Monday, December 7, 2009

Mega Update





So this whole blogging every day thing just really bit the big one but I feel it is necessary to do a mega update as to how life is going and everything. Most importantly we are officially halfway through season and have a record of 9-0! It is nice to be in first place and then we have this break to re-group and get our energy up for the next half of season so that we can finish 18-0.
About two weeks ago we had a free weekend so Shelley and I decided to take a trip to Berlin, Germany. It had just been the 20 year anniversary of the Berlin Wall coming down so after seeing all the documentaries on tv we spur of the moment booked a bus and hostel and went out there. It was amazing! A vacation is usually seen as relaxing and not super fast paced so we will not label this trip as that. We were constantly on the move. There was so much we wanted to see in the 2.5 days we were there so there was no time for rest. Our first night there we got in around 3pm, went straight to the hostel to drop off our stuff, and then set out to explore the city. Walking and walking and walking was all that we did. We saw everything by foot which was awesome. The city is beautiful with a ton of history and I felt privileged to be there. I saw the Brandenburg Gate, Reichstag, Nazi headquarters, where the Gustapo was located, Sauchsenhausen Concentration Camp, the place where Hitler's Bunker was, where the wall ran through the town, and much much more. All the history was so much to take in.
After our trip I realized how much there is out there for me to explore. I am looking forward to booking another trip when I find out when our next weekend will be. I am thinking maybe LONDON?! haha.
In 11 days my family is coming out to see me so as you can probably imagine I AM STOKED! They will be here the 18th-31st and tears come to my eyes just thinking about having them here with me. I am not so much homesick in the sens that I am sad and unhappy but I am more family and friend sick in that I miss seeing those people every day and being able to hug them whenever I want. Them being here will be such a nice breath of fresh air and support I need during the holiday season.
Life is great out here. I am integrating well and have made some wonderful friends. I am truly blessed for such an experience and am so thankful for the talents I was given. I know I have said it before and not held up to my end of the bargain but I PROMISE, I will update more regularly...not everyday...but more frequently than this 3 week period of no updates!
I hope everybody at home in CALI is doing well and that you are all enjoying the holiday season. Miss you all.

Sov Godt
KNUS og KYS *Hug and Kiss
Britt

Saturday, November 14, 2009

Wednesday, November 11, 2009

Preparing again

We Won! Sunday's game was a nail biter, we won in the 5th set 17-15. Barely squeaked that one out, but we were definitely the better team, just didn't play up to our full potential. With that being said, we are still tied for 1st place with the teams that we will play Saturday, and then Tuesday. The three of us are all tied and they are must wins for us so that we go to Elite division next year. I PROMISE to update about those games right after they are played so that I don't keep the guessing game up hahah (sorry).
Today I went and visited Casper's school again because his students have been asking me to come visit everyday since the last time. It was nice being there all day and helping them in the classroom. Kids are seriously the best and always a million laughs. I had a blast and it was a nice day out and about.
Things are going very well out here on the home front. The weather is getting cold, everyday, whether it be in the morning, afternoon, or evening, you can see your breath in the air. I think I am adjusting to it though considering I am alright in a sweatshirt, jeans, and tank top, but much better if i have a jacket also hahah. Oh jeez, it's going to be a fun time with the CALI family comes out to visit and we look like snow-men walking around bundled up hahaha. I can't wait to see them. I am really looking forward to their visit, and it's about time to see some familiar faces and feel those family hugs! Can you tell I miss them a little bit?
I look forward to this weekends game and I am starting to mentally focus. Wish us luck! Hope all is well with you all and I will update soon.

Sov Godt,
Knus,
Britt

Thursday, November 5, 2009

Sunday

We lost in 3...got pretty much owned. But that is the past and we must look forward to Sunday which is our next league game (we are undefeated in league still). Keep your fingers crossed...maybe even say a little prayer for the team and that we get our stuff together!

