40 Things that I'm Grateful For

Hello All,

It's been a couple of years since I've visited this medium.  Reading the last post I created makes me realize how much has actually happened in the last two years.  Jobs accepted, games coached, weddings planned, and career changes.

With all of the stress and worry that engulfs your life, it is sometimes refreshing when you come across something light, and enjoyable.  Something that makes you forget, if for just a few moments, anything that you are worrying about.

I recently read a blog post by Kansas City Star writer Joe Posnanski (a fave in our family as Dad grew up in Cleveland and Mr. Posnanski wrote brutally honest articles about the struggles of the Browns...Cavaliers...Indians...etc. and was also a writer for the Kansas City Star in later years.)  This blog post contained a list of things that made him happy.  It filled me with such joy in a time that all I've felt is frustration and defeat.  It inspired me to do a list of things that I'm GRATEFUL for (kind of the same thing.)  So here it goes.

1.  Ice cream with peanut butter and chocolate in it.
 I am absolutely one of those people that when stress hits, or when there is something to celebrate, or you are really sad... ice cream with chocolate in it is the way to go.  Ice cream with chocolate AND peanut butter in it is just heaven.

2.  My dog, Fallon
Sometimes I take for granted how happy this animal makes me.  I walk through the door and no matter what mood I'm in, this dog manages to put a huge smile on my face.

3.  Airplane trails

My mom has always said that airplane trails remind her of her late father.  He was an airplane mechanic and a big part of her life.  Now whenever I see them they make me happy because I immediately think of my mom.  

4.  A good wine

To me, there is something just very soothing about relaxing and sipping on a chilled glass of wine.  I associate good happy thoughts with pulling out the wine bottle.  (It's also entertaining watching my husband work the electric wine bottle opener.)  

5.  This video. 

       

6. And this video.  

7.  First Watch lunch dates with my Dad

My search for a job means I'm currently always available around lunch time.  Sometimes my Dad will call and ask me to lunch, and it's always to First Watch. and we always get breakfast.  And I always love it.    

8. Shooting hoops in a quiet, empty gym

Some basketball players know this feeling.  When there are so many things on your mind and you just need to get away.  Grabbing a basketball and spending two hours shooting in a completely empty gym is the perfect remedy to get your mind off things.  

9. My KitchenAid Mixer

Can you say welcome to adulthood?  I love this magical device.  I throw ingredients in the bowl and voila!  It mixes it for me!  My arms are forever grateful, KitchenAid.

  

10.  The Hanson Bros

In the age of N'Sync, Backstreet boys, and 98 Degrees fanatics, I was a Hanson Brothers follower. The youngest brother, Zach, was my crush and I knew EVERY word to their song.  Don't get me wrong, I still loved N'Sync, but Hanson was my JAM.  

11. Ratty converse shoes

Never did I think that I could pull off converse shoes, nor did I have any interest in them.  However I took the plunge with a pair of original black and white converses, and I adored them.  I could pair it with jeans, shorts or yoga pants.  As I was putting them on one day I completely ripped the side of them.  That was two years ago and I still wear the same pair.  It adds character! 

12.  Emails from my Grandma

Every once in awhile I will get an email from my Grandma, usually with the subject line in ALL CAPS, ASKING IF I'M THERE AND IF I STILL READ MY EMAILS??  My Grandma is very near and dear to me and was raised with a strong Irish Catholic presence in their home.  Only every other email has some hints of guilt for not making contact sooner but is always laden with love and well wishes.  LOVE YOU GRANDMA! 

13.  Random acts of kindness

The best feeling is when you are in line at Starbucks and the person in front of you payed for your coffee.  Or when you are walking up to Aldi to begin your grocery shopping adventures, you are approaching the shopping carts when... oh no... you don't have a quarter to put into the slot in order to get a cart!  Then.. out of nowhere.. an angel disguised as a middle aged soccer mom hands her cart off to you and tells you to "search no more."  Warms the heart.    

14.  The relationship between Royal's players Salvy and Cain.

I can't be sure when this relationship developed between Royal's Golden Glove Catcher Salvadore Perez and center fielder Lorenzo Cain, but I adore it.  It started as Lo Cain hated being filmed, and hated being touched.  Salvy loves filming Cain, and loves hugging him.  The friendship blossomed and Kansas City eats it up.    

