carols.

i love that i have so many things in common with this wonderful team! i'm so thankful for them and the crazy fun that we have together! i'm so blessed to have this job where i get to hang out with friends and be around the sport i love!

thank you Heavenly Father for these great girls and memorable experiences!

... so bummed i'm not at the midnight showing! i promise i'm still a super fan!

day 17... patience

i screwed up our itinerary for our trip to chicago today. i had that our flight left salt lake at 3:20 and it really was supposed to leave at 3:02. i know it's only 18 minutes off, but my boss can be somewhat anal. i thought i was in for a stern lecture and disappointment, but we made it to the airport, checked in baggage, and made it through security with time to spare.

so today i am grateful for sam's patience with me and my minor mix-up. i'm thankful that the girls made him laugh whilst checking in bags, we were having some issues with making the 50 pound weight limit. it was pretty hilarious, and we made it all fit, thank goodness!

thank you Heavenly Father for giving me this awesome job where i get to work with amazing people. thanks sam for your constant patience with all of my mess ups!

day 16... run and not be weary, walk and not faint

i had the wonderful opportunity to go to the temple this evening, and because i was a bit low on time i only got to do initiatory. that in itself was such a great blessing, just to be able to listen to the incredible blessings that Heavenly Father gives us through our endowments. i love the temple so much!

on this specific day, exactly five months since my knee surgery, i couldn't help but think about how great it is to be able to walk and run. i took being able to move and be physically active for granted, and even though i'm not 100 percent, i am so grateful for how far the Lord has let me come. i still have some limitations with my bend and strength, but it's coming a long and i am so happy about it.

thank you Heavenly Father for helping me get better and giving me the health, strength, and motivation to move and be active.

day 15... i love weddings, drinks all around!

today i am grateful for weddings! ha, not any wedding in particular, especially not mine! but i got home today and my dearest roomie was watching "say yes to the dress" which is seriously one of my favorite shows! it was so fun to come home and watch it with her. i love the emotion, excitement, love, creativity, and style that goes into picking out wedding dresses and planning the celebration of a life time... and i'm totally a sucker for a good love story! they just make me happy.

whilst watching that blessed show, one of my besties came over to discuss wedding plans for her big day in january! she tried on her dress, which is gorgeous! we talked photographer, location, center pieces, colors, and everything else... and i get to throw her a bachelorette party!! i'm so excited!

so yes, i am thankful for weddings, not just cause i love a good party and dressing up, and that they are fun and beautiful, but what they represent is absolutely priceless! they are the beginning of eternity for two special people, and i don't think many things can beat that!

... and yes i'm excited for the day when i'll get to start my forever with my special man... someday right :)

day 14... airplanes

today, i am thankful for airplanes. we travelled back to utah today, and even though we were delayed a few hours we still made it back safely. i'm just grateful we didn't have to ride a bus which could have taken days and days to get home... so i'll take a few hour delay over that, anyday!

needless to say, i am so thankful to be back in my warm apartment! i love being home! one more volleyball trip and the season is done... blessed day!

day 13... kelsi miller

today i am thankful for my dear friend, kelsi carlston miller. kelsi was one of my assistant coaches when i played college ball, back in the day, and i just love her to death. truth be told, my bond with her really didn't start til i was finished playing. it was one of those, you don't know what you got til it's gone, and i really didn't. i definitely took her for granted. she is one remarkable woman who i look up to very much. kelsi is really a one of a kind gem, who is the most fun, personable, deep, friendly, loving, caring, and exciting person i know. she's always out to have a good time and just loves to talk and know what's going on. there are so many qualities that i really admire about kelsi, and i can't fully express the love and gratitude that i have for her.

the reason why she's on my mind today is because she came down to watch the team play in chicago. she is stranded out in wisconsin with her husband, so any chance she gets to see friends from the west she will drive the 2-3 hours, each way, to come and visit. so we got to spend some time with her today, and even more exciting, is that she's coming to the tournament in chicago next weekend and will stay over night! yay for quality time with kelsi!

