LIGHTS:
Last Friday was a cold and damp day here in Norway. A lovely 38 degrees to be exact. My dad and I had just returned from having an interesting workout in the hall. (See below)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wNcrWbsYSUc
I don’t think I have laughed so hard in a long time – bless his heart, he was trying so hard.
Anyways, after he got done showing me where I got my skills from, ha. We headed back to my place. As we walked inside, I tried to turn on the lights, and nothing happened.
At first we thought a fuse had blown, yet after switching them on and off, we realized we had no power. For the next 10 hours …. we continued to have no power. Even after we went to practice and came home around 8, when it drops to easily below 0, we had ….. No power!
The fact that Dad and I went shopping earlier in the day for the ingredients to my favorite dinner dish, Gorgonzola spaghetti, did not help the situation. Can I also add that the next day we were playing the best team in our league!!!
To say the steam was coming from my ears is an understatement. Thankfully one of my friends lives close and we were invited to go cook there. The power finally came back on around 11pm and let me tell ya, a warm shower never felt so goooooooooood.
CAMERA:
The 2nd night of my father’s visit, we decided to head bowling with one of my roommates (Mari) and her two little nephews.
Don’t let the picture fool you! The kids might seem small but professional bowlers they are.
All I can say is that we got officially hustled….
Warning signs #1 (I should really start to pay attention to these). As we head to pick up Mari’s nephews – she comes up with the great idea; we should play for a Flax card.
Flax Card– A lottery card where you scratch off different areas of it to see if you can win amounts ranging from 25 to 1,000,000 kroner. If you ever want to see a Norwegian get serious about a game, just play for this card.
For example:
Once a week, we play for one of these cards. The nice/sweet Norwegians instantly turn into a blood bath sucking creatures, no exaggeration. They do whatever it takes to win. That includes ripping a pair of my shorts last week in practice!
Side note: Have I ever won scratching off this card?!? Absolutely not!!!
Warning sign #2 – After further discussion, Mari convinced us that the winner should get a flax card from not one, but both of the people below them. (warning, warning, warning). Of course, I thought this was a great idea. I have never seen my dad bowl, but I mean he is 60; he has to have some experience …… ha good thought.
Yep, Me 72, Dad 69. We not only got last but lost to a 6 and 9-year-old! I know the evidence seems over powering on portraying how bad of a bowler I am. Yet, I give you my word I have NEVER bowled two gutter balls in a row!
I am by no means a professional, but I do average a solid 110 or so. No way in heck a 72! And come on dad, a 69. Least I know I was not the worst ha
Still laughing at this one.
ACTION:
Opera Huset (Opera House) -
Akershus Festing (Old fortress) -
Frognerparken (Famous Statue Park) -
Holmekollen (Huge Ski Jump aka Norwegians are nuts):
National gallery museum (welcome mom), kings castle – you name it, we saw it.
The time with him was amazing. Like I mentioned in my last post, I do not remember the time it was just the two of us. You could even say I was a bit nervous. Yet, it went better than I ever expected. I could even say perfect if we would have won our game. . .
I do not remember the last time I cried after a game.
As a competitor it always hurts to lose, especially when you feel you should have put some chances away. Unfortunately, that is something that I have experienced in the last two years. Don’t get me wrong, it is never fun to lose, but usually tears do not follow.
I have to be honest and say, that after netting some goals for Chicago, I was ready for more success to follow. I imagined coming here, killing it, and going home to get called back into National team camp. I was going to do so well here that Pia would not have a choice (positive thinking right) but to call me in.
Lofty hopes, maybe. However, when you play thirty minutes away from the USWNT assistant coach (Hege Riise) hometown, you know if you do well she will hear about it.
Turns out I was right! Hege was coming to our game on Saturday. Not necessarily because I was doing well, but with her coaching this team two years ago, she still comes to support them when she is here.
I had been playing well the last couple of weeks and felt like I had done everything I could to be prepared for this game. I always knew with coming here, there was a good chance she would be at one of our games. The extra workouts, training with the boys, and watching footy every chance I could, made me ready for this moment.
That does not even include the fact that my number one supporter (my dad) had flown across the world to watch me play! The stage was set and all I needed to do was show up. I needed to show up and prove that I am a goal scorer. That I can contribute to any team that I am on and I had not stopped fighting to wear the US jersey again.
It’s still hard to say what went wrong. Whether it was the fact that we came out in a 4-5-1 (a defending formation) or if they really were that much better, I am not sure. After they scored late in the 1st half, we just could not find our rhythm again.
I needed to play to change a coach’s mind: I didn’t.
I admit I probably put pressure on myself when it was not needed. However, when you want something so much, when you know you have done everything in your power – you feel it should all fall into place.
Wish life was that easy . . .
So as I walked out of the locker room, saw my dad standing there smiling, and looking like the most proud father in the world: I lost it.
The feeling of letting him and myself down was overwhelming. I know I could never do that with him, however, that feeling was suffocating. As soon as my head hit his chest, I could not stop the tears.
They always say you need a good cry every once in a while, right. Ha
For the last week I got caught up in the things I could not control. I wanted to impress so much that I lost sight, once again, the joy of playing this beautiful sport. I focused on what I couldn’t control instead of what I could. In the end, I know I do not do the “extra” work to be able to put the US jersey back on.
I do it because it’s what my family taught me. I do it because it’s the player I want to be remembered as. Everything I am, everything I achieve is because I put in the blood, sweat, and tears to attain it. When my career is over, I want to know I did everything in my power to make it, and that I never wasted an opportunity.
I just have to keep reminding myself of the truth; that God is control. He has already blessed me in ways I could never imagine. I am so thankful for everything, however, until he tells me to walk away, I will continue to glorify him with all my strength and try to make my family proud.
The rest is in his hands; all I can do is trust…
Isaiah 40:29-31 “ He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak. Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall; but those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint ”
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