Officially Migrated

Well, after a very successful run, it's time to move on to bigger and better things.  I am keeping my blog going but am transferring it to another platform.  This blogger site has been great for me and helped to keep me connected in my time abroad, but for a couple of reasons I've decided to move.  The new URL is posted below and I have managed to transfer all my posts over so nothing will be lost.  Of course this site will stay up and running but will no longer be updated.

Blogger, you've been good to me and I'm sad to go.  However, it's time to grow into something new.

Carter's Tumblr Blog

Summer Sloshball

Today was the first time I had the pleasure of playing the wonderful game of sloshball.  It's basically set up like baseball, but you kick the ball instead and you have the added difficulty of carrying a cup full of your beverage of choice around the entire set of bases.  At second base you have to stop no matter what and chug your drink before refilling and moving on.  Not only does this complicate things but it also causes a lot of spillage and the right side of my shirt and shorts were pretty instantly soaked.  Our team came up extremely short from the very beginning, but rallied and came within one run by the end of the game.  It was exciting and surprisingly athletic and we were all tired and full of liquid by the end.  We were also in the process of digesting all the food we consumed from the barbecue immediately prior to the game so it was an interesting combination for some people's stomachs.

In the end, dirty feet and sticky skin aside, it was a very nice way to spend a somewhat overcast afternoon on campus and an awesome addition to my birthday weekend  :)

Princess Party

What a way to start off this birthday week!  Yesterday I went into work for an hour to give a private lesson, got myself a massage, and then came home to relax.  Megan and I had decided to do a pizza/movie night before she heads back out for 10 days, so I was getting excited for that when Annie texted me and said she was going to join us.  I thought that was great and she told me that she was going to leave and needed me to come to the store with her when she got to our place.  Little did I know this was the beginning of a scheme between her and Megan to just get me out of the house.  All she got when we arrived at Safeway was a bottle of wine...I ended up with more than she did, walking out with all the ingredients I needed for the butterscotch cupcakes that are currently in the oven (mmm!!).  Earlier in the day Megan had gone out with her boyfriend Jeff and I thought they were just running errands but in fact she was headed every which way trying to find Disney princess party goods.  As we pulled up at the house Annie started to get all giddy and when I walked up Megan was sitting on the couch with a party hat on.  She came to the door and greeted me with a princess crown which I wore for the rest of the evening.  She had also put up some amazing decorations and it was like a princess explosion in our living room!  She bought cups and plates that we used for our pizza and wine...dining in style while watching The Little Mermaid.  It was such a nice surprise and I feel very loved.  She'll be gone when my actual birthday comes around but it was great to spend some time with her, Annie, and Jeff.

After the first movie we ran out for ice cream, came back and put in Aladdin.  The Disney movies of our childhood are just so great and I'm happy to know that kids today still watch them.  Truly timeless classics and I love re-living them, even though I'm almost 25, ha!  :)

Graduation 2013

As I've already told him, Alex is now one step closer to being as cool as me ;)

All jokes aside, this weekend was really fantastic.  I helped pick up the Buscaglia clan from Oakland on Friday morning and immediately it was all family, all the time.  We hung out together until I had to leave for work and then later we took Michelle out to San Jose to hang out with our bartending teacher.  She thought it was a great scene and we enjoyed chatting while waiting for the last family member to arrive on her delayed flight into San Jose.  I was exhausted and passed out on the way home but apparently we dropped Michelle off at her hotel and then I made it back to my house.

We got up early on Saturday morning and made a trek out to Livermore for some wine-tasting.  It turned out to be a very easy drive and we had an early tasting at the first place we stopped at.  There were some crisp white wines I liked but I was not a fan of the reds.  Since I was driving I opted out of the second tasting and before I knew it we were enjoying lunch at a very nice restaurant.  The tapas-style food was delicious and was the true beginning of my weekend full of great food.  After lunch we drove back to the house to help set-up for the party Tricia and Warren were throwing in honor of the graduate.  It really didn't take long but soon people started to arrive and then all of a sudden a whole bunch of family and friends were around.  It made for a very joyous occasion and for me it was even better because I had the added joy of seeing my parents!  They made the trek down from Sacramento to help celebrate and they looked great.  They made friends with some of the members of Alex's family and it was nice to see them having a good time.  The party itself was a big hit and a nice way to get people together before the ceremony actually occurred.  Alex really does have a lot to be proud of and it was nice to see that many people know that and were there to support him.

I said good-bye to my parents and went to bed, only to wake-up early once again and get dressed up for graduation.  We met at Alex's house, drove the cars a couple of blocks, and then got out and walked the rest of the way.  This proved to be a great idea given the fact that there was so much traffic on the roads leading into the school.  We made it into the stadium with plenty of time to spare and it was fun to watch Wacky Walk before the formalities began.  The president of the university had a very nice little blurb before Mayor Bloomberg assumed the stage for his speech.  I thought it was very tasteful and contained some important messages that the graduates can take with them as they leave Stanford and embark on their own journey.  Alex sat with all of us because he had already done the walk back in 2011, but when we walked to Maples he ran off ahead to get in line with everyone else ready to receive a diploma.  We got to see him walk across the stage and everyone was elated that he finally had his degree.  After all the hard work and dedication it was so nice to see the smile and satisfaction on his face...it made me so happy because I remember being in his shoes three years ago :)

After the ceremony and a picture taking session on campus I went home and changed before dinner at Nola's with the family.  As the night came to an end we said good-bye to some family members and then hung out at the house for a couple of hours.  I think we were all trying to hang on to the great emotions the day evoked for as long as possible but finally it was time for everyone to begin packing and for me to go home.

Today Alex and Cale left for a much deserved and highly anticipated vacation to Cabo while the rest of the family had to head back to Chicago.  After breakfast at Joanie's we spent the morning playing in the park with Annaliese, hoping to make her tired enough to sleep on the plane.