Sov Godt,
Knus
Britt

Tuesday, November 3, 2009

2 days away....

hahhha my look of intelligence/ the look i give people all the time
Normal look. Thanks Auntie for the head band...it's cold out here and it comes in handy for sure!
All of us at dinner (don't judge me, I was super sick therefore I'm allowed to look terrible)
Marcus with his beautiful pumpkin
Andreas with his finished product (Marcus looking on)
Too weak and sick to cut through the frozen pumpkin
Helping Marcus get the guts out
Yes, in two days we have the biggest game against Brøndby that we have played thus far in the quarter finals of the Polkacup. I cannot wait! Thinking about winning and the giant victory is such an inspiration that I will have it no other way, and I know my teammates feel the same.
Last Friday, Shelley and myself were invited up to Jesper and Anne's(the assistant coach and his wife who live above us) to carve pumpkins with them and their two boys and have dinner. Even though I was feeling like complete crud, it was so much fun teaching them about our holiday and how to carve pumpkins. I had Marcus, their youngest son, on my lap drawing the face on the pumpkin and cutting it and Andreas, their oldest son, doing his on his own. I had so much fun. Then, Anne prepared an amazing meal for us and it consisted of pork, broccoli salad, red cabbage salad, potatoes, and candied potatoes. I was so mad that I couldn't eat it all because of my super sore throat but it tasted amazing and made me remember what Mom's home cooking tastes like. For dessert, they make this rice pudding type dessert with a special kind of rice, cream, vanilla, sugar, and almonds. It was delicious. In the dessert they chop up almonds and leave 1 whole almond in it. Whoever comes up with the whole almond receives a present. I WON! ahhaha. It is a traditional Christmas dessert and therefore the presents weren't relevant in this case but that is how it goes down.
The weekend, Saturday and Sunday, was pretty low key and was time for me to recover. Since the doctor made it official I had Strep Throat this Penicillin has been helping so much and I am getting better. Monday I was no allowed to practice that much, doctor and coach's orders but today I went all out. I had a good practice and the team is geared up for Thursday. WE CANNOT WAIT!
Please wish us luck as we go into battle on Thursday and that we come out with another VICTORY! HOLLA!
Sov Godt
Knus,
Britt

Saturday, October 31, 2009

High Maintenance

I've been the child that has always had to go to the doctor for little things and as my dad puts it, "I'm the broken one" out of the 3 of his kids hahha. To remain consistent in my ways, I went to the doctor again, after my visit on Wednesday which yielded no results, and found out today that indeed I do have Strep Throat! yay! I was actually relieved to find out that there were positive results so that I am able to get started on my antibiotics and feel healthy.
We had the local television station out at our practice on Thursday to film and interview coach Lars, Shelley, and myself. He stayed the entire practice video-taping and then interviewed us separately. It was so exciting to see how much attention our club is getting because we have been winning and making a name for ourselves! The news, with our part being covered, airs on Sunday and I am going to try and record it on my camera (I'll keep my fingers crossed that it works).
Now onto the big news, November 5th is going to be a huge day. We have our next cup game against the 3rd ranked team in all of Denmark, Bronby. I have been able to focus on nothing but this game and I cannot wait. I want to demolish them and show them how the under-dogs come up from the bottom to dominate. My mind is set on one thing and one thing only, a big VICTORY! HELL YA!

Sov Godt,
Knus
Britt

Tuesday, October 27, 2009

undskyld

Rossi, the dog I am house sitting/ dog sitting. He only understand Danish----it's been a struggle and he owns me these days hahha.

Oh the sore throat from hell. Yes that is painful

Karina, Shelley, Me, Sandie

I learned how to French Braid my own hair...I was so proud I had to take a picture!

On our way out
The step class
Kids are told to take their shoes off before going into the classroom so that they don't get it too dirty.