15.  Flavored Water

The very idea of drinking plain water makes me cringe.  It's just so...bland.  I only need a touch of cranberry or strawberry to give it some FLAVA!

16.  My husband's singing voice 

You might read this thinking that my husband has a beautiful voice.  He does not.  We both know it. However, hearing him belt out a song that he's replaced some of the words with my name in a high pitched tone always makes me smile, even chuckle.  

17.  Receiving personal letters in the mail

In the age of electronic mail and cell phones it's rare to receive hand written notes in the mail.  There is so much joy when I open that mailbox and see my name handwritten on the envelope.  

18.  Surprises

This one is both getting, and giving surprises.  I'm pretty horrible at keeping secrets, so my surprises are usually pre-mature, but the feeling of gifting someone makes me so happy.  I'm also grateful for receiving surprises.  Someone taking time to do something for you is an incredible feeling.  Big or small.  

19.  This Scene from Young Frankenstein 

20.  Pumpkin Patches

It gives such a warm, cozy feeling visiting pumpkin patches.  Especially our favorite, Weston Red Barn Farm.  Fall give you that feeling anyways but there is something about the Apple Cider, the tractor rides, and the small campfires with people making smores around them that really makes me grateful for this type of place.  

21.  Wedges (Sand, and heel)

Since I've stopped playing basketball, I've grown to appreciate golf.  Does NOT mean that I'm any good at it, but I enjoy playing.  If there is a sand trap, I will hit into it.  Which brings me to my gratefulness for my sand wedge.  Part TWO of #21 is Wedge Heels.  You guys, heels with wedges are pretty much the most comfortable kind of heels you can wear (in my opinion.)  I cannot think of the last pair of stiletto pumps I thought "wow, these are great!" while hobbling around in them.  Side Note:  I have not tried wearing wedge heels in a sand trap using a sand wedge.  

22.  When my cell phone dies/has no service

You know it gets overwhelming sometimes when you feel so attached to your phone that you lose touch with everything around you.  I get so mad at myself for scrolling through facebook or instagram for too long and losing opportunities to talk to those around me or make eye contact with people.  When I lose service I feel so free from my phone and it's the BEST feeling.  

23.  Oscilating fans

It's mid July right now.  We're in the "Hey... it's 99 degrees outside but it feels like your breathing in hot coals and sitting in a steaming hot bath with 106 degree water" zone.  We have AC in our apartment, but it's so hard for it to keep up.  This fan is our savior as it gives us that little bit of UMPH to keep us comfortable.  

  

24.  My sister

This woman is my best friend.  Not everyone gets to have a sister, let alone a sister as supportive and inspiring as the one I have.  She is 8 years my senior and has always been that protective older sister. I'm so grateful for our relationship and that I always have someone to call for whatever reason.

25.  Game of Thrones

I would not have guessed that I would ever be a huge follower of show about knights, dragons, kings and queens.  This show is the bright part of every Sunday for us during it's season.. and it's always something for us to look forward to! Who's going to get beheaded next? Can you trust that guy?  Is JON SNOW GOING TO SURVIVE?! 

26.  Freddy's Cheesburgers

So, so, so unhealthy for you.  Riddled with cheese, and fat, and blech.  SO, so, so delicious.  whenever I get that feeling of  "I NEED TO EAT SOMETHING UNHEALTHY" this is my first choice.  

27.  Avocado Toast

Usually my go-to at First Watch and a DELICIOUS weekend breakfast in the mornings.  Williams family fav.  

28.  Gameshows

Family Feud, The Wall, Wheel of Fortune, Jeopardy... I love seeing how many answers I can get and one of the items on my non existent bucket list is being on one of these shows someday!

29.  No kill animal shelters

My dog Fallon was a rescue from an animal shelter.  I truly applaud no kill shelters because it is a huge guilt of mine that I can't save every single dog I come in contact with.  

30.  The moon

It's just so beautiful.  It seems so close but knowing it is so far away seems magical to me.  I love to gaze at it and try to distinguish the different craters.  When I was on the other side of the globe my mom would tell me to look at the moon on that particular night, because we'd be looking at the same moon.  It was something that made me feel way more connected to home. 

31. The Rat Pack Live! CD

My father and I used to take 45 minutes car trips out to basketball practice from the time I was about 13 to the time I was 16.  One of the ways we passed the time those two days a week was to blast this ONE C.D.  It included Frank, Dean, and Sammy Jr. just belting out songs and having an amazing time...and to this day we can recite word for word that 25 track CD.    