I really hope that throughout the course of the weekend I was able to get across how proud I am of my engineering partner-in-crime.  I wouldn't have gotten through school without him and it was so fulfilling to see him earn that piece of paper and nice to know that it will now be his forever...no one can take that away.  I have to remind myself of that sometimes, as well as the fact that Stanford taught me so many things and continues to inspire me every day.  I know I can speak for many Stanford graduates when I say that I am truly thankful for all my experiences there, even the really hard times when we were tired, frustrated, and ready to quit.  Every single moment was worth it and I think Alex came to that realization this weekend.  Congrats, Stanford grad...you deserve everything you've earned :)

Compulsory Masters Workshop

This weekend the Twisters team staff had the pleasure of making the trek up to Reno to attend congress, where the national staff unveiled and taught the new compulsory routines.  Our journey started on Thursday morning when we met at the gym, packed up the Twisters van, and made our way to Rocklin; Ericka's parents live there and they were taking care of the kids for the weekend.  Not only was it a nice stopping point but my mom was also able to make her way over so I was able to spend a little bit of the afternoon with her!  We went to lunch with everyone then to the mall before heading back and continuing on our way.  Once we finally made it across the border and into the city, we found our hotel and checked-in.  We registered for the event and had our first of many large meals before heading up to bed; Annie and I got to room together so we had a good time staying up and talking for a little bit.

The venue was one I am very familiar with due to the fact that I competed there for more years than I can remember and it was interesting to walk in as a member of the "other side" (aka coach vs gymnast).  Morning #1 was all about the level 5 floor routine.  At first we watched someone perform it and then we were up and dancing around ourselves, attempting to pick up on all the new dance.  It took about three hours but we got it down...Cat and Ericka got it quite easily and will be the ones in the gym that everyone should look to, but the rest of us held our own.  Level 5 beam took up most of the afternoon, along with vault and bar conditioning clinics.  By the end of the day we were exhausted and almost fell asleep over our food at dinner, but somehow managed to rally and ended up staying out with some of the other coaches we ran into.  Annie and I even made a late-night milkshake run...we gave up on trying to eat well early on so figured we might as well.

Morning #2 came too soon and with coffee in hand, we were back in the hall ready to face the level 4 routines.  It was just like the day before, though luckily a little bit easier because each routine builds off the other so we had an idea of what we were doing.  In addition to paying attention to everything going on around us, we had our own in-house stuff to attend to so we also held a meeting in Allan's room to discuss certain upcoming deadlines.  All these new responsibilities I've assumed are a bit overwhelming but it's a fun learning process.  I like playing a larger role in the development of the program and look forward to all that will be thrown my way.

Tired and ready for bed, we still had to go through some more lectures before dinner and sleep.  This morning we had the opportunity to hit the snooze button a time or two and then after a couple of hours discussing levels 1-3 we decided as a group to head out early, woohoo!!  The workshop wasn't scheduled to end until 4pm but we were drained and needed to get away so we left around 10:45am and arrived in Rocklin for lunch.  It was nice to see the light of day after spending so many continuous hours indoors and we enjoyed the ride, listening to music and trying to unwind.  We picked up the kids and continued on our way home, arriving around 4:45pm.  Walking into the door of my apartment never felt so good and now I'm planning on heading to bed early before getting back at it tomorrow morning!  As of right now there are so many poses and musical notes floating through my head that I can't keep them all straight, but seeing the girls do these routines all summer will act as a constant reminder of what they're supposed to look like.  It'll be interesting to see how this season unfolds for gyms around the country...September here we come!

May Days

Looks like I've been in serious slacker mode!  But in reality there has just been so much going on that I don't feel like I even have a spare minute.  That will continue through the beginning part of the summer, but maybe after that things will calm down a little bit.

The first thing that was taking up so much of my time was bartending school!  Alex and I didn't have a clue about what were getting into when we started, but it was really a ton of fun.  We were up making flashcards and memorizing recipes, playing mind games along the way to help us remember.  We went to class for about four hours per day over the last couple of weeks to see the drinks being made and to practice pouring for ourselves.  Finally, Thursday morning we took our exams and we passed with flying colors!  It's funny to look at it now because when I picked him up that day you could tell that we were both really nervous.  He tried quizzing me on liquor classifications and I was failing miserably and we were quite quiet as we ate our breakfast.  However when we arrived we got through the written exam and each received a 99.5%!  Halfway to becoming certified bartenders and the only thing that stood in our way was the pour-test.  We had practiced for many hours and were both feeling good about our abilities, and this showed as we each set a new record time delivering our recipes.  We walked out with diplomas and new titles...certified mixologists!  I never thought I'd say that, but this whole experience has opened my eyes to fun things that are available to me if I just decide to try them out.

Yesterday we were still on a high from our achievements but even more importantly it was Alex's birthday (the golden one, nonetheless)!  Cale and I had talked and sort of planned out the day and it was nice to see everything come together.  We all got up and met for brunch in the morning before going to the mall to get Alex a shirt for the fancy dinner he thought he and Cale would be sharing later. After a brief hiatus we met up again for tennis and then I went to work while the boys went off for some pampering.  Cale convinced Alex that they were having dinner together but little did he know that more of us would be there to surprise him.  We ate at Evvia and when he walked in his face was priceless; the food was amazing and we had a good time just sitting around the table and talking.  Alex also ordered one of the drinks we learned to make in class, the golden dream, and we felt so classy, haha!  After a long meal we got up and ready to dance at the bar/club next door.  We lasted there for about an hour and then were tired and decided to call it a night.  I gave my gifts (bartending kit, messenger bag, and photo cube) to him and we said goodnight, happy that the day had gone so well.