The title of my post means "sorry"/"excuse me" in Danish. I am sorry for not keeping up to date on my posts and it will not happen again (I hope) lol.
I have so much that I have done this past week and a half that I must update all about. First, and most importantly, we won our game on Saturday thus putting us at 5-0 and 1st in our league. Our next big, and I mean HUGE, game is on November 5. This is against the 2nd ranked team in all of Denmark and it is at home so we have been trying to recruit people to come to our game. It is going to be super exciting. In addition, we have been house-sitting and dog watching for the past week and a half for some friends who are currently on vacation in Florida.
Last week I visited my teammate Line at her school where she teaches third and fourth grades. It was a short day for her and all she had was to teach physical education, a step class, to her 4th graders and mathematics to her 3rd graders. I walked in and they were so amazed to have an American in their class. Being that Brittany is not a very common name out here I was automatically associated with Britney Spears and asked to sing for the class. Keeping their well-being as my main priority I graciously declined for their benefit. The step class was so much fun to watch, I forget how awkward they are at that age and that coordination doesn't necessarily exist for all of them. A song came on that I new during their aerobic class and I started singing only to notice that one of the little girls was staring at me like I had the voice of an angel (I will tell Line to recommend her getting her hearing checked). After class this little girl walked up to Line and asked her to ask me to sing another song for her because she "LOVED' my voice so much! hahah. Kids, they are too sweet.
After that class it was time to go visit her third grade class. Here in Denmark the children start learning English in third grade so they were all able to tell me their names and how old they were. Then the questions started flowing in. They wanted to know my age, if I was married, if I had kids, my mom's name, my dad's name, if I had a dog, what shoe size I wore, if I liked soccer, and etc. One of the girls raised her hand and said in Danish, "I think Brittany is beautiful" and Line translated it and it reminded me of how sweet children are. I wanted to visit every day! hahaha.
When we finished up with Line's school we went and visited our friend Casper who is a teacher at a school about 10 minutes away. His students had been patiently anticipating my arrival and when I came they could hardly sit still. Casper had told them a little bit about me and that I love to laugh. When Line and I walked through the door they asked which one was the American and Casper said, the blond one lol and they knew right away it was me. Automatically I started laughing and one of the kids said, "You're right Casper, she does laugh alot" hahaha. It was cute. I went outside and joined in a game of American Football they asked me to play with them and the teams are tied so I was asked to come visit again to settle the game. When break was over we went back to the classroom where they were about to have their English lesson. It was so cute hearing them speak and learn English. One of the ways they do so is to sing songs and that day they were Singing Jason Mraz (which I got on film). When time was up and it was time for them to go home I saw them run outside and then swarm around me with a pieces of papers asking for my autograph. I was honored and it made me feel so incredible that they thought so highly of me.
It was amazing going to Line's and Casper's schools and visiting with the children. I have promised to go back soon, maybe in 2 weeks, and visit some more. The kids are so cute and very curious about how I live and what my life is like.
Aside from my school visits, after our game on Saturday we went with my teammate Sandie to her house in Nykobing for Saturday evening and Sunday. It was a ton of fun hanging out with her, her boyfriend Gilbert, his sister Karina, and their friend Gabriel. We ate dinner, laughed, told stories, and went to the disco. I had to call it an early night because of not feeling well, I have a TERRIBLE sore throat that hit me hard and heavy. I got a taxi and went back to her place to fall asleep and her and Shelley stayed out till 4am. It was nice spending time with Sandie and her friends because she is a great person.
I am so excited for our game on the 5th that it is all I can think about. It would be amazing to pull off this huge upset and shock the nation and really make more people talk about this club from Vordingborg that has come a long way. We are preparing hard and will give them a good fight, I-along with my teammates- am expecting a victory.

Sov Godt
Knus ,
Britt

Saturday, October 17, 2009

Big Game

WE WON! hahaha, that's all that needs to be said, we are still undefeated in League and we will continue to have tough matches leading up to our toughest on Nov. 5! Need to keep this Victory streak alive.

