At Last, a Holiday Season at Home

Christmas day with my nieces -- 2013.

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  Over the years, my family's Christmas Day tradition has become hopping in the car late Christmas morning, driving a couple hours to my brother's house, and spending the rest of the day enjoying each other's company.

  It was always a great way to see everyone before I had to get on a plane back to Europe.

  Even though I had no flight to rush back to this time around, this year was no different.

  As I sat in the back seat of my dad's squeaky truck on the road to my brother's, my knees jammed into the back of my mom's seat, my toes cold, I suddenly flashed to being in the back of an airplane instead.

  And here, I had just been thinking, that it hadn't really felt like Christmas yet, because I hadn't been on an airplane.

  For the first time since I was a senior in high school, I wasn't traveling to get home for Christmas. And the first time in just as many years, that I didn't have to hurry off immediately following the holiday.

Portland during the holiday season.

  I was already home.

  As I sat in the truck, I flashed back to a few of my more-memorable holiday travel experiences over the past 15 years.

• My freshman year in college, saying goodbye to my family Christmas morning at the Portland airport; to head back to Boulder -- for practice Christmas evening. Ever try to find a place to eat Christmas dinner in a college town during Winter Break? Good thing for my teammates, as we were all in the same boat.


• Flying home to Portland from Florida after a horrific loss to the Gators my junior year. My teammates and I raced to the airport, and through security just in time to make our respective flights home to our families. Then, returning to Boulder several days later to a not-so welcoming practice back will always be in my memory bank. There are a handful of college practices that vividly stick out in my mind, and forever will. And that is one of them. We ran off our holiday turkey, pies, and other goodies in that practice alone.


• As a pro, the anxious feeling as the holiday break approached, mostly to learn when we'd be going home (and how many days we'd be able to spend in the States). You never wanted to ask too soon (as to not appear too anxious to leave), and it was always to helpful to inquire after a game won. Somehow, I never got quite enough days Stateside. I was always wanting a few more -- even the year I got three weeks home.


• Having to scramble the year I played in Poland (2006) to get my visa, while at home, to return for the second half of the season. Mis-communications, holiday madness, and poor planning, didn't allow me to return to Jelenia Gora in time to play in my team's opener after the break. An unforeseen extended holiday break. But as I remember, my team lost the game I missed. 


• 2010 in Sweden, I thought I wasn't going to be able to make it home -- because the break in between games was so short. Thankfully, my team and management were incredibly understanding, and went out of their way to work with me. Five days at home was a quick turn around, but it was well worth it. I got back to Luleå the day before our game. I was jet-legged, to say the least. My coach wouldn't let me play because I looked so bad during pre-game. Good thing my team was plenty-capable that season -- they took care of our opponent with ease as I cheered from the bench.


• And finally, 2008, I thought I'd be spending Christmas in Amsterdam, and then maybe Vancouver BC (then possibly Seattle). That year, it seemed the whole northern hemisphere had been slammed with snow storms. Lucky for me, the Portland airport was closed down -- no flights in or out. With my flight cancelled, and hundreds of people trying to get to the northwest, I thought I'd be stuck in Amsterdam til after the holiday. I must have been living right, because I somehow made it home. I ended up on a flight (as a standby traveler) to Vancouver BC (after failing to get on the flight to Seattle from Amsterdam earlier that day). But still, with the Pacific Northwest covered in ice and snow, the airline was unsure if flights would be continuing on to Seattle (where my parents were loyally driving from Portland to pick me up). I made the connection to Seattle, and there my parents were, waiting for me, as I exited the terminal. 

Snow storm I returned home to in 2008.

  While it may not have felt like Christmas for me leading up to it this year, it certainly felt like Christmas on the 25th. With family and wonderful food, lights and decoration, and of course presents; I can definitely say the holiday was just as great as ever.

  And I didn't even have to get on an airplane to get that feeling. But I sure was happy to be sitting the cold, uncomfortable seat in my Dad's truck.