...random pics of kelsi and the team from back in the day...

anyways, she is awesome and i am truly so blessed to have her in my life. thank you Heavenly Father for the blessings of such incredible people in my life.

love you kels :)

day 12... utah randomness

we made it to chicago today for our second match of the trip. we play chicago state tomorrow, and since sam is all about "the experience", he let us spend some time in the city this evening. it just so happens that the university of utah plays notre dame tomorrow, so there were many ute fans roaming around chi-town too. we went to giordanos, a delicious chicago pizza joint, for dinner. we were in one of the back rooms and the jazz game happened to be on and a group of ute fans came in... so green and red hung out in chicago, ate deep-dish chicago style pizza, and watched the jazz beat the atlanta hawks. it was night of random coincidences and just so much fun!

thanks for the delicious dinner, exciting entertainment, and fabulous friends to spend the evening with. i seriously love my team! they are the greatest girls!

day 11... pure happiness playlist

so today I am thankful for my "pure happiness" playlist. this is a simple compilation of some music that brings simple joy to my life. i just love music! i'm really grateful that it helped get me through my first long run since my blasted surgery today.

here are a few artists who made the cut...

thanks for being my motivation today :)

day 10... pink comfort

yes, today i am thankful for my pink neck pillow! it has changed the way i travel and just brings comfort to my soul :) we flew across the country to new jersey today, and with this pink goodness i was able to sleep comfortably for a majority of the flight! for all the places we go and airplanes we ride, i am very thankful that i can be comfortable and catch up on some much needed rest!

these pics are from our 13 hour flight to new zealand in may... seriously, this pillow is great and i never go on a plane without it!

day 9... temple date

i got to go to the temple this evening with my adorable little brother! i don't think this needs much explaining, but...

A... i love my brother and am so thankful for him! i love that he is up in utah with me and that we get to hang out together. i'm so grateful for the special bond and friendship that we have, and for the love and support he constantly gives me. i love that i can be "me" around him and he puts up with it. he is just awesome and such a great example to me! we are enjoying our single lives together, but someday soon, he is going to make some lucky girl eternally happy! he's quite a catch!

2... i love the temple! it is one of my sanctuaries! i'm so thankful for the covenants and endowment i've received in the temple, the peace and hope i feel when i'm there, the beauty of the temple, the many temples that are all around me, and that i am sealed to my family forever! the temple has always been a part of my life because my wonderful parents have always placed temple attendance as a priority, and i am so grateful for their examples.

D... thank you Heavenly Father for blessing me with such an awesome brother and the incredible blessings of the temple... and thank you for letting us spend special time together in Thy Holy House!

day 8... visiting teachers

well, today started off as a beautiful rainy monday. it was such an awesome morning even when i got attacked by the lotion bottle. but the joy and pleasure ended, as sometimes it does. after being reprimanded, having the unwelcomed feeling of not being able to do anything right, and just feeling quite confused, i walked to my car after work cold, wet, and in the dark... that's sad enough that it gets dark so early. so yes, i was in a debbie-downer mood which i hate. but thank heavens for wonderful young women who are truly the instruments of God in my life.

today i am so thankful for my sweet visiting teachers who stopped by and gave an awesome lesson based on Elder Russel M. Nelson's talk in priesthood session titled "be thou an example of the believers". it was such a blessing to review Elder Nelson's counsel, share our testimonies and experiences with each other, and it just gave me hope and peace. the church is true!

thank you Heavenly Father for blessing me with fabulous visiting teachers who are such great examples and friends, and who came at the right time!

happy monday!

day 7... sunday dinners

i love sundays! by far, in my top 3 of days of the week :) i love sundays not just because of the great spiritual upliftment at church or the wonderful naps (when they don't get interrupted) but because i actually get to cook a real meal and wonderful people will come and share it with me! so today i am thankful for the awesome crockpot that my mom gave me, the yummy cafe rio pork and dressing recipes that my grandma gave me, and jake, jess, and ryan who shared this delicious meal with me. there's not many things better than having a great meal with excellent company! sundays are usually the only day i get to see my little bro too, so i'm glad he comes to hang out with me... he'll have his own post later in the month, i'm sure! but nothing beats a blessed sunday!

thank you Heavenly Father for having a Sabbath day! i heart sundays!!

week one of november, done!