Sov Godt,
Knus(Hugs)
Britt

Thursday, October 15, 2009

Shopping

Shelley and I decided to venture out yesterday to Naestved by ourselves via the train in search for the indoor mall we had been hearing fantasy stories about haha. We woke up, showered, and were on our way with one goal in mind, SHOPPING! We got to Naestved and were given instructions by a friend that all we needed to do was get on Bus 2 and it would take us straight to the mall. We sat and waited for bus2 and when it came we jumped on. Sitting there before we took off we thought we'd better ask and make sure this was the right one. Thank God for that. We asked and were told we needed to take the OTHER bus 2 (what the heck there are two bus2's lol) so we sprinted off just in time because that bus literally closed its doors as soon as we exited it. The second Bus 2 arrived and Shelley and I jumped on and rode it out to the glorious destination of the indoor mall; I almost shed a tear because it was glorious to see so many shops with so many options!
At the mall I was immediately attracted to the H&M where I bought a new sweater, pants, and belt. I am so happy with the way my wardrobe is coming along. Wearing all of these winter clothes is new and fun. The mall was a great way of spending the day, we were there from 11-4pm!
When we came home we dropped off our stuff and headed over to Gwen and Hp's house for dinner. They invited us over for dinner to not only be generous and feed us (the people here are so sweet) but also to show us the ropes to their house because we will be housesitting and dog watching for the 2 weeks that they are going to be in Florida. We start our "house sitting/ dog watching" tomorrow and it should be fun.
We have a game this Saturday at 12 and it is a must win(well all of our games are like that but I guess every time I write about the upcoming one it will always say 'it's a must win'). I will update as soon as I can.

Sov Godt
Knus (Hugs)
Britt

Monday, October 12, 2009

Amazing SUP-plies!

I received an amazing surprise today of supplies from my Auntie! I was sitting on my couch, in my pjs at 3pm, reading for the classes I am taking online, when all of a sudden Jesper came down with a package. Neither Shelley or myself were expecting a package so it was a toss up in who it was for. When my name was called I damn near jumped out of the chair and tackled Jesper! My auntie sent me a package! Inside I found scarves (totally necessary since it is now an average of 37 degrees at night) gloves, pistachio nuts, plenty of gum, and footie socks/slippers that I have been dying to have made for me! She made my day! Thank you and love you oodles Auntie!

sov godt
Knus
Brittany

Sunday, October 11, 2009

Godt Morgen

OMG! had to put this up. This lady is selling roasted nuts with the cinnamon and other seasoning on it. My mom and I are always in heaven when we smell the fumes coming from such a contraption. It is a warming smell and one I wouldn't mind smelling over and over again lol. Ps....this is in Naestved
So, I woke up one morning with this cut on my face (look on my cheek). I was wondering, when will I grow up and stop having scrapes on my face. I have no idea how it got there, Shelley promised she didn't get mad and punch me hahha.
Shelley on the way to Naestved
Me on the way to Naestved to meet up with the Irishmen
This is the gym we played at in Copenhagen last weekend. This is the men's game that was going on when we arrived.