32.  Cleveland, Ohio

The setting for many a summer vacation growing up.  We would drive the 12  or so hours to visit family for a little over a week each summer and it was always my favorite trip.  I grew to love the rough style of Cleveburg and the houses so close together you could hand your neighbor something from the windows. I'll always have a place in my heart for Cleveland.

33.Ranch Dressing

There are very few foods that I wouldn't put ranch dressing on.  I use it with my scrambled eggs, pizza, I'd even put it on a hot dog.  IT'S JUST SO GOOD.

34.  Snapchat Filters

I love the fact that every day there is some new creative filter that I can mess around with, as well as getting those around me involved without their knowledge.  

35.  Colorado 

We took a few trips here during college for basketball tournaments and I always loved it.  It's such a different environment than Kansas City.  This also happens to be the place that Nick and I got engaged.  A cool place for outdoor activities and a very cool culture.  

36.  Disney Movies

I remember seeing Aladdin in theatres and wanting to be Jasmine.  VHS tapes galore of Lion King, Beauty and the Beast, The Little Mermaid, The Jungle Book, Robin Hood....

37. Game night with friends 

Game night with my friends gets very competetive, which is why I love it.  We have all been friends so long that there is pretty much no holding back.  It's a "tell it how it is" group and it is ALWAYS a fun time.  

38.  Cherry Sours

If you have never tried them, they are the perfect combo of crunchy outside sour and chewy sour inside.  I associate trips to Hobby Lobby with my mom to getting a small bag of Cherry Sours.  YUM!

39.  My Family 

My family is one of the most important things in my life.  I depend on them for advice, support, laughs, tough times, and joyful times.  I love them more than anything and am so blessed with the family that I was born into, and the one that I married into.  

40.  My Faith  

To finish of my list of things that I'm grateful for it is only right that I finish with my love and appreciation for the Lord.  I have gone through times in my life where I doubted my faith and ignored it.  I now believe that happened so that I could come back stronger in my faith than I was ever before.  

It's amazing how you can forget about all of the things that you are grateful for when you focus on things that are not going your way.  Try to choose the positive path, I'm going to! 

Until next time, 

Jess 

Anyone Out There? Starting new!

I was going to start a new blog.  A title that perhaps didn't have to do with traveling the world to play basketball.  How can I write about the world through my eyes when I'm not traveling? I've got the answer for you.  I want to write to you all about the world as I see it, about things I know a lot about,  things I don't.  I want to talk about everyday struggles, about sports.  Fact is, I want to write.  What better way than on my handy blog app? If you're still around, I'd love for you to get involved.  Read this. Respond to it.  Enjoy it! 

A lot of people start their young lives being placed onto a team or in some kind of extra curricular activity.  Maybe soccer, maybe ballet, maybe singing lessons.  From that moment as a child kids start to grow and find which of these activities they are more interested in.  Sometimes it happens naturally, sometimes they stick with something because of pressure from outside sources.  I was lucky enough as a child to have parents that would listen to us if we weren't happy.  I was okay at playing piano.  I hated it.  Cried every single time I had to go to lessons.  So? I stopped taking them.  My mother was sad, but I remember her distinctly saying that if I didn't enjoy it, she'd support me.  My eldest sister, tried doing the basketball route.  Couldn't stand it.  So she stopped playing and fell in love with volleyball ( and her studies, of course.. She's an honor student).  My brother would have been an outstanding baseball player.  And the day he quit (maybe when he was 13 or 14) was a tough day for my parents, but he loved basketball.  I mean really loved it.  He was good at it too.  Lefty shooter who averaged 19.9 ppg senior year of high school, broke his shooting elbow and was never quite the same.  My sister now is a successful nurse and my brother a successful software engineer in California.  

We hope to find our niche.  What we're good at.  What we are passionate about.  I started playing basketball, well, before I can remember.  I'm 25 now and still can honestly say I haven't stopped loving that game.  The ups, the downs, the rush, the hard work, the challenge.  It has been my life, how I've identified myself.  The moment I started thinking about the next step... What I will do after I'm done playing,  I felt as though I was losing a part of myself.  There gets to be a point when your eyes focus on what's next, and it's terrifying.  It's terrifying because you're starting new.  You're a child again finding your niche.  What you're good at.  