PS... congrats to my bestie lauren for her engagement to the man of her dreams! i'm so so SO excited and happy for you! love you!

day 6... my father

yesterday mom, today dad! i can't have one without the other! i am such a daddy's girl and absolutely love my "fetchin" father! he is such a stud and works SO hard at everything that he does! he is always so willing to help out and gives up so much of his time for others. today i am especially thankful for my dad because of his thoughtfulness. he called me up randomly today, while i was stuck in a gym for forever, just to check up on me. he just said that he had been thinking a lot about me after i talked to him and mom last night, and just wanted to make sure i was ok. it was just a simple conversation, but it seriously made my day. i am so blessed to have such a great dad who is constantly worrying about his family. he is a worthy priesthood holder and has such a strong testimony and knowledge of the gospel. i love that i can go to him any time, and he is always willing to give me cousel or a special father's blessing whenever i am in need. i love him dearly!

thank you Heavenly Father for giving me such an incredible dad! i love you daddy!!

happy november!

day 5... my mother

today, and everyday and moment of my existence, i am thankful for my mother! there really are no words to express my love and gratitude that i have for her. she is the most incredible example of charity, service, love, and she truly lives what she believes. today i am specifically grateful for her because she puts up with me! tonight when i called and just vented and cried to her, she just listened, loved me, and knew exactly what to say to calm me down. she is always so patient with me, even when i am constantly making the same mistakes or being completely ridiculous. she is awesome! i really feel so blessed to have such a close relationship with my mom. i know it's kinda weird that i call and talk to her at least once a day, but she is my best friend and i love and miss her all the time!

thanks Heavenly Father for giving me the greatest mom ever! love you mom!

happy november!

day 4... the team

i am so thankful for my team! i get the joy and privilege of working with 14 awesome student-athletes, beautiful young women, and great friends! my job can be pretty stressful and strenuous sometimes, but the best part of my day comes when i get it spend time with these great girls. they keep my life fun and entertaining. each girl has their own personality and spirit about them. i really have learned special life lessons from each of them and are so grateful for the examples that they are to me.

thanks girls for being so wonderful... you may make me crazy sometimes and gave me my first gray hair, but i am so blessed and grateful to have each of you in my life!

much loves :)

day 3... random institute class

i wasn't sure what i wanted to blog about today because there was 50% off halloween candy at walmart today, and i was pretty excited about that! but i decided to go a little deeper than that, so today i'm thankful for tonight's random institute class. i say random because this is the first class all semester that i have gone to... yes, i know i'm a slacker! i'm so grateful that Heavenly Father pushed me to go cause it was an awesome lesson. we went through about 4 sections in D&C which i absolutely love because a lot of D&C is written in first person, so it's like God is talking directly to me... yeah, i know the scriptures are written to us already, but it just seems more personal. anyways, the lesson like all institute lessons was great. i especially liked how she not just taught about the happenings in D&C, but how to apply them in the here and now. but what i'm specifically grateful for tonight is that the teacher held us accountable for what we learned. none of us were allowed to leave until we shared something we learned from the lesson that will change our life. so she forced me to say what i was thinking and feeling instead of just keeping it to myself, which is always a good thing!

this is the scripture that i chose to talk about... D&C 45:9
"And even so I have sent mine everlasting convenant into the world, to be a light to the world, and to be a standard for my people, and for the Gentiles to seek to it, and to be a messenger before my face to prepare the way before me."

i'm so grateful for the incredible people i have been blessed with in my life who have been a standard, a messenger and a light to me. and i need to be better and have the confidence to let the light that Christ has blessed me with shine and do all i can to share the goodness of the gospel with others.

great night!

day 2... the social network

yes, i did see the movie, "the social network" tonight, which was pretty enjoyable, but i'm not using one of my days of gratitude for the movie. today i am thankful for yes, the internet and the great social networks it provides. i can get updates about friends, look at pictures, journal, and communicate with my family and friends with the click of a mouse. i'm so grateful for the easy access i have to get on skype and video chat with my favorite sister and niece who are on the other side of the country. even though there are tons of terrible things on the internet and these social networks are used in the wrong way all the time, i am grateful for the good they provide in keeping me connected with the people who matter most!