  Hope you had a wonderful holiday, and happy 2014!

Home Sweet Home

Nana and I celebrating our birthday!

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  There truly is no place like home.

  No matter how many times you leave, no matter how old you are, there's nothing like going back home. After four months in France, I was able to return home for a few weeks over the Holidays and enjoy the company of my family.

  For me, when I'm home in Portland, that's what it's all about. All family, all of the time.

  When it comes time to head back overseas, it's tough . No many how many times I have done it, it's always hard getting on the plane and returning to Europe -- leaving family behind. The Holidays are filled with family time and for me, since my birthday is right after the New Year, I'm always a little extra-reluctant to get on the plane, and give up that family atmosphere.

Holiday Lights on Peacock Lane.

  Your heart is so full from those days spent with loved ones, that it's hard to return to the grind of life as a basketball player abroad.

  But after a certain point, you realize enough is enough. That it's time to get back to work. Your family members and friends return to their normal work schedule, and 'regular' life resumes. So regular life must go on for you as well.

  You settle back into your routine, and you get back into your season, and your life in Europe.

  So here I am. Back, and ready to get after 2013!

  But first, here are a few highlights from my Holiday break (but certainly not ALL the memorable moments):

- Getting re-acquainted with my nieces for several days, and getting to help out with one of their basketball practices. The three of them never fail to amaze me, entertain me, and make me laugh.

Breaking out the Kitchen Aid to whip up the cheesecake.

- A walk/run around the lake with my mom (she 
 walks, then I leave later and catch her!) on a beautifully sunny day. We meet up at Starbucks for a coffee, then walk the last mile-plus home. It's always one of my favorite things to do!

- Holiday Lights on Peacock Lane with my parents and nieces. Peacock Lane is a Portland tradition that I had visited once before, but don't have memory of.

- An afternoon spent shopping in Downtown Portland with my mom.

- Catching up with an old friend who is newly engaged!

- Making my first cheesecake -- for Christmas dessert!

- Christmas Eve at my aunt & uncle's

Family time.

- Christmas Day at my brother's

- An early birthday celebration with Nana, and the rest of the family.

  One not-so-highlight: Spent my birthday on a plane (that's one thing I can say I've never done), and jet-lagged once I touched-down in Dunkerque. So I spent the day pretty much wishing it to be over so I could settle in my bed and sleep! I was able to celebrate a few days early with my Nana (who I share a birthday with) and my family. But celebrating nearly a week early isn't quite the same. But you adjust, and you appreciate being able to celebrate at all.

  So you see, I had a pretty great break, and have a lot to be grateful for! I'll stick these moments into the memory bank, and continue on, making new memorable moments.

                                                                                              Happy 2013!

More Holiday break pictures below...

Family time in the gym!

One of the houses on Peacock Lane.

Blowing out the candles.

Birthday girls.

Nana and some of her great-granddaughters.

Cousins!

My Red Velvet cheesecake. Yum.

My Long Trip Home

Oostende Holiday lights.

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  Finally home, and it feels so good.

  After struggling though another game Saturday night, I had a bright side to fall back on: I'd be headed home for a Holiday break!

  The game left me restless, and almost sick to my stomach, so it was definitely time for a break from basketball, both mentally and physically.

vs. Léon Trégor.

  In no mood to do much else after the game, I started gathering up my things, trying to organize my bags for the 20-plus hour trip home the next day. Once I felt I had wandered and puttered around my apartment long enough, I thought I should at least TRY to get some sleep. I put in my last load of laundry, set my alarm for 5:30am, started a movie, and settled in around 1am, hoping to fall asleep, for a few minutes anyways.

  Anytime I let things get quiet enough to think, my mind immediately went back to basketball, which unfortunately, made sleep impossible. With the minutes ticking by, and my window to get any rest getting smaller and smaller, I thought it was time to give in, and do something productive. You know how it goes.