I know that this doesn't apply to everyone.  I also know that there are a lot of people that do go through this same struggle.  The fear of the unknown.  Not knowing yet what your purpose is.  All I know is that as scary as it is, I am who I am because of the paths I've taken to get to this point in my life.  I've learned so much, and am so ready to learn more.  The possibilities are endless.  Next adventure: Find that passion.  You could learn that you love helping people when they're sick, or that you're brilliant with computers, or that you enjoy talking on camera.  Put the heart and determination into it that has helped you so much thus far.  

Until next time, 

Jess 

Back at it: Finland

I was a little shocked when I saw the last time that I had blogged.  A lot has happened since then, a lot has changed.  For one I was in a relatively warm country, with a beach just minutes away and koalas in the trees.  Fast forward 6 months to NOW... I'm in a quaint, however very active little town that goes by the name of Vimpeli (about four hours north of Helsinki).  

Here's what I pictured when I heard I would be going to Finland for a month.  I imagined everybody having blonde hair, blue eyes.  I imagine 8 feet of snow, with sled dogs hauling people from place to place and reindeer wandering in plain sight.  Here's what I see, after a week of being here.  People with dark hair, people with light hair, no reindeer (yet, I'm being told I need to eat some soon), no sled dogs (very cute dogs as house pets, though!),  NO SNOW (except a few days), big houses, nice cars, and a lot of bicycles.  Even the older folk hop on their bikes and ride 5 minutes to the bakery for coffee or grocery shopping at their market.  When I say older folk, I'm talking 80's, people.. They do not mess around here.  Just the other day I witnessed an 82 year old doing the splits.. What?? 

A lot of me wishes I could have come here for the whole basketball season.  The gym is a minute walk away from where I stay, and I am free to use it whenever I need, unless somebody else is using it.  It's one of those towns where everybody knows each other, where everybody waves to each other.  If I had to compare it to something, it would be like the town in Hoosiers with a European twist.  Which, you know, is awesome.  

Sometimes I freak myself out when I think about how before I was here, I had NO idea this place even existed.  I go to these places.. Haskovo, Adelaide, Vimpeli.. And I meet these people and spend a lot of time with them, then leave and go our seperate ways.  I guess it's just funny where life takes you, and how the path you follow takes you to these unknown places where you meet people you would have never known had you taken a different path.  

By the way, there's a slim chance I'll be able to speak Finnish by the time I come home.  This language is ridiculous.  They just decide to cram eight words together and make it one.  So their words look like this " jfcudhsuaksmdh ahdyhsysyuuu Dodjdjhdudjdndjekk". Okay not exactly like that but actually not too far off.  That sentence would translate to "please do not eat the reindeer because it could be Rudolph, we appreciate it, thank you kindly and have a good day."    

Thanks for being patient, probably a lot of you forgot I had a blog.  I think I forgot I had a blog.  Enjoy the few pictures I've taken in the week I've been here! 

Until next time, 

Jess 

Fastly But Surely

     I'm not sure if "fastly" is a word, but it's my blog title and I can make up words if I want to! Right?  The time here is just going so fast, "slowly" didn't quite work.

     Anyways, I'm sitting in my room here in Adelaide, South Australia listening to some 810 radio as I sometimes do before I go to bed.  It's fun for me to be able to listen to what's going on with the Royals  while I'm away since the news here doesn't cover Kansas City sports for some odd reason.  I've really enjoyed learning about new sports while I'm here, however.  I've mentioned in my previous posts about AFL Football (footy) and how different it is from anything I've seen.  I actually got to go to an Adelaide Crows footy game a few weekends ago and it was incredible.  Despite the fact that they got a shellacking from the Sydney Swans, just experiencing the atmosphere was so awesome to me.  Hearing the fans yell at their players and cuss up a storm was entertainment in itself (and they don't take it easy on their players!).  Yes, the players wear short shorts.  Yes, the rules are a bit confusing.  But unlike soccer, and Miami Heat basketball games, these AFL players are TOUGH.  There are no helmets, no pads, no whining, no flopping.  These guys will take an absolute massive hit, pull the grass out of their teeth, and get up and go on their way without batting an eyelash.  That's fun to watch.  

