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Well I couldn't think of an entertaining title so deal with it....

Today is the last full day of camp here at DePauw University in Greencastle, Indiana and then Drew Doody Louis Grubber and I are on our way across the states...from Vail to Vegas then ending in San Diego...we still are not sure where we will be celebrating the 4th of July but were just going to wing...I mean I'll be the only girl for a week so I am preparing myself to just go with the flow and wing it. 

This whole summer already has been such an amazing experience. I've met so many awesome people and have been able to build great friendships after just 4 weeks.

I'm excited to see what the rest of the summer has in store.

As for now I have been pretty swamped running errands, counting shirts, re counting shirts, phone calls, coaching, making lists, organizing the shuttle to the airport...but still It has been such an eye opening awesome experience. 

I have forgotten how awesome it is that one sport can bring so many people together from all over and it's so cool to see that with the staff coaches and even with the campers. For the most part Soccer is the only thing that these people have in common but it's enough to develop a strong bond between one another.

With this being the third straight week of camp I took my first nap of the summer yesterday and I do not think I have slept that hard since freshman year...In my sleep I thought I was awake but just couldn't open my eyes and couldn't sit up...come to find out I was still sleeping (obviously figuring out when I actually woke up and realizing it was a dream just sit up and start laughing)

Tonights session is star wars and I'm super pumped...I need to redeem myself from last weeks staff vs campers game because let's just say I was not the best :)

After the shuttle drops off the kids tomorrow at the airport and everyone is checked out of the dorms, and the evaluations have been handed out we will be on our way to San Diego

Plans:

Drive 10-11 hours Friday, stop close to Kansas City

Saturday-wake up drive to Vail and stay with Clara until....who knows

Monday?? drive to Vegas (Drew thinks we aren't getting a hotel room...he just wants to stay up all night....this will not happen)

Wednesday or around then...arrive in San Diego and get rid of my soccer tan at the beach!

I am not sure of the driving situation but 1 of my shifts Drew has to take since I beat him in the crossbar challenge....multiple times

*note: do not challenge me in a crossbar game

Here is a list of some of the staff I have been working with the past two weeks

Lovett-hilarious big guy from Indiana, always knows how to make someone laugh

Hamil-Think of the surfing turtle from Finding Nemo and that's him, or the penguin with long hair from Surf's Up...he lives on the beach in Charleston, drives a golf cart, teaches middls school PE, and coaches

Grubber-English mate that will be one of our traveling buddies, awesome coach...after training Lovett's group for 1 session three were out for the next one...passionate about soccer

Jack aka "Rabbit" super red hair but totally accepts it which is awesome...always has something for the suggestion box..even if it is in front of the campers haha

Doody..his first name is Colin but no one calls him that...he's on the fieldplayer staff with Drew so we've all been working together this week..he also will be on the road trip with us

Ethan worked on staff in PA and is going to the Naval Academy...I think he is there right now actually, he is 17 and was a staff in training and was an intense but awesome coach

Kali was also on staff in PA and she can sing and play the guitar like it's no one's business

Ben and Chelsea were the two fieldplayer staff coaches in PA and they both play soccer at Endecott, Chels was the admin last year.

Mecchi was at camp in PA as well and I met him when I was working at the office in Hartford the first week, he is awesome at coming up with songs off the top of his head and singing and playing the guitar with Kali (My Box)

Clara is my roomie this week, she plays keeper at Purdue and is a legit girl...so excited that she will be on some of our trip in Vail so I won't be the only girl

I think i've named everyone so far I've worked with...Ben Pinkerton (Pink) is the Director of all the camps I have worked so far and has been awesome working for him. He goes on extremely way too long of bike rides (50 miles) and he was the one to come up with the nicknames Hansel and Gretel

Drew is the field player director so I have worked with him the most since he allows me to coach sometimes, I rode with him in the Budget for (12hours) to Ohio...I whooped him at the crossbar game and he is always hyper bcs he drinks nasty 5 hour energy drinks...he lives in Colorado for half the year so he better be planning on showing us around while were there. He played soccer at San Diego State so he's made this trip multiple times so at least one of us knows where were going.

No pictures for now because I haven't taken any...sorry

Much Love

Phone Calls would be much appreciated in the next days to pass the time while were driving! :)

Hoot with the Owls...Soar with the Eagles

This week already has been a blast. Every camp is different. Different kids, different staff, different places (obviously), different problems, different duties.

My eyes started twitching today though because they were so exhausted haha

I cannot wait to go to start our road trip...we just found out we are going to stay a few extra days because Clara, my roomie this week, has a house up there so were staying with her for a few days.

The past couple days have been fun but more difficult then the past couple of weeks just because I am on my own now without my partner, Bobby....and I now have more responsibilities which is an awesome experience to learn new things but just stressful at times when I'm handed multiple things at once.

I haven't been able to do much coaching this week but what I have done has been awesome. Today we worked on 1v1's and it brought back memories of good ol' competition days (for those of you that know what that is)

I think I get the award for the # of hospital runs in two weeks..I'm rounding out with 6! I took my sixth camper run to the hospital today and after my GPS took me to literally the middle of a cornfield we found the hospital.

