Back at it

Well, I'm back in Istanbul ready to start a brand new year. Basketball year....that is. I've been back for a few days and was thrown into two a days like I never left. I've been training long enough to know that this is the hardest part. Getting back in shape. My body is sore all over, I'm tired, and I have no energy. I have to keep going at it until that wears off and I'm back in shape ready to play again. I haven't done a lot since we ended our national team stint in Latvia which we placed 9th after a couple of hard losses to end the tournament for us. Hopefully next time we will have our full team of healthy players because Turkey definitely is capable of competing against the tougher countries.

When I say I haven't done a lot, I'm talking about basketball, because my summer was jam packed of travel, friends, and family. Not two weeks of being back in the states (one of those in Denver to see friends and teammates) my parents and I took a trip to Lucerne, Switzerland to watch Brett compete in World Cup. I haven't seen many more beautiful places than that. Brett took home the bronze. I flew back separately from my parents into Chicago to spend a week with former Stanford teammates. I got to see a little more of Chicago since last time I was there was New Year's and we obviously didn't spend too much time outside without freezing. It's a pretty cool city. From there my parents picked me up on their way to South Bend, Indiana. My mom's high school reunion created a sort of family reunion for all of us. I'm accustomed to seeing my mom's side of the family only once a year so it was a pleasant stay to see them for a week. We also took a day break and drove up to Michigan to see my cousin Aura get married.

I had been living out of a suitcase for three weeks so I was ready to sleep in my own bed once we got back to Riverton. It was short lived, however. I stayed long enough to see friends, Taryn and Garth, wed in the mountains above Dubois. Brett flew in to be a groomsman in that wedding with his girlfriend, Ashleigh. I took off two days later for Stanford. I have so many great friends, teammates, and adopted families that are around the area so I wanted to make sure I saw them before Turkey. I also spent four days in Phoenix during that time with another couple friends.

Summer is the only time I get back in the states these days, so I make sure to have enough fun and make enough memories to last me until the next summer! But now I'm back to reality and shifting gears as best I can. I'll post some pictures soon and keep everyone updated on the games coming up in a little over a month.