 

    We were lucky that the weather wasn't horrible that day.  It's winter time here now, and in Australian terms it's basically cold and rainy the majority of the time.  Some days the sun comes out and it makes me question how this could POSSIBLY be referred to as winter.  Then the next day will be cold to the point where I refuse to take my jacket off at any point during the day.  Before I came here, when I thought of Australia I imagined balmy hot days, tumbleweeds blowing through the outback, people at the beach year round, rattlesnakes and crocodile hunters.  I guess it's only like that during the summer.  There are still days where I can roll the windows down while I drive, crank some Justin Timberlake, and wonder where the hell I'm going and why people are honking at me...and enjoy the weather.  

     Shifting gears a little bit (no pun intended),  something that has been a blessing in disguise while I've been here is coaching clinics that I do at numerous elementary schools in the area.  Those of you that know me know that during basketball season, I focus solely on the playing aspect of basketball.  In college athletes really don't have a choice but to have this kind of focus during the season.  I've been struggling to find my shot lately though and have gotten so caught up in this focus that I forgot the reason I'm here.  I forgot COMPLETELY about my love for the game.  I got asked a simple question a few weeks back.. "Why do you play the game?"  Even just thinking about my answer really made me disappointed in myself, because it made me open my eyes and realize how I let the passion that I have for the game slip.  I realized I wasn't having fun.  I go to these coaching clinics, and I see kids who may not know what dribbling is but are doing it just the same.  I see kids who shoot with two hands from their chest and are happy to see the ball make it over the rim.  I see kids with smiles ear to ear every second they are out on the floor.  I see this and it makes me realize why I love the game.  It brings joy to people.  It's fun.  Somewhere along the line I got so wrapped up in the "work" part of it, that I forgot why exactly I play the game in the first place.  Maybe just ONE of these kids, who know very little about basketball, will discover that they love the game too.  Maybe that one kid will grow to learn more and more about the game and join a team, and be successful.  It's pretty cool to think about the impact a sport could have on a kid's life and it has been a blessing to take a step away from the competitive side of the sport and see the other ways basketball can affect people.

    As a matter of fact, there's a way YOU could impact a child's life (great transition, ya? Ya.) This upcoming Saturday is the annual ROUND FOR ROBBIE golf tournament in Kansas City, Missouri put on for Robbie Morley who has had a difficult journey since his birth 3 years ago.  This tournament is a fundraiser used to help the family with the costs for surgeries and hospital stays that they have to experience every year.  Many of you won't be able to attend to golf, but there is still the ability to sponsor a hole or even just donate money for the cause.  Go ahead and email me for more information if you want to contribute, it would really mean a lot!  

Thank you all for keeping up with my journey and checking up on me.  

 

Until next time, 

Jessica Koch 

     

Australian/American Birthday

From now on, no matter where I am.. I'm probably going to use the excuse that it is my birthday in Australia before it's actually my birthday in America due to the time difference.  So just a heads up to everybody, I now take ownership of may 6th AND may 7th.

I was talking to one of my friends over FaceTime and we started talking about how my birthday went.  As you get older your birthday seems more and more like just another day, and I was expecting that for this birthday, too.  I actually just wanted to skip it and move on because to be honest, I'm not too fond of becoming "the old lady."  Never would I have thought, if you asked me a few years ago as I was studying and playing ball at Western, that I would be celebrating my 24th in Australia.  It's kind of interesting where your life takes you and the experiences you never imagined having.  I'm kind of living that right now.  

Anyways, The day was beautiful, I went with mrs. Keenan out to Henley Beach for lunch.  I had breaded prawns (shrimp) and calamari (squid). I know, mom, get that look off of your face.. It tastes like chicken.   It was surreal how beautiful the scenery was while we ate.  We took a little walk out onto the jetty (pier) and saw some Pelicans close up.. VERY close up.  I know, Dad, get that look off of your face.  They're like chickens.  The rest of the day was perfect.  Went and shot some hoops, came back home and had a beautiful dinner and blew out some candles.  How lucky was I to have been placed in such a great home while I'm here.  God was looking out for me.  

My parents went above and beyond for me on my birthday, too.  I received a package the day before my Australian birthday and of course opened it straight away.  The card was beautiful, and among some other great gifts was CHOCOLATE! I also got a FaceTime from them and the first thing I see is a big lit candle and them singing happy birthday.  I even virtually blew out the candle! There was a little delay but hey, it was traveling a long way.  That really meant a lot and am so grateful to have them as parents.  