I can't think of anything else exciting that has happened beside those stories.

Some of the campers are hilarious..one boy has ADHD and cannot sit still during lectures. Last night he was fidgeting the whole time and then made an origami frog out of his notebook, he then tore off the cover of his notebook...but he rocks at soccer (he's only 10)

Two other little girls (cutest little girls at camp) walk around attatched at the hip. One has her dad's iPad and they watch this awful show...title sounds cute but I watched an episode and it basically is all about these little animals being killed (it's a cartoon) but so ridiculous.

The Women's World Cup was on today and it was so cool to see Tony DiCicco on  TV when just two weeks ago I was living at his house and eating across the dinner table from him...CRAZY!

On to the next day...lots of love :)

Kelly

Indiana Bound

Two camps and many hours driving in the car down....and many many more to come! Bloomsburg ended with a success...the camp went pretty smoothly. The last night of camp we all hung out down in the basement while Kali and Mecchi played the guitar while some of us chimed in and made up some new songs. After a few hours and many laughs later it was Friday morning and the last training session of the week...it was pressure training! I wasn't able to go and help out because I had to print off the campers evaluation for all the staff coaches which should seem like an easy thing to do...no no.  After 2 1/2 hours of having a nice conversation with a worker while we printed off the evals they were done and ready to be sent out. The man in the duplicating room where I was printing off the evals was such a help...we got to talking and our families are set up pretty much identical. He has three kids, two girls and a boy and they are all the same ages as Amy, JJ, and I and he described them all as having very similar personalities as us...CRAZY.

After campers packed up and left we loaded the budget and we were off to Indiana

After driving this 3x already this summer...it all looks the same but these views were much better than the Alabama roads

...after a few stops and a long wait at Steak N Shake (squeezing 6 people in one booth) we made it to Indiana at 230 in the morning. Half of us delirious, the other half was so hyper from being in the car for so long (Drew) that they were running in the streets.

The dorms here at DePauw are haunted....definitely...Julia and I were the only girls with the rest of the guys...so after being freaked out for a good hour we decided to sleep on the boys hall that night so the ghosts wouldn't get us. We sleep in till noon but at 7 in the morning we hear this loud scream from a lady and then here Louis' voice...they were the maids and they didn't know anyone was staying in the dorms and freaked out when they saw Louis. IT WAS HILARIOUS! We then went to this really good Breakfast Sandwhich place called the Blue Room Cafe and ate an amazing breakfast and then just walked around downtown Greencastle for the day.

We then decided to get a Pedicure so OBVIOUSLY the boys were dying to go. Julia Me Kellen Louis and Jack pile into the car and get a pedicure.

We then come back to the dorms, I work on some registration information and organizing some things and we all go to this restaurant/bar (The Fluttering Duck) to watch the Men's Soccer Final against Mexico.  Oh and there are a few additions to the staff. My roomie, Claira, for this week is the keeper at Purdue. Dinner was hilarious bcs of the wedding party that was there. Very entertaining to say the least. After the game we walked back wandered around the campus for a while, went on a few adventures and then called it a night. Oh and the whole gang is finally here for the long haul we have coming up to San Diego! Doody and Grubber are both here and Louis and Drew have been here so the gang's all here :) haha

Today is registration day so it's been a little hectic but so far so good. I have been in charge of the rooming situation so crossing my fingers that everything works smoothly.

Welp see ya later....until next time!

Peace and Blessings :)

BIOS

ROOKIE STAFF
Julie Jack Ethan Kellen Bobby and Me

Front Row: Me Lisa Chelsea Louis Bobby Jack
Back Row: Ben Grubber Julia Kellen Ethan Steve and Drew

Bobby: Bobby is my partner in crime this summer...we are the "glue" that keeps this camp together (well that's what we tell people), he is the one that got everyone saying SHEESH and he is also known as Hansel. Good thing he isn't too weird or else this summer would be a miserable long summer....haha just kidding that past two weeks have been awesome being able to have another admin to help out. He is from PA (the north west corner "NWC baby" ) and is also quoting movie quotes with Steve or anyone...he has this ridiculous chuckle and loves to go around megging people. His car has been more my car than his since I agreed to make all the hospital runs....he's ditching SoccerPlus for two weeks until Colgate so I will be without "Hansel and my PIC" for Indiana and San Diego.

Lisa:: Is a staff coach and played at Dayton...she is the jokester...she was the one that made me go up to Lacrosse campers and ask if they were going to twirling camp in Ohio and it was HILIARIOUS i was almost crying...Her Dre and Julia were the first girls I got to meet for more than two seconds and it has been so much fun getting to know her and can't wait for the rest of the summer...She WILL have a video by the end of the summer.

Julia: She was also on staff with us in Ohio and she is a keeper at Marquette ...she's from Minnesota...she has a chipped tooth from a weighted soccer ball...she is incredible at words with friends..she can fall asleep anywhere when it is time for nightly meetings and has awesome jam sessions in long hour car rides.

