tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-50543481107971237722024-03-14T02:00:09.550-07:00The Story of a GirlNicole Kornethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12752896360950497403noreply@blogger.comBlogger26125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5054348110797123772.post-38371389097139537712023-06-05T08:46:00.015-07:002023-06-05T19:18:59.580-07:00The Sisterhood of the Traveling Jerseys<p><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 11px;">It all started underneath the twinkling lights of the Four Seasons cabana.</span></p>
<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 11px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 12px;">And by that I mean the 3am blinding lights of the Ft. Lauderdale airport.</p>
<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 11px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 12px;"><br /></p>
<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 11px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">Perhaps I’ve jumped along too far in my narrative and will have to backtrack quite a bit until we end up there, but I had to set the mood.</p><p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 11px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><br /></p><p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 11px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">Game 4 of the Eastern Conference Finals finally ended with a W, and my sister-in-law and I needed a place to sleep before we made the trek back to Boston.</p><p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 11px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYEd3cP_xWX75TRRt9_-PdakcSJzXgqI3Es1sVP10VhUEGS4xDyGxCOxe4IJqf6gpLXOuNnk4RixZ3A7VUXvp2kY5hUqENFWMKXJ0i79e3UMMqNnjWbdVK9IH3PJE7DDm1q5HXI4VVjnZoJBnwyBNThEO4eW-ck7FF5AJ-hrzfel3Duc2bdnJWccdo/s1080/thumbnail-15.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="810" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYEd3cP_xWX75TRRt9_-PdakcSJzXgqI3Es1sVP10VhUEGS4xDyGxCOxe4IJqf6gpLXOuNnk4RixZ3A7VUXvp2kY5hUqENFWMKXJ0i79e3UMMqNnjWbdVK9IH3PJE7DDm1q5HXI4VVjnZoJBnwyBNThEO4eW-ck7FF5AJ-hrzfel3Duc2bdnJWccdo/s320/thumbnail-15.jpeg" width="240" /></a></div><p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 11px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><br /></p>
<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 11px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 12px;">We had been bee-bopping back and forth from Boston to Miami to Little Rock to Albuquerque like it was nothin’, which turned out to be something after we checked our bank accounts. </p>
<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 11px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 12px;"><br /></p>
<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 11px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">I had just wrapped a movie in New Mexico and was anxiously awaiting Game 7 of the Philly series to see where my fate lay. After a few minutes into the game, that shellacking told me to redirect my return flight to LA to Boston to cheer on the C’s against the Heat.</p><p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 11px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaQDVp2KiN2pzSw1XQ1L0ToxOHvTk84oBQkko3c601UEuPZk-wgivvtHhPo_P27W2X-h9yhai1SNm_Nb8qM3OljIEMOzkwEMxu1e718ydYdfnPiFsys1bER-WMMd41358h-udgZxrO2drnNUxT96rgogDkLPzpuv7rH1_YiuUeUqou11DDc31uic1s/s1080/thumbnail-92%20copy.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="708" data-original-width="1080" height="210" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaQDVp2KiN2pzSw1XQ1L0ToxOHvTk84oBQkko3c601UEuPZk-wgivvtHhPo_P27W2X-h9yhai1SNm_Nb8qM3OljIEMOzkwEMxu1e718ydYdfnPiFsys1bER-WMMd41358h-udgZxrO2drnNUxT96rgogDkLPzpuv7rH1_YiuUeUqou11DDc31uic1s/s320/thumbnail-92%20copy.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 11px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">After an ugly 0-2 start, I quickly realized I was 100% to blame and needed to fly in reinforcements. My sis-in-law, Kori, would do. Of course, she had to be selfish and graduate from med school during Game 3, so I unselfishly decided to fly from Boston to Little Rock to support her in her selfish endeavors, so that I could gain brownie points and make her fly to Miami with me shortly thereafter. On a serious note, congrats, Kori, I could never. #Dr.K</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieCsiiC-jQWgP8oGbkU_fc7J0aPtHjzJCiOQax_iGqzzEze8Z0qvkv3CNkTwA6dqzjrdEJPSP0DyzR4RoZb8YU1q5pHRPsGBPqtD0a8eKEdO7G1SgyCQTI_aCXuAQP7RkS5hIfJuoNtXJ6eleTCgSNodgxMUZcZvlW1hpeE1NFrD1I2bgbyRcDIeij/s1246/Screenshot%202023-06-05%20at%2011.18.15%20AM.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1246" data-original-width="964" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieCsiiC-jQWgP8oGbkU_fc7J0aPtHjzJCiOQax_iGqzzEze8Z0qvkv3CNkTwA6dqzjrdEJPSP0DyzR4RoZb8YU1q5pHRPsGBPqtD0a8eKEdO7G1SgyCQTI_aCXuAQP7RkS5hIfJuoNtXJ6eleTCgSNodgxMUZcZvlW1hpeE1NFrD1I2bgbyRcDIeij/s320/Screenshot%202023-06-05%20at%2011.18.15%20AM.png" width="248" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div></div>
<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 11px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">To game 5 we go!</p><p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 11px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><br /></p><p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 11px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">The C’s travel in style. Cue the Four Seasons cabana. After a fantastic victory with my good luck charm and big brother John in tow, we knew what our purpose was— travel to every single game with the team so that they stood a chance at victory. No, it wasn’t Derrick White or Rob Williams who sealed the deal. It was the dynamic duo of Kori and Nicole Kornet sporting #40 jerseys that brought home the dubs. This was a price we were willing to pay.</p>
<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 11px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 12px;"><br /></p>
<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 11px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">However, not too high a price.</p>
<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 11px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 12px;"><br /></p>
<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 11px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">The team checked out Saturday morning. AKA the free room we had was gone. We girls’ flights were not until Sunday morning.</p>
<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 11px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 12px;"><br /></p>
<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 11px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">Hellooooooooooo, Four Seasons cabana. We tanned, we sushi’d, we conquered. Until midnight hit. The squatters felt guilt. And by guilt, I mean Kori felt guilty because I have yet to feel such a feeling. </p><p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 11px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj68iQokCCa7B3WZojYgJjuOPrRE31GG20oJ9awGNZ7SPQWaPJHrmJm5XIXFIdCIrwdPl_BDPJrAt3oJzkDIpw4Pl1ZSkgncF8uQeykkpXqnafPxHSVRoIjfehTJJh3g-Oy9wfAoPNb0xDRXfwL2RDz7I57o1MteNy5WCKKK_5GmCOjOhGN0GiXn0g0/s1440/thumbnail-18.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1440" data-original-width="1080" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj68iQokCCa7B3WZojYgJjuOPrRE31GG20oJ9awGNZ7SPQWaPJHrmJm5XIXFIdCIrwdPl_BDPJrAt3oJzkDIpw4Pl1ZSkgncF8uQeykkpXqnafPxHSVRoIjfehTJJh3g-Oy9wfAoPNb0xDRXfwL2RDz7I57o1MteNy5WCKKK_5GmCOjOhGN0GiXn0g0/s320/thumbnail-18.jpeg" width="240" /></a></div><br /><p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 11px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">S/o to the front desk receptionist who graciously allowed these stanky Kornet gals to lift & shower at the fourth floor Equinox before their sleepover underneath the Four Seasons cabana.</p>
<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 11px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 12px;"><br /></p>
<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 11px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">We lasted about an hour until Kori’s guilt-ridden conscience got the best of her.</p>
<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 11px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 12px;"><br /></p>
<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 11px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">To the Ft. Lauderdale airport we go!</p>
<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 11px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 12px;"><br /></p>
<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 11px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">It was around 1am at this point. The padded cabana bed felt like a flutter in the wind. We had the cold, bright, hard, airport floor to house the once 5-star hotel guests. Kori buried her head face-down into the nasty carpet. I lasted about an hour. For those of you who do not know, I don’t do well in the cold. I had to get out of there. </p>
<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 11px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 12px;"><br /></p>
<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 11px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">To an outdoor bus bench I went!</p>
<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 11px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 12px;"><br /></p>
<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 11px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">Kori woke up around 3am. Saw where I once had lain about two hours earlier. A new patron was sprawled across my former armrest-less seat bed.</p>
<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 11px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 12px;"><br /></p>
<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 11px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">“That doesn’t look like Nicole,” Kori thought to herself.</p>
<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 11px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 12px;"><br /></p>
<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 11px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">“Excuse me, ma’am, I don’t want to alarm you, but was there a tall, blonde girl lying here earlier?”</p>
<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 11px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 12px;"><br /></p>
<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 11px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">The very alarmed girl sprang up. “No,” she responded.</p>
<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 11px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 12px;"><br /></p>
<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 11px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">“How long have you been here?” Kori asked.</p>
<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 11px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 12px;"><br /></p>
<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 11px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">“Since about 3am.”</p>
<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 11px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 12px;"><br /></p>
<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 11px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">Looking at her watch, the time read 5am.</p>
<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 11px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 12px;"><br /></p>
<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 11px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">“Oh, crap. Nicole has been missing for two hours now.”</p>
<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 11px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 12px;"><br /></p>
<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 11px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">Kori scanned every hooded girl on the ground, paced the bathrooms, and zipped up and down the escalators, wincing at every “CAUTION HUMAN TRAFFICKING” sign slapped on every pole in sight. </p>
<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 11px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 12px;"><br /></p>
<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 11px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">The brand new doctor with a fresh scar from an achilles surgery did not feel confident.</p>
<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 11px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 12px;"><br /></p>
<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 11px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">“What will I tell John when I have to tell him his sister has gone missing in Miami?”</p>
<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 11px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 12px;"><br /></p>
<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 11px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">As a last-ditch effort, Kori approached a gate agent.</p>
<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 11px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 12px;"><br /></p>
<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 11px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">Seeing the horror in my sister-in-law’s face, the nice check-in lady asked, “Can I help you with something, ma’am?”</p>
<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 11px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 12px;"><br /></p>
<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 11px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">“Can you tell me if someone has checked in yet?” Kori replied.</p>
<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 11px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 12px;"><br /></p>
<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 11px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">“No, ma’am, unfortunately that is classified information.”</p>
<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 11px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 12px;"><br /></p>
<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 11px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">“Ok,” said Kori, defeated.</p>
<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 11px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 12px;"><br /></p>
<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 11px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">“Is something the matter?”</p>
<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 11px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 12px;"><br /></p>
<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 11px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">“Well, my sister is missing and has been missing since 1am.”</p>
<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 11px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 12px;"><br /></p>
<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 11px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">“Oh my. Want me to do an all-call?”</p>
<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 11px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 12px;"><br /></p>
<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 11px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">“Yes, please.”</p>
<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 11px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 12px;"><br /></p>
<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 11px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">“NICOLE KORNET, PLEASE REPORT TO THE CHECK-IN COUNTER. NICOLE KORNET, PLEASE REPORT TO THE CHECK-IN COUNTER.”</p>
<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 11px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 12px;"><br /></p>
<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 11px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">In my Florida-humidity-gas-fumed-outdoor-curb-sleeping-chamber-induced fog, I heard my name. </p>
<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 11px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 12px;"><br /></p>
<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 11px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">“DID I MISS MY FLIGHT??”</p>
<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 11px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 12px;"><br /></p>
<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 11px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">“Where’s Kori?!”</p>
<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 11px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 12px;"><br /></p>
<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 11px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">“Where’s my phone?”</p>
<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 11px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 12px;"><br /></p>
<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 11px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">“Why am I sweating?”</p>
<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 11px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 12px;"><br /></p>
<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 11px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">As this myriad of questions rushed through my head, I located my phone and gathered my thoughts. Ten missed calls later, I ran inside and spotted Kori with the gate agent.</p>
<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 11px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 12px;"><br /></p>
<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 11px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">“You rang?”</p>
<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 11px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 12px;"><br /></p>
<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 11px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">Immediate disgust from Kori as I explained how I had napped outside all night amongst the human traffickers.</p>
<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 11px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 12px;"><br /></p>
<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 11px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">Reunited once more, the girls had a job to do. Game 5 in Boston.</p>
<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 11px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 12px;"><br /></p>
<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 11px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">Hours later we found ourselves brushing our teeth in the Boston Logan airport. We changed our smelly socks, threw on our #40 jerseys, and Ubered to the Garden.</p><p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 11px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOu9Vu4tQafhIMh3PJtvjjjHMKyuTlI6_8ZpK-5ZXJy63DRQ6eF43zX9j_Ysm9RPTDHDOvbyzBT77SQzT54-suSta3swi51T7IUJ8nUYjoNKq9JhQ9KlXAAZ9uvP8LS3zRGvx6-k-MgykBcbCV9tJD4bDoVSZUCcwJvcg8V49kR6imigg7ktl1eS-M/s1080/thumbnail-25.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="810" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOu9Vu4tQafhIMh3PJtvjjjHMKyuTlI6_8ZpK-5ZXJy63DRQ6eF43zX9j_Ysm9RPTDHDOvbyzBT77SQzT54-suSta3swi51T7IUJ8nUYjoNKq9JhQ9KlXAAZ9uvP8LS3zRGvx6-k-MgykBcbCV9tJD4bDoVSZUCcwJvcg8V49kR6imigg7ktl1eS-M/s320/thumbnail-25.jpeg" width="240" /></a></div><p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 11px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><br /></p><p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 11px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">One 20-point beat down later, my good luck charm struck again. </p><p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 11px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIIbM_mZbFyFvEb-c2SPqCSPeYDkBmEhcawZxuIMvGAXEkERfYkF0-4zfaEbUSTz_FjHrm1C2bOcfDuu3R26MXdB1Qrg4WK9IVLSRfUOEChbcCNs_nzBNVotYigz6IzQHgZekq7nsO2rn7I334ou7lSWFeywS_mPwKoeO8YMzRcZEfsrlgFUOU4ngG/s1080/thumbnail-92%20copy%2012.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="810" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIIbM_mZbFyFvEb-c2SPqCSPeYDkBmEhcawZxuIMvGAXEkERfYkF0-4zfaEbUSTz_FjHrm1C2bOcfDuu3R26MXdB1Qrg4WK9IVLSRfUOEChbcCNs_nzBNVotYigz6IzQHgZekq7nsO2rn7I334ou7lSWFeywS_mPwKoeO8YMzRcZEfsrlgFUOU4ngG/s320/thumbnail-92%20copy%2012.jpeg" width="240" /></a></div><br /><p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 11px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">We slept most of the next day away, then found ourselves in a pickle. Flights back to Miami were pricey, and the guys were only going to be there for barely more than 24 hours. </p>
<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 11px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 12px;"><br /></p>
<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 11px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">“Do we go???”</p>
<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 11px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 12px;"><br /></p>
<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 11px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">The answer is always go.</p>
<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 11px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 12px;"><br /></p>
<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 11px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">It was do or die.</p>
<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 11px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 12px;"><br /></p>
<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 11px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">But Kori’s conscience had other plans.</p>
<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 11px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 12px;"><br /></p>
<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 11px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">It was expensive. We had just gotten to Boston. Luke’s wife and kiddos needed their aunties. We decided to plant it in Beantown.</p>
<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 11px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 12px;"><br /></p>
<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 11px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">Luckily, the most fun watch party with 300 diehard Celtics fans allowed us to channel our inner crazy for 2.5 hours of the most fun basketball in Game 6 history. Thank you, Derrick White. IYKYK.</p><p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 11px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-Xa8DORkmEKLXeeD52L86sn1kAssAjDmzPB2JYIIP2jsQNryNZ_WJv-EcStvVvU6L_WiIvLX8dlul7NFySRpZ5dc73zOLzV2rRF-BcwWKTVACPUBDpPuuKJmOZSNq-Ppbp9Z383m8GR2ehmwch8LEJPvKZCBEdWKZLVc3Oc3F-nBAFSv08AeCPTvG/s1080/thumbnail-23.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="810" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-Xa8DORkmEKLXeeD52L86sn1kAssAjDmzPB2JYIIP2jsQNryNZ_WJv-EcStvVvU6L_WiIvLX8dlul7NFySRpZ5dc73zOLzV2rRF-BcwWKTVACPUBDpPuuKJmOZSNq-Ppbp9Z383m8GR2ehmwch8LEJPvKZCBEdWKZLVc3Oc3F-nBAFSv08AeCPTvG/s320/thumbnail-23.jpeg" width="240" /></a></div><p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 11px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><br /></p><p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 11px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">Game 7 back in Boston. We did it. Emphasis on the WE.</p><p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 11px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><br /></p><p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 11px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">We will spare you the rest of the story, because as most of you know, it wasn’t a happy ending.</p>
<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 11px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 12px;"><br /></p>
<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 11px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">I’m now in the backseat of my dad’s Jeep driving to Lexington, KY as I type. I was in Nashville last night at a Boz Scaggs concert with my mom, aunt and uncle. The rise and the fall.</p><p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 11px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9JcHsvDjzs4785tP6euLpWVoXFLM3l9TmmECQ9E69FbPsT4PY3jlvxbn3ehraTtSl9Xk4bckY1xOj_aD1Alushbib5HZokn19C-SAidoQJjshv13XXyHTEFSLsRQBw_TvmL_xtMwuFr3kWU6dad4TRuQAw_FgHUK0CaSAmYaLLeS7YX4clh9c069e/s1440/thumbnail-9.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1440" data-original-width="1080" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9JcHsvDjzs4785tP6euLpWVoXFLM3l9TmmECQ9E69FbPsT4PY3jlvxbn3ehraTtSl9Xk4bckY1xOj_aD1Alushbib5HZokn19C-SAidoQJjshv13XXyHTEFSLsRQBw_TvmL_xtMwuFr3kWU6dad4TRuQAw_FgHUK0CaSAmYaLLeS7YX4clh9c069e/s320/thumbnail-9.jpeg" width="240" /></a></div><br /><p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 11px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">It has been a whirlwind three months. I spent 2.5 of those months in Albuquerque filming another LeBron Springhill Entertainment Netflix movie. I had the best time. 90% of the fun that was had is credited to the one and only Sam Griesel. Remember the name, folks. We all know it’s easy to remember the face. </p><p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 11px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJBdyW23Juypu8polAq7Kjl9fv6Plw68K_FgHg83FNflwKv8_Z06V2_17Xz8BTupAOhkJYcZsEZlJzSTYtqgILeKQ-5R_2ogmZPPZvm8nknQ5puzy0yJ0SN_0SFPFtPYgSHw1jmygqrU5QYV9MR2tMMWNS8Gn8vO9AUz1Lf5N55CbMkERbp77REjJe/s1080/thumbnail-24.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1019" data-original-width="1080" height="302" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJBdyW23Juypu8polAq7Kjl9fv6Plw68K_FgHg83FNflwKv8_Z06V2_17Xz8BTupAOhkJYcZsEZlJzSTYtqgILeKQ-5R_2ogmZPPZvm8nknQ5puzy0yJ0SN_0SFPFtPYgSHw1jmygqrU5QYV9MR2tMMWNS8Gn8vO9AUz1Lf5N55CbMkERbp77REjJe/s320/thumbnail-24.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 11px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">He was my adventure buddy as we took on the bleak indoor/outdoor shopping malls, desert hikes, and plethora of coffee shops the city of ABQ has to offer. He booked the lead villain role in the film, which is another terrific story in and of itself. Sam, along with my coworker, Ashanti, and myself became the three best friends that anyone could have.</p><p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 11px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgx9AKD7WkK_EBdxvZMpdxai3IEX4yyJm8Li2UyQKdtTnqOXKN4TtKSD1SsZ4nW-4UCBiEY05kaDXBLU2KWYKQ3V6AtL-Dc9N_v0nRxVcqhWdk9WVWlMkqkYPTIQsUJeNPjwx6wWeaE9aw8806IFuSutuMLwb7yR8M5FVPxrMFaFf0k5z2cnv5mVk98/s1920/thumbnail-92%20copy%206.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1920" data-original-width="1080" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgx9AKD7WkK_EBdxvZMpdxai3IEX4yyJm8Li2UyQKdtTnqOXKN4TtKSD1SsZ4nW-4UCBiEY05kaDXBLU2KWYKQ3V6AtL-Dc9N_v0nRxVcqhWdk9WVWlMkqkYPTIQsUJeNPjwx6wWeaE9aw8806IFuSutuMLwb7yR8M5FVPxrMFaFf0k5z2cnv5mVk98/s320/thumbnail-92%20copy%206.jpeg" width="180" /></a></div><br /><p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 11px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">Thanks to the awesome peeps at The University of New Mexico, we shot at the practice facility M-F for a few hours of early morning individual work. You can leave the game, but the game won’t leave you. I hopped in those Ashanti-led workouts every morning and tried my best to hang with Sam. By tried my best, I mean flourished. This old hag still got it!</p><p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 11px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQrtdtz9HbafNpVOXMcxi-KTMMgZVYzXQo395RYfsw9GsNJIf0xG2sE26LYII0QDXs2XI5pTwwfTBWTDHWeXHfdxKzymiMa5AIfcYryhN5XelDQfc71MegXAtIEJvzTpOt1bGVKQ_uFEnmyaDl2a_9pj_UZQ4dHyxbMF8pddJT-48zEiRAn68IFumX/s1080/thumbnail-92%20copy%205.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="810" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQrtdtz9HbafNpVOXMcxi-KTMMgZVYzXQo395RYfsw9GsNJIf0xG2sE26LYII0QDXs2XI5pTwwfTBWTDHWeXHfdxKzymiMa5AIfcYryhN5XelDQfc71MegXAtIEJvzTpOt1bGVKQ_uFEnmyaDl2a_9pj_UZQ4dHyxbMF8pddJT-48zEiRAn68IFumX/s320/thumbnail-92%20copy%205.jpeg" width="240" /></a></div><br /><p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 11px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">We lifted, we swam, we tanned, we hiked, we golfed, we sat at coffee shops (s/o Suenos), we attended murder mystery parties, we drove 6 hours and back to Phoenix to watch the Suns play the Nuggets, and oh yeah, we shot a movie.</p><p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 11px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 12px;"><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkgGTWPTSel0XXoXFLBcuUrUghVaIitfxR1_mXGCoRjv8tTf7bVYy3-EFKrDTXdcW9_gwSjMKXuCtoyfG4wgAKErYMizPgRSVdmE9eaKPK-YBP3rbiMXpJLCkQoxE82obtP1U9f6yxruP0VOXgxUGH7FjI15yzShtJLQ9e8Yq_yT9xw317BOQIgGaE/s1080/thumbnail-92%20copy%208.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="810" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkgGTWPTSel0XXoXFLBcuUrUghVaIitfxR1_mXGCoRjv8tTf7bVYy3-EFKrDTXdcW9_gwSjMKXuCtoyfG4wgAKErYMizPgRSVdmE9eaKPK-YBP3rbiMXpJLCkQoxE82obtP1U9f6yxruP0VOXgxUGH7FjI15yzShtJLQ9e8Yq_yT9xw317BOQIgGaE/s320/thumbnail-92%20copy%208.jpeg" width="240" /></a></div><br /><p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 11px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 12px;">As the last day of filming quickly approached, we had to say our goodbyes, leave our summer camp-like best buds, and go our separate ways.</p><p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 11px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 12px;"><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiD3YmaG4DbbqmszSc6JYaEu2t6N6rXSj_TtysLXfcX7I_pKV-4smAVNaD3CMBdhrl8HO7KxdgfZ_O6cZWBnrEb8VTBehI8WGBa9rOyeD3wEXz61lfonn-i81hLQrGddXFZj92QbgyYNABNrn0jYOpNnX0pibOKYj3XQ777beiFgqtsc2S1JW_se_6M/s1080/thumbnail-92%20copy%203.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="810" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiD3YmaG4DbbqmszSc6JYaEu2t6N6rXSj_TtysLXfcX7I_pKV-4smAVNaD3CMBdhrl8HO7KxdgfZ_O6cZWBnrEb8VTBehI8WGBa9rOyeD3wEXz61lfonn-i81hLQrGddXFZj92QbgyYNABNrn0jYOpNnX0pibOKYj3XQ777beiFgqtsc2S1JW_se_6M/s320/thumbnail-92%20copy%203.jpeg" width="240" /></a></div><br /><p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 11px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 12px;">Boston beckoned.</p>
<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 11px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 12px;"><br /></p>
<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 11px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">After the Eastern Conference Finals’ bitter ending, I knew I wanted to fly back to Nashville to hang with the ‘rents for awhile.</p>
<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 11px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 12px;"><br /></p>
<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 11px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">After every movie, the insanely busy schedule vanishes into thin air, and you’re left with no schedule at all. Time to play the “wait for the phone to ring” game. But there’s beauty in this time off. Time to create a schedule of your own. Wake up, eggs & toast, sprints at Centennial Park, iced coffee at Vandy, tan on the rooftop, lift at Planet Fitness, dinner by dad, and repeat. I love summer.</p><p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 11px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><br /></p><p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 11px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">So, as I peck away on the keyboard in the backset, I reflect on what the last few months have shown me:</p><ol><li style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 11px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">Kori Bullard is the best good luck charm until she’s not.</li><li style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 11px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">Let Sam plan.</li><li style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 11px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">Say yes to 6-hour road trips if Jeff Green leaves you tickets.</li><li style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 11px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">C’s in 7 needs to be clarified.</li><li style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 11px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">When in doubt, don’t leave The Four Seasons cabana.</li></ol><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgg1TNfvvfuohBXJeXnvdK558l9l-OayACZywM39wsTsCAUo_h_JMd64tsgYLdQYw7FtnFnSQUMap3rLl3YXJp-oSn8MjtGuGtN5p_GmbNiE9EWDIfjwQeJFix2qf6lS-22HeqyhN3ulIl2qTA9Ec0sSZTAD5iOSwlLJmeTRiWNfF13gdZ_x7k1QNa8/s1080/thumbnail-16.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="810" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgg1TNfvvfuohBXJeXnvdK558l9l-OayACZywM39wsTsCAUo_h_JMd64tsgYLdQYw7FtnFnSQUMap3rLl3YXJp-oSn8MjtGuGtN5p_GmbNiE9EWDIfjwQeJFix2qf6lS-22HeqyhN3ulIl2qTA9Ec0sSZTAD5iOSwlLJmeTRiWNfF13gdZ_x7k1QNa8/s320/thumbnail-16.jpeg" width="240" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br />Nicole Kornethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12752896360950497403noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5054348110797123772.post-53382787633986300142022-09-26T11:24:00.023-07:002022-09-26T21:26:30.178-07:00Punch the Clock<p><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 13px;">I’m going to my high school’s 10 year reunion next month.</span></p>
<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 13px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">10 YEARS.</p>
<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 13px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><br /></p>
<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 13px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">I’m not supposed to be that old. I remember when I was a kid my parents would always say something along the lines of “Ahhhh yes, this can opener is as old as you are.” </p>
<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 13px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><br /></p>
<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 13px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">“20 years ago we bought this couch.”</p>
<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 13px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><br /></p>
<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 13px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">“Cynthia and I have been friends for 30 years now!”</p>
<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 13px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><br /></p>
<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 13px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">At the ripe age of 10, I was never phased by those statements. I couldn’t imagine owning a couch for that long. Knowing a friend that long. Being ALIVE that long. So why are you telling me this as if my little kid brain can even fathom such high a number?!</p>
<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 13px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><br /></p>
<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 13px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">Fast-forward a couple decades and here I am. 28-years-old now, awaiting my high school’s 10 year reunion. That number hits HARD.</p>
<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 13px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><br /></p>
<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 13px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">I always imagined myself walking through those hallowed halls 10 years later with a husband in tow, maybe a kid or two in my arms.</p>
<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 13px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><br /></p>
<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 13px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">HA, that’s a big, fat lie.</p><p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 13px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><br /></p><p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 13px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">1. I never imagined going to a high school reunion.</p><p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 13px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">2. I never imagined being 10 years removed from high school.</p>
<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 13px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><br /></p>
<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 13px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">Let's be real, I can imagine myself strutting through those double doors looking sassy, classy… but with kids?!</p><p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 13px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeajywxPT-29IM5ixu9bd7VKVlNStAEQ88OLjyf5D1Aln3PDnuTtDrh6juZ5tVad6HM4C2ApbgBBCU4dow0lWincbowhvoSiAY5VQ72DUAn8S458pqtzmbHlXpFQqM_2UmE7AO3QO1jMqmfFg6Bk2fL7CvB2HTh_RhyKu40DrLCbQxNG_7FUJAZpCM/s958/Screen%20Shot%202022-09-26%20at%201.54.35%20PM.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="958" data-original-width="722" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeajywxPT-29IM5ixu9bd7VKVlNStAEQ88OLjyf5D1Aln3PDnuTtDrh6juZ5tVad6HM4C2ApbgBBCU4dow0lWincbowhvoSiAY5VQ72DUAn8S458pqtzmbHlXpFQqM_2UmE7AO3QO1jMqmfFg6Bk2fL7CvB2HTh_RhyKu40DrLCbQxNG_7FUJAZpCM/s320/Screen%20Shot%202022-09-26%20at%201.54.35%20PM.png" width="241" /></a></div><p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 13px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><br /></p><p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 13px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">Couldn't be me.</p><p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 13px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><br /></p><p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 13px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">...not yet at least. </p>
<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 13px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><br /></p>
<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 13px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">I’ve always felt like I’m a good 5 years behind my current age.</p>
<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 13px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><br /></p>
<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 13px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">At 22, I was seriously dating a guy. A guy I thought I would marry, but I knew at that time in my life I didn’t want to get married. I didn’t know if it was him, or if it was the fact that I wasn’t ready. Today I know it was timing more than anything. Timing really is everything.</p>
<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 13px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><br /></p>
<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 13px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">At 28, (like last week), I was dating a 22-year-old. Crazy enough, despite the age gap, I thought he was the one. It takes a lot for me to fall for someone, and I was starting to, but despite that... this was the first time in my life I knew I wanted to be married. The first time in my life I could confidently say that I am ready for marriage. But the age gap and living on opposite sides of the country had other plans for the two of us.</p>
<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 13px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><br /></p>
<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 13px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">With this 10-year-reunion coming out of the woodwork, it’s got me feeling all sorts of emotions. Specifically, it’s got me thinking about the past 10 years. </p>
<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 13px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><br /></p>
<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 13px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">Guys, I’ve had the craziest last 10 years. </p>
<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 13px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><br /></p>
<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 13px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">Since graduating high school, I’ve been in Los Angeles, CA.</p><p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 13px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><br /></p><p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 13px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">Kinda.</p><p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 13px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><br /></p><p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 13px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">One short stint in Oklahoma led me to LA for the past seven years now— working as a sports coordinator in the entertainment industry— marrying my love for sports and the big screen.</p>
<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 13px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><br /></p>
<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 13px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">Sometimes my synapses are firing so hard and the trips are so many that I forget what I did last weekend, let alone yesterday. It’s hard for me to remember the amazing experiences that have transpired, because I’m already on the next one before I can even process what happened on the last one. S/o iPhone camera roll for being the memory bank my brain desperately needs.</p>
<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 13px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><br /></p>
<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 13px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">As I navigate my emotions of the ever-so-daunting “10 year reunion” I want to take a walk down memory lane and share with you what has happened since my last blog. We all know not much happened in 2020. But 2021??? 2022?! I can think of a few things.</p>
<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 13px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><br /></p>
<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 13px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">The Best Year(s) Ever:</p>
<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 13px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><br /></p>
<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 13px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">Luke was on the Chicago Bulls. Playing the Lakers. We had In-In-Out post-game on the JW Marriott rooftop in downtown LA.</p><p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 13px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirEeiw4RVJvW0SFMufqrNr5HfGMDDfxjcXzz5O51NvqkaZp54wXvVG_XNU_r6lZR7S-_RHTuCvJ5gDqHhyuP27Xg8_-Whjs68scGMGnFFwlrBGsQw-qUs1JeDof5mb4bxzAwfDAs-iy218XPD4AEDWMIVTbfN9zjk49hn2gzNRnkumO1R1KEzaP2gu/s1344/Screen%20Shot%202022-09-26%20at%201.07.57%20PM.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1344" data-original-width="1076" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirEeiw4RVJvW0SFMufqrNr5HfGMDDfxjcXzz5O51NvqkaZp54wXvVG_XNU_r6lZR7S-_RHTuCvJ5gDqHhyuP27Xg8_-Whjs68scGMGnFFwlrBGsQw-qUs1JeDof5mb4bxzAwfDAs-iy218XPD4AEDWMIVTbfN9zjk49hn2gzNRnkumO1R1KEzaP2gu/s320/Screen%20Shot%202022-09-26%20at%201.07.57%20PM.png" width="256" /></a></div><br /><p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 13px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">I was April Ross’ stunt double in a commercial for the Olympics. The Olympics she later won gold medal for in beach volleyball, thus sparking my one-week long burning desire to become an Olympic beach volleyball player myself. Emphasis on the one week.</p>
<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 13px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><br /></p>
<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 13px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">I dated an MLB player. Great guy, but not THE guy.</p>
<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 13px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><br /></p>
<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 13px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">I was a TK-aid for 4-year-olds at the cute, little Catholic school across the street from me in LA.</p><p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 13px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIPsCcM8-f95Ma-wqgANy5H4ghe-sHyoBg1uUK48451XP-q8CT-IAR5XSwzs1aWbTBtFXOKWsG1Uvx6rk3eoj7f-cu_FaZodO2vWjRjtpzOdx7G9xZv46579uihrgTbVNEOPXHfzl5Otu970cRdnP8zbMsFaW5ckct9oNSvb-vvNi0_HV1X5fduJCd/s1044/Screen%20Shot%202022-09-26%20at%201.09.20%20PM.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1044" data-original-width="790" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIPsCcM8-f95Ma-wqgANy5H4ghe-sHyoBg1uUK48451XP-q8CT-IAR5XSwzs1aWbTBtFXOKWsG1Uvx6rk3eoj7f-cu_FaZodO2vWjRjtpzOdx7G9xZv46579uihrgTbVNEOPXHfzl5Otu970cRdnP8zbMsFaW5ckct9oNSvb-vvNi0_HV1X5fduJCd/s320/Screen%20Shot%202022-09-26%20at%201.09.20%20PM.png" width="242" /></a></div><br /><p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 13px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">I played a basketball player in the new Cheaper by the Dozen movie and signed my first contract as an actual ACTRESS. No lines, but still, it said ACTRESS.</p>
<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 13px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><br /></p>
<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 13px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">I worked the Big Shots premiere for Disney+ with a famous fitness friend on a rooftop at The Grove and dribbled around John Stamos all night.</p>
<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 13px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><br /></p>
<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 13px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">Luke signed a one-year deal to the Boston Celtics.</p>
<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 13px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><br /></p>
<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 13px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">My grandpa passed away.</p>
<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 13px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><br /></p>
<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 13px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">My older brother proposed to his girlfriend.</p><p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 13px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwoC9bVYLejXmL55jyXwbZdgFvXkUPQpMYqTEdp23MG-FEB6FhFPDLzRqrHO09plkaMPatTx0LrMeIvDTKGN7nYHp2y4qC0JGMriKzcujMSg8FCr9Ihp8TwsjpJQ2BVTo5VCnrlDov57DmS8k4llQ2CNQWMtO-NUrMXMXd-UayV95OmVXVsa5MUBJY/s1202/Screen%20Shot%202022-09-26%20at%201.08.59%20PM.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1202" data-original-width="882" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwoC9bVYLejXmL55jyXwbZdgFvXkUPQpMYqTEdp23MG-FEB6FhFPDLzRqrHO09plkaMPatTx0LrMeIvDTKGN7nYHp2y4qC0JGMriKzcujMSg8FCr9Ihp8TwsjpJQ2BVTo5VCnrlDov57DmS8k4llQ2CNQWMtO-NUrMXMXd-UayV95OmVXVsa5MUBJY/s320/Screen%20Shot%202022-09-26%20at%201.08.59%20PM.png" width="235" /></a></div><br /><p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 13px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">Space Jam 2 came out. LeBron shut down Six Flags Magic Mountain and we partied the night away for what was one of the most incredible, unique experiences of my life.</p>
<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 13px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><br /></p>
<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 13px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">I shot a feature for my mom’s news station about taking down “The King” in a couple shooting competitions back in Nashville.</p><p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 13px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibki1Hqo9z3ODNMo27tNH5rCgMSxVABCEyCudtRHvaH4b0uDULwAg-lNV_cov8SuvTzx50rcVu_HY_ClZx_fhOoNUzq1jpRh6z9g0FsqLwfTKaxc4uysUeRqf2ngTKprGssmJ4lKMeZ_Y9_gII2Swm_ZzDP8JRkm72uZE4Lk4lLSDLlOZn0foqhwes/s1000/Screen%20Shot%202022-09-26%20at%201.09.46%20PM.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="734" data-original-width="1000" height="235" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibki1Hqo9z3ODNMo27tNH5rCgMSxVABCEyCudtRHvaH4b0uDULwAg-lNV_cov8SuvTzx50rcVu_HY_ClZx_fhOoNUzq1jpRh6z9g0FsqLwfTKaxc4uysUeRqf2ngTKprGssmJ4lKMeZ_Y9_gII2Swm_ZzDP8JRkm72uZE4Lk4lLSDLlOZn0foqhwes/s320/Screen%20Shot%202022-09-26%20at%201.09.46%20PM.png" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 13px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">I drove to NYC from Nashville for a friend to sign his first modeling contract with Wilhelmina.</p>
<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 13px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><br /></p>
<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 13px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">I moved to Philadelphia for 8 months to work a movie called Hustle with Adam Sandler. </p>
<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 13px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><br /></p>
<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 13px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">I played Jordan Clarkson in ping pong. The series is currently 2-1, but I really think I will come back and take him down if I ever see him in a room with a ping pong table again. </p>
<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 13px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><br /></p>
<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 13px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">My goddaughter got baptized.</p>
<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 13px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><br /></p>
<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 13px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">I texted Pete Davidson for a week and then he dumped me for Kim Kardashian.</p><p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 13px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKOnlxzsxLhtraplYregTyDkU9fkZWUkPFr0EX3kgSj44aWWYakHuODjMaL-vg_i_N8T1_o-LWFKglaL8HZd4e82yTP9q5hYsPCR3XMEx_-My-MNJ0_e00WmwwQxS-LOfefG17JEqXujukWkwZWhOSfOSqN5vkZsgZE49hgUJVVy_p1z8UV_1Pn-x3/s1000/Screen%20Shot%202022-09-26%20at%201.10.03%20PM.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="748" data-original-width="1000" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKOnlxzsxLhtraplYregTyDkU9fkZWUkPFr0EX3kgSj44aWWYakHuODjMaL-vg_i_N8T1_o-LWFKglaL8HZd4e82yTP9q5hYsPCR3XMEx_-My-MNJ0_e00WmwwQxS-LOfefG17JEqXujukWkwZWhOSfOSqN5vkZsgZE49hgUJVVy_p1z8UV_1Pn-x3/s320/Screen%20Shot%202022-09-26%20at%201.10.03%20PM.png" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Pete went to Disney.</span></div><p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 13px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><br /></p>
<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 13px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;">I explored NYC several times with my coworkers every off-weekend we got while in Philly.</p>
<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 13px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><br /></p>
<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 13px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">One of my best friends from OU got married in Abilene, Texas.</p><p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 13px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOVOOOxE-GqQHxNKibxBXRMqGVGlTVZVI1B4-p7SLD7pviJYgv3rmcVm-1_q6QYIsp2mHyTsqUZZmHZqItyby15RYblieI1f749aNj-XCn9zJM6udMt3hr8oz720VaUiJIdGyF6A3OwRUAvncIz3nsRt5IU1Qi6AFI6eHsjLb_1EdBw0d_FrRXol6L/s844/Screen%20Shot%202022-09-26%20at%201.10.37%20PM.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="844" data-original-width="742" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOVOOOxE-GqQHxNKibxBXRMqGVGlTVZVI1B4-p7SLD7pviJYgv3rmcVm-1_q6QYIsp2mHyTsqUZZmHZqItyby15RYblieI1f749aNj-XCn9zJM6udMt3hr8oz720VaUiJIdGyF6A3OwRUAvncIz3nsRt5IU1Qi6AFI6eHsjLb_1EdBw0d_FrRXol6L/s320/Screen%20Shot%202022-09-26%20at%201.10.37%20PM.png" width="281" /></a></div><br /><p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 13px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">Luke signed to the Maine Celtics and we spent Thanksgiving in Maine.</p>
<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 13px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><br /></p>
<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 13px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">Luke signed a 10-day for the Cleveland Cavaliers and we spent Christmas in Cleveland.</p><p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 13px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiT89JjHncqv-7XUM2dKwYBV1dZjZyHwnc1akMKYVKLpJqffrxNLI0U5X9U_V5uWLl9VdMmDxTi1L-cG1wE83qJddpd2RxIqgWN0I2DFPahqUD08oQdpnoZF3jMOpnhOxjH-wRSMKoTdlOUlcvgzc9VBEFyfHZhhEfMPrcAfcEV8uOV35WvBzTuV8kh/s956/Screen%20Shot%202022-09-26%20at%201.10.53%20PM.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="956" data-original-width="786" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiT89JjHncqv-7XUM2dKwYBV1dZjZyHwnc1akMKYVKLpJqffrxNLI0U5X9U_V5uWLl9VdMmDxTi1L-cG1wE83qJddpd2RxIqgWN0I2DFPahqUD08oQdpnoZF3jMOpnhOxjH-wRSMKoTdlOUlcvgzc9VBEFyfHZhhEfMPrcAfcEV8uOV35WvBzTuV8kh/s320/Screen%20Shot%202022-09-26%20at%201.10.53%20PM.png" width="263" /></a></div><br /><p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 13px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">Luke signed a 10-day for the Milwaukee Bucks and I spent every game night in Philly in front of my tv screen.</p>
<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 13px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><br /></p>
<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 13px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">I filmed a commercial with Vince Carter in LA.</p>
<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 13px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><br /></p>
<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 13px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">Luke signed for the rest of the year with the Boston Celtics!!!</p>
<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 13px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><br /></p>
<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 13px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">I finallyyyyyyy went back to LA. Just to leave to Atlanta a few months later for a football movie.</p>
<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 13px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><br /></p>
<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 13px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">There, I met another guy. A guy who I ended up dating, and thought I would marry, until he broke up with me two weeks ago. Turns out all this traveling and the fact that he lives on the Atlantic and I live on the Pacific doesn’t bode well for long-term commitment.</p>
<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 13px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><br /></p>
<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 13px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">Nevertheless, I had one heck of a summer with him.</p>
<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 13px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><br /></p>
<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 13px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">My mom got her MBA.</p>
<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 13px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><br /></p>
<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 13px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">I watched Justin Bieber in the pit thanks to Adam Sandler giving my coworker and me his tickets.</p>
<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 13px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><br /></p>
<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 13px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">Luke went to the NBA Finals.</p>
<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 13px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><br /></p>
<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 13px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">My mom and I went to SF for games 1 & 2.</p><p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 13px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_VIRCiGi_vKfDDBWLW8VoYDazwjU0FOKvKsdYZfY8ZTYyaMuqlhEkpk4HX4O450s6aNoF_DXNxZwDeY2Vvyxn5oB2DSqflHYLLCs5A6J8VjxmGcNrfLyjT7tWhvvZS1RvyyDY8mnQiD-KINOVa7ICAr9A4Y2E1G8RVv87E727Hpms16rGzubZi0nb/s1016/Screen%20Shot%202022-09-26%20at%201.11.28%20PM.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1016" data-original-width="1016" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_VIRCiGi_vKfDDBWLW8VoYDazwjU0FOKvKsdYZfY8ZTYyaMuqlhEkpk4HX4O450s6aNoF_DXNxZwDeY2Vvyxn5oB2DSqflHYLLCs5A6J8VjxmGcNrfLyjT7tWhvvZS1RvyyDY8mnQiD-KINOVa7ICAr9A4Y2E1G8RVv87E727Hpms16rGzubZi0nb/s320/Screen%20Shot%202022-09-26%20at%201.11.28%20PM.png" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 13px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">My dad and John went to Boston for games 3 & 4.</p>
<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 13px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><br /></p>
<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 13px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">I went to the Hustle premiere in LA that same week.</p><p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 13px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_IvNG_qyrRSZPtZ6IJ_7mtyZTJ81Taz-Ll8PkI2WO9w5sQ84yztaORhq6QKqeb1IMq9-bO3p19P_fahW3_olSlsbYfMT2aPoapRwFbt-7-4VW59OVMN1dvE2ORrrlBL5Qb03EL5WWgJpXEf4l_3aSMOEBY8ZW4Rx3y5oACj1O_AjMUYZizFqfTPI4/s1046/Screen%20Shot%202022-09-26%20at%201.11.41%20PM.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1046" data-original-width="786" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_IvNG_qyrRSZPtZ6IJ_7mtyZTJ81Taz-Ll8PkI2WO9w5sQ84yztaORhq6QKqeb1IMq9-bO3p19P_fahW3_olSlsbYfMT2aPoapRwFbt-7-4VW59OVMN1dvE2ORrrlBL5Qb03EL5WWgJpXEf4l_3aSMOEBY8ZW4Rx3y5oACj1O_AjMUYZizFqfTPI4/s320/Screen%20Shot%202022-09-26%20at%201.11.41%20PM.png" width="240" /></a></div><br /><p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 13px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">Talk about one of the best weeks of my life. One day you’re walking the red carpet (or falling…sorry, mom), and the next you’re on the family bus with the families of the Boston Celtics on our way to the Chase Center to watch your little brother play Steph & co.</p>
<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 13px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><br /></p>
<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 13px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">I filmed White Men Can’t Jump 2 with Jack Harlow for a few days as a bball player.</p>
<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 13px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><br /></p>
<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 13px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">I filmed a Gatorade commercial and was a player for the Chicago Sky for a day.</p>
<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 13px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><br /></p>
<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 13px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">I spent the summer with my parents, Luke, his wife, and daughter in Nashville.</p>
<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 13px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><br /></p>
<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 13px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">I went to Bend, Oregon to visit a couple of my best friends.</p>
<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 13px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><br /></p>
<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 13px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">I went to Orlando, Florida to see my mom’s side of the family and wakeboard.</p><p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 13px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMeoZmXMo4dal8sTeOnoIuunTP7eIBvZI7_EO1C2fsGHvC17eV5GXYfPAu9FuaNwe_AVkUdPt1iiRyfcNcYeT-_G8Ne6W8bo5C0zXflhB9t0sXKPpXFyHdRYkY5o2geUSvKXNftCWN-Vwd8EkEXc8HakWqw8ILlmFFUD3hEY02Hr-BMBQ9LEMAQueO/s1054/Screen%20Shot%202022-09-26%20at%201.12.21%20PM.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1054" data-original-width="790" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMeoZmXMo4dal8sTeOnoIuunTP7eIBvZI7_EO1C2fsGHvC17eV5GXYfPAu9FuaNwe_AVkUdPt1iiRyfcNcYeT-_G8Ne6W8bo5C0zXflhB9t0sXKPpXFyHdRYkY5o2geUSvKXNftCWN-Vwd8EkEXc8HakWqw8ILlmFFUD3hEY02Hr-BMBQ9LEMAQueO/s320/Screen%20Shot%202022-09-26%20at%201.12.21%20PM.png" width="240" /></a></div><br /><p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 13px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">I went to Austin, Texas to celebrate my sister-in-law’s bachelorette.</p>
<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 13px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><br /></p>
<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 13px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">John got married in Little Rock, Arkansas. </p><p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 13px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><br /></p><p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 13px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">I went to NYC to film a Google Pixel commercial with Giannis, Joel Embiid, and Jayson Tatum.</p><p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 13px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjR5qTl8yE7scpJp3UhMhc9p2jwizwLiHUSc8iAiUvPody_bsOhZ26Atxt-ttEpgtEs_Ni4yxTfCrkntTLLIsDJE59PMazMnbojIXLK_jbcr_XXHtpWbDGdpKAAOU6QTix6CmyZcsBL-qy2bs4MTUg1NhRweLQCs-F-qewwnTRzHU2nS3XfncK-4ShM/s1034/Screen%20Shot%202022-09-26%20at%201.27.04%20PM.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1034" data-original-width="770" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjR5qTl8yE7scpJp3UhMhc9p2jwizwLiHUSc8iAiUvPody_bsOhZ26Atxt-ttEpgtEs_Ni4yxTfCrkntTLLIsDJE59PMazMnbojIXLK_jbcr_XXHtpWbDGdpKAAOU6QTix6CmyZcsBL-qy2bs4MTUg1NhRweLQCs-F-qewwnTRzHU2nS3XfncK-4ShM/s320/Screen%20Shot%202022-09-26%20at%201.27.04%20PM.png" width="238" /></a></div><br /><p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 13px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">And that brings us to yesterday.</p>
<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 13px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><br /></p>
<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 13px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">The day I got my notification on FB for the 10 year reunion. </p>
<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 13px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><br /></p>
<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 13px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">I may not have a husband or kids in tow, but I have a heck of a lot of experiences that I wouldn’t trade for the world.</p>
<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 13px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><br /></p>
<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 13px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">I’ve been praying hard for community as of late, and boy has God provided. Fun events don’t mean as much if you don’t have people to share them with. God has sprinkled in some of the best friends, some new, some old, who have come into my life at the perfect time. Because, if I’m being honest, the “boyfriend” thing has hit me harder than I have ever thought it would.</p>
<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 13px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><br /></p>
<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 13px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">I met this guy named Sean right after I graduated from UCLA. My first boyfriend. He’s the most amazing man I have ever met still to this day. I googled his name last night. He has started this YouTube series called “The Best Year of my Life” and it was about this global adventure he went on in 2021. He’s the one who actually inspired me to write this blog today. My 2021 didn’t go global, but it was prettyyyyyyy epic here in the states. Watching his videos made me so happy for him. He looked so happy. And if anyone deserves to find happiness in this world, it’s THAT guy.</p>
<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 13px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><br /></p>
<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 13px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">Which brings me to baseball boy. Another fabulous human. But I knew he wasn’t the one and tried to end it as soon as I realized that.</p>
<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 13px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><br /></p>
<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 13px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">A year passed until I met my last boyfriend. I really liked him. He liked me. But we lived on opposite sides of the country. He was a lot younger, and he didn’t want to keep trying so hard to make it work. It was a mature decision, one that I didn’t want to face, but at least I knew what it felt like. I knew what it felt like to be all-in, and that’s something I’ll forever be grateful for.</p>
<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 13px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><br /></p>
<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 13px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">When I got the FB notification yesterday that was the first thing that popped into my head. I’m going to be SINGLE at my 10 year reunion??? If anyone knows the south, the rest of my classmates are married and on baby #2 already. I really think there is only one other single classmate out of the 100 humans in my graduating class. And that human is my former high school prom date, who I adore, and wish was coming, but is currently living in Amsterdam.</p>
<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 13px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><br /></p>
<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 13px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">As I sit in this coffee shop on Charlotte Ave. in Nashville, TN, days before I make the cross-country trek back to LA in my little brother’s Toyota Camry (my car kicked the bucket earlier in the year, forgot to mention that in the highlights), I think about the title of this blog: Punch the Clock. I’m being literal here. PUNCH IT SQUARE IN THE FACE. There is no clock for when it’s all supposed to be figured out. Whether it’s a husband you’re searching for, or a job or promotion, who cares how old you are when it happens?? Because it will happen. It’s only a matter of time. Time that God knows you need. He knows I need it. I may think I’m ready, but God is the only one who really knows. He has been the architect for the story of my life thus far and there isn’t a single thing I would want to change about it. </p>
<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 13px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtjM7uElbze3-z2ozlakLKiVSzlV59xOJhiFHUDP8LbkB_uwTQwFFXj67oNryXnOys2Cv0vOF8YdlbaT07Spnz-avLRKtXGdc5geyB4oKx6tn4Knyh_a0wCuFM7RQuLmXYqvIfco3eTmI2ixBYuJLJuA0xNCwq5_Sef1aQwcs2u82jz-2hjbuULehT/s1046/Screen%20Shot%202022-09-26%20at%201.32.57%20PM.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1046" data-original-width="788" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtjM7uElbze3-z2ozlakLKiVSzlV59xOJhiFHUDP8LbkB_uwTQwFFXj67oNryXnOys2Cv0vOF8YdlbaT07Spnz-avLRKtXGdc5geyB4oKx6tn4Knyh_a0wCuFM7RQuLmXYqvIfco3eTmI2ixBYuJLJuA0xNCwq5_Sef1aQwcs2u82jz-2hjbuULehT/s320/Screen%20Shot%202022-09-26%20at%201.32.57%20PM.png" width="241" /></a></div><br /><p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 13px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;">Trust me, that’s a lot easier to write than feel at times, but I’m writing to reinforce it in my own head as well. Who cares if you show up single to your 10 year reunion? Who cares if your life doesn’t look like the classmates’ next to you? </p>
<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 13px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><br /></p>
<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 13px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">We all have that thing. That one thing that keeps nagging at us. The fly that won’t stop landing on your leg. The ingrown toenail that brings excruciating pain with every footstep. Graphic, I know, but I’m driving home the big finale here. The point is you feel like you can’t run away from it. You feel like everything will be right with the world if you just get what you’re asking for. My annoying fly and ingrown toenail might be a husband at the moment, but I know if/when I get that, everything won’t be right with the world just because I got what I wanted.</p>
<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 13px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><br /></p>
<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 13px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">So, now, today, at this very moment, what I can do is appreciate what I do have. As I just blabbed about in this blog for the last 30 minutes, God has given me a laundry list of cool experiences and people in my life. I want to get out of this funk, sure. I want to practice what I preach. I want to stop searching for THE guy in every room I walk into. I’ve never been this girl before, but only because I’ve never really wanted this before. My “5 years behind my current age” thing is finally catching up to me. I want marriage. I want HIM. And I know he will come, just like everything else I have put total faith & trust in God towards. He has given me the desires of my heart when I wasn’t searching for them. He has given me what I needed and wanted when I didn’t even have the words to articulate what it was I needed or wanted. I can articulate the man I want. I journal about his sandy blonde hair, blue eyes, and 6’5”+ness fairly often, but maybe that’s why I haven’t met him yet. Maybe that’s why I won’t. I need to close my eyes and blindly trust God wholeheartedly. I need to let go of control. I need to get off of Instagram. I need to stop thinking I'm running out of time.</p>
<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 13px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><br /></p>
<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 13px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">I need to PUNCH THE CLOCK.</p><p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 13px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><br /></p><p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 13px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><br /></p>Nicole Kornethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12752896360950497403noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5054348110797123772.post-38181486019915801912021-07-20T12:10:00.047-07:002022-09-26T10:20:55.400-07:00Taco Tuesday<p class="yiv0743131746p1" style="caret-color: rgb(29, 34, 40); color: #1d2228; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="yiv0743131746s1" style="font-size: x-small;">August 20, 2019</span></p><p class="yiv0743131746p1" style="caret-color: rgb(29, 34, 40); color: #1d2228; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><br /></p><p class="yiv0743131746p2" style="caret-color: rgb(29, 34, 40); color: #1d2228; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 20.3px;"><span class="yiv0743131746s1">Anyone who deems themselves a shooter needs to be put to the test. After a few days on set, LeBron begged the question: Who was the best shooter in the gym? And could they take down The King?</span></p><p class="yiv0743131746p2" style="caret-color: rgb(29, 34, 40); color: #1d2228; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 20.3px;"><br /></p><p class="yiv0743131746p2" style="caret-color: rgb(29, 34, 40); color: #1d2228; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 20.3px;">LeBron had his own private court that Warner Bros. created for him, and he invited us all to shoot one morning. The catch: call times were at 7am... so we were looking at a 5am alarm in order to do so.</p><p class="yiv0743131746p1" style="caret-color: rgb(29, 34, 40); color: #1d2228; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><br /></p><p class="yiv0743131746p1" style="caret-color: rgb(29, 34, 40); color: #1d2228; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">We couldn't wait til 5am the next day. People were already chirping. LeBron looked over at the Goon Squad and asked who the best shooter on the team was. Everyone looked at me.</p><p class="yiv0743131746p1" style="caret-color: rgb(29, 34, 40); color: #1d2228; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><br /></p><p class="yiv0743131746p1" style="caret-color: rgb(29, 34, 40); color: #1d2228; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">The day wore on, business as usual, until LeBron got up to shoot a particular scene. He was shooting around and waiting for the director to get settled.</p><p class="yiv0743131746p1" style="caret-color: rgb(29, 34, 40); color: #1d2228; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><br /></p><p class="yiv0743131746p1" style="caret-color: rgb(29, 34, 40); color: #1d2228; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">He called out my name. </p><p class="yiv0743131746p2" style="caret-color: rgb(29, 34, 40); color: #1d2228; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 20.3px;"><span class="yiv0743131746s1"></span><br /></p><p class="yiv0743131746p1" style="caret-color: rgb(29, 34, 40); color: #1d2228; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="yiv0743131746s1">“Alright Kornet. It’s go time.”</span></p><p class="yiv0743131746p2" style="caret-color: rgb(29, 34, 40); color: #1d2228; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 20.3px;"><span class="yiv0743131746s1"></span><br /></p><p class="yiv0743131746p1" style="caret-color: rgb(29, 34, 40); color: #1d2228; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="yiv0743131746s1">I looked up, and smiled. Oh boy. I hadn’t touched a ball since I graduated, but here goes nothin. </span></p><p class="yiv0743131746p1" style="caret-color: rgb(29, 34, 40); color: #1d2228; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="yiv0743131746s1"><br /></span></p><p class="yiv0743131746p1" style="caret-color: rgb(29, 34, 40); color: #1d2228; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="yiv0743131746s1">The first game was simple— five shots from five spots. He won three games, I won two. He got me.</span></p><p class="yiv0743131746p2" style="caret-color: rgb(29, 34, 40); color: #1d2228; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 20.3px;"><span class="yiv0743131746s1"></span><br /></p><p class="yiv0743131746p1" style="caret-color: rgb(29, 34, 40); color: #1d2228; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="yiv0743131746s1">The next game we decided to up the ante. We had to make each shot from each spot in a row to advance to the next spot, and if you didn't... you went back a spot. </span></p><p class="yiv0743131746p1" style="caret-color: rgb(29, 34, 40); color: #1d2228; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="yiv0743131746s1"><br /></span></p><p class="yiv0743131746p1" style="caret-color: rgb(29, 34, 40); color: #1d2228; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="yiv0743131746s1">That was confusing. </span>Let me break it down for you:</p><p class="yiv0743131746p1" style="caret-color: rgb(29, 34, 40); color: #1d2228; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="yiv0743131746s1"><br /></span></p><p class="yiv0743131746p1" style="caret-color: rgb(29, 34, 40); color: #1d2228; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="yiv0743131746s1">From the baseline you had to make your first shot to advance.</span></p><p class="yiv0743131746p1" style="caret-color: rgb(29, 34, 40); color: #1d2228; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="yiv0743131746s1"><br /></span></p><p class="yiv0743131746p1" style="caret-color: rgb(29, 34, 40); color: #1d2228; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="yiv0743131746s1">From the wing, you had to make two in a row to advance.</span></p><p class="yiv0743131746p1" style="caret-color: rgb(29, 34, 40); color: #1d2228; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="yiv0743131746s1"><br /></span></p><p class="yiv0743131746p1" style="caret-color: rgb(29, 34, 40); color: #1d2228; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">From the top of the key, you had to make three in a row to advance.</p><p class="yiv0743131746p1" style="caret-color: rgb(29, 34, 40); color: #1d2228; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><br /></p><p class="yiv0743131746p1" style="caret-color: rgb(29, 34, 40); color: #1d2228; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">From the opposite wing, you had to make four in a row to advance.</p><p class="yiv0743131746p1" style="caret-color: rgb(29, 34, 40); color: #1d2228; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><br /></p><p class="yiv0743131746p1" style="caret-color: rgb(29, 34, 40); color: #1d2228; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">From the opposite baseline, you had to make all five in a row to win.</p><p class="yiv0743131746p1" style="caret-color: rgb(29, 34, 40); color: #1d2228; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><br /></p><p class="yiv0743131746p1" style="caret-color: rgb(29, 34, 40); color: #1d2228; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">If you miss any shot at all, you immediately go back to your last spot.</p><p class="yiv0743131746p1" style="caret-color: rgb(29, 34, 40); color: #1d2228; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><br /></p><p class="yiv0743131746p1" style="caret-color: rgb(29, 34, 40); color: #1d2228; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">LeBron got off to a hot start and made it all the way to the top of the key, until he missed his last shot and went 3 for 4.</p><p class="yiv0743131746p1" style="caret-color: rgb(29, 34, 40); color: #1d2228; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><br /></p><p class="yiv0743131746p1" style="caret-color: rgb(29, 34, 40); color: #1d2228; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">My turn.</p><p class="yiv0743131746p1" style="caret-color: rgb(29, 34, 40); color: #1d2228; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><br /></p><p class="yiv0743131746p1" style="caret-color: rgb(29, 34, 40); color: #1d2228; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">I missed the first shot.</p><p class="yiv0743131746p1" style="caret-color: rgb(29, 34, 40); color: #1d2228; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><br /></p><p class="yiv0743131746p1" style="caret-color: rgb(29, 34, 40); color: #1d2228; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">His turn.</p><p class="yiv0743131746p1" style="caret-color: rgb(29, 34, 40); color: #1d2228; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><br /></p><p class="yiv0743131746p1" style="caret-color: rgb(29, 34, 40); color: #1d2228; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">He went two for three.</p><p class="yiv0743131746p1" style="caret-color: rgb(29, 34, 40); color: #1d2228; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><br /></p><p class="yiv0743131746p1" style="caret-color: rgb(29, 34, 40); color: #1d2228; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">Time to work my way back.</p><p class="yiv0743131746p1" style="caret-color: rgb(29, 34, 40); color: #1d2228; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><br /></p><p class="yiv0743131746p1" style="caret-color: rgb(29, 34, 40); color: #1d2228; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">Swish.</p><p class="yiv0743131746p1" style="caret-color: rgb(29, 34, 40); color: #1d2228; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><br /></p><p class="yiv0743131746p1" style="caret-color: rgb(29, 34, 40); color: #1d2228; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">Swish. Swish.</p><p class="yiv0743131746p1" style="caret-color: rgb(29, 34, 40); color: #1d2228; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><br /></p><p class="yiv0743131746p1" style="caret-color: rgb(29, 34, 40); color: #1d2228; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">Swish. Swish. Swish.</p><p class="yiv0743131746p1" style="caret-color: rgb(29, 34, 40); color: #1d2228; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><br /></p><p class="yiv0743131746p1" style="caret-color: rgb(29, 34, 40); color: #1d2228; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">He's in my ear. Side by side with the big fella.</p><p class="yiv0743131746p1" style="caret-color: rgb(29, 34, 40); color: #1d2228; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><br /></p><p class="yiv0743131746p1" style="caret-color: rgb(29, 34, 40); color: #1d2228; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">I miss.</p><p class="yiv0743131746p1" style="caret-color: rgb(29, 34, 40); color: #1d2228; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><br /></p><p class="yiv0743131746p1" style="caret-color: rgb(29, 34, 40); color: #1d2228; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">Back to Bron.</p><p class="yiv0743131746p1" style="caret-color: rgb(29, 34, 40); color: #1d2228; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><br /></p><p class="yiv0743131746p1" style="caret-color: rgb(29, 34, 40); color: #1d2228; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">He makes his way to the opposite wing. 3 out of 4.</p><p class="yiv0743131746p1" style="caret-color: rgb(29, 34, 40); color: #1d2228; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><br /></p><p class="yiv0743131746p1" style="caret-color: rgb(29, 34, 40); color: #1d2228; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">Okay, Kornet. Focus.</p><p class="yiv0743131746p1" style="caret-color: rgb(29, 34, 40); color: #1d2228; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><br /></p><p class="yiv0743131746p1" style="caret-color: rgb(29, 34, 40); color: #1d2228; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">I make three in a row.</p><p class="yiv0743131746p1" style="caret-color: rgb(29, 34, 40); color: #1d2228; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><br /></p><p class="yiv0743131746p1" style="caret-color: rgb(29, 34, 40); color: #1d2228; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">On to the wing!</p><p class="yiv0743131746p1" style="caret-color: rgb(29, 34, 40); color: #1d2228; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><br /></p><p class="yiv0743131746p1" style="caret-color: rgb(29, 34, 40); color: #1d2228; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">I make one, then two, and then the Second AD comes over.</p><p class="yiv0743131746p1" style="caret-color: rgb(29, 34, 40); color: #1d2228; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><br /></p><p class="yiv0743131746p1" style="caret-color: rgb(29, 34, 40); color: #1d2228; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">"Alright, guys, let's clear the court. We need to get rolling."</p><p class="yiv0743131746p1" style="caret-color: rgb(29, 34, 40); color: #1d2228; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><br /></p><p class="yiv0743131746p1" style="caret-color: rgb(29, 34, 40); color: #1d2228; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">"No, no, no. She’s feeling it right now. Give us a few more minutes," replied LeBron.</p><p class="yiv0743131746p1" style="caret-color: rgb(29, 34, 40); color: #1d2228; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><br /></p><p class="yiv0743131746p1" style="caret-color: rgb(29, 34, 40); color: #1d2228; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">I make the third shot, and then the fourth.</p><p class="yiv0743131746p1" style="caret-color: rgb(29, 34, 40); color: #1d2228; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><br /></p><p class="yiv0743131746p1" style="caret-color: rgb(29, 34, 40); color: #1d2228; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">Last spot. Five more and I take the crown.</p><p class="yiv0743131746p1" style="caret-color: rgb(29, 34, 40); color: #1d2228; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><br /></p><p class="yiv0743131746p1" style="caret-color: rgb(29, 34, 40); color: #1d2228; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">I make the first one. Net the second one. Hold the follow through on the third, turn to LeBron and look him dead in the eyes...</p><p class="yiv0743131746p1" style="caret-color: rgb(29, 34, 40); color: #1d2228; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><br /></p><p class="yiv0743131746p1" style="caret-color: rgb(29, 34, 40); color: #1d2228; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">"Did that go in?”</p><p class="yiv0743131746p1" style="caret-color: rgb(29, 34, 40); color: #1d2228; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><br /></p><p class="yiv0743131746p1" style="caret-color: rgb(29, 34, 40); color: #1d2228; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">It rattles in and he retorts back, “Ooh you were scared, though, huh??”</p><p class="yiv0743131746p1" style="caret-color: rgb(29, 34, 40); color: #1d2228; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><br /></p><p class="yiv0743131746p1" style="caret-color: rgb(29, 34, 40); color: #1d2228; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">I square up for the fifth and final shot. As soon as it left my hand I took off straight to center court Steph Curry style.</p><p class="yiv0743131746p1" style="caret-color: rgb(29, 34, 40); color: #1d2228; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><br /></p><p class="yiv0743131746p1" style="caret-color: rgb(29, 34, 40); color: #1d2228; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">Cash.</p><p class="yiv0743131746p1" style="caret-color: rgb(29, 34, 40); color: #1d2228; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><br /></p><p class="yiv0743131746p1" style="caret-color: rgb(29, 34, 40); color: #1d2228; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">Everyone went nuts.</p><p class="yiv0743131746p1" style="caret-color: rgb(29, 34, 40); color: #1d2228; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><br /></p><p class="yiv0743131746p1" style="caret-color: rgb(29, 34, 40); color: #1d2228; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">All one hundred supervillain extras stampede the court. The cast, crew and anyone with legs came running towards me with arms open wide.</p><p class="yiv0743131746p1" style="caret-color: rgb(29, 34, 40); color: #1d2228; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><br /></p><p class="yiv0743131746p1" style="caret-color: rgb(29, 34, 40); color: #1d2228; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">LeBron, too, gave credit where credit was due, and dapped me up. </p><p class="yiv0743131746p1" style="caret-color: rgb(29, 34, 40); color: #1d2228; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><br /></p><p class="yiv0743131746p1" style="caret-color: rgb(29, 34, 40); color: #1d2228; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">"12 in a row, not bad."</p><p class="yiv0743131746p1" style="caret-color: rgb(29, 34, 40); color: #1d2228; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><br /></p><p class="yiv0743131746p1" style="caret-color: rgb(29, 34, 40); color: #1d2228; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">One of the prop guys pulled me aside and handed me the coveted silver ball.</p><p class="yiv0743131746p1" style="caret-color: rgb(29, 34, 40); color: #1d2228; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><br /></p><p class="yiv0743131746p1" style="caret-color: rgb(29, 34, 40); color: #1d2228; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">“Keep it.”</p><p class="yiv0743131746p2" style="caret-color: rgb(29, 34, 40); color: #1d2228; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 20.3px;"><span class="yiv0743131746s1"></span><br /></p><p class="yiv0743131746p1" style="caret-color: rgb(29, 34, 40); color: #1d2228; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="yiv0743131746s1">"And get him to sign it too!"</span></p><p class="yiv0743131746p1" style="caret-color: rgb(29, 34, 40); color: #1d2228; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="yiv0743131746s1"><br /></span></p><p class="yiv0743131746p1" style="caret-color: rgb(29, 34, 40); color: #1d2228; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">"Woah, woahhhh woahhhh," clapped back LeBron. "The series is even now. She's not getting a signature until she truly tops me."</p><p class="yiv0743131746p2" style="caret-color: rgb(29, 34, 40); color: #1d2228; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 20.3px;"><span class="yiv0743131746s1"></span><br /></p><p class="yiv0743131746p1" style="caret-color: rgb(29, 34, 40); color: #1d2228; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="yiv0743131746s1">As soon as we wrapped at 8pm, LeBron challenged me again. He was in his flip flops, until I started feeling it. The flip flops came off, and the laces came on.</span></p><p class="yiv0743131746p1" style="caret-color: rgb(29, 34, 40); color: #1d2228; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="yiv0743131746s1"><br /></span></p><p class="yiv0743131746p1" style="caret-color: rgb(29, 34, 40); color: #1d2228; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="yiv0743131746s1">We probably went back and forth for 45 minutes and shot 100 shots going 90 for 100 from 3. Neither of us hardly missed.</span></p><p class="yiv0743131746p1" style="caret-color: rgb(29, 34, 40); color: #1d2228; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="yiv0743131746s1"><br /></span></p><p class="yiv0743131746p1" style="caret-color: rgb(29, 34, 40); color: #1d2228; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="yiv0743131746s1">Until I didn't.</span></p><p class="yiv0743131746p1" style="caret-color: rgb(29, 34, 40); color: #1d2228; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="yiv0743131746s1"><br /></span></p><p class="yiv0743131746p1" style="caret-color: rgb(29, 34, 40); color: #1d2228; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="yiv0743131746s1">And beat him again.</span></p><p class="yiv0743131746p2" style="caret-color: rgb(29, 34, 40); color: #1d2228; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 20.3px;"><span class="yiv0743131746s1"></span><br /></p><p class="yiv0743131746p1" style="caret-color: rgb(29, 34, 40); color: #1d2228; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">Just for kicks, we decided to do another round. This time off the dribble.</p><p class="yiv0743131746p1" style="caret-color: rgb(29, 34, 40); color: #1d2228; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><br /></p><p class="yiv0743131746p1" style="caret-color: rgb(29, 34, 40); color: #1d2228; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">(I won that one too).</p><p class="yiv0743131746p2" style="caret-color: rgb(29, 34, 40); color: #1d2228; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 20.3px;"><span class="yiv0743131746s1"></span><br /></p><p class="yiv0743131746p1" style="caret-color: rgb(29, 34, 40); color: #1d2228; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="yiv0743131746s1">Before we left, LeBron told me we had to end on a make. I tossed up an NBA three from the wing. </span></p><p class="yiv0743131746p1" style="caret-color: rgb(29, 34, 40); color: #1d2228; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="yiv0743131746s1"><br /></span></p><p class="yiv0743131746p1" style="caret-color: rgb(29, 34, 40); color: #1d2228; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="yiv0743131746s1">Cash.</span></p><p class="yiv0743131746p1" style="caret-color: rgb(29, 34, 40); color: #1d2228; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="yiv0743131746s1"><br /></span></p><p class="yiv0743131746p1" style="caret-color: rgb(29, 34, 40); color: #1d2228; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">The basketball gods were with me that evening.</p><p class="yiv0743131746p2" style="caret-color: rgb(29, 34, 40); color: #1d2228; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 20.3px;"><span class="yiv0743131746s1"></span><br /></p><p class="yiv0743131746p1" style="caret-color: rgb(29, 34, 40); color: #1d2228; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="yiv0743131746s1">As we were making our way back to our trailers, LeBron snagged the ball from me, and finally signed it.</span></p><p class="yiv0743131746p1" style="caret-color: rgb(29, 34, 40); color: #1d2228; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="yiv0743131746s1"><br /></span></p><p class="yiv0743131746p1" style="caret-color: rgb(29, 34, 40); color: #1d2228; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoRtbPFE0OGCPvRykQtHmoEJPAc8ttuvBoUZ92EQhAILNSFeRBCeqPOU_l6bOSo5aH035RkYBrEs0lAYD0_DR1O1ERUcbvsqHJ-gA5Lovo576zTT6RtjAqNYMYBrIn5gw2ABfU7Vi4kv8/s812/Screen+Shot+2021-07-20+at+3.09.25+PM.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="812" data-original-width="664" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoRtbPFE0OGCPvRykQtHmoEJPAc8ttuvBoUZ92EQhAILNSFeRBCeqPOU_l6bOSo5aH035RkYBrEs0lAYD0_DR1O1ERUcbvsqHJ-gA5Lovo576zTT6RtjAqNYMYBrIn5gw2ABfU7Vi4kv8/s320/Screen+Shot+2021-07-20+at+3.09.25+PM.png" /></a></div><br /><span class="yiv0743131746s1"><br /></span><p></p><p class="yiv0743131746p1" style="caret-color: rgb(29, 34, 40); color: #1d2228; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">As I was making my way to base camp, I was getting congrats from left and right from people on different stages who weren't even a part of the Space Jam production.</p><p class="yiv0743131746p1" style="caret-color: rgb(29, 34, 40); color: #1d2228; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="yiv0743131746s1"><br /></span></p><p class="yiv0743131746p1" style="caret-color: rgb(29, 34, 40); color: #1d2228; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="yiv0743131746s1">LeBron's bodyguard saw me and let out an “Oooo girl, you earned that signature!”</span></p><p class="yiv0743131746p1" style="caret-color: rgb(29, 34, 40); color: #1d2228; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="yiv0743131746s1"><br /></span></p><p class="yiv0743131746p1" style="caret-color: rgb(29, 34, 40); color: #1d2228; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="yiv0743131746s1">LeBron heard all of the hoopla from his trailer, peeped his head out, and yelled out for me to come in.</span></p><p class="yiv0743131746p2" style="caret-color: rgb(29, 34, 40); color: #1d2228; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 20.3px;"><span class="yiv0743131746s1"></span><br /></p><p class="yiv0743131746p1" style="caret-color: rgb(29, 34, 40); color: #1d2228; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="yiv0743131746s1">“So you out there boastin’???”</span></p><p class="yiv0743131746p2" style="caret-color: rgb(29, 34, 40); color: #1d2228; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 20.3px;"><span class="yiv0743131746s1"></span><br /></p><p class="yiv0743131746p1" style="caret-color: rgb(29, 34, 40); color: #1d2228; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="yiv0743131746s1">I walked in, took a seat on his couch, crossed my legs, and said with a smile on my face, "Just wait til I can post about it."</span></p><p class="yiv0743131746p1" style="caret-color: rgb(29, 34, 40); color: #1d2228; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="yiv0743131746s1"><br /></span></p><p class="yiv0743131746p1" style="caret-color: rgb(29, 34, 40); color: #1d2228; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfaHagHZq1j9sTb3Jpbn80L99G8BemSJUx2twlG9hAIzmInTYgwGeed_g9_sqAQpYjQ0tFyuYkX5mwrWtFGvdlWwcuZ17KQh1GYZwryXzhqmmFI1JHozw3mzJiM-pdV_rE7Bie1dFRmoU/s2048/Facetune_16-07-2021-22-46-34+2.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1768" data-original-width="2048" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfaHagHZq1j9sTb3Jpbn80L99G8BemSJUx2twlG9hAIzmInTYgwGeed_g9_sqAQpYjQ0tFyuYkX5mwrWtFGvdlWwcuZ17KQh1GYZwryXzhqmmFI1JHozw3mzJiM-pdV_rE7Bie1dFRmoU/s320/Facetune_16-07-2021-22-46-34+2.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p class="yiv0743131746p2" style="caret-color: rgb(29, 34, 40); color: #1d2228; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 20.3px;"><span class="yiv0743131746s1"></span></p>Nicole Kornethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12752896360950497403noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5054348110797123772.post-55118148588651613992021-07-18T21:49:00.022-07:002021-07-19T06:27:52.654-07:00Space Jam 2<div class="m_5864355237902838278p1" style="color: #454545; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">