While there are no more birthdays for me to think about or classes to attend this month, next week is going to be just as crazy!  Annie is finally moving down here and will begin coaching with me on Monday, woohoo!  And then...James comes in on Tuesday for an entire week.  We've got a few things planned but for the most part it's going to be nice to just have time to see each other for once after being apart for so long.  It's my first connection back to Australia and I'm super excited!  After that we're holding the optional banquet, then the coaches are off to the compulsory clinic in Reno, Alex graduates (finally) from Stanford, and around the corner is my birthday!  :)

Birthdays, Bartending, and Bootcamp

What a week.  Being out of season is great but I figured things would slow down, not speed up!  I guess it's my own doing though, with all the activities I recently put on my plate.  Thanks to Amazon Local I am now in bartending school and bootcamp training four days per week.  The bartending deal was something Alex, Cale, and I all jumped on and looked at as something fun we could do together.  We originally purchased it awhile back and never acted on it, waiting for schedules to clear up, etc.  Finally Alex and I decided to just go for it and Cale's going to take the online course when he's finally out of school for the summer.  We have class Monday through Thursday for four hours and each day we learn about a different type of drink:  so far it's been mixes, sours, martinis, and shooters.  Next week they'll pile on more I'm sure and at the end there is a written and a pour test.  It's scary to think about but we're on top of it with our flashcards and we have a study session set-up for tomorrow (just like the good old days back at Stanford).  If we pass our exams we'll be able to get a job at a local bar if we want...woohoo!  In addition to these classes, a great bootcamp workout deal came along and I had to jump on it; for $23 I have five weeks of classes in Redwood City.  It starts at 7am which means I have to actually get up early but also that I'm done by 8am and have the entire rest of the day in front of me!  I feel so accomplished by noon and am loving the fact that the class is really hard and is essentially kicking my butt.  The guy running it is great and highly motivating so there's a chance that I'll continue with them after the deal is over but I'm going to have to see just how much it'll cost me.

It seems like May is the month for birthdays and with the number of gifts that have been delivered to my door you'd think it's Christmas!  I love getting stuff for people though and the wrapping and surprise element of it all makes me so happy.  Allan and Ericka had a birthday party at the gym for Remi and Tula so the team staff attended that and enjoyed the princess (girls)/pirate (boys) theme as well as the homemade tamales (it was on May 5th and Ericka is Mexican so it was legit!).  We almost had more fun than the kids did wearing the fairy wings and playing with the toy swords.  Ahhh, to be young again  :)

Cale's birthday was yesterday so I was able to take a couple gifts off the pile and deliver them to him.  He, Alex, and I spent the evening playing games and talking and then today those two went on a wine tour together.  From the pictures it looked amazing and seemed like a great way to celebrate a 21st birthday!  Tomorrow is my dad's birthday, followed by Mother's Day on Sunday, Blair's birthday on the 15th, and Alex's on the 24th.  I have Mom and Dad's gifts ready to go and Blair's was sent off awhile ago so I think I'm right on schedule.  I'm planning on disrupting the weekend my parents have planned so that we can have breakfast on Sunday morning before they head off to see the Terra Cotta Warriors in SF, so that should be a good time.  And then once May is over, it's all about me and my birthday month!  Kidding.  Sort of  ;)

Level 7 Regional Championships

Season.  Is.  Officially.  Over.

Sounds so weird!  I don't think it's sunk in yet because yesterday we were at a competition and today it's back to the normal grind.  When I realize we're not gearing up for another meet it will probably seem all the more real.

Our final trip took us back to Las Vegas (woo!) and we had to get up quite early to make it there.  Allan and Ericka picked me up Saturday morning and we parked the car at the airport instead of trying to deal with getting a shuttle/transportation.  SFO has been closing down runways lately and rescheduling flights so we lucked out when we left on time.  It was my first flight on Virgin America and the plane had such a cool vibe to it!  I slept most of the way in, we arrived smoothly, and were greeted by hoards of people and long lines at the rental car place.  Once on our way we went to check-in at our hotel (the Aria!), raced to change, found lunch, and made our way to the competition.  When I first got to the room it was really dark so I went to the curtains to open them; I couldn't figure them out until I realized they were automated and all I had to do was press a button and they would retract!  The whole room was set-up that way which made it all really spiffy.

Our first session was with the NorCal state team, made up of the top 12 all-arounders in the state.  NorCal competed against SoCal, Arizona, Nevada, and Utah, ending up in second place by 0.125; we won every event except for bars where we had three falls.  SoCal took advantage and came through with the win, but it was still a great experience to be a part of.  After that session ended we stayed for one more with two of our girls who ended their season with fantastic performances.  They both walked away with season-high all-around scores and one of them with the regional all-around and beam titles!  It was a lot of fun to compete with them because of their energy and excitement and I'm happy that their efforts and attitude were rewarded.

That night we (including Annie who we stole away from her Utah crew) went to dinner at the hotel and ended up talking for a few hours.  She really wanted to go out and promising me that we wouldn't be gone too long I humored her and we went up to change.  Of course we didn't end up coming back to the hotel at any sort of decent hour but our Vegas adventures were fun and it was worth the lack of sleep.  3.5 hours after my head hit the pillow I was up again getting ready for day two of competition.  Both sessions we had went well with the girls continuing the streak of personal best performances.  Although we were all exhausted we walked away from the meet feeling really good about how we had prepared the girls to peak at the right time.  We're proud of all the hard work everyone put in this year and it's exciting to continue to watch the program become what we want it to be.  All three of us, though in need of some serious rest and relaxation (we sat on the runway last night for about an hour after SFO notified us we weren't allowed to fly in at our scheduled time), are excited to get back in the gym and work hard.  Success is a definite motivator, as is looking back to the beginning of the year and now seeing just how far we've come.