Kellen: Is a super tall kid from Mass. and plays keeper at UMASS he was also on staff at ohio and has a really nasty bruise on his elbow and it's super swollen...he makes freakishly awesome saves and is also a great person to have a jam session in the car with...he can tweet like its no ones business and always catches me napping  and will make a great coach one day.

Steve: Aka Thor...he has a problem ....a gas problem and he loves to let them rip anytime he is around me...actually he just lets them rip regardless.  He is hilarious and is a super guy to be around. Him and Bobby go back and forth with jokes and he is the scariest to go against in star wars..I almost cried.

Louis: He is my closest friend from the "south" if you consider North Carolina the south...he plays keeper (not goalie) at Belmont Abbey and started the "roll tide" saying whenever the score is tied. He will be on the journey in the budget to San Diego with us!

Dre: She is the last of the Ohio Crew and was the only one (minus Emily) to come to PA with us....:( we miss her and her super niceness when no one else could put up with "people" or their computers....but she will be back for Colgate Yippee...she is a sophomore at St. Lawrence and is an awesome keeper.

That's the OHIO crew minus a few...but these were the people that made that camp feel like home and so welcoming...I had so much fun and can't wait for the rest of the summer with these guys!

I will try and update more of my new friends I meet along the way...PA staff will be updated later!!

Lucky Number 4?

Guess what I go to do today?

My fourth hospital run....I walk in with one of the campers and they look at me and say what are you doing to these kids they are dropping like flies at your camp...I said I'm just the driver...It did help that the nurse could definitely be an actor in Grey's Anatomy...McDreamy's replacement maybe??

So that was my morning...instead of attending pressure training..which I was going to help show demonstrations with the field players and help coach (which I was excited about because this group is such a fun group to work with) I drove a camper to the hospital which is literally walking distance from our dorm.  After we left we went ot the fields and I snapped a few photos for the website of the keepers doing pressure training which was intense but so neat to see campers working the hardest they have probably ever worked in their lives.

Since that was such an intense training session there was an extra long break between the next session so we ate lunch and right when I layed my head down on my pillow I am called to run an errand,

Bobby and I have to drive the Uhaul back to the Uhaul place after realizing that we might wanna check the back of the van and of course Drew's mattress and bed frame were back there

 so we drove back and dropped off the stuff in the budget truck...so that was in place of my nap. Then I helped with some campers out with laundry and then it was time for the second session. This session was really fun, I got to jump in and play/coach. Chelsea one of the staffers that was actually the admin from last summer was my partner in the game called horseshoe and you basically serve a ball to your partner 15yds and they receive it, one touch, and try and place it as close as you can to the cone...we lost in the championship round but it was a fun game!

Then it was time for dinner so after dinner and the last training session we came back and finished watching the rest of the US Panama game and then helped with the lecture that campers have to go to everynight. 

We set up in a classroom with a projector so we could watch soccer videos on youtube and the field players all get a long so well they have such a little bond already...they call

Drew-Papa Drew

Chelsea-Momma Chelsea

Me-Aunt Kelly

Bobby-Grandpa

Ben-Uncle Ben

Anyways at lecture we had fun watching videos and hanging out and laughing...oh and this is a picture of Dori...

Oh and another kid was locked out of his room today...thank goodness this kid was the one camper that stacked his room with snaxks i mean like at least 50 gatorade bottles and every single snack you can imagine so we did a little switcharoo...a snack and gatorade for an unlocked door.

Were about to have our nightly meeting and i will work on getting the staff "bios" on here soon

Third Times the Charm

After stumbling out of bed and walking to breakfast at 740 we begin the third day of camp in Bloomsburg Pennsylvania.  First training session went well, I have been working with the younger boys in the field player group and they are hilarious/awesome/ballers at soccer.  Everything was going smoothly and within literally 10 min players started dropping like flys with injuries. 5 players went down...one of them so bad that I got the pleasure of taking him to the hospital.  He had a sprained jaw so talking to him was something I didn't know if he was up for since he was in so much pain.

This is the third hospital trip I have had in the past week and hospitals just really aren't my things...today an old man comes moaning in the emergency room complaining about his stomach and how he thinks he has kidney stones...I just don't like seeing old people in pain...yikes...then while were waiting for the x rays to come back the little girl in the room next to us is wailing crying for 20 straight minutes...so luckily after a couple hours we got to leave the nasty hospital. 

In the mean time Bobby was doing all the dirty work..making faxes and dealing with parents that were paranoyed if the laundry was ready...so by the time I got back with his car we both had missed lunch so we find this amazing sub place (thanks to Quizno's being closed) that was probably the most unhealthy thing for me but it tasted so good.

So after we woofed that sandwhich down it was time for the next session but had to finish up some errands back at the dorm before we showed up at the training site. Then after training we helped with dealing with campers and laundry and then went to dinner and then it was time for the third training session which we got to scrimmage with some of the older kids so that was fun!