<span class="m_5864355237902838278s1" style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Trash talk. It’s never been my favorite, but thanks to Frank Kornet I knew how to turn it on when needed.</span></div>
<div class="m_5864355237902838278p1" style="color: #454545; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">
<span class="m_5864355237902838278s1" style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="m_5864355237902838278p1" style="color: #454545; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">
<span class="m_5864355237902838278s1" style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">It was needed.</span></div>
<div class="m_5864355237902838278p1" style="color: #454545; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">
<span class="m_5864355237902838278s1" style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="m_5864355237902838278p1" style="color: #454545; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">
<span class="m_5864355237902838278s1" style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">I booked a voice-over gig for the new NBA Live and Madden video games.</span></div>
<div class="m_5864355237902838278p2" style="color: #454545; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; min-height: 16.7px;">
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><span class="m_5864355237902838278s1"></span><br /></span></div>
<div class="m_5864355237902838278p1" style="color: #454545; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">A weekend full of trash talk and pick-up games back at the Warner Bros. lot with fellow athletes. There I met an actor who, arguably, changed my life.</span></div>
<div class="m_5864355237902838278p1" style="color: #454545; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">
<span class="m_5864355237902838278s1" style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="m_5864355237902838278p1" style="color: #454545; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">
<span class="m_5864355237902838278s1" style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Meet Sheldon Bailey.</span></div>
<div class="m_5864355237902838278p2" style="color: #454545; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; min-height: 16.7px;">
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><span class="m_5864355237902838278s1"></span><br /></span></div>
<div class="m_5864355237902838278p1" style="color: #454545; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">
<span class="m_5864355237902838278s1" style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">He played basketball at Miami, moved to LA, found a talent agency, began booking Nike commercials and was recently cast in two tv shows, one on Nickelodeon and the other on HBO. Welcome to LA.</span></div>
<div class="m_5864355237902838278p1" style="color: #454545; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">
<span class="m_5864355237902838278s1" style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="m_5864355237902838278p1" style="color: #454545; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">
<span class="m_5864355237902838278s1" style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">His claim to fame? He's LeBron James’ body double.</span></div><div class="m_5864355237902838278p1" style="color: #454545; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;"><span class="m_5864355237902838278s1" style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div class="m_5864355237902838278p1" style="color: #454545; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiycy0kZ0vIr3NN4-DOl4VXec3ZJxpTEow281AQKa0fLrAf8WB9-l6PhcrXWwfNA-UItfOVGpLDH11luQ2l7gqEL_MJwW6Mrf_y2WxKV4YMnh36Y7IKZUcAO4m2r8w6pcPAEPwVHmc8KkI/s960/IMG_7698.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="960" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiycy0kZ0vIr3NN4-DOl4VXec3ZJxpTEow281AQKa0fLrAf8WB9-l6PhcrXWwfNA-UItfOVGpLDH11luQ2l7gqEL_MJwW6Mrf_y2WxKV4YMnh36Y7IKZUcAO4m2r8w6pcPAEPwVHmc8KkI/s320/IMG_7698.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><span style="font-family: inherit;"><div class="m_5864355237902838278p1" style="color: #454545; font-size: x-large; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><span style="font-size: medium;">He reminded me of myself. Minus the 6'8" frame and big, burly, man muscles. He was the type of guy who was always the first to raise his hand to read aloud in class, loved theatre growing up, was an athlete, and knew in his heart of hearts that the entertainment industry was where he wanted to be.</span></span></div>
<div class="m_5864355237902838278p2" style="color: #454545; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; min-height: 16.7px;">
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><span class="m_5864355237902838278s1"></span><br /></span></div>
<div class="m_5864355237902838278p1" style="color: #454545; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">
<span class="m_5864355237902838278s1" style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">He asked about my background too. I told him about Ultimate Tag, but as far as experience on set goes, I was a full-time project manager at a record label. Not an actress.</span></div>
<div class="m_5864355237902838278p2" style="color: #454545; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; min-height: 16.7px;">
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><span class="m_5864355237902838278s1"></span><br /></span></div>
<div class="m_5864355237902838278p1" style="color: #454545; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">
<span class="m_5864355237902838278s1" style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">He asked for my number and told me that he’d be more than happy to connect me with a few people.</span></div>
<div class="m_5864355237902838278p2" style="color: #454545; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; min-height: 16.7px;">
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><span class="m_5864355237902838278s1"></span><br /></span></div>
<div class="m_5864355237902838278p1" style="color: #454545; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">
<span class="m_5864355237902838278s1" style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">The very next day I got a text from Sheldon.</span></div>
<div class="m_5864355237902838278p2" style="color: #454545; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; min-height: 16.7px;">
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><span class="m_5864355237902838278s1"></span><br /></span></div>
<div class="m_5864355237902838278p1" style="color: #454545; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">
<span class="m_5864355237902838278s1" style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">“They are auditioning women’s basketball players to double some WNBA stars for Space Jam 2 at 1pm in North Hollywood. This is a call back, but I spoke to the casting director about you and he said that you can audition if you're available. Are you?”</span></div>
<div class="m_5864355237902838278p2" style="color: #454545; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; min-height: 16.7px;">
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><span class="m_5864355237902838278s1"></span><br /></span></div>
<div class="m_5864355237902838278p1" style="color: #454545; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">
<span class="m_5864355237902838278s1" style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">I don’t think I blinked for two minutes. I kept rereading what he had written.</span></div>
<div class="m_5864355237902838278p2" style="color: #454545; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; min-height: 16.7px;">
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><span class="m_5864355237902838278s1"></span><br /></span></div>
<div class="m_5864355237902838278p1" style="color: #454545; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">
<span class="m_5864355237902838278s1" style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">“SPACE JAM 2???”</span></div>
<div class="m_5864355237902838278p2" style="color: #454545; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; min-height: 16.7px;">
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><span class="m_5864355237902838278s1"></span><br /></span></div>
<div class="m_5864355237902838278p1" style="color: #454545; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">
<span class="m_5864355237902838278s1" style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">But then I remembered…</span></div>
<div class="m_5864355237902838278p1" style="color: #454545; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">
<span class="m_5864355237902838278s1" style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="m_5864355237902838278p1" style="color: #454545; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">
<span class="m_5864355237902838278s1" style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">1pm. I had to be on set for Tag at 1pm. I couldn't be at two places at once.</span></div>
<div class="m_5864355237902838278p2" style="color: #454545; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; min-height: 16.7px;">
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><span class="m_5864355237902838278s1"></span><br /></span></div>
<div class="m_5864355237902838278p1" style="color: #454545; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">
<span class="m_5864355237902838278s1" style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">But for some reason, I knew I had to get there. I had to make this audition.</span></div>
<div class="m_5864355237902838278p2" style="color: #454545; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; min-height: 16.7px;">
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><span class="m_5864355237902838278s1"></span><br /></span></div>
<div class="m_5864355237902838278p1" style="color: #454545; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">
<span class="m_5864355237902838278s1" style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">I showed up to the North Hollywood Rec Center at 12:00pm to look for a casting director I had never seen before and introduce myself. Maybe if I gave him a glimpse and sank a few J's for him I'd be able to give him just enough before I had to bail for Tag.</span></div>
<div class="m_5864355237902838278p2" style="color: #454545; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; min-height: 16.7px;">
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><span class="m_5864355237902838278s1"></span><br /></span></div>
<div class="m_5864355237902838278p1" style="color: #454545; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">
<span class="m_5864355237902838278s1" style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">“Are you here for Space Jam?” a voice echoed from behind.</span></div>
<div class="m_5864355237902838278p2" style="color: #454545; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; min-height: 16.7px;">
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><span class="m_5864355237902838278s1"></span><br /></span></div>
<div class="m_5864355237902838278p1" style="color: #454545; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">
<span class="m_5864355237902838278s1" style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">I turned around, “Yes, I am.”</span></div>
<div class="m_5864355237902838278p2" style="color: #454545; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; min-height: 16.7px;">
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><span class="m_5864355237902838278s1"></span><br /></span></div>
<div class="m_5864355237902838278p1" style="color: #454545; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">
<span class="m_5864355237902838278s1" style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">“We’re not opening the doors til 1, but you’re in the right place.”</span></div>
<div class="m_5864355237902838278p2" style="color: #454545; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; min-height: 16.7px;">
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><span class="m_5864355237902838278s1"></span><br /></span></div>
<div class="m_5864355237902838278p1" style="color: #454545; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">
<span class="m_5864355237902838278s1" style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">“Not till 1? I’m currently in this other show at Warner Bros. and I have to be THERE at 1. I was hoping to sneak in real quick beforehand.”</span></div>
<div class="m_5864355237902838278p2" style="color: #454545; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; min-height: 16.7px;">
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><span class="m_5864355237902838278s1"></span><br /></span></div>
<div class="m_5864355237902838278p1" style="color: #454545; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">
<span class="m_5864355237902838278s1" style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">“Do you know Mike Fisher? He’s the casting director and will be here in about 30 minutes. I would try to wait for him if you could.”</span></div>
<div class="m_5864355237902838278p2" style="color: #454545; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; min-height: 16.7px;">
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><span class="m_5864355237902838278s1"></span><br /></span></div>
<div class="m_5864355237902838278p1" style="color: #454545; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">
<span class="m_5864355237902838278s1" style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Alright, sounds like this Mike guy is my only chance.</span></div>
<div class="m_5864355237902838278p2" style="color: #454545; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; min-height: 16.7px;">
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><span class="m_5864355237902838278s1"></span><br /></span></div>
<div class="m_5864355237902838278p1" style="color: #454545; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">
<span class="m_5864355237902838278s1" style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">12:50pm rolled around. I was getting anxious. It was the first day of shoot blocking at Tag. I had to be there.</span></div>
<div class="m_5864355237902838278p2" style="color: #454545; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; min-height: 16.7px;">
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><span class="m_5864355237902838278s1"></span><br /></span></div>
<div class="m_5864355237902838278p1" style="color: #454545; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">
<span class="m_5864355237902838278s1" style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">The door finally opened. A dashing 50-year-old man entered.</span></div>
<div class="m_5864355237902838278p2" style="color: #454545; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; min-height: 16.7px;">
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><span class="m_5864355237902838278s1"></span><br /></span></div>
<div class="m_5864355237902838278p1" style="color: #454545; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">
<span class="m_5864355237902838278s1" style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Mike.</span></div>
<div class="m_5864355237902838278p2" style="color: #454545; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; min-height: 16.7px;">
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><span class="m_5864355237902838278s1"></span><br /></span></div>
<div class="m_5864355237902838278p1" style="color: #454545; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">
<span class="m_5864355237902838278s1" style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">I ran over to him. “Hi, Mike. My name is Nicole Kornet and…”</span></div>
<div class="m_5864355237902838278p2" style="color: #454545; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; min-height: 16.7px;">
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><span class="m_5864355237902838278s1"></span><br /></span></div>
<div class="m_5864355237902838278p1" style="color: #454545; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">
<span class="m_5864355237902838278s1" style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">“Oh, I know who you are. Go tell that lady that I just added you. You’re not on the roster yet.”</span></div>
<div class="m_5864355237902838278p2" style="color: #454545; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; min-height: 16.7px;">
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><span class="m_5864355237902838278s1"></span><br /></span></div>
<div class="m_5864355237902838278p1" style="color: #454545; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">
<span class="m_5864355237902838278s1" style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">“Is there any way I could shoot for you now? I have to be at Warner Bros. in 10 minutes for another show I’m on…”</span></div>
<div class="m_5864355237902838278p2" style="color: #454545; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; min-height: 16.7px;">
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><span class="m_5864355237902838278s1"></span><br /></span></div>
<div class="m_5864355237902838278p1" style="color: #454545; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">
<span class="m_5864355237902838278s1" style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">“Nicole, if I were you, I’d stick around. You’re exactly the type of person we’re looking for in this role. The directors and producers will be here in about 15-20 minutes. And if you get this part, you’ll be making a lot more than whatever you’re making at Tag...”</span></div>
<div class="m_5864355237902838278p2" style="color: #454545; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; min-height: 16.7px;">
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><span class="m_5864355237902838278s1"></span><br /></span></div>
<div class="m_5864355237902838278p1" style="color: #454545; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">
<span class="m_5864355237902838278s1" style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Oh boy.</span></div>
<div class="m_5864355237902838278p2" style="color: #454545; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; min-height: 16.7px;">
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><span class="m_5864355237902838278s1"></span><br /></span></div>
<div class="m_5864355237902838278p1" style="color: #454545; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">
<span class="m_5864355237902838278s1" style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">I had to wait. I couldn’t miss this.</span></div>
<div class="m_5864355237902838278p2" style="color: #454545; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; min-height: 16.7px;">
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><span class="m_5864355237902838278s1"></span><br /></span></div>
<div class="m_5864355237902838278p1" style="color: #454545; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">
<span class="m_5864355237902838278s1" style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">I emailed my supervisor at Tag. A little white lie had to do…</span></div>
<div class="m_5864355237902838278p2" style="color: #454545; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; min-height: 16.7px;">
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><span class="m_5864355237902838278s1"></span><br /></span></div>
<div class="m_5864355237902838278p1" style="color: #454545; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">
<span class="m_5864355237902838278s1" style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">“Running late from a dentist appointment. Will be there in an hour.”</span></div>
<div class="m_5864355237902838278p2" style="color: #454545; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; min-height: 16.7px;">
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><span class="m_5864355237902838278s1"></span><br /></span></div>
<div class="m_5864355237902838278p1" style="color: #454545; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">
<span class="m_5864355237902838278s1" style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">(Sorry Kristi. Had to).</span></div>
<div class="m_5864355237902838278p2" style="color: #454545; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; min-height: 16.7px;">
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><span class="m_5864355237902838278s1"></span><br /></span></div>
<div class="m_5864355237902838278p1" style="color: #454545; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">
<span class="m_5864355237902838278s1" style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">I walked over to sign my name in. </span></div>
<div class="m_5864355237902838278p2" style="color: #454545; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; min-height: 16.7px;">
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><span class="m_5864355237902838278s1"></span><br /></span></div>
<div class="m_5864355237902838278p1" style="color: #454545; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Under each NBA and WNBA cast member, there was a list of about 6-7 actors with headshots, fast facts, and contact info.</span></div>
<div class="m_5864355237902838278p2" style="color: #454545; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; min-height: 16.7px;">
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><span class="m_5864355237902838278s1"></span><br /></span></div>
<div class="m_5864355237902838278p1" style="color: #454545; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">
<span class="m_5864355237902838278s1" style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">The woman told me to just scribble my name down in the corner under the Diana Taurasi group.</span></div>
<div class="m_5864355237902838278p2" style="color: #454545; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; min-height: 16.7px;">
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><span class="m_5864355237902838278s1"></span><br /></span></div>
<div class="m_5864355237902838278p1" style="color: #454545; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">
<span class="m_5864355237902838278s1" style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">I chuckled.</span></div>
<div class="m_5864355237902838278p2" style="color: #454545; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; min-height: 16.7px;">
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><span class="m_5864355237902838278s1"></span><br /></span></div>
<div class="m_5864355237902838278p1" style="color: #454545; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">
<span class="m_5864355237902838278s1" style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">“This is an official callback,” I thought to myself. These people have headshots and resumes and I have a chicken-scratch name tag plugged in the margin.</span></div>
<div class="m_5864355237902838278p2" style="color: #454545; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; min-height: 16.7px;">
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><span class="m_5864355237902838278s1"></span><br /></span></div>
<div class="m_5864355237902838278p1" style="color: #454545; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">
<span class="m_5864355237902838278s1" style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">When I gazed at the paper once more I noticed that the Diana Taurasi group had a 2:15pm time stamp next to the name. </span></div>
<div class="m_5864355237902838278p2" style="color: #454545; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; min-height: 16.7px;">
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><span class="m_5864355237902838278s1"></span><br /></span></div>
<div class="m_5864355237902838278p1" style="color: #454545; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">
<span class="m_5864355237902838278s1" style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Uh-oh. It just turned 1pm, Tag has started, and my audition wasn’t for another hour. </span></div>
<div class="m_5864355237902838278p2" style="color: #454545; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; min-height: 16.7px;">
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><span class="m_5864355237902838278s1"></span><br /></span></div>
<div class="m_5864355237902838278p1" style="color: #454545; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">
<span class="m_5864355237902838278s1" style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">I didn’t know what to do. I really wanted this, but I had already signed another contract. I was supposed to be at Warner Bros. an hour ago.</span></div>
<div class="m_5864355237902838278p2" style="color: #454545; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; min-height: 16.7px;">
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><span class="m_5864355237902838278s1"></span><br /></span></div>
<div class="m_5864355237902838278p1" style="color: #454545; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">
<span class="m_5864355237902838278s1" style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">There was only one thing that made sense at that moment — call mom.</span></div>
<div class="m_5864355237902838278p2" style="color: #454545; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; min-height: 16.7px;">
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><span class="m_5864355237902838278s1"></span><br /></span></div>
<div class="m_5864355237902838278p1" style="color: #454545; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">
<span class="m_5864355237902838278s1" style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">I called her and told her my predicament. She wasn’t much help.</span></div>
<div class="m_5864355237902838278p2" style="color: #454545; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; min-height: 16.7px;">
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><span class="m_5864355237902838278s1"></span><br /></span></div>
<div class="m_5864355237902838278p1" style="color: #454545; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">
<span class="m_5864355237902838278s1" style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">“Don’t lie, but don’t go. Follow your heart, but don’t miss your obligation.”</span></div>
<div class="m_5864355237902838278p2" style="color: #454545; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; min-height: 16.7px;">
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><span class="m_5864355237902838278s1"></span><br /></span></div>
<div class="m_5864355237902838278p1" style="color: #454545; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">
<span class="m_5864355237902838278s1" style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">C’MON MOM. I NEED CLARITY.</span></div>
<div class="m_5864355237902838278p2" style="color: #454545; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; min-height: 16.7px;">
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><span class="m_5864355237902838278s1"></span><br /></span></div>
<div class="m_5864355237902838278p1" style="color: #454545; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">
<span class="m_5864355237902838278s1" style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">I decided to stay. TV show call times say one thing but mean another. Plus, I’m an on-air referee. I’m not the MAIN talent. I could be an hour…or two…late.</span></div>
<div class="m_5864355237902838278p2" style="color: #454545; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; min-height: 16.7px;">
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><span class="m_5864355237902838278s1"></span><br /></span></div>
<div class="m_5864355237902838278p1" style="color: #454545; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">
<span class="m_5864355237902838278s1" style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">One by one they called the groups up.</span></div>
<div class="m_5864355237902838278p2" style="color: #454545; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; min-height: 16.7px;">
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><span class="m_5864355237902838278s1"></span><br /></span></div>
<div class="m_5864355237902838278p1" style="color: #454545; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Before each group of six athletes started their basketball audition, they went one-by-one in front of all the producers and directors and slated their names, weight, height, position, and then babbled on and on about their biggest basketball accomplishments.</span></div>
<div class="m_5864355237902838278p2" style="color: #454545; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; min-height: 16.7px;">
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><span class="m_5864355237902838278s1"></span><br /></span></div>
<div class="m_5864355237902838278p1" style="color: #454545; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">I couldn’t stop looking at the clock. I needed to be at Tag...</span></div>
<div class="m_5864355237902838278p2" style="color: #454545; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; min-height: 16.7px;">
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><span class="m_5864355237902838278s1"></span><br /></span></div>
<div class="m_5864355237902838278p1" style="color: #454545; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">
<span class="m_5864355237902838278s1" style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">FINALLY, the Diana Taurasi group was called.</span></div>
<div class="m_5864355237902838278p2" style="color: #454545; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; min-height: 16.7px;">
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><span class="m_5864355237902838278s1"></span><br /></span></div>
<div class="m_5864355237902838278p1" style="color: #454545; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">
<span class="m_5864355237902838278s1" style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">One by one, Diana Taurasi look-a-likes rose from the stands. If the real Diana Taurasi was in the gym that day I wouldn’t have been able to pick her out because these girls were spitting images. </span></div>
<div class="m_5864355237902838278p2" style="color: #454545; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; min-height: 16.7px;">
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><span class="m_5864355237902838278s1"></span><br /></span></div>
<div class="m_5864355237902838278p1" style="color: #454545; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">
<span class="m_5864355237902838278s1" style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">6’0” feet. 160lbs. Dark hair. Tight buns.</span></div>
<div class="m_5864355237902838278p2" style="color: #454545; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; min-height: 16.7px;">
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><span class="m_5864355237902838278s1"></span><br /></span></div>
<div class="m_5864355237902838278p1" style="color: #454545; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">
<span class="m_5864355237902838278s1" style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">And there I was. A long-haired girl with a loose, flowing ponytail of platinum blonde.</span></div>
<div class="m_5864355237902838278p2" style="color: #454545; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; min-height: 16.7px;">
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><span class="m_5864355237902838278s1"></span><br /></span></div>
<div class="m_5864355237902838278p1" style="color: #454545; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">
<span class="m_5864355237902838278s1" style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">They called out the names of the six girls, but didn’t say mine. I sheepishly walked over anyways and told the guy I was supposed to be in this group too. He peered at the paper once more, looked past all the headshots, and found my chicken-scratch in the margin: “Nicole Kornet (added)".</span></div>
<div class="m_5864355237902838278p2" style="color: #454545; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; min-height: 16.7px;">
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><span class="m_5864355237902838278s1"></span><br /></span></div>
<div class="m_5864355237902838278p1" style="color: #454545; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">
<span class="m_5864355237902838278s1" style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">I chuckled again.</span></div>
<div class="m_5864355237902838278p2" style="color: #454545; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; min-height: 16.7px;">
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><span class="m_5864355237902838278s1"></span><br /></span></div>
<div class="m_5864355237902838278p1" style="color: #454545; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">
<span class="m_5864355237902838278s1" style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">“Oh yeah! I see you here! You’re in this group, too."</span></div>
<div class="m_5864355237902838278p2" style="color: #454545; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; min-height: 16.7px;">
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><span class="m_5864355237902838278s1"></span><br /></span></div>
<div class="m_5864355237902838278p1" style="color: #454545; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">
<span class="m_5864355237902838278s1" style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">He told me I would be the last to introduce myself after all the other girls went.</span></div>
<div class="m_5864355237902838278p2" style="color: #454545; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; min-height: 16.7px;">
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><span class="m_5864355237902838278s1"></span><br /></span></div>
<div class="m_5864355237902838278p1" style="color: #454545; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">
<span class="m_5864355237902838278s1" style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Fine with me!</span></div>
<div class="m_5864355237902838278p2" style="color: #454545; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; min-height: 16.7px;">
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><span class="m_5864355237902838278s1"></span><br /></span></div>
<div class="m_5864355237902838278p1" style="color: #454545; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">
<span class="m_5864355237902838278s1" style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">The first girl stepped up. </span></div><div class="m_5864355237902838278p1" style="color: #454545; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;"><span class="m_5864355237902838278s1" style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div class="m_5864355237902838278p1" style="color: #454545; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;"><span class="m_5864355237902838278s1" style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Then the next, and so on and so forth.</span></div>
<div class="m_5864355237902838278p2" style="color: #454545; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; min-height: 16.7px;">
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="m_5864355237902838278p2" style="color: #454545; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; min-height: 16.7px;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Each girl copied the next.</span></div><div class="m_5864355237902838278p2" style="color: #454545; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; min-height: 16.7px;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div class="m_5864355237902838278p2" style="color: #454545; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; min-height: 16.7px;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">"Athlete. High school MVP. Played at so and so college."</span></div>
<div class="m_5864355237902838278p2" style="color: #454545; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; min-height: 16.7px;">
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><span class="m_5864355237902838278s1"></span><br /></span></div>
<div class="m_5864355237902838278p1" style="color: #454545; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">All the while, something inside of me was bubbling inside. For missing 9 out of 10 shots in my shooting tryout, I was surprisingly confident. Finally, they got to the end of the line. My turn.</span></div>
<div class="m_5864355237902838278p2" style="color: #454545; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; min-height: 16.7px;">
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><span class="m_5864355237902838278s1"></span><br /></span></div>
<div class="m_5864355237902838278p1" style="color: #454545; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><span class="m_5864355237902838278s1">I decided to go a different route. Thanks to the credibility that a name like UCLA holds, I felt as though I garnered enough experience basketball-wise to </span><span>make this interview process a little more fun.</span></span></div>
<div class="m_5864355237902838278p2" style="color: #454545; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; min-height: 16.7px;">
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><span class="m_5864355237902838278s1"></span><br /></span></div>
<div class="m_5864355237902838278p1" style="color: #454545; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">
<span class="m_5864355237902838278s1" style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">“Hi, my name is Nicole Kornet and I played basketball at UCLA. I come from an athletic family. I'm not even the best one in that family anymore. My little brother is on the Knicks and my dad played for the Bucks. I got my first scholarship offer in 8th grade from Kansas. But my claim-to-fame was beating Russell Westbrook in PIG last summer.”</span></div>
<div class="m_5864355237902838278p2" style="color: #454545; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; min-height: 16.7px;">
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><span class="m_5864355237902838278s1"></span><br /></span></div>
<div class="m_5864355237902838278p1" style="color: #454545; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">
<span class="m_5864355237902838278s1" style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Everyone laughed.</span></div><div class="m_5864355237902838278p1" style="color: #454545; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;"><span class="m_5864355237902838278s1" style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div class="m_5864355237902838278p1" style="color: #454545; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;"><span class="m_5864355237902838278s1" style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">The next day I got a call from Mike Fisher. The dashing Mike Fisher.</span></div>
<div class="m_5864355237902838278p2" style="color: #454545; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; min-height: 16.7px;"><br /></div><div class="m_5864355237902838278p1" style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;"><span style="color: #454545; font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">He told me that I was going to be a principle character in a major motion picture.</span></div><div class="m_5864355237902838278p1" style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="color: #454545; font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span></div><div class="m_5864355237902838278p1" style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="color: #454545; font-family: inherit;">He told me I was going to be the White Mamba.</span></span></div><div class="m_5864355237902838278p1" style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="color: #454545; font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span></div><div class="m_5864355237902838278p1" style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJcLkIX6aQA3_MYL-6dW6blpqp2szTd742-OscL6BUMK77G9Z4CgCIcglGWimjqTt1qaK2P5B7Bx49Wwaa089YQ4jSDQAWHeRV9PaM3ucjWgJb5mq8p9Gt2pmdWO5RgNkywXn2rfq9onM/s2048/IMG_5211.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJcLkIX6aQA3_MYL-6dW6blpqp2szTd742-OscL6BUMK77G9Z4CgCIcglGWimjqTt1qaK2P5B7Bx49Wwaa089YQ4jSDQAWHeRV9PaM3ucjWgJb5mq8p9Gt2pmdWO5RgNkywXn2rfq9onM/s320/IMG_5211.JPG" /></a></div><br /><span style="color: #454545; font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span></div>
Nicole Kornethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12752896360950497403noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5054348110797123772.post-37835029821361982402020-11-16T11:04:00.003-08:002020-11-16T11:26:06.023-08:00Tales of a C-List Actress: The Day I Met Adam Sandler<div class="m_5864355237902838278p1" style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;"><p style="background-color: white; color: #121417; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Sunscreen smothered his face. His daughter’s too. Red basketball shorts draped over his kneecaps, an untucked, unbuttoned polo on top, his arm around his girl, ready to ball.</span></p>
<p style="background-color: white; color: #121417; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></p>
<p style="background-color: white; color: #121417; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Sunny Sandler, my new basketball protégé, and Dad were waiting on their new trainer to begin Lesson #1.</span></p>
<p style="background-color: white; color: #121417; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></p>
<p style="background-color: white; color: #121417; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Let’s rewind a little. How does quarantine sound? Awful, I know. What was supposed to be a weeklong vacation with the parents in Nashville gave birth to a four month stay-cation. I hadn’t watched that many episodes of Everybody Loves Raymond in a long, long time.</span></p>
<p style="background-color: white; color: #121417; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></p>
<p style="background-color: white; color: #121417; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Spirits were low. Blood-sugar was high. Hollywood was closed. LA was empty. I had nothing and no one drawing me back to the west coast. Until the phone rang.</span></p>
<p style="background-color: white; color: #121417; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></p>
<p style="background-color: white; color: #121417; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Enter Mike Fisher. He’s done every sports movie you’ve ever liked— Remember the Titans, Moneyball, The Blind Side. You liked it? Mike made it.</span></p>
<p style="background-color: white; color: #121417; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></p>
<p style="background-color: white; color: #121417; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">“We’re looking for a ‘Nicole Kornet’ here in Philly. We’re making a basketball movie. Adam Sandler is the star. We shoot next month.”</span></p>
<p style="background-color: white; color: #121417; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></p>
<p style="background-color: white; color: #121417; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Hot. Dog. </span></p>
<p style="background-color: white; color: #121417; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></p>
<p style="background-color: white; color: #121417; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Fast forward a few months.</span></p>
<p style="background-color: white; color: #121417; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></p>
<p style="background-color: white; color: #121417; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">The country is still on lock down...and hopes of filming in Philly are looking grim.</span></p>
<p style="background-color: white; color: #121417; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></p>
<p style="background-color: white; color: #121417; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">The phone rings again. It’s Mike.</span></p>
<p style="background-color: white; color: #121417; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></p>
<p style="background-color: white; color: #121417; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">“Looks like we’re going to push the basketball scenes off until next summer.”</span></p>
<p style="background-color: white; color: #121417; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></p>
<p style="background-color: white; color: #121417; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Poop.</span></p>
<p style="background-color: white; color: #121417; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></p>
<p style="background-color: white; color: #121417; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">“BUT, I have another job for you in the meantime if you’re up for it...”</span></p>
<p style="background-color: white; color: #121417; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></p>
<p style="background-color: white; color: #121417; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">(Wait for it)</span></p>
<p style="background-color: white; color: #121417; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></p>
<p style="background-color: white; color: #121417; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">“Adam Sandler is looking for a basketball trainer for his daughter.”</span></p>
<p style="background-color: white; color: #121417; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></p>
<p style="background-color: white; color: #121417; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Say less, Mike.</span></p>
<p style="background-color: white; color: #121417; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></p>
<p style="background-color: white; color: #121417; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">“Are you interested?”</span></p>
<p style="background-color: white; color: #121417; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></p>
<p style="background-color: white; color: #121417; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">AM I INTERESTED???</span></p>
<p style="background-color: white; color: #121417; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></p>
<p style="background-color: white; color: #121417; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">“He has a court at the house.”</span></p>
<p style="background-color: white; color: #121417; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></p>
<p style="background-color: white; color: #121417; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Pinch me.</span></p>
<p style="background-color: white; color: #121417; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></p>
<p style="background-color: white; color: #121417; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">“I’ll give Adam your number. He’ll reach out to you.”</span></p>
<p style="background-color: white; color: #121417; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></p>
<p style="background-color: white; color: #121417; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Fast forward.</span></p>
<p style="background-color: white; color: #121417; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></p>
<p style="background-color: white; color: #121417; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Adam texted me. The most Adam Sandler sounding text only Adam Sandler would send.</span></p>
<p style="background-color: white; color: #121417; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></p>
<p style="background-color: white; color: #121417; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">I was at his house that night.</span></p>
<p style="background-color: white; color: #121417; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></p>
<p style="background-color: white; color: #121417; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">My favorite part about this man is his love for the game. So much so that most of our lessons turn into Adam and me playing 1-on-1. Or 5-5 with Sunny’s friends mid-sleepover. Or 1-1-1 with Adam’s dad-friends in heated games of 21. Yet the best comes when it’s just Adam and me battling it out in the backyard in a 7-game series for our ego’s sake.</span></p>
<p style="background-color: white; color: #121417; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></p>
<p style="background-color: white; color: #121417; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">For a 53-year-old man with a broken J, that thing is CASH. But let’s be real, so is mine. <span style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">😉</span></span></p>
<p style="background-color: white; color: #121417; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></p>
<p style="background-color: white; color: #121417; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">There was that one day, though…he beat me.</span></p>
<p style="background-color: white; color: #121417; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></p>
<p style="background-color: white; color: #121417; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">First to 4 wins. Games to 11. By 1s and 2s.</span></p>
<p style="background-color: white; color: #121417; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></p>
<p style="background-color: white; color: #121417; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">I destroyed in Game 1.</span></p>
<p style="background-color: white; color: #121417; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></p>
<p style="background-color: white; color: #121417; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">And Game 2.</span></p>
<p style="background-color: white; color: #121417; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></p>
<p style="background-color: white; color: #121417; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Couldn’t buy a basket in Game 3.</span></p>
<p style="background-color: white; color: #121417; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></p>
<p style="background-color: white; color: #121417; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Lost again in Game 4.</span></p>
<p style="background-color: white; color: #121417; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></p>
<p style="background-color: white; color: #121417; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Found the stroke in Game 5.</span></p>
<p style="background-color: white; color: #121417; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></p>
<p style="background-color: white; color: #121417; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Adam with the game winner in Game 6.</span></p>
<p style="background-color: white; color: #121417; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></p>
<p style="background-color: white; color: #121417; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">BACKED ME DOWN IN THE PAINT AND USED HIS MAN GUT TO OVERPOWER THE GIRL IN GAME 7.</span></p>
<p style="background-color: white; color: #121417; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></p>
<p style="background-color: white; color: #121417; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">“I had to!!!!” Adam laughed. “You better tell your dad!”</span></p>
<p style="background-color: white; color: #121417; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></p>
<p style="background-color: white; color: #121417; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">I would call my father after each lesson and explain which way, how badly, and which moves I singlehandedly used to take Adam to the woodshed.</span></p>
<p style="background-color: white; color: #161a1e; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></p>
<p style="background-color: white; color: #121417; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Adam wanted to let my old man know he’s still got it. And he does.</span></p>
<p style="background-color: white; color: #121417; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></p>
<p style="background-color: white; color: #121417; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">We have a lot of fun. From horse with the security guard, to cheering on Sunny’s 3-point heaves, to jumping in the pool after a hot day, or joining for dinner after a late-night session— the Sandler family is just as advertised, the best in the business.</span></p>
<p style="background-color: white; color: #121417; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></p>
<p style="background-color: white; color: #121417; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">My time in LA has been hilarious. It’s why I feel as if I could never leave. It truly is the land of opportunity, even in the midst of a pandemic that has sent the city into a nearly year-long shutdown. But what always seems to bring this broken world together is the beauty of sports. Even as a C-list actress.</span></p><p style="background-color: white; color: #121417; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></p><p style="background-color: white; color: #121417; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></p><p style="background-color: white; color: #121417; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQSfA1QyXQt6LR508rL9Z1GzztoSS91ZF9YN4hRb5Qp-c2KUkxIIHkifPptaTz_0OONlgLg5yZrdb0__yM3wjVFb_Xo-IRxFFLngUev0Tbm00TQcV6BL5ldw6MUoFMi7yHw9bMbcBso3I/s2048/7D02C225-157B-4E8E-AAB9-E3976D929F19.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="2048" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQSfA1QyXQt6LR508rL9Z1GzztoSS91ZF9YN4hRb5Qp-c2KUkxIIHkifPptaTz_0OONlgLg5yZrdb0__yM3wjVFb_Xo-IRxFFLngUev0Tbm00TQcV6BL5ldw6MUoFMi7yHw9bMbcBso3I/s320/7D02C225-157B-4E8E-AAB9-E3976D929F19.JPG" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div></div>Nicole Kornethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12752896360950497403noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5054348110797123772.post-36083508025786371802019-05-14T10:38:00.000-07:002019-05-20T16:13:06.822-07:00Tag, You're It<div style="color: #454545; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Céline Dion. I can’t get her out of my head.</span></div>
<div style="color: #454545; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; min-height: 14px;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="color: #454545; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">My all-time favorite church here in Brentwood, CA sang Céline Dion’s “Ashes” last week. You heard that right— a Catholic Church singing Céline Dion.</span></div>
<div style="color: #454545; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; min-height: 14px;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="color: #454545; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Only in LA.</span></div>
<div style="color: #454545; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; min-height: 14px;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="color: #454545; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">I was enthralled for two reasons:</span></div>
<div style="color: #454545; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">1. Karla, the beloved brunette with an uncanny resemblance to Vanessa Hudgens took the lead.</span></div>
<div style="color: #454545; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">2. Céline’s lyrics were right on the money.</span></div>
<div style="color: #454545; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; min-height: 14px;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="color: #454545; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">I’ll give you a taste:</span></div>
<div style="color: #454545; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; min-height: 14px;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="color: #454545; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">“'Cause I've been shaking</span></div>
<div style="color: #454545; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">I've been bending backwards till I'm broke</span></div>
<div style="color: #454545; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Watching all these dreams go up in smoke</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="color: #454545; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Let beauty come out of ashes</span></div>
<div style="color: #454545; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Let beauty come out of ashes</span></div>
<div style="color: #454545; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">And when I pray to God all I ask is</span></div>
<div style="color: #454545; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Can beauty come out of ashes?”</span></div>
<div style="color: #454545; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="color: #454545; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">My friend Kari gave me a book called “Humility” for my birthday. Some present, huh?? Not only was it a book… it was a book titled “Humility.” Was she trying to tell me something..?</span></div>
<div style="color: #454545; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; min-height: 14px;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="color: #454545; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">
</div>
<div style="color: #454545; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">The answer was yes. Yes, she was.</span></div>
<div style="color: #454545; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="color: #454545; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">My role in the game of basketball is no longer that of "player." As much as I loved the game, I’ve always been a little more focused on my name…</span></div>
<div style="color: #454545; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="color: #454545; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">I wanted to make sure my make-up looked just right, my knee sleeve was as white as my freshly Crest-white stripped teeth, and that a show was coming for the people who paid for one.</span></div>
<div style="color: #454545; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="color: #454545; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">So yeah, I needed to read the book.</span></div>
<div style="color: #454545; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; min-height: 14px;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="color: #454545; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">It's okay to love to perform and prepare your best-self, but there is a fine line that shouldn't be crossed. Is this all for you and your own personal gain? Or are you using the gifts God gave you to bring joy to others?</span></div>
<div style="color: #454545; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; min-height: 14px;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="color: #454545; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">I’ve been in LA for four years now. I spent my first year post-grad broadcasting UCLA games, and this past year I’ve been managing bands at a record label. It has been nothing short of incredible. But if I'm being honest, I miss the rush of being in front of a camera. Working at a record label in LA with top-notch bands (yeah you, Rembrandts) is downright cool, but there is that little mustard seed inside of me that wants to sprout. It wants to be back on stage.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"> <span style="font-size: xx-small;"> </span></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0ngfAajzgNHEGqxXwrlr35NYZFzOxaGOlede4yVe87TwKeKQ8G4N6cEKhqro7z6UX9U5WZFMUS67Rk4cLKi9xii1a7WcX6xbs5VpFoaHeCiYZQkhG1txQBQx3oGvKhMo51TghGvSAFKQ/s1600/IMG_1922.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0ngfAajzgNHEGqxXwrlr35NYZFzOxaGOlede4yVe87TwKeKQ8G4N6cEKhqro7z6UX9U5WZFMUS67Rk4cLKi9xii1a7WcX6xbs5VpFoaHeCiYZQkhG1txQBQx3oGvKhMo51TghGvSAFKQ/s320/IMG_1922.JPG" width="320" /></span></a></div>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="color: #454545; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; min-height: 14px;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Join the club, right?</span></div>
<div style="color: #454545; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="color: #454545; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Not many want to sit at a desk all day. But as of late, I have felt that as each day passes I am missing out on my calling. I truly believe God gives us all unique gifts, and it's our job to use those gifts to spread His name. As much as I love the camera, I knew broadcasting wasn't where I was supposed to be... at least not yet. I knew I needed to take the record label job. That's where God wanted me next. Perhaps, it was just a stepping stone. It was an offer that allowed me to stay in LA and take the time to figure out my priorities.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><br /></span> <span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">I had a lot of questions.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><br /></span> <span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">And God had all of the answers...</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><br /></span> <span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Wrapped up in one... soon-to-be hit tv show... coming this fall...</span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwAIATAKWj-jDNFoE3v8W4woe_F6qYfY8mptXvHiMcClhytmyRIXVJOU-uSWJbxR7RGXfswSC6n4vXBrk3dQq0_3OXJqkr_nuPWgONWyJFG6ZGNbJG3EnjDKXGLKOuJGI-mxTkSciITaU/s1600/IMG_5533.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwAIATAKWj-jDNFoE3v8W4woe_F6qYfY8mptXvHiMcClhytmyRIXVJOU-uSWJbxR7RGXfswSC6n4vXBrk3dQq0_3OXJqkr_nuPWgONWyJFG6ZGNbJG3EnjDKXGLKOuJGI-mxTkSciITaU/s320/IMG_5533.JPG" width="240" /></span></a></div>
<div style="color: #454545; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; min-height: 14px; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="color: #454545; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">UlLTIMATE TAG.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><br /></span> <span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Yup. Tag. God answered my life's biggest questions... through tag.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><br /></span> <span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">I found it very fitting.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><br /></span> <span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">In typical, Nicole-like fashion, I received a text one day from one of my former UCLA staff members.</span><br />
<br /></div>
<div style="color: #454545; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">It read,</span></div>
<div style="color: #454545; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">“Hi Debbie, I am hoping you might be able to help me - I am the Supervising Producer of a new prime-time sports competition series coming to Fox Network called Ultimate Tag. I am looking for a recurring star athlete cast for Los Angeles and would love a female basketball player who has a great personality. It is going to be recorded as live in front of a 600 strong audience with the atmosphere and set design not dissimilar to the Ninja Warrior experience… anyway, I just had one superhero star athlete female cast member drop out due to a knee injury and would love to replace her with someone with a basketball background.”</span></div>
<div style="color: #454545; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; min-height: 14px;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="color: #454545; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">I texted back two words, “HECK YES.”</span></div>
<div style="color: #454545; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; min-height: 14px;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="color: #454545; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Now, let me tell you the story of what exactly I was walking into…</span></div>
<div style="color: #454545; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; min-height: 14px;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="color: #454545; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">I had to go through a series of Skype interviews before I showed up at some warehouse in San Bernardino for what is known as “Games Testing.”</span></div>
<div style="color: #454545; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; min-height: 14px;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="color: #454545; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Imagine being asked to be a contestant on Ninja Warrior… and you can’t even do a pull-up.</span></div>
<div style="color: #454545; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; min-height: 14px;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="color: #454545; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">The moment I walked into the warehouse and laid eyes on the obstacle course that was laid out in front of me I almost turned right back around and left right then and there.</span></div>
<div style="color: #454545; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; min-height: 14px;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="color: #454545; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">But this was for Fox Network. This was for a prime-time tv series. This was for FAME.</span></div>
<div style="color: #454545; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiP20Aw_hqgvOgq8ovC0QJuuNdwrs4lLqCieKRFfENoVwtYJdRZ1ahbLtms0ttREAYR4PAlxiJCF7eKyWcs9VCZ1_K2oCl3uAPuvi3dq6lqaEzMtdQwLUHmnsWnIlzN-hl8No_9HBwRuXg/s1600/IMG_1574.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiP20Aw_hqgvOgq8ovC0QJuuNdwrs4lLqCieKRFfENoVwtYJdRZ1ahbLtms0ttREAYR4PAlxiJCF7eKyWcs9VCZ1_K2oCl3uAPuvi3dq6lqaEzMtdQwLUHmnsWnIlzN-hl8No_9HBwRuXg/s320/IMG_1574.JPG" width="320" /></span></a></div>
<div style="color: #454545; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: xx-small;">Your hosts: JJ, TJ, and Derek Watt</span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: xx-small;"><br /></span></div>
</div>
<div style="color: #454545; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; min-height: 14px;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">I swallowed my fears and tied my shoes tight. </span></div>
<div style="color: #454545; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; min-height: 14px;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="color: #454545; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Ramps. Warped walls. Trampolines, oh my.</span></div>
<div style="color: #454545; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; min-height: 14px;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="color: #454545; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">A booming voice woke me up from my angst, “Who here has never been on our tramps before? I advise testing them out before we begin.”</span></div>
<div style="color: #454545; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; min-height: 14px;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="color: #454545; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">“Crap, that’s me.”</span></div>
<div style="color: #454545; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; min-height: 14px;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="color: #454545; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Exactly all of the machinery that my father had advised me to stay away from my entire life to protect my basketball future was set before me in a warehouse.</span></div>
<div style="color: #454545; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWEDYszY6xHhYDfBRAcxY5JbtdvJ-hz2i3vU0nkWTyvtBL5DtfLLPwLZQBVbuu0cPL1Tw8rsZbMjEpoqTVfWqJ2qJRkeTf0YhLT-rIjA_q35y7zzAGyO8irKoRYGuC0oUD98W-jebkZ00/s1600/IMG_1606.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWEDYszY6xHhYDfBRAcxY5JbtdvJ-hz2i3vU0nkWTyvtBL5DtfLLPwLZQBVbuu0cPL1Tw8rsZbMjEpoqTVfWqJ2qJRkeTf0YhLT-rIjA_q35y7zzAGyO8irKoRYGuC0oUD98W-jebkZ00/s320/IMG_1606.JPG" width="320" /></span></a></div>
<div style="color: #454545; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="color: #454545; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; min-height: 14px;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">I took one hard bounce off that trampoline and said, “Nu-uh.”</span></div>
<div style="color: #454545; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; min-height: 14px;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="color: #454545; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">It wasn’t just the trampoline. It was the fact that I was supposed to use that very trampoline to catapult myself onto a pad located roughly 10 feet below me and 10 feet away from me in order to hit the magic button.</span></div>
<div style="color: #454545; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; min-height: 14px;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="color: #454545; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Everything within me screamed "no." Everyone around me screamed, “GO!”</span></div>
<div style="color: #454545; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; min-height: 14px;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="color: #454545; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">And there I went. Flailing through the air. Picture a squirrel. A squirrel flying mid-air from one tree branch to the next, but replace that squirrel with a vision of a 6’1” amazon woman.</span></div>
<div style="color: #454545; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; min-height: 14px;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="color: #454545; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Mid-air I took a gander to my left. My fellow trampolinist was mid-front flip. I whipped my head to the right, another trampolinist mid-double backflip. And then me. On the center tramp, looking like a flying squirrel, just hoping to make the pad at all.</span></div>
<div style="color: #454545; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; min-height: 14px;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="color: #454545; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">WHAP.</span></div>
<div style="color: #454545; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; min-height: 14px;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="color: #454545; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">I MADE IT. Not graceful, not pretty, but safe. Or so I thought. My foot was contorted in one of the pad creases.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><br /></span>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiigz3kny5M1WdUVX5eh0WzjmH1bDswOEfL3u8RrekAhs0qHqa8BTe2udm9suYm0dh-fOc_2NkSNvYB64XQVV947C4CzTRCVln8ejCCCrsNVa-r5yCn9HkOK78iI0LqZnlWTJVAi4h4Sho/s1600/Screen+Shot+2019-05-14+at+3.44.42+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1230" data-original-width="922" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiigz3kny5M1WdUVX5eh0WzjmH1bDswOEfL3u8RrekAhs0qHqa8BTe2udm9suYm0dh-fOc_2NkSNvYB64XQVV947C4CzTRCVln8ejCCCrsNVa-r5yCn9HkOK78iI0LqZnlWTJVAi4h4Sho/s320/Screen+Shot+2019-05-14+at+3.44.42+PM.png" width="239" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="color: #454545; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; min-height: 14px;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Holy cow the pain.</span></div>
<div style="color: #454545; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; min-height: 14px;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="color: #454545; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">I now knew why my father advised me to never do these things while I was still playing basketball. </span></div>
<div style="color: #454545; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; min-height: 14px;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="color: #454545; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">It throbbed, but I couldn’t give up quite yet. Plus, I always exaggerate. I was fine. Kinda.</span></div>
<div style="color: #454545; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; min-height: 14px;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="color: #454545; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">A few minutes later, the booming voice came back.</span></div>
<div style="color: #454545; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; min-height: 14px;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="color: #454545; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">“Okay, everyone, gather ’round.”</span></div>
<div style="color: #454545; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; min-height: 14px;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="color: #454545; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">I looked around me. I was the tallest by a landslide. These guys were all super freaky ripped and flexible and bouncy and with one glance I knew I didn’t belong.</span></div>
<div style="color: #454545; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; min-height: 14px;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="color: #454545; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">The booming voice belonged to a man named Ryan. So I’ll refer to him as Ryan from now on.</span></div>
<div style="color: #454545; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; min-height: 14px;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="color: #454545; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Ryan described the course to us, told us the rules of the game, and strapped some helmets on to the first few contestants who were slated to start off the testing. </span></div>
<div style="color: #454545; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; min-height: 14px;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="color: #454545; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">At that moment, I spotted Dana. Dana was the lady who reached out to Debbie who asked me to be there in the first place.</span></div>
<div style="color: #454545; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; min-height: 14px;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="color: #454545; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">She came jotting over and gave me a big hug.</span></div>
<div style="color: #454545; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; min-height: 14px;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="color: #454545; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">“Now Nicole, I understand you might be freaked out right now. These guys are all professional stunt doubles and Parkour members. I don’t expect you to do what they do. We asked you here because you offer us something different.”</span></div>
<div style="color: #454545; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; min-height: 14px;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="color: #454545; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Dana, I wish you would have told me that 5 minutes earlier before I smashed my foot on a trampoline launch.</span></div>
<div style="color: #454545; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; min-height: 14px;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="color: #454545; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Regardless, that made me breathe a little easier.</span></div>
<div style="color: #454545; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; min-height: 14px;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="color: #454545; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">A few minutes later, my name was called.</span></div>
<div style="color: #454545; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; min-height: 14px;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="color: #454545; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Time to shine.</span></div>
<div style="color: #454545; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; min-height: 14px;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="color: #454545; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">And by that, I meant, “PLEASE DON’T HURT YOURSELF.”</span></div>
<div style="color: #454545; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; min-height: 14px;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="color: #454545; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">My foot was in agony. I really jacked it up. But PRIME-TIME. FAME. FOX NETWORK.</span></div>
<div style="color: #454545; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; min-height: 14px;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="color: #454545; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">SUCK IT UP, KORNET.</span></div>
<div style="color: #454545; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; min-height: 14px;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="color: #454545; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">I thought I was going to cry. Honestly, I might have cried. It was all a blur.</span></div>
<div style="color: #454545; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; min-height: 14px;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="color: #454545; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">That didn’t stop me, though. I came to test and testing I did. I tried to camouflage my gimp as best I could, but the 12 other contestants were literally flying off the walls and performing the coolest mid-air stunts I had ever seen that my baby gimp was the least of the producers’ worries.</span></div>
<div style="color: #454545; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; min-height: 14px;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="color: #454545; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Again, I was going against professional stunt doubles, Parkour members, and “tricksters” as they deemed themselves. I am a has-been women’s basketball player two years removed.</span></div>
<div style="color: #454545; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; min-height: 14px;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="color: #454545; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">After testing, I had to call the squad.</span></div>
<div style="color: #454545; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; min-height: 14px;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="color: #454545; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Lindsey was first.</span></div>
<div style="color: #454545; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; min-height: 14px;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="color: #454545; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">“The only way I make it on to that show is if they are looking for someone who is the opposite of what they’re looking for. Because that is exactly who I am.”</span></div>
<div style="color: #454545; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; min-height: 14px;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="color: #454545; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">These crazy cats were flying off barriers. Flipping off walls. Catapulting themselves from platform to platform. I stayed on the ground, kept my two little feet on planet earth, and tried to tag like I’ve never tagged before.</span></div>
<div style="color: #454545; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; min-height: 14px;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="color: #454545; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">It was a lot of fun. But after that day, I knew I wasn’t getting a callback. I was just proud of myself for giving it a whirl at all.</span></div>
<div style="color: #454545; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; min-height: 14px;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="color: #454545; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">A week passed. No text. No email. Nada.</span></div>
<div style="color: #454545; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; min-height: 14px;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="color: #454545; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">In showbiz, if you’re not getting a callback day of or next day, you’re probably not who they’re looking for…</span></div>
<div style="color: #454545; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; min-height: 14px;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="color: #454545; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">The next day Dana’s number flashed on my screen. She was calling me.</span></div>
<div style="color: #454545; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; min-height: 14px;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="color: #454545; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">“Hey Nicole, as you probably know, casting can be about a million different things. How many blondes do we have… what ethnicities are shown… how tall… how short.”</span></div>
<div style="color: #454545; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; min-height: 14px;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="color: #454545; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">I wanted to interrupt her right then and there, “It’s okay, Dana. I know I sucked. Just cut me already.”</span></div>
<div style="color: #454545; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; min-height: 14px;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="color: #454545; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">“Nicole, unfortunately, you will not be one of the members featured on the show…</span></div>
<div style="color: #454545; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; min-height: 14px;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="color: #454545; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Knew it.</span></div>
<div style="color: #454545; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; min-height: 14px;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="color: #454545; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">“BUT we loved your personality so much that we decided to create a new role for you.”</span></div>
<div style="color: #454545; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; min-height: 14px;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="color: #454545; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">My heart skipped a beat.</span></div>
<div style="color: #454545; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; min-height: 14px;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="color: #454545; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Is she asking me to be the host?? Could I be a commentator? What on earth are they going to ask of me??</span></div>
<div style="color: #454545; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; min-height: 14px;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="color: #454545; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">“Nicole, would you like to be the referee?”</span></div>
<div style="color: #454545; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; min-height: 14px;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="color: #454545; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Humility, Nicole. Embrace humility.</span></div>
<div style="color: #454545; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; min-height: 14px;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="color: #454545; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Laugh with me, folks.</span></div>
<div style="color: #454545; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; min-height: 14px;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="color: #454545; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">The ref.</span></div>
<div style="color: #454545; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; min-height: 14px;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="color: #454545; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">For tag.</span></div>
<div style="color: #454545; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; min-height: 14px;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="color: #454545; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">A show about tag. And they want me to be the ref.</span></div>
<div style="color: #454545; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; min-height: 14px;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="color: #454545; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">I took a deep breath, and replied in two words…</span></div>
<div style="color: #454545; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; min-height: 14px;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="color: #454545; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">“HECK YES.”</span></div>
<div style="color: #454545; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; min-height: 14px;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="color: #454545; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">I chuckled in my head. The referee. THE REFEREE. </span></div>
<div style="color: #454545; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="color: #454545; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">
<div style="font-size: 12px;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Guys, you’re talking to the FIRST EVER ULTIMATE TAG REFEREE for Fox Network.</span></div>
<div style="font-size: 12px;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEix4dCtquJQMhAN_TvgkLgdolzFXC-AZM9h8YPQHjbKmUio2eSqRYWq6_NwBxR2fis8OkSPgcjAWKnCafky95ViyfvZHNy2t8IwzjPkB4GjqVpzfXfQp867kQvWEljHu53lH9o2hQ6IHEw/s1600/IMG_2279.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><img border="0" data-original-height="576" data-original-width="750" height="245" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEix4dCtquJQMhAN_TvgkLgdolzFXC-AZM9h8YPQHjbKmUio2eSqRYWq6_NwBxR2fis8OkSPgcjAWKnCafky95ViyfvZHNy2t8IwzjPkB4GjqVpzfXfQp867kQvWEljHu53lH9o2hQ6IHEw/s320/IMG_2279.jpg" width="320" /></span></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: xx-small;">(Zoey was the second).</span></div>
</div>
<div style="color: #454545; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div style="color: #454545; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; min-height: 14px;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">There will be three referees in total and we will appear on all ten episodes of the show. And SAG wages aren’t too shabby when you get a pay-per-appearance rate!</span></div>
<div style="color: #454545; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; min-height: 14px;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="color: #454545; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">We'll be filming on the Warner Bros. lot for three weeks.</span></div>
<div style="color: #454545; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHX7vycrFToPWwoM2TVX6bKBw1f-VfE-QTOJUK7IHpIK2_NfM8zr_MVzHS0YSaR-P68VzQN688h6dmryXAcTLzbWvxGkiyiwDIosVjCx41J3aEvp-74yY9HwbBW6CuA_tuXzHX2hRJA7k/s1600/IMG_1630.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHX7vycrFToPWwoM2TVX6bKBw1f-VfE-QTOJUK7IHpIK2_NfM8zr_MVzHS0YSaR-P68VzQN688h6dmryXAcTLzbWvxGkiyiwDIosVjCx41J3aEvp-74yY9HwbBW6CuA_tuXzHX2hRJA7k/s320/IMG_1630.JPG" width="240" /></span></a></div>
<div style="color: #454545; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: xx-small;">Just look at that 'fit.</span></div>
<div style="color: #454545; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; min-height: 14px;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="color: #454545; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; min-height: 14px;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Sometimes in life, you aren’t born to be the main act, but that doesn’t mean your role is any less important.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><br /></span> <span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Refs are people too.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><br /></span> <span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Céline Dion begged the question...</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><br /></span> <span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">"Can beauty come out of ashes?"</span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: xx-small;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><br /></span></span></span> <span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: xx-small;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">And I, Nicole Kornet, am here to answer it.</span></span></span></div>
<div style="color: #454545; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZPkbC8KBcDziCpUGBO8UZFf4uNcNXMycpndFF_xGOP6Qrm1BMlbup1je2Tw1MWhRYn6WCWQJjHqQBVjq6se2iKJoQLHOD0YMEvYHGdr1Tmr44_DlThooaADt9ef2wnscHfeDZiJoo8-Y/s1600/IMG_1705.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZPkbC8KBcDziCpUGBO8UZFf4uNcNXMycpndFF_xGOP6Qrm1BMlbup1je2Tw1MWhRYn6WCWQJjHqQBVjq6se2iKJoQLHOD0YMEvYHGdr1Tmr44_DlThooaADt9ef2wnscHfeDZiJoo8-Y/s320/IMG_1705.JPG" width="240" /></span></a></div>
<div style="color: #454545; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="color: #454545; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Sometimes we won’t get the role we’ve always wanted. Sometimes we'll be the one watching from the stands. Sometimes we'll feel like we're stuck in limbo while everyone else is living their dream. But each person has a choice. No matter what, and no matter where we are in life, we have the choice to use the gifts God has given us in a way that spreads joy to others. If you embrace humility, live as Jesus taught, and serve (wave the flag), rather than be served, God will open the doors for you when the time is right.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><br /></span> <span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">If we do that beauty is all that can come out of ashes.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><br /></span> <span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">At the end of the day, we all need each other. We can't do everything ourselves. God gives us all different gifts for that very reason.</span></div>
<div style="color: #454545; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="color: #454545; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuIdmw7bdrYtar_6nk5ju6kLluGVkELBHU2mBjZaXaoOP0Ls0D7Hw9GvGTdeBlKbKdvJA-F38Xkvzy9MYaWzwHWQiHkIzfXtmGRQiUjki61iUZiL5K_bH_cZK-ThZO7V2lJYu6hUuGWzw/s1600/IMG_1578.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1280" data-original-width="960" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuIdmw7bdrYtar_6nk5ju6kLluGVkELBHU2mBjZaXaoOP0Ls0D7Hw9GvGTdeBlKbKdvJA-F38Xkvzy9MYaWzwHWQiHkIzfXtmGRQiUjki61iUZiL5K_bH_cZK-ThZO7V2lJYu6hUuGWzw/s320/IMG_1578.JPG" width="240" /></span></a></div>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="color: #454545; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Every Jordan needs a Pippen.</span></div>
<div style="color: #454545; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; min-height: 14px;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="color: #454545; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Every J.J. needs a T.J.</span></div>
<div style="color: #454545; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; min-height: 14px;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="color: #454545; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; min-height: 14px;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">And every Ultimate Tagger needs a woman in stripes.</span></div>
<div style="color: #454545; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgblm8nT3PyhP9Ayt2wA-GkhjYqForXuyfNJ5HDN3wTLvpq61fK2-bTfMIVjxeO6xxTz7jJF1Xp7ZyuoAWgPbRGhlJYmAFhQl6PjGzCS5Q5jLHSynl3dMwqvNAHkb4AeRuJjEKeTN9HU1g/s1600/IMG_1587.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgblm8nT3PyhP9Ayt2wA-GkhjYqForXuyfNJ5HDN3wTLvpq61fK2-bTfMIVjxeO6xxTz7jJF1Xp7ZyuoAWgPbRGhlJYmAFhQl6PjGzCS5Q5jLHSynl3dMwqvNAHkb4AeRuJjEKeTN9HU1g/s320/IMG_1587.jpg" width="320" /></span></a></div>
<div style="color: #454545; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
Nicole Kornethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12752896360950497403noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5054348110797123772.post-86833203670368004042018-11-05T11:22:00.000-08:002018-11-06T14:24:29.242-08:00Show Me The Meaning Of Being Lonely<div class="MsoNormal">
Best $99 ever spent.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
$44 concert ticket.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
$40 fill-up.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
$10 Big Mac.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
$5 M&M New York, New York caramel apple.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Oh, to be on the road again!</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I haven’t done this in awhile. Back in my hay day, ’16 in
fact, being young, wild, and free, I made spontaneous trips like this every other weekend.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Now, at the ripe age of 24, being employed and all… how do
the kids find time?<br />
<br />
I like to joke with my mom about it frequently. I really don't think I'll ever grow up.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
My boss strolled in at 2:55pm this Halloween, and proclaimed
aloud, “Hey, just so everyone’s on the same page… we’re closing the office at 3
today.”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Oh, baby.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The opportunities are limitless with a few extra hours!</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I had looked up tickets two weeks ago. I knew they were
playing Halloween night. I knew I could make it if I had a head start.