I'm so proud and thankful to be a part of the Twisters family.  I love Allan and Ericka so much and am grateful for all the opportunities they've given me as well as all the important life lessons they've instilled.  Great job, 2013 optional team.  You definitely proved what is often said to be true about sport, that passion often has a funny way of trumping logic.  Congratulations  :)

Living The Beach Life

Mini-vacation!  Last weekend I had the opportunity to head down to LA for NCAA Championships and it turned out to be a great time overall.  I woke up at 3:25am Friday morning (so gross), was at Alex's house by 4am, and on highway 101 not long after that.  For it being so early in the morning, we were pretty energetic.  We played music and kept the mood up as the sun rose and found ourselves a few hours into the trip before we stopped at Denny's for breakfast.  I was a little stressed about making it to the competition on time so I rushed it a little, but it at least gave us a chance to get out of the car and stretch our legs.  Alex drove the rest of the way to Woodward West where I dropped him off for a fun-filled weekend of coaching kids and then quickly continued on my way.  I made it to the UCLA campus with about 45 minutes to spare...perfect timing!

Stanford had a really rough showing in their prelim session and it was a little difficult to watch.  Their season ended on a somewhat somber note and all we can hope for at this point is that they'll take what they learned from the experience and use it as fuel/apply it next year.  After the meet the alumnae that were there went back to the hotel, changed, and went out to a sushi dinner.  Funny thing about the hotel was that the original one we were booked to stay in actually didn't have room for us so they sent us to another one and paid for it all!  We lucked out with a really great, free room right on the beach...how awesome!  After dinner and a little bit of shopping I went back and crashed (such a long day for me) while some of the others stayed up talking at the bar.

The next morning we all got up, rented bikes from the hotel (again, free!), and rode along the beach.  It was great to cruise along the boardwalk and I felt very Southern California  :)  We ate breakfast at a little beach shack, played around at Muscle Beach, and stopped off at the boardwalk on the pier.  Afterwards we returned the bikes and went down to the water.  We saw dolphins, threw the football, and just enjoyed the sun and the company.

After showering we went back to UCLA to watch Super 6.  Even though Stanford wasn't in the competition, it was still a great meet to watch.  There was so much good quality gymnastics going on all at once and we were actually able to watch history being made; Florida finally broke in and became the 5th team to win the title.  It's been four teams for so long now, but hopefully the door has been opened and more teams will be able to challenge for the top spot.  After the meet was over we drove through Westwood and over to dinner at the Shapiro's house.  Their daughter, Sami, is a former national team member and current sophomore on the Stanford team and they live about 20 minutes from the UCLA campus.  They had a great setup going on and were very welcoming to all the team members, coaches, alumnae, parents, and fans that were present.  It was nice to spend some time with Kristen, Swiz, Tabby, and Allan and get there take on everything.  After getting our fill of amazing food and yummy desserts, those of us at the beach hotel went back with the intention of going out together but we ended up staying in the room just talking about anything and everything.  The weekend served as a great reminder of why I love the SWG program and of the fact that we really were and always will be a family first and foremost.

Sunday morning we walked to brunch but I had to take mine to-go so that I could get on the road in a timely manner.  I made my way back up to Tehachapi, picked up an exhausted and starving Alex off the side of the road, and continued up along I-5 for what felt like an eternity before arriving back in Menlo Park.  All the driving was definitely worth it for the experience and good times we had.  I'm looking forward to other SWG reunions coming up and also can't wait (on another note) to take my last trip this weekend and end the optional season in style!  I leave for Las Vegas Saturday morning, have four sessions to complete, and then I'll finally be reminded of what it's like to spend a weekend at home!!  There is so much to look forward to upon the conclusion of this competition and as summer approaches, woohoo!  Let the good times roll...I'm ready!

Phoenix Sun

The level 8 season has come to an end...and rather successfully I might add.  Last weekend I made my first solo journey as a Twisters optional coach and took our three girls to the Regional championships.  I wasn't stoked about flying alone but the trip was quick and painless.  I knew I was going to be rushed when I landed due to the flight choice we made, but the new monorail/light-rail system the city has going made it easy for me to find my way to the hotel.  Luckily the meet site was within walking distance so I quickly checked in and changed before making my way over to the first session of the weekend.  I didn't have the chance until that point to realize just how hot it was outside and I arrived indoors sweating much more than I had anticipated.

The arena had four sets of equipment set up and was divided into two gyms.  Flight A and B would run separately on both sides, one side designated for the 9/10 competition and the other side for the 8's.  The first session I had was with Cecilia who has clean lines and pretty gymnastics that was highly rewarded.  One of the coaches from UCLA who happened to be in our rotation with his club gym came up to us and said that her bar routine was like art...it was just that pretty.  It was really nice to hear that and she continued on event after event with her game face.  She ended up 2nd on floor and in the all-around for her efforts and I was ecstatic.

After the competition I went to the Hyatt where Annie was waiting with Eli and Debbie; they weren't in the same session I was so they had the chance to go to dinner together.  I was exhausted from the day so I came in and slouched on the couch while we chatted and then Annie and I went to get some food.  We ended up across the street at Hooters and while the food was good I was a little taken aback by the waitresses and both Annie and I remarked that we weren't qualified to work there, haha.  After dinner we found ourselves at the bar of our hotel with pretty much every other coach in Region 1.  It was a nice chance for me to get to know some of them a bit better and while I love traveling with Allan and Ericka it gave me the opportunity to go at it on my own and really talk to a lot of them.  I walked away feeling more a part of the club and was ready to tackle my 8am session the next morning.

Unfortunately, that session didn't really go as planned and the highlight of the day was actually meeting Annie for lunch and spending time with her by the pool before she had to go for her 4pm session.  I went with her and watched the level 9's on the opposite side, gathering ideas for my own kids who will be trying to move up next season.  Once again the two of us had dinner and we called it a night a little earlier this time because we were both so tired.