Everything else is going well,  I'm pretty confident in my driving here now and haven't been honked at in a few weeks, which in my book is pretty impressive.  The tables have actually turned because I was very close to honking AT someone a few days back.  I resisted though because I reminded myself how horrible a driver I probably am over here, so I have no credibility to be handing out honks.  I did notice that whenever somebody lets me into a lane I naturally wave a "thank you" with my right hand.  The "thank you" hand wave is now the left hand because I'm on the opposite side of the car.  It's the little things.  

Basketball wise we had a week off, so the 16 and under team that I'm coaching had a tournament all of Saturday.  I can't imagine playing 3 games in one day, but that was what we did at that age! Crazy what being young allows you to do. We struggled in every game, but it's a huge improvement from where they have been at.  As long as there's improvement it's something to be proud of.  Although winning is good too!  I think after a few weeks of good practice we will get them on track and playing some good basketball.  

Our next game is this Sunday early in the afternoon.  I don't know what time exactly the game is, maybe 4:30 or 4.  Today is Thursday so we have training (practice) and I'm working a kids clinic before that.  So it's a day full of basketball, how great is that?? 

Oh, I almost forgot about the Mount Lofty climb!  I don't know how considering my legs are still feeling sore.  Mount Lofty is about 10 minutes away from the house and is beautiful.  We decided to go walk up it and I took my iPad to snap some photos.  The walk was beautiful at the beginning, and I had decided I was going to do more sightseeing than focusing on exercising.  So I was going to go slow and take some good pictures.  After a few people sped past me on the way up, and the climb started getting more intense, I thought to hell with the photos.  It made me mad that people were passing me so it suddenly became a workout climb.  It was INTENSE.  The photos don't even really give a good depiction of how steep it was.  Going down was no walk in the park, either.  I'm going to go again soon, but early in the week so I'm not sore for the game! 

Hope everyone is beginning to enjoy the nice weather back home.  I think the weather here starts to get a bit colder, but I think I've been trained pretty well with dealing with the cold so we will see how bad it is!  Australia cold may be less intense than Missouri cold. 

Thanks for reading, sorry I hadn't written in awhile! I'll try to be better!!

Until next time, 

Jessica Koch 

The View From Here

So, a few things have happened in the past week or so that I feel the urge to talk about on here. Let me just put it out there that I did drive around WITHOUT anyone in the passenger seat.... Annnnd I did get lost. However, despite the fact that I missed the practice I was meant to be coaching, I was able to find my way back to the house. That made me feel less like a complete ding dong. Today I was working a basketball clinic and had attempt number two at driving alone. I'm happy to report that I made it to the gym with very little confusion. By very little I mean moderate to severe. You know how sometimes people put stickers on their car that say "permit driver" or "baby on board"... I'm tempted to put one up that says "American Driver." Maybe people would stop honking at me. I did make it though and had such a blast with the kids. We have like 3 more days in the next week where we work clinics and just give the kids a fun atmosphere filled with basketball!
Another cool event that happened.. as you all know Adam Scott ( the ADELAIDE born golfer) won the 2013 Masters. Everyone here was so pumped about that, it was pretty much all the news stations were talking about. I knew that Footy (Aussie rules football), cricket, netball, and soccer were pretty popular here, but there's a lot of interest in golf and baseball as well. I've seen at least one or two golf courses in the area, I know my Dad would be there everyday if they came for a visit!