Godt Morgen (good morning)! I have a lot to update with since my last post since I was slacking and forgot to blog! This past week Shelley started working at the teacher's college in Haslev because they have a teacher there that wanted to use her knowledge in renewable energy and such in his classroom since he is teaching architecture and things like that. She was gone from 8-3 Tuesday-Thursday which meant I was by myself, my other American was leaving me hahhaa. I made sure to keep busy with walking around the town scoping things out for when my family comes to visit, working out, and getting things settled for when I start my classes on Monday (classes meaning at a JC in Cali so that I can stay on the health insurance program hahha).
We have been teaching these teen boys volleyball every Tuesday and Thursday at our gym because they play for the same club as we do. There are about 7 of them and they are actually good and seem love like having us as their coaches. I have coached girls before and now being able to coach boys it's nice to see the difference in their attitudes, confidence, skills, and coach ability.
Shelley came home from work one day with good news! She had set us up to meet with these two Irish guys who were exchange students at the college. They wanted to meet up in Naestved(the town about 30km from us) at an Irish pub. It was a Wednesday night and we weren't too sure how the life would be out there but everybody had told us Naestved is much bigger than Vordingborg and to go out there so we jumped at the opportunity. We took the train to meet up with Michael and Brian and hung out with them for about 3 hours before taking the train back home. They were so funny. It was refreshing being around these Irish guys not only because of their accents but they were laughing the entire time! Shelley did a nice job at finding us new friends especially of the opposite sex hahaha.
Thursday night, we had been told, was military night at the disco. Since the military base is at the end of our street and the disco is at the other end of the street we decided maybe we should go check out the scene and see these guys that are living so close to us haha. After practice we came home, showered, got ready, and were out of the house by 12am(ya that seems late but we didn't get home from practice until 1030pm and the disco is open till about 330 on Thursdays and 5am on Saturdays). We got to the disco and realized that it was going to be an interesting night, not only were we way over dressed, but we stuck out like sore thumbs being that we knew nobody there. I lead the way inside through all the military guys and 5 girls there at the time straight to the other side of the room so I could get a full look at the "fellas" in this place hahha. Both of us dressed up like we would if we were going out in Cali were in quite different attire than those who were in jeans and t-shirts at this place. We stood for a little while looking at them as they looked at us and assuming they knew right off the bat we were from another country. We decided it was time to get some drinks from the bar and as we are up there Shelley handed me my Coke Light (Diet Coke as we call it) and right away a guy comes up and starts speaking to me in Danish. I give him a glance and tell him English please and he asks why in the world we just bought our own drinks hahhaa. That was the beginning to it all. From that point on word traveled around that we were the Americans from California and a lot of them had seen us in the newspaper. It was funny watching them try and not let us talk to other guys because they wanted all of our attention and such. Shelley and I were loving every minute of it lol. They were all very nice and their English was good which made it easy to understand them. Some of them were only 19yrs old while others were 24yrs old so the age ranged vastly. In all it was a fun night and was a good experience and we were told we were REQUIRED to be there on Thursdays. Of course we told them only if we don't have a game on Friday, but we had no problem hanging out.
Speaking of volleyball, since that's what I'm out here for lol, we had a buy this weekend. Like I had mentioned previously we were trying to go on a trip somewhere but having to be back for practice on Monday and not having a lot of time to plan this we decided it wasn't the best idea and just to do stuff locally. We went with a teammate to Naestved again yesterday to go shopping. I was looking for boots, which I didn't find because my size is not a common thing to carry here and the stores that did have it I was too picky about. Instead, I found a dark grey leather jacket and black tank-top to wear under it. It was a successful day! hahaha. Afterwards, we met up with Line's(remember it's pronounced like Lina) friend Casper and went to watch his soccer game-he's injured so wasn't playing. It was sooooo damn cold! hahaha. Overall it was a good day and being out shopping was cool. I really like the town of Naestved with its downtown center and big church along with all the shops.
Last night Denmark played Sweden in soccer which is a HUGE occasion out here. We went to HP's house where Him and Pape were dressed in their national team jerseys and other garments to support their home country. It was funny to see them decked out with pride and also fun watching the game with them.
I am still having a blast here in Denmark. This week we really need to focus volleyball wise because our next 3 weeks are against tough teams and we MUST win! Miss you all at home and I will be sure ot keep you posted more frequently.

Hej Hej,
Knus(hugs)
Britt

Tuesday, October 6, 2009

Brittany Deen

So, I'm no Paula Deen in the kitchen, but let me tell you something....this taco meat I just made totally hit the spot and was SUPAH! It is nice to be in the apartment where I can cook my own food and actually do so, instead of eating out or living off of rice-cakes with peanut ahahha. I'm going to expand my horizons and try new things so be prepared for my new and mature taste-buds to come out haha.
We won our game in Copenhagen the other day in 3 straight. It was a good match but we need to work out our kinks and get things running smoothly again. Practice yesterday was cancelled because Lars, our coach was sick, so it gave everybody one more day to fire up for a great practice. Today, we had that GREAT practice. We upped our intensity and worked hard as a unit which was nice. I was happy with the overall outcome of practice today.
Shelley and I are deciding on whether or not we are able to leave the country this weekend because we don't have a match. Our options are; Paris, London, or Prague. We are still trying to work out all the details and we should be making our final decision tomorrow. If we don't go travelling we are going to go to the near-by towns with our teammates for a little bit of shopping and fun! Not much else to update with---I miss you all and will keep posting!