day 1... banana bread

today i am thankful for my mommy and her banana bread recipe! i got to spend my evening off doing one of my favorite things, baking! it brings peace to my soul and yummyness to my belly, and i love sharing it with other people! so thank you friends for humoring me by eating what i try to make. and thank you mom for sharing your recipes and answering all my random "how to" questions!





happy november!

halloween...

here is a little preview of halloween this year. i spent all weekend in the gym watching volleyball... we had 2 matches and the 1A, 2A, 3A State tournament was Thursday thru Saturday, so i was literally there all day, for 3 days, with no time to think about a costume... but jess and i had a moment of creativity at 8 pm on saturday night as we were putting together our costumes. i was either going to be a lumberjack or a ninja, and we came out of target as batman and superman! so we went out on the down and got our groove on as superheroes! it was way fun!



more pics to come... and this picture makes me miss summer, cause i need a tan!

sorry, i need a vent session really quick... why do people who are endowed think that the "g-force" rule doesn't apply on halloween?!?! whether it's girls wearing scandalous outfits or guys with no shirts and spandex, i just don't understand the reasoning behind it and it really makes me sad for them. just a thought.

four months and counting...

four months ago (june 16, 2010) i had reconstruction surgery on my acl that i tore in an outdoor volleyball tournament on memorial day... not the way i wanted to spend my summer, and i seriously do not wish this upon anyone EVER!


... taken two days after surgery

... koelliker family gathering 5 weeks later... my best friend/enemy during the summer was that blasted brace!

now, four months later, after many hours of therapy, stretching, icing, strengthening, pain, sweat, and tears, and not a lot of patience on my end, i almost have full range of motion and strength... give me some more time and i'll get there!

... four months later and my knee is starting to look a bit normal... i don't mind the scars, but hopefully the swelling will go down eventually!

... the greatest blessing of being this far along in my recovery is that i get to be more active! this is a picture from the alumni match. no, i didn't get to play, but i did get to pepper and warm up and that in itself just warmed my heart!

it's true what they say that, "you don't know what you got til it's gone". like the simple things of getting out of bed or kneeling down for prayer, sitting on the toilet were all challenges at some point. i'm so grateful for the doctors and trainers who worked with me... my mom who waited during the surgery, gave me medicine, slept on my floor so she could get up with me in the middle of the night, helped me "shower", and still puts up with my complaints, she's the best!... my brother and dad who are worthy priesthood holders and used that sacred power to help heal and comfort me... my wonderful family and friends who's prayers, encouragement, and care helped get me through one of the hardest times in my life. i really cannot express the gratitude and love that i have for them... THANK YOU!

the worst is hopefully over and i still have a long way to go, but i'm so grateful that i am getting back into the swing of things. i feel very blessed for the smooth recovery thus far and the AWESOME people that are always there for me!

always a step behind...

As usual, I'm always the last to get my hands on some of the good books.

I finally finished "Eat Pray Love" a few weeks ago. I read it on and off for a couple months, but overall I really enjoyed it. I could relate to some of her feelings and thoughts (not that i've ever been a 'lover' or divorced or married for that matter), but I really liked the way she wrote and explained herself, and of course all of the amazing place she went!! I'm not gonna lie though, I'm really just excited for the movie!



I've heard all of these great things about "The Hunger Games" series, and so when I got it for my birthday, I felt a bit inclined to read it. I'm happy to say that I am almost through "Catching Fire" and am completely enthralled!

So even though the whole world has been ready and waiting for book 3 to come out for ages, I'm just grateful I finally got to partake of the goodness... Better late than never, right?!

a quarter of a century and counting...

believe it or not, i made it to my 25th birthday and was ready to party! ha i'm usually anti birthday celebrations for myself, but for some reason i was looking forward to some summertime fun with friends and family... i think after a week and a half of surgery recovery/couch-time, i was in need of some happiness! so i braced myself, literally, and with the help of my wonderful parentals and friends, we had a joyful birthday bbq...

thanks to all of you who made my 25th birthday celebration a memorable one!!

much loves :)

wishes, wants, hopes, and dreams for year two-five...