So nothing too out of the ordinary today that I can think of happened....

OH there is a funny story about a camper that everyone calls Dori (like on finding Nemo) because you never know where her head is at..her actual name is Liz but the staff calls her Dori and Drew let it slip one time and called her Dori and it was HILARIOUS but she had no idea what she was talking about.... she is not the strongest player so tonight at session everyone was shocked that she scored six goals in teh scrimmage because she usually is doing cartwheels and picking daisies...literally

We just had our nightly staff meeting and after we went over everything that needs to take place and review everything of the day we made a suggestion box of hilarious quotes by the staff or campers from what they have said over the week. Sheesh it was funny

Next blog will be bio on the staff!! woo

SHEESH!

SHEESH

That is the slang that the staff has caught onto thanks to Bobby...it started last week in Ohio and has stuck ever since...it's basically like saying geez or oh my gosh or just add it at the end of your sentence..sheesh

So I have not been able to blog in a few days because we have been traveling and have not had internet until today so I have lots to catch you up on.

So I believe last time I blogged we were still in Ohio and finishing up on the last few days of camp which went really well. The only stressful part was finding a printer to print the campers evaluations in color and after a several hours of proof reading, converting docs from macs to PDFs and finding a printer it all worked out and things were accomplished! It was then time for the campers to pack up and go home. It's crazy how much you get to know the kids after one week.  By the end of the week I knew at least over half of the kids names and I wasn't even their coach. But that week of camp was so much fun and a good  week to get adjusted and into the swing of things. We also got to jump in on a staff vs camper game of star wars which is basically one of the most fun games ever and we of course dominated!

 But then we got to scrimmage again too and it was so much to play again.

So were all packed up loaded the budget and ready for the drive to PA I was fortunate enough to ride in the car with two other people on Staff to PA and we jammed/slept the whole way there not to mention this picture was tweeted to all soccerplus followers...thanks guys

So Julia Kellen and I make it to Bloomsburg before anyone else so we get settled in our temporary rooms (obviously finding the ones with AC) and just hang the rest of the night in the dorms, however all my bags were in the budget so paper towels had to work as my towel for the shower haha the budget finally arrived at midnight and we got our stuff and went to bed. In the morning we go to a place to do our laundry and grab a bagel and coffee at this really good cafe that made all types of homeade cream cheeses.

After laundry we have a meeting for camp staff and go grab dinner and hang at this really neat place downtown, we come back and laugh and tell stories about last weeks camp. The staff is bigger this week because there are more campers but it's still a really fun and awesome group.  So now it was sunday and its the day of registration which is the most important day for admins because we are in charge of making sure everything was running smoothly.  After multiple trips to lowes, wal mart, dollar general, and the laundromat registration is done with a few bumps and camp 2 of 10 has begun. There is a field player camp this week so Drew is letting Bobby and I jump in and help coach some of the sessions when we are not running errands. So so far I have helped coach one session and then been the photographer for the session yesterday. The only chaos there has been has been a lack of communication and not being relayed the information but it's a learning process so everything is coming together.

I got to pick up a new staffer at the air port and found out he was from South Carolina so I found someone here that also listens to country so the 45 min drive back was jamming to country music and telling funny stories of "stereotypes" of the south.

The dorms here are community showers so that always is a fun time...NOT

I am also in charge of unlocking campers doors when they get locked out because I have a master key. A few boys just came up and asked to unlock their room so I made them do 10 pushups for forgetting their key!

Hhaha but still going strong, still learnign new  things...OHHH and this is something I learned today it's a type of egg..it's a purple hard boiled egg which i guess is soaked in beet juice but tastes like there are pickles in there too...I dunno..hah i tried one and it's not bad just really different and definitely taken back by the color

Here are some pictures from last week that I was able to upload from my phone to my computer...

This was my desk I worked at in conn. for a week before camp started at SoccerPlus

This is just a video of a demo that the campers go through during pressure training

And this is a picture from the first session in Bloomsburg

And I have been able to help out coaching on top of being a photographer...I helped with the field players today and we scrimmaged boys vs girls and I was so exhausted after it!

My next plans are to give you a hilarious bio about all the staff that I will be with this summer!

Working on it...sheesh

 

 

Well On to the next session!

Peace and Blessings haha

And it goes on and on and onn

So just as I have been saying that this camp has been pretty calm....I drive two different campers to the emergency room at two diferent times. Both are okay, one has an AC sprain and the other has a mild concussion but...Brady Memorial hospital knows me by now.

After the pressure training session they had a distribution session then dinner then scrimmages that I got to play in and it was so much fun playing. Oh and Bobby and I have developed another nickname ...Ben,  the director, calls us Hansel and Gretel...have no idea why but it stuck so I now respond to Kelly, Kel, Roll Tide, and Gretel....haha gotta love it.

Today is the last full day of camp and seems like it has just flown by. I have been trying to upload the pics from the pressure training session but my phone has been special lately but here are some pictures.

These kids have been working extremely hard this whole week and it has been so much fun watching them develop session by session.