Sov Godt
Hugs and Kisses
Britt

Saturday, October 3, 2009

Game tomorrow

pic from in the forest
from the bike path leaving the harbor going towards the forest

oh the beautiful harbor!


It's been a little while since I have updated this thing, sorry about that! Things are going very well out here. The weather is changing, getting colder, and the leaves on the trees are changing colors and starting to fall! Looks like it's time to start bundling up! hahaha. I was so excited to see the sun this past week and took advantage of it by going for a bike ride to the harbor and then riding on a path along the water and then through the forest for a solid 3 hours. It was so beautiful. In the forest we came across some pheasants and I definitely chased them on my bike while gobbling like a turkey. Shelley thought it was hysterical and wishes she had it on camera, I thought it was totally normal hahah.

Last night we went to my teammate Line's house (pronounced Lina) and had a great time with her, her boyfriend Michael, her friend Casper and then myself and Shelley. We ate dinner and then played games and enjoyed each other's company. It was nice being around such cool and funny people and having a good time.


Today we came home from Line's house and hung out for a little while before going to watch the men's team play in Copenhagen. They had a rough game and were not gel-ling as a team so it was a bit painful to watch. But it was nice none-the-less and cool to hang out with them.

Tomorrow we have a match in Copenhagen ourselves at 7pm and it is a must win. I will update asap with the results. The best news this week came from my parents when they told me that they are coming out in December! I am sooo excited and can't wait!


Sov Godt

Hugs and Kisses
Britt

Tuesday, September 29, 2009

Pictures

I received some pictures from one of the guys in the club that was at our big home match and was taking photos of the team. Here they are!
setting the hitters!
Jump serve, some things get better with age.
Warming up

Today was a good day. We did a little bit of cleaning then I realized I needed to get out of the house and I talked Shelley into it as well. We both got dressed and went for an amazing bike ride. We ventured down to the harbor and then took a path we hadn't seen before and found out that it lead us to the forest. It was so cool!
Practice was good. We have one more on Thursday before our game on Sunday. Time to really start focusing so we can keep this winning streak alive!
SOV GODT
HUGS AND KISSES
BRITT

Monday, September 28, 2009

WOOO HOOOO!

With my box and my clothes that I was trying on
The new jacket, heels and hat that was sent in the box!

This morning, after sleeping about 20 hours yesterday, I woke up feeling better and like this cold I had caught was in its final stages. I put on my work out clothes and headed to the gym where I found the stair-stepper was fixed and I stepped like I had never stepped before. It was bound to be a great day, I was feeling better, stair-stepper worked for some cardio, had a good lift and on my way back from the gym I stopped at the market to pick up some dinner goods such as meat. Having bought everything I think I needed I walked home and that is when my day turned into amazing. I walked in the door and first thing Shelley said was, "I have something in here for you"! Just about knocking down the walls I came storming through the apartment to find my huge package my parents had sent me and I was expecting! My face lit up and I had equivalent feelings to those I get on Christmas. I opened that package and started going through everything with the biggest smile on my face! I now have clothes and a wardrobe, more than just my volleyball stuff and the two pairs of jeans I packed when I was on my way to Slovenia. My mom and dad sent me the best stuff and it literally made my day/week/year/life. Receiving this package from home put tears in my eyes and was just another reminder of how much my family really loves me hahha ;)! After taking everything out of the boxes I then proceeded to try it all on because that is my M.O. I AM SOOOO HAPPY ABOUT THIS PACKAGE!


This is it for now, and I am going to do some gardening in a little while, then after that going to practice. I'll update about those two later, but right now this package is simply all I need hahaha!




Hugs and Kisses


Britt

Sunday, September 27, 2009

Hej Hej!

Hej Everbody,
Not too much to update with besides another Win. We had our first league game so that was nice, much easier than Thursday's game. We traveled to the main land of Denmark which was about 2 hours away and played. I didn't play due to being sick and it not being that challenging of a game which was nice. I cheered my teammates on and they played very well. It was nice seeing everybody on the court especially those who did not get in during our game on Thursday. This week we have one game on Sunday, another league game, and that I am looking forward to. I am feeling soooo much better and will update more tomorrow! Miss you all!