Sunday morning (felt like Groundhog Day at this point) came and this time the result was much better.  Avery was up and I have to say that I really enjoy working with this kid.  We just have a connection I can't explain and she was so cute when she expressed how grateful she was for everything I'd done for her this year.  She ended up 4th on vault, 3rd on floor, and 6th all-around.  For having a goal of being in the top 10, I'd say that was a success!  I walked away happy and sad at the same time...sad because I had to say good-bye to Annie and head to the airport.  I was so exhausted when I got there that I fell asleep at the gate and almost missed my flight, but luckily I woke up just in time and made it home safely.  Alex greeted me at SJC as did cold weather and a lot of wind.

This weekend it's a road trip down to LA to watch NCAA's, then lastly it will be to Vegas for level 7 Regionals.  I can't wait to wrap up this season; while I'm proud of everything we've accomplished, back-to-back compulsory and optional seasons have taken their toll on me.  I'm ready for some R&R before other big life events take place (Stanford graduation, my friend James coming to visit...).  This summer is shaping up to be a good one and I can't wait to get it started!!

April Showers

They say that April showers bring May flowers but to me it seems like April just brings allergies.  I can't remember the last time I suffered so badly from them, but there must be something in the air this year because it's hit me hard.  I'm feeling better now but for awhile I was down for the count.  I don't think all the traveling for work has done anything good for it either as my body is just so tired, but only one more month until season is over.

Speaking of, this last weekend was spent in Lemoore, CA and let me tell you...it was an adventure.  Allan, Ericka, and I drove from the Bay Area together and after over three hours we arrived in a very desolate looking place.  The theme of the weekend was "Keepin' It Classy" and we started off strong walking up to our hotel...the Travelodge.  It was pretty terrible, including a blood stain on the chair in Allan's room.  Both rooms had a certain smell to them so we spent a little time just hanging out with the door open to try and get some airflow.

After a quick nap (trying not to touch any of the sheets on the bed) we got up for dinner, which was actually quite good.  We went to check out the competition site before heading to bed, as we had an early morning session to get to.  8am the next day and we were back, ready to kick-off level 7 State with Monica and Lily.  Both of them, as well as Izzy in the following session, really had the meet of their lives and there isn't anything more we could have asked for them.  Their performances alone beat the final team score we had last year and left us in second place behind Airborne by only 0.05!  If you aren't that familiar with NorCal gymnastics, that's a true feat.  We coaches left on a high and went to celebrate.

It was like Groundhog Day because the next morning we were in the exact same position.  8am came around and back at the meet site, this time with our top all-arounder this year.  We were looking for her to come up big, but unfortunately she was nervous and had a fall on bars.  We didn't end up counting her for our team score which hurt us a bit.  Our last session of the day got us back on track and left us in a pretty good mood about the overall performance.  There were teams out there that were definitely better than us but in all of NorCal we ranked pretty close to the top which is something to be proud of.  All of our girls qualified to Regionals and we even placed one on the State Team; off to Vegas it is!

This week is already flying by and I can't believe I'm headed to Phoenix on Friday.  I'm super pumped to see Annie there with her girls and can't wait for our level 8 team to wrap up their season.  In a turn of events I'm the only coach going to the meet but I'm still looking forward to it.  After that it's down to LA to watch SWG at NCAA's (they qualified last weekend) and then finally to Vegas before some well-deserved rest time.  Final push...here's to a fun and successful finish!

Passover: 2013 Edition

Carter Family Passover 2013 is in the books and I will be the first to say that it was a huge success.  Yesterday morning I went to work bright and early for Athlete Warrior before practice started at 9am.  I helped out with the optionals until 11am and then went home for a run, shower, and to change.  By 1pm I was ready to head out the door to meet Alex at the Ford Center.  Once I picked him up we stopped in Town & Country for lunch and then were finally on our way.  The drive was very easy and even though we went a round-about way (I-5...not the prettiest highway) we arrived a bit after 4pm.  This was great timing in my mom's eyes because she had tasks for us to do before the other guests arrived.  First we needed to get the tables assembled and then set them with some of my Nana's dishes.  Alex took some time to try to figure out how to fold the napkins into the shape of the Star of David; it was a valiant effort but unfortunately didn't work.  However he was successful in doing so with the $20 bill my mom had ready for the person who would eventually find the Afikomen.

The guests, including neighbors and other family friends, came pretty timely and my mom led us all through a new version of the seder.  Everyone was very interactive as the story of Passover was told and because my brother wasn't able to make it Alex had the honor of being the one to ask the all-important Four Questions (as he was the youngest boy).  Many glasses of wine were consumed and finally dinner was served.  The menu included beef brisket (my favorite!!), chicken, mashed potatoes, green bean casserole, kugel (made especially for me my mom said), and a variety of condiments.  Many people were up and down for seconds and the table was lively with conversation the entire time.  Eventually we settled down again to consume the last glass of wine and finish off the ceremony in style.

After some of the dishes were done and dessert was served Alex and I made our exit because we still had the drive back in front of us.  My parents were thrilled that we could both make it this year and told us so multiple times.  It's nice to feel so loved!  The drive home was very interesting as a storm passed through on our way, heavy rain and lightening like we'd hardly ever seen before included.  Alex drove until we got to the Bay Bridge and then as we were waiting to get through the toll pass he decided he didn't want to go the distance so we did a Chinese fire-drill (where I got out of and ran around the car while Alex climbed over the seat to the passenger side) which was highly entertaining.  I drove the rest of the way and we were home by 11:15pm.

Today is Easter and I spent the entire day being lazy...as in I haven't even left the house and I even managed to get in a nap.  I'm still trying to fend off this sickness that's been hanging around for a couple of weeks or more.  With a very busy April coming up this is my last chance to really relax until the competitive season is over.  Coupled with the fact that classes start tomorrow and that now I'm teaching two sections instead of just one and my calendar is filling quickly!!

March Madness

Only two entries so far this month!?  Wow, I'm seriously slacking, for it isn't due to lack of things going on.  I've been sick recently and so I'll use that as my excuse.  Coupled with laziness and there you have it.