I knew they would be worth the traffic that would quickly make me question why I was doing this.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
THEY being…</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The Backstreet Boys. <br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1liiCq69ifA9pJhbWA1Iqk7AUUk9fsqBD6zl2Fuc36cOpg2KX7z2hyphenhyphenS5jTlOu7w52WRpPBBXUs0B1Y9tLhbTUZkkE9dakdCGTy-CrIxkX_4mU7AXkKKGbj6HmyL3AG0YVrrUyXZmgoKk/s1600/Screenshot+2018-11-05+10.56.03.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="379" data-original-width="676" height="179" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1liiCq69ifA9pJhbWA1Iqk7AUUk9fsqBD6zl2Fuc36cOpg2KX7z2hyphenhyphenS5jTlOu7w52WRpPBBXUs0B1Y9tLhbTUZkkE9dakdCGTy-CrIxkX_4mU7AXkKKGbj6HmyL3AG0YVrrUyXZmgoKk/s320/Screenshot+2018-11-05+10.56.03.png" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
Las Vegas.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
One night only. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Not really.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
But the one night that worked with my schedule.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Because I work in LA, remember?</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I darted over to Sean’s apartment, woke him from his
mid-afternoon slumber, and told him to “pack his cute denim button down and get
in the car.”<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMby_4cm5zvOBZLiqtPP9UQ6PnsqCEilkEAWrDoPVR0-bc39VbordSv3sTaWJvQLKzBwdmpA4I00ByNIA-_uGgRiPN6gNw-jEKBkdmcE3YLjOoxRdkJRxyKkVUL2QRagEHYeIjGSljrbo/s1600/Screenshot+2018-11-01+15.48.30.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="596" data-original-width="445" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMby_4cm5zvOBZLiqtPP9UQ6PnsqCEilkEAWrDoPVR0-bc39VbordSv3sTaWJvQLKzBwdmpA4I00ByNIA-_uGgRiPN6gNw-jEKBkdmcE3YLjOoxRdkJRxyKkVUL2QRagEHYeIjGSljrbo/s320/Screenshot+2018-11-01+15.48.30.png" width="238" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: x-small;">He listens well. </span></div>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
There’s something about seizing the day that really gets me
going.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I know come children, piling finances, and old age spur of
the moment 4-(with traffic)-6-hour drives to Vegas on Halloween won’t
exactly be in the cards anymore.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
But I truly believe there is nothing that can deter a can-do
attitude. Not even a starting salary! If there’s a will there’s a way and that
will should involve a secret savings adventure fund.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Pilfer $50 a month out of your paycheck for said fund and soon enough your world will be rocked, thanks to Frontier Airlines and Hotwire.com.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
For me, it’s hard to stay put. Ever since I started my
“big-girl job” I’ve realized LA really is a long distance away from Nashville…
and Arkansas… and New York…</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I get a little sad sometimes. I love those goofballs so much
(my family) (that’s where they live), but I’m the type of girl who just
wouldn’t do well in a Lexington, Kentucky (they live there too).</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I’m the type of girl who needs Sin City a book-on-tape away.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
To watch The Backstreet Boys.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQNyCueVwMohxs9M6LtMFqXUAiBY_5Bi5O1QZKua4zAlZk6BDIOHzxQ9X1fBLQnpBEQP552mVAva7uQp2ygDWKCfOaR5Ao1UvIAQ9Jdf0oPu396nSKiC2oyHuVSTCArOXA8GH4Dd4AvxE/s1600/Screenshot+2018-11-05+11.00.41.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="319" data-original-width="636" height="160" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQNyCueVwMohxs9M6LtMFqXUAiBY_5Bi5O1QZKua4zAlZk6BDIOHzxQ9X1fBLQnpBEQP552mVAva7uQp2ygDWKCfOaR5Ao1UvIAQ9Jdf0oPu396nSKiC2oyHuVSTCArOXA8GH4Dd4AvxE/s320/Screenshot+2018-11-05+11.00.41.png" width="320" /></a></div>
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
My family may be thousands of miles away, but I have been
given the opportunity of a lifetime.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I get to work for one of the best bosses in the world (not
saying this because I know he’s reading) (saying this because of the laundry list of jaw-dropping
work perks he provides) (that I will refrain from sharing, and save for another
blog).<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFVBYsrCR6GJV9Hz6LgHzcPgetTTpK8fLDR7QsWYa5H3FnRdYEZVvTiVHOtRZeUvLamOMNI9hn4QFF7B0iq2KEfAjiZPk4tCoIZ5wY_IzFxYh1TfKAVf2jpowMlKSWtXnqaIkBJ78FhwQ/s1600/Screenshot+2018-11-05+10.51.41.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="630" data-original-width="803" height="251" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFVBYsrCR6GJV9Hz6LgHzcPgetTTpK8fLDR7QsWYa5H3FnRdYEZVvTiVHOtRZeUvLamOMNI9hn4QFF7B0iq2KEfAjiZPk4tCoIZ5wY_IzFxYh1TfKAVf2jpowMlKSWtXnqaIkBJ78FhwQ/s320/Screenshot+2018-11-05+10.51.41.png" width="320" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: x-small;">That's him. The curly-haired magic man on the left.</span></div>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I just can’t seem to pass this up for a shorter commute to
mom and dad’s.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Doesn’t mean I don’t miss you, though, mom!</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I do a lot. A lot more than you might think. Not in the poor,
poor pitiful me sense (catch that reference?) (I work in the music business
now), but in the sense that I have so much fun I can’t think of who better
to share it with than my family!<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrl2s59vdcz1BGLQVeQqjwJol5Ysl2k7h5bA1vPFKezhFQht1PTiO_7J6_hrjdbFo_QgLZ7ixKCK0CsFWVX_43Ch15qP_tNMesdkHq3vdSXZuayhfuJlBMUnZbskmcgWvI1dJd8QDph60/s1600/Screenshot+2018-11-05+10.50.29.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="629" data-original-width="490" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrl2s59vdcz1BGLQVeQqjwJol5Ysl2k7h5bA1vPFKezhFQht1PTiO_7J6_hrjdbFo_QgLZ7ixKCK0CsFWVX_43Ch15qP_tNMesdkHq3vdSXZuayhfuJlBMUnZbskmcgWvI1dJd8QDph60/s320/Screenshot+2018-11-05+10.50.29.png" width="249" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: x-small;">Lookin' good, Auntie Linda!</span></div>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
There’s something about experiencing some of the most
amazing things with the ones you love most that just seems to make those
memories that more meaningful!</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I think about having a family of my own one day, and how fun it
would be to see my little kiddos grow up down the street from their aunts and
uncles. How full my heart would be seeing my little dudes meet grandma and grandpa
for Jersey Mike’s Philly Cheesesteak Sunday specials after mass.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
But I know myself. I know my unquenchable thirst for
opportunity, growth, diversity and deeper, bluer, colder, shark infested waters
that seem to magically thwart my constant pangs for comfort, ease, and the Kornets.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I’m my mother’s daughter.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPfwtXhJR-IAprbB9vxXSTYWDKDBtbbVZlNmqxrf4dEl1moz8uCV7QT7JLVu-sbLRmOwusYQI1ZBaWuRko8FZ1fEcZ9H8aglwDz3J8kPu-jr30jqqU1PXU69pp8nIN6_Ihq68dupsEhDQ/s1600/Screenshot+2018-11-05+10.52.03.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="582" data-original-width="435" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPfwtXhJR-IAprbB9vxXSTYWDKDBtbbVZlNmqxrf4dEl1moz8uCV7QT7JLVu-sbLRmOwusYQI1ZBaWuRko8FZ1fEcZ9H8aglwDz3J8kPu-jr30jqqU1PXU69pp8nIN6_Ihq68dupsEhDQ/s320/Screenshot+2018-11-05+10.52.03.png" width="239" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: x-small;">We love convertibles.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><br /></span></div>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
When the house is busy, loud, and cramped I’m happiest. I don't wanna be the family that misses out on all the action.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
My boyfriend’s family is a two-hour drive away in San Diego.
Sure, they may not be MY family, but they’re family nonetheless.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0YamJFW1_GGZDUaP2mcieg1ajlnyr92hvNj_zqWuWfAc1YDzCrWEQyeTuMqndym49XHt-E2qJ-QZTEs4yh9HOiCThgSGkCPh9AQRzoreWNKp1MqvFDJYvfcPXAcRItNv_aoNxcQoivTE/s1600/Screenshot+2018-11-05+10.45.04.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="608" data-original-width="813" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0YamJFW1_GGZDUaP2mcieg1ajlnyr92hvNj_zqWuWfAc1YDzCrWEQyeTuMqndym49XHt-E2qJ-QZTEs4yh9HOiCThgSGkCPh9AQRzoreWNKp1MqvFDJYvfcPXAcRItNv_aoNxcQoivTE/s320/Screenshot+2018-11-05+10.45.04.png" width="320" /></a></div>
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Of course that does not mean I am not forfeiting the value
and importance of being around my own loved ones, but that’s what spontaneous trips and Red Eyes
are for! I was built for this!</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
What I’ve learned most being lost distance for so long now
is that life can take you in so many different directions whenever you least
expect it.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
There’s no need to wallow in loneliness when you never know
how long that loneliness will last! You can’t be the creator of your own
misfortune!</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
As soon as I graduated UCLA, I was dead set on staying in
LA. But most of my best friends had graduated and moved back home, and I was
about to start a brand new job in a gigantic city I had never experienced
without close friends by my side each step of the way.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizPE2Ln-HGwhr353OHVFCjjmtK3q5C5lEDMc9-C8KHPxde4FLx6vVwyEM5VpdqxbbqffiS0iA35x3-M89Ipjdd7fNj728PCexUOgrzmc1taThXsAgipULLTSvvSipjVYv_P3zTFNm8KUk/s1600/Screenshot+2018-11-05+10.49.30.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="457" data-original-width="814" height="179" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizPE2Ln-HGwhr353OHVFCjjmtK3q5C5lEDMc9-C8KHPxde4FLx6vVwyEM5VpdqxbbqffiS0iA35x3-M89Ipjdd7fNj728PCexUOgrzmc1taThXsAgipULLTSvvSipjVYv_P3zTFNm8KUk/s320/Screenshot+2018-11-05+10.49.30.png" width="320" /></a></div>
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
LA was all fun and games surrounded by a team of girls who
loved me, but what was it going to look like without that team? When
I no longer had that constant support system?</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Well, I didn't have time to dwell in whatever that may have looked like that’s for sure! But I did have time to buckle down and dive into the next adventure that awaited me.<br />
<br />
I feel like that’s when God smiles the biggest.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
When you trust him.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
100%. Wholeheartedly. As skeptical as you may be.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
You never know what surprise is waiting for you around the
corner.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
My surprise started with S and ended with ean.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGoCZmN4Grvcu6pzwaMtE5R5NGuE-03U1DIjfupfW_QFTHBLfsh_z-PHp6Uu0FuV3hpafkumyTVa451YkJlXgE2FfKx_3ZnadEG10bSpolN4oSeRN_tu9O3v_yCl61RCjkBYIqNA9deck/s1600/Screenshot+2018-11-05+10.47.14.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="629" data-original-width="472" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGoCZmN4Grvcu6pzwaMtE5R5NGuE-03U1DIjfupfW_QFTHBLfsh_z-PHp6Uu0FuV3hpafkumyTVa451YkJlXgE2FfKx_3ZnadEG10bSpolN4oSeRN_tu9O3v_yCl61RCjkBYIqNA9deck/s320/Screenshot+2018-11-05+10.47.14.png" width="240" /></a></div>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: x-small;">(Sean)</span></div>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I remember a phone call I had with Kari. You all know Kari. No
need to even mention Korver.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
After I gave her the scoop on all things adulthood, she paused
and said, “Nicole, I prayed for this. After I left, I prayed that someone new
would come into your life and be that God-fearing, fun-spirited, person…” (that
she always was for me).</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
She prayed, and God delivered.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNVz8xRixWFEL7L8VSP_fzB8yphbz1mKcmNesx_VS6sZDcsDjA1RVeMOsEOg2zA_NX2pqh1YazUyzn6JbKP_Vh76YN4U6y_ZRbtU53UG-NPxKqJCARyZj8FTc05lIwoh3DpGG6aYT-sYQ/s1600/Screenshot+2018-11-01+15.46.27.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="594" data-original-width="446" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNVz8xRixWFEL7L8VSP_fzB8yphbz1mKcmNesx_VS6sZDcsDjA1RVeMOsEOg2zA_NX2pqh1YazUyzn6JbKP_Vh76YN4U6y_ZRbtU53UG-NPxKqJCARyZj8FTc05lIwoh3DpGG6aYT-sYQ/s320/Screenshot+2018-11-01+15.46.27.png" width="240" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: x-small;">Happy Halloween!</span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><br /></span></div>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
God delivered Dwight.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br />
Instead of fearing the unknown and contemplating staying out
west due to foreseen loneliness, I trusted His plan, and the dear Lord
provided!<br />
<br />
Sean and I have so much fun together.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
So much fun that here I am, back at work, bright and early (9:45am) (best
boss ever), from a 4am Larger Than Life stint in Vegas the night before.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4UKB9WuDlTdhyphenhyphenagpLdlhfU9-NcZp9mdCBSg-x3eEUhj3OIGBhqMQn4YfFsiLa6Ekff4SF2-LtKnmBA6-1ItNw1mivyuzzMkjrOAdWlxYYXP5gxdCwFL1K5eWvUKa_nCXnVeQOqjM3TEk/s1600/Screenshot+2018-11-01+15.46.57.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="595" data-original-width="444" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4UKB9WuDlTdhyphenhyphenagpLdlhfU9-NcZp9mdCBSg-x3eEUhj3OIGBhqMQn4YfFsiLa6Ekff4SF2-LtKnmBA6-1ItNw1mivyuzzMkjrOAdWlxYYXP5gxdCwFL1K5eWvUKa_nCXnVeQOqjM3TEk/s320/Screenshot+2018-11-01+15.46.57.png" width="238" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: x-small;">He actually brought the denim!</span></div>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Not as homesick, not even a little bit lonely, but instead
fulfilled, inspired, and recharged, even if I am on the other side of the country and nowhere near any relative in sight.<br />
<br />
California is my home and last-minute, spontaneous trips are my thing. Not because they're my only option, not because I don't have the vacation, but frankly, because, well… (plug your ears)</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-oRmjgh7n-l3k5JvQ03pyTYoenoyO4AtrgQsle8-kWl-juBlUqRLxpGRykxn-5aZMbhuPvMU025yfmYtBDCDYZ6DlUIjo1ZhW3LO7bINqb9ppcD3phyphenhyphenwA3KmM3muh2j0fJXeGsiwOQac/s1600/Screenshot+2018-11-05+10.54.46.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="382" data-original-width="381" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-oRmjgh7n-l3k5JvQ03pyTYoenoyO4AtrgQsle8-kWl-juBlUqRLxpGRykxn-5aZMbhuPvMU025yfmYtBDCDYZ6DlUIjo1ZhW3LO7bINqb9ppcD3phyphenhyphenwA3KmM3muh2j0fJXeGsiwOQac/s320/Screenshot+2018-11-05+10.54.46.png" width="319" /></a></div>
<br />
I WAAAAAAAAAAAAANT IT THAAAAAAAAAAT WAYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY!<br />
<br />
<br /></div>
Nicole Kornethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12752896360950497403noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5054348110797123772.post-28734573284934605442018-07-18T10:23:00.001-07:002018-07-19T19:03:23.442-07:00The Year of Yes<div class="MsoNormal">
“Can I go to Vegas?” I asked my future boss.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
He was offering me a job, yet my mind couldn't stray from Sin City.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
It’s a funny story.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
After I graduated from UCLA, one of the women’s
basketball donors offered me a full-time position working for his company.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
It was an amazing opportunity, but for some reason my genes were telling me I wanted to
give broadcasting a shot. Whenever anyone would ask me what I wanted to do post-college my cop-out answer was always “sports reporter.”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
But you see, out of the three Kornet siblings, I knew the
least about sports.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Luke would run home from school every day just to turn on
PTI by 3:30pm. He would have the entire 1-hour's worth of SportsCenter memorized
while doing his physics homework. He knew Derek Jeter’s batting percentage,
Lebron’s assist to turnover ratio, and how many yards Peyton Manning threw two
Sundays ago. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-SrO0iIQ28n5Y7wCgtCn94pLImCDIMyis4_UToGnR2zsIh7itKzWs10u872mi_4Ahaulcio3NAre2e7JMnhTSmlFkir-bXfVE6n4RJXEERQQ2f-0_Q7dXCM00h0HTVMhK3vHwQgkn9yY/s1600/Screen+Shot+2018-07-17+at+7.52.01+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: black;"><img border="0" data-original-height="503" data-original-width="376" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-SrO0iIQ28n5Y7wCgtCn94pLImCDIMyis4_UToGnR2zsIh7itKzWs10u872mi_4Ahaulcio3NAre2e7JMnhTSmlFkir-bXfVE6n4RJXEERQQ2f-0_Q7dXCM00h0HTVMhK3vHwQgkn9yY/s320/Screen+Shot+2018-07-17+at+7.52.01+PM.png" width="239" /></span></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I, on the other hand, knew what time and what date High School Musical’s sequel
was coming out and when Hilary Duff was expected to go on tour in Phoenix, Arizona.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I knew the bare minimum when it came to sports. Except for which athletes I
thought were cute. I could give you a top ten at the age of ten.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The only thing I loved about sports was playing them. I loved
picking up something new, playing it til I was good enough to beat you, then doing
it all over again.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
So how in the world was I just going to let that go and
start broadcasting about other people beating people??</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The task was tough.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
So tough... I almost moved to Philadelphia. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
One of friends, Matt Fraschilla, was GA’ing for
Villanova’s men’s team and had a spare bedroom. He said it was all mine.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Rent-free.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
It was too good to be true.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I had no idea what I’d do in Philly, but I’d figure it out.
It was closer to family, a train ride away from a Knicks game, and the home of
Nicole Kornet’s greatest obsession of all time, Allen Iverson.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I was all in.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Until I received a phone call from my UCLA coach, Cori
Close. She asked me out on a sushi date, and told me it would be best for me to stay in Los Angeles.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
And work for her.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
At UCLA.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
And live in an apartment.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Rent-free.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Now THAT was too good to be true.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Why did she offer me a position, you might ask?? Because of this very blog. She basically created a position for me.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
My job was to travel LA, write about how amazing the city
was, blog about it, let recruits in on the juice, sit back, relax, and watch the
magic happen.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1ICzeZlIL-nEI5lG3jcMjbbSP2kSgImdp3izUBw2E-UUqtIjWCzIIiInnreIsDWGVT8x87VQE-50c869jwnP6x8X_dToAGIukzRUlGzDE7mCXwJXcNhKGl3puQbC_3inXczBopv8cUjs/s1600/Screen+Shot+2018-07-17+at+7.57.34+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: black;"><img border="0" data-original-height="379" data-original-width="379" height="319" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1ICzeZlIL-nEI5lG3jcMjbbSP2kSgImdp3izUBw2E-UUqtIjWCzIIiInnreIsDWGVT8x87VQE-50c869jwnP6x8X_dToAGIukzRUlGzDE7mCXwJXcNhKGl3puQbC_3inXczBopv8cUjs/s320/Screen+Shot+2018-07-17+at+7.57.34+PM.png" width="320" /></span></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
It was a dream job.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I got to create videos, do color commentary with the LEGENDARY Dave Marcus, emcee basketball games, and write.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeuedrP7VjDLWeHmSdgpyuiPTQmiMiBGW4_DDcrtKTuQiuV0bqDt_HoWhzVhKL9Bew0YPydhN3KkXoa83sSYG3_swWY3BcHEpRJejzUPDXzx2Akpj4eP3M6_vsUBdKZhBb2I5xpel6Ivw/s1600/Screen+Shot+2018-07-17+at+7.57.14+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: black;"><img border="0" data-original-height="209" data-original-width="379" height="176" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeuedrP7VjDLWeHmSdgpyuiPTQmiMiBGW4_DDcrtKTuQiuV0bqDt_HoWhzVhKL9Bew0YPydhN3KkXoa83sSYG3_swWY3BcHEpRJejzUPDXzx2Akpj4eP3M6_vsUBdKZhBb2I5xpel6Ivw/s320/Screen+Shot+2018-07-17+at+7.57.14+PM.png" width="320" /></span></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Not to mention...</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Interview THE Sean McKaveney!</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipPUxU9TTw_StfWw4xLjmsqPC_14FpogtFu1wOBq8d4CLli_Izpisymxp7AxsTHPRgA2YMiCD6GGk7SZkgZwDE7iie1amlHxzkSdQv88HuwrZf1hk_m9g0bvJDcKywzJtfHmec4v8my-w/s1600/Screen+Shot+2018-07-17+at+8.05.52+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: black;"><img border="0" data-original-height="506" data-original-width="377" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipPUxU9TTw_StfWw4xLjmsqPC_14FpogtFu1wOBq8d4CLli_Izpisymxp7AxsTHPRgA2YMiCD6GGk7SZkgZwDE7iie1amlHxzkSdQv88HuwrZf1hk_m9g0bvJDcKywzJtfHmec4v8my-w/s320/Screen+Shot+2018-07-17+at+8.05.52+PM.png" width="238" /></span></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
AND Wonder Woman herself!</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPrgDkrNNU7CPzAMH6vmazhnVrvV9-8ZIlv7zGZcnTtv46AP2N70Tv-X6LYhMQXVSpX2WCu3TDd0ts6ZRFRkDkhr-q_tPkTL1k71qOaupPVnMDLcRzQf-SpUWfDki2-0wgLqJ64GZX-y0/s1600/Screen+Shot+2018-07-17+at+8.06.12+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: black;"><img border="0" data-original-height="307" data-original-width="376" height="261" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPrgDkrNNU7CPzAMH6vmazhnVrvV9-8ZIlv7zGZcnTtv46AP2N70Tv-X6LYhMQXVSpX2WCu3TDd0ts6ZRFRkDkhr-q_tPkTL1k71qOaupPVnMDLcRzQf-SpUWfDki2-0wgLqJ64GZX-y0/s320/Screen+Shot+2018-07-17+at+8.06.12+PM.png" width="320" /></span></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: x-small;">(It's Cori).</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
And this guy too.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcoiG-Es9a59PYyOXMWiiv8rfQnDhoQLOjOi8mgoORbAh6jrPYmwwfSZKhTMtVQTF2hnsfkag9QXZQlCxqgiapzeQ6uF1A4vFsNKl6tCX5lXxtbW1uyPKn8nmkh_D4hLrTIfeRlZwsRho/s1600/Screen+Shot+2018-07-17+at+8.06.02+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: black;"><img border="0" data-original-height="507" data-original-width="379" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcoiG-Es9a59PYyOXMWiiv8rfQnDhoQLOjOi8mgoORbAh6jrPYmwwfSZKhTMtVQTF2hnsfkag9QXZQlCxqgiapzeQ6uF1A4vFsNKl6tCX5lXxtbW1uyPKn8nmkh_D4hLrTIfeRlZwsRho/s320/Screen+Shot+2018-07-17+at+8.06.02+PM.png" width="239" /></span></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
A few months later season ended.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Which brings me back to Vegas.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
As soon as basketball was over I wasn’t sure what was
next for me. I had a conference call with the PAC12 Network lined up.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
It went
smoothly, but the PAC12 Network isn’t a major television network. You have to
be signed to a FOX, ESPN, or CBS first and then freelance and pick up games
with PAC12 before season even begins.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
So what the heck does that mean?</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
It means you have to get an agent.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Coincidentally, I had interned for one of the best
broadcasting agents in the biz spring of my senior year at UCLA.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I was set.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
For something I wasn’t sure I really wanted to do. And in sports broadcasting you better want to do it.
Because the rigamorale is real.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
After a long, hard sit-down of about 5 minutes, I decided I
didn’t wanna do it. I didn’t know what I wanted, but I knew that I didn’t want
to jump into a career I wasn’t extremely passionate about… yet.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The lease on my apartment was ending soon, which brings me to another funny little story.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
After I graduated, Coach Cori wasn’t the only person who
offered me a job.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Kirk Pasich did too.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Kirk is one of the country’s best-known and most respected
laywers, as well as the president of <span style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;">Blue Élan Records. And the guy I mentioned earlier.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;">He
wanted me to be the Social Media Manager for Blue Élan Records. My job would
have been to help the artists with their social media accounts, write for the newsletter,
travel to gigs, and be hands-on with the artists.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;">For some reason, the psycho-UCLA obsessed, spotlight hog
couldn’t leave her niche.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;">Now here’s where it gets EVEN funnier.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;">I told Kirk no, Cori yes, and ended up living with Kirk.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;">Remember how I told you Cori said she could find me a place
in LA for free? </span><span style="background-color: white;">The free place was with Kirk Pasich. He had a spare studio
attached to his house.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiagYW0ug5eo_aK5gRX_CpF2mkZC6Wq_txa2duESo-Z-fDmrA4NUZ6lVBSwfuTz-A_4HI9lvrECy1fd7JqksrfPtwsF2hlZyto5inFhVWb7YLYVCLGRcW5LBjq7nbHu4f_e4VJlXgX2xRc/s1600/Screen+Shot+2018-07-18+at+10.38.36+AM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="676" data-original-width="902" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiagYW0ug5eo_aK5gRX_CpF2mkZC6Wq_txa2duESo-Z-fDmrA4NUZ6lVBSwfuTz-A_4HI9lvrECy1fd7JqksrfPtwsF2hlZyto5inFhVWb7YLYVCLGRcW5LBjq7nbHu4f_e4VJlXgX2xRc/s320/Screen+Shot+2018-07-18+at+10.38.36+AM.png" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="background-color: white;">And boom goes the guilt.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;">Not only did I decline Kirk's incredible offer, but I would be using
his gorgeous studio for FREE IN LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;">There is no way Kirk Pasich isn’t getting extra crowns in
heaven.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;">Mid-way through the year Kirk put his house up for sale. </span><span style="background-color: white;">It sold that week.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;">Angel Kirk made a promise to me, however, and told me there
was a place for me in the mansion in Beverly Hills.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipcH0Lf8XFdRbBAYtUs_GcERS6PkfAqPWRLo2JRPr17bqN8evJbnemfo6YXjEJYg2ezila4YEHCGPEEaJQW1yOwdsD1fhq_svN4THKd0YlGkwo-tEUml8MoGNw1NHvPGq4b0pN9T_-MBg/s1600/Screen+Shot+2018-07-17+at+8.12.03+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: black;"><img border="0" data-original-height="253" data-original-width="379" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipcH0Lf8XFdRbBAYtUs_GcERS6PkfAqPWRLo2JRPr17bqN8evJbnemfo6YXjEJYg2ezila4YEHCGPEEaJQW1yOwdsD1fhq_svN4THKd0YlGkwo-tEUml8MoGNw1NHvPGq4b0pN9T_-MBg/s320/Screen+Shot+2018-07-17+at+8.12.03+PM.png" width="320" /></span></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">It's casual.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;">Thus, the Fresh Princess of Bel-Air was formed.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;">This was simply a rental while his new house was being
finished up. </span><span style="background-color: white;">But boy did it sparkle.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3uEgaeYA1AYAvFTEg003oWneChKzi6EFtAzuReT6Bq1W5TuU4Ldc-XqzmVc3gVH7afSkrJuI0G-SMUnXn8EpRiY9fV6KBC85F0aCokT9PGs7KDPqpWF3BUzH9IBIfy5lwPkX9BCfiRfc/s1600/Screen+Shot+2018-07-17+at+8.05.10+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: black;"><img border="0" data-original-height="282" data-original-width="377" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3uEgaeYA1AYAvFTEg003oWneChKzi6EFtAzuReT6Bq1W5TuU4Ldc-XqzmVc3gVH7afSkrJuI0G-SMUnXn8EpRiY9fV6KBC85F0aCokT9PGs7KDPqpWF3BUzH9IBIfy5lwPkX9BCfiRfc/s320/Screen+Shot+2018-07-17+at+8.05.10+PM.png" width="320" /></span></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="background-color: white;">My breakfast nook</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjY3vCT_rq8tfq_NT2g4y4yh9arESGpZk1_A-KblQBt82RhVQIBj_oOdOQggGJcZxEC72shB0mGsFMMEy-ZKC1z3qcIJInep-Cjfc2fs9o8COZwI722iMHWNxm4R6EJKLk3Vyus4tmQ4yc/s1600/Screen+Shot+2018-07-17+at+8.05.01+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: black;"><img border="0" data-original-height="283" data-original-width="379" height="238" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjY3vCT_rq8tfq_NT2g4y4yh9arESGpZk1_A-KblQBt82RhVQIBj_oOdOQggGJcZxEC72shB0mGsFMMEy-ZKC1z3qcIJInep-Cjfc2fs9o8COZwI722iMHWNxm4R6EJKLk3Vyus4tmQ4yc/s320/Screen+Shot+2018-07-17+at+8.05.01+PM.png" width="320" /></span></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">There's a pool back left, do you see it?</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;"><o:p><br /></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;"><o:p> </o:p></span><span style="background-color: white;">It made for a fantastic venue for Law Prom, too.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzgaUel0y7VWgSqwNjcRKXUvPxCdwCFwT3f1gF_NkNy0be9sUweI3nypr3x0iXMe3qWV81ZSMVcYD-yacKVgkeedXmhJ-gkkqel3o51JWjOo3PojTCD_I4IFNGx_wVTXTu5fF3v1jsQXA/s1600/Screen+Shot+2018-07-17+at+8.04.23+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: black;"><img border="0" data-original-height="505" data-original-width="379" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzgaUel0y7VWgSqwNjcRKXUvPxCdwCFwT3f1gF_NkNy0be9sUweI3nypr3x0iXMe3qWV81ZSMVcYD-yacKVgkeedXmhJ-gkkqel3o51JWjOo3PojTCD_I4IFNGx_wVTXTu5fF3v1jsQXA/s320/Screen+Shot+2018-07-17+at+8.04.23+PM.png" width="240" /></span></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="background-color: white;">After about a month of mansion life, my time drew to a close.
Kirk “felt so bad that he kept making me move” that he signed a lease for an
apartment in Westwood for me to have as my own instead.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;">Crazy.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;">Unbelievable.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;">Undeniably.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;">The best day of my life.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;">I could walk to work.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;">And Denny’s.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;">They have a great build-your-own hot fudge sundae.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;">Kirk fulfilled his promise of housing me for a year, and
outdid himself. I will forever be grateful for you, Kirk Pasich.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;">My lease ended a few months ago.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;">After it did, I wasn’t sure what my future held. All the
while, I kept thinking about Kirk. I couldn’t help it. I wanted to know how
on earth a human being could be so generous. I wanted to learn from him. </span><span style="background-color: white;">I wanted to work for him. </span><span style="background-color: white;">I wanted my job back.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;">So, I asked him.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: white;">I wrote him a letter. </span><span style="background-color: white;">Less than a week later, I got a text from him. He asked if we
could get coffee.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;">I walked into the coffee shop.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="background-color: white;">Sat down with Kirk.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="background-color: white;">And he offered me right there on the spot.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="background-color: white;">This time it wasn’t for the Social Media Managerial role. </span><span style="background-color: white;">This time I would be traveling to New York, Nashville, Paris,
London, Ireland, Chicago, and Greater LA.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;">Pinch me.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;">Harder.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;">New Title: Artist Coordinator.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikoRPIzEEAaK9Ai93JMwaqSwRZUlrXByRjG_ZiA4ZGLiSm9k58BizFPGjpUs_L66MJ__rtclKcRmTtM5W6p-3TDYhXkeknzZxAmCoOxbGRf1GdOM875k0APzRSOg9cA1tglVRETU1yLPs/s1600/Screen+Shot+2018-07-17+at+8.17.07+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: black;"><img border="0" data-original-height="181" data-original-width="598" height="96" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikoRPIzEEAaK9Ai93JMwaqSwRZUlrXByRjG_ZiA4ZGLiSm9k58BizFPGjpUs_L66MJ__rtclKcRmTtM5W6p-3TDYhXkeknzZxAmCoOxbGRf1GdOM875k0APzRSOg9cA1tglVRETU1yLPs/s320/Screen+Shot+2018-07-17+at+8.17.07+PM.png" width="320" /></span></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="background-color: white;">I’ll be in charge of several artists on the label and dabble
in a little bit of everything. From lining up which songs go where on the
album, to contract negotiations, to music videos, to album art, to blogging— you
name it! It'll have my flair on it.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;">Music has been my passion all my life. </span><span style="background-color: white;">Some would say basketball, but some who know me best would
say otherwise. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="background-color: white;">Kirk asked when I would be available to start.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;">Technically, my lease had just ended. He knew that. (Because it was his).<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;">I could have started that very next day.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;">But then I blurted out…<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;">“Can I go to Vegas??”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;">It was May 30th. </span><span style="background-color: white;">The NBA Summer League was July 7-17</span><sup style="background-color: white;">th </sup><span style="background-color: white;">in Las Vegas, Nevada. </span><span style="background-color: white;">And I desperately wanted to go and watch Luke.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;">Kirk looked through the calendar on his phone and abruptly said,<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;">“Sure.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;">I was astonished.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;">“Looks like we don’t need you here until August. We want you
to travel to Nashville for Americanafest in September, so it’d be nice for you
to familiarize yourself in the office for a month beforehand.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;">My start date is August 6<sup>th</sup>.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;">He gave me the entire summer off.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;">It’s like I’m a little kid again. I moved back to Nashville
for the summer and have been traveling nonstop.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;">Destination #1 was to Colorado. I was able to road trip with Lindsey and move Coach Kari into her new stomping grounds.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCGpo4IARwBrugnL3RXTUISKw29EkBBouIlOOBCBwcOcX8fdjbjUEYiDr9B2MdWtWLMGymLj9wFJrJW0qCP6bOQUTxtEkC7xdMqlpyYp09vsU1VWdqfsmJ26kgxpRP2gAL_W1_t8tmw20/s1600/IMG_5306.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: black;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCGpo4IARwBrugnL3RXTUISKw29EkBBouIlOOBCBwcOcX8fdjbjUEYiDr9B2MdWtWLMGymLj9wFJrJW0qCP6bOQUTxtEkC7xdMqlpyYp09vsU1VWdqfsmJ26kgxpRP2gAL_W1_t8tmw20/s320/IMG_5306.JPG" width="240" /></span></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: white;">Destination #2 was Lexington, Kentucky to hang out with the
grandparents. And Copper.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgG5HbbDh-va6ZpQ8NBUGj8tZwHxgut_l5XWbEDKlBIEFTe0mUySN81Ff1aRUcPkA2DwoQGf3gJvRWnZ6w7edTJqhOhq7uYdlUuMkiNd0GGaRgiXbiaiYfhelBCq-O4ZIgwBNvi3fFRpqY/s1600/Screen+Shot+2018-07-17+at+7.52.22+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: black;"><img border="0" data-original-height="283" data-original-width="377" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgG5HbbDh-va6ZpQ8NBUGj8tZwHxgut_l5XWbEDKlBIEFTe0mUySN81Ff1aRUcPkA2DwoQGf3gJvRWnZ6w7edTJqhOhq7uYdlUuMkiNd0GGaRgiXbiaiYfhelBCq-O4ZIgwBNvi3fFRpqY/s320/Screen+Shot+2018-07-17+at+7.52.22+PM.png" width="320" /></span></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: white;">Destination #3 was Fourth of July in Nashville.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAZlAbctZkp9KDg-_PTICyYFM8qq0W8vq1uDwmww4_IlphTxbYCOfbtnp5vln-8bCfwRP8i0VyBt91X0D9GuquSO9Gv8PnFsa5g0CSsXQ4zSosfSX9Z1MDrFwwSXka1mkeGuZjCPdQfeI/s1600/IMG_6021.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: black;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAZlAbctZkp9KDg-_PTICyYFM8qq0W8vq1uDwmww4_IlphTxbYCOfbtnp5vln-8bCfwRP8i0VyBt91X0D9GuquSO9Gv8PnFsa5g0CSsXQ4zSosfSX9Z1MDrFwwSXka1mkeGuZjCPdQfeI/s320/IMG_6021.JPG" width="320" /></span></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="background-color: white;">Destination #4 was Little Rock, Arkansas to help move Johnny
into his BRAND NEW house!</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjL9_VXg3PAIE26ZpKL71qIFstY03zIizOyjwYL88AugdP1c9NWFGBvpEMazgA3QJlGvPk7kASVWda10oAj4GryilsyVX4Cxu6onExKIxn3ao-hv7Y28CLT-ERzuIre8gQEHxY05fIqLOY/s1600/IMG_6179.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: black;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1280" data-original-width="720" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjL9_VXg3PAIE26ZpKL71qIFstY03zIizOyjwYL88AugdP1c9NWFGBvpEMazgA3QJlGvPk7kASVWda10oAj4GryilsyVX4Cxu6onExKIxn3ao-hv7Y28CLT-ERzuIre8gQEHxY05fIqLOY/s320/IMG_6179.JPG" width="180" /></span></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="background-color: white;">And lastly, Destination #5: Vegas, baby.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRF1fua_Anl7mcaB_KgIB04KdOrEQVuLB9H5BQ9rbQ9QowRRBotrWaPGsa4CfSZ8VFUFvHJEMC11wtQY-5PthdvIgo-kUz-jLAlkU60Yr3EJKaST6ES2jZAdyCcOXMAaCvv4n57f_QTCI/s1600/Screen+Shot+2018-07-17+at+8.26.09+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: black;"><img border="0" data-original-height="476" data-original-width="379" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRF1fua_Anl7mcaB_KgIB04KdOrEQVuLB9H5BQ9rbQ9QowRRBotrWaPGsa4CfSZ8VFUFvHJEMC11wtQY-5PthdvIgo-kUz-jLAlkU60Yr3EJKaST6ES2jZAdyCcOXMAaCvv4n57f_QTCI/s320/Screen+Shot+2018-07-17+at+8.26.09+PM.png" width="254" /></span></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="background-color: white;">Next week I’m off to New York to help Luke move in, and
the following week I’ll finally be home sweet home— in Los Angeles, California.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;">I think the moral of this blog post is HOLY MOLEY I GOT A JOB
BECAUSE OF THESE BLOG POSTS.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;">Cheers to that!</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6KBqZRco4E59HI3ELYH7gM4rT9Bc-VGipMOtMD9TiYkiskfOw2_C949SKpHOpkFaexQ1yWyO6l6gX4jx0Zw2pX-yCJujUyYJlH8QooVkoucy_bJBD-2ETZp2B7ok4KnrktpZLao0R2BI/s1600/IMG_6065.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: black;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="900" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6KBqZRco4E59HI3ELYH7gM4rT9Bc-VGipMOtMD9TiYkiskfOw2_C949SKpHOpkFaexQ1yWyO6l6gX4jx0Zw2pX-yCJujUyYJlH8QooVkoucy_bJBD-2ETZp2B7ok4KnrktpZLao0R2BI/s320/IMG_6065.JPG" width="180" /></span></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="background-color: white;">My mom has always taught me to say yes.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;">Say yes to the crazy opportunities that come your way, because
you never know where they’re going to take you.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="background-color: white;">So, without further ado, ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, I, Nicole Kornet, am employed.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBBqG4I-TOvIuRglesRGPe_8it_c3w7I0fY9wkheKtombtOaXgabc6zri6bCHiG6GhxvW5CwfPqiutVUv7lpHHONnCrVoIPJuH1n1BgG9vfa9n8vM8WrEc493AJanivAcZ0ixROBJJ_lc/s1600/Screen+Shot+2018-07-18+at+11.21.40+AM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="674" data-original-width="507" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBBqG4I-TOvIuRglesRGPe_8it_c3w7I0fY9wkheKtombtOaXgabc6zri6bCHiG6GhxvW5CwfPqiutVUv7lpHHONnCrVoIPJuH1n1BgG9vfa9n8vM8WrEc493AJanivAcZ0ixROBJJ_lc/s320/Screen+Shot+2018-07-18+at+11.21.40+AM.png" width="240" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="background-color: white; font-size: x-small;">Mom bought it.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="background: white; color: #0a0a0a;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
Nicole Kornethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12752896360950497403noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5054348110797123772.post-32226292197440529882018-05-21T13:08:00.001-07:002018-05-22T01:23:02.988-07:00Just Another Mundane Monday<span style="font-family: inherit;">Many times I desire to write a blog, yet find myself with a slew of sporadic thoughts and zero
direction. Then I put my headphones in. I board a plane. The sun starts to set.
And Taylor Swift’s sweet melodies come rattling through my headphones. I listen to
her every time I write. </span>Old Taylor. Three songs into her Red album and I find myself moving mountains, with the ebbs and flows of every paragraph seamlessly transitioning into the next.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZ8xHD7tRZAryflnWobHyk9QwVnG4ge88yVInurHhjUp3rREqoHNe8xqvX9VQV0njq6vHBhPuLDGVV0dnQjR25U5N4Lv9hhcoD-cQp5CImyCHNbNSXYEn8Gqj-PfRQT0DqM78i8LqDCaY/s1600/thumbnail-9.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1440" data-original-width="1080" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZ8xHD7tRZAryflnWobHyk9QwVnG4ge88yVInurHhjUp3rREqoHNe8xqvX9VQV0njq6vHBhPuLDGVV0dnQjR25U5N4Lv9hhcoD-cQp5CImyCHNbNSXYEn8Gqj-PfRQT0DqM78i8LqDCaY/s320/thumbnail-9.jpeg" width="240" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">My mom’s a
lot like me. Or perhaps, the inevitable inverse... I’m a lot like my mom. Back
in high school, Katy Perry was our girl. When ‘Firework’ came out my mother
made me promise to play it at her funeral. I know my father
would never approve of this, but knowing my mother she’d out-live my father
just so he wouldn’t get the chance to.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">My mom sang
the song “I Can Only Imagine” at her own mother’s funeral. I was really young, but I
remember it vividly. It was beautiful. When the movie came out this spring I really
wanted to see it. Normally, I’m very skeptical of Christian movies. Frankly,
they’re way too cheesy for my liking. But this one was different. It reminded me of my
grandma, my mom, and the extraordinary power music has on each and every one of
us.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">It got me
thinking.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">I remember
earlier this year when I’d travel to New York for a couple of Luke’s games. The
family would be jam packed into the Camry and Gloria Gaynor would be bolting out
how she’d survive and all of a sudden the whole family would too. Songs from the Wicked soundtrack would come on shuffle next
and we wouldn't let those go unsung either.</span><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghKz8B38n_7LHYxLU-9nqwL8JFhGo2jXMkm1MMJsInCuqwzlwHzCPzEd-jZ8HZkWf11Nvlz-kWXwnt-8gz8KnLVwAWmtV7cIyTCE_ll2eiWHNt9NU-Sp3IuIIjetc4hyphenhyphenvGQGnrBRhtRdg/s1600/IMG_4188.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="810" data-original-width="1080" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghKz8B38n_7LHYxLU-9nqwL8JFhGo2jXMkm1MMJsInCuqwzlwHzCPzEd-jZ8HZkWf11Nvlz-kWXwnt-8gz8KnLVwAWmtV7cIyTCE_ll2eiWHNt9NU-Sp3IuIIjetc4hyphenhyphenvGQGnrBRhtRdg/s320/IMG_4188.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<o:p><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span></o:p><span style="font-family: inherit;">I got the
best of both my parents.</span><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiajIkR7Vb5jqIEXaL9hacJnFcNoH8Zk9WmhgoKYjkZpf2V0ohXnG9M6LgkI-Skz_a5DnRJM3fO4awNudXp9RXJWj9TqI-xaveNdLTwWLxY-pe0dDRe-ZZunMvzeH7Op8Pld-VNc_fcW6A/s1600/IMG_4187.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="720" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiajIkR7Vb5jqIEXaL9hacJnFcNoH8Zk9WmhgoKYjkZpf2V0ohXnG9M6LgkI-Skz_a5DnRJM3fO4awNudXp9RXJWj9TqI-xaveNdLTwWLxY-pe0dDRe-ZZunMvzeH7Op8Pld-VNc_fcW6A/s320/IMG_4187.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Kind of.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">I'm tall like my father and I dance like my mother.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">I’m a performer. I’m secretly convinced I’m an
amazing hip-hop dancer in the mirror, but my father would definitely tell you
otherwise, especially after I break out the chicken neck.</span><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgluDkvUgEZ6oCNnGoiHX-PvhVk1WSGUSPAptQ0eQ7G7Noyn-C8xVfRXm9TQSeV5laByLrLn2YHpqYPxjQo2wKoqW4LmpYi7lJ5ATzzmBJriMHpl2a28mmKtMCwsjR9qDGaaIcc7gG_Bm0/s1600/IMG_E4189.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="930" data-original-width="749" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgluDkvUgEZ6oCNnGoiHX-PvhVk1WSGUSPAptQ0eQ7G7Noyn-C8xVfRXm9TQSeV5laByLrLn2YHpqYPxjQo2wKoqW4LmpYi7lJ5ATzzmBJriMHpl2a28mmKtMCwsjR9qDGaaIcc7gG_Bm0/s320/IMG_E4189.JPG" width="257" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Despite my best efforts to stay in rhythm, turns out my father wasn't the only one who thought I couldn't dance. Or act. Or </span><span style="font-family: inherit;">perform</span><span style="font-family: inherit;">.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">There are
two life-altering things in life I didn’t get into:</span><br />
<div style="margin-left: 37.0pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -19.0pt;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">1.)<span style="font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span><!--[endif]-->Stanford.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="margin-left: 37.0pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -19.0pt;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">2.)<span style="font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span><!--[endif]-->Cinder-ella.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="margin-left: 37.0pt;">
<br /></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Cinder-ella
was a modern take on the show Cinderella that my high school theatre department
put on. It was a dancical. I so badly wanted to be Cinderella, but I knew myself. I knew my
talents. I decided to try out for the part of the wicked step-mother, Estella.
Not the star, but a fundamental piece of the play, nonetheless. <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">When the
cast was set, and the list of names was stapled to the bulletin board, I walked
over prepared as ever for my wildest dream to come true.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">After a finger-by-finger,
name-by-name stare down, my heart sank.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Oh, my name
was on the paper all right.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">“STAGE HAND: Nicole
Kornet”<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">I wore all
black.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">And my one
job was to move a window.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">But boy, let
me tell you—<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">I moved that
window.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">With the
biggest smile on my face.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">I stood on
the stage and felt the audience’s energy before me.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">It was high
school theatre, so the lights weren’t completely off in between scenes like how they are on Broadway. It was still fairly lit so the clumsy, not-so-sure footed high-schoolers
wouldn’t break things on set.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">I remember
walking out, humongous smile and all, grabbing that window and looking through
the panes. I saw my friends and my friends saw me.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">They got out of their seats and started clapping.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">I put that window on its correct duct taped
“X” and waved back like I was in the Miss America Pageant. More roars of snaps, claps, whistles and “Ow! Ow!’s” echoed throughout the cafegymatorium. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">I felt like the Disney
Princess herself.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">I may have
only moved a window, the song “I Can Only Imagine” may have moved the world,
but that’s what performance does to me. It drives me. It inspires me. Inspiration
stirs up hope. It stirs up that little mustard seed inside of you that says, “You
can.” You can be that famous musician. You can be that pro athlete. You can be
whoever you want to be.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<div style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.5pt; border: none; mso-element: para-border-div; padding: 0in 0in 1.0pt 0in;">
<div style="border: none; mso-border-bottom-alt: solid windowtext 1.5pt; mso-padding-alt: 0in 0in 1.0pt 0in; padding: 0in;">
<br /></div>
</div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">_______________</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-outline-level: 2; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 18.5pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-outline-level: 2; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 18.5pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">After piling 7 rusty propane tanks onto a
bell cart, locking myself out on the terrace once again with a cut on my foreman that
screamed tetanus shot, I thought to myself,<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-outline-level: 2; vertical-align: baseline;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-outline-level: 2; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 18.5pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">“Is this really what my life has come to?”<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-outline-level: 2; vertical-align: baseline;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-outline-level: 2; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 18.5pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">But then I saw my pumped biceps from placing
all 7 tanks into their designated heat lamp, I caught a glimpse of the beautiful ocean lingering
in the distance, I felt the sun on my shoulders, and I gracefully changed all 7
propane tanks without anyone’s help. (I used to need a lot of help.)<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-outline-level: 2; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 18.5pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-outline-level: 2; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">So yeah, my life had come to this, and I was
proud of it.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-outline-level: 2; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhc-hKGy_KRa3237wpdcoJFNK_SWVdCLB66EaYvpF2wyoyTlLKexFKLXROpl5yi82aMIbdgyOeOGKCBSWU8SUjKZT-IdFo7MJazu2UYg4Qiidf4ZXSCDzTx2_qjDeBmHhhz7V32tQhgj3o/s1600/IMG_4190.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="400" data-original-width="536" height="238" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhc-hKGy_KRa3237wpdcoJFNK_SWVdCLB66EaYvpF2wyoyTlLKexFKLXROpl5yi82aMIbdgyOeOGKCBSWU8SUjKZT-IdFo7MJazu2UYg4Qiidf4ZXSCDzTx2_qjDeBmHhhz7V32tQhgj3o/s320/IMG_4190.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-outline-level: 2; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">A year later, and I’m a UCLA graduate still
cocktail waitressing at the Marriott.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-outline-level: 2; vertical-align: baseline;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-outline-level: 2; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 18.5pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">I was supposed to be on ESPN by now.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-outline-level: 2; vertical-align: baseline;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-outline-level: 2; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 18.5pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Isn’t it funny how we all think we’re going
to do what no one else has ever done before? <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-outline-level: 2; vertical-align: baseline;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-outline-level: 2; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 18.5pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">“I’m going to have the coolest job, live in
the biggest house, and everyone will know me-- by 22.”<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-outline-level: 2; vertical-align: baseline;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-outline-level: 2; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 18.5pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">“I’m going to skip all of those rudimentary
steps that everyone else takes because I am DIFFERENT.”<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-outline-level: 2; vertical-align: baseline;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-outline-level: 2; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 18.5pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Isn’t it funny? I think it’s funny.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-outline-level: 2; vertical-align: baseline;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-outline-level: 2; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 18.5pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Alberto just celebrated his 18<sup>th</sup>
year working as a server at the Marriott. He’s 42. And he’s been providing for
his 3 children for 18 years now.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-outline-level: 2; vertical-align: baseline;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-outline-level: 2; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 18.5pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">He never comes in without a smile. He never
panics when fifteen tables are full, we’re out of high-ball glasses, and our
bartender is swamped at the bar. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-outline-level: 2; vertical-align: baseline;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-outline-level: 2; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 18.5pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">He simply puts his hand on my shoulder and
smiles.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-outline-level: 2; vertical-align: baseline;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-outline-level: 2; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 18.5pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">He makes me want to work hard for him.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-outline-level: 2; vertical-align: baseline;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-outline-level: 2; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 18.5pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">He makes me feel like what I’m doing is
important. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-outline-level: 2; vertical-align: baseline;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-outline-level: 2; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 18.5pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">He makes me realize it’s not about the title
of the position at all.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-outline-level: 2; vertical-align: baseline;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-outline-level: 2; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 18.5pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">It’s about your mindset.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-outline-level: 2; vertical-align: baseline;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-outline-level: 2; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 18.5pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Immediately I put myself in that high school
window-moving Nicole Kornet frame of mind:<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-outline-level: 2; vertical-align: baseline;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-outline-level: 2; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 18.5pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">“Sure, all I’m doing is moving a window. Or
maybe that’s just what YOU think I’m doing. I see the stage. I see the
audience. I see opportunity.”<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-outline-level: 2; vertical-align: baseline;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-outline-level: 2; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 18.5pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Gone are the days when scholarship checks
provide for your every expense, the opportunities to dream never quiet, and
your biceps had more definition. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-outline-level: 2; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 18.5pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-outline-level: 2; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 18.5pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">_______________</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-outline-level: 2; vertical-align: baseline;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-outline-level: 2; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 18.5pt;">I remember when my
aunt came to visit when I was in middle school. She’s the youngest of my mom's siblings and was in college back then. She took my room and I was booted to the couch, aka mom’s bed,
and dad was booted to the couch. I ran up to my room one morning and my Aunt
Tiff’s college books were scattered all over my bed with highlighters lighting
up the pages. Notes were squiggled in between the margins, the words were tiny,
and there weren’t any pictures like my social studies books had inside. I read a sentence and although I knew how to pronounce each word, I had no
idea what each word meant once put <o:p></o:p></span>together.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-outline-level: 2; vertical-align: baseline;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-outline-level: 2; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 18.5pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">I thought to my sixth grade self, “I’m
screwed.”<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-outline-level: 2; vertical-align: baseline;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-outline-level: 2; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 18.5pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">"If you could do college, then after college
you must be 20 and brilliant," I thought to myself.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-outline-level: 2; vertical-align: baseline;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-outline-level: 2; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 18.5pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Being 24 and not brilliant, I now know that
sixth grade Nicole hasn’t really changed all that much.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-outline-level: 2; vertical-align: baseline;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-outline-level: 2; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 18.5pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">She just showers more. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-outline-level: 2; vertical-align: baseline;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-outline-level: 2; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 18.5pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">After college, you go back to square one. You
have to get through the boring, ordinary, mundane jobs that everyone else has
to, too.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-outline-level: 2; vertical-align: baseline;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-outline-level: 2; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">It’s like I’ve forgotten about the hours upon
hours of shooting in the driveway. The laps around the neighborhood with my
stopwatch. The life-long practice it took to become a professional.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-outline-level: 2; vertical-align: baseline;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-outline-level: 2; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 18.5pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">It never ends.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-outline-level: 2; vertical-align: baseline;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-outline-level: 2; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 18.5pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Just because college ends, doesn’t mean
practice does, too.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-outline-level: 2; vertical-align: baseline;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-outline-level: 2; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 18.5pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">You can’t grow weary of the ordinary. The
normal. The mundane.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-outline-level: 2; vertical-align: baseline;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-outline-level: 2; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 18.5pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Because those who don’t grow weary make it to the top.
They become known. They change lives. It takes rudimentary jobs done in an
extraordinary way, extra hours added to a long workweek, and a mindset that
never wavers from the person he or she wants to become.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-outline-level: 2; vertical-align: baseline;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-outline-level: 2; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 18.5pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">It’s not what you’re doing now that matters. It’s how you’re doing it. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">As much as
Luke hates my obnoxious social media prowess, I do it because seeing
10-year-old him inspires 24-year-old me, and hopefully an inspired me can
inspire you.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEix8fy-id_5OAiO6DdPNmqyQ10nZA6xcz3GIipHN2aXhZm8tyAZfOE5k_SlHWiQj5EiszhbPC5BAN_fWNI3Fm5ANMiimKQe-HPWzHzm8yV442AMWFk5JfRUBfIJBdFv1LkettMdr6D0R2c/s1600/thumbnail-10.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="853" data-original-width="640" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEix8fy-id_5OAiO6DdPNmqyQ10nZA6xcz3GIipHN2aXhZm8tyAZfOE5k_SlHWiQj5EiszhbPC5BAN_fWNI3Fm5ANMiimKQe-HPWzHzm8yV442AMWFk5JfRUBfIJBdFv1LkettMdr6D0R2c/s320/thumbnail-10.jpeg" width="240" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuRaYGUPsDgsCFhZxWo8TlvilPxuyQrWo2YHbVkjOXZgYRqayfzmD2C9a6Z7e3n3We4R2kqhbw7-8gxrNzjXRsZbwWSGDB0I-KUKUd81zomSYjf3F7E-YP6u8Jube1Z33ApHz3VBaJPvc/s1600/IMG_E4191.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="472" data-original-width="750" height="201" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuRaYGUPsDgsCFhZxWo8TlvilPxuyQrWo2YHbVkjOXZgYRqayfzmD2C9a6Z7e3n3We4R2kqhbw7-8gxrNzjXRsZbwWSGDB0I-KUKUd81zomSYjf3F7E-YP6u8Jube1Z33ApHz3VBaJPvc/s320/IMG_E4191.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<o:p><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span></o:p><span style="font-family: inherit;">Because if
not, we can only imagine.</span><br />
<br />Nicole Kornethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12752896360950497403noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5054348110797123772.post-60907616084033795502018-02-28T11:18:00.001-08:002020-10-23T09:36:34.462-07:00Ignore the Noise<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #454545; font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; mso-bidi-font-size: 14.0pt;">I’ve never really liked country music.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #454545; font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; mso-bidi-font-size: 14.0pt;">Partly because my dad calls it noise, and partly because my mom
is too gung-ho on Rick Springfield to appreciate a genre without
innumerable key changes. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #454545; font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; mso-bidi-font-size: 14.0pt;">I vividly remember driving down I-35
South in rural Oklahoma. Every single station on
the radio was country. Forced to keep it on because I can’t stand the quiet, there,
in my Ford Focus, for the first time, I heard the sweet, sultry voice of Keith
Urban.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #454545; font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; mso-bidi-font-size: 14.0pt;">And everything changed.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="color: #454545; font-family: "times new roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 14.0pt;">Last week I was in Nashville. It was a Sunday like any other Sunday. The Kornets were all together, t</span><span style="color: #454545; font-family: "times new roman";">he Kornets went to church, and the Kornets were </span><span style="color: #454545; font-family: "times new roman";">late.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="color: #454545; font-family: "times new roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 14.0pt;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #454545; font-family: "times new roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 14.0pt;">It was probably John's fault.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #454545; font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">As soon as we tiptoed our way through the back doors and the whole congregation was aware of
it, I looked up, and realized we weren’t the only ones who were late.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #454545; font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; mso-bidi-font-size: 14.0pt;">Nicole Kidman was too. Nicole and her two little girls came tip-toeing towards us and nestled into the pew a few rows in front of us.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #454545; font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; mso-bidi-font-size: 14.0pt;">I know I was supposed to be paying attention, and I usually do
(I promise), but I couldn’t help but study her every move.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #454545; font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; mso-bidi-font-size: 14.0pt;">Five minutes later Nicole’s husband, Keith Urban, walked in.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #454545; font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; mso-bidi-font-size: 14.0pt;">My heart stopped. I didn’t mean for it to. I was listening to
the priest I swear.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #454545; font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; mso-bidi-font-size: 14.0pt;">But those blow-dried, silky smooth, fluffy golden locks seemed to flutter with his every step.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #454545; font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; mso-bidi-font-size: 14.0pt;">“Wow, he must balayage” John whispered under his breath.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="color: #454545; font-family: "times new roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 14.0pt;">There wasn’t enough room in the pew for the whole family to fit. </span><span style="color: #454545; font-family: "times new roman";">As Keith looked around for an open seat I almost jumped in the
air and lassoed him towards me.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="color: #454545; font-family: "times new roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 14.0pt;">Unfortunately, a woman’s diaper bag lay propped up on the seat besides me, and Keith was forced to look elsewhere. There went </span><span style="color: #454545; font-family: "times new roman";">my chance of holding his hand during the Our Father.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #454545; font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; mso-bidi-font-size: 14.0pt;">I tell you all about my infatuation with Keith & Nicole for a reason—<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #454545; font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; mso-bidi-font-size: 14.0pt;">I’m struggling.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #454545; font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; mso-bidi-font-size: 14.0pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">I’m struggling with the obsession for fame.</span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #454545; font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; mso-bidi-font-size: 14.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEie2npSY7q0GYcedjGLYtDNSc5beeFl0jZSNIoRmKb7JgIpxbsMUkZhppNC2hNm-BqltiZ60kw0BMVkPwcu2R6N1LQn854mR2w14QxS_ef3rmngJkZYO5e8_e1a2tTitXGHy2hHc3Au8ko/s1600/Screen+Shot+2018-02-27+at+1.55.45+PM.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><img border="0" data-original-height="676" data-original-width="900" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEie2npSY7q0GYcedjGLYtDNSc5beeFl0jZSNIoRmKb7JgIpxbsMUkZhppNC2hNm-BqltiZ60kw0BMVkPwcu2R6N1LQn854mR2w14QxS_ef3rmngJkZYO5e8_e1a2tTitXGHy2hHc3Au8ko/s320/Screen+Shot+2018-02-27+at+1.55.45+PM.png" width="320" /></span></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #454545; font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #454545; font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">My whole life I’ve always been the best.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #454545; font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; mso-bidi-font-size: 14.0pt;">I got an unassisted triple play in tee-ball. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #454545; font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; mso-bidi-font-size: 14.0pt;">I scored 20 in an 8<sup>th</sup> grade girls’ basketball game...when I was in fifth grade.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #454545; font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; mso-bidi-font-size: 14.0pt;">I never lost a game in basketball, volleyball, or softball all
three years of middle school.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #454545; font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; mso-bidi-font-size: 14.0pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Sure, everyone can appear humble. But on the inside, I knew I
was good. And I never wanted anyone to be better. That’s why I shot for hours
on end in the driveway. That's why I set up makeshift cones in the street and ran suicides every night after school. That's why I was always the last one to come inside because I wouldn't go inside before my brothers. I wasn't going to lose. I wanted to be the
best in the world.</span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #454545; font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; mso-bidi-font-size: 14.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYez03g7X3LRHQR1e92NwhyLbMqLRgovhnID6IJu4_LKGvck39rxTVEAxFmz65kOW6vE9Xrso2xeoHNIGjtRmgIrraUypLSuOvt4olPrHJ-KR18Xsdvd1NTnhBC6a5BiUXLuNU38VLBeE/s1600/Screen+Shot+2018-02-27+at+3.13.36+PM.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><img border="0" data-original-height="533" data-original-width="414" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYez03g7X3LRHQR1e92NwhyLbMqLRgovhnID6IJu4_LKGvck39rxTVEAxFmz65kOW6vE9Xrso2xeoHNIGjtRmgIrraUypLSuOvt4olPrHJ-KR18Xsdvd1NTnhBC6a5BiUXLuNU38VLBeE/s320/Screen+Shot+2018-02-27+at+3.13.36+PM.png" width="248" /></span></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #454545; font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #454545; font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">Which is why right now, at 24, I’m struggling.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #454545; font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; mso-bidi-font-size: 14.0pt;">Without sports, what can I do well?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #454545; font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; mso-bidi-font-size: 14.0pt;">Without throwing a football, fielding a grounder, splashing a
triple, what am I good for?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #454545; font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; mso-bidi-font-size: 14.0pt;">What can I wow others with? <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="color: #454545; font-family: "times new roman"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 14.0pt;">I’ve been thinking about
it a lot lately. It has eaten me up on the inside.</span><span style="color: #454545; font-family: "times new roman"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 9.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="color: #454545; font-family: "times new roman"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 14.0pt;">It’s been awhile since
I’ve written my last personal blog. Initially I wrote one all about Luke. All
about his first game. It was one of the best days. But after the buzz wore off,
after the reality of it all set, after he fit in— it hit me.</span><span style="color: #454545; font-family: "times new roman"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 9.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #454545; font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 14.0pt;">I’m jealous.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #454545; font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 14.0pt;">I’m not jealous of him
being in the NBA.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #454545; font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 14.0pt;">And I’m not jealous of
his success.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #454545; font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 14.0pt;">I’m jealous of the noise.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #454545; font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 14.0pt;">I have always thought I
was going to be the next NBA player in the family.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #454545; font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 14.0pt;">Yes, I’m a girl and yes,
I was 12, but without a doubt in my mind I was going to be the next Calvin
Cambridge.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #454545; font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 14.0pt;">Everyone was going to
talk about me. They always have. So why would it stop?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #454545; font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 14.0pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">My little brother got
good. That’s why.</span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #454545; font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 14.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEvd_ny-RdRTQMh8HFwORriMeLdTu46o5Fj0yC-pcrDZUSYfONp2xlnCWAe5ubAagVXbQxMJbuvFhY3Sa0RTNpkuDORSvg8ILucY-fNTUR2sOUdedcej-4O98ilmpMZJH7Zo3eaCkcZhA/s1600/Screen+Shot+2018-02-27+at+2.05.51+PM.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><img border="0" data-original-height="599" data-original-width="443" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEvd_ny-RdRTQMh8HFwORriMeLdTu46o5Fj0yC-pcrDZUSYfONp2xlnCWAe5ubAagVXbQxMJbuvFhY3Sa0RTNpkuDORSvg8ILucY-fNTUR2sOUdedcej-4O98ilmpMZJH7Zo3eaCkcZhA/s320/Screen+Shot+2018-02-27+at+2.05.51+PM.png" width="236" /></span></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #454545; font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #454545; font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">Despite the debate, men
who play basketball are always going to get a liiiiiiiittle more attention than
women who play basketball.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #454545; font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 14.0pt;">Basketball has always
been my vehicle. My gateway to success. Without it I feel inadequate. Like everything else I do will never be as good as the athlete I once was. And the worst part is... I don't even miss playing.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #454545; font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 14.0pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Sure, I love the game,
but what I really wanted was the fame.</span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #454545; font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 14.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmMf4UAevIt9vZhPLNxbhEEaWDIUPfakWDirKliYmyz81tMOBIfoaz2Rq_ylv1BUG3uPas9nY-h_q9yrnOTHkRSfAiM7_UaheFsBsBIiTyFVIaZms2rRWGoyAvsqPVTD0747Dv3CHqg5I/s1600/Screen+Shot+2018-02-27+at+3.17.50+PM.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><img border="0" data-original-height="418" data-original-width="278" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmMf4UAevIt9vZhPLNxbhEEaWDIUPfakWDirKliYmyz81tMOBIfoaz2Rq_ylv1BUG3uPas9nY-h_q9yrnOTHkRSfAiM7_UaheFsBsBIiTyFVIaZms2rRWGoyAvsqPVTD0747Dv3CHqg5I/s320/Screen+Shot+2018-02-27+at+3.17.50+PM.png" width="212" /></span></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #454545; font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #454545; font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">Ever since I was a little
girl I grew up idolizing those who embraced the spotlight. Allen Iverson and
Barry Bonds were my favorite athletes for Pete’s sake. What 8-year-old girl
forces their mother to take her to Kinko’s so she could laminate Barry’s articles after he broke the home run
record with 756?</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #454545; font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 14.0pt;">This girl.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #454545; font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 14.0pt;">Me.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #454545; font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 14.0pt;">Media lovin,’ multi-sport athlete, attention-seeking Coley.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="color: #454545; font-family: "times new roman"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 14.0pt;">All my life I’ve wanted
to be famous. I’ve imagined my face on that big billboard in Times Square since I was 7. And there Luke is,
in New York of all places, playing for the New York Knicks. Luke is living the
life that I have always dreamed of for myself.</span><span style="color: #454545; font-family: "times new roman"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 9.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #454545; font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 14.0pt;">And he doesn’t even want
it.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="color: #454545; font-family: "times new roman"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 14.0pt;">He just wants to play the
game.</span><span style="color: #454545; font-family: "times new roman"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 9.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #454545; font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">He plays because he loves
basketball with all of his heart.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #454545; font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 14.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9BMCyk-rQ4BHeufEx-2-kIc_5wWPoUY62GgO9f5uGPxjP4i8ntInPzNtSQtR4bdIcSSDdSV0Xu3a8xFpzuYi6mszRR1GhQXT_onWdtARUkX_OH_JIif6BARaKtADspHNGubFglSj1oMw/s1600/Screen+Shot+2018-02-27+at+3.28.11+PM.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><img border="0" data-original-height="586" data-original-width="389" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9BMCyk-rQ4BHeufEx-2-kIc_5wWPoUY62GgO9f5uGPxjP4i8ntInPzNtSQtR4bdIcSSDdSV0Xu3a8xFpzuYi6mszRR1GhQXT_onWdtARUkX_OH_JIif6BARaKtADspHNGubFglSj1oMw/s320/Screen+Shot+2018-02-27+at+3.28.11+PM.png" width="212" /></span></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #454545; font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 14.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #454545; font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">And I can’t say the same.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="color: #454545; font-family: "times new roman";"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #454545; font-family: "times new roman";">I think that's what's hardest for me.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="color: #454545; font-family: inherit; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 14.0pt;">Don't get me wrong, I enjoy it. I like playing.