Campers at Ohio

Hilarious...nice purple latex gloves Jess

Staffers right before we dominated in Star Wars....such a fun group!!

As far as my responsibilities for my internship it's just making everything is running smoothly, answering the camp phone, ordering pizza,being the airport shuttle, taking people to the hospital...anything and everything.

Hopefully my new phone will come in and I will be able to upload more pictures and videos but right now it's not working sorry.

Tomorrow camp ends and we will head out to PA in the budget...woo

"Roll Tide"

The past two days have been better adjusting to what our job will be like for the rest of the summer....answering the camp phone, running errands, hospital runs, words with friends, laughing, locking people in the budget truck, and making fun of me "roll tide"

Everyone has a bad impression of the south up here but they have it dead on when saying that the only thing most people in Alabama care about is football..so because of that and because they know I'm from Auburn they started saying Roll Tide after everything (like the commercial) and now they made a rule for the rest of the summer that whenever someone asks what the score is and its tied the answer will be "roll tide" and about 95% of these kids do not even know what means which I find hilarious (UofA people you are not the most important place in the world, sorry) so thats the story of Roll Tide.

So yesterday the campers trained three times, morning afternoon and night so basically they eat sleep and play soccer. What I have realized that this camp is very similar to pre season but actually include fun at times but definitely just as demanding as pre season....these kids still enjoy playing soccer and pay to come to a camp that will kick their butts but know that they will get better with it...pre season on the other hand people would pay to get out of training...these kids have such an awesome work rate and it's just encouraging to see that not all the kids are growing up to be obese and inactive.  Watching them makes me miss working hard and feeling good after a good soccer workout especially whne you are at a camp with unfamiliar faces they are all still diving after balls and giving it all they have. Today's morning session was by far the hardest session...they call it pressure training and what it is this....(video will be up in a few hours) now just imagine doing this plus 6 more exercises like this with people screaming at you encouraging you and pushing you to work harder and harder...it was awesome to watch....This is what I miss about playing

I also had to take a little camper to the hospital to get x-rays which was not a very fun experience but it all went smoothly and nothing is seriously wrong.  After the emergency room I attempted to argue with the verizon guys at the store becasue my phone has been messing up big time so hopefully my new phone will be in by tomorrow before we leave on friday afternoon for PA!

I will leave you with some funny stories to end on a good note...we were at training this morning and the staff thought it would be funny to lock me in the back of the budget truck for five min.

Every day the staff guesses how much a certain amount of food the cafeteria makes each day...tonights was french fries (100lbs a day) yesterday was chicken and it was 500lbs i think....and the day before it was hot dogs 600lbs i think...closest winner that doesn't go too high wins a milkshake.

And also the game words with friends has become a big hit...everyone on the staff is playing everyone else and while waiting on the campers we have been caught sitting in the lobby, no talking, and everyone playing words with friends!

Have a wonderful day!

KELLABAMA

So I'm the only person up here from the "south"...I don't include Texas as the south and have gotten a lot of "crap/tease" for it already

ex. Do you guys even know what that is in alabama?

me: No we don't have electricity...we pump our own water...and we ride to school in buggies

Put some duck tape on it...you're a pro at that since you are from alabama

I learned today that there are technically rednecks up north but they are called hoosiers apparently

But so far so good...I've loved it here so far minus a few little bumps in the road

The past two days have worn me out but I really have enjoyed being out here...PS I'm in Deleware, Ohio at Ohio Weslyean University and were staying in dorms

But I do get my own room...the other bed just has all my clothes on it!

Yes those are 101 dalmation sheets

and I'm staying in the RA room so my room is much bigger and has it's own shower so that has been nice for me.  There are two other camps going on at the same time as SoccerPlus....there is a Lacrosse Camp with a million little boys running around everywhere...they all look and act like my brother...super fratty and high nike socks with flat bills and ...you know the jist...and then the other camp is a camp for twirlers and they are DRAMATIC! they made signs and put them up in our halls to stay off halls 2 and 3 because that is where they are staying andwere not allowed...blah blah blah

Funny story about the twilrers(baton/majorettes)

Registration was on Sunday and Lisa one of the soccerplus staff started all of this....we would all go up to a little Lacross boy and ask "Oh are you here for the twirling camp?" They would look at us funny and walk away feeling really and embarassed and she would say "yea me either" probably have to be there for this story to be funny because the faces of these kids were priceless

Another story that is ridiculous/gross is our campers, we only have 38, so it's a small camp are all on floors 4 and 5 so we have to take the hike up and down the stairs and this morning I think (but not sure who it was) one of the soccer players after breakfast threw up on the 3rd floor(twirlers floor) stairway...no one picked/or cleaned it up until after  lunch so it sat there for at least 4 1/2 hours and everyone just hopped over it!

Since camp has started Bobby (the other intern) and I have just been running errands, being the photographer, getting water, runnign more errands, answering phones, getting pizza, getting whistles at walmart, coordinating with others to make sure everything is set and in orger and running smoothly...so were kinda the glue but this camp is so small compared to the others that this is a nice "chill" week for Bobby and I to get adjusted and accomodated. So even though it's been crazy at sometimes we have always been able to resolve the issue and everything is good to go.