Sov Godt,
hugs and kisses
Britt

Friday, September 25, 2009

Big Win!

Looking like I'm doing something!
Getting ready to warm up serving

Backset....see ya later blockers!
We pulled off a huge upset last night against the 4th ranked team in Denmark. They came into our gym expecting to use us as a practice and try different things out but ended up having to change their game plan and play for real volleyball. Little did they know, we can play better and we pulled off a big victory in 5 games. We won the first two, fell asleep for the next two, then came back and rallied for a win in the 5th. It was soooo cool to beat them when we are not even in the same division as them and they are nationally ranked 4th! HELL YA! It was a huge night for a sponsors and fans and we had a lot of people at our game with those blow up sticks that you beat together to make noise and one guy even brought a fog horn! I had so much fun! This was a great start to our season!
Hugs and Kisses
Britt


Wednesday, September 23, 2009

Game day

Oh Dramamine, you make my eyes heavy! lol
From left to right, Shelley, Susie, Sandi, Maiken, and me.....yes these women can drink. Proud to say, none are mine!

Yes that is me on the back of the motorcycle!



I should be asleep but instead I wanted to give a quick update. We have our first home game today! It is 1am right now and our game is at 8pm so no worries hahaha. I am stoked to play at home and beat this team, everybody is amped and we all have been looking forward to today! Yesterday, I went on a motorcycle ride! Yes, I got on the back of a motorcycle, it was fun but not something I have much desire to do again hahha. Anyways, time for me to go to bed so to make up for the lack of words I attached some pictures!


Sov Godt,
Hugs and Kisses
Britt

Tuesday, September 22, 2009

Busy B!

This past week has been busy but amazing at the same time. We arrived in Sweden at approximately 8pm after a 4 hr car ride. We ate a little bit of Thai food and then went to the school where we were going to sleep. Yes you read that correctly! We slept in a classroom. It was hysterical, I had so much fun. All 12 of us women, and our 2 coaches sleeping on blow up mattresses and having a great time. I definitely saw the openness of Europeans and embraced it. It was totally fine changing and walking around in your underwear in front of our male coaches and nobody thinks anything of it. It's a lot more relaxed of an atmosphere and I was having a great time. In the morning, Lars, my coach, woke us up by winding the blinds that made a shrieking noise and staring straight at me because he knew I was going to pop up and say a smart and funny comment. Sure enough I did and he died laughing! hahaha, it was his highlight of the day.
We played pretty well while being there but, as always, we could have done better (that is the mentality of an athlete---always looking to be better). The first day was our first time ever playing together and it was a little bit of a up and down until we found our groove. We held our own with the other teams but lost all of our matches (usually the score was 25-21 or around that). There were some men's teams there as well which was nice because it gave me something to look at and watch between our matches hahaha. The second day we played a lot better and ended up winning both of our matches and taking 5th out of 8 teams.
Yesterday, Shelley and I were taken to Tivoli in Copenhagen to see a huge concert (the European equivalent of the USA's Wango Tango). It was awesome! So much fun listening to the music and seeing performers from Denmark and even Kelly Rowland and Aqua. My first concert I had ever seen and it was BOMB! So in all, the past week has been quite eventful and busy. We have our first home match on Thursday which is exciting because we get to play in front of some of our friends and "family" out here.
For now, this is all I am able to update with but tomorrow I will leave you all with more! hahaha.

SOV GODT
hugs and kiss
BRITT

Friday, September 18, 2009

SupAH! happy!

We leave for Sweden today! Heck ya! Woke up this morning, took the pictures of the apartment like I promised to do, went for a run and worked out, and now I am packed and ready to leave in two hours for our first tournament in Sweden! I can't wait to finally play in our first tournament and see how our team does against the Elite level teams from Sweden and Norway. Vordingborg VK is going to represent and everybody is looking forward to good competition. After volleyball games it is normal to shake hands and say "good game" to each player as you are high fiving....here in Denmark we do the same high fiving but say something that sounds like "tak for compin" (thanks for competing). The spelling is probably terribly wrong but it is hooked on phonics version of Danish for me hahaha.
Anyways, I can't wait to hit the road and get into Sweden. I won't have a computer with me so next update will not be till Sunday or Monday. Until then, here are some pictures of the apartment and one of me to show you my excitement! Root for VordingborgVK!