Game action vs. Léon Trégor.

  I was bound to be a zombie the next day anyway -- whether I got three hours sleep, or 15 minutes. This way, with having gotten no sleep at all, maybe there was an even better chance I'd sleep my way across the Atlantic.

  Five o'clock came, and I decided it was time to start my day. Though, I guess it's hard to say when Saturday officially ended and Sunday began.

  It's always exciting to know you'll be home soon. But it's hard to get excited for such a long day of travel. It's a necessary evil. I am so thankful to be able to go home for the Holidays, so traveling 20 hours and 7,000 miles is well-worth the uncomfortable seats, tired eyes, and wobbly legs.

Lily & I trying to show off our Buff pride!

  We started out for Brussels from Dunkerque around 6:45 Sunday morning (9:45pm Saturday Portland time). My flight left Brussels at 11. I'd fly through Chicago, so once I made it through customs and found my way, it was time to settle in until my next flight. I did what I've always do once I land Stateside: I grabbed some Starbucks and found a TV to watch some Sunday afternoon football, as I waited for my connecting flight to Portland.

  I always find myself a little chattier than usual when I first get back to the US. I think that comes from not being able to really communicate with people on a regular basis when I'm out and about while overseas. When I'm in France, I don't exactly chat up the checker at the grocery store, or talk to people passing by the way I might when I'm in the US.

  Heading home a week before for the real Holiday rush was a nice change. The airports were busy, but not their usual jam-packed madness you often see mid-to-late December. Thankfully, everything was on time, and my flights went smoothly -- I even arrived early!

Holiday lights along the beach in Dunkerque.

  I was welcomed home by the glorious Portland rain (and my mom, of course). We rolled into the driveway at home at 6:45pm Sunday (3:45am Monday morning
Dunkerque time) for a grand total of 21 hours travel time. And you thought I was exaggerating. ;)

  I'm looking forward to these next few weeks at home. It will be nice to take my focus away from basketball, and enjoy the company of my family and friends.

Dunkerque Holiday lights.

  Hope you get the chance to celebrate the Holidays with loved ones, and really enjoy and appreciate what the Holiday season is all about! I know I will!

A Quick Countdown

My mom's pretty Christmas tree.

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  T-minus one week (and a little change) and I'll be headed home for a some Holiday Cheer.

  Honestly, the nearly-four months that have passed since I came back to France have flown by. I remember my first several seasons overseas when I would have a countdown-til-home started by mid-October. But not this year. I'm not quite sure what that means, probably just that I've become all too familiar with the countdown game

  Time has gone so fast that I think I'm the least-prepared I've ever been for the Holidays. I haven't gone shopping one time, let alone thought about potential gifts to bring home for family and friends.

  So I have a week to get into the Holiday spirit.

  And win two basketball games.

Last Christmas with my nieces.

  That's really at the forefront of my mind right now. You probably know that I've been less-than-satisfied with how the first half of the season has gone. So I'm focusing in on these last two games before the break, hoping to get things turned around.

  Maybe that's why I feel like it shouldn't be Christmas time just yet: I have too much unfinished business left on the basketball court.

  Come December 16th, we'll be at the midway-point of our season, and I'm hoping the last two games before our break will be a sign of things to come for the second half of the season.

Home to see the fam!

  This season, my teammates and I are in the unusual but fortunate (I guess) situation to be going on break a week before the rest of our league does. Before the season got underway in September, one of the teams --Armentieres -- dropped out due to financial problems.

  It just so happened that we were scheduled to play Armentieres the last game before Christmas, on the 22nd. So now, with them out of the league, we will be at the midway point a week early.

  Til then, I'll be getting things organized for my trip home, doing a little shopping, and more-importantly, doing my best to come home for the Holidays with two more wins!

  Maybe I should turn on some Holiday music, and that'll help get me into the spirit.

  Bon week-end!