But I love performing. I love putting on a show. Sometimes I feel like that’s
what I’ve always done. God gave me the talent to play sports. So, in order to put on a show like my favorite Broadway stars do, I must
play basketball the only way I know how— like a performer.</span><span style="color: #454545; font-family: "times new roman"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 9.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #454545; font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 14.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHHOcJlOWibWfm_STEpoKY7qEw1dMvPk9ARQ8mfl6XOQc_TytcXUSvVhQ8VBZFZcx5A62bqAaamKHxQfophyphenhyphenRAsJ2DPWY4tL1PzMuaiahwMGqP7Hd4Ok8Fg_ms8Z2c8phpMiobcxN-JHM/s1600/Screen+Shot+2018-02-27+at+1.58.20+PM.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><img border="0" data-original-height="675" data-original-width="901" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHHOcJlOWibWfm_STEpoKY7qEw1dMvPk9ARQ8mfl6XOQc_TytcXUSvVhQ8VBZFZcx5A62bqAaamKHxQfophyphenhyphenRAsJ2DPWY4tL1PzMuaiahwMGqP7Hd4Ok8Fg_ms8Z2c8phpMiobcxN-JHM/s320/Screen+Shot+2018-02-27+at+1.58.20+PM.png" width="320" /></span></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #454545; font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 14.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #454545; font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">Luke, on the other hand, does not play that way. He plays the same way he does his physics homework.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="color: #454545; font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #454545; font-family: inherit;">He uses his IQ. Then attacks. No fun and games. Maybe an occasional smile, because he loves to play, but not because the camera's on him and he wants to give the crowd a little somethin somethin (like his sister used to do).</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="color: #454545;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="color: #454545;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">My goal is still to one
day be plastered amongst the billboards of Times Square, whether it be through
modeling, commercial work, or color commentating, because that’s where my true
love lies. It’s who I am; it's what makes me happy.</span></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="color: #454545;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="color: #454545;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">But most importantly, I can't let jealously creep in.</span></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #454545; font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 14.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgH4L1tMj-gpxNE7BdTRvgjUpykWfqHmQZ1_w_juamwSMDbRTAZbuKtLad2v0gA401XpF6gEY9QAoVvEUr772MyEt14oUvOwhT2tRRsodSIWwcpvrFU3q4enBKNnyQi-_XteXwoMK_hn-I/s1600/Screen+Shot+2018-02-27+at+1.57.27+PM.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><img border="0" data-original-height="675" data-original-width="505" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgH4L1tMj-gpxNE7BdTRvgjUpykWfqHmQZ1_w_juamwSMDbRTAZbuKtLad2v0gA401XpF6gEY9QAoVvEUr772MyEt14oUvOwhT2tRRsodSIWwcpvrFU3q4enBKNnyQi-_XteXwoMK_hn-I/s320/Screen+Shot+2018-02-27+at+1.57.27+PM.png" width="239" /></span></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #454545; font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 14.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #454545; font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">Sure, I've always envisioned this picture perfect lifestyle for myself. I was going to be a
famous athlete, marry a NFL quarterback, and live in a mansion in Los Angeles,
California.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #454545; font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 14.0pt;">But the funny thing is— God’s
kinda done that, but better.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #454545; font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 14.0pt;">He has given me what I
truly wanted.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #454545; font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 14.0pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">I’m at UCLA, I’m
broadcasting, and I’m dating the best man in the world.</span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKLKXHVZ7K4rqkiBhgtnfz25qO-_A7Pfmiz5gXLLUKcBlCuKNRwj_8yCOOYPvm9eG262YBzW0Btr1phazDxc6GdLG46uftEvXHL4AwAhtzxtfynqWCJhStt-7fjayWdO2Ca4Zn6SHQkT0/s1600/Screen+Shot+2018-02-27+at+10.23.14+PM.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><img border="0" data-original-height="578" data-original-width="773" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKLKXHVZ7K4rqkiBhgtnfz25qO-_A7Pfmiz5gXLLUKcBlCuKNRwj_8yCOOYPvm9eG262YBzW0Btr1phazDxc6GdLG46uftEvXHL4AwAhtzxtfynqWCJhStt-7fjayWdO2Ca4Zn6SHQkT0/s320/Screen+Shot+2018-02-27+at+10.23.14+PM.png" width="320" /></span></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #454545; font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: x-small;">Meet Sean.</span></div>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="color: #454545; font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #454545; font-family: inherit;">Guys, I met him at
church.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="color: #454545; font-family: "times new roman"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 14.0pt;">Left side.</span><span style="color: #454545; font-family: "times new roman"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 9.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="color: #454545; font-family: "times new roman"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 14.0pt;">Across the aisle.</span><span style="color: #454545; font-family: "times new roman"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 9.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="color: #454545; font-family: "times new roman"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 14.0pt;">Fifth pew from the front.</span><span style="color: #454545; font-family: "times new roman"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 9.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="color: #454545; font-family: "times new roman"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 14.0pt;">6’5.”</span><span style="color: #454545; font-family: "times new roman"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 9.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="color: #454545; font-family: "times new roman"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 14.0pt;">Blonde hair.</span><span style="color: #454545; font-family: "times new roman"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 9.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="color: #454545; font-family: "times new roman"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 14.0pt;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #454545; font-family: "times new roman"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 14.0pt;">Blue eyes.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="color: #454545; font-family: "times new roman"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 14.0pt;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #454545; font-family: "times new roman";">Catholic.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="color: #454545; font-family: "times new roman"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 14.0pt;">(And a quarterback).</span><span style="color: #454545; font-family: "times new roman"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 9.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="color: #454545; font-family: "times new roman"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 14.0pt;">Now tell me that isn’t
God-ordained.</span><span style="color: #454545; font-family: "times new roman"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 9.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #454545; font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 14.0pt;">He may not be an NFL quarterback, my first name may not be Gisele, he may not have 50,000 followers, I might
just always be "the sister of a NBA player," and that's okay.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="color: #454545; font-family: "times new roman"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 14.0pt;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #454545; font-family: "times new roman"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 14.0pt;">Luke will always have his thing, and I will always have mine. That's how it's always been. As similar as we are, in some ways we couldn't be more different.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="color: #454545; font-family: "times new roman"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 14.0pt;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></span></span>
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="color: #454545; font-family: "times new roman"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 14.0pt;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">I've always wanted to be the Keith Urban, and he doesn't give two toots about that. But once I start comparing myself to others, doubting my own abilities, and allowing jealousy to overtake me I need remember the Cardinal sin:</span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Comparison is the thief of all joy.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">The public's perception of you will always fluctuate, which is why sometimes I can feel myself fluctuating with it. It's not about who you know, who you date, or what you do.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: inherit;">Yeah, I like famous people, I struggle because I'm human, but I want to make a difference, and I believe one day I will.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: inherit;">However, right now I have a ways to go. I have some growing up to do.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #454545; font-family: inherit;">So, in the meantime, model yourselves
after the Luke Kornets, the Sean McKaveneys, and the humble hearts who want to
serve, rather than be served.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #454545; font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 14.0pt;">I know I will.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #454545; font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 14.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMFSVRdrJnnbFHCkUzTQ6P2uLwK32R3-U0j3uuCHdo8iumTuayc_xABmLa78aa-BBTUOhKW0l30hlX2dILsilEbaOo2vxSFalkwzBoPO-dQQcenzaXg2QNO0Gt0G-XkbmLSq9WRh_dHvk/s1600/Screen+Shot+2018-02-27+at+3.42.19+PM.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><img border="0" data-original-height="677" data-original-width="507" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMFSVRdrJnnbFHCkUzTQ6P2uLwK32R3-U0j3uuCHdo8iumTuayc_xABmLa78aa-BBTUOhKW0l30hlX2dILsilEbaOo2vxSFalkwzBoPO-dQQcenzaXg2QNO0Gt0G-XkbmLSq9WRh_dHvk/s320/Screen+Shot+2018-02-27+at+3.42.19+PM.png" width="239" /></span></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #454545; font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<div id="yiv0054260930yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1519797408220_4398">
<div id="yiv0054260930yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1519797408220_4399">
<span id="yiv0054260930yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1519797408220_4400" style="color: #454545;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">Proverbs 22:</span></span><span id="yiv0054260930yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1519797408220_4401" style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"> </span></div>
</div>
<div id="yiv0054260930yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1519797408220_4402" style="line-height: 16pt;">
<div id="yiv0054260930yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1519797408220_4403">
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span id="yiv0054260930yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1519797408220_4404"><span id="yiv0054260930yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1519797408220_4405" style="color: black;">A good name is more desirable than great riches;</span></span><span id="yiv0054260930yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1519797408220_4406" style="color: black;"><br id="yiv0054260930yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1519797408220_4407" /></span><span id="yiv0054260930yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1519797408220_4408"><span id="yiv0054260930yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1519797408220_4409" style="color: black;"> </span></span><span id="yiv0054260930yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1519797408220_4410"><span id="yiv0054260930yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1519797408220_4411" style="color: black;">to be esteemed is better than silver or gold.</span></span><span id="yiv0054260930yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1519797408220_4412" style="color: black;"></span></span></div>
</div>
<div id="yiv0054260930yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1519797408220_4414" style="line-height: 16pt;">
<div id="yiv0054260930yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1519797408220_4415">
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span id="yiv0054260930yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1519797408220_4416"><span id="yiv0054260930yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1519797408220_4417" style="color: black;">Rich and poor have this in common:</span></span><span id="yiv0054260930yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1519797408220_4418" style="color: black;"><br id="yiv0054260930yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1519797408220_4419" /></span><span id="yiv0054260930yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1519797408220_4420"><span id="yiv0054260930yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1519797408220_4421" style="color: black;"> </span></span><span id="yiv0054260930yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1519797408220_4422"><span id="yiv0054260930yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1519797408220_4423" style="color: black;">The</span></span><span id="yiv0054260930yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1519797408220_4424"><span id="yiv0054260930yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1519797408220_4425" style="color: black;"> </span></span><span id="yiv0054260930yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1519797408220_4426"><span id="yiv0054260930yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1519797408220_4427" style="color: black;">Lord</span></span><span id="yiv0054260930yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1519797408220_4428"><span id="yiv0054260930yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1519797408220_4429" style="color: black;"> </span></span><span id="yiv0054260930yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1519797408220_4430"><span id="yiv0054260930yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1519797408220_4431" style="color: black;">is the Maker of them all.</span></span><span id="yiv0054260930yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1519797408220_4432" style="color: black;"></span></span></div>
</div>
<div id="yiv0054260930yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1519797408220_4434" style="line-height: 16pt;">
<div id="yiv0054260930yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1519797408220_4435">
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span id="yiv0054260930yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1519797408220_4436"><span id="yiv0054260930yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1519797408220_4437" style="color: black;">The prudent see danger and take refuge,</span></span><span id="yiv0054260930yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1519797408220_4438" style="color: black;"><br id="yiv0054260930yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1519797408220_4439" /></span><span id="yiv0054260930yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1519797408220_4440"><span id="yiv0054260930yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1519797408220_4441" style="color: black;"> </span></span><span id="yiv0054260930yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1519797408220_4442"><span id="yiv0054260930yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1519797408220_4443" style="color: black;">but the simple keep going and pay the penalty.</span></span><span id="yiv0054260930yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1519797408220_4444" style="color: black;"></span></span></div>
</div>
<div id="yiv0054260930yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1519797408220_4446" style="line-height: 16pt;">
<div id="yiv0054260930yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1519797408220_4447">
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span id="yiv0054260930yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1519797408220_4448"><span id="yiv0054260930yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1519797408220_4449" style="color: black;">Humility is the fear of the</span></span><span id="yiv0054260930yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1519797408220_4450"><span id="yiv0054260930yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1519797408220_4451" style="color: black;"> </span></span><span id="yiv0054260930yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1519797408220_4452"><span id="yiv0054260930yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1519797408220_4453" style="color: black;">Lord</span></span><span id="yiv0054260930yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1519797408220_4454"><span id="yiv0054260930yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1519797408220_4455" style="color: black;">;</span></span><span id="yiv0054260930yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1519797408220_4456" style="color: black;"><br id="yiv0054260930yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1519797408220_4457" /></span><span id="yiv0054260930yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1519797408220_4458"><span id="yiv0054260930yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1519797408220_4459" style="color: black;"> </span></span><span id="yiv0054260930yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1519797408220_4460"><span id="yiv0054260930yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1519797408220_4461" style="color: black;">its wages are riches and honor</span></span><span id="yiv0054260930yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1519797408220_4462"><span id="yiv0054260930yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1519797408220_4463" style="color: black;"> </span></span><span id="yiv0054260930yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1519797408220_4464"><span id="yiv0054260930yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1519797408220_4465" style="color: black;">and life.</span></span><span id="yiv0054260930yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1519797408220_4466" style="color: black;"></span></span></div>
</div>
<div id="yiv0054260930yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1519797408220_4468" style="line-height: 16pt;">
<div id="yiv0054260930yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1519797408220_4469">
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span id="yiv0054260930yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1519797408220_4470"><span id="yiv0054260930yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1519797408220_4471" style="color: black;">The generous will themselves be blessed,</span></span><span id="yiv0054260930yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1519797408220_4472" style="color: black;"><br id="yiv0054260930yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1519797408220_4473" /></span><span id="yiv0054260930yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1519797408220_4474"><span id="yiv0054260930yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1519797408220_4475" style="color: black;"> </span></span><span id="yiv0054260930yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1519797408220_4476"><span id="yiv0054260930yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1519797408220_4477" style="color: black;">for they share their food with the poor.</span></span></span></div>
</div>
<div id="yiv0054260930yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1519797408220_4478" style="line-height: 16pt;">
<div id="yiv0054260930yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1519797408220_4479">
<span id="yiv0054260930yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1519797408220_4480" style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">One who loves a pure heart and who speaks with grace</span></div>
</div>
<span style="color: #454545; font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span id="yiv0054260930yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1519797408220_4483"><span id="yiv0054260930yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1519797408220_4484" style="color: black;"> </span></span><span id="yiv0054260930yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1519797408220_4485"><span id="yiv0054260930yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1519797408220_4486" style="color: black;">will have the king for a friend.</span></span></span></div>
<div class="line" style="line-height: 16pt;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="textprov-22-11"><span style="color: black;"><br /></span></span></span></div>
Nicole Kornethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12752896360950497403noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5054348110797123772.post-43367328998313375202017-12-04T14:42:00.000-08:002017-12-04T15:01:30.175-08:00Blind<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Doesn’t matter
how hard one tries to bend it, the bad boy drives off into the sunset with the
girl and the nice guy smiles and waves, dreaming about
the day when she wakes up and finds that what she’s looking for has been there
the whole time.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOnAMDK1bbhCRncLXat2TFB7bemyADnrjGOAXBwrJO-zqGZo8LR9NqkjNMypMHEyPb0ep_kfCuLnW1tAdcHA8Z5QTiwPQ8Y_4qOSpXh_Rv0UQ8ZETJUMh3jMOAaOvIr22TRl81mo5TGc0/s1600/Screen+Shot+2017-12-04+at+2.59.24+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="395" data-original-width="411" height="305" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOnAMDK1bbhCRncLXat2TFB7bemyADnrjGOAXBwrJO-zqGZo8LR9NqkjNMypMHEyPb0ep_kfCuLnW1tAdcHA8Z5QTiwPQ8Y_4qOSpXh_Rv0UQ8ZETJUMh3jMOAaOvIr22TRl81mo5TGc0/s320/Screen+Shot+2017-12-04+at+2.59.24+PM.png" width="320" /></a></div>
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">My
mom got an email the other day that she forwarded me.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">It
was about Luke.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtUr3ltzuJ0W0x7qexxBKqpTPl8l5OVl4ur4WTd_k-H6UAOl12Z1bKsnF_IHze1d4c61ZPgpYimvRy8atGkDEnwkotPIZzkdI4OinINhI36yvqQZ1ZWnRKRgSiXfYuo2WVFpN4kca0eQA/s1600/Screen+Shot+2017-12-04+at+1.19.40+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: black; font-family: inherit;"><img border="0" data-original-height="659" data-original-width="370" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtUr3ltzuJ0W0x7qexxBKqpTPl8l5OVl4ur4WTd_k-H6UAOl12Z1bKsnF_IHze1d4c61ZPgpYimvRy8atGkDEnwkotPIZzkdI4OinINhI36yvqQZ1ZWnRKRgSiXfYuo2WVFpN4kca0eQA/s320/Screen+Shot+2017-12-04+at+1.19.40+PM.png" width="179" /></span></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Being
a recently graduated student-athlete, I’m
very familiar with the temptations that swallow people whole, the temporary
pleasures that become the downfall of relationships, and the obsession with
self-image that manipulates the soul.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">People
are so lost in today’s day and age.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">And
someone needs to shake them.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">It’s
time to stop sugarcoating things. It’s time to stop acquiescing to the
pressures of the outside world. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">It’s
time to take off the blinders. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">I
am very strong in my faith. It’s the driving force to every decision I make. It
doesn’t mean every decision I make is correct. I’m human, and we all screw up.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">But
being human doesn’t make certain things acceptable. Being human doesn’t mean we
can make whatever decisions we want as a hormonal young adult, just to later
ask for forgiveness when the time is right for us.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">It’s
not about you. Life on earth is not about you.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">At
Oklahoma and at UCLA I was blessed with a tight knit group of Christian
friends.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">In Oklahoma I
specifically remember a mom coming up to one of my friends and me at lunch. She told us how much it meant to her to see a couple of athletes praying before their meal.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">As
small as it might seem to us, an Oklahoma football player and a women’s
basketball player praying together before they dove into their Fazoli’s Fettuccini Alfredo touched a mother, father, and their 3 little boys.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Nothing
flashy. Nothing to attract attention. Just blessing some food. It’s what we
always did.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">There
is no greater opportunity to show people who you are than in college. It doesn’t
matter if you’re an athlete. It doesn’t matter who you are. We are all made
equal in God's image. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">But
people in the spotlight have a target on their backs. They are watched by many more eyes. They are faces of programs. They are idols of young and of old.
They are swimming in pressure.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwiZxbIsOSBKqbaM1ZRMoIwvbWT6VcyunONIsQ07sXCkfocmiQtNmu7wXAcpW1DVxkTiLenI47MbvhifTOZhVxNy7vGXkeEwhVC_Kvnnx6ByRynyOkfeGs-7qxwzs8rnnLWAGefu8L790/s1600/Screen+Shot+2017-12-04+at+1.51.02+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: black; font-family: inherit;"><img border="0" data-original-height="682" data-original-width="908" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwiZxbIsOSBKqbaM1ZRMoIwvbWT6VcyunONIsQ07sXCkfocmiQtNmu7wXAcpW1DVxkTiLenI47MbvhifTOZhVxNy7vGXkeEwhVC_Kvnnx6ByRynyOkfeGs-7qxwzs8rnnLWAGefu8L790/s320/Screen+Shot+2017-12-04+at+1.51.02+PM.png" width="320" /></span></a></div>
<br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">So?</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Who
cares?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Who
cares if you are the President of the United States, or the janitor at East High?
<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Remember
your purpose.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">It's not impossible.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">I
think about my family. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEthKIJG40GhR7UTPXigUcfrrqeLkiFxOsidY_ujQGnAsAXVDfE-sEH8vOSgiqF78CPJC6uu5bmpgRqrpoAKkmohtG3GXWeIHE3vjv0dKnt7Faj355crViPSkkTGJzztFB_gELfLJKOVI/s1600/Screen+Shot+2017-12-04+at+2.13.59+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: black; font-family: inherit;"><img border="0" data-original-height="682" data-original-width="510" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEthKIJG40GhR7UTPXigUcfrrqeLkiFxOsidY_ujQGnAsAXVDfE-sEH8vOSgiqF78CPJC6uu5bmpgRqrpoAKkmohtG3GXWeIHE3vjv0dKnt7Faj355crViPSkkTGJzztFB_gELfLJKOVI/s320/Screen+Shot+2017-12-04+at+2.13.59+PM.png" width="239" /></span></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">I
think about my mom.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">She’s
one of the most humble women I know. She got into Vanderbilt the hard way (no
offense dad & Luke), she has made countless sacrifices for our family, she
has given my brothers and I a childhood that we will never forget, and she’s
just flat-out pretty.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">But
my favorite part? <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">She
loves the Lord with all of her heart.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Beth
Moore workbooks are scattered throughout the house. She’s always leading some
sort of Bible study. You wouldn’t know because she would never tell you, unless
she’s inviting you, but one would know through the interactions one has with
her. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">She
lights up a room. God is living through that woman.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg87QBCbvSTkFOr82xM_WDqOPADZcBBNhHqjlVJilDfDSYfzQN7aIc6sbHiW-HP0qEJxnlxQipZT3X1Xn1Tzfz_pOKnKOvvU34X5X1BAAk34Dv05gh5C3GI4W-A6t_Bz9jJ6LDruTihuIM/s1600/Screen+Shot+2017-12-04+at+1.54.25+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: black; font-family: inherit;"><img border="0" data-original-height="682" data-original-width="510" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg87QBCbvSTkFOr82xM_WDqOPADZcBBNhHqjlVJilDfDSYfzQN7aIc6sbHiW-HP0qEJxnlxQipZT3X1Xn1Tzfz_pOKnKOvvU34X5X1BAAk34Dv05gh5C3GI4W-A6t_Bz9jJ6LDruTihuIM/s320/Screen+Shot+2017-12-04+at+1.54.25+PM.png" width="239" /></span></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: x-small;">Jesus drank wine, too.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">I
think about my dad.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">He
loves through action. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">He
selflessly raised all three of us kids after his professional basketball
career, humbly taking on the role of Mr. Mom.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">He
taught me obedience, discipline, and how to shoot the 3 ball.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">But
my favorite part about dad?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">He
is one of the most devout men I know. He’s whom I pray to God about every
night. Laying overwhelmed with gratitude, I can't help but thank Him for a father who raised me in the
Catholic Church.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhB5lBG8QPw9rWkXGKaqFdip8UIJA-CPMme_bK2kliaOZf2SHrdBrAyHmM59VZKLuJaTZ0NTfKz1_VW-n9U_Jjbii_RQwkC2u1MDF-DPHcD6jWcQ41zoklwyirUEg1IxcBoJUvoet_SE5c/s1600/Screen+Shot+2017-12-04+at+1.56.44+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: black; font-family: inherit;"><img border="0" data-original-height="681" data-original-width="511" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhB5lBG8QPw9rWkXGKaqFdip8UIJA-CPMme_bK2kliaOZf2SHrdBrAyHmM59VZKLuJaTZ0NTfKz1_VW-n9U_Jjbii_RQwkC2u1MDF-DPHcD6jWcQ41zoklwyirUEg1IxcBoJUvoet_SE5c/s320/Screen+Shot+2017-12-04+at+1.56.44+PM.png" width="240" /></span></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">I
think about John.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">He
texts Luke & I all the time in the sibling group chat-- constantly inundating
us with stories, articles, or religious readings that he thinks would help us.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">He’s
an incredible older brother. He’s always learning, always wanting to grow in
his faith and in our relationships with each other.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkuozDHoUYD7kJ8x7rGQefzLpgEIZCm9Ilr1w0fo-R8I7qWlHahSSXtysPQcqImu76QZjFQLD55Zt7NKwqpN2D7H3DGhL8W2mbUKWrYI-JpBwUplS-QGHr4n-BvvBO9WP3q72iF7H5Sgs/s1600/Screen+Shot+2017-12-04+at+1.55.01+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: black; font-family: inherit;"><img border="0" data-original-height="683" data-original-width="510" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkuozDHoUYD7kJ8x7rGQefzLpgEIZCm9Ilr1w0fo-R8I7qWlHahSSXtysPQcqImu76QZjFQLD55Zt7NKwqpN2D7H3DGhL8W2mbUKWrYI-JpBwUplS-QGHr4n-BvvBO9WP3q72iF7H5Sgs/s320/Screen+Shot+2017-12-04+at+1.55.01+PM.png" width="238" /></span></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">I
think about Luke.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">He
loves wholeheartedly and with grace. He has that child-like faith that would
never do anything malicious to hurt another soul. All he ever wants to do is
help. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">He
knows why he was put here on this earth. He knows it’s his duty to serve. It
doesn’t matter if you’re where you want to be or not. If you’re living by
giving, chances are you’ll find joy in every opportunity that comes your
way.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYc6qC6GrkNIXERw-MIUqEY_TZXTsSHH5mNzEizmhyphenhyphen4q-W7GA_84qtLYJGNza-fEyh3eQNPvmdHomBfuaef6xNTQ-eBUbQkidSjFN9F9Ec4mVzJShzXuRoEcOqUpLHJzDhSFXw396ZpDc/s1600/Screen+Shot+2017-12-04+at+1.57.02+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: black; font-family: inherit;"><img border="0" data-original-height="683" data-original-width="382" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYc6qC6GrkNIXERw-MIUqEY_TZXTsSHH5mNzEizmhyphenhyphen4q-W7GA_84qtLYJGNza-fEyh3eQNPvmdHomBfuaef6xNTQ-eBUbQkidSjFN9F9Ec4mVzJShzXuRoEcOqUpLHJzDhSFXw396ZpDc/s320/Screen+Shot+2017-12-04+at+1.57.02+PM.png" width="178" /></span></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Following
the rules may not look as appealing in the media, on Instagram, or at your
high school prom, but I’m telling you—pleasure is temporary.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Don’t
fall into the trap. Trust your gut. Know that there’s something else out there,
someone else out there who has your back. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">So don’t
turn your back on Him. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Don’t
give up.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">There
are others who are waiting til marriage, who go to
church every Sunday, who say their bedtime prayers.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-HLXlwW1DOoZzs8uC2o1jKVyAGuTl_SutxbG569N6eJhLlgPqpoNI_Vag6rgW05aOPpJrRM7QbunoPv6k6ZIlYKzm6Ez5s9m8s5hmCVHX_qrF0G2Audo-fDL5wwJVj2voFdXesGF4Q3I/s1600/Screen+Shot+2017-12-04+at+1.59.01+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: black; font-family: inherit;"><img border="0" data-original-height="683" data-original-width="384" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-HLXlwW1DOoZzs8uC2o1jKVyAGuTl_SutxbG569N6eJhLlgPqpoNI_Vag6rgW05aOPpJrRM7QbunoPv6k6ZIlYKzm6Ez5s9m8s5hmCVHX_qrF0G2Audo-fDL5wwJVj2voFdXesGF4Q3I/s320/Screen+Shot+2017-12-04+at+1.59.01+PM.png" width="179" /></span></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">It’s
so fun, guys. It’s fun living for a purpose. I can’t imagine living my life
without one. I feel loved every day, I never feel alone, I see joy in every
opportunity, and I know there’s more life after this one.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">God
gave us eyes to see.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Look
around you.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Nice
guys don’t finish last.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Nice
guys finish first.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTkVgP8DwlDCFajd7X-Vc2HyCsKJOYq6ufiBD5gqmfs7Vk1usVBkM9jVBsxgau_O5SU1s1dJ3ytkcObA8Sl-5vwGxSriWs39LunKlHcS-clWrfbQYO09wh3Fz0h2v5iib67haIXmvHQ8k/s1600/Screen+Shot+2017-12-04+at+1.50.05+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: black; font-family: inherit;"><img border="0" data-original-height="679" data-original-width="1020" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTkVgP8DwlDCFajd7X-Vc2HyCsKJOYq6ufiBD5gqmfs7Vk1usVBkM9jVBsxgau_O5SU1s1dJ3ytkcObA8Sl-5vwGxSriWs39LunKlHcS-clWrfbQYO09wh3Fz0h2v5iib67haIXmvHQ8k/s320/Screen+Shot+2017-12-04+at+1.50.05+PM.png" width="320" /></span></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "times new roman";"><br /></span></div>
Nicole Kornethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12752896360950497403noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5054348110797123772.post-75796449208128343602017-11-08T14:43:00.002-08:002017-11-10T01:01:49.407-08:00The Real WorldI still work at the Marriott.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZjTSqbU2MBUByBg9PHPbWJZ7RFzuIy2vNCrIiJfWmlAEylLBsn0cSznmE47ZNitlyxGYnlW1wlWTjgmZMBcOY2FW2qZ196yY_tMHQVpdAZiheiexgH635znJn02yDQJRkBv74-F4SHoo/s1600/Screen+Shot+2017-11-08+at+2.00.33+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="660" data-original-width="495" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZjTSqbU2MBUByBg9PHPbWJZ7RFzuIy2vNCrIiJfWmlAEylLBsn0cSznmE47ZNitlyxGYnlW1wlWTjgmZMBcOY2FW2qZ196yY_tMHQVpdAZiheiexgH635znJn02yDQJRkBv74-F4SHoo/s320/Screen+Shot+2017-11-08+at+2.00.33+PM.png" width="239" /></a></div>
<br />
I might give off the vibe that I'm busting my tail and moving up the ranks in my new UCLA gig, but I spend most of my hours busing tables, tending to the drunk, and falling on my face.<br />
<br />
At 11pm the kitchen closes. In typical Kornet fashion, a table for two walked in right at 10:55pm.<br />
<br />
I quickly placed their order for 3 plates of fish tacos and 3 plates of shishito peppers. They were hungry.<br />
<br />
Our food runner takes off at 11pm too, so it was my job to run down to the kitchen and bring the food up.<br />
<br />
I totally forgot.<br />
<br />
30 minutes had passed, and I started questioning whether or not the chefs were out on the pier catching the fish themselves.<br />
<br />
Trying my best to curb the appetites of two hangry men, I never let their gin & tonics go dropless.<br />
<br />
Saved by the bell, the phone rang.<br />
<br />
It was Chef.<br />
<br />
He was not a happy camper. The tacos had been under the warmer for some time.<br />
<br />
And Nicole, the food runner, was nowhere to be found.<br />
<br />
I sprinted down the stairs and saw the food sitting there. After a few exchanges of unfriendly glares from Chef 1 and Chef 2, I apologized and grabbed the piping hot plates. I could feel the third degree burns bubbling my skin. Chef 1 and Chef 2 weren't about to help me find a tray either. By the time I turned around to ask for one, they were already out the door.<br />
<br />
Time was of the essence. Two men full of testosterone were upstairs waiting on me.<br />
<br />
I clinched the plates, peeled the corner, then bit it.<br />
<br />
The floors were wet and my rubbery-soled Vans weren't up for the challenge. The chefs had just mopped and the lights were dim. It was 11pm and everyone was gone.<br />
<br />
I landed straight on my elbow. I thought I shattered it. I pride myself on never breaking a bone, and there I was, laying on a wet, kitchen floor with a plate full of piping hot fish tacos, broken glass, and newfound sprinkles of fresh blood staining what had been my 23-year break-free bone streak.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9-FlmgZpxp3JFlzeUDjKeqxLiI15Y78Nm2b-Ba9Po8nE0BKPQ85LOqgVr7gvzoW5Hd0a-YDr5ry0iE4Yo-VV0TszyDL7NcxO-2-56qeCnSWfgT2yREL5mfUkXqQXZJ-j5cOmvoxtiEFQ/s1600/Screen+Shot+2017-11-08+at+2.01.00+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="658" data-original-width="369" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9-FlmgZpxp3JFlzeUDjKeqxLiI15Y78Nm2b-Ba9Po8nE0BKPQ85LOqgVr7gvzoW5Hd0a-YDr5ry0iE4Yo-VV0TszyDL7NcxO-2-56qeCnSWfgT2yREL5mfUkXqQXZJ-j5cOmvoxtiEFQ/s320/Screen+Shot+2017-11-08+at+2.01.00+PM.png" width="179" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: x-small;">(I didn't shatter it. Boo-yah.)</span></div>
<br />
I somehow managed to salvage 2 out of 3 fish taco plates mid-fall. I dusted off the slaw, wiped my tears, and brought the remains to the table of two on the patio.<br />
<br />
Now I know what you're thinking...<br />
<br />
"Why are you sitting here wasting your time writing this blog when you can be in court filing a lawsuit worth millions???"<br />
<br />
There was a wet floor sign.<br />
<br />
I was just too concentrated on my boiling flesh that was frying from fish at the time to see it.<br />
<br />
There was a "caution hot plate" sign for that too.<br />
<br />
I don't say all of this for your pity, because if I were to do that I would have mentioned the fact that I got pulled over on my way to pick up a paycheck from UCLA earlier that morning.<br />
<br />
Apparently I crossed a double yellow line while turning left and the cop decided to dish out a $400 ticket for "driving on the wrong side of the road."<br />
<br />
When it rains, it pours.<br />
<br />
Daniel Powder put it best, I had a bad day.<br />
<br />
Being an ex-student-athlete, at that moment, as I laid there on the cold, dark, dank Marriott kitchen floor, it hit me.<br />
<br />
Real-life is hard.<br />
<br />
__________________<br />
<br />
I don't want to be a waitress forever. In fact, I never wanted to be one to begin with.<br />
<br />
But it's through this job that I've seemed to learn the most.<br />
<br />
One of my coworkers was recently fired. He is a father, a husband, and the sole provider for his family.<br />
<br />
Another one of my coworkers was carrying a glass water jug to refill for the guests. As he was carrying it over to the sink it slipped and sliced his hand open. He can't feel several of his fingers now because he didn't get to the ER on time. The ER, where he had to pay out of pocket, because he doesn't have insurance.<br />
<br />
I've learned so much amongst my peers here in Southern California. I love these guys. I've never seen a group of such diligent, hard workers, and I had been a student-athlete at one of the most prestigious schools in the world.<br />
<br />
I don't plan on staying long at the Marriott. In fact, with season starting up, my hours will now be going the other way, and UCLA is where most of my time will reside.<br />
<br />
But I won't ever forget what I learned being at Le Merigot on Ocean Avenue in Santa Monica, California.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgobrEotVT34fPzEac4efi5ulNOX02pBqqGTWwhLpHX3_Sp2_f3DZYzOvODLJhyphenhyphenBU9zb1GS30gMrXy0HdJbTE3a73AZMDaml_VyUN-jnBz5DFnviRMj_1GosdN0BvGf3P0YbopJqCZF4aU/s1600/Screen+Shot+2017-11-08+at+1.44.11+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="341" data-original-width="748" height="145" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgobrEotVT34fPzEac4efi5ulNOX02pBqqGTWwhLpHX3_Sp2_f3DZYzOvODLJhyphenhyphenBU9zb1GS30gMrXy0HdJbTE3a73AZMDaml_VyUN-jnBz5DFnviRMj_1GosdN0BvGf3P0YbopJqCZF4aU/s320/Screen+Shot+2017-11-08+at+1.44.11+PM.png" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
Be proud of where you came from. Be proud of who you are. Who cares if you're a waitress? Who cares if you're still trying to figure it all out?<br />
<br />
If you're 43, or 23.<br />
<br />
As long as you have health insurance........<br />
<br />
The real-world is hard. I get it now. I no longer get the perks of being a student-athlete, but despite the world being hard, it doesn't mean I should be ashamed.<br />
<br />
Not everything is as it seems.<br />
<br />
People struggle. And as
<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<o:OfficeDocumentSettings>
<o:AllowPNG/>
</o:OfficeDocumentSettings>
</xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<w:WordDocument>
<w:Zoom>0</w:Zoom>
<w:TrackMoves>false</w:TrackMoves>
<w:TrackFormatting/>
<w:PunctuationKerning/>
<w:DrawingGridHorizontalSpacing>18 pt</w:DrawingGridHorizontalSpacing>
<w:DrawingGridVerticalSpacing>18 pt</w:DrawingGridVerticalSpacing>
<w:DisplayHorizontalDrawingGridEvery>0</w:DisplayHorizontalDrawingGridEvery>
<w:DisplayVerticalDrawingGridEvery>0</w:DisplayVerticalDrawingGridEvery>
<w:ValidateAgainstSchemas/>
<w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>
<w:IgnoreMixedContent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent>
<w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>
<w:Compatibility>
<w:BreakWrappedTables/>
<w:DontGrowAutofit/>
<w:DontAutofitConstrainedTables/>
<w:DontVertAlignInTxbx/>
</w:Compatibility>
</w:WordDocument>
</xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<w:LatentStyles DefLockedState="false" LatentStyleCount="276">
</w:LatentStyles>
</xml><![endif]-->
<!--[if gte mso 10]>
<style>
/* Style Definitions */
table.MsoNormalTable
{mso-style-name:"Table Normal";
mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0;
mso-tstyle-colband-size:0;
mso-style-noshow:yes;
mso-style-parent:"";
mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt;
mso-para-margin:0in;
mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt;
mso-pagination:widow-orphan;
font-size:12.0pt;
font-family:"Times New Roman";
mso-ascii-font-family:Cambria;
mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin;
mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";
mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast;
mso-hansi-font-family:Cambria;
mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;}
</style>
<![endif]-->
<!--StartFragment--><span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 12.0pt;">cliché </span>as it sounds, there is so much beauty in the struggle. So much growth in the struggle.<br />
<br />
People relate to struggle. We all do.<br />
<br />
Real-life and real people resonate.<br />
<br />
Even your favorite, superhuman NBA idols struggle. Once you truly get to know a person, a group, a team, or an organization everything becomes much more relatable.<br />
<br />
__________________<br />
<div>
<br /></div>
I remember seventh grade.<br />
<br />
I had the biggest crush in the world on John-Paul Malham.<br />
<br />
But John-Paul Malham had the biggest crush in the world on Madison Austin.<br />
<br />
In seventh grade he kissed her after school. I was crushed. Devastated. Destroyed.<br />
<br />
I looked like this in seventh grade.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsmPUOXWAPrwIiIFiyWxDFw6fwQiUY_vC8trK2ahYdJ3vYhC2LfQaWQVGDdB2LzcCcVYaAoRcx4hD3_G2imwzLtVTHWjUm6Ih3lW7cPutILzkdTVCgNp0tXL6GOVNARQaTZdHt6o82d80/s1600/Screen+Shot+2017-11-08+at+1.34.35+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="308" data-original-width="181" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsmPUOXWAPrwIiIFiyWxDFw6fwQiUY_vC8trK2ahYdJ3vYhC2LfQaWQVGDdB2LzcCcVYaAoRcx4hD3_G2imwzLtVTHWjUm6Ih3lW7cPutILzkdTVCgNp0tXL6GOVNARQaTZdHt6o82d80/s1600/Screen+Shot+2017-11-08+at+1.34.35+PM.png" /></a></div>
<br />
Madison Austin looked like this.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidTIPo7R7d6-tpsoYOg_uwt5Si5uFO3PKDKa5leit7cCJEUZac2O4zd7y_19BdKZRW9Zq-Gjm5EBcvD1LQe5MX53vT8gVRw1ZkX2qir66Jd7vwD6eufr0lGMT02Gh8PIus_Vd-Vmq9pGg/s1600/Screen+Shot+2017-11-08+at+1.30.19+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="413" data-original-width="731" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidTIPo7R7d6-tpsoYOg_uwt5Si5uFO3PKDKa5leit7cCJEUZac2O4zd7y_19BdKZRW9Zq-Gjm5EBcvD1LQe5MX53vT8gVRw1ZkX2qir66Jd7vwD6eufr0lGMT02Gh8PIus_Vd-Vmq9pGg/s320/Screen+Shot+2017-11-08+at+1.30.19+PM.png" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
Fifteen years later, and that little Coley hasn't changed a bit. I've always been such a tomboy. Always have and always will be. I prefer throwing bombs to the boys at recess instead of ooo'ing and ahh'ing at those who do.<br />
<br />
My mom deserves so much of the credit.<br />
<br />
Not for the athletic ability per se, but for the confidence she instilled in me.<br />
<br />
Don't get me wrong, my father taught me the hog-nasty basketball confidence, but my mom taught me how to be confident in who I am as a person.<br />
<br />
She told me it was okay to wear the boy's t-shirt from Old Navy with the dogs on the front.<br />
<br />
She told me it was okay to want do-rags for Christmas so I can look like Allen Iverson.<br />
<br />
She told me it was okay to be who I am.<br />
<br />
I have permission to be imperfect.<br />
<br />
__________________<br />
<br />
I'm a fairly shallow person. Well, here's the thing-- I'm obsessed with pretty people. I stumble into these beautiful LA mothers and their just as naturally beautiful children and I crave the same for myself one day.<br />
<br />
But my mom didn't care. She never let me feel like I wasn't pretty enough. She loved me for who I was. And she told me I was beautiful the way I was every single day.<br />
<br />
Kids go in and out of phases, and my mom knew that. She knew that one day I'd want to go to homecoming and pick out a dress. She knew that one day I'd want to take a shower. She knew that one day I'd grow up.<br />
<br />
Yeah, I did want to look like Madison Austin. I did want to be the one that everyone fawned over, but there's nothing more satisfying than being who you are, owning it, living it, accepting it, and being proud of it.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmnRJHkQc08uE2wydlj6EMM3_sCupSakubO0yT76ZkXs9FgHptVXDu0nArjgx-aBqld4C48HGV5aotQTrTB0v8L0SlTyhEvz0RFApc-gRONZ1ZjzjhTNfS6Knx7l_B38Tvnh6zmUQTstg/s1600/Screen+Shot+2017-11-08+at+1.40.40+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="680" data-original-width="685" height="317" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmnRJHkQc08uE2wydlj6EMM3_sCupSakubO0yT76ZkXs9FgHptVXDu0nArjgx-aBqld4C48HGV5aotQTrTB0v8L0SlTyhEvz0RFApc-gRONZ1ZjzjhTNfS6Knx7l_B38Tvnh6zmUQTstg/s320/Screen+Shot+2017-11-08+at+1.40.40+PM.png" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
I work at the Marriott. I have pimples. And I love who I am.<br />
<br />
<br />Nicole Kornethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12752896360950497403noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5054348110797123772.post-54620917397405634082017-10-25T12:03:00.003-07:002017-10-25T22:52:25.956-07:00Take Your Sister To Work Day<div class="MsoNormal">
I haven’t been back since I left. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
And there I was, face-deep in a Turkey Bacon Pickleman’s
sandwich in Norman, Oklahoma. I was with two of Luke’s best friends from high
school and we were making the drive up from Dallas.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The New York Knicks vs. The Oklahoma City Thunder</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvQgX-BQUBE9jb2PqB62tePtz8K3TXmMcLF_hk6vE7MJe-xw4dS5O2F2eb5hdUF54KFP-CV5Ir69PErMoBtj9ZJUE5O85F5F0fNK1s2SF1rYYR6mGwGdK1jHOZPGofzHtlOvl4OwzWsCs/s1600/Screen+Shot+2017-10-25+at+2.47.44+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="411" data-original-width="624" height="210" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvQgX-BQUBE9jb2PqB62tePtz8K3TXmMcLF_hk6vE7MJe-xw4dS5O2F2eb5hdUF54KFP-CV5Ir69PErMoBtj9ZJUE5O85F5F0fNK1s2SF1rYYR6mGwGdK1jHOZPGofzHtlOvl4OwzWsCs/s320/Screen+Shot+2017-10-25+at+2.47.44+PM.png" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I had to go.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I had to go so badly that I initially got to the airport on
the wrong day, missed my original flight, and ended up in Dallas with a $150
change fee!</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Thank you, Frontier Airlines!</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
My new job at UCLA consists of, you guessed it, blogging. So I figured what better way to start the new gig than to accompany my brother on his first day??</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
In Oklahoma City.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Luke’s friends wanted to get to the game an hour early to
watch warm-ups. I never get anywhere early, so this was a tall task. With hours
to spare, we made it to will-call. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Kornet, please.”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The lady handed me an envelope with Luke’s chicken-scratch
handwriting scribbled on the front.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
And just like that – it hit me. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEk-RV3wwj0oDly8QPbxLENFtQEtPzY512aQerpptGlK2JX6qDRZlK5WMtDOAct7s7_MFMZbI-Pr0VPpd4JTw5RloQv25fSJ2lumXwvzTXFLJ3Y_kPNfPy3BGWAHG_dQ_1-imWUt8Rw9s/s1600/Screen+Shot+2017-10-25+at+11.31.13+AM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="564" data-original-width="1278" height="141" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEk-RV3wwj0oDly8QPbxLENFtQEtPzY512aQerpptGlK2JX6qDRZlK5WMtDOAct7s7_MFMZbI-Pr0VPpd4JTw5RloQv25fSJ2lumXwvzTXFLJ3Y_kPNfPy3BGWAHG_dQ_1-imWUt8Rw9s/s320/Screen+Shot+2017-10-25+at+11.31.13+AM.png" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
My little brother is in the NBA.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I walked into Chesapeake Energy Arena for what had been the
dozenth time. From watching KD, Russ and Harden battle together as teammates, to
fighting for our lives in the Big XII Tournament, to playing in my first Sweet
Sixteen back on our home turf.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I walked through the double doors amongst the sea of OKC
fans, and I couldn’t stop thinking—</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I have to go to the bathroom.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
And,</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
All of these people are coming to watch this basketball
game. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The basketball game with a certain basketball player that sticks out from the rest.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifBeOd_1hId7nUyE3EAXF6bEQ6aNQIPYFpenWxLCqcR-aMgqfXyiRjufAphspuLnV4ynFSX8VP03LOg8hUHYtHlpknsFzptDo3kVW4CbLGDI9Kf8o2tukUEf3PZf2oGoFcYwXBUGUod80/s1600/Screen+Shot+2017-10-25+at+11.31.39+AM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="680" data-original-width="510" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifBeOd_1hId7nUyE3EAXF6bEQ6aNQIPYFpenWxLCqcR-aMgqfXyiRjufAphspuLnV4ynFSX8VP03LOg8hUHYtHlpknsFzptDo3kVW4CbLGDI9Kf8o2tukUEf3PZf2oGoFcYwXBUGUod80/s320/Screen+Shot+2017-10-25+at+11.31.39+AM.png" width="240" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: x-small;">(I'm talking about Luke).</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I was smiling so big I looked like my mother.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
As we found our seats as the warm-up clock dwindled down, I texted Luke where we were sitting. I stood up for the National Anthem and
tears started falling down my face. There he stood, linked arms with Doug
McDermott and Coach Hornacek.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjim98fm7EKNrLRD6oT63FgLAG6Mq3Jnu56y-yVLwc77pf91XkPVwZuolAZVw6NhR69IpowRHhIkKDllsY1YycTOfYGXzUVoUsX73AbHa8ShM1ybtgyv6sr6wqLxbT2OqvI2DKTQNWi8Lk/s1600/Screen+Shot+2017-10-25+at+11.30.57+AM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="480" data-original-width="383" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjim98fm7EKNrLRD6oT63FgLAG6Mq3Jnu56y-yVLwc77pf91XkPVwZuolAZVw6NhR69IpowRHhIkKDllsY1YycTOfYGXzUVoUsX73AbHa8ShM1ybtgyv6sr6wqLxbT2OqvI2DKTQNWi8Lk/s320/Screen+Shot+2017-10-25+at+11.30.57+AM.png" width="255" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
After introductions, he looked up at section 111, Row M,
seat 9 and smiled back.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
More tears.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Happy tears. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
After the game Luke came out and chatted it up with the guys. It felt like we were back in high school at Liberty Christian. After about 15 minutes or
so, we had to let him get back to the locker room. We said our goodbyes, but I
wasn’t done yet.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
We were in Oklahoma City.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I had to say hi to my boy.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The security guards were on to us, but security guards can’t
stop a girl in love.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Russ! It’s your girl!”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
He looked over, smiled, and asked how Luke & I were. Mission
accomplished.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
As we piled back into the car, I set the navigation back
home. And by home I mean Pickleman’s. Pickleman’s for lunch. And Pickleman’s for
dinner. Just like I never left.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Oklahoma’s campus had a ton of new, beautiful buildings.
Owen Field’s renovations looked spectacular and the new Dairy Queen was a
wonderful addition. An addition that would have saved me many tanks of gas,
because the previous location I used to frequent was a good 30 miles away in Moore.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
So much change. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
But with all the change, the feeling felt the same. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I couldn’t help but get a quick word in with God.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Lord, thank you for unanswered prayers.”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I know that sounds silly, but that was the theme of the day.
I used go to bed each night praying to God that Oklahoma would get better for
me. That the heartache and longing to be somewhere else would go away. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
God didn’t answer that prayer.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
It never got better for me.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I remember praying that Luke would get drafted. That it
would be an easy road ahead for him.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
God didn’t answer that prayer.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
It’s not going to be easy for him.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
But because He didn’t answer those prayers, He was able to
show us His own.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Instead, God led me to UCLA.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNm51syKkIJVAnyEcqlsP7G8TwHTIw7anL7jq6mSQBpVjOEnbEev0dvnB5gbcnmE3-UuXtZ2wypJbDNfdjidt2kNS4aHR6mJhGxIQBklbA3lDG63hWhTxpt86UH3e0jv0dsLDeyxCUtoY/s1600/Screen+Shot+2017-10-25+at+2.41.43+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="670" data-original-width="510" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNm51syKkIJVAnyEcqlsP7G8TwHTIw7anL7jq6mSQBpVjOEnbEev0dvnB5gbcnmE3-UuXtZ2wypJbDNfdjidt2kNS4aHR6mJhGxIQBklbA3lDG63hWhTxpt86UH3e0jv0dsLDeyxCUtoY/s320/Screen+Shot+2017-10-25+at+2.41.43+PM.png" width="243" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Instead, God led Luke to the New York Knicks.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiS4CO5HYODGlDEKEnsU5hNhLMQ3ekb1zCJQne1N4NcB3ZZJHKrftZRu9qPPo6L5mjoq9xKMs5JhT5wxabdIQxS94APKh6tF30aXsjC3WZcdhydjD2AALgzybJvnc4uZw7jHKBtjsczm_k/s1600/Screen+Shot+2017-10-25+at+2.42.25+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="249" data-original-width="342" height="232" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiS4CO5HYODGlDEKEnsU5hNhLMQ3ekb1zCJQne1N4NcB3ZZJHKrftZRu9qPPo6L5mjoq9xKMs5JhT5wxabdIQxS94APKh6tF30aXsjC3WZcdhydjD2AALgzybJvnc4uZw7jHKBtjsczm_k/s320/Screen+Shot+2017-10-25+at+2.42.25+PM.png" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Instead, I got to bite deep down into a warm, toasted turkey
sandwich that was 3 years overdue.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Instead, Luke gets to blaze a trail, affect millions more,
and appreciate each and every opportunity that comes his way.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhk0INoEGw582tXQ7IcWldnAR6UWmDvonkn8amQiQg5EW5bFvZeSeK_FPhylt1Ip4wc0Ap57mYVHMcZb3EroYiJhXIdeyIBsWw5sPg2ty9D-92BBeAQH0JInBYton490W8RPl3VHN__jCM/s1600/Screen+Shot+2017-10-25+at+2.42.00+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="552" data-original-width="384" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhk0INoEGw582tXQ7IcWldnAR6UWmDvonkn8amQiQg5EW5bFvZeSeK_FPhylt1Ip4wc0Ap57mYVHMcZb3EroYiJhXIdeyIBsWw5sPg2ty9D-92BBeAQH0JInBYton490W8RPl3VHN__jCM/s320/Screen+Shot+2017-10-25+at+2.42.00+PM.png" width="222" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
So much had changed. So many prayers gone “unanswered.”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
And I couldn’t stop smiling.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
After Pickleman’s round 2, we finally hit the road. I-35
South.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I could make this drive with my eyes closed. When I was at
Oklahoma my parents still lived in Dallas. Pop a few CDs in and the 3hr drive whizzes by. Although my parents no longer live in Dallas, several
other wonderful parents do. I texted one of the Liberty Christian moms at
midnight and crashed in their guest room just after 3am.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
After I transferred from Oklahoma, the 3hr drive
to Dallas no longer existed, which meant for the time being, Liberty Christian
didn't either. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
My parents moved. My dad was no longer the Varsity Boys Head
Coach, and I no longer had that Texas connection. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Or so I thought.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
My mom bought the whole family flights for Luke’s home
opener in Madison Square Garden the following day, so I had another game to
catch. I was flying out of Dallas, but before it was time to go to the airport,
I had to make a pit stop.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Where to?</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Liberty Christian School.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2vNmvieUVDNZ8oW-dP6fZyTf0WFXkdCw9IxsJUwfadGFa6U1ncfnsnUhPnH-BTHd2MCmG3dyVETYnDxaHbCWRGrd9w9hyphenhyphenCrsHzowL-IUuHiwIg4sss2NR6Q7ToKHtJkTzidJf5vdvJsc/s1600/Screen+Shot+2017-10-25+at+2.38.12+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="237" data-original-width="672" height="140" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2vNmvieUVDNZ8oW-dP6fZyTf0WFXkdCw9IxsJUwfadGFa6U1ncfnsnUhPnH-BTHd2MCmG3dyVETYnDxaHbCWRGrd9w9hyphenhyphenCrsHzowL-IUuHiwIg4sss2NR6Q7ToKHtJkTzidJf5vdvJsc/s400/Screen+Shot+2017-10-25+at+2.38.12+PM.png" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I hadn’t been back since I transferred.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
So much change.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
So much change, but the feeling felt the same.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I was home.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The mom smile was back.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibxwpdXK6ok4QjkPnRcBhwrnbLBlt-_Ob52Rbqm56kHCxJ4k8ZXVoBge4TPCDoXB3kHELgdIs0pe_dqjTRia9JkkpydGL66rfBI9LK1R6Q9VTwAExVGU13uL1yvFAOplfE41wA1JZJQcw/s1600/Screen+Shot+2017-10-26+at+1.49.47+AM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="683" data-original-width="909" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibxwpdXK6ok4QjkPnRcBhwrnbLBlt-_Ob52Rbqm56kHCxJ4k8ZXVoBge4TPCDoXB3kHELgdIs0pe_dqjTRia9JkkpydGL66rfBI9LK1R6Q9VTwAExVGU13uL1yvFAOplfE41wA1JZJQcw/s320/Screen+Shot+2017-10-26+at+1.49.47+AM.png" width="320" /></a></div>
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
After an hour of catching up with the best teachers, coaches,
and legendary Big Mike the security guard, who would have to unarm the school alarm
after the Kornet family constantly broke into the gym for late night shooting
sprees, my mind came alive with more flashes of unanswered prayer.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
My senior year I was in all AP classes and had SAT tutoring
every other night, while my best friends did as seniors do—nothing.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I wanted to go to Stanford.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
But God didn’t answer that prayer.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
____________________</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
You might feel stuck right now. Like how I felt at Oklahoma.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
You might feel hurt for someone. Like how I felt for Luke
after the draft.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
You might feel utter rejection. Like how I felt after Coach
Tara Vanderveer told me I didn’t get in to Stanford.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
But I promise you that your unanswered prayers will turn
into answered ones. Answered ones that you never even thought were possible. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Lord, thank you for unanswered prayers. Your way is perfect;
my way is flawed. What I asked for was temporary happiness, but instead, you
gave me a lifetime of happiness.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
A lifetime of change.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
That changed my life.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEie7XNW_WeXZu-eEVnM7MrSYQd6kqWWxmJq8_ccsH37jU3waq4VWiWDTqcc6yYXOkX8rfM2Yl5qJ7yJe28OrjtN8Hi0sfdDKW5f5OFQfmW26PvaO5GOdfxrsKvf7MmdXjJwulUsOtJhj6s/s1600/Screen+Shot+2017-10-25+at+11.30.30+AM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="671" data-original-width="473" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEie7XNW_WeXZu-eEVnM7MrSYQd6kqWWxmJq8_ccsH37jU3waq4VWiWDTqcc6yYXOkX8rfM2Yl5qJ7yJe28OrjtN8Hi0sfdDKW5f5OFQfmW26PvaO5GOdfxrsKvf7MmdXjJwulUsOtJhj6s/s320/Screen+Shot+2017-10-25+at+11.30.30+AM.png" width="225" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
Nicole Kornethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12752896360950497403noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5054348110797123772.post-42623916885338162822017-09-21T11:49:00.001-07:002017-09-22T20:26:03.235-07:00The Circle Makers<div class="MsoNormal">
I've been home for the past two weeks. Sitting on the couch.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I got really sick. So my mom's been doing what she does best: being a mom. From vaccines and flu shots to acne appointments and chest x-rays, I feel like I'm 12 again.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Especially when dad says I must walk the dog before I can eat my late night Nutter Butters.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I've had a lot of time reflecting on who I am and who got me here.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqUBj32AhVNtqbXrwKfOx0W3kAhGJcmR79fjAacIYxaqVvmWEDU2VQI8jR9uiNKPch1czvLYTlBDqi8OfPRj4x14f7GfPmWcnJavYppnBlUgTd3TEk0vXElmtlmjPZ6ZC6XdVtol3OMR4/s1600/Screen+Shot+2017-09-21+at+12.18.22+AM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="634" data-original-width="468" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqUBj32AhVNtqbXrwKfOx0W3kAhGJcmR79fjAacIYxaqVvmWEDU2VQI8jR9uiNKPch1czvLYTlBDqi8OfPRj4x14f7GfPmWcnJavYppnBlUgTd3TEk0vXElmtlmjPZ6ZC6XdVtol3OMR4/s320/Screen+Shot+2017-09-21+at+12.18.22+AM.png" width="236" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
My mom’s a big reader and Bible study fan. In every state we’ve ever lived, she’s always made it a priority to sink her claws into a group of women and bring them on the bandwagon too.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Yesterday, on one of my long couch-sitting sessions, I stumbled
upon her stack of journals, workbooks, and Bibles.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
On the top of the pile was <i>Draw the Circle</i> by Mark Batterson.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
My mom gave me this book right after I transferred from
Oklahoma. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
She gave me the book and a journal, and encouraged me to
write. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I wrote every night in that journal, until I left it in the seat-back of a Southwest Airlines airplane on my way to Los Angeles,
California.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
That's when I started blogging.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
After skimming through the first few pages of <i>Draw the Circle</i>,
memories came flooding back.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Memories I vividly recall scribbling down about particular people, the places I'd been, and the feelings I felt.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Memories like these.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBq6hOWjx9xxaIWrryUeHgzvykCzv3xmObv3dgLpRmRMTBLhNX09ofW1gGCSAnL1fGM9DyY_U0DVyKOyGrFM3IY1-kX1PkPu0K0lYodf9KQie0G6yQxLe9W6arCwiI7j_AUygHk48qZaU/s1600/Screen+Shot+2017-09-21+at+1.05.07+AM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="621" data-original-width="904" height="219" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBq6hOWjx9xxaIWrryUeHgzvykCzv3xmObv3dgLpRmRMTBLhNX09ofW1gGCSAnL1fGM9DyY_U0DVyKOyGrFM3IY1-kX1PkPu0K0lYodf9KQie0G6yQxLe9W6arCwiI7j_AUygHk48qZaU/s320/Screen+Shot+2017-09-21+at+1.05.07+AM.png" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiR1XZb9GXQy6Kbcved9c0k3HTf9lqu7fng_UxL_y-UzRnq-Pn2T4bzm9BBnlIV_aRO8sfIN2ZINJcvL8B2U0wtvzS-pIh9lLuZuidem-En0A9HVdDAUkAC_w4eC2Ip9z7GtGal9faB1lU/s1600/Screen+Shot+2017-09-21+at+1.06.10+AM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="626" data-original-width="951" height="210" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiR1XZb9GXQy6Kbcved9c0k3HTf9lqu7fng_UxL_y-UzRnq-Pn2T4bzm9BBnlIV_aRO8sfIN2ZINJcvL8B2U0wtvzS-pIh9lLuZuidem-En0A9HVdDAUkAC_w4eC2Ip9z7GtGal9faB1lU/s320/Screen+Shot+2017-09-21+at+1.06.10+AM.png" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoGYCgDogybRDjg2vj0ghB82s_Aa5vcxbOzoyRA6rdDxLje1RnzSZynXkx69t0ouSP04Ek4lhVcI3Gj9Zu1y-y6_0wg32MA60UTJPwCIUUKauNfJCtvGgTEbzgx4iU5cnEluks9kJVX-w/s1600/Screen+Shot+2017-09-21+at+1.05.44+AM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="614" data-original-width="896" height="219" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoGYCgDogybRDjg2vj0ghB82s_Aa5vcxbOzoyRA6rdDxLje1RnzSZynXkx69t0ouSP04Ek4lhVcI3Gj9Zu1y-y6_0wg32MA60UTJPwCIUUKauNfJCtvGgTEbzgx4iU5cnEluks9kJVX-w/s320/Screen+Shot+2017-09-21+at+1.05.44+AM.png" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
As many of you know, I had the best time of my life at UCLA. But what many of you don’t know, is that I owe much of why to these five
Sooners:</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="text-indent: -0.25in;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">1. Trevor Knight</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0px;">
<span style="text-indent: -0.25in;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Trevor is not only one of the most beautiful men you’ve ever
laid your eyes on, but he’s also one of the most kind-hearted.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgES_hbg5ua52a7Wh5icqPfS_Ks412AuKFTSD692g-ByMmX1GT7XHXCMIu0YNH_vexnfs9WD2yOMRSVINwEMQkRea-zT6XB80bNQtv-HiuIpLDFfYOIdQyhAooimGD4UekWPUx3k9elLPU/s1600/Screen+Shot+2017-09-21+at+10.49.15+AM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="318" data-original-width="319" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgES_hbg5ua52a7Wh5icqPfS_Ks412AuKFTSD692g-ByMmX1GT7XHXCMIu0YNH_vexnfs9WD2yOMRSVINwEMQkRea-zT6XB80bNQtv-HiuIpLDFfYOIdQyhAooimGD4UekWPUx3k9elLPU/s1600/Screen+Shot+2017-09-21+at+10.49.15+AM.png" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Trevor is the complete package. He’s a devoted man of God
who has worked tirelessly for everything he’s ever accomplished.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
If he wants something bad enough, he’ll get it.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
If his dream is to start for the Oklahoma Sooners, he will.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
If his dream is to blossom as a quarterback at Texas A&M,
he will.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
If his dream is to play in the NFL, he will.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Whatever Trevor touches seems to turn to gold. Not because
he’s some fairy godfather, but because he knows what kind of diligence it takes.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYkh0h6F1buEjM4eXxMwrZP3DM5WKqsj4BiONrLgkfqs4sjeCyjBhJu-KJNrPjaVXfLZ4i7AAgVe_kPpBhZSXdZNukK-DE5cubuRkviSx1UdwmpsG0_AL1mPBLt-m3LD6AwaOdxZhVfAQ/s1600/Screen+Shot+2017-09-21+at+12.20.33+AM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="240" data-original-width="351" height="217" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYkh0h6F1buEjM4eXxMwrZP3DM5WKqsj4BiONrLgkfqs4sjeCyjBhJu-KJNrPjaVXfLZ4i7AAgVe_kPpBhZSXdZNukK-DE5cubuRkviSx1UdwmpsG0_AL1mPBLt-m3LD6AwaOdxZhVfAQ/s320/Screen+Shot+2017-09-21+at+12.20.33+AM.png" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br />
He’s a doer.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
He loved Oklahoma with all of his heart but knew it was in
his best interest to leave.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I’ve always related to Trevor in this way.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Watching Trevor come into his own at A&M made me
realize that it’s possible for me to do just that at UCLA.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCBHw_eeLOeRNQJxOfHsI_xRiv19nB27xmCmBqNF-CpwMSMBMXwzEpbOcU1srKZyNV6kxs_4eIqcP-0WadSkwDMGtl5iYwSAbTV-Jpo4Jg5VyWeQ4YA3az0O_tou7jyQukjh75WFG4chs/s1600/Screen+Shot+2017-09-21+at+12.44.13+AM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="330" data-original-width="330" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCBHw_eeLOeRNQJxOfHsI_xRiv19nB27xmCmBqNF-CpwMSMBMXwzEpbOcU1srKZyNV6kxs_4eIqcP-0WadSkwDMGtl5iYwSAbTV-Jpo4Jg5VyWeQ4YA3az0O_tou7jyQukjh75WFG4chs/s320/Screen+Shot+2017-09-21+at+12.44.13+AM.png" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Trevor left Oklahoma, but not a soul resented him for it. Because he did everything the right way.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I wish I could say the same.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
What I learned from Trevor is resiliency.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjB2Ov8nEVJ_LEw1zfiOC-ydCdfQwwXqJ4JF7_8oPGnuAa6CtvV7CyBPbEAax4Ld4HtZnwkfoeoIOIKdDcjyYLcQ2FiZc2WS8YUVFth1IwUazRUyo7mC_z69J_pWnCHRk9FpX0h_ba1w8M/s1600/Screen+Shot+2017-09-21+at+12.19.37+AM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="606" data-original-width="475" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjB2Ov8nEVJ_LEw1zfiOC-ydCdfQwwXqJ4JF7_8oPGnuAa6CtvV7CyBPbEAax4Ld4HtZnwkfoeoIOIKdDcjyYLcQ2FiZc2WS8YUVFth1IwUazRUyo7mC_z69J_pWnCHRk9FpX0h_ba1w8M/s320/Screen+Shot+2017-09-21+at+12.19.37+AM.png" width="250" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="text-indent: -0.25in;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0px;">
<span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">2. Connor Knight</span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Connor is Trevor’s twin brother. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvyv6S91nl_ReCnS1vGt0rvbpDkmAY1HD7qVNqi20mcJNfNAWQBfRCqK5eA8oRfg9i2vuMJ4-Pp8nsmKOjJOWs1UOqAmLPRDxRCYgtH8D2pW-M93yUbTUgI1RI_EYJTJND4jqwavc5bs8/s1600/Screen+Shot+2017-09-21+at+12.38.16+AM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="352" data-original-width="355" height="317" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvyv6S91nl_ReCnS1vGt0rvbpDkmAY1HD7qVNqi20mcJNfNAWQBfRCqK5eA8oRfg9i2vuMJ4-Pp8nsmKOjJOWs1UOqAmLPRDxRCYgtH8D2pW-M93yUbTUgI1RI_EYJTJND4jqwavc5bs8/s320/Screen+Shot+2017-09-21+at+12.38.16+AM.png" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
This guy taught me a lot. But out of the five, I probably know him the least. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Connor started as a walk-on at OU, while Trevor started as
QB1.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
But Connor’s not the type of guy who will sit back and ride the coattails of his brother.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Connor’s one of the most modest guys I know. He's never been one to try and one-up his brother. He loves Trevor with all of his heart. He’s his biggest cheerleader, and his biggest critic.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
They remind me so much of Luke and me.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I used to really relate to Trevor, but lately I couldn’t
feel any closer to Connor.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Connor never let jealously swallow him whole. Instead, he
made a name for himself too, and scored a touchdown to prove it.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi24U3nOuh5bKA1KNGxgxUxZK0y49yt5FCATvJ2aBT-wcOLyJG4KeMr6uDykKCu9RZPpNMwVfM4dQrmZJpneuucglRfe_0IQmB_LWVCvIRVqJr67iRsTsHg5jT4toTY5Mq8cIbR2g04P2c/s1600/Screen+Shot+2017-09-21+at+10.14.43+AM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="406" data-original-width="609" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi24U3nOuh5bKA1KNGxgxUxZK0y49yt5FCATvJ2aBT-wcOLyJG4KeMr6uDykKCu9RZPpNMwVfM4dQrmZJpneuucglRfe_0IQmB_LWVCvIRVqJr67iRsTsHg5jT4toTY5Mq8cIbR2g04P2c/s320/Screen+Shot+2017-09-21+at+10.14.43+AM.png" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
As I hang up the shoes and Luke polishes his, it’s important
for me to remember what Connor taught me.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