Godt Morgen (good morning)
Hugs and Kisses

Britt


The view from outside...That is our door leading to our apartment.
Closer picture of the entrance
The toilet area...yes dad it is clean!
Our Kitchen! The stove is actually going to be replaced with a new one this weekend. It is nice and roomy and lots of space in there.
My side of the bedroom, cute pink comforter and look at that, my bed was made (kinda) hahhaa
View from the couch to the beds, Shelley and I are divided on our sides by a bookshelf that we turned into a closet
View from my bed in the living room. Huge couch, brand new closet in ther corner, and our very on tele (television)
view from the kitchen into the living room. Pretty cool set up
Me, fresh out of the shower and SUPAH! excited for the weekend!

Thursday, September 17, 2009

getting ready for sweden

Our apartment is coming together and we are so excited. It is sooo nice living close to everthing, practice is a maximum 5 minute walk away, the stores are a 5 minute walk the other direction, we can ride our bikes around the town in 20minutes, and the best part is, the military base is at the end of our street so we see the guys! lol. It's been awesome to wake up and be in our new town and know that our lives are getting started here in Denmark! Today we biked to some stores and to the fitness center to get a work out in. Having the whole center to ourselves we blasted the stereo and pumped some iron. I am so fortunate for this opportunity and as I was riding my bike home I realized just how blessed I am.
We had a really good practice tonight and everybody is gearing up for our Sweden Tournament. We leave tomorrow with a 5 hour drive ahead of us and play on Saturday and Sunday. I am stoked on life to finally play some games and I know my teammates are ready to play also! In all, everything is going super duper over here and I am LOVING it! I will try and post some pictures tomorrow of our apartment and then more when I get back from Sweden!

Sov Godt
Hugs and Kisses
Britt

Sunday, September 13, 2009

Thursday, September 10, 2009

Whoa

the world's only thatched roof castle
The main castle portion
Standing on the rocks at Morn
With Sven walking on the beach at his beach house
Too much DRAMAMINE! this is the result
We stopped on a small island while sailing to eat lunch and walk around...this is the inside of the church!
Clearly Sven has not spoken with my dad....he is not intune with my driving record...if he had known i don't think he would've let me drive the boat!
Had to try on my life-vest...I was pointed out as the troublesome new daughter that Sven and Lene adopted...they had to keep their eye on me.
Shelley, myself, and Lene

These past two days have been amazing! I am so exhausted right now (being that it is 12am on Friday and I just got out of the shower from practice and our two day escape with Sven and his wife Lene) so I will keep this one brief and update more tomorrow. Wednesday morning, Sven and his wife Lene picked Shelley and I up and took us to their beach house about an hour away. It is BEAUTIFUL. We were told to pack up our bags with enough stuff because we were going to stay there with them until Thursday and would not return home until after practice. It was soooo nice to be around these fun-loving people who treated us like their own children. Wednesday as soon as we got to Mon (pronounce mourn with an urn like murn) we went grocery shopping and then to the beach house. Needing to take advantage of the weather we decided it would be a great day for sailing so Sven and Lene took us to their sailboat (which was awesome) and we set sail. Being well prepared, I took one dramamine as soon as I got to the beach house! I was a true sailor that day, had an amazing time and no sea-sickness. Only problem was, I took the second dramamine just to be careful and it knocked me out, I slept the whole second half on the bow of the ship lol (between the sunshine, wind, and carefree feeling--plus extra help of DRAMAMINE I was OUT)! What a life, sailing and then the beach house! I will save the rest of the trip for tomorrow's post but just be assured that it was a tremendous amount of fun and I have been adopted as their daughter while here hahaha!

Sov Godt
Hugs and Kisses
Britt