Amp Up Your Workouts with High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT)

Red Rocks. How's this for an interval workout!?!

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  The Holiday Season is here!

  For many of us that means busier schedules, and yummier foods than usual. And if exercising is a part of our regular routine, maybe we should try to get more bang for our buck in the workout department to go along with our hectic holiday lives.

  Or maybe we've hit a plateau, or are bored with our workouts, and are looking to spice things up a bit? Maybe pounding away on that treadmill or bike is getting tiresome? Whatever our workout-complaints are, here are some ways to shake things up a bit!

  These are some tried and tested ways to amp up your workouts, change the status quo, and get your heart thumping: 

HIIT -- (High Intensity Interval Training) is exactly what it sounds like: intense cardio performed in a series of intervals.

Luscher Farms -- my field of choice for sprints.

  What makes HIIT any different, or any better, than your run-of-the-mill cardio? The payoff for a shorter, more-intense workout is that after a HIIT session, your body spends the rest of the day expending energy to recover!

  This is called EPOC (excess post-exercise oxygen consumption), or 'after-burn'. It means that you consume a great deal more oxygen recovering from the workout than you would have if you'd just done a steady-state workout.

  HIIT allows you to burn "up to nine times more fat while sitting on the couch later that night than you would have if you'd spent an hour on the treadmill at a moderate pace." But it has to be intense -- no slacking allowed!

Three examples of HIIT that I use on a regular basis, mostly in my off-season are:

• Hills/Stairs -- Find a hill, or a set of stairs, in your neighborhood -- something that takes roughly 20 seconds to run. After a sufficient warm up (10-minute jog, for example), perform a series of 10-15 sprints up the hill, or stairs. Walk, or jog back down for your recovery, and repeat. After 10-15 repetitions, finish with a 10-minute cool down (and don't forget to stretch!). This works the same if walking is your preferred method of cardio!
• Sprint Intervals -- If you can't find a hill or a good set of stadium stairs, surely there's a field or track in your neighborhood! Again, after a good warm up, it's time to hike up the intensity: sprint for 50 yards. Then recover, by either jogging or walking, for another 50 yards. Repeat for 10-15 minutes. I like to do my sprint intervals on a football field because it's a nice flat/soft surface, and the distances are already marked for me. I don't need to look at a watch, I just sprint 50 yards, then recover for 50 yards. No thinking involved, just run! And don't forget your cool down!
• Machine work -- Both of these workouts can be performed on a treadmill, bike, or elliptical. For hills/stairs, you increase the incline for 20-30 seconds, then return it to normal for your recovery time. For the sprint work, you increase the speed for 15-30 seconds (depends on how hard the sprint is!), and then return it to a comfortable pace for your recovery. Again, these can be done as walking workouts as well!

Tera and I getting ready to run the stairs at Red Rocks.

  The point of interval workouts is to raise your heart rate very quickly, and then during your recovery, return your heart rate to a lower pace. This will increase your fitness level overall (you will recover quicker the more often you do it).

Push Outside Your Comfort Zone
  The trick is that you have to push yourself out of your comfort zone: the more you push yourself during the 'sprint' phase, the better results you will see. And of course, the more 'after-burn' effect you will see.

  Clearly you need to have a good base fitness level to perform HIIT workouts. You can't just jump off the couch, straight into sprint workouts. That's a recipe for disaster. And you should not do HIIT workouts every day. Your body needs time to recover from intense workouts, and should only be done two to three times a week.

  If you find yourself having difficulty maintaining a high intensity throughout your workout (or want to give interval training a try, and you're new new to the working out game), you are better off performing more moderately-paced 'endurance' cardio. But try to push yourself with a few harder minutes sprinkled in throughout the session. This will help increase your metabolism (although not as much as with HIIT), as well as your overall fitness, which may lead to you eventually including HIIT workouts as part of your routine.
  

High Intensity Interval Training.