What I learned from Connor is how to give. Totally and completely of yourself.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidgv8es3BH9X6UIyBQIb1pWa8UA7Xg6l9ImwNjY0yg0NA4uoZBH_AY86pbymDHQhvrhS-XlvDxPFI1MkYc-jiO5QqsR1Bto4dGtnlo7mEQYn8siYxEbUwX4iv1Bw5-mCdZt1YNcKnTfqk/s1600/Screen+Shot+2017-09-21+at+12.41.28+AM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="633" data-original-width="950" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidgv8es3BH9X6UIyBQIb1pWa8UA7Xg6l9ImwNjY0yg0NA4uoZBH_AY86pbymDHQhvrhS-XlvDxPFI1MkYc-jiO5QqsR1Bto4dGtnlo7mEQYn8siYxEbUwX4iv1Bw5-mCdZt1YNcKnTfqk/s320/Screen+Shot+2017-09-21+at+12.41.28+AM.png" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="text-indent: -0.25in;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0px;">
<span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">3. Maddie Manning</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Madeline Janet Manning is now entering her sixth year at Oklahoma. We came
in together as freshmen. By the time she played in her first game as a Sooner,
I was entering my junior year. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiFHXOQG9Ak7YmSWloSZoFWbP9OOhWqhwLWoNPlnSYlTPc6704r3koftyO4_oUKZlpry8GKqZIGRPtJFhVVIgFAFevMhpgCAQ4sHDeKqIg-KqPfELYCEHNVlvZFShSsy04XlgGxvfTh6A/s1600/Screen+Shot+2017-09-21+at+12.38.51+AM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="628" data-original-width="504" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiFHXOQG9Ak7YmSWloSZoFWbP9OOhWqhwLWoNPlnSYlTPc6704r3koftyO4_oUKZlpry8GKqZIGRPtJFhVVIgFAFevMhpgCAQ4sHDeKqIg-KqPfELYCEHNVlvZFShSsy04XlgGxvfTh6A/s320/Screen+Shot+2017-09-21+at+12.38.51+AM.png" width="256" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Two fresh ACLs later, she’s finally about to begin her senior year.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
We were babies back then, but even then she knew she
was going to be somebody some day.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Let me tell you though, it didn’t look like it was going to pan out that way at first.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
That girl was and probably still is the most stubborn person I have ever met. But as I see her enter her senior year, I see how much she’s
changed.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
She’s seasoned. She’s focused. She’s the face of Oklahoma Women’s Basketball.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I hope she has the best year of her career. I hope
she’s an All-American. I hope she does what Stacey Dales did and makes
it to the national championship game. Against UCLA, of course.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Being teammates teaches you a lot about a person. Flipping
through pictures I can’t help but smile at the moments we shared together.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6z7iLtMFgRM2zn0lSrN9jHEXZysCIMr3xSnsSBptp7WrPQYMyUpZCx22AENFxWzoI5RMt13TGY2ERRvnSYEGN9MU5dl3qbgIZQo9SMVv-pDpJceEMwCM6BAmZOmIE1xLGXFG_ZaPN44Q/s1600/Screen+Shot+2017-09-21+at+12.39.12+AM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="633" data-original-width="950" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6z7iLtMFgRM2zn0lSrN9jHEXZysCIMr3xSnsSBptp7WrPQYMyUpZCx22AENFxWzoI5RMt13TGY2ERRvnSYEGN9MU5dl3qbgIZQo9SMVv-pDpJceEMwCM6BAmZOmIE1xLGXFG_ZaPN44Q/s320/Screen+Shot+2017-09-21+at+12.39.12+AM.png" width="320" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: x-small;"> Ft.ing Grandma Whit</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Three years have passed and I’ve only had a conversation or two with Maddie since I've left. But what she has taught me is immeasurable.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Maddie taught me how to believe. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
How to believe in yourself, and in a cause
that’s much bigger than yourself.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9AwoQh-EuJq4TNbswO1sLU9_bykz6ngvby_BoZHiJEPO8mAmp9e4S4rl5tnvAetU-Q-8cXIg_0vDfL7tB0e8viuEgyAv4DK6YTRbcUBokKf9K9okFqtcWMYAgwKpw-8wK7Fo5Pplb5Ds/s1600/thumbnail.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="355" data-original-width="356" height="319" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9AwoQh-EuJq4TNbswO1sLU9_bykz6ngvby_BoZHiJEPO8mAmp9e4S4rl5tnvAetU-Q-8cXIg_0vDfL7tB0e8viuEgyAv4DK6YTRbcUBokKf9K9okFqtcWMYAgwKpw-8wK7Fo5Pplb5Ds/s320/thumbnail.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="text-indent: -0.25in;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0px;">
<span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">4. Peyton Little</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I’ve known Peyton since I was 16. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtQLOeJFo3eVkvAxlWzLX8-H488TrLZ5XxDAM1KmPLRUmfZjPYuoOG1lqZmA22YplPTvAsGzrJHEZwC1U3ZJ_S9llUEf5OSW0JKw77ww630ejiq2RQBWoAdIxQsG8RBs5LlAhS_SmzFaw/s1600/Screen+Shot+2017-09-21+at+12.37.07+AM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="236" data-original-width="355" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtQLOeJFo3eVkvAxlWzLX8-H488TrLZ5XxDAM1KmPLRUmfZjPYuoOG1lqZmA22YplPTvAsGzrJHEZwC1U3ZJ_S9llUEf5OSW0JKw77ww630ejiq2RQBWoAdIxQsG8RBs5LlAhS_SmzFaw/s320/Screen+Shot+2017-09-21+at+12.37.07+AM.png" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
We played on the same AAU team. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
After her first semester at Texas A&M, she sent me a
text.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Nicole, I’m not happy here.”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Peyton came to Oklahoma my sophomore year. We had our own two-bedroom at the world-renowned Crimson Park Apartments in Norman.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwgoDdI8th_Uipl4UZ80aEGaTYyVsyfwMH1-hefA5wX7M5QmyC_r_iA4vSV38FDLaiFNe2xFTRf_2KEew2Lr_EeUP0vCnq8BZ2f16IfpNT2vww-XC0ygpd1UpC1JEAI1eX3e8SU3SBk-c/s1600/Screen+Shot+2017-09-21+at+12.39.57+AM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="630" data-original-width="516" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwgoDdI8th_Uipl4UZ80aEGaTYyVsyfwMH1-hefA5wX7M5QmyC_r_iA4vSV38FDLaiFNe2xFTRf_2KEew2Lr_EeUP0vCnq8BZ2f16IfpNT2vww-XC0ygpd1UpC1JEAI1eX3e8SU3SBk-c/s320/Screen+Shot+2017-09-21+at+12.39.57+AM.png" width="262" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: x-small;">Peyt & I tandem biking. On a Tandem bike we bought from Craigslist. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
She came right when I needed her.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Her uncle played at Oklahoma back in the 80’s. They lived a
mile from campus at the time and became like a second family to me. We practically lived at
their house in the summers and several times a week too (when Uncle David was cooking, and Aunt Amy was baking).</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Peyton was a lifesaver for me. She couldn’t play due to the transfer rule, so she served as my counselor.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPm02mpPNgiylbQ29euGmJzS4OilgtMRNC1yPlrOMyfh9P5aprGXiLbxPAUu9w-TXrwVRt4x19uWajgZdbC_wWkmwG5CheIU3A8i-OEfmm040J6ryGO_CZNw3yA5lAqCgNh4P13SUvwPI/s1600/Screen+Shot+2017-09-21+at+12.21.42+AM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="214" data-original-width="354" height="193" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPm02mpPNgiylbQ29euGmJzS4OilgtMRNC1yPlrOMyfh9P5aprGXiLbxPAUu9w-TXrwVRt4x19uWajgZdbC_wWkmwG5CheIU3A8i-OEfmm040J6ryGO_CZNw3yA5lAqCgNh4P13SUvwPI/s320/Screen+Shot+2017-09-21+at+12.21.42+AM.png" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I was having a hard time on the basketball court that year.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I remember coming home from games, plopping face-down on my
bed, and shutting the door behind me.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Minutes later, she’d come creeping in.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Coley?” The sound of her voice still resonates in my head to this day.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
She'd turn on my Backstreet Boys CD, and together we’d dance the pain away.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Only to be reprimanded by our coaches the next day due to a
video that had surfaced on Twitter of a post-game dance party after what had been a 20-point throttling by Duke earlier that evening.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Sorry, coach.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Peyton taught me how to have fun again.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNuwN_K_t7USCYOP_sbDZ2VJCX8ipbgFq8fGspL6woH2aHMF8gEnw24Lr_bUssdWtgy49YO0hI4Jce-xBaYl9lIA5DnJgHJ1vTL7DAL51L1srxsIykJgpbTzuw8S7rZMmC1SHl-Uka61E/s1600/Screen+Shot+2017-09-21+at+12.42.16+AM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="633" data-original-width="456" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNuwN_K_t7USCYOP_sbDZ2VJCX8ipbgFq8fGspL6woH2aHMF8gEnw24Lr_bUssdWtgy49YO0hI4Jce-xBaYl9lIA5DnJgHJ1vTL7DAL51L1srxsIykJgpbTzuw8S7rZMmC1SHl-Uka61E/s320/Screen+Shot+2017-09-21+at+12.42.16+AM.png" width="230" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0px;">
<span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">She brought the joy back.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0px;">
<span style="text-indent: -0.25in;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0px;">
<span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">5. Ty Darlington</span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I’ve never met anyone like Ty Darlington.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIsExW40IZQu6I0zc6HPMTYchSV4czblj-uhsOjBMe6qYy3gM6LQRDHia6gCkhKaol5PDeXrQ1LvxgDfK4DzkaznDDIwjjozcJ7EcJzm7ft-mp0F_YBgwRiRXkyzQPyE3mBR9M40QUT2g/s1600/Screen+Shot+2017-09-21+at+12.19.56+AM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="571" data-original-width="357" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIsExW40IZQu6I0zc6HPMTYchSV4czblj-uhsOjBMe6qYy3gM6LQRDHia6gCkhKaol5PDeXrQ1LvxgDfK4DzkaznDDIwjjozcJ7EcJzm7ft-mp0F_YBgwRiRXkyzQPyE3mBR9M40QUT2g/s320/Screen+Shot+2017-09-21+at+12.19.56+AM.png" width="200" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Like myself, he was between Stanford and Oklahoma when
deciding on a college back in high school.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Unlike me, he got in. He chose to attend Oklahoma because
Sooner pride ran deep in his bloodline, and he felt a connection that he couldn't resist.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Ty is a natural-born leader.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Coach Coale always told us to “leave your story better than
you found it.”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Ty Darlington left his story better than he found it.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeB7Chwwtj9JafX8Uzl4bwdsb1XDz_9d_Qnz6Lmuypp7-6qT2zugQ93dBP8d0w05inpEqUTYKPz3A-zuwuZZhe_Zk8xnOnEIjKxVusV1kmVfHmCRo-OafYkXfiGllCCtu-jwz7q9WtGHk/s1600/Screen+Shot+2017-09-21+at+12.42.04+AM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="633" data-original-width="632" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeB7Chwwtj9JafX8Uzl4bwdsb1XDz_9d_Qnz6Lmuypp7-6qT2zugQ93dBP8d0w05inpEqUTYKPz3A-zuwuZZhe_Zk8xnOnEIjKxVusV1kmVfHmCRo-OafYkXfiGllCCtu-jwz7q9WtGHk/s320/Screen+Shot+2017-09-21+at+12.42.04+AM.png" width="319" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Lucky for Sooner nation, he’s still sowing the seeds of success within the football program in order for us fans to someday (January 8, 2018) reap the benefits. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Ty isn't afraid to be who he is. He isn't afraid to hold someone accountable, push someone past their comfort zone, or simply be a shoulder to cry on when someone is hurting. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
What I learned from Ty is how to grow. How to grow deeper in friendships, amongst family, and most importantly, in faith.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiL_J0vaP6DUL3ed6dIQY4htyO_MPyw65ijfEKEPI2ePyuhZkCUwTsrKOnpXpoKjjTlqAfkIplrEiOWamPq3a45lLsc_0Zye0xoHqMNM2vsyviI6UqMUT9eMbJY1La298lcDkJGeAiAPwo/s1600/Screen+Shot+2017-09-21+at+12.42.36+AM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="607" data-original-width="605" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiL_J0vaP6DUL3ed6dIQY4htyO_MPyw65ijfEKEPI2ePyuhZkCUwTsrKOnpXpoKjjTlqAfkIplrEiOWamPq3a45lLsc_0Zye0xoHqMNM2vsyviI6UqMUT9eMbJY1La298lcDkJGeAiAPwo/s320/Screen+Shot+2017-09-21+at+12.42.36+AM.png" width="318" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Trevor taught me resilience.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Connor taught me how to give.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Maddie taught me how to believe.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Peyton taught me how to spread joy.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Ty taught me how to grow.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjt7sXLk7HgMtpJjVsHZhBHD38q_H9EOwUt8F4VS2cNuF3AlPq-fD4AYyysdorYcRTmWRNmIm6z_9Ya8xXwPDahJiDrC9P8xpeEIwMpCq_WsOLCw35G7_ah1kCZO4x1bcO_KAWVm49jUI/s1600/Screen+Shot+2017-09-21+at+12.09.40+AM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="354" data-original-width="357" height="317" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjt7sXLk7HgMtpJjVsHZhBHD38q_H9EOwUt8F4VS2cNuF3AlPq-fD4AYyysdorYcRTmWRNmIm6z_9Ya8xXwPDahJiDrC9P8xpeEIwMpCq_WsOLCw35G7_ah1kCZO4x1bcO_KAWVm49jUI/s320/Screen+Shot+2017-09-21+at+12.09.40+AM.png" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.5pt; border: none; mso-element: para-border-div; padding: 0in 0in 1.0pt 0in;">
<div class="MsoNormal" style="border: none; mso-border-bottom-alt: solid windowtext 1.5pt; mso-padding-alt: 0in 0in 1.0pt 0in; padding: 0in;">
Three years later, as I finish up my time as a
student-athlete and begin the next chapter of my life as a working woman, I
reflect on the time I had with these five.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="border: none; mso-border-bottom-alt: solid windowtext 1.5pt; mso-padding-alt: 0in 0in 1.0pt 0in; padding: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="border: none; mso-border-bottom-alt: solid windowtext 1.5pt; mso-padding-alt: 0in 0in 1.0pt 0in; padding: 0in;">
They each played a pivotal role in my evolution as a person.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="border: none; mso-border-bottom-alt: solid windowtext 1.5pt; mso-padding-alt: 0in 0in 1.0pt 0in; padding: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Because of them I was able to learn from my mistakes. I took a long look in the mirror and fixed what was broken.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfdYg-VQgF-4ElWxekecqeldbvKUxTC9ebO_aG9kSI9fCfu364k_AvncDxFktcMV1bcIlz-UjF9RrH0Feul_vpLdHN7UHDOuYa46GwdPHkYDh5Fqj0w0OZIkhzhb89EyychfRqHvZ-Wy8/s1600/Screen+Shot+2017-09-21+at+12.13.09+AM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="630" data-original-width="475" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfdYg-VQgF-4ElWxekecqeldbvKUxTC9ebO_aG9kSI9fCfu364k_AvncDxFktcMV1bcIlz-UjF9RrH0Feul_vpLdHN7UHDOuYa46GwdPHkYDh5Fqj0w0OZIkhzhb89EyychfRqHvZ-Wy8/s320/Screen+Shot+2017-09-21+at+12.13.09+AM.png" width="241" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I was able to dive into UCLA head first, and make a splash.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I was resilient. I was able to give, believe, grow and smile while doing so.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Mark Batterson put it best, I've come full circle. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5u637kEkQtiKQHlKAlYcpZcuxZdMsY0K0bE4RlW77GNXK5wP5Vti717WhqqnXWUowoD1r_scYmuHsf50CW5a8WjNoa3nuH6MFWugR_1zUDu-eUBoXvV1IhZMmdICObXwNMqrbRNhnduQ/s1600/Screen+Shot+2017-09-21+at+10.42.27+AM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="615" data-original-width="616" height="319" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5u637kEkQtiKQHlKAlYcpZcuxZdMsY0K0bE4RlW77GNXK5wP5Vti717WhqqnXWUowoD1r_scYmuHsf50CW5a8WjNoa3nuH6MFWugR_1zUDu-eUBoXvV1IhZMmdICObXwNMqrbRNhnduQ/s320/Screen+Shot+2017-09-21+at+10.42.27+AM.png" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div>
As you draw the circle, who's in yours?<br />
<br />
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
</div>
Nicole Kornethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12752896360950497403noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5054348110797123772.post-16149350021583328812017-09-08T09:26:00.000-07:002017-10-04T17:47:45.783-07:00His vs Hers: Rookie Year<div class="MsoNormal">
To set the record straight, I'm his BIG sister.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Sure, he may have me in height and intellect and quick-wittedness, but I have him in months.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
18 to be exact.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
When we were younger we used to be mistaken for twins.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_Bxt3QfdyYDufRO87vCxTgwp7ZmCbF0IpzAO-AemG5_Y4hyphenhyphenPjcvo5Nkzd7xEeV5sT-BxvWdUXYLzmUi0tHmG8axKUYUEEpCHirbmZbncWp-neaXyemzVSE843w6xZI1BsigMPZHSw-o8/s1600/Screen+Shot+2017-09-07+at+2.19.24+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="416" data-original-width="273" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_Bxt3QfdyYDufRO87vCxTgwp7ZmCbF0IpzAO-AemG5_Y4hyphenhyphenPjcvo5Nkzd7xEeV5sT-BxvWdUXYLzmUi0tHmG8axKUYUEEpCHirbmZbncWp-neaXyemzVSE843w6xZI1BsigMPZHSw-o8/s320/Screen+Shot+2017-09-07+at+2.19.24+PM.png" width="210" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
We may not be twins, but we've been best friends ever since his arrival, 18 months after mine.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I know it might be confusing to most since we graduated in the same year and all, but I believe it to be quite fitting, being that we've been in most of the same classes our whole lives.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Luke is a rare breed.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Year by year, he made a solid "100%" in all of my math classes. Yes, he was in my math classes. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
He may have gotten a perfect score on the math portion of his SAT & ACT, and he may have racked up every possible academic award at our annual academic banquet, but what I always had on him was athletics.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9-2ioAnSmMl3frot13gIUXnlpAUXiL8JzHz9ZGYHZcPWNwmB9m40JZZ6SyyPmNiHPd2isuXhKiuqylOETnF7FUDuqOfu5dGqBXlh6uRJm-YjTuHlF0li7exKY0QlrqFW0AhEaK6WO3B4/s1600/Screen+Shot+2017-09-07+at+2.20.01+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="633" data-original-width="447" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9-2ioAnSmMl3frot13gIUXnlpAUXiL8JzHz9ZGYHZcPWNwmB9m40JZZ6SyyPmNiHPd2isuXhKiuqylOETnF7FUDuqOfu5dGqBXlh6uRJm-YjTuHlF0li7exKY0QlrqFW0AhEaK6WO3B4/s320/Screen+Shot+2017-09-07+at+2.20.01+PM.png" width="225" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
5 years ago I was making the guy crutch around from official visit to official visit.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCWjB5W0EacvNbyxp45XGPJEOWRb7rbwtT6JjIyHDXnoxBEpOgOSVm4gBzqsiz4Oij4AVas3inNzi5iYTeEuKCvEeohqa2UFRkbjvkJKOWNZynzsX-XMWzQGcN8iJE8dwGEyVGDcYf7TQ/s1600/Screen+Shot+2017-09-07+at+2.05.46+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="378" data-original-width="502" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCWjB5W0EacvNbyxp45XGPJEOWRb7rbwtT6JjIyHDXnoxBEpOgOSVm4gBzqsiz4Oij4AVas3inNzi5iYTeEuKCvEeohqa2UFRkbjvkJKOWNZynzsX-XMWzQGcN8iJE8dwGEyVGDcYf7TQ/s320/Screen+Shot+2017-09-07+at+2.05.46+PM.png" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
From All-American Game to first tip-off of my freshman year.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkD0htHAZx0FnYSBF7c62QGaYtEEIG-Vo9Lml9FVh6LfT194P58qL8cKYgX1CaU3Po39Mni__VNjGcvO59hE1RNmx6RFLD7FZXu4kw7IYQyFtktBoWtjdX-PU3hTmS7mKyPDA7KC-YAzM/s1600/Screen+Shot+2017-09-07+at+1.57.51+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="638" data-original-width="436" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkD0htHAZx0FnYSBF7c62QGaYtEEIG-Vo9Lml9FVh6LfT194P58qL8cKYgX1CaU3Po39Mni__VNjGcvO59hE1RNmx6RFLD7FZXu4kw7IYQyFtktBoWtjdX-PU3hTmS7mKyPDA7KC-YAzM/s320/Screen+Shot+2017-09-07+at+1.57.51+PM.png" width="218" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
5 minutes from now he'll be walking through the door after another morning pick-up session with Melo.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
In New York City.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
It feels funny typing. For several reasons:</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
1.) "New York City"</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I have to admit-- ever since age 8 I've been spoiled.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
It's 100% likely that before the age of 8 I was spoiled too, but that's neither here nor there.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Ever since I was 8, my mom took me to New York for an annual mother/daughter girl’s trip.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDEnt9PJpJtV0YyMfinDoh8wIY8Q6xU0-jymw9eYTmqHyXpkhMem3tgXxPkCGziClmfoTDqYwdyXLyBe_B9jZoZL0y0VgYa6u2CHJK0Vh-pWqpmNKsar89u8md-vKjtl-07qFHMuUH5f4/s1600/Screen+Shot+2017-09-07+at+2.19.08+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="432" data-original-width="355" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDEnt9PJpJtV0YyMfinDoh8wIY8Q6xU0-jymw9eYTmqHyXpkhMem3tgXxPkCGziClmfoTDqYwdyXLyBe_B9jZoZL0y0VgYa6u2CHJK0Vh-pWqpmNKsar89u8md-vKjtl-07qFHMuUH5f4/s320/Screen+Shot+2017-09-07+at+2.19.08+PM.png" width="262" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
We never brought the boys.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The one time we did take the boys a homeless man berated Luke outside of Grand Central Station and he was scarred from that moment on.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I tried to mend his fragile heart with Serendipity sundaes, the Nintendo Store, the clearance rack at the NBA Store and handmade signature signs of his favorite baseball team, but his heart could not be wooed.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheIqa5eQc4nALfRz7-BAjlTtsR9HVeRegLoajxWwtZ1pNIpPBE2INwRY4TnUmnrlAKcUDp0HqOQAknH4itfRX6A2AsUstt7Pt27qbwnM5Wjf2yEuEFsEYeiXP8eiQm75w9PAG7Qm4p7mQ/s1600/Screen+Shot+2017-09-08+at+2.13.05+AM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="604" data-original-width="844" height="229" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheIqa5eQc4nALfRz7-BAjlTtsR9HVeRegLoajxWwtZ1pNIpPBE2INwRY4TnUmnrlAKcUDp0HqOQAknH4itfRX6A2AsUstt7Pt27qbwnM5Wjf2yEuEFsEYeiXP8eiQm75w9PAG7Qm4p7mQ/s320/Screen+Shot+2017-09-08+at+2.13.05+AM.png" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
For the first time, Nicole and Luke were at a crossroads.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I was a big city girl, and he was a small-town boy. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I'm now 23, and after a 5-year absence from the Big Apple due to a little round ball, a little round ball has brought me back in a round-a-bout way.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
2.) The New York Knicks</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Now this is really where it gets funny.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Let's flashback to the night of the NBA Draft.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
We were at our house in Lexington, Kentucky and my entire family was over. "Entire family" insinuates grandma, grandpa, Godfather Larry, cousin Joey, crazy Steve, and many, many more.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Before the draft kicked off, we each put the name of the team we thought Luke would get drafted to in a big bowl.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPZGf88Sc9FeRR2cz9zZ5YJF_ypbuU1Fwy9TLsOlOHM9mlbMJDH1pIUjtg1toSdF2t5o6pp0wwf3fIqzhkU1bHwJ5r5LYu92NcLUy8Yd_Dx-p_niDcsSmbC4x5rCk4SykL5wU7eArTtfY/s1600/Screen+Shot+2017-09-08+at+2.12.35+AM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="627" data-original-width="843" height="238" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPZGf88Sc9FeRR2cz9zZ5YJF_ypbuU1Fwy9TLsOlOHM9mlbMJDH1pIUjtg1toSdF2t5o6pp0wwf3fIqzhkU1bHwJ5r5LYu92NcLUy8Yd_Dx-p_niDcsSmbC4x5rCk4SykL5wU7eArTtfY/s320/Screen+Shot+2017-09-08+at+2.12.35+AM.png" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I was the only one who put down the New York Knicks.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Why?</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Because New York City has been my favorite city ever since I was 8. LA has been creeping up as of late, but the heart knows where its loyalty lies.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I put down the New York Knicks because Jeff Hornacek is head coach.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Jeff Hornacek played for the Jazz when my dad played for the Bucks.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Jeff Hornacek lived in Phoenix when the Kornets lived in Phoenix.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Jeff Hornacek was the head coach of St. Thomas’ 5<sup>th</sup> grade girl’s basketball team at the time.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Frank Kornet was the head coach of Our Lady of Mt. Carmel’s 5<sup>th</sup> grade girl’s basketball team at the time.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
In other words, Jeff and Frank both had daughters in the 5th grade.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEii7L30rjOdIq9AtxccbSH3-yHnFzbw0nOU_fJHT_42RhaIWiynk1P5gQT16oSZ8yTwG2H1y7MXg783UCGe3aYNn06UCDNrWThcanixTr8vJs5BPIlkn6dLHeJ-CStytpJmEDS9S8do4Y0/s1600/Screen+Shot+2017-09-07+at+2.17.58+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="578" data-original-width="579" height="319" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEii7L30rjOdIq9AtxccbSH3-yHnFzbw0nOU_fJHT_42RhaIWiynk1P5gQT16oSZ8yTwG2H1y7MXg783UCGe3aYNn06UCDNrWThcanixTr8vJs5BPIlkn6dLHeJ-CStytpJmEDS9S8do4Y0/s320/Screen+Shot+2017-09-07+at+2.17.58+PM.png" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Daughters that played each other in back-to-back-to-back Catholic school girl's basketball tournaments year after year after year.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Daughters that, with Coach Hornacek at the helm, joined forces to nearly lead the Air Angelz to a Summer League championship, had we not lost to the all-boys team in the final game.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
You win again testosterone.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2xLUVh1rz792hL6OWEsbES8Utcs_egNTA_gHgm1SVySoeZUfcVoXLBtjJEcobPSbqSB0JQ3p_rO66B0bLHfwIuOdnu81azeeNTq62XWj8pAxgeXurXBhVUqpPLFxrZU10jx-zq4lDjDs/s1600/Screen+Shot+2017-09-07+at+2.20.52+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="634" data-original-width="447" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2xLUVh1rz792hL6OWEsbES8Utcs_egNTA_gHgm1SVySoeZUfcVoXLBtjJEcobPSbqSB0JQ3p_rO66B0bLHfwIuOdnu81azeeNTq62XWj8pAxgeXurXBhVUqpPLFxrZU10jx-zq4lDjDs/s320/Screen+Shot+2017-09-07+at+2.20.52+PM.png" width="225" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
10 years later, and we're still bitter.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_rjA-e5uJJXJM2FAZqNkdnn20U0xAKFohZshyJPBjwJ9X9TaoeQCLKSA53ok3qM-yUbSWFtTZ6_TBnl4t3EmXGtUwixtL63PCl_zN5L2wII4RaWXxSeFUUzIBn_8aW8rO3bFLT2aw5iA/s1600/FullSizeRender-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="927" data-original-width="750" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_rjA-e5uJJXJM2FAZqNkdnn20U0xAKFohZshyJPBjwJ9X9TaoeQCLKSA53ok3qM-yUbSWFtTZ6_TBnl4t3EmXGtUwixtL63PCl_zN5L2wII4RaWXxSeFUUzIBn_8aW8rO3bFLT2aw5iA/s320/FullSizeRender-1.jpg" width="258" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
So, when the opportunity presented itself to put a team name in the bowl on draft night, I had to go with my gut—The New York Knicks.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
For what seemed to be like four hours and an eternity later, the draft concluded.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
He didn’t get picked.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
But as soon as the last pick was selected, Luke’s phone rang.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
And then it rang again. And again. And again.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
And then finally, it was an offer that Luke couldn’t refuse.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The decision was final—Luke was going to be a New York Knick.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihPIhyzLHihS12Yg7yD75RGoZLCPUiM511RToVH39PHYMcYYnntYQ1iVdb0BJZWTIUi_8vD61IJItlObkQ4C3CW4455Slnq6jnsACLYfHTOgD6RdpfjU6rb1sjuxhc7iqVhRJiejAyzYY/s1600/Screen+Shot+2017-09-08+at+2.20.58+AM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="658" data-original-width="1171" height="179" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihPIhyzLHihS12Yg7yD75RGoZLCPUiM511RToVH39PHYMcYYnntYQ1iVdb0BJZWTIUi_8vD61IJItlObkQ4C3CW4455Slnq6jnsACLYfHTOgD6RdpfjU6rb1sjuxhc7iqVhRJiejAyzYY/s320/Screen+Shot+2017-09-08+at+2.20.58+AM.png" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
3.) Pick-up with Carmelo</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I remember when Carmelo and LeBron were drafted. They were the talk of the town.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Still wonder why.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I don't start my job at UCLA until October 1st, so I have the entire month of September off.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I've been in New York for a week now.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Every morning Luke wakes up at 7am and comes home just after 3pm. I've had the best week. And that sounds crazy coming from a girl who was hospitalized day two of the trip. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQ4wMPQzdZfHP-qVj9uYNXPZWFbEGm06ep2krbW97_QB9CSCoPmkxcLeoLMe-KFruaN9pXXJIY7eZ_1ERD-e9qYbeuU0Lxm9b_Y08gBv9yJiQjvI74EHSAybfpG53LtU7QvbooT_kf0Sg/s1600/Screen+Shot+2017-09-07+at+1.46.34+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="543" data-original-width="327" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQ4wMPQzdZfHP-qVj9uYNXPZWFbEGm06ep2krbW97_QB9CSCoPmkxcLeoLMe-KFruaN9pXXJIY7eZ_1ERD-e9qYbeuU0Lxm9b_Y08gBv9yJiQjvI74EHSAybfpG53LtU7QvbooT_kf0Sg/s320/Screen+Shot+2017-09-07+at+1.46.34+PM.png" width="192" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: x-small;">As my mother calls me, a"natural" beauty</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I came down with a mean case of pneumonia and perhaps a few other ailments, but again, that's neither here nor there.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
From what I thought was going to be a month long of perusing the city on my tandem bike for one, galavanting the streets of NY during fashion week, and drinking mimosas with the fashion icon himself, Mr. Russell Westbrook, my week has drastically turned into quite the opposite.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Picture a stoic, bedridden, greasy-haired "beauty" glued to the TV.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
This week's features have included Hercules, Leah Remini's Scientology and the Aftermath, roughly 97 episodes of The Office, and a few gut-wrenching showings of Beyond Scared Straight. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Luke and I have had a lot of alone time this past week.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghwSqD3_FNqO38wowNrkUuEQUFfDUAmdOIciipqDDwzioao2LiuVDrS6SM1qrM7Q7heasR6xKCoxZXme9h0Apfk_pmyz2CD1MfL7ieFkcczOgvIRct4WETsRdwcOHRcVpznuTxj7qkwTQ/s1600/Screen+Shot+2017-09-07+at+1.49.22+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="626" data-original-width="405" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghwSqD3_FNqO38wowNrkUuEQUFfDUAmdOIciipqDDwzioao2LiuVDrS6SM1qrM7Q7heasR6xKCoxZXme9h0Apfk_pmyz2CD1MfL7ieFkcczOgvIRct4WETsRdwcOHRcVpznuTxj7qkwTQ/s320/Screen+Shot+2017-09-07+at+1.49.22+PM.png" width="207" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: x-small;">And he's loved every second of it.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Even with the past five years of off and on separation, we've covered a lot of ground.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Just like we never left.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The guy still loves to show me YouTube videos I refuse to call funny, impersonate scenes of Westside Story in the living room, and sleep in his Tom Brady pajamas.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
My favorite part, though?</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
When he comes home from playing pick-up with Melo.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Nicole, I'm playing against these guys who used to be on my 2K teams, and I'm like 'ah, that's neat' but then I realize they're on the other team and I kinda hate them at that moment."</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Nowadays we all try and act like we've been there. It's all about one-upping the other guy. But that show gets tiring. That show's all an act. What's cool is being your authentic self. What's cool is being grateful about the opportunity you've been given, and making the most of it.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
It hurt him when he didn't get drafted. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
For a minute.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
After a minute, he got up, smiled at all of us and said, "I'm going to New York."</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Sometimes the most devastating blows turn into the most beautiful unknowns, when you have the mindset of a Luke Kornet.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
He doesn't care what everyone thinks. He knows who he is.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
He doesn't care who he's playing against. He knows what he can do.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
He doesn't care how many likes he gets on a picture. That's if his girlfriend and I can even get him to post a picture. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
He doesn’t care if his friends are NBA champions like Damian Jones or former 8th grade B-team slot receivers like Daniel Fife. He loves people for their hearts, not their names.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Heck, he doesn't even care if his cowlicks stick up like Alfafa all day. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Even though it makes his sister cringe.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcbqB4jrSM1kbjx7uvuDWyfJPE2Pi5osxZBs1e-1DZkeI8G5lDpAfxe4ZhnHJx6kgdegg6mccxORQN2UjmcgBdYm6Pmevr90pNc_sb6__-3l3JmBadKG6IsP0sxHLaKOisQJBFVVqjnEE/s1600/Screen+Shot+2017-09-07+at+2.02.45+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="615" data-original-width="449" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcbqB4jrSM1kbjx7uvuDWyfJPE2Pi5osxZBs1e-1DZkeI8G5lDpAfxe4ZhnHJx6kgdegg6mccxORQN2UjmcgBdYm6Pmevr90pNc_sb6__-3l3JmBadKG6IsP0sxHLaKOisQJBFVVqjnEE/s320/Screen+Shot+2017-09-07+at+2.02.45+PM.png" width="233" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: x-small;">Pre-hair quaffage seconds before The King takes center court.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
He cares about the things that matter. And that's what I admire most about my little brother, and will always admire about my little brother.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
It’s been so fun to watch him in his new life.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The way he shops for himself, cooks for himself, takes care of himself, and even brushes his hair all by himself now truly amazes me.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Craziest part of it all is that he knows the city better than big sis now, and he hasn't even been here a month yet. He watches Broadway shows and doesn't roll his eyes during the musical numbers now.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVxkd5fvFN_oLuu2aoh_BS0GjpwPuZYk7MoQliWX1d4sM67HR52O-yg6_pgnx6MNUzmp02nHvGLjcvJRHYfx-GiprcILi2l2PJfP79ouoDRgbVf8hjdU5Hl7TOaSDOBELXxuJQbILiX50/s1600/Screen+Shot+2017-09-08+at+9.42.06+AM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="582" data-original-width="437" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVxkd5fvFN_oLuu2aoh_BS0GjpwPuZYk7MoQliWX1d4sM67HR52O-yg6_pgnx6MNUzmp02nHvGLjcvJRHYfx-GiprcILi2l2PJfP79ouoDRgbVf8hjdU5Hl7TOaSDOBELXxuJQbILiX50/s320/Screen+Shot+2017-09-08+at+9.42.06+AM.png" width="240" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
He loves NYC and what he gets to do for it now.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
He's a professional basketball player for the New York Knicks.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhl51acH7Lamkl0MbNxZQxmfNzRGZTWfyJO3ISUUFaPYH64gZnXq2uU9P2jcu_1lFF8I2UuKU3bj1UIKnKJ0bnokGX6MoTbrHSy2U7iGXdFOFkq9oHGE_0Wvd1Bi4XKf6Sd96sxJYZHQOU/s1600/FullSizeRender.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="891" data-original-width="746" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhl51acH7Lamkl0MbNxZQxmfNzRGZTWfyJO3ISUUFaPYH64gZnXq2uU9P2jcu_1lFF8I2UuKU3bj1UIKnKJ0bnokGX6MoTbrHSy2U7iGXdFOFkq9oHGE_0Wvd1Bi4XKf6Sd96sxJYZHQOU/s320/FullSizeRender.jpg" width="267" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Who will always be my little brother.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
Nicole Kornethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12752896360950497403noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5054348110797123772.post-63298064227014009552017-08-16T12:06:00.000-07:002017-08-17T00:29:48.018-07:00Ground ZeroIt was a day like any other day.<br />
<br />
6:30am: Scarf down a bowl of Chobani yogurt sprinkled with granola, fresh-cut strawberries, and a squirt of honey.<br />
<br />
7:00am: Swing open the doors of the legendary UCLA SAC gym, wide-eyed, scanning the premises for which hot shot I'll have the pleasure of working besides next.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdns1yTGRaGOW_20vi515aF4WvK78C98kytE4xlNs4G3BREwVVVtaQyLws9gyzKzv4ZbSyDxnuD88_ORRajSgUEfMIXp9kPREKf6PszmxmorO08-R9MtOJ6rpZC5tFo_9j55HgeiFz3W8/s1600/Screen+Shot+2017-08-15+at+11.37.38+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="588" data-original-width="434" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdns1yTGRaGOW_20vi515aF4WvK78C98kytE4xlNs4G3BREwVVVtaQyLws9gyzKzv4ZbSyDxnuD88_ORRajSgUEfMIXp9kPREKf6PszmxmorO08-R9MtOJ6rpZC5tFo_9j55HgeiFz3W8/s320/Screen+Shot+2017-08-15+at+11.37.38+PM.png" width="236" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: x-small;">The Phoenix Suns pretending to listen to her.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><br /></span></div>
7:05am: Give Kari and Lindsey the business in roughly ten games of 21.<br />
<br />
8:30am: Shower to Backstreet Boys Pandora.<br />
<br />
9:00am: Air dry my goldilocks mid-sprint through campus in order to reach the parking meter in time before another hefty $68 ticket plops down on my windshield.<br />
<br />
10:00am: Clock in.<br />
<br />
For the first hour of my shift, it's my job to set up the bar.<br />
<br />
Yes, the one who does not know an iota about alcohol is in charge of setting up the bar.<br />
<br />
About ten minutes in, Karlen tells me that we're low on raspberries.<br />
<br />
That's my cue.<br />
<br />
To the fridge I go.<br />
<br />
That is, until I hear a voice.<br />
<br />
"HEY!"<br />
<br />
I look up.<br />
<br />
I laugh.<br />
<br />
It's Russell.<br />
<br />
"Why do I know you from somewhere?? I've seen you!" he proclaimed aloud.<br />
<br />
Smirking to myself, I mumble, "UCLA."<br />
<br />
"Yes! The transfer! But I swear I just saw you somewhere else too..."<br />
<br />
"Wasserman."<br />
<br />
"Yeah! The intern!"<br />
<br />
"You're following me, Russ."<br />
<br />
"No, you're following me. What are you even doing right now?"<br />
<br />
"I'm a cocktail waitress."<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioFSrnjGon001YW4Kf5F8nGracs34QesRHF8BFlBaCwdC6ppWhQptS8iQve7liIIMHIrhkRqZpqGtB8Mlkv8TARrFiDxY1kZFU_ZM9Rv1jtdtRzW020geasG694GZLdQeCQa2OnT_v81I/s1600/Screen+Shot+2017-08-15+at+10.40.49+AM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="327" data-original-width="461" height="226" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioFSrnjGon001YW4Kf5F8nGracs34QesRHF8BFlBaCwdC6ppWhQptS8iQve7liIIMHIrhkRqZpqGtB8Mlkv8TARrFiDxY1kZFU_ZM9Rv1jtdtRzW020geasG694GZLdQeCQa2OnT_v81I/s320/Screen+Shot+2017-08-15+at+10.40.49+AM.png" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: x-small;">I googled "waitress"</span></div>
<br />
He's seen me for who I truly am, folks: the athlete, the intern, the waitress.<br />
<br />
Russ took a seat at the bar as I filled up his protein shake. We hung out for 20 minutes while he waited for his trainer to come down from his room.<br />
<br />
We talked about UCLA.<br />
<br />
He said he would have loved to have been there for longer than two years. They were some of the best times of his life.<br />
<br />
We talked about the Thunder.<br />
<br />
He told me it would be a great fit for me, if I could handle the move back to Oklahoma...<br />
<br />
We talked about life after basketball.<br />
<br />
He told me he would never coach.<br />
<br />
"I'm getting as far away from basketball as I can."<br />
<br />
"Really? You don't want to coach your kids??"<br />
<br />
"NOOOOOPE."<br />
<br />
"So... fashion?"<br />
<br />
"Fashion" he replied with a big smile on his face.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4Xff5DTaO9ECYQQDHyeBXGO2eQnRrwHO3fz-D_WFkFj-m9CvJNiEMpGdARYAy_GvLhJ3jZB9cVKHHEAQ2OxineV0B5p5xO2RleNw6UDFLFu9nwpBB4UIGME0g9BMPbNPBrHkr1LQZGdI/s1600/Screen+Shot+2017-08-15+at+10.30.56+AM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="416" data-original-width="313" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4Xff5DTaO9ECYQQDHyeBXGO2eQnRrwHO3fz-D_WFkFj-m9CvJNiEMpGdARYAy_GvLhJ3jZB9cVKHHEAQ2OxineV0B5p5xO2RleNw6UDFLFu9nwpBB4UIGME0g9BMPbNPBrHkr1LQZGdI/s320/Screen+Shot+2017-08-15+at+10.30.56+AM.png" width="240" /></a></div>
<br />
We talked about his back-to-back runs to the Final Four.<br />
<br />
He lost to the one and only Coach Billy Donovan at Florida his freshman year.<br />
<br />
"Coach never lets me hear the end of that one."<br />
<br />
We talked about how old he is.<br />
<br />
He's an old fart.<br />
<br />
He's played in the league for 10 years already. Can you believe that??<br />
<br />
As I contemplated grabbing the raspberries Karlen told me to snag while I prepped the bar, I couldn't help but remain distracted as fans gathered around hoping to steal Russell away for a quick selfie.<br />
<br />
And there I was, the cocktail waitress in the black dress, hijacking all of his attention.<br />
<br />
I couldn't help but laugh.<br />
<br />
The amount of times I have run into this guy in this city.<br />
<br />
Whether it be mid pick-up game in Pauley, in the elevator on my way up to Wasserman, or at the bar of the JW Marriott in Santa Monica, there was something special brewing here.<br />
<br />
I just couldn't quite put my finger on it.<br />
<br />
___________<br />
<br />
It was a day like any other day.<br />
<br />
Chobani, SAC, 21, BSB, floppy hair, BEACH.<br />
<br />
Today was an off day.<br />
<br />
After my morning routine, I took one hard look at my car and knew it was time. She needed a shine.<br />
<br />
Kari was at the gym working out a girl she trains, so I decided after I dusted off the fender of the 'ol Ford Focus I would pick her up and we would grab lunch.<br />
<br />
I pulled up to Pauley at noon, but for some reason Kari wanted me to come in and meet her.<br />
<br />
I took one step inside the gym, and shook my head.<br />
<br />
There he was again. The MVP.<br />
<br />
"STOP FOLLOWING ME!!!" he cried aloud.<br />
<br />
We both had the biggest smiles plastered on our faces.<br />
<br />
In order to quickly change that, we played pig.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen="" class="YOUTUBE-iframe-video" data-thumbnail-src="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/iSYvqlFBUI8/0.jpg" frameborder="0" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/iSYvqlFBUI8?feature=player_embedded" width="320"></iframe></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
One deep corner 3, rainbow floater, and lefty jump hook later, I dehorned the goat.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg03GC8PlcsLG2H_fAkEEHwu8KGMNCbfsjgX4_32IVTPro2KSBxPIqTWq6RyeYv4ZHBapOh5T3Nqw99j95s6kTgy0no1ZECeqRRuHL9Tq5IVTg1ishIMEqHHtHgIfNzbHUMPUqCPpYTs3k/s1600/Screen+Shot+2017-08-15+at+9.12.06+AM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="681" data-original-width="507" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg03GC8PlcsLG2H_fAkEEHwu8KGMNCbfsjgX4_32IVTPro2KSBxPIqTWq6RyeYv4ZHBapOh5T3Nqw99j95s6kTgy0no1ZECeqRRuHL9Tq5IVTg1ishIMEqHHtHgIfNzbHUMPUqCPpYTs3k/s320/Screen+Shot+2017-08-15+at+9.12.06+AM.png" width="238" /></a></div>
<br />
___________<br />
<br />
As we're all aware, the last time I left you all, I was at a crossroads.<br />
<br />
Earlier this morning I was at that same crossroads.<br />
<br />
What next?<br />
<br />
I'll tell you what I thought was next.<br />
<br />
I had my mind made up on Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.<br />
<br />
You heard it. Philly.<br />
<br />
Not Oklahoma City, not Nashville, not New York, Philly.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnNrucD_NF9bagEYLRoyb-HKzszq-E1_klu4dhmTbN52K4uSgbxdTUX2ZYHyyujzLL1fDYdXc1cllnYGcSH_unfDzVJZSryPQGKR1UfDPWSYopuFDiAc0F_0ICswGMDLPlcJqN4FsN16s/s1600/Screen+Shot+2017-08-15+at+9.24.33+AM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="592" data-original-width="591" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnNrucD_NF9bagEYLRoyb-HKzszq-E1_klu4dhmTbN52K4uSgbxdTUX2ZYHyyujzLL1fDYdXc1cllnYGcSH_unfDzVJZSryPQGKR1UfDPWSYopuFDiAc0F_0ICswGMDLPlcJqN4FsN16s/s320/Screen+Shot+2017-08-15+at+9.24.33+AM.png" width="319" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: x-small;">Then</span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRSVOiP3sNj7UFeXJGfWaKtz-4dKq7QlgbrVmf9mZ5HbkTzLKGm9uKWjdDtsqnGjIhnIicUpqEkB4p5HLlFdJZ2L_MJmBNUAHUra8Q51h-YXXj0emCFlnfs5cukk5ogaiogRcPT0N3bXg/s1600/Screen+Shot+2017-08-15+at+9.27.28+AM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="419" data-original-width="414" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRSVOiP3sNj7UFeXJGfWaKtz-4dKq7QlgbrVmf9mZ5HbkTzLKGm9uKWjdDtsqnGjIhnIicUpqEkB4p5HLlFdJZ2L_MJmBNUAHUra8Q51h-YXXj0emCFlnfs5cukk5ogaiogRcPT0N3bXg/s320/Screen+Shot+2017-08-15+at+9.27.28+AM.png" width="316" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: x-small;">And now</span></div>
<br />
A good family friend, Matt Fraschilla, (hi Matt) is now the current GA at Villanova. He has a place with a spare bedroom. "My" spare bedroom.<br />
<br />
Being a two-hour train ride from New York, the possibility of cheering my little brother on from the stands during his rookie season lit me up from head to toe.<br />
<br />
And the icing on the cake?<br />
<br />
It was free.<br />
<br />
How do you say no to that??<br />
<br />
I'll tell you how.<br />
<br />
Starts with a J and ends with an ob.<br />
<br />
I didn't have a job offer in Philly.<br />
<br />
What would I do there? Who do I know there? How could I live there?<br />
<br />
It snows and stuff.<br />
<br />
Despite my lack of employment, I was gungho about this idea.<br />
<br />
"The job will come later," I kept telling myself.<br />
<br />
Free rent doesn't come around too often and neither do NBA rookie seasons, so I had my mind made up. I was moving to Philly.<br />
<br />
That was, until I became friends with Russ.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkWc8J6XX9fMOEreSGcswNro4iLw2JLKFjsVM2gwLFkpiD-UIyirUlEG3kP5diY-4I2Jwj6jrK0ibL7gBz151QmhAG792Dc38MEudHwo7lXfLn5lVnvb1gf2MZJZGfs5bfjMh0ua55anw/s1600/Screen+Shot+2017-08-15+at+9.24.10+AM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="595" data-original-width="333" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkWc8J6XX9fMOEreSGcswNro4iLw2JLKFjsVM2gwLFkpiD-UIyirUlEG3kP5diY-4I2Jwj6jrK0ibL7gBz151QmhAG792Dc38MEudHwo7lXfLn5lVnvb1gf2MZJZGfs5bfjMh0ua55anw/s320/Screen+Shot+2017-08-15+at+9.24.10+AM.png" width="179" /></a></div>
<br />
___________<br />
<br />
My calling in life can be broken down into three bullet points:<br />
<br />
-Use the gifts God has given me to spread joy to others.<br />
<br />
-Use the gifts God has given me to spread God to others.<br />
<br />
-Use the gifts God has given me to help others feel confident they can do it too.<br />
<br />
Russell showed me how.<br />
<br />
As I stated in my last blog, my head coach offered me a job to work for UCLA. Her vision is to showcase UCLA in a way that I kinda already naturally do.<br />
<br />
Show the world how great this university really is.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwnXRB48d_B0_NDzW3A31V_nspr2KX_c8-FWW7dzi6IbkOjJwiq_eB8Wut87QqYmlv31G4-iQ1p_IN7O1gtlX8IQGzxF0GKan8pddAigS2wUO3544erhiHB9ds0Q4Qus5B_fvD9ikebjk/s1600/Screen+Shot+2017-08-15+at+10.24.45+AM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="383" data-original-width="745" height="205" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwnXRB48d_B0_NDzW3A31V_nspr2KX_c8-FWW7dzi6IbkOjJwiq_eB8Wut87QqYmlv31G4-iQ1p_IN7O1gtlX8IQGzxF0GKan8pddAigS2wUO3544erhiHB9ds0Q4Qus5B_fvD9ikebjk/s400/Screen+Shot+2017-08-15+at+10.24.45+AM.png" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
It's right up my alley.<br />
<br />
But for the longest time I had severe doubts floating around my head. Saying yes to her meant saying no to Philly. It meant remaining 1,787 miles away from my mom and dad. It meant running the risk of dating beautiful men with low morals. It meant paying half my salary in rent. It meant staying put.<br />
<br />
And trust me, telling Miss Spontaneity to stay put isn't an easy task.<br />
<br />
After two years of hittin' it, it's typically time for me to start quittin' it.<br />
<br />
But after meeting Russell, something finally clicked.<br />
<br />
I can do both.<br />
<br />
I don't have to be tied down to one location. I'm no longer a collegiate athlete who has to be on call 24/7/365. I get weekends. And weekends mean travel.<br />
<br />
___________<br />
<br />
Oftentimes people try to put themselves in a box way too early.<br />
<br />
We think we aren't living up to our expectations we set for ourselves, or really, the expectations others set for ourselves, so we quickly say yes to the first opportunity that comes a' knockin' in order to feel like we did what we were supposed to.<br />
<br />
We graduated, we got the job, we're adulting.<br />
<br />
But are we happy?<br />
<br />
After I graduated I was on a quest to impress.<br />
<br />
I had made a lot of connections at UCLA, and I was eagerly awaiting the next glorious opportunity to be handed to me on a silver platter.<br />
<br />
That silver platter never showed up.<br />
<br />
What did show up is my consistency.<br />
<br />
I don't know what I'm passionate about, but I do know I love to work.<br />
<br />
It doesn't matter if that work looks like restocking a bar, or traveling the world and covering major sports events.<br />
<br />
It had taken me 23 years to realize that what others thought about my job status meant diddly squat. If I'm passionate about restocking raspberries then by golly I will restock those raspberries to the best of my abilities.<br />
<br />
That being said, I don't think I'm super passionate about restocking raspberries.<br />
<br />
Which meant I was back to square one-- what next?<br />
<br />
___________<br />
<br />
Just a few days after my last blog post a UCLA donor contacted me.<br />
<br />
He offered me a full-time job at his record label, Blue Elan. My title? Social Media Manager.<br />
<br />
Because of this blog, this very blog, I was offered a job.<br />
<br />
A couple days after the offer my mom called me up.<br />
<br />
She wanted to know if I was free the weekend of October 21st.<br />
<br />
To shoot a pilot for a travel show a production company wants to do with the two of us.<br />
<br />
After morning ball the following day, Baron Davis texted me and told me he would love to be featured in an episode and would like to discuss more over coffee.<br />
<br />
The next night... Coach Cori told me that she could find me a living situation in LA.<br />
<br />
___________<br />
<br />
After a few agonizing weeks of tossing and turning every night, the jig was up.<br />
<br />
A decision had been made.<br />
<br />
No matter how hard I try to hide it, I can't leave this place.<br />
<br />
I can't leave LA.<br />
<br />
Not yet at least. Not like this. Not to Philadelphia. Not now.<br />
<br />
I am surrounded by the best of the best.<br />
<br />
I am loved by some of the most beloved.<br />
<br />
I am infatuated with palm trees, fluffy sand, zero humidity, no bugs, summer breezes, and Philz Coffee.<br />
<br />
I am not here simply to pass through.<br />
<br />
I am on a mission to make the city of Los Angeles home.<br />
<br />
I am where I belong.<br />
<br />
So many people stereotype this place.<br />
<br />
"There's too much traffic."<br />
"The people are crazy."<br />
"It smells like weed."<br />
"It's way too expensive."<br />
<br />
I believe God has planted me here to break the mold.<br />
<br />
And God gave me Russell to prove it.<br />
<br />
LA isn't as big as it seems; it's as big as you make it.<br />
<br />
If you want to find a solid, God-fearing friend group, you will find it.<br />
<br />
If you want that dream job, chances are you'll eventually get it.<br />
<br />
If you only want to take, take, take, you'll always come up empty.<br />
<br />
As much as I thought my heart was leading me to Philadelphia--somewhere closer to home, somewhere where Catholicism runs deeps, somewhere new--he was trying to tell me all along that I can have all of that and more if I just sit still.<br />
<br />
I'm in a transitional stage of my life. My life is going to be different whether I like it or not.<br />
<br />
So what was I running from??<br />
<br />
Coach Cori offered me a job to do what I do best:<br />
<br />
Love Los Angeles.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWemxpELgYnj05FuuSHw9GvPCz5PzlYX8tqRLTq5uuTWzkl2n2YZcLflIwQJTqCbKVtV-BLHpAczTixaYbo5g9WUNa-01OVsHtziD6la1x89_ni3WJPOAofjD3TdsftcDl6IjUYwQEUAk/s1600/Screen+Shot+2017-08-15+at+10.22.19+AM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="594" data-original-width="1058" height="179" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWemxpELgYnj05FuuSHw9GvPCz5PzlYX8tqRLTq5uuTWzkl2n2YZcLflIwQJTqCbKVtV-BLHpAczTixaYbo5g9WUNa-01OVsHtziD6la1x89_ni3WJPOAofjD3TdsftcDl6IjUYwQEUAk/s320/Screen+Shot+2017-08-15+at+10.22.19+AM.png" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
With the help of UCLA production, I will be able to market athletes for who they truly are. Whether it be for UCLA, the Lakers, the Clippers, or the Rams, I will be traveling around LA and beyond in order to showcase athletes in a light they have never been showcased before.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhy6vFtO6IejjeRHp6MIRY24OJppTNM9Iw2xyp-i6yGoSw1BYlUa6WE90hAtu_-IayXjSWHBlvFerXcGcvmb3T4JtiUtEE_LY9Eq6VjaPMhRkQKrno_PrdVqU_7RejHSkxz-pFuKb_ftts/s1600/Screen+Shot+2017-08-15+at+9.22.26+AM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="577" data-original-width="324" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhy6vFtO6IejjeRHp6MIRY24OJppTNM9Iw2xyp-i6yGoSw1BYlUa6WE90hAtu_-IayXjSWHBlvFerXcGcvmb3T4JtiUtEE_LY9Eq6VjaPMhRkQKrno_PrdVqU_7RejHSkxz-pFuKb_ftts/s320/Screen+Shot+2017-08-15+at+9.22.26+AM.png" width="179" /></a></div>
<br />
I get to use the gifts God has given me to spread joy to athletes.<br />
<br />
I get to use the gifts God has given me to spread God to athletes.<br />
<br />
I get to use the gifts God has given me to help athletes feel confident they can do it too.<br />
<br />
Everyone has a story to tell.<br />
<br />
And it's my job to share it.<br />
<br />
<br />Nicole Kornethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12752896360950497403noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5054348110797123772.post-50850299808981396362017-07-31T12:14:00.000-07:002017-08-01T08:46:03.891-07:00Undrafted<div id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1501521304270_2041" style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px; color: #454545; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', 'Segoe UI', Helvetica, Arial, 'Lucida Grande', sans-serif; line-height: normal; padding: 0px;">
"There are over 400,000 NCAA student-athletes, and just about all of us will be going pro in something other than sports."</div>
<div id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1501521304270_2077" style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px; color: #454545; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', 'Segoe UI', Helvetica, Arial, 'Lucida Grande', sans-serif; line-height: normal; padding: 0px;">
<span style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfkXcVkRYo6x23UNEYs43R3QanQtkdzIV4QfZHgqJHdq1jHyvKyMfDFlCDklAsZw8ci57u-ucXNM3GY3oEaLvV4DA-hgTz7Ydvd9OtpPVZV6IRtOU6__6hxangrz3zZGtGUldxXvKtpIU/s1600/Screen+Shot+2017-07-31+at+11.51.32+AM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="583" data-original-width="823" height="226" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfkXcVkRYo6x23UNEYs43R3QanQtkdzIV4QfZHgqJHdq1jHyvKyMfDFlCDklAsZw8ci57u-ucXNM3GY3oEaLvV4DA-hgTz7Ydvd9OtpPVZV6IRtOU6__6hxangrz3zZGtGUldxXvKtpIU/s320/Screen+Shot+2017-07-31+at+11.51.32+AM.png" width="320" /></a></div>
<div id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1501521304270_2077" style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px; color: #454545; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', 'Segoe UI', Helvetica, Arial, 'Lucida Grande', sans-serif; line-height: normal; padding: 0px;">
<br /></div>
<div id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1501521304270_2078" style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px; color: #454545; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', 'Segoe UI', Helvetica, Arial, 'Lucida Grande', sans-serif; line-height: normal; min-height: 16.7px; padding: 0px;">
SO YOU'RE SAYING I HAVE A CHANCE?!</div>
<div id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1501521304270_2078" style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px; color: #454545; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', 'Segoe UI', Helvetica, Arial, 'Lucida Grande', sans-serif; line-height: normal; min-height: 16.7px; padding: 0px;">
<br /></div>
<div id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1501521304270_2078" style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px; color: #454545; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', 'Segoe UI', Helvetica, Arial, 'Lucida Grande', sans-serif; line-height: normal; min-height: 16.7px; padding: 0px;">
I used to scoff at that commercial.</div>
<div id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1501521304270_2080" style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px; color: #454545; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', 'Segoe UI', Helvetica, Arial, 'Lucida Grande', sans-serif; line-height: normal; min-height: 16.7px; padding: 0px;">
<span style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px;"></span><br style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px;" /></div>
<div id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1501521304270_2082" style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px; color: #454545; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', 'Segoe UI', Helvetica, Arial, 'Lucida Grande', sans-serif; line-height: normal; padding: 0px;">
<span id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1501521304270_2081" style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px;">Why? </span></div>
<div id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1501521304270_2082" style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px; color: #454545; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', 'Segoe UI', Helvetica, Arial, 'Lucida Grande', sans-serif; line-height: normal; padding: 0px;">
<span style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px;"><br /></span></div>
<div id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1501521304270_2082" style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px; color: #454545; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', 'Segoe UI', Helvetica, Arial, 'Lucida Grande', sans-serif; line-height: normal; padding: 0px;">
<span style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px;">My dad played in the NBA. He did it.</span></div>
<div id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1501521304270_2082" style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px; color: #454545; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', 'Segoe UI', Helvetica, Arial, 'Lucida Grande', sans-serif; line-height: normal; padding: 0px;">
<span style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px;"><br /></span></div>
<div id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1501521304270_2082" style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px; color: #454545; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', 'Segoe UI', Helvetica, Arial, 'Lucida Grande', sans-serif; line-height: normal; padding: 0px;">
<span style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px;">I was recruited by almost every school in the nation. </span>I did it.<br />
<br />
I'm going pro.<br />
<br />
I'm one of a kind.<br />
<br />
I'm the best there ever was.</div>
<div style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px; color: #454545; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', 'Segoe UI', Helvetica, Arial, 'Lucida Grande', sans-serif; line-height: normal; min-height: 16.7px; padding: 0px;">
<span style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px;"></span></div>
<div style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px; color: #454545; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', 'Segoe UI', Helvetica, Arial, 'Lucida Grande', sans-serif; line-height: normal; min-height: 16.7px; padding: 0px;">
I'm currently working at the JW Marriott.<span style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px;"></span></div>
<div style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px; color: #454545; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', 'Segoe UI', Helvetica, Arial, 'Lucida Grande', sans-serif; line-height: normal; min-height: 16.7px; padding: 0px;">
<span style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px;"></span><br style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px;" /></div>
<div style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px; color: #454545; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', 'Segoe UI', Helvetica, Arial, 'Lucida Grande', sans-serif; line-height: normal; padding: 0px;">
<span style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px;">As a cocktail waitress.</span></div>
<div style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px; color: #454545; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', 'Segoe UI', Helvetica, Arial, 'Lucida Grande', sans-serif; line-height: normal; padding: 0px;">
<span style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjouNLD4t0cIauD7R1M8eXM58lYxqtZJT6jcNXoSqV4kUHYFkOieuaPsH1MbU9DL8E1Yicz6EDyXs1U0m2XuOik44185D-eD2i1rDs3XJ4L_28PETbeNYDbOyUrwRpz9qCjNoMxURm9DTk/s1600/Screen+Shot+2017-07-31+at+11.48.25+AM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="639" data-original-width="480" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjouNLD4t0cIauD7R1M8eXM58lYxqtZJT6jcNXoSqV4kUHYFkOieuaPsH1MbU9DL8E1Yicz6EDyXs1U0m2XuOik44185D-eD2i1rDs3XJ4L_28PETbeNYDbOyUrwRpz9qCjNoMxURm9DTk/s320/Screen+Shot+2017-07-31+at+11.48.25+AM.png" width="239" /></a></div>
<div style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px; line-height: normal; min-height: 16.7px; padding: 0px; text-align: start;">
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: x-small;">My get-up</span></div>
</div>
<div style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px; color: #454545; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', 'Segoe UI', Helvetica, Arial, 'Lucida Grande', sans-serif; line-height: normal; padding: 0px;">
<span style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px;">I know what you're thinking.</span></div>
<div style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px; color: #454545; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', 'Segoe UI', Helvetica, Arial, 'Lucida Grande', sans-serif; line-height: normal; min-height: 16.7px; padding: 0px;">
<span style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px;"></span><br style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px;" /></div>
<div style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px; color: #454545; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', 'Segoe UI', Helvetica, Arial, 'Lucida Grande', sans-serif; line-height: normal; padding: 0px;">
<span style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px;">She's hit rock bottom.</span></div>
<div style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px; color: #454545; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', 'Segoe UI', Helvetica, Arial, 'Lucida Grande', sans-serif; line-height: normal; padding: 0px;">
<span style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px; line-height: normal; padding: 0px;">
<span style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px; color: #454545; font-family: "helvetica neue" , "segoe ui" , "helvetica" , "arial" , "lucida grande" , sans-serif;">Not so fast! I now know </span><span style="color: #454545; font-family: "helvetica neue" , "segoe ui" , "helvetica" , "arial" , "lucida grande" , sans-serif;">the difference between Kettle One and Tito's.</span></div>
<div style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px; line-height: normal; padding: 0px;">
<span style="color: #454545; font-family: "helvetica neue" , "segoe ui" , "helvetica" , "arial" , "lucida grande" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px; line-height: normal; padding: 0px;">
<span style="color: #454545; font-family: "helvetica neue" , "segoe ui" , "helvetica" , "arial" , "lucida grande" , sans-serif;">Swimming knee deep in chardonnays and pinos? Let me enlighten you on the difference between which have been locally fermented in the vineyards of Napa, and which have been imported from the sprawling countrysides of Italy.</span></div>
<div style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px; line-height: normal; padding: 0px;">
<span style="color: #454545; font-family: "helvetica neue" , "segoe ui" , "helvetica" , "arial" , "lucida grande" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px; line-height: normal; padding: 0px;">
<span style="color: #454545; font-family: "helvetica neue" , "segoe ui" , "helvetica" , "arial" , "lucida grande" , sans-serif;">And don't get me started on our seasonal raspberry mules and summer shandys! </span></div>
<div style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px; line-height: normal; padding: 0px;">
<span style="color: #454545; font-family: "helvetica neue" , "segoe ui" , "helvetica" , "arial" , "lucida grande" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px; color: #454545; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', 'Segoe UI', Helvetica, Arial, 'Lucida Grande', sans-serif; line-height: normal; padding: 0px;">
<span style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px;">After graduation my aunt, uncle, and 3 precious little cousins took me out to dinner. They flew all the way out to California from Florida to support me on my big day. They were staying at an airbnb in Venice Beach. One of their buddies owned it.</span></div>
<div style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px; color: #454545; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', 'Segoe UI', Helvetica, Arial, 'Lucida Grande', sans-serif; line-height: normal; min-height: 16.7px; padding: 0px;">
<span style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px;"></span><br style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px;" /></div>
<div style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px; color: #454545; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', 'Segoe UI', Helvetica, Arial, 'Lucida Grande', sans-serif; line-height: normal; padding: 0px;">
<span style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px;">My Florida fam is super outdoorsy. They're the version of myself I still hope to become. They surf. They sail. They're musically inclined.</span></div>
<div style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px; color: #454545; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', 'Segoe UI', Helvetica, Arial, 'Lucida Grande', sans-serif; line-height: normal; min-height: 16.7px; padding: 0px;">
<span style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px;"></span><br style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px;" /></div>
<div style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px; color: #454545; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', 'Segoe UI', Helvetica, Arial, 'Lucida Grande', sans-serif; line-height: normal; padding: 0px;">
<span style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px;">With that being said, I was hoping to wow them with my surfing prowess that afternoon. I strapped my board to the top of my car and met them in Venice. </span></div>
<div style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px; color: #454545; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', 'Segoe UI', Helvetica, Arial, 'Lucida Grande', sans-serif; line-height: normal; padding: 0px;">
<span style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_6_u2C-tlxgDpfYCQUU9yYYQ0XeOFL6_HzK8BE5d3Cwn-kxBLvLz3ZcvJzAZaEEjufPb1hZ-DKRdIfwwk0QOa4qBYRTsYEZmhZurYPxISNvMFzKsON2qgfSerKIkXnkCIOMmx9p7AFNw/s1600/Screen+Shot+2017-07-31+at+11.50.28+AM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="639" data-original-width="475" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_6_u2C-tlxgDpfYCQUU9yYYQ0XeOFL6_HzK8BE5d3Cwn-kxBLvLz3ZcvJzAZaEEjufPb1hZ-DKRdIfwwk0QOa4qBYRTsYEZmhZurYPxISNvMFzKsON2qgfSerKIkXnkCIOMmx9p7AFNw/s320/Screen+Shot+2017-07-31+at+11.50.28+AM.png" width="237" /></a></div>
<div style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px; color: #454545; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', 'Segoe UI', Helvetica, Arial, 'Lucida Grande', sans-serif; line-height: normal; padding: 0px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px; color: #454545; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', 'Segoe UI', Helvetica, Arial, 'Lucida Grande', sans-serif; line-height: normal; padding: 0px;">
<span style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px;">The airbnb was beautiful. A two-story beach house a block from the water. The owner and his wife, Imen, were amazing. Imen is now my manager. At the JW Marriott.</span></div>
<div style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px; color: #454545; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', 'Segoe UI', Helvetica, Arial, 'Lucida Grande', sans-serif; line-height: normal; min-height: 16.7px; padding: 0px;">
<span style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px;"></span><br style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px;" /></div>
<div style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px; color: #454545; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', 'Segoe UI', Helvetica, Arial, 'Lucida Grande', sans-serif; line-height: normal; padding: 0px;">
<span style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px;">Long story long, she convinced me to give the hotel business a shot. I could tell how much she loved her job the way she lit up when she talked about it.</span></div>
<div style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px; color: #454545; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', 'Segoe UI', Helvetica, Arial, 'Lucida Grande', sans-serif; line-height: normal; min-height: 16.7px; padding: 0px;">
<span style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px;"></span><br style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px;" /></div>
<div style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px; color: #454545; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', 'Segoe UI', Helvetica, Arial, 'Lucida Grande', sans-serif; line-height: normal; padding: 0px;">
<span style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px;">Was I missing something here?</span></div>
<div style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px; color: #454545; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', 'Segoe UI', Helvetica, Arial, 'Lucida Grande', sans-serif; line-height: normal; min-height: 16.7px; padding: 0px;">
<span style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px;"></span><br style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px;" /></div>
<div style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px; color: #454545; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', 'Segoe UI', Helvetica, Arial, 'Lucida Grande', sans-serif; line-height: normal; padding: 0px;">
<span style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px;">Is the food and beverage department in the hospitality industry the secret to happiness???</span></div>
<div style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px; color: #454545; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', 'Segoe UI', Helvetica, Arial, 'Lucida Grande', sans-serif; line-height: normal; min-height: 16.7px; padding: 0px;">
<span style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px;"></span><br style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px;" /></div>
<div style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px; color: #454545; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', 'Segoe UI', Helvetica, Arial, 'Lucida Grande', sans-serif; line-height: normal; padding: 0px;">
<span style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px;">7 days and a 70-hour work week later I can tell you that it's...</span></div>
<div style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px; color: #454545; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', 'Segoe UI', Helvetica, Arial, 'Lucida Grande', sans-serif; line-height: normal; min-height: 16.7px; padding: 0px;">
<span style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px;"></span><br style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px;" /></div>
<div style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px; color: #454545; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', 'Segoe UI', Helvetica, Arial, 'Lucida Grande', sans-serif; line-height: normal; padding: 0px;">
<span style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px;">Not exactly what I thought it was going to be.</span></div>
<div style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px; color: #454545; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', 'Segoe UI', Helvetica, Arial, 'Lucida Grande', sans-serif; line-height: normal; min-height: 16.7px; padding: 0px;">
<span style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px;"></span><br style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px;" /></div>
<div style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px; color: #454545; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', 'Segoe UI', Helvetica, Arial, 'Lucida Grande', sans-serif; line-height: normal; padding: 0px;">
<span style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px;">But it has taught me so much so quickly.</span></div>
<div style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px; color: #454545; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', 'Segoe UI', Helvetica, Arial, 'Lucida Grande', sans-serif; line-height: normal; min-height: 16.7px; padding: 0px;">
<span style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px;"></span><br style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px;" /></div>
<div style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px; color: #454545; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', 'Segoe UI', Helvetica, Arial, 'Lucida Grande', sans-serif; line-height: normal; padding: 0px;">
<span style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px;">I really do take pleasure in a 4-star beachfront resort overlooking the water. It's quite lovely serving guests in the beautiful California sunshine.</span></div>
<div style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px; color: #454545; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', 'Segoe UI', Helvetica, Arial, 'Lucida Grande', sans-serif; line-height: normal; padding: 0px;">
<span style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px; color: #454545; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', 'Segoe UI', Helvetica, Arial, 'Lucida Grande', sans-serif; line-height: normal; padding: 0px;">
<span style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px;">And the people! I've made a myriad of friends from all walks of life. Some of the most humble, hardworking, nose-to-the-grindstone co-workers I think I'll ever have.</span></div>
