Category Archives: Italy

From home to Rome…

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Vatican Rome Italy
Rome Italy

My first day in Italy

Here is a little status update, after a few adjustments from the airport to my destination I have ma

de it safely. For the next two nights I’ll be staying in a guest house in the Vatican City.

I am pretty excited just for that in itself. Maybe I’ve watched a few too many movies with Tom Hanks?

Vatican Rome Italy

Before I even dropped my bags, pumped to be here in Italy.

The last time I was in Rome I was eighteen years old, so roughly ten years ago, I came on my high school senior trip and loved it. After it was all done I had the intentions of returning one day, I just wasn’t sure

when. So here I am now,  walking around the Vatican City soaking it all in. I’m going to out and search for some epic Italian food. Who’s in to join?

 

 

Landing in Rome. Sit, sip and savor the moments

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espresso Rome Airport

sit, sip, savor,

landing in rome italy

Landing in Rome, Italy

Walked off the airplane into the heat of summer, down to the baggage claim and gathered my bags, then mysteriously walked to the customs checkpoint waited in line, they looked at my passport then waived me on without a stamp. Wait, what the heck man? I want a stamp. This could be bad, that means they won’t know when I arrived? It’s not really my fault is it that they didn’t stamp me, and just waived me through. Perhaps it’s the new passport? I am pretty sure if the government wanted to know my whereabouts they could trace my whereabouts. Correct? Well if it’s a problem later down the road I hope I don’t sweat too much.

So here I am, Rome, an epicenter of Europe, or so they say. The first thing I noticed was that people love coffee shops, and espresso here is delicious. So like most of my travels, once I get somewhere I like to just sit and soak up the environment and gather myself. After all it was a pretty long flight over here. So I found a cafe in the airport. I found a seat and ordered from the waiter a double espresso.

As I sat there I smiled and looked around. I made it. So now what? Well I toast to you Drew and all my p about my choice to pick up and take a leap of faith. As I sipped me espresso and looked around the airport at all the international travelers I said aloud this is going to be some journey. Cheers to life.

Tour de Europe August 2011 Personal Stats

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I’ve been asked a few times if I am ready for European volleyball tryouts and if I’m euro fit? I’m not really sure about the term “Euro Fit” part but I may be able to just give my own personal stats and how I feel right now in August of 2011.

So to answer that question I think you could have many answers depending on who you are talking to. For me I think it has a lot to do with both mind and matter. Mostly something a player named Billy Allen told me back in 2001 from my first years of college at California State University, Northridge, He would say when times were tough “Mind over matter, matters most”

So the Mind and the matter: I am 6’6.5″ / just over 2 meters tall and currently weighing 205 lbs. I feel that I am in the best shape of my life, I feel lean, clean and a programmed machine ready to take on tryouts. In the past year I’ve taken on a new diet plan that has prepared me for a healthier life. At the age of 29, going on the BIG 30 in early September 2011, I have striven to be the healthiest that I have ever been in my life. This including from when I was 18 years old all the way through college athletics and beyond. This year has been a sacred year for me to focus, I hope that the next couple years I’ll be able to peak out my conditioning and really turn up the heat. Current status:

  • Age 29.
  • Height 6’6.5
  • Weight 205lbs
  • Standing Jump 33”
  • Step Jump 36”
  • Standing Reach 8’2”