Tabata Training -- is a very specific, rigorous kind of HIIT. Tabata is becoming more and more popular because it can be done very, very quickly and it simultaneously improves your anaerobic AND aerobic conditioning. Tabata develops your ability to sustain explosive bursts of strength and speed, along with improving endurance. 

  If you TRULY only have 20 minutes to squeeze in a workout, try Tabata, it'll torch you! I have given it a shot a few times this season, and have found my legs were shot the next day. Something I never feel the day after something like a 40-minute run.

  Again, it is suggested that you have a good, if not GREAT, fitness level for Tabata training -- because if you cannot sustain the intensity, you will not see the results in the short time.

  Any exercise can be incorporated into Tabata training. Pay close attention to the 'sprint' phase, and the recovery phase: notice that the sprint-time is twice as long as the rest-time. The basic outline of Tabata training method is:

• 10-minute warm up
• 20 seconds of intense training (all out sprint)
• 10 seconds of rest 
• Total of 8 sessions/rounds (making the entire Tabata session 4 minutes long)
• Cool down and stretch

  True Tabata training is not supposed to last longer than one session.

  Whether you're looking to spice up your workout, or get a more-intense workout, in a shorter time, give interval training a try! Your extra hard work will pay off. And it's always good mentally and physically to change up your routine -- it keeps us on our toes, and forces our bodies to adapt.

  Good luck, and let me know what you think!

LINKS: 

The Ultimate Interval Workout from ESPN-W

Sport-Specific Interval Training

Improve Conditioning with Tabata Interval Training 

Eight 20-Minute High Intensity Workouts

High Intensity Interval Training

Tabata Training

Mercola Fitness: More About HIIT

The Pajama Project & Baby Gagoo's East Coast Launch

Fat Kat baseball tee.

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  Too many times, public figures, celebrities if you will, are in the headlines for all the wrong reasons.

  Who knows why we choose to highlight the negative instead of the positive. More often than not, however, celebrities, like the rest of us, do good. And usually, the good is not sufficiently celebrated.

  This summer, I had the chance to see a little of the 'good', live and in action. So I wanted to bring a little more attention to the cause.

  Last year, about this time, I first wrote about a charity project I became involved with, led by actress Vanessa Marcil, benefiting Nkosi's Haven and Sojourn Services.

Store setup at the Baby Gagoo launch in Staten Island.

  The project consisted of raising awareness (and money), and donating items to children and women in need of a little extra help.

  Nkosi's Haven is a residential care center in South Africa that provides care for HIV/AIDS infected mothers, children and AIDS orphans (infected or not). Sojourn, based in Los Angeles, provides battered women and their children a safe place to regroup, rebuild, and reestablish their self-esteem and lives. 

Kiddos showing off the Gagoo threads.

  Nearly a year later, the project continues on. With the launch of Vanessa's Baby Gagoo clothing line earlier this year, that project has been dubbed 'the Pajama Project'.

  In August, at the East Coast launch event at Jimmy's Fine Jewelery Too in Staten Island, party-goers had the chance to see the beautiful clothing up close, as they were modeled by kids running around the venue, bid on various auction items, mingle with Vanessa and friends, all the while raising money for two worthwhile and deserving charities.

  Did I mention that proceeds benefited Nkosi's and Sojourn?

  The organic clothing line features newborn, toddler, and youth clothing (along with big 'kid' -- adult -- hoodies and tees too!) designed by Vanessa. The characters on the clothes, Gagoo and Fat Kat, were created by Vanessa, her son Kassius, and sister Sherry. Gagoo and Fat Kat are featured in stories that we all can learn from, and aim to show children 'It's okay to be...' whatever you are!

Kassius, Vanessa, Gagoo, & Jimmy at Staten Island event.

  Like it or not, the Holidays are fast approaching. So I wanted to put the idea of the Pajama Project back into your minds.  

  For every item bought from Baby Gagoo, one pair of pajamas is donated to Nkosi's Haven. Simple as that.