<div style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px; color: #454545; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', 'Segoe UI', Helvetica, Arial, 'Lucida Grande', sans-serif; line-height: normal; padding: 0px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px; color: #454545; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', 'Segoe UI', Helvetica, Arial, 'Lucida Grande', sans-serif; line-height: normal; padding: 0px;">
Plus, I'm making some cash monnnaayyy if youknowwhaimsayyyin.</div>
<div style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px; color: #454545; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', 'Segoe UI', Helvetica, Arial, 'Lucida Grande', sans-serif; line-height: normal; padding: 0px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px; color: #454545; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', 'Segoe UI', Helvetica, Arial, 'Lucida Grande', sans-serif; line-height: normal; padding: 0px;">
____________</div>
<div style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px; color: #454545; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', 'Segoe UI', Helvetica, Arial, 'Lucida Grande', sans-serif; line-height: normal; padding: 0px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px; color: #454545; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', 'Segoe UI', Helvetica, Arial, 'Lucida Grande', sans-serif; line-height: normal; padding: 0px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px; color: #454545; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', 'Segoe UI', Helvetica, Arial, 'Lucida Grande', sans-serif; line-height: normal; padding: 0px;">
<span style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px;">My lease ends in a month.</span></div>
<div style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px; color: #454545; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', 'Segoe UI', Helvetica, Arial, 'Lucida Grande', sans-serif; line-height: normal; min-height: 16.7px; padding: 0px;">
<span style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px;"></span><br style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px;" /></div>
<div style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px; color: #454545; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', 'Segoe UI', Helvetica, Arial, 'Lucida Grande', sans-serif; line-height: normal; padding: 0px;">
<span style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px;">College is over.</span></div>
<div style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px; color: #454545; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', 'Segoe UI', Helvetica, Arial, 'Lucida Grande', sans-serif; line-height: normal; min-height: 16.7px; padding: 0px;">
<span style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px;"></span><br style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px;" /></div>
<div style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px; color: #454545; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', 'Segoe UI', Helvetica, Arial, 'Lucida Grande', sans-serif; line-height: normal; padding: 0px;">
<span style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px;">For those of you who know me, you know I can't sit still. I have to be doing something. If I'm not, I drive myself crazy. And yes, sometimes sitting on my butt not doing anything is something and I'm okay with that. But I have a limit. If the limit is exceeded, I lose my cool.</span></div>
<div style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px; color: #454545; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', 'Segoe UI', Helvetica, Arial, 'Lucida Grande', sans-serif; line-height: normal; min-height: 16.7px; padding: 0px;">
<span style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px;"></span><br style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px;" /></div>
<div style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px; color: #454545; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', 'Segoe UI', Helvetica, Arial, 'Lucida Grande', sans-serif; line-height: normal; padding: 0px;">
<span style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px;">So, why not take up bartending?</span></div>
<div style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px; color: #454545; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', 'Segoe UI', Helvetica, Arial, 'Lucida Grande', sans-serif; line-height: normal; min-height: 16.7px; padding: 0px;">
<span style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px;"></span><br style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px;" /></div>
<div style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px; color: #454545; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', 'Segoe UI', Helvetica, Arial, 'Lucida Grande', sans-serif; line-height: normal; padding: 0px;">
<span style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px;">Why not dive into an area totally untapped by my cerebral cortex and give it a shot?</span></div>
<div style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px; color: #454545; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', 'Segoe UI', Helvetica, Arial, 'Lucida Grande', sans-serif; line-height: normal; min-height: 16.7px; padding: 0px;">
<span style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px;"></span><br style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px;" /></div>
<div style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px; color: #454545; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', 'Segoe UI', Helvetica, Arial, 'Lucida Grande', sans-serif; line-height: normal; padding: 0px;">
<span style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px;">I mean I did graduate from UCLA. How hard could it be?</span></div>
<div style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px; color: #454545; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', 'Segoe UI', Helvetica, Arial, 'Lucida Grande', sans-serif; line-height: normal; min-height: 16.7px; padding: 0px;">
<span style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px;"></span><br style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px;" /></div>
<div style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px; color: #454545; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', 'Segoe UI', Helvetica, Arial, 'Lucida Grande', sans-serif; line-height: normal; padding: 0px;">
<span style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px;">It's been the hardest 7 days of my life. Just ask my roommates. They've seen me at my worst. That's if they see me. </span></div>
<div style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px; color: #454545; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', 'Segoe UI', Helvetica, Arial, 'Lucida Grande', sans-serif; line-height: normal; min-height: 16.7px; padding: 0px;">
<span style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px;"></span><br style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px;" /></div>
<div style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px; color: #454545; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', 'Segoe UI', Helvetica, Arial, 'Lucida Grande', sans-serif; line-height: normal; padding: 0px;">
<span style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px;">I leave at 9am and get home at 9pm, battling traffic to & fro.</span></div>
<div style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px; color: #454545; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', 'Segoe UI', Helvetica, Arial, 'Lucida Grande', sans-serif; line-height: normal; min-height: 16.7px; padding: 0px;">
<span style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px;"></span><br style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px;" /></div>
<div style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px; color: #454545; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', 'Segoe UI', Helvetica, Arial, 'Lucida Grande', sans-serif; line-height: normal; padding: 0px;">
<span style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px;">Then I eat dinner.</span></div>
<div style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px; color: #454545; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', 'Segoe UI', Helvetica, Arial, 'Lucida Grande', sans-serif; line-height: normal; min-height: 16.7px; padding: 0px;">
<span style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px;"></span><br style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px;" /></div>
<div style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px; color: #454545; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', 'Segoe UI', Helvetica, Arial, 'Lucida Grande', sans-serif; line-height: normal; padding: 0px;">
<span style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px;">Then I shower.</span></div>
<div style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px; color: #454545; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', 'Segoe UI', Helvetica, Arial, 'Lucida Grande', sans-serif; line-height: normal; min-height: 16.7px; padding: 0px;">
<span style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px;"></span><br style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px;" /></div>
<div style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px; color: #454545; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', 'Segoe UI', Helvetica, Arial, 'Lucida Grande', sans-serif; line-height: normal; padding: 0px;">
<span style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px;">Then I go to bed.</span></div>
<div style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px; color: #454545; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', 'Segoe UI', Helvetica, Arial, 'Lucida Grande', sans-serif; line-height: normal; min-height: 16.7px; padding: 0px;">
<span style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px;"></span><br style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px;" /></div>
<div style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px; color: #454545; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', 'Segoe UI', Helvetica, Arial, 'Lucida Grande', sans-serif; line-height: normal; padding: 0px;">
<span style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px;">Then I wake up and do it all over again.</span></div>
<div style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px; color: #454545; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', 'Segoe UI', Helvetica, Arial, 'Lucida Grande', sans-serif; line-height: normal; min-height: 16.7px; padding: 0px;">
<span style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px;"></span><br style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px;" /></div>
<div style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px; color: #454545; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', 'Segoe UI', Helvetica, Arial, 'Lucida Grande', sans-serif; line-height: normal; padding: 0px;">
____________</div>
<div style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px; color: #454545; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', 'Segoe UI', Helvetica, Arial, 'Lucida Grande', sans-serif; line-height: normal; padding: 0px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px; color: #454545; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', 'Segoe UI', Helvetica, Arial, 'Lucida Grande', sans-serif; line-height: normal; padding: 0px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px; color: #454545; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', 'Segoe UI', Helvetica, Arial, 'Lucida Grande', sans-serif; line-height: normal; padding: 0px;">
<span style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px;">My head coach at UCLA offered me a part-time job working for UCLA athletics.</span></div>
<div style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px; color: #454545; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', 'Segoe UI', Helvetica, Arial, 'Lucida Grande', sans-serif; line-height: normal; min-height: 16.7px; padding: 0px;">
<span style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px;"></span><br style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px;" /></div>
<div style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px; color: #454545; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', 'Segoe UI', Helvetica, Arial, 'Lucida Grande', sans-serif; line-height: normal; padding: 0px;">
<span style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px;">This was before my newfound gig as "diner girl."</span></div>
<div style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px; color: #454545; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', 'Segoe UI', Helvetica, Arial, 'Lucida Grande', sans-serif; line-height: normal; min-height: 16.7px; padding: 0px;">
<span style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px;"></span><br style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px;" /></div>
<div style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px; color: #454545; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', 'Segoe UI', Helvetica, Arial, 'Lucida Grande', sans-serif; line-height: normal; padding: 0px;">
<span style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px;">My role would be to emcee basketball games, create behind-the-scenes videos with athletes, and--within the confines of women's basketball--dabble in broadcast television. </span></div>
<div style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px; color: #454545; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', 'Segoe UI', Helvetica, Arial, 'Lucida Grande', sans-serif; line-height: normal; min-height: 16.7px; padding: 0px;">
<span style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px;"></span><br style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px;" /></div>
<div style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px; color: #454545; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', 'Segoe UI', Helvetica, Arial, 'Lucida Grande', sans-serif; line-height: normal; padding: 0px;">
<span style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px;">After basketball season ended I got an internship at Wasserman. It's a world-renowned sports agency, one that represents some of the best clientele in the world.</span></div>
<div style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px; color: #454545; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', 'Segoe UI', Helvetica, Arial, 'Lucida Grande', sans-serif; line-height: normal; min-height: 16.7px; padding: 0px;">
<span style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px;"></span><br style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px;" /></div>
<div style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px; color: #454545; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', 'Segoe UI', Helvetica, Arial, 'Lucida Grande', sans-serif; line-height: normal; padding: 0px;">
<span style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px;">Russell Westbrook was a frequent visitor.</span></div>
<div style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px; color: #454545; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', 'Segoe UI', Helvetica, Arial, 'Lucida Grande', sans-serif; line-height: normal; min-height: 16.7px; padding: 0px;">
<span style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px;"></span><br style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px;" /></div>
<div style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px; color: #454545; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', 'Segoe UI', Helvetica, Arial, 'Lucida Grande', sans-serif; line-height: normal; padding: 0px;">
<span style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px;">One evening at the office I took the elevator down with him and took him to get his car washed. That internship was cool.</span></div>
<div style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px; color: #454545; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', 'Segoe UI', Helvetica, Arial, 'Lucida Grande', sans-serif; line-height: normal; min-height: 16.7px; padding: 0px;">
<span style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px;"></span><br style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px;" /></div>
<div style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px; color: #454545; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', 'Segoe UI', Helvetica, Arial, 'Lucida Grande', sans-serif; line-height: normal; padding: 0px;">
<span style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px;">Two weeks ago, I was camp director for the UCLA basketball camps and had to consistently kick off the Los Angeles Sparks, Kanye West, Real Madrid, and Kyrie Irving from the practice courts. </span></div>
<div style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px; color: #454545; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', 'Segoe UI', Helvetica, Arial, 'Lucida Grande', sans-serif; line-height: normal; min-height: 16.7px; padding: 0px;">
<span style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px;"></span><br style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px;" /></div>
<div style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px; color: #454545; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', 'Segoe UI', Helvetica, Arial, 'Lucida Grande', sans-serif; line-height: normal; padding: 0px;">
<span style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px;">Only at UCLA.</span></div>
<div style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px; color: #454545; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', 'Segoe UI', Helvetica, Arial, 'Lucida Grande', sans-serif; line-height: normal; min-height: 16.7px; padding: 0px;">
<span style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px;"></span><br style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px;" /></div>
<div style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px; color: #454545; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', 'Segoe UI', Helvetica, Arial, 'Lucida Grande', sans-serif; line-height: normal; padding: 0px;">
<span style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px;">Two days ago, I had an interview at CBS in Los Angeles. I met with the GM. The same GM who was my mom's GM when she worked for CBS in Dallas.</span></div>
<div style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px; color: #454545; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', 'Segoe UI', Helvetica, Arial, 'Lucida Grande', sans-serif; line-height: normal; min-height: 16.7px; padding: 0px;">
<span style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px;"></span><br style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px;" /></div>
<div style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px; color: #454545; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', 'Segoe UI', Helvetica, Arial, 'Lucida Grande', sans-serif; line-height: normal; padding: 0px;">
<span style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px;">This morning I found out I got the part and will be cast in an Under Armour commercial.</span></div>
<div style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px; color: #454545; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', 'Segoe UI', Helvetica, Arial, 'Lucida Grande', sans-serif; line-height: normal; min-height: 16.7px; padding: 0px;">
<span style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px;"></span><br style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px;" /></div>
<div style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px; color: #454545; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', 'Segoe UI', Helvetica, Arial, 'Lucida Grande', sans-serif; line-height: normal; padding: 0px;">
<span style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px;">Sounds a little more "Nicole", am I right?</span></div>
<div style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px; color: #454545; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', 'Segoe UI', Helvetica, Arial, 'Lucida Grande', sans-serif; line-height: normal; min-height: 16.7px; padding: 0px;">
<span style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px;"></span><br style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px;" /></div>
<div style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px; color: #454545; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', 'Segoe UI', Helvetica, Arial, 'Lucida Grande', sans-serif; line-height: normal; padding: 0px;">
<span style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px;">These are the kinds of opportunities I regurgitate to people when they ask me what I want to do for the rest of my life.</span></div>
<div style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px; color: #454545; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', 'Segoe UI', Helvetica, Arial, 'Lucida Grande', sans-serif; line-height: normal; min-height: 16.7px; padding: 0px;">
<span style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px;"></span><br style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px;" /></div>
<div style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px; color: #454545; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', 'Segoe UI', Helvetica, Arial, 'Lucida Grande', sans-serif; line-height: normal; padding: 0px;">
<span style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px;">But what people don't know is that I haven't said yes to any of them. </span></div>
<div style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px; color: #454545; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', 'Segoe UI', Helvetica, Arial, 'Lucida Grande', sans-serif; line-height: normal; min-height: 16.7px; padding: 0px;">
<span style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px;"></span><br style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px;" /></div>
<div style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px; color: #454545; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', 'Segoe UI', Helvetica, Arial, 'Lucida Grande', sans-serif; line-height: normal; padding: 0px;">
<span style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px;">(Except for the Under Armour commercial because that's just flat-out sick).</span></div>
<div style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px; color: #454545; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', 'Segoe UI', Helvetica, Arial, 'Lucida Grande', sans-serif; line-height: normal; min-height: 16.7px; padding: 0px;">
<span style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px;"></span><br style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px;" /></div>
<div style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px; color: #454545; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', 'Segoe UI', Helvetica, Arial, 'Lucida Grande', sans-serif; line-height: normal; padding: 0px;">
<span style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px;">It's been two months since Coach Cori offered me the job and I haven't said yes.</span></div>
<div style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px; color: #454545; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', 'Segoe UI', Helvetica, Arial, 'Lucida Grande', sans-serif; line-height: normal; min-height: 16.7px; padding: 0px;">
<span style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px;"></span><br style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px;" /></div>
<div style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px; color: #454545; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', 'Segoe UI', Helvetica, Arial, 'Lucida Grande', sans-serif; line-height: normal; padding: 0px;">
<span style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px;">Coach, I know you're reading this and I know you're wondering what I'm about to say next.</span></div>
<div style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px; color: #454545; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', 'Segoe UI', Helvetica, Arial, 'Lucida Grande', sans-serif; line-height: normal; min-height: 16.7px; padding: 0px;">
<span style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px;"></span><br style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px;" /></div>
<div style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px; color: #454545; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', 'Segoe UI', Helvetica, Arial, 'Lucida Grande', sans-serif; line-height: normal; padding: 0px;">
<span style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px;">I don't know if I want to do it.</span></div>
<div style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px; color: #454545; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', 'Segoe UI', Helvetica, Arial, 'Lucida Grande', sans-serif; line-height: normal; min-height: 16.7px; padding: 0px;">
<span style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px;"></span><br style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px;" /></div>
<div style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px; color: #454545; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', 'Segoe UI', Helvetica, Arial, 'Lucida Grande', sans-serif; line-height: normal; padding: 0px;">
<span style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px;">I don't know if I want to stay in California.</span></div>
<div style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px; color: #454545; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', 'Segoe UI', Helvetica, Arial, 'Lucida Grande', sans-serif; line-height: normal; min-height: 16.7px; padding: 0px;">
<span style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px;"></span><br style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px;" /></div>
<div style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px; color: #454545; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', 'Segoe UI', Helvetica, Arial, 'Lucida Grande', sans-serif; line-height: normal; padding: 0px;">
<span style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px;">One day I do. And the next day I don't.</span></div>
<div style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px; color: #454545; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', 'Segoe UI', Helvetica, Arial, 'Lucida Grande', sans-serif; line-height: normal; min-height: 16.7px; padding: 0px;">
<span style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px;"></span><br style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px;" /></div>
<div style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px; color: #454545; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', 'Segoe UI', Helvetica, Arial, 'Lucida Grande', sans-serif; line-height: normal; padding: 0px;">
<span style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px;">I love this city with all of my heart. We all know this. We're all annoyed by this.</span></div>
<div style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px; color: #454545; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', 'Segoe UI', Helvetica, Arial, 'Lucida Grande', sans-serif; line-height: normal; min-height: 16.7px; padding: 0px;">
<span style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px;"></span><br style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px;" /></div>
<div style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px; color: #454545; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', 'Segoe UI', Helvetica, Arial, 'Lucida Grande', sans-serif; line-height: normal; padding: 0px;">
<span style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px;">But facts are facts-- my rent is $1200 for a single bedroom and I live with 4 other girls. </span></div>
<div style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px; color: #454545; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', 'Segoe UI', Helvetica, Arial, 'Lucida Grande', sans-serif; line-height: normal; min-height: 16.7px; padding: 0px;">
<span style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px;"></span><br style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px;" /></div>
<div style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px; color: #454545; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', 'Segoe UI', Helvetica, Arial, 'Lucida Grande', sans-serif; line-height: normal; padding: 0px;">
<span style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px;">No AC, no dishwasher, a broken microwave, squeaky floors, zero closet space, and the funniest lookin' half bath that you ever did see.</span></div>
<div style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px; color: #454545; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', 'Segoe UI', Helvetica, Arial, 'Lucida Grande', sans-serif; line-height: normal; min-height: 16.7px; padding: 0px;">
<span style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px;"></span><br style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px;" /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi31tCFYat31d6QJT2DqwVnQSqv5VhlIrZxLk7apz-_f8ZciXQZGOcJ5LQDRyARWNhBqMWDSmdBkpn5Q7h5E7_zdkhYl0xJPBiADpCCIuUCVgGVYmulhjjP0eqTt1ULbZyb_oXb6mC6Gss/s1600/Screen+Shot+2017-07-31+at+11.48.10+AM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="640" data-original-width="480" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi31tCFYat31d6QJT2DqwVnQSqv5VhlIrZxLk7apz-_f8ZciXQZGOcJ5LQDRyARWNhBqMWDSmdBkpn5Q7h5E7_zdkhYl0xJPBiADpCCIuUCVgGVYmulhjjP0eqTt1ULbZyb_oXb6mC6Gss/s320/Screen+Shot+2017-07-31+at+11.48.10+AM.png" width="240" /></a></div>
<div style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px; color: #454545; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', 'Segoe UI', Helvetica, Arial, 'Lucida Grande', sans-serif; line-height: normal; padding: 0px; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: x-small;">All 1 sq. ft. of it</span></div>
<div style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px; color: #454545; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', 'Segoe UI', Helvetica, Arial, 'Lucida Grande', sans-serif; line-height: normal; min-height: 16.7px; padding: 0px;">
<span style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px;"></span><br style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px;" /></div>
<div style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px; color: #454545; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', 'Segoe UI', Helvetica, Arial, 'Lucida Grande', sans-serif; line-height: normal; padding: 0px;">
<span style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px;">But boy let me tell you.</span></div>
<div style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px; color: #454545; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', 'Segoe UI', Helvetica, Arial, 'Lucida Grande', sans-serif; line-height: normal; min-height: 16.7px; padding: 0px;">
<span style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px;"></span><br style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px;" /></div>
<div style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px; color: #454545; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', 'Segoe UI', Helvetica, Arial, 'Lucida Grande', sans-serif; line-height: normal; padding: 0px;">
<span style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px;">10985 Roebling Ave. will live on forever.</span></div>
<div style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px; color: #454545; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', 'Segoe UI', Helvetica, Arial, 'Lucida Grande', sans-serif; line-height: normal; min-height: 16.7px; padding: 0px;">
<span style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px;"></span><br style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px;" /></div>
<div style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px; color: #454545; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', 'Segoe UI', Helvetica, Arial, 'Lucida Grande', sans-serif; line-height: normal; padding: 0px;">
<span style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px;">I had the best year of my life in that apartment. </span></div>
<div style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px; color: #454545; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', 'Segoe UI', Helvetica, Arial, 'Lucida Grande', sans-serif; line-height: normal; padding: 0px;">
<span style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBLUy1Dj7tOU_aIBkO4p8HkWA85L3GXxbwD2qJ5-C15X6Ej2QYfhRFkZsceTuUdCmrAE7T4ttdVdvB2muBfRgHlnlnZlorSSiDElB1lWNOupLmSO9jvQJI3SuNY3J74m5eIEAkpnlXqKs/s1600/Screen+Shot+2017-07-31+at+10.09.16+AM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="369" data-original-width="598" height="197" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBLUy1Dj7tOU_aIBkO4p8HkWA85L3GXxbwD2qJ5-C15X6Ej2QYfhRFkZsceTuUdCmrAE7T4ttdVdvB2muBfRgHlnlnZlorSSiDElB1lWNOupLmSO9jvQJI3SuNY3J74m5eIEAkpnlXqKs/s320/Screen+Shot+2017-07-31+at+10.09.16+AM.png" width="320" /></a></div>
<div style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px; color: #454545; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', 'Segoe UI', Helvetica, Arial, 'Lucida Grande', sans-serif; line-height: normal; padding: 0px; text-align: center;">
<span style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">From L to R, back to front:</span></span></div>
<div style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px; color: #454545; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', 'Segoe UI', Helvetica, Arial, 'Lucida Grande', sans-serif; line-height: normal; padding: 0px; text-align: center;">
<span style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Sangria, Dom, The Protestant, Mom, Graham, and me</span></span></div>
<div style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px; color: #454545; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', 'Segoe UI', Helvetica, Arial, 'Lucida Grande', sans-serif; line-height: normal; min-height: 16.7px; padding: 0px;">
<span style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px;"></span><br style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px;" /></div>
<div style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px; color: #454545; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', 'Segoe UI', Helvetica, Arial, 'Lucida Grande', sans-serif; line-height: normal; padding: 0px;">
<span style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px;">But everything boils down to one question:</span></div>
<div style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px; color: #454545; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', 'Segoe UI', Helvetica, Arial, 'Lucida Grande', sans-serif; line-height: normal; min-height: 16.7px; padding: 0px;">
<span style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px;"></span><br style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px;" /></div>
<div style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px; color: #454545; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', 'Segoe UI', Helvetica, Arial, 'Lucida Grande', sans-serif; line-height: normal; padding: 0px;">
<span style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px;">What next?</span></div>
<div style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px; color: #454545; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', 'Segoe UI', Helvetica, Arial, 'Lucida Grande', sans-serif; line-height: normal; min-height: 16.7px; padding: 0px;">
<span style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px;"></span><br style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px;" /></div>
<div style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px; color: #454545; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', 'Segoe UI', Helvetica, Arial, 'Lucida Grande', sans-serif; line-height: normal; padding: 0px;">
<span style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px;">After my fourth day in a row at the Marriott, I was reaching a breaking point.</span></div>
<div style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px; color: #454545; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', 'Segoe UI', Helvetica, Arial, 'Lucida Grande', sans-serif; line-height: normal; min-height: 16.7px; padding: 0px;">
<span style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px;"></span><br style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px;" /></div>
<div style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px; color: #454545; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', 'Segoe UI', Helvetica, Arial, 'Lucida Grande', sans-serif; line-height: normal; padding: 0px;">
<span style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px;">I'm not supposed to be a part of that 400,000 who goes pro in something other than sports. And last time I checked, bartending doesn't even qualify me under the 400,000 who do. I'm in a category all by myself. </span></div>
<div style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px; color: #454545; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', 'Segoe UI', Helvetica, Arial, 'Lucida Grande', sans-serif; line-height: normal; min-height: 16.7px; padding: 0px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px; color: #454545; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', 'Segoe UI', Helvetica, Arial, 'Lucida Grande', sans-serif; line-height: normal; padding: 0px;">
____________</div>
<div style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px; color: #454545; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', 'Segoe UI', Helvetica, Arial, 'Lucida Grande', sans-serif; line-height: normal; padding: 0px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px; color: #454545; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', 'Segoe UI', Helvetica, Arial, 'Lucida Grande', sans-serif; line-height: normal; padding: 0px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px; color: #454545; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', 'Segoe UI', Helvetica, Arial, 'Lucida Grande', sans-serif; line-height: normal; padding: 0px;">
<span style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px;">Day 4 of work:</span></div>
<div style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px; color: #454545; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', 'Segoe UI', Helvetica, Arial, 'Lucida Grande', sans-serif; line-height: normal; min-height: 16.7px; padding: 0px;">
<span style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px;"></span><br style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px;" /></div>
<div style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px; color: #454545; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', 'Segoe UI', Helvetica, Arial, 'Lucida Grande', sans-serif; line-height: normal; padding: 0px;">
<span style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px;">8:15am</span></div>
<div style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px; color: #454545; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', 'Segoe UI', Helvetica, Arial, 'Lucida Grande', sans-serif; line-height: normal; min-height: 16.7px; padding: 0px;">
<span style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px;"></span><br style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px;" /></div>
<div style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px; color: #454545; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', 'Segoe UI', Helvetica, Arial, 'Lucida Grande', sans-serif; line-height: normal; padding: 0px;">
<span style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px;">Wake up, roll over, hit stop, lazily get out of bed.</span></div>
<div style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px; color: #454545; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', 'Segoe UI', Helvetica, Arial, 'Lucida Grande', sans-serif; line-height: normal; min-height: 16.7px; padding: 0px;">
<span style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px;"></span><br style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px;" /></div>
<div style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px; color: #454545; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', 'Segoe UI', Helvetica, Arial, 'Lucida Grande', sans-serif; line-height: normal; padding: 0px;">
<span style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px;">"Here we go again."</span></div>
<div style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px; color: #454545; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', 'Segoe UI', Helvetica, Arial, 'Lucida Grande', sans-serif; line-height: normal; min-height: 16.7px; padding: 0px;">
<span style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px;"></span><br style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px;" /></div>
<div style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px; color: #454545; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', 'Segoe UI', Helvetica, Arial, 'Lucida Grande', sans-serif; line-height: normal; padding: 0px;">
<span style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px;">The glamorous real world. Hitting me square in the face.</span></div>
<div style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px; color: #454545; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', 'Segoe UI', Helvetica, Arial, 'Lucida Grande', sans-serif; line-height: normal; min-height: 16.7px; padding: 0px;">
<span style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px;"></span><br style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px;" /></div>
<div style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px; color: #454545; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', 'Segoe UI', Helvetica, Arial, 'Lucida Grande', sans-serif; line-height: normal; padding: 0px;">
<span style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px;">An hour later, I clock in.</span></div>
<div style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px; color: #454545; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', 'Segoe UI', Helvetica, Arial, 'Lucida Grande', sans-serif; line-height: normal; min-height: 16.7px; padding: 0px;">
<span style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px;"></span><br style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px;" /></div>
<div style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px; color: #454545; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', 'Segoe UI', Helvetica, Arial, 'Lucida Grande', sans-serif; line-height: normal; padding: 0px;">
<span style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px;">Time to fill up ice buckets, wipe down sticky countertops, and fold napkins.</span></div>
<div style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px; color: #454545; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', 'Segoe UI', Helvetica, Arial, 'Lucida Grande', sans-serif; line-height: normal; min-height: 16.7px; padding: 0px;">
<span style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px;"></span><br style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px;" /></div>
<div style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px; color: #454545; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', 'Segoe UI', Helvetica, Arial, 'Lucida Grande', sans-serif; line-height: normal; padding: 0px;">
<span style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px;">Time to roll up my sleeves and serve the good-good.</span></div>
<div style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px; color: #454545; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', 'Segoe UI', Helvetica, Arial, 'Lucida Grande', sans-serif; line-height: normal; min-height: 16.7px; padding: 0px;">
<span style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px;"></span><br style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px;" /></div>
<div style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px; color: #454545; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', 'Segoe UI', Helvetica, Arial, 'Lucida Grande', sans-serif; line-height: normal; padding: 0px;">
<span style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px;">After finding a spare minute to continue my newfound talent in the art of origami, commonly referred to as napkin folding, crease by crease and linen by linen my hope for a better future felt unattainable. That was until a sudden cloud of darkness enveloped me. It was a figure. Part man. Part beast.</span></div>
<div style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px; color: #454545; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', 'Segoe UI', Helvetica, Arial, 'Lucida Grande', sans-serif; line-height: normal; min-height: 16.7px; padding: 0px;">
<span style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px;"></span><br style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px;" /></div>
<div style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px; color: #454545; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', 'Segoe UI', Helvetica, Arial, 'Lucida Grande', sans-serif; line-height: normal; padding: 0px;">
<span style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px;">It was Steven Adams holding a liter of organic milk. </span><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgy06ePUlnjItmMgAZubBVRSWCNtT8ZTAGscQRdNBcJ4ErrZumVNDs4QPcTRMyPX-zC8WhZYluvRE3nWLX_eDFZoNejgoaXzYRBZzDtJFnxAbbwvntU9urb-sTrhnhmYEU_GBlo_cjPxUc/s1600/Screen+Shot+2017-07-31+at+5.07.24+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="403" data-original-width="281" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgy06ePUlnjItmMgAZubBVRSWCNtT8ZTAGscQRdNBcJ4ErrZumVNDs4QPcTRMyPX-zC8WhZYluvRE3nWLX_eDFZoNejgoaXzYRBZzDtJFnxAbbwvntU9urb-sTrhnhmYEU_GBlo_cjPxUc/s320/Screen+Shot+2017-07-31+at+5.07.24+PM.png" width="223" /></a></div>
<br /></div>
<div style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px; color: #454545; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', 'Segoe UI', Helvetica, Arial, 'Lucida Grande', sans-serif; line-height: normal; padding: 0px;">
<span style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px;">"Will you put this on the rocks for me, my love?"</span></div>
<div style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px; color: #454545; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', 'Segoe UI', Helvetica, Arial, 'Lucida Grande', sans-serif; line-height: normal; min-height: 16.7px; padding: 0px;">
<span style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px;"></span><br style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px;" /></div>
<div style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px; color: #454545; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', 'Segoe UI', Helvetica, Arial, 'Lucida Grande', sans-serif; line-height: normal; padding: 0px;">
<span style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px;">Many of you know Allen Iverson is my go-to guy. The wind beneath my wings. The bread to my butter. The fairy to my tale.</span></div>
<div style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px; color: #454545; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', 'Segoe UI', Helvetica, Arial, 'Lucida Grande', sans-serif; line-height: normal; min-height: 16.7px; padding: 0px;">
<span style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px;"></span><br style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px;" /></div>
<div style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px; color: #454545; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', 'Segoe UI', Helvetica, Arial, 'Lucida Grande', sans-serif; line-height: normal; padding: 0px;">
<span style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px;">After yesterday, Steven Adams became one gangly mustache hair away from taking the crown.</span></div>
<div style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px; color: #454545; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', 'Segoe UI', Helvetica, Arial, 'Lucida Grande', sans-serif; line-height: normal; min-height: 16.7px; padding: 0px;">
<span style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px;"></span><br style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px;" /></div>
<div style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px; color: #454545; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', 'Segoe UI', Helvetica, Arial, 'Lucida Grande', sans-serif; line-height: normal; padding: 0px;">
<span style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px;">The Oklahoma City Thunder were checking into the JW Marriott on Ocean Ave. </span></div>
<div style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px; color: #454545; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', 'Segoe UI', Helvetica, Arial, 'Lucida Grande', sans-serif; line-height: normal; min-height: 16.7px; padding: 0px;">
<span style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px;"></span><br style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px;" /></div>
<div style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px; color: #454545; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', 'Segoe UI', Helvetica, Arial, 'Lucida Grande', sans-serif; line-height: normal; padding: 0px;">
<span style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px;">My JW Marriott on Ocean Ave.</span></div>
<div style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px; color: #454545; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', 'Segoe UI', Helvetica, Arial, 'Lucida Grande', sans-serif; line-height: normal; min-height: 16.7px; padding: 0px;">
<span style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px;"></span><br style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px;" /></div>
<div style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px; color: #454545; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', 'Segoe UI', Helvetica, Arial, 'Lucida Grande', sans-serif; line-height: normal; padding: 0px;">
<span style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px;">As my Oklahoma born and bred counterparts know, Billy Donovan is head coach.</span></div>
<div style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px; color: #454545; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', 'Segoe UI', Helvetica, Arial, 'Lucida Grande', sans-serif; line-height: normal; min-height: 16.7px; padding: 0px;">
<span style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px;"></span><br style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px;" /></div>
<div style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px; color: #454545; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', 'Segoe UI', Helvetica, Arial, 'Lucida Grande', sans-serif; line-height: normal; padding: 0px;">
<span style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px;">Billy left Florida Luke's sophomore year. So he was very familiar with the Gator-killer himself, Luke Francis Kornet.</span></div>
<div style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px; color: #454545; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', 'Segoe UI', Helvetica, Arial, 'Lucida Grande', sans-serif; line-height: normal; min-height: 16.7px; padding: 0px;">
<span style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px;"></span><br style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px;" /></div>
<div style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px; color: #454545; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', 'Segoe UI', Helvetica, Arial, 'Lucida Grande', sans-serif; line-height: normal; padding: 0px;">
<span style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px;">Billy & his wife sat down for lunch.</span></div>
<div style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px; color: #454545; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', 'Segoe UI', Helvetica, Arial, 'Lucida Grande', sans-serif; line-height: normal; min-height: 16.7px; padding: 0px;">
<span style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px;"></span><br style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px;" /></div>
<div style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px; color: #454545; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', 'Segoe UI', Helvetica, Arial, 'Lucida Grande', sans-serif; line-height: normal; padding: 0px;">
<span style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px;">Steven Adams and his darling New Zealand lad did too.</span></div>
<div style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px; color: #454545; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', 'Segoe UI', Helvetica, Arial, 'Lucida Grande', sans-serif; line-height: normal; min-height: 16.7px; padding: 0px;">
<span style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px;"></span><br style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px;" /></div>
<div style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px; color: #454545; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', 'Segoe UI', Helvetica, Arial, 'Lucida Grande', sans-serif; line-height: normal; padding: 0px;">
<span style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px;">Kyle Singler, Enes K</span>anter, and Andre Roberson went off to explore the pier.</div>
<div style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px; color: #454545; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', 'Segoe UI', Helvetica, Arial, 'Lucida Grande', sans-serif; line-height: normal; min-height: 16.7px; padding: 0px;">
<span style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px;"></span><br style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px;" /></div>
<div style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px; color: #454545; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', 'Segoe UI', Helvetica, Arial, 'Lucida Grande', sans-serif; line-height: normal; padding: 0px;">
<span style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px;">The Thunder stayed for 3 days and 2 nights.</span></div>
<div style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px; color: #454545; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', 'Segoe UI', Helvetica, Arial, 'Lucida Grande', sans-serif; line-height: normal; min-height: 16.7px; padding: 0px;">
<span style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px;"></span><br style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px;" /></div>
<div style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px; color: #454545; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', 'Segoe UI', Helvetica, Arial, 'Lucida Grande', sans-serif; line-height: normal; padding: 0px;">
<span style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px;">Never have I been more excited to wake up for my 10-hour work days.</span></div>
<div style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px; color: #454545; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', 'Segoe UI', Helvetica, Arial, 'Lucida Grande', sans-serif; line-height: normal; min-height: 16.7px; padding: 0px;">
<span style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px;"></span><br style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px;" /></div>
<div style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px; color: #454545; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', 'Segoe UI', Helvetica, Arial, 'Lucida Grande', sans-serif; line-height: normal; padding: 0px;">
<span style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px;">I became really close with Steven, Coach Donovan, and fellow Sooner, Chris Condit, after their short stay.</span></div>
<div style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px; color: #454545; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', 'Segoe UI', Helvetica, Arial, 'Lucida Grande', sans-serif; line-height: normal; min-height: 16.7px; padding: 0px;">
<span style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px;"></span><br style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px;" /></div>
<div style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px; color: #454545; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', 'Segoe UI', Helvetica, Arial, 'Lucida Grande', sans-serif; line-height: normal; padding: 0px;">
<span style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px;">The guys would roll in after their morning workouts and Steven would shout out in the middle of the lobby, "NICOOOOLLLLEEEE, I'M BAAAAAAAAAACK."</span></div>
<div style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px; color: #454545; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', 'Segoe UI', Helvetica, Arial, 'Lucida Grande', sans-serif; line-height: normal; min-height: 16.7px; padding: 0px;">
<span style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px;"></span><br style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px;" /></div>
<div style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px; color: #454545; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', 'Segoe UI', Helvetica, Arial, 'Lucida Grande', sans-serif; line-height: normal; padding: 0px;">
<span style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px;">How fast I fell for that Grizzly Adams-looking man.</span><br />
<span style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px; color: #454545; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', 'Segoe UI', Helvetica, Arial, 'Lucida Grande', sans-serif; line-height: normal; padding: 0px;">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_WoUYMsXIMDgciGZAw_EkLk1MxOTTUbweh75A19Q6LcdX2_UAdz5Q6f8X2wvftuZb3Y1AomjNRdPXsOhL1LuSoA37_cqniosu-JSAfp5lcitIm-NSKxNG7D-YTLUCjGKD_xRlKWF-5Fo/s1600/Screen+Shot+2017-07-31+at+5.10.33+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="408" data-original-width="312" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_WoUYMsXIMDgciGZAw_EkLk1MxOTTUbweh75A19Q6LcdX2_UAdz5Q6f8X2wvftuZb3Y1AomjNRdPXsOhL1LuSoA37_cqniosu-JSAfp5lcitIm-NSKxNG7D-YTLUCjGKD_xRlKWF-5Fo/s320/Screen+Shot+2017-07-31+at+5.10.33+PM.png" width="244" /></a></div>
<br /></div>
<div style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px; color: #454545; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', 'Segoe UI', Helvetica, Arial, 'Lucida Grande', sans-serif; line-height: normal; padding: 0px;">
<span style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px;">Coach Donovan was the last one to check out on Thursday.</span></div>
<div style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px; color: #454545; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', 'Segoe UI', Helvetica, Arial, 'Lucida Grande', sans-serif; line-height: normal; min-height: 16.7px; padding: 0px;">
<span style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px;"></span><br style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px;" /></div>
<div style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px; color: #454545; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', 'Segoe UI', Helvetica, Arial, 'Lucida Grande', sans-serif; line-height: normal; padding: 0px;">
<span style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px;">Before leaving, he made eye contact with me and motioned me over to him.</span></div>
<div style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px; color: #454545; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', 'Segoe UI', Helvetica, Arial, 'Lucida Grande', sans-serif; line-height: normal; min-height: 16.7px; padding: 0px;">
<span style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px;"></span><br style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px;" /></div>
<div style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px; color: #454545; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', 'Segoe UI', Helvetica, Arial, 'Lucida Grande', sans-serif; line-height: normal; padding: 0px;">
<span style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px;">"Now don't forget to tell your family I said hi, okay? Promise me you'll tell them."</span></div>
<div style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px; color: #454545; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', 'Segoe UI', Helvetica, Arial, 'Lucida Grande', sans-serif; line-height: normal; min-height: 16.7px; padding: 0px;">
<span style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px;"></span><br style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px;" /></div>
<div style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px; color: #454545; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', 'Segoe UI', Helvetica, Arial, 'Lucida Grande', sans-serif; line-height: normal; padding: 0px;">
<span style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px;">15 minutes later he offered me a front office job for the Thunder.</span></div>
<div style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px; color: #454545; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', 'Segoe UI', Helvetica, Arial, 'Lucida Grande', sans-serif; line-height: normal; min-height: 16.7px; padding: 0px;">
<span style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px;"></span><br style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px;" /></div>
<div style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px; color: #454545; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', 'Segoe UI', Helvetica, Arial, 'Lucida Grande', sans-serif; line-height: normal; padding: 0px;">
<span style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px;">20 minutes later he gave me the contact information of Matt Bonner's sister, Becky.</span></div>
<div style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px; color: #454545; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', 'Segoe UI', Helvetica, Arial, 'Lucida Grande', sans-serif; line-height: normal; min-height: 16.7px; padding: 0px;">
<span style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px;"></span><br style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px;" /></div>
<div style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px; color: #454545; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', 'Segoe UI', Helvetica, Arial, 'Lucida Grande', sans-serif; line-height: normal; padding: 0px;">
<span style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px;">Becky works for "Basketball Without Borders."</span></div>
<div style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px; color: #454545; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', 'Segoe UI', Helvetica, Arial, 'Lucida Grande', sans-serif; line-height: normal; min-height: 16.7px; padding: 0px;">
<span style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px;"></span><br style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px;" /></div>
<div style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px; color: #454545; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', 'Segoe UI', Helvetica, Arial, 'Lucida Grande', sans-serif; line-height: normal; padding: 0px;">
<span style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px;">She travels around the world with NBA athletes and teams and helps organize camps, fundraisers, and global networking events. She's currently with KD in India. Next is Russ in China. Imagine that.</span></div>
<div style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px; color: #454545; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', 'Segoe UI', Helvetica, Arial, 'Lucida Grande', sans-serif; line-height: normal; min-height: 16.7px; padding: 0px;">
<span style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px;"></span><br style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px;" /></div>
<div style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px; color: #454545; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', 'Segoe UI', Helvetica, Arial, 'Lucida Grande', sans-serif; line-height: normal; padding: 0px;">
<span style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px;">So there I was in my little black dress and vans, laughing to myself at the fact that this crazy cocktail gig of mine landed me to this notion:</span></div>
<div style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px; color: #454545; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', 'Segoe UI', Helvetica, Arial, 'Lucida Grande', sans-serif; line-height: normal; padding: 0px;">
<span style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px; color: #454545; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', 'Segoe UI', Helvetica, Arial, 'Lucida Grande', sans-serif; line-height: normal; padding: 0px;">
<span style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px;">I might move back to Oklahoma.</span></div>
<div style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px; color: #454545; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', 'Segoe UI', Helvetica, Arial, 'Lucida Grande', sans-serif; line-height: normal; padding: 0px;">
<span style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-FZeq-B6KWje8K0sxzy4GvP14ObMzcO3lQ430jOPmhPMlUviHCgxvAY5KpkYCKatvkW948acE79LyWjDQPsmvLlrkxThYkL4709MLEFPRXqXIqL00HAbhEx8RzHebSBHANyzqyHNeQac/s1600/Screen+Shot+2017-07-31+at+12.01.15+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="454" data-original-width="353" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-FZeq-B6KWje8K0sxzy4GvP14ObMzcO3lQ430jOPmhPMlUviHCgxvAY5KpkYCKatvkW948acE79LyWjDQPsmvLlrkxThYkL4709MLEFPRXqXIqL00HAbhEx8RzHebSBHANyzqyHNeQac/s320/Screen+Shot+2017-07-31+at+12.01.15+PM.png" width="248" /></a></div>
<div style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px; color: #454545; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', 'Segoe UI', Helvetica, Arial, 'Lucida Grande', sans-serif; line-height: normal; padding: 0px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px; color: #454545; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', 'Segoe UI', Helvetica, Arial, 'Lucida Grande', sans-serif; line-height: normal; padding: 0px;">
<span style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px;">I don't know what I'll do next, but I do know that my lease is up in one month, I have a couple of job offers up my sleeve, and I will blog allllllll about it.</span></div>
<div id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1501521304270_2121" style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px; color: #454545; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', 'Segoe UI', Helvetica, Arial, 'Lucida Grande', sans-serif; line-height: normal; min-height: 16.7px; padding: 0px;">
<span style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px;"></span><br style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px;" /></div>
<div id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1501521304270_2119" style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px; color: #454545; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', 'Segoe UI', Helvetica, Arial, 'Lucida Grande', sans-serif; line-height: normal; padding: 0px;">
<span style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px;">P.s. I hope I didn't lure you into thinking this article was going to be about Luke. So glad you read, though!</span></div>
<div>
<span style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px; font-size: 14pt;"><br /></span></div>
Nicole Kornethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12752896360950497403noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5054348110797123772.post-49433792739649289642017-06-14T12:18:00.000-07:002017-07-30T23:58:27.721-07:00The Draft<div class="MsoNormal">
Four years ago I was driving Luke and recently-christened NBA Champion Damian
Jones around in my dad’s mondo Nissan Armada. Luke was fiddling through Maps (the app) (not the foldable kind) (millennials) trying to navigate his and
Dame’s way to their first college class at Vanderbilt. Damian was as shy and polite as could
be, and Luke, as always, was fearlessly taking charge. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Some things never change.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Left, Nicole. No right. Heck, just drop us off here. We’ll
be better off walking.”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Four years ago back when I was the favorite child, before
NBA-potential Luke, I was fresh off my first season at OU. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7C8rOCtVM8ZE3iGj5rUVpV41P85F8tkUsDQ2UTAV6mEXN9OPirj_vuFB5k7SAsgJIvLBO2Xak3qS5hKbx5xvLg9uRP1BMInse3omqdyIvQxIaiQMeDUGh2X17Eu-h7Kla9CN0AFY2yKg/s1600/Screen+Shot+2017-06-13+at+5.48.55+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="591" data-original-width="392" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7C8rOCtVM8ZE3iGj5rUVpV41P85F8tkUsDQ2UTAV6mEXN9OPirj_vuFB5k7SAsgJIvLBO2Xak3qS5hKbx5xvLg9uRP1BMInse3omqdyIvQxIaiQMeDUGh2X17Eu-h7Kla9CN0AFY2yKg/s320/Screen+Shot+2017-06-13+at+5.48.55+PM.png" width="212" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Buddy Hield and I were freshman that year. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
As I sat peering over at Luke’s gangly limbs as he barked commands at me from shotgun, I could barely fathom the idea that this was really happening.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhe15WQkPzlyBt009D2Wpu_-ws9_iFykBXM67BzEiqNxqCDHO8y9ZOlhhtMamb5ZTY2r5rhcLtRJ6i8FDnQc6KCPuCR_YXJWpYjhjzEciELPgfaD93LFXp4zl89XbDVezmHkzsDTVc-yWQ/s1600/Screen+Shot+2017-06-13+at+6.11.12+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="286" data-original-width="195" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhe15WQkPzlyBt009D2Wpu_-ws9_iFykBXM67BzEiqNxqCDHO8y9ZOlhhtMamb5ZTY2r5rhcLtRJ6i8FDnQc6KCPuCR_YXJWpYjhjzEciELPgfaD93LFXp4zl89XbDVezmHkzsDTVc-yWQ/s1600/Screen+Shot+2017-06-13+at+6.11.12+PM.png" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“There's no way Luke can hang with these guys,” I quietly thought to
myself, along with everyone else in the nation.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Four years later, the now 7’2” (mhmm) (I said it) (“I
measured 7’1” without shoes and 7'2 and 3/8” in them Nicole") (so yes, 7’2” with shoes) little brother of mine is the all-time leader of this, that, and the
other at Vanderbilt.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
As it turns out, he could hang with those guys.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtQeIM9ga57Lb2KDns5cmJB67gFAoL-VO8uzNX7DiSHbZ39NnxfRB8YthY-j4szLOrvawlzXvsm-4g24K89NvYmmta50tAUVmPpN_xwNctnJ6SpDc4UwJTR2loE5h1Sq2yqSAm2jTXXlA/s1600/Screen+Shot+2017-06-13+at+6.33.17+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="658" data-original-width="475" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtQeIM9ga57Lb2KDns5cmJB67gFAoL-VO8uzNX7DiSHbZ39NnxfRB8YthY-j4szLOrvawlzXvsm-4g24K89NvYmmta50tAUVmPpN_xwNctnJ6SpDc4UwJTR2loE5h1Sq2yqSAm2jTXXlA/s320/Screen+Shot+2017-06-13+at+6.33.17+PM.png" width="231" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Yesterday was my older brother John’s birthday. You heard
correctly. I have another brother, and his name is John, and he secretly puts
Luke & me to shame.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcBYNnf1BkXMMqRkFvhfqknMtGWxXHtPONlSO98qN63jCtGXhhnSpZBpkNCvDI9cmgwpEllnznW7WADqUd60y48_-hdSTYPgDUSEj8JLUQ9bNO5rK3ycYFDcTRoMm6gsJrNco5IDgNut8/s1600/church.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="928" data-original-width="750" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcBYNnf1BkXMMqRkFvhfqknMtGWxXHtPONlSO98qN63jCtGXhhnSpZBpkNCvDI9cmgwpEllnznW7WADqUd60y48_-hdSTYPgDUSEj8JLUQ9bNO5rK3ycYFDcTRoMm6gsJrNco5IDgNut8/s320/church.jpg" width="258" /></a></div>
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
He’s the pretty one in the family. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I’ve been hoarding Southwest vouchers throughout my travels
this year, and racked up enough to fly Johnny boy out to LA for his big
day. It just so happened that Luke would be in LA too, working out for the
Lakers.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The timing could not have been any more perfect.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZkorjIg9q3luZ9-gDnaGxX42orEYtJi1CkQz7d7GqXpKMNAeobTiTzBnCkStBoLEZbXNCNbu1IXikuGXru0yfoVmFOfaSIcBPJK_IJUHu0FbMp8G6xwTIU-51wTMCilQqpAVNyPvU8XA/s1600/170612workouts-12.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="480" data-original-width="720" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZkorjIg9q3luZ9-gDnaGxX42orEYtJi1CkQz7d7GqXpKMNAeobTiTzBnCkStBoLEZbXNCNbu1IXikuGXru0yfoVmFOfaSIcBPJK_IJUHu0FbMp8G6xwTIU-51wTMCilQqpAVNyPvU8XA/s320/170612workouts-12.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Over the weekend a few things dawned on me. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="text-indent: -0.25in;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">1.) I love John William and Luke Francis with all of my heart.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">2.) </span><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">The NBA draft is next week. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">3.) I am in a pickle.</span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Let’s begin with #1.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
My family is extremely close. Yes, closeness typically has a positive connotation; but with closeness also comes filter-free
criticism, opinions, and the cold, hard truth.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
That, I think, is my favorite part about the Kornet family,
or should I say Kornet men. My mother merely married into it and had to quickly
come to bear the brunt of this so-called “tough love,” or else she would
have crumbled at 22, the age she wed my father.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Nicole, run a comb through your hair.”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“John, shoot like your sister.”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Luke, you do nothing in this house. Go pick up Copper’s poop.
Now.”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Gotta love it. Whether it comes from John, Luke, my dad, or
my mom, there’s no way to sugar-coat the love language of the Kornet’s. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Aside from what may come across as harsh and insensitive to
most, many amazing, caring, sentimental, thoughtful, sacrificial qualities
abundantly reside in the hearts of my family as well. I simply won’t bore you
with those incidentals at this time.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I’ll just leave it at this—</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
My mom used to ask other parents if it was normal that all
three of her children would rather stay at home and watch Rocky IV with their
father instead of go out with their friends on a Saturday night.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br />
The fact of the matter is, we love hanging out together. All five of our unique
personalities really make for a special bond. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZyy5aD6ihPcUgb746qIV7HBCyNlJKehzjXjSOR2gBJHdeke-6VHpddKqNOM4dwblZdiJZvOQHe5EXU771h2P5PhcK3oYAUNrRWVHb0FGFo5BigqwsR1gDv49sd4cPYBPqrrQ3SW3frOo/s1600/Screen+Shot+2017-06-13+at+6.38.32+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="654" data-original-width="440" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZyy5aD6ihPcUgb746qIV7HBCyNlJKehzjXjSOR2gBJHdeke-6VHpddKqNOM4dwblZdiJZvOQHe5EXU771h2P5PhcK3oYAUNrRWVHb0FGFo5BigqwsR1gDv49sd4cPYBPqrrQ3SW3frOo/s320/Screen+Shot+2017-06-13+at+6.38.32+PM.png" width="214" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Point #2:</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The NBA draft is on June 22<sup>nd</sup>. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The whole family will be coming together under one
roof—aunts, uncles, cousins, and close friends included.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimEJ4sSsjm4n1TORlG3655oknR2B6eE6_lvsKsTPZn9X9BemfG10OLHg84mNpcbah1-oXkjWqikTo6OrYnybtea9XayJOetfjpZPO3tFZoSU5n_uAFMcrkXpBAF_B3wjfh5mkQqh9wUKA/s1600/Screen+Shot+2017-06-13+at+5.54.24+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="630" data-original-width="856" height="235" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimEJ4sSsjm4n1TORlG3655oknR2B6eE6_lvsKsTPZn9X9BemfG10OLHg84mNpcbah1-oXkjWqikTo6OrYnybtea9XayJOetfjpZPO3tFZoSU5n_uAFMcrkXpBAF_B3wjfh5mkQqh9wUKA/s320/Screen+Shot+2017-06-13+at+5.54.24+PM.png" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Come the 22<sup>nd </sup>Luke will have had worked out for 14 NBA teams.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiNxort-pcx-UcE5R71XSYYdMRQQVmsStvEL-6C_1_MZNAWK23sbs-kElrh0nw3paC8MUYN5G6InnIMI367YbLVqVpumugzV1NZevAVEUJomJpBHrIaIyZLN5l2mXtAfxnHLKmQgAGev8/s1600/Screen+Shot+2017-06-13+at+5.48.20+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="472" data-original-width="313" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiNxort-pcx-UcE5R71XSYYdMRQQVmsStvEL-6C_1_MZNAWK23sbs-kElrh0nw3paC8MUYN5G6InnIMI367YbLVqVpumugzV1NZevAVEUJomJpBHrIaIyZLN5l2mXtAfxnHLKmQgAGev8/s320/Screen+Shot+2017-06-13+at+5.48.20+PM.png" width="212" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
That's a lot.<br />
<br />
Especially for one whose name can't easily be found within the top 60 in most mock drafts.<br />
<br />
Some have him at 67, some have him at 44, some have him at 60 on the dot.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
For one, don’t believe everything you read on the Internet.