(Just a heads up, I'm putting my "American issues" pants on now, so bear with me)
I woke up yesterday morning and saw some disturbing Facebook updates and tweets talking about some bombings that took place in Boston. I had the same feeling of being shocked and helpless when I saw the news about the Sandy Hook Elementary shooting. I felt this frantic energy just trying to figure out what happened and details about everything. When we turned the news on of course they were covering it and I was able to see what was going on. As we all know something that's a huge area of debate in the United States is gun laws. Those who are close to me know that generally, I'm not great at debating or arguing a point. With the recent events in Boston, it has been pretty interesting hearing the opinions and viewpoints of some of the locals here in Australia. I was asked what my stance on the gun laws were, and I told them.
I know many of you will disagree, however, I feel that a ban on guns completely would be the wrong way to go. If guns are banned completely, those who plan on going into a school to shoot children or robbing a bank are GOING TO GET A GUN REGARDLESS OF THE LAW. With that being said I'd feel a lot better if I knew that someone would be able to protect innocent people from those who shouldn't have guns in the first place. Here in Australia they have very, very strict gun laws. An argument was made that school shootings don't happen here and gun violence isn't very common. I think that a lot of different things contribute to that fact. Maybe because the population of all of Australia is much smaller than that of America. It's just different! Many of the Australians here are against possession of guns. They just don't believe people need to have one.
I understand the different viewpoints on the issue, and everyone has the right to their own opinion. It has been pretty eye opening hearing people's opinions of what's going on in America. I think everyone can agree that it's gut wrenching seeing those images, no matter what country you're from. It has calmed me down seeing so many acts of kindness throughout all of the mayhem. Evil does exist in this world, but God always has an answer. People running TOWARDS a bomb blast, people giving blood to the point where they didn't need anymore, residents opening their homes to runners without a place to stay because the hotels were shut down.. The list goes on.
Here is something I learned from my parents, especially after the September 11 attacks. Terrorists want to scare you from living your life, from living freely and doing everyday tasks. The reason they do what they do is to TERRORIZE. The only way we let them win is by hiding. I'm praying for everyone effected in the blast and thankful for those who were there to watch over the injured. We can't stop our lives or else they're succeeding in their efforts.
On a lighter note I was happy to hear that my Grandma's surprise birthday bash was a success! I've been keeping that a secret for a VERY long time and it feels nice to be able to talk about it!! I'm sad I missed it but seeing the picture of her walking through the door made my heart happy!
Thanks for continuing to read and feel free to comment!

Until next time,
Jess

Trying New Things

The main purpose for me coming to Australia is to play basketball, but something I've been told by many people is to just enjoy the surroundings, try new things, and embrace the different culture that I'm experiencing. Since I've last wrote I have had that opportunity to do things that Australians do! You know what they say... When in Rome.... Try some Vegemite.

You heard right, I finally tried some of the famous Vegemite on a piece of toast with ALOT of butter. The only thing I can say is that I'm just not quite sure how the first person who tasted that thought... Yes, this will be a popular spread. Pretty much everyone here eats it, but at the same time they are aware that ya.. It tastes pretty bad. After our first game (which we lost, I'll cover that topic briefly later) I was approached by a young boy and his mom who was welcoming me to Adelaide. He handed me a bag with a jar of Vegemite, and a package of FruChocs. Safe to say those FruChocs were gone pretty quick. Chocolate is always going to advance in the "Food that tastes good" tournament. Vegemite will always lose in the first round. Always.

Another monumental moment. I was trusted enough to drive. I was reluctant of course due to the fact that I would be getting into the drivers seat on the RIGHT side of the car, and because I would be forced to drive down the wrong side of the road, which happens to be the correct side of the road here in Australia. The first time I drove the car I had one of the men's players in the passenger seat to help me out. I think he was more nervous than I was but I didn't do bad. A couple curb checks and flipping the windshield wipers on instead of the blinker was about as bad as it got. Today I drove myself and Tess to practice, and on the way back there was a bit of a glitch because there was a sizable spider on the INSIDE of the car. Safe to say Tess and I have similar dislikes of spiders because there was a lot of screaming and hitting the windshield with a shoe.

So now I guess I'll give an update on the game this past Saturday. We ended up losing, pretty much to one player as she had about 80 percent of their points ( I know my honor roll mother, sister, and statistician brother-in-law will say that's wrong math.) I think a lot of nerves were in play and we really didn't settle down until the second half. I'm confident that we'll be okay, the offense we run is about reading your teammates and I think playing with each other more will help that run more smoothly.

I've also gotten the opportunity to coach a u16 team for the club. It'll be fun to watch them improve over the course of the season but we have a lot of work to do. Along with that I'm getting set up with getting some work experience at a local news station! I'm very excited about that and learning about the TV side of media as I've already gotten a taste of radio.

Despite the fact that I'm having good experiences here, I still think of my family and friends and how everyone is doing! Last night I actually had a dream about hanging with my girls meg, Michelle, and Amanda.. Then the next day I missed a FaceTime call from Meg.. That was crazy to me! But just know that I'm missing all of you and hoping everything's going well. I've been able to check up on my puppy (who looks huge now). So all is well. Thanks for reading!

Oh and this weekend is a showdown footy competition between the two Adelaide teams.. The Crows and Port Adelaide. Apparently this is a HUGE rivalry. I want you guys to youtube Australian footy and see how intense it is! It's very entertaining! Okay that's all.

Until next time,
Jessica Koch