We bargained Marco's pizza down to 6.50/lg pizza and were able to take orders for the kids tonight for their "4th meal" since we eat dinner at 445 everyday so around 9 10 the kids are starving after three hard training sessions in one day.

 BTW's I got to scrimmage yesterday and I was rusty but it was so much fun...I forgot what it was like to just play for fun and not have any worries if you are going to get yanked from the field for making one mistake so that was a good memory to relive...good ole camp days when everyone was there because they loved soccer and wanted to get better.

Well I'm out for tonight!

BUDGET

So the past few days have been very hectic and I have no time to blog...so sorry (i know this is what you live for everyday :) sike) Anyways so the past events that have happened were

1)Driving the budget van 12 hours from Wethersfield Conneticuit to Deleware Ohio

2) Beginning of Camp

But I need to be brief because I have a session coming up in a little that I need to go to. So after unpacking half my suitcase and leaving it in a box at the DiCicco's house I'm all packed up and ready to go.

Drew and I load the Budget Van and head west for Deleware after a few glitches and many laughs we eventually find a Radio Shack to get an aux cord so we can Jam to an ipod instead of the radio.

The drive was long but entertaining we shared a few laughs and good stories about life...then we stopped at a random rest stop in Intercourse Pennsylvania...yikes this place was hilarious ( i should have taken a pic) and now it was my turn to drive so 30 minutes in mother nature decides to give me a true test when it begins to terrential downpour and there is construction driving thru skinny little lanes with concrete walls on both sides...scary! But 12 hours later we make it to Deleware meet some of the staffers and head to bed.

We got to sleep in yesterday because camp didn't start till 3 (check in) so we just made sure everything was set for registration....it ran smoothly and campers checked in and it was time to hit the ground running after we set up the field talked to the campers and sent their parents away we eat dinner, which I must say is pretty dang good(might beat Samfords cafeteria) we head to training session where Bobby (the other intern with me) fill up the water jugs and actually get to scrimmage at the end with  the keepers which was awesome/embarrassing bc I have not played soccer in forever....anyways we come back shower and they head to meetings while I attempted to get on here and blog but failed so end up hanging out and watching the NBA finals and "chillin" (yes Amy no G just for you)

This morning I decided to wake up for breakfast which I guess as an admin intern I don't really have to do and have less responsibility in a way bcs staff takes care of the kids but I decided to go anyways and find one of our campers sick instead so I go help her out and get our trainer and figure out the situation..finally get some food and coffee and now were on to the next training session.

The staff is awesome and so fun..it's a small camp so it's a small staff but so far so good...everyone gets along and its been quite an experience and just adjusting to the tasks that I need to do so I must run but until next time....

I will try and posts some pics later on today!

LOVE LOVE

Life in the Fast Lane

This past week has had its ups and downs but has definitely been an awesome experience, I've learned so much and have buitl relationships with so many amazing people.  Tomorrow I leave for the beginning of my Tour (all the different camps that I will be interning at) here is the link  of all the places I will be traveling to this summer. PLEASE let me know If you will be anywhere close and I would love for yall to come stop and visit or grab dinner or something!!!

I'm really excited but still nervous about the whole situation...I was talking with someone today how I just wish I was more confident in my answers, which I know will come once I become more adjusted because right now everything is still new to me. Thank goodness I came up a week early so I have a little bit of an idea as to what I will be doing. So please pray for me as I continue on my trek all over the US!!!

So I didn't blog yesterday because I got caught up watching the NBA finals(which by the way Dierk Nowitzki looks identical to the beast in Beauty in the Beast when the Beast turns human....look it up if you don't believe me!) and then fell asleep so I will have to catch you up on the yesterday and today.

Once again I woke up yesterday with not a clue as to what I was supposed to do for the day, which is kinda of fun and exciting but also nice to know to have an idea...I finally am picked by Anthony and we stop at a produce stand because they have a lot of those here and SERIOUSLY HANDS DOWN had the best strawberry of my life yesterday...

DELICIOUSNESS

We then ran a few errands and then it was my duty to pick up Drew (another DiCicco brother) from the airport, get gas (which I on accident probably bought the most expensive gas ever.whoops), and then find a place to replace his car battery. DONE AND DONE....I found the airport withouth getting lost (1st time for me...pat on the back) then got the battery replaced and found my way back to the office after getting subway (again without getting lost)....after being at the office for a few hours and helping out with some paperwork I go to the post office (This time I didn't even need my GPS) shockerr...I'm learning (if you haven't caught on now my sense of direction is AWFUL..