i like to think that i'm a goal oriented person, so i've decided to list the things i want to accomplish during this year of my life... here goes nothing :)

25 goals for my 25th year...
1. make a new friend
2. go to 3 new temples
3. do something spontaneous
4. break a bad habit
5. travel to 5 new places
6. have a snowball fight
7. go to a "show"
8. make dinner at least once a week
9. find a new hobby
10. don't threaten to quit my job halfway through the season :)
11. be active in my ward
12. kiss in the rain
13. visit my sister in Virginia
14. do something i've never done
15. read the Book of Mormon
16. run a half-marathon
17. win an outdoor tournament!
18. attend the temple regularly
19. lose some weight... 25 lbs for my 25 years??
20. commit some players for 2011... this seems to be an issue at the moment :)
21. open my heart and not be scared or ashamed to share myself with others
22. find a "home" to live in
23. be more assertive and decisive
24. fall in love!
25. be happy with me :)

... game on!!

the end of another year... so long 24...

24 things learned/relearned during my 24th year... (in no particular order!)

1. there are no "little" things
2. being an adult isn't always fun
3. KNEEL to pray whenever possible
4. plan to be surprised
5. institute and scripture glue-in's are awesome!
6. my team makes me happy
7. i love having my little brother home
8. star gazing in Park City is heavensent
9. getting a mani/pedi makes me feel pretty
10. i need to be more sincere and show my true gratitude
11. i love america
12. someone is always in a worse situation, so be grateful and optimistic... i will always have to work on this one!
13. Jillian Michaels is legit!
14. utah is beautiful
15. patience is never fully learned
16. a head coach can make or break a team... Sam is incredible!
17. just when i think i have it all figured out, think again!
18. i NEVER EVER EVER want to tear my ACL again
19. my family is my everything and i can't wait to add to it and start my own family!
20. i thrive on being active and productive
21. no matter how much i hate being in the center of attention, having my friends and family serenade me with "happy birthday" is pretty sweet
22. i love sunshine and summertime
23. those who love me really do want to know my thoughts and feelings... i need to open up!
24. i have sooooo much to learn about love, life, and myself... here it goes for year 25!!

the summer must go on...

Summer is here and life couldn't be better right?!?! Ha, it's truly amazing to me how quickly things can change... but I'll get to that later!

I got to spend the first 2 weeks of May gallivanting around the beautiful land of New Zealand and the breathtaking beaches of Samoa with my team... I heart my job! It was my second time visiting these amazing countries, and I really couldn’t be more grateful for the incredible experiences I had whilst I was there. It was definitely a life changing experience that I will remember and cherish forever.

Here are a few of the hundreds of pictures that were taken!

...New Zealand...

...SAMOA...

Simply incredible, right?! If you want the full update and day-to-day play-by-play, go to our team blog... uvuvolleyball.blogspot.com

Life after the trip has been pretty great! Just catching up with work, enjoying the crazy Utah weather (snow to sunshine... go figure!), and enjoying time with my friends and family!

I've been pretty pumped for this summer and have been looking forward to so many fun activities like... running my first half marathon, running the Ragnar Relay, (ha, running just in general), playing in outdoor volleyball tournaments with the bestie, hiking the beautiful Utah mountains, just doing anything and everything I can outside... I just love summer!

Unfortunately, my summer dreams have been cut short. Maegs and I played in our first outdoor tourney on Memorial Day, and about halfway through the day I went up to hit and my knee gave out when I landed. Long/emotional story short, I blew out my knee and am scheduled for surgery on June 16th. Kind of a bummer... but life and summer goes on!

-complete ACL tear - Partial tear or strain of PCL - tear of lateral meniscus - partial tear of MCL - partial tear of LCL - serious bone bruising... yeah, it's just a bit sore :)

So yes, it is amazing how quickly plans and life can change, and all it takes is something small. I'm grateful for the help, support, and prayers of my incredible friends and family. Even amongst the challenge, I feel so blessed and I'm excited for the lessons Heavenly Father is trying to teach me (apparently, i didn't learn enough with my first surgery... i struggle!) Needless to say, this summer will be a time of learning humility and patience, getting back on my feet, and of course FUN... BRING IT ON!!