Since T's birthday and my trip to Malibu I tied up my first quarter as a Stanford professor (I use that term loosely because it makes me feel powerful, haha).  On the last day I gave my students their final exam where they had to perform the skill they were most proud of learning in the span of 10 weeks.  We had lots of front flips and handstands going around and it was fun to see how excited they still were about it all.  Next quarter I'll be teaching the same class again as well as the intermediate level; and for my efforts I get to continue my tennis lessons and other fitness classes.  It's definitely a great trade-off!

Our level 7's had a final regular-season competition in Novato on St. Patrick's Day.  It was pretty easy drive and because it was only one session it went quickly.  We were up against some stiff competition in CGA and we came in second.  Not terrible, but there is some cleaning up to do before State comes along in a couple of weeks.  We thought they really fought for the things that were off but it's all in the details from here on out.  When I got home from the meet Megan and I celebrated with pizza...always a favorite...and then I crashed.  I often forget how tired I am after meets...even one session of that type of emotional roller-coaster gets to me.

The next week of training was prep for the level 8 team because they had their state competition yesterday.  Held in Livermore, we had one kid in the 8am session and two in the 5pm session.  We decided to train through this competition in the hopes that the girls would make a good showing but not yet reach their peak given that they were trying to find their way to Regionals.  None of them had a problem with that, easily getting the required qualification score, but there were some hiccups along the way.  However, there were also some stand-out performances including my very first optional state vault champion!!  This girl, Avery, was in the morning session and her pike tsuk was good enough to earn a 9.425.  The score held throughout the second half of the meet and really I think I was more excited than she was.  Even better was that at the end of the day when the team scores were released I found out that as a team we ranked the highest on vault out of all four events.  Woohoo!!  Maybe I'm doing something right after all.

Sprinkled in to all these meets were other fun events, like Alex (finally) finishing up his Stanford degree!!  I give him a hard time because it's been almost 6 years now but of course he took the year off last year to train which requires such dedication that I feel bad about kidding with him.  His last Stanford final was on Friday and proved to be rather difficult, fitting of course given that we had more than our share of struggles along the way.  We went out to celebrate later that night and I had a fun time talking with everyone that came to Nola's for drinks.  Also in there was the Pac-12 gymnastics competition on Saturday night.  Carly and I drove up to see T's new digs (she's living in a "treehouse") before going into Berkeley to watch the competition.  T had called a few places and found one that was willing to show the meet, though upon our arrival the place was jam-packed given that Cal was playing in March Madness.  At first it looked like we weren't going to be able to watch it but the guy felt badly about the situation so set us up in his office at the back of the bar.  It was really great of him to do so though we were laughing at the whole situation.  Stanford could have performed better but hopefully what they lacked this weekend will fire them up for the upcoming regional meet.  They got seeded today and will be heading back to Oklahoma to vie for a spot at the NCAA Championships.

This weekend there's no competition but I'm going home for Carter Family Passover.  After that we have level 7 state (Leemore, CA), level 8 regionals (Phoenix, AZ), and this new thing USAG is doing...level 7 regionals (Las Vegas, NV).  Lots of traveling but it will all be over at the end of April which I know will come up all too quickly.

Meet In Malibu

Another weekend of adventure in the books.  Actually, a lot happened even before I left Friday afternoon:  I first found out that my friend from Wales, James, got his Canadian work visa approved and will be out this way for a year starting in a couple of months.  I'm really excited to see him as he's one of the few people from Australia I really connected with and still talk to.  Then on Friday morning the second baby for the Guth family and Alex's newest niece, Gabriella Christine, was born.  We were playing tennis when the news came and I was surprised it was a girl because I thought for sure it would be a boy this time.  I was the closest in the guessing game with the weight, only being 4oz off.  Then, yes there's still more, I got a text from Alex regarding the program in Germany he applied for...he got in!!  It's super exciting because I know how much he wanted it and how hard he worked for it.  He'll be gone for an entire year starting around the end of July and it's going to be like me leaving for Australia all over again but I'm reminding myself that it's an amazing opportunity and life event so I'm happy for him.  And it gives me an excuse to make a trip to Europe  :D

Megan was home and offered to take me to the airport which was nice because I was planning on taking the train again which isn't the most convenient way to go.  Once my co-workers and I made it through security and to the gate, we sat down and thought we were good to go until they made a "last call" announcement for our flight.  We looked around, realized there was no one else waiting, and jumped up and onto the plane.  Apparently United Airlines likes to start the boarding process much earlier than other airlines and even though we still had plenty of time before the plane was going to leave, they had gotten everyone else on board already.  It was a wake-up call and an interesting way to start the journey, but it all worked out.

We got to LAX, had some interesting times getting the rental car, and drove to Thousand Oaks where our hotel and the meet were.  We had some down time before the Friday evening session but soon found ourselves there and ready to work.  Xcel was competing and the Silver team came in second while the Gold team won!  I was just there to help Loren and Michaela because I don't coach those girls on an everyday basis; I was worried about getting in the way but we worked well together and it was pretty smooth sailing throughout.  It was late by the time we finished and we were tired from the long day so we ate dinner and went back to the hotel.  Michaela and I stayed up for awhile talking before we went to sleep, only to get up early yesterday to make it to the morning level 7 session by 7:45am.  Two optional team sessions later and we were finished, packed up, and headed back to the airport.  The optionals could have done a better job as a team but there were some highlights in there, including an all-around champion and a silver medalist.  There were some event champions sprinkled throughout as well but I think most importantly there were lessons learned for all of the girls that they can take with them into the post-season.  It was a fun opportunity for me because I was the only optional coach there for them...my first solo ride!

We almost missed our flight back to SFO because of the LA traffic but managed to once again run on before the plane took off.  T came to pick us up and to top off the weekend she got pulled over on the way home for a headlight that was out.  The police officer was nice and were just laughing at the situation, but I really also wanted to get home and get to bed because I was just exhausted.  I'm always surprised at how much competitions take out of me and I know it won't get any easier as time goes on.