Mock drafts are like chat rooms. Coaches and GM’s don’t create them; shoe
companies do. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I sound like a bitter ex-wife here, but I promise
I have my sources.<br />
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
To put it frankly, Luke has a very good chance of getting
drafted. There's also a very good chance he doesn’t.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Insightful, I know.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I’m not allowed to disclose everything to you all, because my
father said so. I
have the power to share as much as I please; but if I share any more dirt, Luke
might kill me.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Dirt, as in Luke has tri’s now and can all of
a sudden move like a guard, and splashes long-range J’s like Jesus Shuttlesworth, and can slam jam tomahawk between-the-legs flush it, and hasn't stopped impressing coach after coach who regurgitates lines such as "You're climbing up the draft boards, son," thus affirming us common sense people who know his potential that he hasn't even scraped the surface and that his best days are ahead of him, and that story after story the boy shares is about how his under-the-radar self wows whoever is working him out, such as coaches witnessing him mark the best shooting performance of the draft class in one workout or clocking the second best all-time 3-minute shuttle run in another, but like I said, I will not share any of those things in fear of a severe
talkin’ to from the Kornet men after doing so without permission.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhg4A1_bIQhyphenhyphenYmNEcAYc9GucZJHHIn_5gJAf8ppE4aYR8HUX7IMqTKvrtJ5nhni3GCBXstKoj1l09VIzvW9FGAbFZQRah18zJFqzSB-R086Z-FHRdHSXaG1ATlJrSVVr8DNqOp0ProgO88/s1600/Screen+Shot+2017-06-13+at+5.48.35+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="360" data-original-width="359" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhg4A1_bIQhyphenhyphenYmNEcAYc9GucZJHHIn_5gJAf8ppE4aYR8HUX7IMqTKvrtJ5nhni3GCBXstKoj1l09VIzvW9FGAbFZQRah18zJFqzSB-R086Z-FHRdHSXaG1ATlJrSVVr8DNqOp0ProgO88/s320/Screen+Shot+2017-06-13+at+5.48.35+PM.png" width="319" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: x-small;">Sorry not sorry</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Point #3:</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I’m in a pickle.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
In one week I will be a free woman.<br />
<br />
Free from 10-page papers, midterms, all-nighters, and two-hour seminars.<br />
<br />
Free from constructing expense reports, answering phone calls, creating spreadsheets,
restocking copy paper, and hightailing my high heels through the Hollywood
Hills during lunch break.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBkckeRikwaZjVEhgWpRxImQFTLbpzu2GnvHnA3sl6lFEUaHJmKnChtylbWSyQxYGbO5K6IxABigp5VAAmmWZbXgKnJtzcpa7mPpjcQntQnRDqZINjgCVFe04rtj3B4CGM7BWnLllyo7A/s1600/Screen+Shot+2017-06-13+at+5.57.30+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="619" data-original-width="485" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBkckeRikwaZjVEhgWpRxImQFTLbpzu2GnvHnA3sl6lFEUaHJmKnChtylbWSyQxYGbO5K6IxABigp5VAAmmWZbXgKnJtzcpa7mPpjcQntQnRDqZINjgCVFe04rtj3B4CGM7BWnLllyo7A/s320/Screen+Shot+2017-06-13+at+5.57.30+PM.png" width="250" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
As much as I have enjoyed my time at Wasserman, I will soon
be relinquished of my intern duties.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
As much as I have enjoyed my time at UCLA, I will no
longer be a student there.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
As much as I love California, I will no longer have a
scholarship check to pay for my outrageous rent.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
None of these things will stop me from fulfilling my
lifelong dreams, of course. But as I’ve grown up, my dreams sorta have too.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
California is my happy place.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnnOeF-lIb70QEcnoJ9S-BD9oiTWL1dbeApOLfAbFqSeF869c7a9QEaEC7C230LjrDgM84jI_rEq2h1ks4jW1mYi5KFvEj5fNkTvOXmwmkOZ80jK59mPG0Gaen72qAVnvN2BtDu6bon3w/s1600/Screen+Shot+2017-06-13+at+6.43.33+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="638" data-original-width="509" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnnOeF-lIb70QEcnoJ9S-BD9oiTWL1dbeApOLfAbFqSeF869c7a9QEaEC7C230LjrDgM84jI_rEq2h1ks4jW1mYi5KFvEj5fNkTvOXmwmkOZ80jK59mPG0Gaen72qAVnvN2BtDu6bon3w/s320/Screen+Shot+2017-06-13+at+6.43.33+PM.png" width="255" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
But the Kornet family is, too.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigFqtcgTMtUdwbKDTsBBHOGkLnxCb0ufLB0rHbqGFEILXGqblUR41RxvQDV8wPMGFpQxJ2HpV0Gw9kU76-Zyowa6L-YTPF_S6GBtnq00_QGzIIG07adYsWO-2SC3psfN1gY4O-KcrOru0/s1600/Screen+Shot+2017-06-13+at+6.00.57+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="601" data-original-width="602" height="319" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigFqtcgTMtUdwbKDTsBBHOGkLnxCb0ufLB0rHbqGFEILXGqblUR41RxvQDV8wPMGFpQxJ2HpV0Gw9kU76-Zyowa6L-YTPF_S6GBtnq00_QGzIIG07adYsWO-2SC3psfN1gY4O-KcrOru0/s320/Screen+Shot+2017-06-13+at+6.00.57+PM.png" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
My life is about to dramatically change in the upcoming
months. It already has in many ways; but as soon as school ends, the floodgates
of uncertainty are really about to drown me.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Do I try and pursue a TV career in California, and survive
off of Top Ramen and thrift stores? Or do I head back home, start in a smaller market, and seek counsel from my mother?</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Do I go into broadcasting, or do I take the wild and crazy
plunge and pursue a professional basketball career overseas? (Despite my past denials
of the sort.)</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Do I accept the part-time position my coach has offered me
at UCLA--the position of my dreams yet requires me to work two shifts a day in order to make
ends meet--or do I find a more stable source of income in order to live more
comfortably?</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Do I move again like I always do, or do I stay put in my makeshift
California home and continue to grow the relationships that have changed my
life these past two years? <br />
<br />
The bottom line is this: I have to have an income in order to pay my rent, put food on the table, and indulge in my favorite, frozen chocolate-covered bananas.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
As you can tell, I’m in a pickle.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiATTka6_oMzNMKEvQXF2rUxLS9iNur9QyX7NuBOSnmCiY92T1WogTe42JvSf-kvfLY8VPRIRXV7GKrPGtWqF0fLetfMiU9CNrvweCJo6wnIU7apaU9wwcyki2E8bnx_89gEH21ttubdU0/s1600/Screen+Shot+2017-06-13+at+5.49.17+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="610" data-original-width="1083" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiATTka6_oMzNMKEvQXF2rUxLS9iNur9QyX7NuBOSnmCiY92T1WogTe42JvSf-kvfLY8VPRIRXV7GKrPGtWqF0fLetfMiU9CNrvweCJo6wnIU7apaU9wwcyki2E8bnx_89gEH21ttubdU0/s320/Screen+Shot+2017-06-13+at+5.49.17+PM.png" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Someone once told me, “You don’t get to make choices in
life. Life makes choices for you.”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I had a hard time believing this for a while. But as I’ve grown up, I've personally </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
experienced this truth.<br />
<br />
In one week I’ll have my answer. In one week the decision
will be made for me. In one week life as I've known it will change.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
And I couldn’t be more excited to see what God reveals, what doors God opens up, and where my little brother and I will be headed next
because of it.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
As always, </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
God bless, Anchor Down, Go Bruins, and Go Tigers</div>
<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<o:OfficeDocumentSettings>
<o:AllowPNG/>
</o:OfficeDocumentSettings>
</xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<w:WordDocument>
<w:Zoom>0</w:Zoom>
<w:TrackMoves>false</w:TrackMoves>
<w:TrackFormatting/>
<w:PunctuationKerning/>
<w:DrawingGridHorizontalSpacing>18 pt</w:DrawingGridHorizontalSpacing>
<w:DrawingGridVerticalSpacing>18 pt</w:DrawingGridVerticalSpacing>
<w:DisplayHorizontalDrawingGridEvery>0</w:DisplayHorizontalDrawingGridEvery>
<w:DisplayVerticalDrawingGridEvery>0</w:DisplayVerticalDrawingGridEvery>
<w:ValidateAgainstSchemas/>
<w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>
<w:IgnoreMixedContent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent>
<w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>
<w:Compatibility>
<w:BreakWrappedTables/>
<w:DontGrowAutofit/>
<w:DontAutofitConstrainedTables/>
<w:DontVertAlignInTxbx/>
</w:Compatibility>
</w:WordDocument>
</xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<w:LatentStyles DefLockedState="false" LatentStyleCount="276">
</w:LatentStyles>
</xml><![endif]-->
<!--[if gte mso 10]>
<style>
/* Style Definitions */
table.MsoNormalTable
{mso-style-name:"Table Normal";
mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0;
mso-tstyle-colband-size:0;
mso-style-noshow:yes;
mso-style-parent:"";
mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt;
mso-para-margin-top:0in;
mso-para-margin-right:0in;
mso-para-margin-bottom:8.0pt;
mso-para-margin-left:0in;
line-height:107%;
mso-pagination:widow-orphan;
font-size:11.0pt;
font-family:"Times New Roman";
mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri;
mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin;
mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri;
mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;}
</style>
<![endif]-->
<!--StartFragment-->
<!--EndFragment--><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjd2nh-E0p33l9ZQFaEaDnSPdUM6WUm8D8rDXFk0nI-ESuDl3Fmiq247aGcEfzTrcLprC0e6UzT8pQB3T2mcyxUa4ljRN27poCq2blqYF6A1imEIzQ5YJMueKW45h6237GayI9Wnni5nU4/s1600/Screen+Shot+2017-06-13+at+5.32.52+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="437" data-original-width="656" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjd2nh-E0p33l9ZQFaEaDnSPdUM6WUm8D8rDXFk0nI-ESuDl3Fmiq247aGcEfzTrcLprC0e6UzT8pQB3T2mcyxUa4ljRN27poCq2blqYF6A1imEIzQ5YJMueKW45h6237GayI9Wnni5nU4/s320/Screen+Shot+2017-06-13+at+5.32.52+PM.png" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="text-align: start;">(John was a Tiger)</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
Nicole Kornethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12752896360950497403noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5054348110797123772.post-81319745049926328732017-05-10T19:05:00.000-07:002017-05-14T06:02:12.936-07:00I'm Big in China<div id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1494405886904_4883" style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px; color: #454545; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', 'Segoe UI', Helvetica, Arial, 'Lucida Grande', sans-serif; line-height: normal; padding: 0px;">
"Can I kiss you?"</div>
<div id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1494405886904_4890" style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px; color: #454545; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', 'Segoe UI', Helvetica, Arial, 'Lucida Grande', sans-serif; line-height: normal; min-height: 16.7px; padding: 0px;">
<span style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px;"></span><br style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px;" /></div>
<div id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1494405886904_4896" style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px; color: #454545; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', 'Segoe UI', Helvetica, Arial, 'Lucida Grande', sans-serif; line-height: normal; padding: 0px;">
<span id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1494405886904_4895" style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px;">Proclaimed one little boy as I stepped foot outside of the locker room.</span></div>
<div id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1494405886904_4897" style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px; color: #454545; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', 'Segoe UI', Helvetica, Arial, 'Lucida Grande', sans-serif; line-height: normal; min-height: 16.7px; padding: 0px;">
<span style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px;"></span><br style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px;" /></div>
<div id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1494405886904_4899" style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px; color: #454545; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', 'Segoe UI', Helvetica, Arial, 'Lucida Grande', sans-serif; line-height: normal; padding: 0px;">
<span id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1494405886904_4898" style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px;">Doesn't matter if you're black, white, tall, or small go to China and you'll have suitors at your beck and call.</span></div>
<div style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px; color: #454545; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', 'Segoe UI', Helvetica, Arial, 'Lucida Grande', sans-serif; line-height: normal; min-height: 16.7px; padding: 0px;">
<span style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px;"></span><br style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px;" /></div>
<div id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1494405886904_4901" style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px; color: #454545; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', 'Segoe UI', Helvetica, Arial, 'Lucida Grande', sans-serif; line-height: normal; padding: 0px;">
<span id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1494405886904_4900" style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px;">As long as you look like you come from the red, white, and blue (the Canadians were frequently mistaken) the people of Asia will be enthralled by you.</span></div>
<div style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px; color: #454545; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', 'Segoe UI', Helvetica, Arial, 'Lucida Grande', sans-serif; line-height: normal; min-height: 16.7px; padding: 0px;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgX763s91z-zjuRoJnQmbDQeqA7l5R3Ec9NE5dzCOCx6-AyyG3YauM4zySL8GqtRMPkl3BqeCqPtb9t2Z0838e8QwGRd7e2DqViyG9tfMSseUO9B-KzFB56kJegWu3p6EuoIWvSL4zRMC4/s1600/Screen+Shot+2017-05-10+at+1.54.33+AM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgX763s91z-zjuRoJnQmbDQeqA7l5R3Ec9NE5dzCOCx6-AyyG3YauM4zySL8GqtRMPkl3BqeCqPtb9t2Z0838e8QwGRd7e2DqViyG9tfMSseUO9B-KzFB56kJegWu3p6EuoIWvSL4zRMC4/s320/Screen+Shot+2017-05-10+at+1.54.33+AM.png" width="238" /></a></div>
<div style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px; color: #454545; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', 'Segoe UI', Helvetica, Arial, 'Lucida Grande', sans-serif; line-height: normal; min-height: 16.7px; padding: 0px;">
<span style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px;"></span><br style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px;" /></div>
<div id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1494405886904_4904" style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px; color: #454545; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', 'Segoe UI', Helvetica, Arial, 'Lucida Grande', sans-serif; line-height: normal; padding: 0px;">
<span id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1494405886904_4903" style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px;">Come to be crowned "quasi-celebrities," we Americans instantly realized our pre-pubescent, dream-like fantasies were coming to fruition-- we were Hollywood heartthrobs.</span></div>
<div style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px; color: #454545; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', 'Segoe UI', Helvetica, Arial, 'Lucida Grande', sans-serif; line-height: normal; min-height: 16.7px; padding: 0px;">
<span style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px;"></span><br style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px;" /></div>
<div id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1494405886904_4905" style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px; color: #454545; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', 'Segoe UI', Helvetica, Arial, 'Lucida Grande', sans-serif; line-height: normal; padding: 0px;">
<span style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px;">No more secretly hiding that "nose scratch" of yours. Your gold-digging tactics will soon be shared nationwide if you're not careful.</span></div>
<div style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px; color: #454545; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', 'Segoe UI', Helvetica, Arial, 'Lucida Grande', sans-serif; line-height: normal; min-height: 16.7px; padding: 0px;">
<span style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px;"></span><br style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px;" /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8vwHqrASbpq6v54hSsy-dAYEZn09lWjx8I0JYpT8KqVPX3mM0V6y5U379IkmChnVf3Xzdwg3WrUPrUrqykd3fyY6BqsxmmPlZzyolB69kCLaWcOXKVz45JvpbubErnaIsYf7Xvtc8BvM/s1600/Screen+Shot+2017-05-10+at+1.56.28+AM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8vwHqrASbpq6v54hSsy-dAYEZn09lWjx8I0JYpT8KqVPX3mM0V6y5U379IkmChnVf3Xzdwg3WrUPrUrqykd3fyY6BqsxmmPlZzyolB69kCLaWcOXKVz45JvpbubErnaIsYf7Xvtc8BvM/s320/Screen+Shot+2017-05-10+at+1.56.28+AM.png" width="249" /></a></div>
<div style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px; color: #454545; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', 'Segoe UI', Helvetica, Arial, 'Lucida Grande', sans-serif; line-height: normal; min-height: 16.7px; padding: 0px;">
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: x-small;">Our entourage </span><span style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px;"></span></div>
<br /></div>
<div style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px; color: #454545; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', 'Segoe UI', Helvetica, Arial, 'Lucida Grande', sans-serif; line-height: normal; padding: 0px;">
<span style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px;">Life overseas... takes a man, baby.</span><br />
<span style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px; color: #454545; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', 'Segoe UI', Helvetica, Arial, 'Lucida Grande', sans-serif; line-height: normal; padding: 0px;">
<span style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px;">One is inextricably sown to any and/or every American one happens to come into contact with while across the pond. I feel as if I'm bonded for life to the girls I lived these past two weeks with, especially after an adventure such as the one I am about to describe to you in vivid detail. </span></div>
<div style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px; color: #454545; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', 'Segoe UI', Helvetica, Arial, 'Lucida Grande', sans-serif; line-height: normal; min-height: 16.7px; padding: 0px;">
<span style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px;"></span><br style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px;" /></div>
<div style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px; color: #454545; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', 'Segoe UI', Helvetica, Arial, 'Lucida Grande', sans-serif; line-height: normal; padding: 0px;">
<span style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px;">After fourteen days enduring cauldrons full of mystery meat, I have chosen to provide detailed descriptors in lieu of showing you all the grotesque, life-like delicacies themselves. </span><br />
<span style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px;"><br /></span>
<span style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px;">Savory black fungus, fried fish skin, and crisp duck tongue to name a few. Versions of non-vommitable protein quickly became a hot commodity due to the lack thereof.</span></div>
<div style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px; color: #454545; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', 'Segoe UI', Helvetica, Arial, 'Lucida Grande', sans-serif; line-height: normal; padding: 0px;">
<span style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEj_LQefWpMEWAjTVLcuXtgu0aaT-qbeEIH6H4-0BYcWjKdBHnEYR52tdoJOH2f1qXHxZGr0mRzwkWa_1bXXiSORv6-g9h-XfaF2sSLjjoFlYTrYwZWfTjqSCAd6yFFKhl3-4E9JMqBOQ/s1600/Screen+Shot+2017-05-10+at+12.35.09+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEj_LQefWpMEWAjTVLcuXtgu0aaT-qbeEIH6H4-0BYcWjKdBHnEYR52tdoJOH2f1qXHxZGr0mRzwkWa_1bXXiSORv6-g9h-XfaF2sSLjjoFlYTrYwZWfTjqSCAd6yFFKhl3-4E9JMqBOQ/s320/Screen+Shot+2017-05-10+at+12.35.09+PM.png" width="239" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: x-small;">Breakfast, lunch & dinner</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px; color: #454545; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', 'Segoe UI', Helvetica, Arial, 'Lucida Grande', sans-serif; line-height: normal; padding: 0px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px; color: #454545; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', 'Segoe UI', Helvetica, Arial, 'Lucida Grande', sans-serif; line-height: normal; padding: 0px;">
<span style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px;">Aside from the food, another particular issue hit home with me. </span></div>
<div style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px; color: #454545; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', 'Segoe UI', Helvetica, Arial, 'Lucida Grande', sans-serif; line-height: normal; min-height: 16.7px; padding: 0px;">
<span style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px;"></span><br style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px;" /></div>
<div style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px; color: #454545; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', 'Segoe UI', Helvetica, Arial, 'Lucida Grande', sans-serif; line-height: normal; padding: 0px;">
<span style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px;">China, the communist country, ain't so communist after all. While abroad, one of my dear friends and Jesus-loving fiends made it her duty to do just that-- love Jesus. </span></div>
<div style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px; color: #454545; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', 'Segoe UI', Helvetica, Arial, 'Lucida Grande', sans-serif; line-height: normal; min-height: 16.7px; padding: 0px;">
<span style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px;"></span><br style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px;" /></div>
<div style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px; color: #454545; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', 'Segoe UI', Helvetica, Arial, 'Lucida Grande', sans-serif; line-height: normal; padding: 0px;">
<span style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px;">Before I took off, my father urged me to go to confession before it was time to leave the U.S.</span></div>
<div style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px; color: #454545; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', 'Segoe UI', Helvetica, Arial, 'Lucida Grande', sans-serif; line-height: normal; min-height: 16.7px; padding: 0px;">
<span style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px;"></span><br style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px;" /></div>
<div style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px; color: #454545; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', 'Segoe UI', Helvetica, Arial, 'Lucida Grande', sans-serif; line-height: normal; padding: 0px;">
<span style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px;">"You won't be able to go to church for two weeks straight. There aren't any Catholic Churches in China. So get your butt to confession while you still can."</span></div>
<div style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px; color: #454545; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', 'Segoe UI', Helvetica, Arial, 'Lucida Grande', sans-serif; line-height: normal; min-height: 16.7px; padding: 0px;">
<span style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px;"></span><br style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px;" /></div>
<div style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px; color: #454545; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', 'Segoe UI', Helvetica, Arial, 'Lucida Grande', sans-serif; line-height: normal; padding: 0px;">
<span style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px;">Gotta love him.</span></div>
<div style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px; color: #454545; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', 'Segoe UI', Helvetica, Arial, 'Lucida Grande', sans-serif; line-height: normal; min-height: 16.7px; padding: 0px;">
<span style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px;"></span><br style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px;" /></div>
<div style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px; color: #454545; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', 'Segoe UI', Helvetica, Arial, 'Lucida Grande', sans-serif; line-height: normal; padding: 0px;">
<span style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px;">Back to my Jesus-loving friend. We all know it's Kari I'm talking about, so let me refer to her as her most-fitting title in order to spare us all the frequency of her mentions in my blog.</span></div>
<div style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px; color: #454545; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', 'Segoe UI', Helvetica, Arial, 'Lucida Grande', sans-serif; line-height: normal; min-height: 16.7px; padding: 0px;">
<span style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px;"></span><br style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px;" /></div>
<div style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px; color: #454545; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', 'Segoe UI', Helvetica, Arial, 'Lucida Grande', sans-serif; line-height: normal; padding: 0px;">
<span style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px;">My Jesus-loving friend made it her duty to spread the Christian spirit every day. In fact, she stayed up late most nights using Google translator in order to figure out the correct Kanji necessary to spell out the phrase "Jesus loves you." She wanted to pass these little slips of paper around to the Chinese athletes we played, the pedestrians in the streets, the extremely creative, talented, multi-dimensional Chinese culinary chefs, and anyone else she could possibly whisk away with her piercing eye contact.</span></div>
<div style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px; color: #454545; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', 'Segoe UI', Helvetica, Arial, 'Lucida Grande', sans-serif; line-height: normal; padding: 0px;">
<span style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFMlvJ6ITr_5-pBJPYN77XnUnRcBRA4-k0aOoEAfYdeghNi1IXb5OoV8xwdfr7HkMHb2jo-AFHXadzwMuBX8tbh9x-IMm0NPqJiHoWi8u1DuClvY8Agplgce4w6k2XRzhCgGmvISNVg5A/s1600/Screen+Shot+2017-05-10+at+12.38.06+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFMlvJ6ITr_5-pBJPYN77XnUnRcBRA4-k0aOoEAfYdeghNi1IXb5OoV8xwdfr7HkMHb2jo-AFHXadzwMuBX8tbh9x-IMm0NPqJiHoWi8u1DuClvY8Agplgce4w6k2XRzhCgGmvISNVg5A/s320/Screen+Shot+2017-05-10+at+12.38.06+PM.png" width="240" /></a></div>
<div style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px; color: #454545; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', 'Segoe UI', Helvetica, Arial, 'Lucida Grande', sans-serif; line-height: normal; min-height: 16.7px; padding: 0px;">
<br />
<span style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px;"></span></div>
<div style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px; color: #454545; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', 'Segoe UI', Helvetica, Arial, 'Lucida Grande', sans-serif; line-height: normal; padding: 0px;">
<span style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px;">She'll be canonized as a saint any day now.</span></div>
<div style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px; color: #454545; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', 'Segoe UI', Helvetica, Arial, 'Lucida Grande', sans-serif; line-height: normal; min-height: 16.7px; padding: 0px;">
<span style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px;"></span><br style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px;" /></div>
<div style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px; color: #454545; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', 'Segoe UI', Helvetica, Arial, 'Lucida Grande', sans-serif; line-height: normal; padding: 0px;">
<span style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px;">The moral of the story is-- Kari didn't go to jail. One of our translators even said there are free-standing Christian churches found throughout China. You just have to look a little harder for them.</span></div>
<div style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px; color: #454545; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', 'Segoe UI', Helvetica, Arial, 'Lucida Grande', sans-serif; line-height: normal; min-height: 16.7px; padding: 0px;">
<span style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px;"></span><br style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px;" /></div>
<div style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px; color: #454545; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', 'Segoe UI', Helvetica, Arial, 'Lucida Grande', sans-serif; line-height: normal; padding: 0px;">
<span style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px;">China has come a long way. </span></div>
<div style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px; color: #454545; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', 'Segoe UI', Helvetica, Arial, 'Lucida Grande', sans-serif; line-height: normal; min-height: 16.7px; padding: 0px;">
<span style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px;"></span><br style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px;" /></div>
<div style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px; color: #454545; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', 'Segoe UI', Helvetica, Arial, 'Lucida Grande', sans-serif; line-height: normal; padding: 0px;">
<span style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px;">Which brings me to point #1.</span></div>
<div style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px; color: #454545; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', 'Segoe UI', Helvetica, Arial, 'Lucida Grande', sans-serif; line-height: normal; min-height: 16.7px; padding: 0px;">
<span style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px;"></span><br style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px;" /></div>
<div style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px; color: #454545; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', 'Segoe UI', Helvetica, Arial, 'Lucida Grande', sans-serif; line-height: normal; padding: 0px;">
<span style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px; font-size: large;"><b>Point #1:</b></span></div>
<div style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px; color: #454545; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', 'Segoe UI', Helvetica, Arial, 'Lucida Grande', sans-serif; line-height: normal; min-height: 16.7px; padding: 0px;">
<span style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px;"></span><br style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px;" /></div>
<div style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px; color: #454545; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', 'Segoe UI', Helvetica, Arial, 'Lucida Grande', sans-serif; line-height: normal; padding: 0px;">
<span style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px;">Stereotypes suck.</span></div>
<div style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px; color: #454545; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', 'Segoe UI', Helvetica, Arial, 'Lucida Grande', sans-serif; line-height: normal; min-height: 16.7px; padding: 0px;">
<span style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px;"></span><br style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px;" /></div>
<div style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px; color: #454545; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', 'Segoe UI', Helvetica, Arial, 'Lucida Grande', sans-serif; line-height: normal; padding: 0px;">
<span style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px;">Yes, their driving may be lackluster. Okay, lackluster may be too kind of verbiage. Perhaps "chaotic" is the right word. But it's not their fault. That's how they've been taught in China. Heck, I don't even think I can use that word either- "taught." Clearly not much teaching was going on in Driver's Ed.</span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
</div>
<div style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px; color: #454545; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', 'Segoe UI', Helvetica, Arial, 'Lucida Grande', sans-serif; line-height: normal; padding: 0px;">
<span style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px;">There's only one rule of the road in China:</span></div>
<div style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px; color: #454545; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', 'Segoe UI', Helvetica, Arial, 'Lucida Grande', sans-serif; line-height: normal; min-height: 16.7px; padding: 0px;">
<span style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px;"></span><br style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px;" /></div>
<div style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px; color: #454545; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', 'Segoe UI', Helvetica, Arial, 'Lucida Grande', sans-serif; line-height: normal; padding: 0px;">
<span style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px;">1.) There are no rules of the road.</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen="" class="YOUTUBE-iframe-video" data-thumbnail-src="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/AT8cQ1VTF6w/0.jpg" frameborder="0" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/AT8cQ1VTF6w?feature=player_embedded" width="320"></iframe></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #454545; font-family: "helvetica neue" , "segoe ui" , "helvetica" , "arial" , "lucida grande" , sans-serif;"></span></div>
<div style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px; color: #454545; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', 'Segoe UI', Helvetica, Arial, 'Lucida Grande', sans-serif; line-height: normal; padding: 0px;">
<span style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px;">Back to the stereotypes. Stop making them. Before coming to China, I was heavily surrounded by Chinese at UCLA. Approximately 32% of UCLA is made up of Asians. </span></div>
<div style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px; color: #454545; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', 'Segoe UI', Helvetica, Arial, 'Lucida Grande', sans-serif; line-height: normal; min-height: 16.7px; padding: 0px;">
<span style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px;"></span><br style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px;" /></div>
<div style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px; color: #454545; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', 'Segoe UI', Helvetica, Arial, 'Lucida Grande', sans-serif; line-height: normal; padding: 0px;">
<span style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px;">Immersing myself into the Chinese culture finally allowed me to understand why they do what they do, and how they do it.</span></div>
<div style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px; color: #454545; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', 'Segoe UI', Helvetica, Arial, 'Lucida Grande', sans-serif; line-height: normal; min-height: 16.7px; padding: 0px;">
<span style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px;"></span><br style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px;" /></div>
<div style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px; color: #454545; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', 'Segoe UI', Helvetica, Arial, 'Lucida Grande', sans-serif; line-height: normal; padding: 0px;">
<span style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px;">So before you go making stereotypes about someone who doesn't look like you, walk like you, or dress like you, take the time to put yourself in their shoes. Even if they're 10 sizes too small. </span></div>
<div style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px; color: #454545; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', 'Segoe UI', Helvetica, Arial, 'Lucida Grande', sans-serif; line-height: normal; min-height: 16.7px; padding: 0px;">
<span style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px;"></span><br style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px;" /></div>
<div style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px; color: #454545; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', 'Segoe UI', Helvetica, Arial, 'Lucida Grande', sans-serif; line-height: normal; padding: 0px;">
<span style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px;">One of the main stereotypes I was guilty of forming myself prior to visiting China was the breathtakingly unpleasant, repugnant smell that so frequently grazed my nasal passages whenever coming into contact with most differing nation groups.</span></div>
<div style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px; color: #454545; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', 'Segoe UI', Helvetica, Arial, 'Lucida Grande', sans-serif; line-height: normal; min-height: 16.7px; padding: 0px;">
<span style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px;"></span><br style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px;" /></div>
<div style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px; color: #454545; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', 'Segoe UI', Helvetica, Arial, 'Lucida Grande', sans-serif; line-height: normal; padding: 0px;">
<span style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px;">The smells. Man, the smells. </span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen="" class="YOUTUBE-iframe-video" data-thumbnail-src="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/3ENiroOX0lA/0.jpg" frameborder="0" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/3ENiroOX0lA?feature=player_embedded" width="320"></iframe></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="color: #454545; font-family: "helvetica neue" , "segoe ui" , "helvetica" , "arial" , "lucida grande" , sans-serif;">As you can see, everything makes sense once taking the time to see how one lives, how one grows up, and how hard it must be for that certain someone to break certain habitual routines.</span></div>
<div style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px; color: #454545; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', 'Segoe UI', Helvetica, Arial, 'Lucida Grande', sans-serif; line-height: normal; min-height: 16.7px; padding: 0px;">
<span style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px;"></span><br style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px;" /></div>
<div style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px; color: #454545; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', 'Segoe UI', Helvetica, Arial, 'Lucida Grande', sans-serif; line-height: normal; padding: 0px;">
<span style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px;">Sure, a little peer pressure never hurt nobody...when it comes to the discovery of deodorant. But for the most part, out with the stereotypes and in with the acceptance!</span></div>
<div style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px; color: #454545; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', 'Segoe UI', Helvetica, Arial, 'Lucida Grande', sans-serif; line-height: normal; min-height: 16.7px; padding: 0px;">
<span style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px;"></span><br style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px;" /></div>
<div style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px; color: #454545; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', 'Segoe UI', Helvetica, Arial, 'Lucida Grande', sans-serif; line-height: normal; padding: 0px;">
<span style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px; font-size: large;"><b>Point #2:</b></span></div>
<div style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px; color: #454545; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', 'Segoe UI', Helvetica, Arial, 'Lucida Grande', sans-serif; line-height: normal; padding: 0px;">
<span style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px; color: #454545; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', 'Segoe UI', Helvetica, Arial, 'Lucida Grande', sans-serif; line-height: normal; padding: 0px;">
<span style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px;">Love your neighbor as the Chinese.</span></div>
<div style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px; color: #454545; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', 'Segoe UI', Helvetica, Arial, 'Lucida Grande', sans-serif; line-height: normal; min-height: 16.7px; padding: 0px;">
<span style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px;"></span><br style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px;" /></div>
<div style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px; color: #454545; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', 'Segoe UI', Helvetica, Arial, 'Lucida Grande', sans-serif; line-height: normal; padding: 0px;">
<span style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px;">You know that child-like faith you once had? </span>Faith that everyone should be nice to you? Faith that everyone wants the best for you? Faith that everyone loves you?</div>
<div style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px; color: #454545; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', 'Segoe UI', Helvetica, Arial, 'Lucida Grande', sans-serif; line-height: normal; min-height: 16.7px; padding: 0px;">
<span style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px;"></span></div>
<div style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px; color: #454545; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', 'Segoe UI', Helvetica, Arial, 'Lucida Grande', sans-serif; line-height: normal; min-height: 16.7px; padding: 0px;">
That child-like faith resides in the Chinese. I'm convinced of it.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen="" class="YOUTUBE-iframe-video" data-thumbnail-src="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/XYXQW7QGepk/0.jpg" frameborder="0" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/XYXQW7QGepk?feature=player_embedded" width="320"></iframe></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px; color: #454545; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', 'Segoe UI', Helvetica, Arial, 'Lucida Grande', sans-serif; line-height: normal; padding: 0px;">
<span style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px;">Peace resides in simplicity. The Chinese showed me that. </span></div>
<div style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px; color: #454545; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', 'Segoe UI', Helvetica, Arial, 'Lucida Grande', sans-serif; line-height: normal; min-height: 16.7px; padding: 0px;">
<span style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px;"></span><br style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px;" /></div>
<div style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px; color: #454545; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', 'Segoe UI', Helvetica, Arial, 'Lucida Grande', sans-serif; line-height: normal; padding: 0px;">
<span style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px; font-size: large;"><b>Point #3:</b></span></div>
<div style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px; color: #454545; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', 'Segoe UI', Helvetica, Arial, 'Lucida Grande', sans-serif; line-height: normal; padding: 0px;">
<br />
Sports rock.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxexu6BNWiKmVozM-mIKiYI1sRCdZ2VG1iwijPJJUJ-3vgkIGIaUf3gig0k7gwYvvFiTLKzUvn4_WCmidyit_2PUGx7KNUMotfE3Afq3Q_mXw2frngZ1Di-ZYUq1RWwsmGDAprnhcF_B4/s1600/Screen+Shot+2017-05-10+at+9.17.10+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxexu6BNWiKmVozM-mIKiYI1sRCdZ2VG1iwijPJJUJ-3vgkIGIaUf3gig0k7gwYvvFiTLKzUvn4_WCmidyit_2PUGx7KNUMotfE3Afq3Q_mXw2frngZ1Di-ZYUq1RWwsmGDAprnhcF_B4/s320/Screen+Shot+2017-05-10+at+9.17.10+PM.png" width="190" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhphGrZwDIeiU-wtmokglVlSG8cukDao5fGJeMJS1yVM1NzAkHUS3cQLGDDwkIsJfAPmMjPD-R9DoTCJyCb4qQRDjPmpYFNvlfDOB5EBHrfkmYg6A38ue8-vMMUwSPb8_Eb7hfhrZ71qLg/s1600/Screen+Shot+2017-05-10+at+9.28.57+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhphGrZwDIeiU-wtmokglVlSG8cukDao5fGJeMJS1yVM1NzAkHUS3cQLGDDwkIsJfAPmMjPD-R9DoTCJyCb4qQRDjPmpYFNvlfDOB5EBHrfkmYg6A38ue8-vMMUwSPb8_Eb7hfhrZ71qLg/s320/Screen+Shot+2017-05-10+at+9.28.57+PM.png" width="212" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<span style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px;">Before I left, my mom couldn't help but laugh at the striking parental resemblance. </span><br />
<span style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px;"><br /></span>
<span style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px;">My mom left for Tokyo to become a backup singer and dancer for a Japanese pop-star (I know, right) (who does that?) (Tracy Kornet) (that's who) at this exact same stage in her life (age 23), while my dad left the NBA for Europe just a few years after. </span><br />
<span style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px;"><br /></span>
<span style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px;">And there I was-- o</span>ff to Asia like my mother, playing ball like my dad.<br />
<br /></div>
<div style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px; color: #454545; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', 'Segoe UI', Helvetica, Arial, 'Lucida Grande', sans-serif; line-height: normal; padding: 0px;">
<div style="text-align: center;">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen="" class="YOUTUBE-iframe-video" data-thumbnail-src="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/-CBH1zcEojA/0.jpg" frameborder="0" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/-CBH1zcEojA?feature=player_embedded" width="320"></iframe></div>
<br /></div>
</div>
<div style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px; color: #454545; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', 'Segoe UI', Helvetica, Arial, 'Lucida Grande', sans-serif; line-height: normal; padding: 0px;">
<span style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px;">Coming into this experience, I thought of myself as a somewhat disciplined, dedicated individual. But then I met the Chinese. Team China was a well-oiled, fine-tuned machine. That's why it took us two games to beat them. The way each and every girl listened to their coach, nodded their heads in unison, and not once spoke out of line inspired me. </span><br />
<span style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px;"><br /></span>
<span style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px;">Too often I put myself above others, thinking I'm the one who deserves the starting spot, or play-call for the last second shot, but the Chinese silenced those ill-willed thoughts immediately. They made me feel embarrassed for even having them.</span><br />
<span style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px;"><br /></span>
<span style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px;">You can always be better. You are always replaceable. You should never stop growing.</span><br />
<span style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px;"><br /></span>
<span style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px;">Thank you Team China for communicating to me, despite the language barrier, how to be a woman of action, respect, dignity, and honor.</span><br />
<span style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px;"><br /></span>
Not only was I fortunate enough to learn from other countries, but I was able to learn just as much, if not more, from the myriad personalities showcased on our very own Team USA.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen="" class="YOUTUBE-iframe-video" data-thumbnail-src="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/4Jy9ghAbE1A/0.jpg" frameborder="0" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/4Jy9ghAbE1A?feature=player_embedded" width="320"></iframe></div>
<div style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px; color: #454545; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', 'Segoe UI', Helvetica, Arial, 'Lucida Grande', sans-serif; line-height: normal; min-height: 16.7px; padding: 0px;">
<span style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px;"></span></div>
<div style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px; color: #454545; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', 'Segoe UI', Helvetica, Arial, 'Lucida Grande', sans-serif; line-height: normal; padding: 0px;">
<span style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px;">Best part of it all was that all four countries were able to come together to do something we all know how to do very well-- play.</span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen="" class="YOUTUBE-iframe-video" data-thumbnail-src="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/jaCz1U1VQZA/0.jpg" frameborder="0" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/jaCz1U1VQZA?feature=player_embedded" width="320"></iframe></div>
<br /></div>
</div>
<div style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px; color: #454545; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', 'Segoe UI', Helvetica, Arial, 'Lucida Grande', sans-serif; line-height: normal; padding: 0px;">
<span style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px;">Even if it took a less than lovely, round-a-bout way of doing so.</span></div>
<div style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px; color: #454545; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', 'Segoe UI', Helvetica, Arial, 'Lucida Grande', sans-serif; line-height: normal; padding: 0px;">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen="" class="YOUTUBE-iframe-video" data-thumbnail-src="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/HZ9YzO9K-xQ/0.jpg" frameborder="0" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/HZ9YzO9K-xQ?feature=player_embedded" width="320"></iframe></div>
<br /></div>
<div style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px; color: #454545; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', 'Segoe UI', Helvetica, Arial, 'Lucida Grande', sans-serif; line-height: normal; padding: 0px;">
<span style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px;">Even if it took a few, or nine, unscheduled, self-manufactured, off-hours a day.</span></div>
<div style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px; color: #454545; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', 'Segoe UI', Helvetica, Arial, 'Lucida Grande', sans-serif; line-height: normal; padding: 0px;">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen="" class="YOUTUBE-iframe-video" data-thumbnail-src="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/kp8hVS5z_Rc/0.jpg" frameborder="0" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/kp8hVS5z_Rc?feature=player_embedded" width="320"></iframe></div>
<br /></div>
<div style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px; color: #454545; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', 'Segoe UI', Helvetica, Arial, 'Lucida Grande', sans-serif; line-height: normal; padding: 0px;">
<span style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px;">I got to fly halfway across the world in order to represent my country. And let me tell you, we did one heck of a job representing it.</span></div>
<div style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px; color: #454545; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', 'Segoe UI', Helvetica, Arial, 'Lucida Grande', sans-serif; line-height: normal; min-height: 16.7px; padding: 0px;">
<span style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px;"></span><br style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px;" /></div>
<div style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px; color: #454545; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', 'Segoe UI', Helvetica, Arial, 'Lucida Grande', sans-serif; line-height: normal; padding: 0px;">
<span style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px;">Gold medal good.</span></div>
<div style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px; color: #454545; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', 'Segoe UI', Helvetica, Arial, 'Lucida Grande', sans-serif; line-height: normal; min-height: 16.7px; padding: 0px;">
<span style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px;"></span><br style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px;" /></div>
<div style="font-family: 'helvetica neue', 'segoe ui', helvetica, arial, 'lucida grande', sans-serif; line-height: normal; padding: 0px;">
<div style="color: #454545;">
<span style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px;">Introducing to you all, two ringless seniors who got to take a little hardware back to the homeland and proudly say,</span></div>
<div style="color: #454545;">
<span style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px;"><br /></span></div>
</div>
<div style="font-family: 'helvetica neue', 'segoe ui', helvetica, arial, 'lucida grande', sans-serif; line-height: normal; padding: 0px;">
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px; font-size: large;"><b>God bless the USA! </b></span><span style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px; font-size: large;"><b> </b> </span></div>
<div style="color: #454545;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; color: #454545; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTz8sbu3PgXpmk2w7TiuiOxgpgPK6hSLIqOUrh0n4oJR2WIMKHvFZkdAhU4wyMx6RNDH6ATA0a69ps6GcwxM_364mlDf_aLFxZ6BQxjIinMV-qw9poPwJPWui16cbKuq_G2NjDaj0BCtk/s1600/Screen+Shot+2017-05-10+at+1.53.14+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTz8sbu3PgXpmk2w7TiuiOxgpgPK6hSLIqOUrh0n4oJR2WIMKHvFZkdAhU4wyMx6RNDH6ATA0a69ps6GcwxM_364mlDf_aLFxZ6BQxjIinMV-qw9poPwJPWui16cbKuq_G2NjDaj0BCtk/s320/Screen+Shot+2017-05-10+at+1.53.14+PM.png" width="167" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; color: #454545; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: x-small;">Me </span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; color: #454545; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: x-small;">(& Kari)</span></div>
<div style="color: #454545;">
<br /></div>
<div style="color: #454545; text-align: left;">
<span style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px; font-size: large;"><b>Bloopers:</b></span></div>
</div>
<div style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px; color: #454545; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', 'Segoe UI', Helvetica, Arial, 'Lucida Grande', sans-serif; line-height: normal; padding: 0px;">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<div style="text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen="" class="YOUTUBE-iframe-video" data-thumbnail-src="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/SsVtl7nezi0/0.jpg" frameborder="0" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/SsVtl7nezi0?feature=player_embedded" width="320"></iframe></div>
</div>
</div>
<div style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px; color: #454545; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', 'Segoe UI', Helvetica, Arial, 'Lucida Grande', sans-serif; line-height: normal; min-height: 16.7px; padding: 0px;">
<br /></div>
<div id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1494405886904_4911" style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px; color: #454545; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', 'Segoe UI', Helvetica, Arial, 'Lucida Grande', sans-serif; line-height: normal; padding: 0px;">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen="" class="YOUTUBE-iframe-video" data-thumbnail-src="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/HYozDiAdojI/0.jpg" frameborder="0" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/HYozDiAdojI?feature=player_embedded" width="320"></iframe></div>
<div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen="" class="YOUTUBE-iframe-video" data-thumbnail-src="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/POSl1IXnEnQ/0.jpg" frameborder="0" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/POSl1IXnEnQ?feature=player_embedded" width="320"></iframe></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
Until next time, China. Signing off and signing out, Nicole Kornet.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="text-align: left;"><br /></span></div>
</div>
Nicole Kornethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12752896360950497403noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5054348110797123772.post-84114799061255420092017-04-24T18:20:00.002-07:002017-09-22T20:30:17.901-07:00I'm Going to ChinaMy basketball career ended like many others across the country-- to Uconn.<br />
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Afterwards, I realized that the young, whippersnapper I once was, was no longer young. </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Five seasons later, I stand at the ripe age of 23, eagerly awaiting the day my four to five toddlers scurry about a safely confined, white picket fenced-in acre of bluegrass, with a dashing husband to boot. </div>
<div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Yet, in order for that pipe dream to become a reality, a certain someone has to get a certain something.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
I need a job.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
___________</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
I remember sitting in the locker room after my last game looking around from player to player. Some had the sniffles, some were already talking about next year, and some (me) were smiling. Don't get me wrong, I was devastatingly sad about the fact that my season was over, my career was over, and my team's tournament run was over, but I couldn't help but think to myself-- I did it.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYYQ3IkPQN3D4QMcCXTVCU0eK5ZN6BdPM-OHdITOIdLG5mWvawuO7QkDAnCAdlfoyqD0TP7ZxclNi1i70bpOsUuXYCNK-2aWtOWCr57V2NztOHbXacgFiX0pWMIP-Fhyphenhyphen8W78Z6R2hthgM/s1600/Screen+Shot+2017-04-24+at+2.18.24+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="272" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYYQ3IkPQN3D4QMcCXTVCU0eK5ZN6BdPM-OHdITOIdLG5mWvawuO7QkDAnCAdlfoyqD0TP7ZxclNi1i70bpOsUuXYCNK-2aWtOWCr57V2NztOHbXacgFiX0pWMIP-Fhyphenhyphen8W78Z6R2hthgM/s320/Screen+Shot+2017-04-24+at+2.18.24+PM.png" width="320" /></a></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
I was raised on horror stories of college basketball. My father loved to tell us kiddos how many suicides he ran in college, how little college coaches cared about one's personal feelings, and how hard it was to maintain a solid grade point average amongst a practice schedule straight from hell.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
He likes to exaggerate.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Now you all know where I get it from. Contrary to popular belief, I don't get it from Tracy.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
___________</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
For us kids on the West Coast, the quarter system is in full effect.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Meaning, we were playing in the Sweet Sixteen smack dab in the middle of finals week. </div>
<div>
Meaning, after the game it was Spring Break. </div>
<div>
Meaning, we lost; so I got to go on Spring Break.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
My friends and I decided to pack up the car, mattress pad and all, and drive. We explored the entire coast of California in 5 days, on a budget of $197.15. I can tell you how we managed to do so on a following blog. Fascinating stuff. It took a few nights sleeping with a seatbelt cemented into your torso, lots of McDonald's, and an abundance of dedicated and loyal friends scattered across the coast graciously willing to house us when we couldn't quite stand the foot funk much longer. </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
As soon as we piled into the car and merged onto the 405, I got an email. It was from my assistant coach. </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
The subject line read, "Invitation to China Tour for Nicole Kornet and Kari Korver."</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
At first glance, I laughed.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
I had been getting a bunch of emails from agents, coaches, and Euro-basket leagues reaching out asking the looming question,</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
"Are you playing professionally??"</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
No. </div>
<div>
Heck no. </div>
<div>
No, no, no. </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Remember that plan I so vividly detailed for you all in paragraph #1?? Playing in Europe doesn't fit into those parameters.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
I love basketball with all of my heart. I love it, but I'm ready to be done with it. It's time to hang up the sneakers and go to work. I'm no Kelsey Plum. I know where I stand. Sure I could delay the inevitable and play overseas for a few years. I could explore the world, meet new people, and keep playing, but I don't want to. I want to stay in the USofA. I want to live on Top Ramen and pb&j sandwiches and pick up my boss's coffee and work from dawn till dusk and get very little for it. </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Yeah, I want to enter the work force.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
After reading further into this "Invitation to China Tour" email it became loud & clear. I had been selected to be a part of the USA All-Star Team. I was asked to come to China, all expenses paid.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
3 cities, 9 games, 14 days.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
We play Lithuania, Canada, and of course, China; it's a world-wide, round-robin Four Nations tournament smack dab in the middle of China.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Now that's something I can't say no to. Even if I want to "hang up the sneakers." </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Best part is that my teammate Kari is invited too. The dynamic duo ain't done yet.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5sPg1URd7KAe_A97anh4aM836JnxJoxoWy778z1rqIGmH9hcAid2Ugj-HdowXKWdWjOX2h-9EzzoPYVwQpRSxRwKYjJJiklLAumbd0s9k-xJOlQGsGgcK_NvEsq9hgOU5C9GXOX7QiYw/s1600/Screen+Shot+2017-04-24+at+2.22.22+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="202" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5sPg1URd7KAe_A97anh4aM836JnxJoxoWy778z1rqIGmH9hcAid2Ugj-HdowXKWdWjOX2h-9EzzoPYVwQpRSxRwKYjJJiklLAumbd0s9k-xJOlQGsGgcK_NvEsq9hgOU5C9GXOX7QiYw/s320/Screen+Shot+2017-04-24+at+2.22.22+PM.png" width="320" /></a></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
I emailed my coach back. Well, I called my mom first and asked permission, and then I emailed my coach back, and told him...</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
"I'm going to China."</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
___________</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Just two hours before I had hopped in the car ready to traverse the land of milk and honey for Spring Break, I was on my first-ever job interview. </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhi5FA79-AWuCBW2UJAmb8gmvXxr83nLdt_iyZ3AzD9Rk1Xd8fA25olpK4yaYsDEtfzgl-1ECQr5UVC98ArzDOJBsGZSyuYS_ZO4P5FgW6LVaC-G_QyeNQ-aETK21n8LncYE8pQpAoFZaA/s1600/Screen+Shot+2017-04-24+at+1.22.17+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhi5FA79-AWuCBW2UJAmb8gmvXxr83nLdt_iyZ3AzD9Rk1Xd8fA25olpK4yaYsDEtfzgl-1ECQr5UVC98ArzDOJBsGZSyuYS_ZO4P5FgW6LVaC-G_QyeNQ-aETK21n8LncYE8pQpAoFZaA/s320/Screen+Shot+2017-04-24+at+1.22.17+PM.png" width="179" /></a></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
I was offered an internship at Wasserman Sports Agency here in LA. Halfway through the season I knew my time as an athlete was coming to a close, therefore I knew I had to make a move in the job market.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
It was time.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Wasserman offered me an internship for the spring. I graciously took it...and then proceeded to tell them about China.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
"Nicole, GO!"</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
"We'll start you after you get back."</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
I'm really excited about this opportunity, but like I said, it's an internship. As soon as school ends, my internship ends too. </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
I didn't join Wasserman because I want to be a sports agent. I joined because one should always say yes when opportunity comes a knockin' at my age. Wasserman is an uncommon agency, run by uncommon people, seeking uncommon results. I believe in the vision they have to help athletes, like my little brother, fulfill lifelong dreams of attaining a professional career in sports. </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Heck, I'm all about that.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
However, my dream job involves a camera in front of my face. Somehow. Some way.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Fact of the matter is, I want to be on tv. That's all I know for sure. I don't think I necessarily want to be like mom, and I know I don't want to play professionally like my dad, but I think it would be really cool to combine the two. </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Maybe I could do commercials.</div>
<div>
Or sports modeling.</div>
<div>
Or sideline-reporting.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5vHqZy1E5Ajx0qWurzeHt35w4iS_6lvHz7LHiBqvYjO6taQcvhyphenhyphen3VEfSiN9KY0tvPN8DwlVBVjCFr6PYWXmaouVhJJlmi_qJhnb6o_8Iirr1OyLLViVRpGygawjevwuY1sjG4jU-dgSU/s1600/Screen+Shot+2017-04-24+at+1.28.34+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5vHqZy1E5Ajx0qWurzeHt35w4iS_6lvHz7LHiBqvYjO6taQcvhyphenhyphen3VEfSiN9KY0tvPN8DwlVBVjCFr6PYWXmaouVhJJlmi_qJhnb6o_8Iirr1OyLLViVRpGygawjevwuY1sjG4jU-dgSU/s320/Screen+Shot+2017-04-24+at+1.28.34+PM.png" width="320" /></a></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
I love sports. Not just basketball, but football, golf, frisbee golf, volleyball, baseball, softball, horse racing-- you name it, I love it.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkqDNMK43K3FV1aguzPtnQCgfnAfhOEmW9u-q6V5IJyxeoOunvV_7HWbi-5E9xQZqis0paIkRhPR0DtZWhs_C_6lP_6os4N_aVix5LBMI7_WRYOCAurYBxNa5GVnBjV-gyQPcU8yjAU3I/s1600/Screen+Shot+2017-04-24+at+1.27.17+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkqDNMK43K3FV1aguzPtnQCgfnAfhOEmW9u-q6V5IJyxeoOunvV_7HWbi-5E9xQZqis0paIkRhPR0DtZWhs_C_6lP_6os4N_aVix5LBMI7_WRYOCAurYBxNa5GVnBjV-gyQPcU8yjAU3I/s320/Screen+Shot+2017-04-24+at+1.27.17+PM.png" width="255" /></a></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
I may be done playing organized basketball, but that doesn't mean I'm done immersing myself in it on a M-F, 8-5 basis.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
I think what would be really cool is to have my own "behind-the-scenes" show. I want to dig a little deeper. I could interview athletes in order to find that story we all really want to know. </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
And then play them.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Maybe not in the sport they are paid millions to play, but in another. Just for some humor purposes. For some candid moments on camera, because that's the athlete we all want to see. The human.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Does that sound great or does that sound great?</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
___________</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
I leave for China tonight. I get to have my Kobe farewell tour once and for all, amongst the Chinese. Upon my return, I'll be a broke working woman, struggling to find that big break in order to live out my wildest dreams. </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
One day I'll have that job in front of the camera, with a hunk-a-burnin-love by my side teaching little Jimmy to keep his elbow in and his wrist cocked.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
BUT,</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
If you or any of your friends know someone who can make my wildest dreams come true just a little bit faster, you know where to reach me.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Until then, I'll be in China representing Team USA. Maybe this time I can finally end with a win, and a gold medal around my neck.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIGcka8GiVdWNMYTSIPvpvI3kOEpfiYDolC1Y4G7ILlJToGrxsc3j5fbX43dw3od7E4ap0NbEKORPtYWQkwWdHdETX_pDok821E5S74SVNITnHx8cJXQWTN2c-C31ZmKcK-picvHz7pFI/s1600/Screen+Shot+2017-04-24+at+6.17.12+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIGcka8GiVdWNMYTSIPvpvI3kOEpfiYDolC1Y4G7ILlJToGrxsc3j5fbX43dw3od7E4ap0NbEKORPtYWQkwWdHdETX_pDok821E5S74SVNITnHx8cJXQWTN2c-C31ZmKcK-picvHz7pFI/s320/Screen+Shot+2017-04-24+at+6.17.12+PM.png" width="254" /></a></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
Nicole Kornethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12752896360950497403noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5054348110797123772.post-3163714037709336422017-03-17T18:20:00.001-07:002017-10-16T16:29:26.839-07:00The End<span style="background-color: white; font-family: "helvetica neue" , "segoe ui" , "helvetica" , "arial" , "lucida grande" , sans-serif;">Losing in college is equivalent to a root canal, to taking a huge bite of that juicy bratwurst then watching a huge dollop of spicy Dijon mustard fall off the back of the bun and onto your freshly washed white t, to annihilating your fourth toe against the corner of the kitchen island as you peel around the countertop in a rush to take the cookies out of the oven.</span><br />
<br style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', 'Segoe UI', Helvetica, Arial, 'Lucida Grande', sans-serif;" />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: "helvetica neue" , "segoe ui" , "helvetica" , "arial" , "lucida grande" , sans-serif;">In other words, losing sucks.</span><br />
<br style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', 'Segoe UI', Helvetica, Arial, 'Lucida Grande', sans-serif;" />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: "helvetica neue" , "segoe ui" , "helvetica" , "arial" , "lucida grande" , sans-serif;">Last night, however, I felt a type of loss that only a senior can feel.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: "helvetica neue" , "segoe ui" , "helvetica" , "arial" , "lucida grande" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: "helvetica neue" , "segoe ui" , "helvetica" , "arial" , "lucida grande" , sans-serif;">Luke played in his last game as a Vanderbilt Commodore.</span><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiL5eTdT_I5DN1rKyzpfCNBCRD-cN544F2a80gHn_jD18qnJbrxEgaze5AUt4LHVYwMTT6DXSkjD8bhaizel8QOhuyYi4NRDVwu6ehYjnWK1li7KmIbk44RbV-jwvUMUxMazjLxRbksQ0k/s1600/Screen+Shot+2017-03-17+at+5.16.19+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="218" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiL5eTdT_I5DN1rKyzpfCNBCRD-cN544F2a80gHn_jD18qnJbrxEgaze5AUt4LHVYwMTT6DXSkjD8bhaizel8QOhuyYi4NRDVwu6ehYjnWK1li7KmIbk44RbV-jwvUMUxMazjLxRbksQ0k/s320/Screen+Shot+2017-03-17+at+5.16.19+PM.png" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "segoe ui" , "helvetica" , "arial" , "lucida grande" , sans-serif;">Watching Luke has been the highlight of my week, every week. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "segoe ui" , "helvetica" , "arial" , "lucida grande" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "segoe ui" , "helvetica" , "arial" , "lucida grande" , sans-serif;">Thank you SEC Network for allowing me to watch my little brother halfway across the country these past four years. Yes, it's typically at 3 in the afternoon, smack dab in the middle class, but that's what privacy folders and earbuds under the shirt are for. What the professor doesn't see won't hurt him.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "segoe ui" , "helvetica" , "arial" , "lucida grande" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "segoe ui" , "helvetica" , "arial" , "lucida grande" , sans-serif;">As of late, I've been wishing time would just stop. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "segoe ui" , "helvetica" , "arial" , "lucida grande" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "segoe ui" , "helvetica" , "arial" , "lucida grande" , sans-serif;">Basketball has been the most fun it has ever been this past year. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "segoe ui" , "helvetica" , "arial" , "lucida grande" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "segoe ui" , "helvetica" , "arial" , "lucida grande" , sans-serif;">After my junior season at Oklahoma, before I had even known I was going to transfer, I knew I wasn't ready to be a senior. I wasn't ready for it to be over. I wasn't ready to hang up the sneakers.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "segoe ui" , "helvetica" , "arial" , "lucida grande" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "segoe ui" , "helvetica" , "arial" , "lucida grande" , sans-serif;">I'm not saying I'm ready now, but I do know my heart is so much more full. I do know that playing my senior season alongside my little brother has been a dream come true. That sneaking off to Nashville in between off days to cheer him on was something I never thought would be a possibility for me. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "segoe ui" , "helvetica" , "arial" , "lucida grande" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "segoe ui" , "helvetica" , "arial" , "lucida grande" , sans-serif;">Let me tell ya why.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "segoe ui" , "helvetica" , "arial" , "lucida grande" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "segoe ui" , "helvetica" , "arial" , "lucida grande" , sans-serif;">Luke Francis Kornet is an angel.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "segoe ui" , "helvetica" , "arial" , "lucida grande" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "segoe ui" , "helvetica" , "arial" , "lucida grande" , sans-serif;">Back in high school, the attention wasn't exactly ever on him. Recruitment mayhem started in 8th grade. Not for Luke, but for me. Year by year, Luke would sit there at the kitchen island filtering through my letters with me. He was always so proud-- never jealous, never wishing he could be me, never saddened that I was getting all the praise and that he was just the little brother along for the ride. He was excited. Genuinely excited. He loved basketball with all of his heart, and if it meant that I could play for a Division 1 school in college, he was over the moon. He was so happy for me.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "segoe ui" , "helvetica" , "arial" , "lucida grande" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "segoe ui" , "helvetica" , "arial" , "lucida grande" , sans-serif;">Coaches would come over for home visits and he would politely introduce himself, then scurry back over to the kitchen table and finish his Calculus homework. At 3:30 sharp it was time for Pardon The Interruption and Capn' Crunch. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "segoe ui" , "helvetica" , "arial" , "lucida grande" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "segoe ui" , "helvetica" , "arial" , "lucida grande" , sans-serif;">Hours later, the coaches would leave and Luke would begrudgingly help tutor me with my own math homework. Remember, I'm the older sister. I'm the older sister, yet we were in the same math class. He was so advanced he was in my grade's math class. Thanks to him, my homework assignments never wavered below a 100%.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "segoe ui" , "helvetica" , "arial" , "lucida grande" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "segoe ui" , "helvetica" , "arial" , "lucida grande" , sans-serif;">By the time my senior year hit, I finally signed on the dotted line. I was off to Oklahoma.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "segoe ui" , "helvetica" , "arial" , "lucida grande" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPjYXZE9c6M1vcsetyhjSU6zNa4R_rT8SZ7COvONukS1GVulsbKGYjRdOOT1gSBEoyuSYwoTCYBqoUl4MnkzO4BkkuqYlnOoXuiHXEILGr44U-Zf9Qkw3s__2acfZHlvncAWvnWa2OPlA/s1600/Screen+Shot+2017-03-17+at+4.57.51+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPjYXZE9c6M1vcsetyhjSU6zNa4R_rT8SZ7COvONukS1GVulsbKGYjRdOOT1gSBEoyuSYwoTCYBqoUl4MnkzO4BkkuqYlnOoXuiHXEILGr44U-Zf9Qkw3s__2acfZHlvncAWvnWa2OPlA/s320/Screen+Shot+2017-03-17+at+4.57.51+PM.png" width="311" /></a></div>
<br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "segoe ui" , "helvetica" , "arial" , "lucida grande" , sans-serif;">The day I stepped foot outside of my house and left for Norman, that boy flourished. He came to life.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "segoe ui" , "helvetica" , "arial" , "lucida grande" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbtC7B8LvssEicGO7C-YkiDhfPR9iloD6cVqMIAKCXKQiXo_q4leWV1gRg6d0fxSKwj6D8RD4fPCg3BARqoAzx-xPIMt9899DNaZa8m9y_UQhJ9qb7YXVEx3oO3Q0dTyGendVTut6a0Rg/s1600/Screen+Shot+2017-03-17+at+5.06.15+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbtC7B8LvssEicGO7C-YkiDhfPR9iloD6cVqMIAKCXKQiXo_q4leWV1gRg6d0fxSKwj6D8RD4fPCg3BARqoAzx-xPIMt9899DNaZa8m9y_UQhJ9qb7YXVEx3oO3Q0dTyGendVTut6a0Rg/s1600/Screen+Shot+2017-03-17+at+5.06.15+PM.png" /></a></div>
<br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "segoe ui" , "helvetica" , "arial" , "lucida grande" , sans-serif;">He was a keen 6'7" or so back then. Still had a silky stroke, but had the body of a broken bird. He was a string bean with really big shins. After a disappointing loss in his state-semifinal game against Nolan Catholic, I realized Luke wouldn't get that chance that I got after high school. His career would be over. He'd be done playing the sport he loved so much. The sport my mom would cringe over because whenever someone would ask the brilliant boy who read Harry Potter at age 5, the one with a perfect score on his Math ACT & SAT portion, the one who knew how to do his older sister's physics homework before he had even taken a physics course himself, wanted to play in the NBA, and not be an engineer.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "segoe ui" , "helvetica" , "arial" , "lucida grande" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg04d6Lyq75oN5IM_UTlYEIYcAkhkwdgx8tlKfbdSOrK0WjgRk9T0MBhGMlO9Ts7ZuLZxKTvcHsRpXev2Aulhe3AnP2LK-t0rMChJxCq9h-brfqgg-6TycoVvLN0VpWQgYZ00WEaM7Y5UY/s1600/Screen+Shot+2017-03-17+at+4.41.41+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="196" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg04d6Lyq75oN5IM_UTlYEIYcAkhkwdgx8tlKfbdSOrK0WjgRk9T0MBhGMlO9Ts7ZuLZxKTvcHsRpXev2Aulhe3AnP2LK-t0rMChJxCq9h-brfqgg-6TycoVvLN0VpWQgYZ00WEaM7Y5UY/s320/Screen+Shot+2017-03-17+at+4.41.41+PM.png" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "segoe ui" , "helvetica" , "arial" , "lucida grande" , sans-serif;">__________</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "segoe ui" , "helvetica" , "arial" , "lucida grande" , sans-serif;">I remember it like it was yesterday. My old AAU coach asked me a question.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "segoe ui" , "helvetica" , "arial" , "lucida grande" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "segoe ui" , "helvetica" , "arial" , "lucida grande" , sans-serif;">"Nic, where's Luke going to school next year?" </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "segoe ui" , "helvetica" , "arial" , "lucida grande" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "segoe ui" , "helvetica" , "arial" , "lucida grande" , sans-serif;">"I'm not sure. I think he said he really liked SMU when he went on his college visits."</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "segoe ui" , "helvetica" , "arial" , "lucida grande" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "segoe ui" , "helvetica" , "arial" , "lucida grande" , sans-serif;">"Wait, you're telling me the </span><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "segoe ui" , "helvetica" , "arial" , "lucida grande" , sans-serif;">boy is as tall as your father and can shoot like you and he's not going anywhere to play??"</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "segoe ui" , "helvetica" , "arial" , "lucida grande" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "segoe ui" , "helvetica" , "arial" , "lucida grande" , sans-serif;">Coach Adrian signed him up for a tournament for unsigned seniors the following </span><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "segoe ui" , "helvetica" , "arial" , "lucida grande" , sans-serif;">weekend. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "segoe ui" , "helvetica" , "arial" , "lucida grande" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "segoe ui" , "helvetica" , "arial" , "lucida grande" , sans-serif;">That weekend Luke went off. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "segoe ui" , "helvetica" , "arial" , "lucida grande" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "segoe ui" , "helvetica" , "arial" , "lucida grande" , sans-serif;">The next day, his phone went off too.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "segoe ui" , "helvetica" , "arial" , "lucida grande" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "segoe ui" , "helvetica" , "arial" , "lucida grande" , sans-serif;">Arizona, Kansas State, Oklahoma... Vanderbilt.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "segoe ui" , "helvetica" , "arial" , "lucida grande" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "segoe ui" , "helvetica" , "arial" , "lucida grande" , sans-serif;">Coaches from across the country wanted the gangly kid with uncapped potential who could shoot it from deep.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "segoe ui" , "helvetica" , "arial" , "lucida grande" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "segoe ui" , "helvetica" , "arial" , "lucida grande" , sans-serif;">As many of you know, my father played at Vanderbilt. Luke & I were born in Lexington, Kentucky. So we made many-a-roadtrip to Nashville. My father would happily prance through campus reminiscing about his glory days, trying his best to lure me back to his alma mater, as I sat in the backseat shaking my head wishing I could just get another cool t-shirt from the campus store and hit the road again. Meanwhile, Luke was mesmerized.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "segoe ui" , "helvetica" , "arial" , "lucida grande" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "segoe ui" , "helvetica" , "arial" , "lucida grande" , sans-serif;">"I want to go to Vanderbilt, dad."</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "segoe ui" , "helvetica" , "arial" , "lucida grande" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCtvhTQTb0oB0deWQOU9Dg5iNCiGWaFAGNQnUvBXiYu4KbEvQuy16pcT69LgHbkafLTmZkEXE8KINT6bVmULr4hxiWxiFbCIKJDFgbP5fKAT-GvRpW4pSroeYPK_IrpSV3-uMeVg7SVMc/s1600/Screen+Shot+2017-03-17+at+4.48.20+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCtvhTQTb0oB0deWQOU9Dg5iNCiGWaFAGNQnUvBXiYu4KbEvQuy16pcT69LgHbkafLTmZkEXE8KINT6bVmULr4hxiWxiFbCIKJDFgbP5fKAT-GvRpW4pSroeYPK_IrpSV3-uMeVg7SVMc/s320/Screen+Shot+2017-03-17+at+4.48.20+PM.png" width="319" /></a></div>
<br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "segoe ui" , "helvetica" , "arial" , "lucida grande" , sans-serif;">Unfortunately, my father & I knew that was a bleak possibility. I was in the backseat, with a Vanderbilt offer in hand, and Luke was the kid with a pipe dream and a prayer.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "segoe ui" , "helvetica" , "arial" , "lucida grande" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "segoe ui" , "helvetica" , "arial" , "lucida grande" , sans-serif;">__________</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "segoe ui" , "helvetica" , "arial" , "lucida grande" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "segoe ui" , "helvetica" , "arial" , "lucida grande" , sans-serif;">I will forever be indebted to Coach Kevin Stallings. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "segoe ui" , "helvetica" , "arial" , "lucida grande" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDf8O1XrOVR9yH6nQSVgPd-cybE6ou6yhS1d63vt3kz_eYkAY60vBIeloqAjwkf2teL441Be4S9I8fl3q3PSM51cala5VxFLNpUTaksasA1a0wtd7f9Vu1gO-g3PFzFB03HRg_R7KkOP4/s1600/Screen+Shot+2017-03-17+at+4.42.53+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDf8O1XrOVR9yH6nQSVgPd-cybE6ou6yhS1d63vt3kz_eYkAY60vBIeloqAjwkf2teL441Be4S9I8fl3q3PSM51cala5VxFLNpUTaksasA1a0wtd7f9Vu1gO-g3PFzFB03HRg_R7KkOP4/s320/Screen+Shot+2017-03-17+at+4.42.53+PM.png" width="226" /></a></div>
<br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "segoe ui" , "helvetica" , "arial" , "lucida grande" , sans-serif;">He saw Luke for what he is today when no one else did. He saw what my father saw. A kid who hadn't even hit puberty and was already 6'9". A kid who could knock down the 3 ball, had a mean lefty jump hook, and had the IQ of an engineer. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "segoe ui" , "helvetica" , "arial" , "lucida grande" , sans-serif;">Coach Stallings offered Luke right after his record-breaking unsigned senior tournament debut, along with several other coaches.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "segoe ui" , "helvetica" , "arial" , "lucida grande" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "segoe ui" , "helvetica" , "arial" , "lucida grande" , sans-serif;">I remember getting off the phone with Luke the following day. He had told me he had a couple of visits lined up. Vanderbilt was slated for visit #1. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "segoe ui" , "helvetica" , "arial" , "lucida grande" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "segoe ui" , "helvetica" , "arial" , "lucida grande" , sans-serif;">As soon as he said that, I knew Vanderbilt was going to be his first and last. He was going to Vanderbilt. He told us in the backseat when he was 10.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "segoe ui" , "helvetica" , "arial" , "lucida grande" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "segoe ui" , "helvetica" , "arial" , "lucida grande" , sans-serif;">Looking back at it now, it's hard to remember the way Luke was even a couple of years ago. The days when Luke's voice was higher than mine and he could belt out Aretha Franklin with the best of 'em.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "segoe ui" , "helvetica" , "arial" , "lucida grande" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "segoe ui" , "helvetica" , "arial" , "lucida grande" , sans-serif;">But now?</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "segoe ui" , "helvetica" , "arial" , "lucida grande" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "segoe ui" , "helvetica" , "arial" , "lucida grande" , sans-serif;">He's a man, baby.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "segoe ui" , "helvetica" , "arial" , "lucida grande" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzkydb7o_r-LUmi-6ViAW9b3jOIadCjwUfFcDtEpWEaz1hHVh5DC0iNzfvOQZ0E0PUUkphKM6on_MX4aoWQyCFBeXO_8Xrulae5slOWmJzKp-EBPOou7AJ7zYyYRER76SqXw6xpKZoC5w/s1600/Screen+Shot+2017-03-17+at+4.42.18+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzkydb7o_r-LUmi-6ViAW9b3jOIadCjwUfFcDtEpWEaz1hHVh5DC0iNzfvOQZ0E0PUUkphKM6on_MX4aoWQyCFBeXO_8Xrulae5slOWmJzKp-EBPOou7AJ7zYyYRER76SqXw6xpKZoC5w/s320/Screen+Shot+2017-03-17+at+4.42.18+PM.png" width="181" /></a></div>