A bad storm is the next event that happens that day....it was pretty bad too



YIkes

I think the coolest part about about the story was the offices had a tin roof so It was really neat to listen to the rain hitting the roof...as long as the leaks didn't make a puddle on my head.
Drew and I then ran some errands and drove home in the storm after seeing multiple trees snapped and in the middle of peoples houses. Guess I'm just bringing the bad weather up here...Sorry! :)
When we get to the house my crazy but awesome Mom sent her famous blueberry muffins in a package to the house...excited is an understatement because I have been talking up these muffins up to everyone here! 



Heaven in your mouth



That's what I called my dinner...so since I ate that I had to give it time to digest aka procrastinate until this crazy workout called insanity I attempt to do everyday...I see these faces every day on my computer screen (Shanti and his followers)



One day I will look like this....haha one day

I think the things that motivates me the most to do this workout or to get it over with is homegirl on the right...asian girl with her hair half up half down...for some reason she annoys me so much so I always just try and beat her...I dunno if it's the facial expressions she makes or what but it drives me crazy!

So after that and watching what my mom calls trash(Real Housewives of New York City...season finale in Morocco...hysterical) I watch the NBA finals with Drew and Mrs. Diane and then hit the bed. Drew (middle DiCicco brother)is one of the guys I'm driving to Ohio with tomorrow, he's in charge of the field player academies for soccer plus...and also going on the journey of driving from Indiana to San Diego in a few weeks...we chatted about the trip and all the fun things we have planned.

This morning I was able to sleep in and then head to the office with Nick (youngest DiCicco, 19) and work on things around the office and get everything ready for leaving tomorrow.
 I can't believe this is actually happening and I'm going to be making my trek tomorrow in a Budget van! woohooo
Oh and for those that want to see pictures of where I've been working this week...here ya go!



I have no idea how to rotate but check out the jersey in the back



Big time trophies..World Cup ones you know no big deal



This guy was actually my soccerplus coach when I went to camp in 5th grade

And this is Bryson, Anthony's yellow english lab....he's awesome...this is my replacement for Jack this summer!


Well Next Time I Blog I will be in Deleware, Ohio in a dorm room....wooooooo

Peace and Blessings

LIGHTS OUT

June 8, 2011

8:45 am wake up call from Anthony (my boss)saying...I'm on the way be there in 15 minutes were going to a business meeting so dress nice...WHAT! I mean I'm not the type of girl that takes a million hours to get ready...but 15 minutes to brush my teeth eat breakfast straighten my hair makeup and pick out something to wear YIKES...Like a Champ I made it work but i only got to have one bite of my Cocoa Puffs, which for those who know me know that these are my favorite!

So as were on our way to the meeting i get the coffees while he gets the packets printed off at Kinko's and were on our way. I'm not really sure as to what was going to happen with this meeting but I just went into it with an open mind.

So we pull up to star hill which is a work out center with a pool weights spinning classes top of the art stuff but the most important was the indoor soccer fields (the bubble)

and basically try and work out a business proposal for soccerplus to call this home for a certain section of their club program (9 10 11 and 12 year olds) since the indoor facility is crucial during the winter especially up here where it gets freezing! But it was a really interesting conversation to sit in on. I didn't speak much but I thought the whole process of how everything went down was pretty exciting and glad I was able to experience it.

Star Hill

After the meeting we went and grabbed lunch at this amazing burger place

Then went into the office for a few hours and then was able to help out coach for a few hours tonight with 5 6 and 7 year olds it was a lot of fun!

So the rest of the night has been a typical "kelly" night...I plop down on the couch and decided to watch the movie "Taken" bcs it was on and thought it was a good movie...so after I did Insanity during the movie and lay down on the couch for a little longer I hear these huge booms and realize it's thunder...I also realize I am the only one home and my phone is about to die and there are no candles or flashlights to be found anywhere...awesome so NATURALLY i jump in the shower after the power flickers back on (even though I thought I was going to get struck by lightning the whole time I was in there) but no worries everyone I'm still alive :)

Oh also something I find crazy up here in the North is they think it's really hot right now...like so hot to let kids out of school early....so hot to announce on the news to stay indoors and stay hydrated and stock up on water...I just laugh enjoy the hot weather and say this is nothing compared to sweet home alabama. WUSSIES!

EXCITING NEWS: SHOUT OUT TO THE DREW LEACHMAN FOR BEING DRAFTED BY THE MINNESOTA TWINS TODAY!

Living With a Legend

I think it hit me today...I realized this is real life...I will be away from my friends and family for the longest time I think ever to be apart. But I know there will be plenty of opportunities to meet new people to call my temporarily family and to make new friends while I am on my "tour" of soccerplus camps.