  Whoever your little loved ones are, whether you have kids yourself, or adorable nieces like I do, the clothes from Gagoo make beautiful gifts. The clothes are incredibly soft, comfy, made from organic materials (and low-impact dyes), and 'emotionally nutritious'.

  Let's continue to support Vanessa, Baby Gagoo, and this wonderful project. For those of you interested, it would be an amazing gift for the little one(s) in your life, and the women and children at Nkosi's and Sojourn.
 

Beautiful clothing from Baby Gagoo.

  Baby Gagoo is a 'mom and pop' operation, so items are made as the orders are placed. If you are shopping for the holidays or one day in-particular day, please keep this in mind!

  Put the Baby Gagoo Store in your favorites, and when it comes time to do some Holiday shopping, please remember the Pajama Project with Baby Gagoo!
 

RELATED LINKS:

Shop Gagoo

The Daily Own: Fill Up Your Soul While You Fill Up Your Shopping Bag

Baby Gagoo 

A few more pictures from the August 4th event:

The star of the night: Gagoo in the flesh!

Even I got my picture with Gagoo!

Quick picture with Vanessa.

Some of the ladies involved with the Pajama Project. :)

Another group shot.

NYC -- The Prelude

Manhattan from the Brooklyn Bridge.

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  New York City is one of the few cities in the world that intimidated me. Without ever having visited, just the thought of NYC, while exciting me, also had me a little concerned

  And I've done my fair share of traveling.

  I've been all over Europe as a solo traveler (for the most part), and never thought twice about it. But just thinking about exploring the streets of NYC, made me a little uncomfortable.

  Before I got there, that is.

The Big Bad City

West Side -- Hoboken behind.

  Many times, that's the way it's portrayed in movies -- as the big, bad city-- isn't it? And all the things you hear or read about NYC aren't exactly favorable, are they? Once I got my feet wet, and learned the lay of the land (which didn't take long), I was comfortable. Those feelings of intimidation were ill-found. Maybe that was naive of me, but I felt 100% at ease in my surroundings.

  As a West-Coaster, NYC is a tough place to get to. And as someone who frequently is on trans-continental flights, once you reach your destination, you hardly want to jump on another plane going halfway back in the wrong direction. So other than a quick layover in the airport, I had never set foot on New York ground.

  I knew I would get there sooner or later.

  New York has too many things to offer for me not to see them. And I have friends in the area. So it was only a matter of time.

East Side run. Under the Williamsburg Bridge.

Holiday Fairy Tale
  Whenever I pictured myself visiting New York, it was always during the Holiday season. I don't know, there's something about the mystique of the lights, the cold, crisp air, and the holiday spirit that made me want to experience the Big Apple around New Year's. Maybe that's a fairy tale due to the scenes and images we get in the media so frequently, but that's the idea I had in my head.

  But the timing has never been right. December isn't exactly the time of year that allows me to take a vacation for travel.

  From the time I was a kid, the Holiday Season was smack-dab in the middle of my basketball season. So I will have to wait until my playing days are over to see whether NYC under the holiday lights can live up to the hype.

Statue of Liberty tour.

  Lucky for me though, I had an opportunity to visit the Big Apple this August. The proverbial kill two birds with one stone scenario had arisen (or in this case, three or four birds): visit New York City, meet and visit with friends, and attend a charity event (to be blogged about soon!).

  I had a fabulous time, and thoroughly enjoyed every bit of what NYC had to offer for five days.

  Needless to say, there were friends I didn't get to see, sights I didn't get to visit, and experiences I didn't get to have, so a return trip to NYC is in order. Hopefully sooner rather than later!

  Next time around, I'll blog about the day-to-day things I observed about New Yorkers, and living in the busy city!

A few teasers...

Times Square.

Yankee Stadium!

Central Park.

Grimaldi's Pizza in Brooklyn.

The High Line.

The BIG Piano.

Lexington Ave. Market.