<br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "segoe ui" , "helvetica" , "arial" , "lucida grande" , sans-serif;">Luke is a man who is still getting bigger. Who is still getting better.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "segoe ui" , "helvetica" , "arial" , "lucida grande" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "segoe ui" , "helvetica" , "arial" , "lucida grande" , sans-serif;">Think about his freshman year, Vandy fans. </span><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCWNUpZ5dNXbymGfu0YrNAG8DiCjf7yDWP8FLYAeDW1omuhhAyKZ1UzkEeMk5n9n_hc-TH_iL2CjHTm3oGAoY1DsyvMswoFWhM1Rm74ucGmxGsq4IRKXQW4XVwsntSOof1scTZFFuIBF4/s1600/Screen+Shot+2017-03-17+at+5.02.16+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCWNUpZ5dNXbymGfu0YrNAG8DiCjf7yDWP8FLYAeDW1omuhhAyKZ1UzkEeMk5n9n_hc-TH_iL2CjHTm3oGAoY1DsyvMswoFWhM1Rm74ucGmxGsq4IRKXQW4XVwsntSOof1scTZFFuIBF4/s320/Screen+Shot+2017-03-17+at+5.02.16+PM.png" width="197" /></a></div>
<br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "segoe ui" , "helvetica" , "arial" , "lucida grande" , sans-serif;">Now look where he is now.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "segoe ui" , "helvetica" , "arial" , "lucida grande" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4Lbk6qIZazVUPHsa7CKQbs_exBQMTsbGOxQK14MYPfE83CLyHSAMbxb0EMRE9Y4u4RtyBPj12hF8SD5No_CIjQvuMmv4RvP45iMufnOz19k0RYYYMxQBAmQIljmGAP6lvrrQxBHHBgoQ/s1600/Screen+Shot+2017-03-17+at+4.50.50+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4Lbk6qIZazVUPHsa7CKQbs_exBQMTsbGOxQK14MYPfE83CLyHSAMbxb0EMRE9Y4u4RtyBPj12hF8SD5No_CIjQvuMmv4RvP45iMufnOz19k0RYYYMxQBAmQIljmGAP6lvrrQxBHHBgoQ/s320/Screen+Shot+2017-03-17+at+4.50.50+PM.png" width="215" /></a></div>
<br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "segoe ui" , "helvetica" , "arial" , "lucida grande" , sans-serif;">He's just getting started.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "segoe ui" , "helvetica" , "arial" , "lucida grande" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "segoe ui" , "helvetica" , "arial" , "lucida grande" , sans-serif;">My favorite part, however, has been watching him blossom into the man he is off the court. He's still that same goofy, lanky, brilliant, servant-hearted, emotional, loving, caring kid we all know and love who goes by the name of @bigshin32. He hasn't changed a bit.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "segoe ui" , "helvetica" , "arial" , "lucida grande" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirsZa_Bfp7JgAx_iNyAL6DZcWzJ6EQG3PDhA1kF3YfivkFI-7ixTton6j7UDH8_cjv8AD2GEYeHl_2k5pAw8nVWXfQPB4J90_Mqc2GWK3FAATiu4Wjb-VqAvZVD6lpuX0NMKtUeMC7k3I/s1600/Screen+Shot+2017-03-17+at+4.47.45+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirsZa_Bfp7JgAx_iNyAL6DZcWzJ6EQG3PDhA1kF3YfivkFI-7ixTton6j7UDH8_cjv8AD2GEYeHl_2k5pAw8nVWXfQPB4J90_Mqc2GWK3FAATiu4Wjb-VqAvZVD6lpuX0NMKtUeMC7k3I/s320/Screen+Shot+2017-03-17+at+4.47.45+PM.png" width="179" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEji4b2jNiI4fFO8nClWr-X2AyNYe6QKtcOx8jnlReR4z3m3aj74j73rUPVzD-bSKhYOUKLWEDLib-OUCMJDEuSDRhu_d-GJoQpyXZBa9CmnffeWBxV7665e_IBxVwRqVEqg5c6LPvQzZnY/s1600/Screen+Shot+2017-03-17+at+4.53.29+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEji4b2jNiI4fFO8nClWr-X2AyNYe6QKtcOx8jnlReR4z3m3aj74j73rUPVzD-bSKhYOUKLWEDLib-OUCMJDEuSDRhu_d-GJoQpyXZBa9CmnffeWBxV7665e_IBxVwRqVEqg5c6LPvQzZnY/s320/Screen+Shot+2017-03-17+at+4.53.29+PM.png" width="222" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYeaEfunEiAn6ZbcCcDLvaHxZ25NQuxP-22eusZN0N8wcChtMlgeuAGHBgKGLIdm5H9J6T5LjfhE7ohVIdGY4vxyBtc7igg5aqGzfemsUoVNMv3IVjsqCFVHUyJ50XSwgpk3PNPIsy6a8/s1600/Screen+Shot+2017-03-17+at+4.55.31+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYeaEfunEiAn6ZbcCcDLvaHxZ25NQuxP-22eusZN0N8wcChtMlgeuAGHBgKGLIdm5H9J6T5LjfhE7ohVIdGY4vxyBtc7igg5aqGzfemsUoVNMv3IVjsqCFVHUyJ50XSwgpk3PNPIsy6a8/s320/Screen+Shot+2017-03-17+at+4.55.31+PM.png" width="239" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJ7Vf2npgo3qM1ZRPbhlAD0IuIiC6ifwnscaOIuMQYGuhaD_xzv4I6sMLS0ZQxAWgkhyphenhyphencAGSWWcnzWUJ8JRhNSY-riPB-dX19D4yxflxXKSy7yAWIC0t9nF1Dqfc5KhJlbBDUcrOC2G5g/s1600/Screen+Shot+2017-03-17+at+4.45.35+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJ7Vf2npgo3qM1ZRPbhlAD0IuIiC6ifwnscaOIuMQYGuhaD_xzv4I6sMLS0ZQxAWgkhyphenhyphencAGSWWcnzWUJ8JRhNSY-riPB-dX19D4yxflxXKSy7yAWIC0t9nF1Dqfc5KhJlbBDUcrOC2G5g/s320/Screen+Shot+2017-03-17+at+4.45.35+PM.png" width="240" /></a></div>
<br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "segoe ui" , "helvetica" , "arial" , "lucida grande" , sans-serif;">The recognition, the awards, the prestige, the "NBA" talk-- none of it has phased him. He's still that same little kid who wanted to go to Vanderbilt, who wants to go to the NBA. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "segoe ui" , "helvetica" , "arial" , "lucida grande" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "segoe ui" , "helvetica" , "arial" , "lucida grande" , sans-serif;">He's still my little brother.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "segoe ui" , "helvetica" , "arial" , "lucida grande" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirQkYOKmwaQfAzw-et3Vhin2QbNysXBKPadACfVoEOa_eSory0RNlJ27MxCM3BzaSBB85MHHhQJbOEAAp9XMs7vDMjZMsKlgwV8-ZNwjKPCEmsxvYNGZWhn40CrTRx9dEoShbw_TDeXzM/s1600/Screen+Shot+2017-03-17+at+4.42.02+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirQkYOKmwaQfAzw-et3Vhin2QbNysXBKPadACfVoEOa_eSory0RNlJ27MxCM3BzaSBB85MHHhQJbOEAAp9XMs7vDMjZMsKlgwV8-ZNwjKPCEmsxvYNGZWhn40CrTRx9dEoShbw_TDeXzM/s320/Screen+Shot+2017-03-17+at+4.42.02+PM.png" width="242" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbjtviLwZHBaxBN-g3t7mKeR5kGwyBX7UAkf-mVIP4PkV_wnXUaXm5xWKarSD5crAXlHPNk_Ggu7QJRzqqhWkgtLbekHKQkirtyqVbJ35bQE5iXwtV38QJWv_dCXOk_XClqr6xxhGN0-Y/s1600/Screen+Shot+2017-03-17+at+4.52.05+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="179" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbjtviLwZHBaxBN-g3t7mKeR5kGwyBX7UAkf-mVIP4PkV_wnXUaXm5xWKarSD5crAXlHPNk_Ggu7QJRzqqhWkgtLbekHKQkirtyqVbJ35bQE5iXwtV38QJWv_dCXOk_XClqr6xxhGN0-Y/s320/Screen+Shot+2017-03-17+at+4.52.05+PM.png" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "segoe ui" , "helvetica" , "arial" , "lucida grande" , sans-serif;">__________</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "segoe ui" , "helvetica" , "arial" , "lucida grande" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "segoe ui" , "helvetica" , "arial" , "lucida grande" , sans-serif;">After last night, it hit me.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "segoe ui" , "helvetica" , "arial" , "lucida grande" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "segoe ui" , "helvetica" , "arial" , "lucida grande" , sans-serif;">Luke's time at Vanderbilt University is finished. No more Tracy cameos, no more setting my alarm for 9am PT to catch an 11am CT game, no more logging on to Twitter to find my favorite Vandy fans cheering on my beloved little bro.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "segoe ui" , "helvetica" , "arial" , "lucida grande" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUBLFln7dI4uPBXpKbTueTwpKfwJHUF_T0xH6MtPD2Iw73aqbeNUeKdlkS7adogwYSSkHVtInOCGcRbPQBv7-v6S7arPp_iY9HzlUHkQKNWcVWnuHE2rmU46IuyiGwzS91alh5kQYKneE/s1600/Screen+Shot+2017-03-17+at+4.46.22+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="311" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUBLFln7dI4uPBXpKbTueTwpKfwJHUF_T0xH6MtPD2Iw73aqbeNUeKdlkS7adogwYSSkHVtInOCGcRbPQBv7-v6S7arPp_iY9HzlUHkQKNWcVWnuHE2rmU46IuyiGwzS91alh5kQYKneE/s320/Screen+Shot+2017-03-17+at+4.46.22+PM.png" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "segoe ui" , "helvetica" , "arial" , "lucida grande" , sans-serif;">It's over.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "segoe ui" , "helvetica" , "arial" , "lucida grande" , sans-serif;">And it hits you like a brick wall. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "segoe ui" , "helvetica" , "arial" , "lucida grande" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "segoe ui" , "helvetica" , "arial" , "lucida grande" , sans-serif;">When you're a senior, losing the game isn't the only thing on your mind either.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "segoe ui" , "helvetica" , "arial" , "lucida grande" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "segoe ui" , "helvetica" , "arial" , "lucida grande" , sans-serif;">The game you've played since you were 3, the game that has taught you how to overcome the deepest adversity, the game that has brought together 15 of the most diverse individuals, the game that has made you into the person you are today is over. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "segoe ui" , "helvetica" , "arial" , "lucida grande" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "segoe ui" , "helvetica" , "arial" , "lucida grande" , sans-serif;">The countless car rides where my older brother and father would scream at each other after a loss, the cones I would set up on the street to practice my A.I. like agility, the broken ankles and wrists that would ensue on the Kornet driveway, the thank you cards your college coaches force you to write, the community service you have to endure on an off-day, the Spring Breaks you miss, the Christmas Breaks that get cut short, the tears after a heartbreaking loss, the joy after your school's name is called on Selection Sunday all comes to an abrupt halt.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "segoe ui" , "helvetica" , "arial" , "lucida grande" , sans-serif;">There is no "next year."</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "segoe ui" , "helvetica" , "arial" , "lucida grande" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNN0sUvAJQoaAxZICitKiwafmEXddSJiOUI6ybZ7qcIEUFS_h5sVOIVoQeeLYIuGIiwYOhU5W4jk7ikR6BL87Ps0i9DNMkwmOVzvApDc4BqG0LvJIyINQNY8lJtqAf9srZoqQUUJnyNLo/s1600/Screen+Shot+2017-03-17+at+5.05.55+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="210" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNN0sUvAJQoaAxZICitKiwafmEXddSJiOUI6ybZ7qcIEUFS_h5sVOIVoQeeLYIuGIiwYOhU5W4jk7ikR6BL87Ps0i9DNMkwmOVzvApDc4BqG0LvJIyINQNY8lJtqAf9srZoqQUUJnyNLo/s320/Screen+Shot+2017-03-17+at+5.05.55+PM.png" width="320" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "segoe ui" , "helvetica" , "arial" , "lucida grande" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "segoe ui" , "helvetica" , "arial" , "lucida grande" , sans-serif;">__________</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "segoe ui" , "helvetica" , "arial" , "lucida grande" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "segoe ui" , "helvetica" , "arial" , "lucida grande" , sans-serif;">For many after high school, basketball careers come to an end. For some, after college is when careers finally come to a close. For a select few, careers continue on into the NBA.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "segoe ui" , "helvetica" , "arial" , "lucida grande" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "segoe ui" , "helvetica" , "arial" , "lucida grande" , sans-serif;">But there's something special about those 4 years representing something bigger than yourself with those letters stitched across your chest.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "segoe ui" , "helvetica" , "arial" , "lucida grande" , sans-serif;">There's something child-like. Something honorable.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "segoe ui" , "helvetica" , "arial" , "lucida grande" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "segoe ui" , "helvetica" , "arial" , "lucida grande" , sans-serif;">__________</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "segoe ui" , "helvetica" , "arial" , "lucida grande" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "segoe ui" , "helvetica" , "arial" , "lucida grande" , sans-serif;">Today, I sit at my kitchen table the day before my own First Round NCAA tournament game. My heart is heavy for Luke, but hey, I'm a senior too. Unlike him, there's no professional basketball in my future. There are no guarantees in this life, but I can guarantee I will never play in the NBA. Fifteen days from now the Final Four will take place in Dallas. I have fifteen days, at the most, of college basketball left to play. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "segoe ui" , "helvetica" , "arial" , "lucida grande" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "segoe ui" , "helvetica" , "arial" , "lucida grande" , sans-serif;">So, why not make little brother proud like he has made me? </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "segoe ui" , "helvetica" , "arial" , "lucida grande" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "segoe ui" , "helvetica" , "arial" , "lucida grande" , sans-serif;">I can't guarantee what will happen tomorrow, or the next day, or the day after that, but I can guarantee you that I will forever be grateful for Vanderbilt University, my family, and James Naismith.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "segoe ui" , "helvetica" , "arial" , "lucida grande" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijB2KSMDsLlsP7QpDdfpmlNacaAx_pbOzK6eTQobJ2iUCMRZMvnyPp0gY35IkZK-EQuy2BXJTGV4v_Eg_oe0KaN4cQ68s7fMGZwCLiDOKMeilT4U-uNg1JgiWNyUIBB-gp7Yz8Wwg8RWY/s1600/Screen+Shot+2017-03-17+at+4.48.56+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijB2KSMDsLlsP7QpDdfpmlNacaAx_pbOzK6eTQobJ2iUCMRZMvnyPp0gY35IkZK-EQuy2BXJTGV4v_Eg_oe0KaN4cQ68s7fMGZwCLiDOKMeilT4U-uNg1JgiWNyUIBB-gp7Yz8Wwg8RWY/s320/Screen+Shot+2017-03-17+at+4.48.56+PM.png" width="258" /></a></div>
<br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "segoe ui" , "helvetica" , "arial" , "lucida grande" , sans-serif;">Anchor Down. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "segoe ui" , "helvetica" , "arial" , "lucida grande" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "segoe ui" , "helvetica" , "arial" , "lucida grande" , sans-serif;">And Go Bruins.</span>Nicole Kornethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12752896360950497403noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5054348110797123772.post-30357285645017928272017-01-31T10:44:00.000-08:002017-01-31T11:48:48.890-08:00SlumpedLet's address the elephant in the room:<br />
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
I'm a shooter who wears a shooter's sleeve who can't shoot. </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
In kinder words, I'm in a slump.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjD3EQcC2cuZSQxr1QdHtI4rerTbnLooTkA1aVxMKgiEE5iHnydrgZc4oOa2DC-V6l3rSFkOjJi-EI9vigxHzLdNKBBZC2NLFqtcq89_Z_ZMfDDbgLMD6i55mxzpfu7ic8WpT-o3FXNowA/s1600/Screen+Shot+2017-01-30+at+10.59.41+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjD3EQcC2cuZSQxr1QdHtI4rerTbnLooTkA1aVxMKgiEE5iHnydrgZc4oOa2DC-V6l3rSFkOjJi-EI9vigxHzLdNKBBZC2NLFqtcq89_Z_ZMfDDbgLMD6i55mxzpfu7ic8WpT-o3FXNowA/s320/Screen+Shot+2017-01-30+at+10.59.41+PM.png" width="214" /></a></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Out of the past four years, this has been the worst drought of my career. I've been purposefully avoiding the stat sheet because, well, it's not too hard to calculate a bunch of goose eggs. </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
But, we're winning. </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
My team's good. I'm shooting this poorly yet we're still cranking out W's. I'm shooting this poorly yet my coaches are still telling me to shoot. I'm shooting this poorly yet my point guard keeps passing me the ball. I'm shooting this poorly yet the only negative voice I'm hearing is in my own head.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Shooters shoot. </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
How does a shooter get out of a slump? They shoot out of it. </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Yeah, yeah, yeah we've heard it all before.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
"Keep shooting."</div>
<div>
"You're hesitating."</div>
<div>
"Don't overthink it."</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjm9rHwD_aIPwyJnPpPkVLx6X1xGSQAqP8ODTBJ3FqiHF-wLJGIu5wljejh9LvSbD9OVL6L6z25wx89-vMdBieFL0Li73ZxXArtinqcZyUg8xM0AwvoohLXqxOt6mYnoJtc33j4xHPOX8Q/s1600/Screen+Shot+2017-01-30+at+10.55.46+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjm9rHwD_aIPwyJnPpPkVLx6X1xGSQAqP8ODTBJ3FqiHF-wLJGIu5wljejh9LvSbD9OVL6L6z25wx89-vMdBieFL0Li73ZxXArtinqcZyUg8xM0AwvoohLXqxOt6mYnoJtc33j4xHPOX8Q/s320/Screen+Shot+2017-01-30+at+10.55.46+PM.png" width="213" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: x-small;">I missed this.</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8KMSwADtul4-gJlz1NoX9-vfH3KKxYOgD8EfxyavJWh7gESiJ331TfxTXfDlCRpgmCCYsfJHrjPBo0MLlkeUoqyC3wm3C6LZ83vs8g9x5S1YevntAKKqzgS_mxZ9RPZx9o614s05MiQI/s1600/Screen+Shot+2017-01-30+at+10.56.23+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="206" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8KMSwADtul4-gJlz1NoX9-vfH3KKxYOgD8EfxyavJWh7gESiJ331TfxTXfDlCRpgmCCYsfJHrjPBo0MLlkeUoqyC3wm3C6LZ83vs8g9x5S1YevntAKKqzgS_mxZ9RPZx9o614s05MiQI/s320/Screen+Shot+2017-01-30+at+10.56.23+PM.png" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: x-small;">And this.</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: x-small;">Kari & I were a combined 1-17 this game. </span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: x-small;">I made the one. Nbd.</span></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
My dad called me the other day and told me a story. It was long and drawn out and I spaced out a few times, but nonetheless, he hit the nail on the head.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
"What do you say to yourself after you miss a shot?"</div>
<div>
"Dad, you know how much I like to shoot. If I miss one, it doesn't matter. You know the next one is going up."</div>
<div>
"Let me ask you one more time. What do you say to yourself after you miss a shot?"</div>
<div>
"I'll make the next one."</div>
<div>
"See, that's negative."</div>
<div>
"Huh? No, I'm being positive."</div>
<div>
"Think about that statement, Nicole. You're acknowledging the fact that you missed your last shot. That's negative thinking. What you should be saying is 'Give me the dang ball. This is cash.'"</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Francis knows. </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Ya see, I've been that player from the day I was born. Every time I touch it I want to shoot it because I know it's going in. Why do I think that? Because of the countless hours I've put in doing just that. From when I was 3 and couldn't even hit rim on a ten foot goal, I'd be out there for hours heaving it up there till I did.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Confidence comes from preparation. </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
And that's something I've been lacking lately. Confidence. And preparation. </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Coach gave us two days off this week. Today and tomorrow. For any of you who know Cori Close, THIS IS HUGE.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYqA643prgwSpQyKCy4t87lB-bACgv2BfOiKTbfsiEjlPt7sQa-9AIdDB98TB6JdDXWU2jX27bey14eOWmUWeDfOT-YRUkhEX9W5ZeaVFZuhu09A_yfxwAAuYpGslARKGDeGmcjHFxOHk/s1600/Screen+Shot+2017-01-30+at+10.55.07+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="177" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYqA643prgwSpQyKCy4t87lB-bACgv2BfOiKTbfsiEjlPt7sQa-9AIdDB98TB6JdDXWU2jX27bey14eOWmUWeDfOT-YRUkhEX9W5ZeaVFZuhu09A_yfxwAAuYpGslARKGDeGmcjHFxOHk/s320/Screen+Shot+2017-01-30+at+10.55.07+PM.png" width="320" /></a></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
After yet another night of sulking in sadness due to a treacherous shooting performance the night before, I crawled into my roommate's bed.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
"Kari, will you shoot with me?"</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
For those of you who do not know, Kari went 6-11 from 3 last night. She's wise counsel to seek.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
We woke up this morning, despite our precious "off-day sleep-in" routine, and shot. </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Confidence comes from preparation. </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
500 shots later, we finished at 80%. Put me in the game, coach.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
During season, sometimes one can get too caught up on the game plan. </div>
<div>
Too caught up on the scout.</div>
<div>
Too caught up on recovery. </div>
<div>
Too caught up in your weaknesses, and not your strengths.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEju4u0W1cbYjQV3x-VC8AG6KRwUWAPOgOmTQlBi6CuoUQVOtcq7_EkFEDjzcYMDhTyD-z1IgJZhjonfrlejeboDQ1DLqoNEz27HAdjAWJhNx0kbavRdUDXQwC8DnYuZb2LK7sBiEL6kDPQ/s1600/Screen+Shot+2017-01-30+at+10.56.55+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEju4u0W1cbYjQV3x-VC8AG6KRwUWAPOgOmTQlBi6CuoUQVOtcq7_EkFEDjzcYMDhTyD-z1IgJZhjonfrlejeboDQ1DLqoNEz27HAdjAWJhNx0kbavRdUDXQwC8DnYuZb2LK7sBiEL6kDPQ/s320/Screen+Shot+2017-01-30+at+10.56.55+PM.png" width="247" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: x-small;">Now known as a defensive stopper.</span></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
In order to get out of my slump, I do need to shoot out of it. </div>
<div>
I do need to not overthink it. </div>
<div>
I do need to stop hesitating. </div>
<div>
But what I really need to do is practice.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Shooting with Kari this morning was so fun. I got lost in the game again. I got lost in the fun. I got lost in playing with my best friend. I got lost in competing.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBR0XjECmEN3-8FLW7Q3t79YI_VSxfsk1Ve_0v46nPEn4mfSthdDFCnerHMrqqCici8kPc13S60O0t_NWOmXLEBc8z9GbBSe5Zaz0vGAKT_MgVk9ZzNdJeG4FBtQ8VjFT5MhzWmCxI05k/s1600/Screen+Shot+2017-01-30+at+10.59.24+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="318" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBR0XjECmEN3-8FLW7Q3t79YI_VSxfsk1Ve_0v46nPEn4mfSthdDFCnerHMrqqCici8kPc13S60O0t_NWOmXLEBc8z9GbBSe5Zaz0vGAKT_MgVk9ZzNdJeG4FBtQ8VjFT5MhzWmCxI05k/s320/Screen+Shot+2017-01-30+at+10.59.24+PM.png" width="320" /></a></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Tomorrow morning we're going to do the same thing. The next day too, and the day after that, and the day after that. All the way up until we play Cal on Friday.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
This is my last go-around. I'm done playing the sport I've played since I was 3 in exactly two months. I can't just wake up in the morning and hope I shoot better next game.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
To be honest, as of late, the joy of playing basketball has started to wane. Yes, we're winning and yes that is the most important part, but it is my senior year. This is my last shot. I'm here at UCLA, the happiest I've ever been, shooting the worst I ever have. In order to change the latter I need to do something about it. I need to take matters into my own hands.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWOOWyzZ3Fs97OI612J_dHgxYoaL7APlMLVMVprA8Sbzct08BYyBfIn7hxucKPTV9nxUy5BUB2PPa9dCE39LTvhKApJe8JB5IgzSz4PHFfCJ4JtgayUYAtZKvV_2_wqBacYpWUw4FqVY4/s1600/Screen+Shot+2017-01-30+at+11.31.09+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="176" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWOOWyzZ3Fs97OI612J_dHgxYoaL7APlMLVMVprA8Sbzct08BYyBfIn7hxucKPTV9nxUy5BUB2PPa9dCE39LTvhKApJe8JB5IgzSz4PHFfCJ4JtgayUYAtZKvV_2_wqBacYpWUw4FqVY4/s320/Screen+Shot+2017-01-30+at+11.31.09+PM.png" width="320" /></a></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Kari doesn't need to. Kari plays almost 40 minutes a game. Her grandma fifth year knees need rest.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHfiiwGAhvLXw9N9Efbf-Cz-8vAcHn5RCqCVvjtkJWm0ogc6yd6VfdM9qy-_fhc9J5_UjQN9_gLEVpg4ROq1vBH5BWiQbEqJMHlpwoZofBTf0V5nf6wKSmRCOAyAqEnYQu6wxdspl7_j8/s1600/Screen+Shot+2017-01-30+at+10.54.12+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHfiiwGAhvLXw9N9Efbf-Cz-8vAcHn5RCqCVvjtkJWm0ogc6yd6VfdM9qy-_fhc9J5_UjQN9_gLEVpg4ROq1vBH5BWiQbEqJMHlpwoZofBTf0V5nf6wKSmRCOAyAqEnYQu6wxdspl7_j8/s320/Screen+Shot+2017-01-30+at+10.54.12+PM.png" width="191" /></a></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
But me? I'm a role player. </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
I'm a fifth year senior who doesn't start. </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
And I'm not afraid to say it. </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDg_th-6sSi4A6TXOT9fZa2nI7hDLg75_2vbzjDqa0A0E_tJqgI5yBFPNq5WEDEw7wf5JLYFG2C1LERbkcV8F4WsN1stTloAkF3spUiZb6GAa6kdQw7bso5qxayBrkqVEwKmblHmLemhQ/s1600/Screen+Shot+2017-01-30+at+10.58.29+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="244" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDg_th-6sSi4A6TXOT9fZa2nI7hDLg75_2vbzjDqa0A0E_tJqgI5yBFPNq5WEDEw7wf5JLYFG2C1LERbkcV8F4WsN1stTloAkF3spUiZb6GAa6kdQw7bso5qxayBrkqVEwKmblHmLemhQ/s320/Screen+Shot+2017-01-30+at+10.58.29+PM.png" width="320" /></a></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
My freshman year? I was afraid to say it. It was my main focus to never ever ever be second string. I wanted to be a bad mamba jamba. Three years later, it's safe to say I'm still not the star. I'm a role player. And that's okay. </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSM0BJ7kaoIgNV-0xxDVwg0hC9yVbfn3PhefkwauGO-nzAmbcq3JWPVPxDfwMhFwuVNJNB-gy0XjEtdAM0M2dosiWnsH57TtLaDPks1mvnW3BUiij44FZapjwejrtGqyd3YNjj3aTM3zc/s1600/Screen+Shot+2017-01-30+at+11.03.07+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSM0BJ7kaoIgNV-0xxDVwg0hC9yVbfn3PhefkwauGO-nzAmbcq3JWPVPxDfwMhFwuVNJNB-gy0XjEtdAM0M2dosiWnsH57TtLaDPks1mvnW3BUiij44FZapjwejrtGqyd3YNjj3aTM3zc/s320/Screen+Shot+2017-01-30+at+11.03.07+PM.png" width="320" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: x-small;">Now he's the star.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: x-small;">Oh, how the tables have turned.</span></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Have you seen Jordin Canada and Monique Billings? They're my teammates. And they're on another level. Mo almost dunked on a girl last week. My vertical is about that of a loose leaf sheet of paper. </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiILHtWWp7bi6dno222-jR5sBVaFmnoai3Ggj50Me-cTOd5TZ-4z-Mdg1z0U5SN_mW6Oj9xx1_O5GW_ndZYSh7g8a1ALUZcEprs29dynIQs_H2fcaoNV-Mv2l2a93-aV7LshGXNkn-gUHU/s1600/Screen+Shot+2017-01-30+at+11.04.34+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="178" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiILHtWWp7bi6dno222-jR5sBVaFmnoai3Ggj50Me-cTOd5TZ-4z-Mdg1z0U5SN_mW6Oj9xx1_O5GW_ndZYSh7g8a1ALUZcEprs29dynIQs_H2fcaoNV-Mv2l2a93-aV7LshGXNkn-gUHU/s320/Screen+Shot+2017-01-30+at+11.04.34+PM.png" width="320" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: x-small;">I'm framing this for my daughter one day.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBAO7vVf7Q4_oPHxC813rUOVLKk2tSdam4Qh9BP4UIKWjnwm_pSWIt2QK3xSRBYps32kYP1jwkP19gRefCOBOjQODYwcDhCfznj-hUzrHe5pmwaue2iv7cDKOr48wzeGIe-e5WVrbpgpM/s1600/Screen+Shot+2017-01-30+at+10.56.03+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBAO7vVf7Q4_oPHxC813rUOVLKk2tSdam4Qh9BP4UIKWjnwm_pSWIt2QK3xSRBYps32kYP1jwkP19gRefCOBOjQODYwcDhCfznj-hUzrHe5pmwaue2iv7cDKOr48wzeGIe-e5WVrbpgpM/s320/Screen+Shot+2017-01-30+at+10.56.03+PM.png" width="216" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: x-small;">Best seat in the house, amirite??</span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: x-small;">Yeah that's my leg bottom left.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: x-small;">I tripped after selflessly giving her this assist on a breakaway.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: x-small;">Can't you tell why? #LooseLeaf</span></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
The coolest part about role players, though? Come March they make or break teams. It's about the work in the dark that comes to light in March. All 14 girls are needed in March. Foul trouble, injuries, (slumps) all seem to take shape during this madness, and more times than none, that's when us role players better step up to the plate.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
With that being said, I'm not playing 40 minutes a game. I don't need to rest my weary fifth year playing knees. I need to shoot. I need to be prepared. Because the opportunity may present itself in a big way very, very soon. </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Just after one day of extra shooting my shot feels so much better. I feel so much lighter. I feel so much smoother. I feel like Kobe.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGPQ9JxEdka7Zkxvl9kiUpGdcKEr9K4ReKbG8RegWtLPzRbjOzjGRPZVCC8RFX8011FOjpA8EFGj2N_AQfEBPuWfZwb6NRYQbDZk4gX7sxYLipsi1PjTA5v_S3pcyVG6rJfVNrjBuijD8/s1600/Screen+Shot+2017-01-30+at+10.54.39+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="164" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGPQ9JxEdka7Zkxvl9kiUpGdcKEr9K4ReKbG8RegWtLPzRbjOzjGRPZVCC8RFX8011FOjpA8EFGj2N_AQfEBPuWfZwb6NRYQbDZk4gX7sxYLipsi1PjTA5v_S3pcyVG6rJfVNrjBuijD8/s320/Screen+Shot+2017-01-30+at+10.54.39+PM.png" width="320" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: x-small;">I made this one.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7oZgOblMYsPv9hzNpzYAPdYhNrTS5HBS0zto9TdGgzyG86MhCqdi0AWLJtc3EeseuRGJtQEia0dmzCjUTcfOGg1Pju6ne_1d8M5_rifzH9yI5SmR2oPXxUxsjF72puhkIS4e847rlmRg/s1600/Screen+Shot+2017-01-30+at+10.54.50+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="185" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7oZgOblMYsPv9hzNpzYAPdYhNrTS5HBS0zto9TdGgzyG86MhCqdi0AWLJtc3EeseuRGJtQEia0dmzCjUTcfOGg1Pju6ne_1d8M5_rifzH9yI5SmR2oPXxUxsjF72puhkIS4e847rlmRg/s320/Screen+Shot+2017-01-30+at+10.54.50+PM.png" width="320" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: x-small;">See?</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div>
<br />
I'm a shooter who wears a shooter's sleeve who can really shoot.<br />
<br /></div>
Nicole Kornethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12752896360950497403noreply@blogger.com16tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5054348110797123772.post-28019668001052996892016-12-21T10:06:00.005-08:002016-12-21T14:22:35.930-08:00Home Sweet HouseI was born in Kentucky, and then moved to Arizona, and then to Texas, then left for school in Oklahoma, while my parents moved to Tennessee, as I currently type this in California.<br />
<br />
Is my dad in the military?<br />
<br />
No. My mom's a news anchor.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiE25PGD0nETS8jViDjXiBYMME1DCVflD4oOx0cgYZDGmFH6Aiyf7OXnnRburB6l3K8GCkNUTmrtTVRl0bI6d7oRU_7q6avH1cJJCPTW5TMRbajnL1ayoyAmId4zbiMBayThDSzyoX5NKA/s1600/bro%2526mom.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiE25PGD0nETS8jViDjXiBYMME1DCVflD4oOx0cgYZDGmFH6Aiyf7OXnnRburB6l3K8GCkNUTmrtTVRl0bI6d7oRU_7q6avH1cJJCPTW5TMRbajnL1ayoyAmId4zbiMBayThDSzyoX5NKA/s320/bro%2526mom.png" width="240" /></a> </div>
<br />
As I fly home for the holidays, I've come to a shocking realization: I'm a family girl. Bee bopping from one state to the next, I've never experienced that warm and fuzzy feeling of smelling momma's home cooking as I step foot into my childhood home for two solid reasons:<br />
<br />
1. Momma can't cook.<br />
2. I've had 8 childhood homes.<br />
<br />
Hate to throw you under the bus there mom, but you & I both know the crock pot ain't cuttin' it. Although 8 homes may seem like a terribly large, foreboding number to many, I think of them as 8 spectacularly different, grand adventures.<br />
<br />
"I call this room!"<br />
<br />
"Luke, they have tennis courts in this neighborhood!!!"<br />
<br />
"Wanna build a skateboard ramp from the leftover construction wood??"<br />
<br />
Moving brought my family closer. Each time we had to leave our incredible group of family friends, God surprised us with a bucket full more.<br />
<br />
The hardest move for my dad was leaving his old Kentucky home. Born and raised, he never moved from his childhood home where his neighbors are still his neighbors from preschool, and his best friends all attend the same 11 o'clock Sunday mass. For the first time in his life, he was uprooted from family, friends, and familiarity.<br />
<br />
Some days, I think that would have been really cool. To grow up living in one house my whole life, to have best friends since birth, to be forced to go to my cousin's graduation because, well, that's what families do. Right?<br />
<br />
But you know what, if that was my life I wouldn't be who I am today. Coming home for the holidays means coming home to my family of 5. Yup, that means Mom, Dad, John & Luke. My cousins may live in Kentucky, my grade school friends may live in Arizona, my high school friends may live in Texas, but you know what? My best friends live in Nashville, Tennessee.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwB3dUbqXHxsb-3r4T1V3KvSuNnl_3lt96pR4Fr9HxZ_tm6wWBqljPcLEz2TDmBYix1IUb8k3prqhCdTd7eI_kdLlKnOEqDcVCl8IptlqIJ6T70ewWcKSfCawroe3xtwHA09RmtCpq9pE/s1600/disney.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwB3dUbqXHxsb-3r4T1V3KvSuNnl_3lt96pR4Fr9HxZ_tm6wWBqljPcLEz2TDmBYix1IUb8k3prqhCdTd7eI_kdLlKnOEqDcVCl8IptlqIJ6T70ewWcKSfCawroe3xtwHA09RmtCpq9pE/s320/disney.png" width="179" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEE_j00jb3qRA8T5UVZbf7mzpxYlyBBTgxaCzYUtdituI-YRKcHpmma6Qor5q5jQ8gsLvb2UiG-qXWnjuVDSlRgUe3iT07WcPFZHbFWR9cEFdexecByxEZhAcq8UWoSyHstA_qfUQ3J5k/s1600/golf.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEE_j00jb3qRA8T5UVZbf7mzpxYlyBBTgxaCzYUtdituI-YRKcHpmma6Qor5q5jQ8gsLvb2UiG-qXWnjuVDSlRgUe3iT07WcPFZHbFWR9cEFdexecByxEZhAcq8UWoSyHstA_qfUQ3J5k/s320/golf.png" width="179" /></a> </div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_5qn_6EtEB2oipmAZy_v-b7jiSkv-G-G5MBr9koFw7UeUeKE-9-3nryig8G_af-PrsTVPJqYH9jEI1vgZKd0QfdmCoSCpWCbhjwMkqUikHyYTlAUxV5Dr6ptkjyQD_mEbOu5m3lVibdg/s1600/ucla.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_5qn_6EtEB2oipmAZy_v-b7jiSkv-G-G5MBr9koFw7UeUeKE-9-3nryig8G_af-PrsTVPJqYH9jEI1vgZKd0QfdmCoSCpWCbhjwMkqUikHyYTlAUxV5Dr6ptkjyQD_mEbOu5m3lVibdg/s320/ucla.png" width="179" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi248AWtmis8I9fQlYxStBpLa7A_17qly72vdH6cAfdqBfvYML6nZUiXV9YHEJTb6a9yRxxjtFxg4Uo8AmsfN6wwESXZi4vMRaT8Gjx7O3mDSU3g5ytwsIfOV_kAr0EFzbIcl8LuSK62HY/s1600/sibs.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi248AWtmis8I9fQlYxStBpLa7A_17qly72vdH6cAfdqBfvYML6nZUiXV9YHEJTb6a9yRxxjtFxg4Uo8AmsfN6wwESXZi4vMRaT8Gjx7O3mDSU3g5ytwsIfOV_kAr0EFzbIcl8LuSK62HY/s320/sibs.png" width="258" /></a> </div>
<br />
Some days I really think this Kornet family is weird. Do other people hang out with their family this much? Do other people like their family this much? Why do I frequently think such thoughts? Because I can't get enough of them. They're so funny. I can lay on the couch and watch HGTV with my mom and dad til 2am, I can watch Luke roll his eyes all night as my mother pleads to pluck his brows and shave the unkempt beard, I can gladly suffer through yet another long-winded, older brother John spiel for a few minutes. I love these guys. It's not that I'm forced to stay home during my few days off a year, but it's that I want to.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsoH1KYFqDWTtCmULkFImgIg1ZwLdWWvY6JLB_zcnqltnTXZ3jjgagoJHlizaPm8TQQeVYbrJhDrfs9_JvuYR34apXdusd0om83Rmu7403N7MSjrkicUKQRiSgRgLqidKt1FMff0xnQv4/s1600/lukepig.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsoH1KYFqDWTtCmULkFImgIg1ZwLdWWvY6JLB_zcnqltnTXZ3jjgagoJHlizaPm8TQQeVYbrJhDrfs9_JvuYR34apXdusd0om83Rmu7403N7MSjrkicUKQRiSgRgLqidKt1FMff0xnQv4/s320/lukepig.png" width="179" /></a> </div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizOupKhdTyEGvDWJbW23sIDV6BzOKJralF0oCTztQ5Q5pHLcH-M_O0mYTBqBahI4meMQjLD94-Vapf7JY9vPT1j7T9N2T2Hz54mHeeEpBq8GXyDjvwkcRu7VKwt-gOtrGX7QU0QPkFxfA/s1600/piggy.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizOupKhdTyEGvDWJbW23sIDV6BzOKJralF0oCTztQ5Q5pHLcH-M_O0mYTBqBahI4meMQjLD94-Vapf7JY9vPT1j7T9N2T2Hz54mHeeEpBq8GXyDjvwkcRu7VKwt-gOtrGX7QU0QPkFxfA/s320/piggy.png" width="179" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlkv0W5b7WclsbfY9rmymjD8Cq_BwEF2deK6pvrVkk_SA3KLFpyefg9zTgitY08Mv1sGWH0zakhLXDhS2TFSVmgUb1yarbQnZNqRm0rzQ632GuXUfj6uirVZT964xjql8dZW48QOusDXo/s1600/mom%2526daught.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlkv0W5b7WclsbfY9rmymjD8Cq_BwEF2deK6pvrVkk_SA3KLFpyefg9zTgitY08Mv1sGWH0zakhLXDhS2TFSVmgUb1yarbQnZNqRm0rzQ632GuXUfj6uirVZT964xjql8dZW48QOusDXo/s320/mom%2526daught.png" width="180" /></a> </div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiSAeLxrerPALQEROSUJs7HIzCwcwtvm8HWb0apUbmpLawKnvY7mJv6oxQ6w1SqjopywepwgyOSKW56sVLBrqAWV1LB2v0Zpo2YMpyuPDkr4UNB9O3JC0Lr-bFcLJUbtXw6MD470qdqSM/s1600/high5.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiSAeLxrerPALQEROSUJs7HIzCwcwtvm8HWb0apUbmpLawKnvY7mJv6oxQ6w1SqjopywepwgyOSKW56sVLBrqAWV1LB2v0Zpo2YMpyuPDkr4UNB9O3JC0Lr-bFcLJUbtXw6MD470qdqSM/s320/high5.png" width="240" /></a></div>
<br />
I just finished my last pre-conference road trip before Christmas break. Luke plays Dayton tomorrow at Dayton and I get to go. 5 hours in the car with John. I plan on bringing my Bible so he can't talk the whole time. I mean who interrupts a girl trying to read her bible? <br />
<br />
Bottom line is this- I'll do anything and everything in the world for my family. I love how close we are, how driving 10 hours to Dayton University on the few days I have off a year isn't even a question, how Christmas is Christmas in all 50 states, not just where one old childhood home awaits, how the dear Lord has given me 23 years of crazy adventure, lifelong friends, and a plethora of friends' homes I can always crash in if I end up with a bad layover.<br />
<br />
I love this life of mine. I love my mom. I love my dad. I love my little Luke. And yes John, I love you too.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoIEZIQiRd-axGF3Nbz_00-22FDN0VRbw8DzNu4G0d2Z9Aof_wEYSpX_i11QmhzANCtAP9RxkjPVrTmQcK1GcNczk2oYz79ijGhFfcBrihyyGXNPgqjcXpguiE9GEuf19bjcwcS5n7WNY/s1600/couch.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoIEZIQiRd-axGF3Nbz_00-22FDN0VRbw8DzNu4G0d2Z9Aof_wEYSpX_i11QmhzANCtAP9RxkjPVrTmQcK1GcNczk2oYz79ijGhFfcBrihyyGXNPgqjcXpguiE9GEuf19bjcwcS5n7WNY/s320/couch.png" width="240" /></a></div>
Nicole Kornethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12752896360950497403noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5054348110797123772.post-45056906146324968782016-11-24T09:19:00.003-08:002016-11-25T09:14:08.740-08:00There's Enough Pie For Everyone<div class="MsoNormal">
She knows very little about basketball, but she paced the
stands screaming the Lady Warriors on to a 4A State Championship, she videoed
me with the coveted family camcorder for hours as I practiced my tap dancing in
a triple XL Backstreet Boys t, she found me bawling in my bathroom over the fictional
deaths of Old Dan and Little Ann, she found me practicing my kissing on my arm on the toilet and then having to sift through that very toilet to find my loose tooth that fell in (the tooth fairy wasn't going to look for it in there), she endured my wails after
Dillard’s warned us the store was closing in 10 minutes and I could not think of anything worse than being trapped in a Dillard's all night at the age of 8, she taught me to seek out 5-star luxury hotel
restrooms, lock myself in the stall and wait for her if I ever got lost in the unruly crowds of New York City the very first time we visited, she flew with me across the country from college campus to
college campus to college campus for a basketball camp.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
She’s my mom.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhae1u1Dt_qoA9XEUKRwl7LToxPIfPey_IfdTN0F2rssSfzqd9ldrINQkEcAbXS8kjnv4KAf-eUSUGSGgbu-s50FtSTs_0gGP5lXFw9WKzzzfdggmc5wrJbKC2Mym9wslEKIWI6w1rMLF0/s1600/Screen+Shot+2016-11-24+at+11.51.54+AM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhae1u1Dt_qoA9XEUKRwl7LToxPIfPey_IfdTN0F2rssSfzqd9ldrINQkEcAbXS8kjnv4KAf-eUSUGSGgbu-s50FtSTs_0gGP5lXFw9WKzzzfdggmc5wrJbKC2Mym9wslEKIWI6w1rMLF0/s320/Screen+Shot+2016-11-24+at+11.51.54+AM.png" width="180" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: x-small; text-align: start;">(Pretending to golf when we all know we're here for a sun tan & sweet tea)</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: x-small; text-align: start;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpfDU1iF44TdRlcxM4_D2YcM8G3rtdJe-5TZjjgLAVm-XH42tbjELPihZ_d_vXxXx_gH8o0U4IepuiViMI3vM8mkeVqKN9-oyzipDqaFXhtM1exqFvhhOot7sANFVnfqptNqyRN69OqOI/s1600/Screen+Shot+2016-11-24+at+12.00.03+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="191" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpfDU1iF44TdRlcxM4_D2YcM8G3rtdJe-5TZjjgLAVm-XH42tbjELPihZ_d_vXxXx_gH8o0U4IepuiViMI3vM8mkeVqKN9-oyzipDqaFXhtM1exqFvhhOot7sANFVnfqptNqyRN69OqOI/s320/Screen+Shot+2016-11-24+at+12.00.03+PM.png" width="320" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: x-small;"> (Probably basket #3 of Roadhouse rolls)</span></div>
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><br /></span>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhH2uPDZ6IicRgeEybqYtKrKW63NB-ofYAEwTlCmhziZshyphenhyphenYZd-INLv1xYqB1unIQjJPcCl0XPRf099bzsf-B0QKkJrEZCvoJSTqyR019KXYLpyM51_J3p-LsJRRHn_w25ZLXjk3WMi8A8/s1600/Screen+Shot+2016-11-24+at+11.53.01+AM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhH2uPDZ6IicRgeEybqYtKrKW63NB-ofYAEwTlCmhziZshyphenhyphenYZd-INLv1xYqB1unIQjJPcCl0XPRf099bzsf-B0QKkJrEZCvoJSTqyR019KXYLpyM51_J3p-LsJRRHn_w25ZLXjk3WMi8A8/s320/Screen+Shot+2016-11-24+at+11.53.01+AM.png" width="239" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: x-small;">(Posing with someone else's pint of Guinness in Ireland)</span></div>
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><br /></span>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgujdozqRsP2LIdbqSwcNN_cFSmJ6Nz5UUm-k8d4UR0-4ub56WNLDwA4Kg-OWBBYnjU6aQIqYXx9wtHiuckj24natOsfbx817vLGA-iiiUsxcnYFPRw82-D9vmjVZUHq7h0eIKteYwB-xQ/s1600/Screen+Shot+2016-11-24+at+12.09.54+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="241" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgujdozqRsP2LIdbqSwcNN_cFSmJ6Nz5UUm-k8d4UR0-4ub56WNLDwA4Kg-OWBBYnjU6aQIqYXx9wtHiuckj24natOsfbx817vLGA-iiiUsxcnYFPRw82-D9vmjVZUHq7h0eIKteYwB-xQ/s320/Screen+Shot+2016-11-24+at+12.09.54+PM.png" width="320" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: x-small;">(My first day of college)</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I want to take the focus away from my basketball blurbs and
simply give credit where credit is due.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Ya know, my mom was the first one to start this whole
blogging idea. John, Luke, & I knew it was going to take a turn for the
worst as soon as we heard the news. We’ve scolded her for most of her sappy, over-exaggerated posts, but after it’s all said and done, there’s nothing I enjoy
reading more. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
When I was younger my mom taught me one very important
lesson that resonates with me deeply today as I write 30,000 ft. above ground on my
way to Cancun for, you guessed it, basketball.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“There’s enough pie for everyone.”<br />
<br />
I can hear my mom’s voice
shout it from the mountaintops.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
There’s enough success for everyone. There’s no need for
jealously, for stealing someone else’s joy, or for making someone else’s
accomplishments inferior to your own. There’s enough pie for everyone!</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Courtesy of Delta Airlines, Bad Moms is the complimentary
movie of the flight. I thought it was going to be worth a two-hour nap. Contrary to popular belief, Mila Kunis
stole the show. It even tug at the heart strings a little as I
thought about 'ol Tracy Nicole.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPsiRqVOqSc5OmpfOrRXu7zq1bCyr8u6SlnMZ53LTT4BaXRaX2dq0SowwVXZgqp5rkzbjZlIfyPNSNXjkh9Y23wyN7GMmlGXNDEqaXcVEbbx74T2DSr9YK6Q5d06KwyHDAgNkw2256IBU/s1600/Screen+Shot+2016-11-24+at+11.50.27+AM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPsiRqVOqSc5OmpfOrRXu7zq1bCyr8u6SlnMZ53LTT4BaXRaX2dq0SowwVXZgqp5rkzbjZlIfyPNSNXjkh9Y23wyN7GMmlGXNDEqaXcVEbbx74T2DSr9YK6Q5d06KwyHDAgNkw2256IBU/s320/Screen+Shot+2016-11-24+at+11.50.27+AM.png" width="241" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
My mom taught me that people matter. People’s successes
matter. There’s no use for comparison. There’s no use for anger. There’s no use
for tearing another woman, or man down. At the end of the day what’s that get
ya? Jack squat.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I can remember it clear as day. Every Thanksgiving, my
mother would get up from the kitchen table and take out this giant, silver
plated fork. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Everyone, let me introduce to you all the ‘talking fork.’
Each person take a moment with the fork and share what you’re thankful
for."</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
A collective sigh quickly ensued. Typical Tracy antics at
their best. Person by person we begrudgingly gave her what she wanted. By the
end, we couldn’t stop smiling. That’s what Thanksgiving is all about, isn’t it?
Gathering around those people you’re biologically forced to gather around a few
times a year in order to remember how good you’ve got it.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHEB_XlMn3AyFp7MnkfAOnwgod5ZYv5X4TtaMyy2qMO8lnj6jK6FQWZVy6c37lvVkROx0uNxkJ8PoUuLO5OLJJqWC0cQytDTE-SzlTlaqccV5LSzdm9kFCkui1zOp9bDwjr3XTWmP05cY/s1600/Screen+Shot+2016-11-24+at+11.45.52+AM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="287" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHEB_XlMn3AyFp7MnkfAOnwgod5ZYv5X4TtaMyy2qMO8lnj6jK6FQWZVy6c37lvVkROx0uNxkJ8PoUuLO5OLJJqWC0cQytDTE-SzlTlaqccV5LSzdm9kFCkui1zOp9bDwjr3XTWmP05cY/s320/Screen+Shot+2016-11-24+at+11.45.52+AM.png" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
Pure bliss. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Even though my mom engrained her patented quote into my
brain long ago, it’s taken me awhile to fully put it into practice. Truly being happy for someone, when someone else’s successes
are just as important as your own, when you don’t have to feel inadequate about
your own accomplishments because someone else’s just must be a little bit “better,” you will
soon realize that people are people no matter how (tall). The dear Lord wants
us to build each other up in order to build His kingdom up. Be happy for
another, compliment one another, and most importantly, love one another. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I've learned from the best. I've learned from my mom.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBdYaGkWTggA02o61U2u0u48KRmbGdruAs5-YDFC-1e9UOQSiTsmDUZuW_URfqGBW4jNY1S6H-YCelJFRUclJ998mRexQzX02JtpDxkh-B7EUU_TD0mhCwLBBhXIuyZXaZRkVitUqe6vI/s1600/Screen+Shot+2016-11-24+at+11.52.43+AM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBdYaGkWTggA02o61U2u0u48KRmbGdruAs5-YDFC-1e9UOQSiTsmDUZuW_URfqGBW4jNY1S6H-YCelJFRUclJ998mRexQzX02JtpDxkh-B7EUU_TD0mhCwLBBhXIuyZXaZRkVitUqe6vI/s320/Screen+Shot+2016-11-24+at+11.52.43+AM.png" width="240" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Slices of success never run out. There’s enough pie for everyone.</div>
Nicole Kornethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12752896360950497403noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5054348110797123772.post-56181776758689245832016-09-13T13:13:00.004-07:002016-09-13T20:50:42.812-07:00Just Because I Transferred Doesn't Mean You Should Too<div id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1473710100435_3563" style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "segoe ui" , "helvetica" , "arial" , "lucida grande" , sans-serif;">Since my first blog post, several younger college players have asked me: "Sh</span><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">ould I transfer?"</span></div>
<div id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1473710100435_3563" style="font-family: 'helvetica neue', 'segoe ui', helvetica, arial, 'lucida grande', sans-serif;">
<br /></div>
<div id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1473710100435_3563" style="font-family: 'helvetica neue', 'segoe ui', helvetica, arial, 'lucida grande', sans-serif;">
<b>Realization #1:</b></div>
<div id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1473710100435_3563" style="font-family: 'helvetica neue', 'segoe ui', helvetica, arial, 'lucida grande', sans-serif;">
At some point, everyone wants to transfer.</div>
<div id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1473710100435_3563" style="font-family: 'helvetica neue', 'segoe ui', helvetica, arial, 'lucida grande', sans-serif;">
<br /></div>
<div id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1473710100435_3563" style="font-family: 'helvetica neue', 'segoe ui', helvetica, arial, 'lucida grande', sans-serif;">
The thought usually creeps in during your freshman year. </div>
<div id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1473710100435_3563" style="font-family: 'helvetica neue', 'segoe ui', helvetica, arial, 'lucida grande', sans-serif;">
<br /></div>
<div id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1473710100435_3563" style="font-family: 'helvetica neue', 'segoe ui', helvetica, arial, 'lucida grande', sans-serif;">
After all the lovey-dovey, one-on-one recruitment praise wears off, most start to realize there are ten to twelve other teammates fighting for the spotlight, too. It's not all about you anymore, Dorothy. Suddenly the high school star who has waltzed through life now has some competition.</div>
<div id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1473710100435_3563" style="font-family: 'helvetica neue', 'segoe ui', helvetica, arial, 'lucida grande', sans-serif;">
<br /></div>
<div id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1473710100435_3563" style="font-family: 'helvetica neue', 'segoe ui', helvetica, arial, 'lucida grande', sans-serif;">
For many of us, after the first year starring as "role player," pride begins to sink in.</div>
<div id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1473710100435_3563" style="font-family: 'helvetica neue', 'segoe ui', helvetica, arial, 'lucida grande', sans-serif;">
<br /></div>
<div id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1473710100435_3563" style="font-family: 'helvetica neue', 'segoe ui', helvetica, arial, 'lucida grande', sans-serif;">
"Why doesn't coach play me more?"</div>
<div id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1473710100435_3563" style="font-family: 'helvetica neue', 'segoe ui', helvetica, arial, 'lucida grande', sans-serif;">
"I hate it here."</div>
<div id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1473710100435_3563" style="font-family: 'helvetica neue', 'segoe ui', helvetica, arial, 'lucida grande', sans-serif;">
"I should have gone to..."</div>
<div id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1473710100435_3563" style="font-family: 'helvetica neue', 'segoe ui', helvetica, arial, 'lucida grande', sans-serif;">
<br /></div>
<div id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1473710100435_3563" style="font-family: 'helvetica neue', 'segoe ui', helvetica, arial, 'lucida grande', sans-serif;">
<div id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1473710100435_3572" style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px;">
<b>Realization #2:</b></div>
<div id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1473710100435_3572" style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px;">
Everyone thinks they're going to be the man.</div>
<div id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1473710100435_3572" style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px;">
<br /></div>
<div id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1473710100435_3572" style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px;">
At Oklahoma I thought I was going to be the freshman phenom.</div>
<div id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1473710100435_3572" style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px;">
<br /></div>
</div>
<div id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1473710100435_3563" style="font-family: 'helvetica neue', 'segoe ui', helvetica, arial, 'lucida grande', sans-serif;">
Let me tell you why.</div>
<div id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1473710100435_3563" style="font-family: 'helvetica neue', 'segoe ui', helvetica, arial, 'lucida grande', sans-serif;">
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0Fr53FZZos7sSwg26JuztoZxPLAyuBMbtBDcodDWtCMmsY2sm0Pcgu-UfmiUqjIoQpqF8eMD3jJT1H3MZHvKLmy5nORrd3vy11BmP9nFpcOOF8jTHROXDDNC4KhQmV522L43z25Pub9Q/s1600/Screen+Shot+2016-09-13+at+3.19.32+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="209" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0Fr53FZZos7sSwg26JuztoZxPLAyuBMbtBDcodDWtCMmsY2sm0Pcgu-UfmiUqjIoQpqF8eMD3jJT1H3MZHvKLmy5nORrd3vy11BmP9nFpcOOF8jTHROXDDNC4KhQmV522L43z25Pub9Q/s320/Screen+Shot+2016-09-13+at+3.19.32+PM.png" width="320" /></a></div>
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1473710100435_3563" style="font-family: 'helvetica neue', 'segoe ui', helvetica, arial, 'lucida grande', sans-serif;">
I've already explained why my heart was never fully invested in Oklahoma's program. </div>
<div id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1473710100435_3572" style="font-family: 'helvetica neue', 'segoe ui', helvetica, arial, 'lucida grande', sans-serif;">
<br /></div>
<div id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1473710100435_3572" style="font-family: 'helvetica neue', 'segoe ui', helvetica, arial, 'lucida grande', sans-serif;">
Still, I wanted to play basketball. I wanted to succeed. I wanted to be the best there ever was. </div>
<div id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1473710100435_3572" style="font-family: 'helvetica neue', 'segoe ui', helvetica, arial, 'lucida grande', sans-serif;">
<br /></div>
<div id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1473710100435_3572" style="font-family: 'helvetica neue', 'segoe ui', helvetica, arial, 'lucida grande', sans-serif;">
Coming from a small private high school in Texas, I could never shake a comparison to one of Liberty Christian's greatest basketball stars, Whitney Hand. Whitney had signed to play at Oklahoma four years before me. </div>
<div id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1473710100435_3572" style="font-family: 'helvetica neue', 'segoe ui', helvetica, arial, 'lucida grande', sans-serif;">
<br /></div>
<div id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1473710100435_3572" style="font-family: 'helvetica neue', 'segoe ui', helvetica, arial, 'lucida grande', sans-serif;">
It's all people talked about. </div>
<div id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1473710100435_3572" style="font-family: 'helvetica neue', 'segoe ui', helvetica, arial, 'lucida grande', sans-serif;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWVqhAyQrWexOKb7MifgISbZqHSEdWfqzZxEKkQjsBz462uBKd6NCo8oYO_GGIEoww6s3JjYHqYd1WOOB3XBn2x3XcGG5QIPv4qKsYS2Yk4cx7tF_Yk82Mhf79bzWdobWuVdy2Twt6r7U/s1600/Screen+Shot+2016-09-12+at+5.25.41+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="185" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWVqhAyQrWexOKb7MifgISbZqHSEdWfqzZxEKkQjsBz462uBKd6NCo8oYO_GGIEoww6s3JjYHqYd1WOOB3XBn2x3XcGG5QIPv4qKsYS2Yk4cx7tF_Yk82Mhf79bzWdobWuVdy2Twt6r7U/s320/Screen+Shot+2016-09-12+at+5.25.41+PM.png" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKiJjl0U92dq6Ltb6AIMWTPaejNK-nV2JsguFfHa1phCNbxr6e71YEtc2EmI5qdvVpeWQtnNf20zW-uJyD5fekljjfg5Jxqq2nP8tZ1g5cmo9Sd9Wkpd5KRjVDdZE8UgqqDa7-ScDFZwE/s1600/Screen+Shot+2016-09-12+at+5.26.26+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="204" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKiJjl0U92dq6Ltb6AIMWTPaejNK-nV2JsguFfHa1phCNbxr6e71YEtc2EmI5qdvVpeWQtnNf20zW-uJyD5fekljjfg5Jxqq2nP8tZ1g5cmo9Sd9Wkpd5KRjVDdZE8UgqqDa7-ScDFZwE/s320/Screen+Shot+2016-09-12+at+5.26.26+PM.png" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1473710100435_3572" style="font-family: 'helvetica neue', 'segoe ui', helvetica, arial, 'lucida grande', sans-serif;">
Since we were four years apart, I never got to play with her in high school. Due to the dreaded injury bug, she got a few extra years at Oklahoma. Meaning, we finally became teammates.</div>
<div id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1473710100435_3572" style="font-family: 'helvetica neue', 'segoe ui', helvetica, arial, 'lucida grande', sans-serif;">
<br /></div>
<div id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1473710100435_3572" style="font-family: 'helvetica neue', 'segoe ui', helvetica, arial, 'lucida grande', sans-serif;">
As much as I love, admire, and respect Whitney, during my freshman year I so badly wanted to be different than Whitney. I didn't want to follow in her footsteps; I wanted footsteps of my own. I had always wanted to "one-up" her in a way. I didn't want to go to Oklahoma like Whitney, I wanted to go to <u>(fill in the blank)</u> like Nicole. </div>
<div id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1473710100435_3572" style="font-family: 'helvetica neue', 'segoe ui', helvetica, arial, 'lucida grande', sans-serif;">
<br /></div>
<div id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1473710100435_3572" style="font-family: 'helvetica neue', 'segoe ui', helvetica, arial, 'lucida grande', sans-serif;">
I had to come to grips that Whitney was the star here too, and I was not.</div>
<div id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1473710100435_3572" style="font-family: 'helvetica neue', 'segoe ui', helvetica, arial, 'lucida grande', sans-serif;">
<br /></div>
<div id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1473710100435_3574" style="font-family: 'helvetica neue', 'segoe ui', helvetica, arial, 'lucida grande', sans-serif;">
<b>Realization #3:</b></div>
<div id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1473710100435_3574" style="font-family: 'helvetica neue', 'segoe ui', helvetica, arial, 'lucida grande', sans-serif;">
All college coaches are slightly nuts.</div>
<div id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1473710100435_3574" style="font-family: 'helvetica neue', 'segoe ui', helvetica, arial, 'lucida grande', sans-serif;">
<br /></div>
<div id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1473710100435_3574" style="font-family: 'helvetica neue', 'segoe ui', helvetica, arial, 'lucida grande', sans-serif;">
All of them. Every single one. </div>
<div id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1473710100435_3574" style="font-family: 'helvetica neue', 'segoe ui', helvetica, arial, 'lucida grande', sans-serif;">
<br /></div>
<div id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1473710100435_3574" style="font-family: 'helvetica neue', 'segoe ui', helvetica, arial, 'lucida grande', sans-serif;">
They're full of passion for this game. As nice and caring as they were to you back in high school, as soon as you sign on the dotted line and officially become a student-athlete, you belong to them. </div>
<div id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1473710100435_3574" style="font-family: 'helvetica neue', 'segoe ui', helvetica, arial, 'lucida grande', sans-serif;">
<br /></div>
<div id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1473710100435_3574" style="font-family: 'helvetica neue', 'segoe ui', helvetica, arial, 'lucida grande', sans-serif;">
That's why it's so important to pick a coach who doesn't falsely recruit you. </div>
<div id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1473710100435_3574" style="font-family: 'helvetica neue', 'segoe ui', helvetica, arial, 'lucida grande', sans-serif;">
<br /></div>
<div id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1473710100435_3574" style="font-family: 'helvetica neue', 'segoe ui', helvetica, arial, 'lucida grande', sans-serif;">
CAUTION: Don't fall for one-liners.</div>
<div id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1473710100435_3574" style="font-family: 'helvetica neue', 'segoe ui', helvetica, arial, 'lucida grande', sans-serif;">
<br /></div>
<div id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1473710100435_3574" style="font-family: 'helvetica neue', 'segoe ui', helvetica, arial, 'lucida grande', sans-serif;">
"You'll start right away."</div>
<div id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1473710100435_3574" style="font-family: 'helvetica neue', 'segoe ui', helvetica, arial, 'lucida grande', sans-serif;">
"You will be the face of our program."</div>
<div id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1473710100435_3574" style="font-family: 'helvetica neue', 'segoe ui', helvetica, arial, 'lucida grande', sans-serif;">
"Those other schools don't have what we have here."<br />
<br />
Most will say whatever they can to get you to sign that National Letter of Intent. And once you're there, don't expect all those empty promises to magically come true. You have to earn your spot now.</div>
<div id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1473710100435_3574" style="font-family: 'helvetica neue', 'segoe ui', helvetica, arial, 'lucida grande', sans-serif;">
<br /></div>
<div id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1473710100435_3574" style="font-family: 'helvetica neue', 'segoe ui', helvetica, arial, 'lucida grande', sans-serif;">
You want a coach to like you right off the bat? Learn how to play defense.</div>
<div id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1473710100435_3574" style="font-family: 'helvetica neue', 'segoe ui', helvetica, arial, 'lucida grande', sans-serif;">
<br /></div>
<div id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1473710100435_3574" style="font-family: 'helvetica neue', 'segoe ui', helvetica, arial, 'lucida grande', sans-serif;">
<div id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1473710100435_3574" style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px;">
<b>Realization #4:</b></div>
</div>
<div id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1473710100435_3574" style="font-family: 'helvetica neue', 'segoe ui', helvetica, arial, 'lucida grande', sans-serif;">
If you can find a coach who ultimately cares for your well-being at the end of the day, you're in the right hands. </div>
<div id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1473710100435_3574" style="font-family: 'helvetica neue', 'segoe ui', helvetica, arial, 'lucida grande', sans-serif;">
<br /></div>
<div id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1473710100435_3574" style="font-family: 'helvetica neue', 'segoe ui', helvetica, arial, 'lucida grande', sans-serif;">
Yes, most will scream their heads off. Yes, their expectations are extremely high. But hey, that's their job.</div>
<div id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1473710100435_3574" style="font-family: 'helvetica neue', 'segoe ui', helvetica, arial, 'lucida grande', sans-serif;">
<br /></div>
<div id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1473710100435_3574" style="font-family: 'helvetica neue', 'segoe ui', helvetica, arial, 'lucida grande', sans-serif;">
<b>Realization #5:</b></div>
<div id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1473710100435_3574" style="font-family: 'helvetica neue', 'segoe ui', helvetica, arial, 'lucida grande', sans-serif;">
Your teammates will be different than you.</div>
<div id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1473710100435_3574" style="font-family: 'helvetica neue', 'segoe ui', helvetica, arial, 'lucida grande', sans-serif;">
<br /></div>
<div id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1473710100435_3574" style="font-family: 'helvetica neue', 'segoe ui', helvetica, arial, 'lucida grande', sans-serif;">
Hate to break it to ya kid, but it's hiiiiiiiighly likely you wouldn't be friends with half of your teammates if it weren't for that round rubber ball. </div>
<div id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1473710100435_3574" style="font-family: 'helvetica neue', 'segoe ui', helvetica, arial, 'lucida grande', sans-serif;">
<br /></div>
<div id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1473710100435_3574" style="font-family: 'helvetica neue', 'segoe ui', helvetica, arial, 'lucida grande', sans-serif;">
Granted, you need to hold your future teammates to a certain standard.</div>
<div id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1473710100435_3574" style="font-family: 'helvetica neue', 'segoe ui', helvetica, arial, 'lucida grande', sans-serif;">
<br /></div>
<div id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1473710100435_3574" style="font-family: 'helvetica neue', 'segoe ui', helvetica, arial, 'lucida grande', sans-serif;">
But let's face it--there will be teammates who are just flat out not like you. In any way, shape, or form. You have to find a way to play with them anyway. They're your teammates. Someone has to pass you the ball. They have to trust you, and you have to trust them. </div>
<div id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1473710100435_3574" style="font-family: 'helvetica neue', 'segoe ui', helvetica, arial, 'lucida grande', sans-serif;">
<br /></div>
<div id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1473710100435_3574" style="font-family: 'helvetica neue', 'segoe ui', helvetica, arial, 'lucida grande', sans-serif;">
This next sentence may shock you.</div>
<div id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1473710100435_3574" style="font-family: 'helvetica neue', 'segoe ui', helvetica, arial, 'lucida grande', sans-serif;">
<br /></div>
<div id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1473710100435_3574" style="font-family: 'helvetica neue', 'segoe ui', helvetica, arial, 'lucida grande', sans-serif;">
You don't even have to be friends with them. </div>
<div id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1473710100435_3574" style="font-family: 'helvetica neue', 'segoe ui', helvetica, arial, 'lucida grande', sans-serif;">
<br /></div>
<div id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1473710100435_3574" style="font-family: 'helvetica neue', 'segoe ui', helvetica, arial, 'lucida grande', sans-serif;">
At the end of the day, what matters most is what happens on the court. You don't have to treat them to a cup of coffee off of it.</div>
<div id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1473710100435_3574" style="font-family: 'helvetica neue', 'segoe ui', helvetica, arial, 'lucida grande', sans-serif;">
<br /></div>
<div id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1473710100435_3574" style="font-family: 'helvetica neue', 'segoe ui', helvetica, arial, 'lucida grande', sans-serif;">
This can be hard. But just because something is hard, doesn't mean a certain someone should transfer. </div>
<div id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1473710100435_3575" style="font-family: 'helvetica neue', 'segoe ui', helvetica, arial, 'lucida grande', sans-serif;">
<br /></div>
<div id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1473710100435_3575" style="font-family: 'helvetica neue', 'segoe ui', helvetica, arial, 'lucida grande', sans-serif;">
<b>Realization #6:</b></div>
<div id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1473710100435_3575" style="font-family: 'helvetica neue', 'segoe ui', helvetica, arial, 'lucida grande', sans-serif;">
Know your role. </div>
<div id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1473710100435_3575" style="font-family: 'helvetica neue', 'segoe ui', helvetica, arial, 'lucida grande', sans-serif;">
<b><br /></b></div>
<div id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1473710100435_3575" style="font-family: 'helvetica neue', 'segoe ui', helvetica, arial, 'lucida grande', sans-serif;">
I know you're used to being the star. </div>
<div id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1473710100435_3575" style="font-family: 'helvetica neue', 'segoe ui', helvetica, arial, 'lucida grande', sans-serif;">
<br /></div>
<div id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1473710100435_3575" style="font-family: 'helvetica neue', 'segoe ui', helvetica, arial, 'lucida grande', sans-serif;">
You're used to everyone loving you. You're a cool, hard working, natural-born athlete. However, that does not necessarily mean your college teammates are cool and hard working, too. </div>
<div id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1473710100435_3575" style="font-family: 'helvetica neue', 'segoe ui', helvetica, arial, 'lucida grande', sans-serif;">
<br /></div>
<div id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1473710100435_3575" style="font-family: 'helvetica neue', 'segoe ui', helvetica, arial, 'lucida grande', sans-serif;">
Sometimes they do bad things on the weekends. Sometimes they don't even work as hard as you, yet they get all the praise. But as long as you put forth continued effort and stay true to yourself, you should never feel defeated. You'll grow from it at the end of the day, and especially at the end of the season.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPu3RKAlZibPzgBA9bdoSIrUam9QfoDzlUJ9tU-nKc5WzMZ9LOfBWhI0JVYS0rKn9o43ewPiUcCDSoXY65VvjUu2Ci96VqRIyF0gjq7RoTaMiY2KF6Twoc1XEoysmfo7IJX1wvE_sAbcA/s1600/Screen+Shot+2016-09-13+at+3.30.24+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="177" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPu3RKAlZibPzgBA9bdoSIrUam9QfoDzlUJ9tU-nKc5WzMZ9LOfBWhI0JVYS0rKn9o43ewPiUcCDSoXY65VvjUu2Ci96VqRIyF0gjq7RoTaMiY2KF6Twoc1XEoysmfo7IJX1wvE_sAbcA/s320/Screen+Shot+2016-09-13+at+3.30.24+PM.png" width="320" /></a></div>
<br /></div>
<div id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1473710100435_3575" style="font-family: 'helvetica neue', 'segoe ui', helvetica, arial, 'lucida grande', sans-serif;">
For me, that took a long time to grasp. I thought I was going to be the All-American freshman who would be an immediate starter, take our team to the Final Four, and be the face of Sports Illustrated. </div>
<div id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1473710100435_3576" style="font-family: 'helvetica neue', 'segoe ui', helvetica, arial, 'lucida grande', sans-serif;">
<br /></div>
<div id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1473710100435_3576" style="font-family: 'helvetica neue', 'segoe ui', helvetica, arial, 'lucida grande', sans-serif;">
I thought our team was going to be different than all of the rest, because I was on it. </div>
<div id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1473710100435_3576" style="font-family: 'helvetica neue', 'segoe ui', helvetica, arial, 'lucida grande', sans-serif;">
<br /></div>
<div id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1473710100435_3576" style="font-family: 'helvetica neue', 'segoe ui', helvetica, arial, 'lucida grande', sans-serif;">
If I can tell you one thing about freshman year, it's that only about 5% of D1 athletes get to live out that pipe dream their first year. Don't get down on yourself, though. Remember, you're a freshman. (Or a 5th year senior...)<br />
<br /></div>
<div id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1473710100435_3576" style="font-family: 'helvetica neue', 'segoe ui', helvetica, arial, 'lucida grande', sans-serif;">
<b>Realization #7:</b></div>
<div id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1473710100435_3576" style="font-family: 'helvetica neue', 'segoe ui', helvetica, arial, 'lucida grande', sans-serif;">
Make mistakes. </div>
<div id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1473710100435_3576" style="font-family: 'helvetica neue', 'segoe ui', helvetica, arial, 'lucida grande', sans-serif;">
<br /></div>
<div id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1473710100435_3576" style="font-family: 'helvetica neue', 'segoe ui', helvetica, arial, 'lucida grande', sans-serif;">
The worst thing you can do, especially as a freshman, is try to be perfect all the time. Let your coaches coach you. And trust me, you need to be coached. This ain't high school anymore, Toto.</div>
<div id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1473710100435_3576" style="font-family: 'helvetica neue', 'segoe ui', helvetica, arial, 'lucida grande', sans-serif;">
<br /></div>
<div id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1473710100435_3576" style="font-family: 'helvetica neue', 'segoe ui', helvetica, arial, 'lucida grande', sans-serif;">
The truth is, not many people play their freshman year. The sadder truth, not many people put their pride aside and learn from why they didn't. </div>
<div id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1473710100435_3576" style="font-family: 'helvetica neue', 'segoe ui', helvetica, arial, 'lucida grande', sans-serif;">
<br /></div>
<div id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1473710100435_3576" style="font-family: 'helvetica neue', 'segoe ui', helvetica, arial, 'lucida grande', sans-serif;">
Instead, they transfer.</div>
<div id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1473710100435_3576" style="font-family: 'helvetica neue', 'segoe ui', helvetica, arial, 'lucida grande', sans-serif;">
<br /></div>
<div id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1473710100435_3578" style="font-family: 'helvetica neue', 'segoe ui', helvetica, arial, 'lucida grande', sans-serif;">
<b>Realization #8:</b></div>
<div id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1473710100435_3578" style="font-family: 'helvetica neue', 'segoe ui', helvetica, arial, 'lucida grande', sans-serif;">
Don't bolt too soon.</div>
<div id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1473710100435_3578" style="font-family: 'helvetica neue', 'segoe ui', helvetica, arial, 'lucida grande', sans-serif;">
<br /></div>
<div id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1473710100435_3578" style="font-family: 'helvetica neue', 'segoe ui', helvetica, arial, 'lucida grande', sans-serif;">
This is an opportunity of a lifetime. You're with the best of the best. It will be hard, but it will be worth it.</div>
<div id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1473710100435_3578" style="font-family: 'helvetica neue', 'segoe ui', helvetica, arial, 'lucida grande', sans-serif;">
<br /></div>
<div id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1473710100435_3578" style="font-family: 'helvetica neue', 'segoe ui', helvetica, arial, 'lucida grande', sans-serif;">
So here's the deal:</div>
<div id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1473710100435_3578" style="font-family: 'helvetica neue', 'segoe ui', helvetica, arial, 'lucida grande', sans-serif;">
<br /></div>
<div id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1473710100435_3578" style="font-family: 'helvetica neue', 'segoe ui', helvetica, arial, 'lucida grande', sans-serif;">
What's more important to you? What is your heart set on? Are you escaping confrontation with teammates? Do you try to avoid certain individuals? Are you giving them a chance? Have you talked to your coaches? Do they know how you feel? Is playing time your motivating factor? Is your confidence low and that's what's causing you to have all these doubts? Are you looking for a way out, or can your issues be mended?</div>
<div id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1473710100435_3578" style="font-family: 'helvetica neue', 'segoe ui', helvetica, arial, 'lucida grande', sans-serif;">
<br /></div>
<div id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1473710100435_3577" style="font-family: 'helvetica neue', 'segoe ui', helvetica, arial, 'lucida grande', sans-serif;">
If you have at least one or two girls on the team who share your same morals and values, I would say trust the process and lean on them for strength and guidance. If you are truly in a tough place and there doesn't appear to be any type of safe haven, maybe you really should consider the "T" word. </div>
<div id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1473710100435_3577" style="font-family: 'helvetica neue', 'segoe ui', helvetica, arial, 'lucida grande', sans-serif;">
<br /></div>
<div id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1473710100435_3577" style="font-family: 'helvetica neue', 'segoe ui', helvetica, arial, 'lucida grande', sans-serif;">
At OU I gave it time. I believe there's a lesson to be learned in waiting, in trying to tackle your issues head on instead of fleeing from them. </div>
<div id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1473710100435_3577" style="font-family: 'helvetica neue', 'segoe ui', helvetica, arial, 'lucida grande', sans-serif;">
<br /></div>
<div id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1473710100435_3577" style="font-family: 'helvetica neue', 'segoe ui', helvetica, arial, 'lucida grande', sans-serif;">
Don't get me wrong, at some point you have to stick up for yourself. But until you hit your breaking point, I would strongly advise seeing where this year takes you.</div>
<div id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1473710100435_3577" style="font-family: 'helvetica neue', 'segoe ui', helvetica, arial, 'lucida grande', sans-serif;">
<br /></div>
<div id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1473710100435_3577" style="font-family: 'helvetica neue', 'segoe ui', helvetica, arial, 'lucida grande', sans-serif;">
Whether you play 40 minutes a game, or sit 40 minutes a game, YOU were a contributing factor. Yes, you.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVFfgl7i1EqaSwZ0WiYW0cF93Zysn-PwuyHLVSm0bqbPlvia3UHR1vC3yFKf4D9J7RRGoDGcngqc7ffyva93znHSnHf73k2C1kofCZzzqIRwDc-I7-PmsoaVZCpIBht6snauMkGV4Tbhw/s1600/Screen+Shot+2016-09-13+at+3.28.40+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="310" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVFfgl7i1EqaSwZ0WiYW0cF93Zysn-PwuyHLVSm0bqbPlvia3UHR1vC3yFKf4D9J7RRGoDGcngqc7ffyva93znHSnHf73k2C1kofCZzzqIRwDc-I7-PmsoaVZCpIBht6snauMkGV4Tbhw/s320/Screen+Shot+2016-09-13+at+3.28.40+PM.png" width="320" /></a></div>
<br /></div>
<div id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1473710100435_3577" style="font-family: 'helvetica neue', 'segoe ui', helvetica, arial, 'lucida grande', sans-serif;">
How do you think your star teammates get better every day? The answer better be you. You better be pushing them each practice; you better have the mindset that one day that could be you in their shoes, and that one day could be tomorrow. Sometimes that's the role of a freshman, but that role is just as important. High-level basketball takes high-level patience.</div>
<div id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1473710100435_3662" style="font-family: 'helvetica neue', 'segoe ui', helvetica, arial, 'lucida grande', sans-serif;">
<br /></div>
<div id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1473710100435_3662" style="font-family: 'helvetica neue', 'segoe ui', helvetica, arial, 'lucida grande', sans-serif;">
<div id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1473710100435_3571" style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px;">
When I think of patience, one of my best friends, Kari Korver, comes to mind. Her freshman year at UCLA was hell. I won't get into the details, but let's just say I don't think anyone else has ever had worse. Her sophomore year didn't get much better either. She tore her ACL for the second time in her playing career and had to sit out for those dreaded 7-9 months. </div>
<div id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1473710100435_3571" style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px;">
<br /></div>
<div id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1473710100435_3571" style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px;">
<b>Realization: #9</b></div>
<div id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1473710100435_3571" style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px;">
Ask yourself these questions:</div>
<div id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1473710100435_3571" style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px;">
<br /></div>
<div id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1473710100435_3571" style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px;">
"If I get injured this year, will I be okay here? Will I want to run away, or do the people here have my best interests at heart?"</div>
<div id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1473710100435_3571" style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px;">
<br /></div>
<div id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1473710100435_3571" style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px;">
Kari stuck it out. She wanted to be at UCLA and no one was going to stop her. She wasn't going to quit. </div>
<div id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1473710100435_3571" style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px;">
<br /></div>
<div id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1473710100435_3571" style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px;">
And you know what, look where she is now. Kari Korver is the cornerstone of UCLA basketball. She is one of the best shooters in the country. She has broken an abundance of records. But what matters most is the leader and friend that she is to all who are lucky enough to cross her path. The lifelong respect she has gained from a multitude of teammates--and the happiness she exudes every time she dons those four letters across her chest--is immeasurable. Others radiate just by being around her. What a college career she has had so far. And she still has a final season to go.</div>
<div id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1473710100435_3571" style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px;">
<br /></div>
<div id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1473710100435_3571" style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px;">
Kari is an example of a player who stayed. A player who picked a program, because it's the place where her heart was led. She had countless hardships and learned from each and every one. </div>
<div id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1473710100435_3571" style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhBuRSl82u_95MGA2occdDYp54_2wWdbVMvxZROH0AyvO_eC9z5kDo6GONBN-2bp5uQ-ouy5KdTms0FKdD62g5_Ux_Qky2Rx2N-geF50lmp12J8_JX6zwZp3W-tp5-UrH5zocXEtTVd68/s1600/Screen+Shot+2016-09-12+at+5.40.03+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="189" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhBuRSl82u_95MGA2occdDYp54_2wWdbVMvxZROH0AyvO_eC9z5kDo6GONBN-2bp5uQ-ouy5KdTms0FKdD62g5_Ux_Qky2Rx2N-geF50lmp12J8_JX6zwZp3W-tp5-UrH5zocXEtTVd68/s320/Screen+Shot+2016-09-12+at+5.40.03+PM.png" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1473710100435_3571" style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px;">
<b>Realization #10:</b></div>
<div id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1473710100435_3571" style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px;">
Stats, prestige, recognition, and celebrity are all crap. </div>
<div id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1473710100435_3571" style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px;">
<br /></div>
<div id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1473710100435_3571" style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px;">
It's okay to believe you're the best in the gym. That you're All-American status. That you got game.</div>
<div id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1473710100435_3571" style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px;">
<br /></div>
<div id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1473710100435_3571" style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px;">
However, if that's all you're playing for, your play will soon show it. Your lack of respect will show it. </div>
<div id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1473710100435_3571" style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px;">
<br /></div>
<div id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1473710100435_3571" style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px;">
What I truly care about now are relationships. I want nothing more than to see Kari have her best year yet at UCLA. And by golly, that's exactly what's going to happen. I want to see each and every one of my teammates shine this year. To see my coaches push us until our potential becomes who we really are. </div>
<div id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1473710100435_3571" style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px;">
<br /></div>
<div id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1473710100435_3571" style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px;">
I will do whatever it takes to win; and if that's as a role player, I will be the best role player there is. If that's to put up points, you'll find me in the gym shooting until my arms fall off. </div>
<div id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1473710100435_3571" style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px;">
<br /></div>
<div id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1473710100435_3571" style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px;">
UCLA is where I'm meant to be. I'm happy. And let me tell you, once I let all of my pridefulness go, my anxieties left with it and fulfilling friendships came flooding in. </div>
<div id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1473710100435_3571" style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px;">
<br /></div>
<div id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1473710100435_3571" style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px;">
When you're where you're meant to be, you'll know it. Don't run when the going gets tough. Embrace it. Embrace the suck.</div>
<div id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1473710100435_3571" style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px;">
<br /></div>
<div id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1473710100435_3571" style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px;">
Just because I transferred doesn't mean you should too.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMvLdUQEVOvkvkt1sQavg1CDTh9fAIHqOKzaD4bNDQ6pWQ2m0OJNoispLPZka4n99uR7rnLzqjPqj5y2sme1mETHohcZy9YTIYFEUT8hYy7Hh6CfFFPCBMnUNd0ywHYeUlETpXcHQctu4/s1600/Screen+Shot+2016-09-13+at+3.19.44+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMvLdUQEVOvkvkt1sQavg1CDTh9fAIHqOKzaD4bNDQ6pWQ2m0OJNoispLPZka4n99uR7rnLzqjPqj5y2sme1mETHohcZy9YTIYFEUT8hYy7Hh6CfFFPCBMnUNd0ywHYeUlETpXcHQctu4/s320/Screen+Shot+2016-09-13+at+3.19.44+PM.png" width="319" /></a></div>
<br /></div>
</div>
Nicole Kornethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12752896360950497403noreply@blogger.com7