Today I woke up (oh p.s the place I sleep is down in the basement, we call it the cave and it's pitch black dark when I turn the lights off bcs there are no windows so I could sleep for daysss in the CAVE) and had no idea what the plan was but just decided to roll with it...found Nick and Drew upstairs eating breakfast and after running a few errands we go to the office to begin helping out with more phone calls and getting organized for the camps. Today was pretty stressful/overwhelming for me because I'm new and do not know where anything is or what means what...and I hate asking a million questions to others when they look busy and seem like the questions I ask are so easy to figure out as if I should know that already....after sucking it up and tip toeing into some offices and asking for some help I get started on filling out all the packets and checklists for all the camps this summer...PTL Elyse (a worker still in high school that knew everything) came in and helped me till Nick and I had to take Drew to the airport.  By this time its 430 so we just go home and eat some leftover DELICIOUS birthday cake and talk about playing soccer in college. Then Mr. and Mrs. DiCicco come home with dinner and we all sit down and have a nice family (i like to think I'm part of this awesome family for this week) dinner. It still hasn't really set in that I get to sit across the table from this man that I have looked up to in soccer for so long...and he's so down to earth and chill it's surreal.

After dinner we all just sit around talking about his previous game and chat about every day normal life. He asked what kind of player I was...i said a girl that thinks she is 10ft tall but really is the shortest girl on the field but thinks she can win every single air ball and slide tackle every single ball...he laughed

After watching spice world then the sandlot while doing insanity at the same time (multitasking doesn't really work on those 2)

I went upstairs and watched the US Canada Game where Dempsey scored a sickkk goal. I couldn't help but think I am watching this game with the best Coach ever and he knows all these people playing...I was just waiting for some commentator to say something about him and I could be like I'm sitting on the same couch as him right now!!!

He has been such a huge person to look up to when it comes to soccer.

I think my mom is the most jealous of my internship this summer...she calls and texts me I dunno how many times a day (I love it of course) and I think she is even baking her famous blueberry muffins because she thinks she is so special (haha just kidding mom..get those muffins up here asap)

In the end I just want to shout out to Linda she is going thru chemo treatment right now and has been so strong thru it and she is such a special woman in my life.  my aunt mary (great grea aunty) who passed away earlier this year and Linda (her daughter)

Linda(far left) Me, Grams, Amy, Aunt Mary (right of amy)

 have spent every single christmas with us with us since I can remember and the Shaffer family has so many special memories of both of them. Please keep her in your prayers and pray for strenght and healing as she goes thru this extremely difficult time. (Linda if you read this, I think about you everyday and love you so much :) stay strong)

Peace and Blessings!

Christmas in June?

The past two days have been CRAZY...gosh I have so much to update you people on.

So last time I blogged I was at the US Spain game...well after a good 11 hours of sleep and a lot of down time yesterday it was time for dinner. The whole DiCicco family came home we celebrated one of the boys birthdays with cake and hilarious old birthday songs we watch the Boston Breakers  take on the magicJacks. Tony DiCicco Coaches the Breakers so their whole family sat around screaming at the television during the game.

BOSTON BREAKERS

By the end of the game Mrs. Diane gets a call from Tony realizing that she had his keys, so he was stuck in Boston without keys (Boston is 1 1/2 hours from where we are) so NATURALLY Anthony goes Kel this is your first duty...go pick up my dad (you know THE Tony DiCicco) in Boston...I was about to pass out. Turns our Mrs. Diane and I drive down there together and we pick him up and are home by 1. Woooo mission 1 accomplished.

THE NEXT DAY....

JUNE 6,2011

i get up around 830 to drive Mrs Diane to her car go look at their new house by the water and drive to go meet Anthony to chat about my internship and goals I want to set for my internship and life. It was a little intimidating conversation because he put me on the spot about a lot of questions but it made me realize that this is what I need...these are the questions i need to sit down and think about. The main one he asked was what do you want to do after college..where do you want to be and who do you want to work with...and while they are tough questions I need to start thinking about them and get something out of the internship not just go thru the motions and think...yea this is a good internship....but actually find something I enjoy and go after it!!Wooo got me pumped up

Then we head into the SoccerPlus office...here is the website of all the information if you want to look at where I will be going this summer and what i will be doing.I also have an e-mail if you want to e-mail me!! I get in meet some more staff and then get to work calling campers filling out forms..I have a nifty little head set to answer phones it's hilarious I will find a picture soon. My desk is hilarious to see me maneuver into but it's great! So after being at the office for several hours Shawn (one of the administrators) are suppose to go evaluate a U-12 girls tryout so before we leave they hand me all my gear.  And when I was told I was getting some shirts and stuff I thought okay I still need to bring some other stuff....SIKE...I can basically send my whole suitcase back home with all the gear I got today

CHRISTMAS CAME EARLY...THANKS SANTA

I mean this is better than Christmas!!! I went shopping and didn't even have to pick anything out....now I don't have to worry about what I'm going to wear the next day...hoooray!  So after the tryouts Shawn and I picked up some subway and he drops me off at the house and I'm pooped out but not too much to catch the end of the Bacherlorette...my boy William is going all the way (haters!)

beautiful...he will win

LOVE

and now to end the longest blog I will probably ever do...this is what I miss the most

FAMILY


OH AND FOR THOSE OF YALL THAT APPRECIATE SOCCER CHECK THESE PICS OUT THAT I GET TO SLEEP NEXT TO

Is this real life?



NBD just the World cup Medal for the 99 world cup

WELL UNTIL NEXT TIME

PEACE AND BLESSINGS LOVERS :)