Today we're celebrating T's 25th birthday (which is officially tomorrow) and enjoying the nice weather the Bay Area has graced us with.  Hooray for sunshine and relaxation, much needed as the days and weeks are only going to get crazier for the next month and a half or so.

Mrs. Shelley Jo Whalen

Another one of my former SWG teammates is off and married!  Following in the footsteps of Aimee ('08) and Nikki ('09), Shelley was married to fellow Stanford alum Ryan Whalen.  The ceremony was held in Shelley's hometown of Seguin, TX and then the reception was in San Antonio.  Carly, Tenaya, and I all managed to get on the same flight out of San Francisco and flew to Austin because it was much cheaper than somewhere closer.  We got a rental car (my first time driving one) and drove the 90 minutes to our destination.  We actually picked up an extra passenger at the airport, a Stanford kicker and fellow wedding invitee from the football team who didn't really think things through and needed a ride down south.  We jammed to some good music as we tried to stay awake and when we finally made it we just crashed in our beds.

Saturday morning CJ and I got up and walked around a bit to see the cool things San Antonio had to offer.  We got to see The Alamo which was actually a little underwhelming but we learned a lot about the history along the way which was cool.  T and I later took a run down the same way and it was nice to just be outside and explore.  Afterwards we all got ready for the wedding, the '10's piled in our rental car, and we drove the hour to the ceremony.  It was all beautifully done, short and sweet.  We stayed around to shoot some pictures but then it was back in the car to Sunset Station for the reception.  The place had meaning to the couple and it was a very grand and regal setting (definitely Texas-style).  The food and drink were good, the dancing and band were great, the bride was beautiful, and the couple looked happy.  Around 11pm they drove off and people began to pack things in, though some members of the SWG clan decided to head downtown to continue the festivities.

Yesterday we got up leisurely, got breakfast, and made our way back to Austin; we figured we would explore there since we had already done San Antonio the day before.  It was crazy for me to drive up and realize how familiar it all was since I had been there not too long ago for my Gymnastike interview.  There was a certain sense of comfort walking around even though I hadn't spent too much time there and it was fun to share that with CJ and T.  We finally got back to the airport, returned the rental car, and made it home (not without a delay in Long Beach though).  We're all ready for the next wedding and are placing bets on who the lucky couple will be.  Whoever it is, we're all geared up for a good time so it's bound to be fun!!

Celebrations Galore

Today is Cat's 22nd birthday!  After the men's meet last night some of us met up at Skoly's house for a little pre-celebration before the young-ins took Cat out downtown.  Skoly made her a cake and people definitely enjoyed the food and music; it was very relaxed and gave Abhi, CJ, and I some time to look around and reminisce about the best times we had with each other at school.  I think it started because some of the gym guys were there and everyone kept saying that they wanted to go back and re-live those happy moments.  It was fun for us but we pooped out and so when everyone else left for Palo Alto we went home to our nice, warm beds :)

Earlier this month was Weedge's 25th birthday...the first one of our class.  This year we decided our group gift was going to be a photo book so I put that together on my computer and she opened it while we were all (well, minus Blair) at Thaiphoon for dinner.  Blair sent her love when we got her on the phone as well as some flowers which I heard were beautiful.  Luckily for us we'll all be together next weekend for Shelley's wedding.  We were talking last night about how we can't believe she's going to be Mrs. Shelley Jo Whalen; at least her "Shelley Jo" nickname will stick.  I think we've (T, CJ, and I...we're all flying in together) have everything together except for the rental car.  It's really unfortunate that we're going to have to pay an extra fee because we're not quite old enough yet.  If the wedding was just two weeks later T would be in the clear but that's not how it worked out.

The nice weather has continued and today I took advantage of it by walking around downtown Menlo Park.  I strolled through the farmers market, stopped and read the paper while eating brunch (which was awesome by the way...don't get to do that too often), and did a little grocery shopping.  The door to our apartment is wide open right now and the enticing aromas of my cooking are wafting through so even though I'm still full from brunch my stomach is grumbling.  I have a couple of hours before I have to leave for my second session in the Spirit of the Flame Challenge.  My level 8 team, consisting of only three girls, competed Friday night and came away with a win!  In addition one of the girls also won all-around, floor, and bars so it was a successful evening.  The level 7's practiced with me yesterday and looked great so it should be a close competition tonight...I'm suspecting Airborne will be bringing their A-game and with Maya (Kristen's daughter) on their team and her parents in the stands it's going to be a good time.

Spring Teaser

This past weekend was the only one this month in which I was home and it happened to coincide with some of the most gorgeous weather of the year so far.  Megan and I took advantage and walked The Dish, I played some tennis with Alex, and of course what would the weekend be without a little gymnastics on the side?  Both SWG and SMG held competitions in Maples Pavilion and both were broadcast on the Pac-12 Network which is a pretty big deal.  Friday night was alumni night for SWG so all that were in town were introduced before the event began and were invited to a reception put on by the team afterwards.  It was my first time in Maples since coming back from Australia and being back there reminded me most of my own Senior Night in 2010.  It's hard to believe that my freshmen are now seniors and will be going through the same process in a few weeks.  The team had a season-best performance to beat out Arizona State and SMG came in and followed suit two days later, defeating Cal by ten points in a most spectacular fashion (except pommels, haha).

We had some rain and cloudy weather yesterday but it's back to the sunshine and happiness today.  It definitely lifts my mood when the it's bright and cheery outside.

I have a local competition this weekend, with sessions on Friday and Sunday evening.  It's going to be one of the most competitive meets of the year but the girls are looking great in the gym so I'm excited to see how they're going to perform.  Allan won't be there because he's traveling with SWG to Utah so it'll just be Ericka and I.  After this week comes Malibu, San Antonio (Shelley's wedding!), and then local jaunts for a few weeks before regionals in Phoenix.  It's going to be a whirlwind and season will be done and over before I know it so I'm just trying to enjoy the days and weeks as they come.  With this fabulous weather and good spirits, it's hard not to!

Viva Las Vegas

Another whirlwind weekend is in the books.  This time the Twisters family went out to Las Vegas to take on the other teams competing in the Vegas Cup.  Allan, Ericka, and I left Friday afternoon and after a small delay we got to our hotel (Mandalay Bay) right around dinner time.  Ericka said she wanted to dress up so we took some time to do so and then donning our nice clothes we found a great Asian restaurant for dinner.  As we were finishing up, Corey (the athletic trainer for SMG) met us and brought tickets to Le Réve with him.  Three of us enjoyed the show while Allan fell asleep.  Afterwards Brett (assistant Stanford men's coach) joined the group and somehow we ended up in a limo on the way to the MGM.  Allan wanted to spend some time with his buddies that were in town from Cal so we all kind of did our own socializing pretty late into the night before getting back.

Yesterday we got up and went to the local outlet stores so Ericka could pick something up for Remi.  We spent longer there than we anticipated and kind of rushed to the meet site, but made it.  I taped up one of the girls and then it was go time!  We had five level 7's and three level 8's and the meet director split us so we were in two separate rotations; the 8's started on vault and the 7's on beam.  There were some definite highlights to the competition including one of the 8's standing up a huge pike tsuk for the first time, having a level 7 vault champion, and seeing the how clean and prepared our girls look in comparison to some of the other teams.  In the end the level 7's won by three points while the 8's took second, which is pretty good considering there were only three of them and it takes that many scores to make up the final team total. Each of the 8's won floor in their age group too so we were definitely dominate there.

After the competition we made it back to the hotel, quickly changed, had an amazing steak dinner, and went off again to Winter Cup.  Brett got us our tickets ahead of time which was great because by the time we made it there it was pretty full.  It was weird to be back in that arena after going with Cale last year.  It was very different for me because while I wanted the Stanford guys to do well it just seemed like there was a lot less on the line.  Overall it was kind of a rough competition for everyone, though of course there were a few standouts.  Senior Eddie Penev made the national team for the first time as did one of the incoming freshman for next year.

We didn't last long after Winter Cup and ended up having a late night snack at the sushi bar at our hotel before going to bed (because of course we hadn't eaten enough on the trip up to that point).  It was up bright and early this morning for our flight which didn't even leave on time.  That left us approximately five minutes to make our connection in Ontario so it's a good thing all three of us are quick.  It was a rather bumpy ride back and I'm glad to be home.  We hit the ground running again tomorrow in preparation for what will most likely be our toughest competition yet at the Spirit of the Flame Challenge, held in San Jose so it will be nice to be local.  My travel schedule will be getting even crazier heading into March so taking advantage of the down time is a definite must.

Roseville Invitational

What a weekend!  I can't believe it's already Sunday night and another week will be upon us in a matter of hours.

I started my weekend by going up to San Francisco with Alex for a tennis tournament (which he won) and then finishing my journey up to Sacramento.  The drive from SF was actually really easy because of the pit stop and I made it in about 90 minutes...perfect!  My brother was also home when I got there and he brought Amanda with him (apparently they're back together?) and they were watching Star Trek.  It was getting late so I didn't take part and went to bed instead, a good choice given the fact that I woke up around 5:30am Saturday and couldn't go back to sleep.  Instead I got up, started a load of laundry, and got ready for the first session of the Roseville Invitational.  I arrived around 7:30am and my level 8's were already there.  I found out we were starting on vault which scared me out of my mind but we ended up soaring through that and the rest of the meet.  At the end of the day both girls easily qualified to State and Avery won both vault and all-around (my first vault champion!)!!

Saturday afternoon and evening was spent with my family and after a late dinner and movie I went to bed to wake up this morning and do it all over again.  Four of our five level 7's showed up and brought their game faces; the last one was plagued by the flu but still came to support her teammates.  We started on floor and right away knew that we would be in the running for the team title.  Vault improved greatly from our outing two weeks ago and after a crazy bar warm-up the girls gathered up and put together some great sets.  It all came down to beam and in the end we threw in the girl that was out sick because we needed her for the team and she rocked it!  We were so happy and knew that we had done everything possible to win...it was just time to wait.  We ended up with two all-around champions and individual event titles on bars, beam, and floor.  It all culminated with a team win by 1.5 points and a score that was 0.6 higher than our best score last season, woohoo!!!  :)

I came back to Menlo Park soon after the meet was over to a Super Bowl party being held in the upstairs apartment.  They set up a projector, played the game on the big wall in their living room, and had lots of food to go around.  It was an exciting game from halftime on and I actually thought the 49ers might pull it off but unfortunately they came up just short.

It's going to be another crazy week this week as we prepare for a competition in Las Vegas.  We leave on Friday and it's going to be especially exciting because we're going to the Winter Cup competition as well where I'll get to cheer on the Stanford delegation that will be there.  Five days and counting...

Old Dogs Learn New Tricks

Today I had a breakthrough in my Stanford gymnastics class...I taught two people front flips!!  It was awesome to see because these kids have never done gymnastics before at all and then in 30 minutes they flipped off a block into the pit (looking a bit crazy at first), moved to the tumble trak, and then to the floor!  I actually couldn't tell that they had never done it before because they really looked like pros and the expressions on the faces were just priceless.  They're really excited to tell their friends they can do a flip and I can tell that everyone else in the class is anxious to get to where they are.

It's been a tough week at Twisters so this was a great way to lighten my mood and remind me why I love teaching people about the sport.  Hopefully there will be many more exciting times in the next six weeks before the quarter is over; you can never have too many happy moments in your life.