Hi Friends! I created this blog for my Social Media Marketing class, and now I was required to write an article regarding Thanksgiving or Black Friday for Buzzfeed! I need to accumulate at least 750 pageviews in a span of 2 weeks, so if you could click on this link below and let me know what you think I would really appreciate it! If you like what I wrote and can share it on your Facebook or Twitter that would be even better! Thanks!

http://www.buzzfeed.com/jennym4a3dd6331/5-reasons-to-avoid-this-store-if-you-want-to-live-1xth3

It was another great week! I had all my normal classes, research, and practices and all seemed to go smoothly. Wednesday was jam packed with lots of exciting activities. It started with a physics exam at 7:50am that I think went really well, but I won't find out for sure until tomorrow morning. Wish me luck! Then I went to all my classes, and finally our home game against Coastal Carolina. It was a hard fought game that ended in a 0-0 tie after two overtimes. Similar to the game against Gardner Webb, I got to see one of my old teammates who I had played with since I was 5 years old. It was great to catch up with her after the game and have a few laughs. We also made the joint decision that our old team has to get together over winter break to catch up. That will for sure be a fun time! The men's soccer team played after us too, so we all stayed to watch and cheer them on for a while. Overall it was a great hump day!

Thursday and Friday were just normal days of classes, except on Friday night we all went as a team to do community service helping out 3 and 4 year old local kids learn to play soccer for the first time. It was an amazing experience! They were all so excited yet scared at the same time. It really brought me back to my childhood. It is hard to believe that I was once that little playing on my team named the Red Lobsters. I will be going back for sure to help those adorable kids any chance I get!

Saturday we had an away game at Liberty University. It was a chilly, but beautiful day for soccer. We unfortunately lost the game 1-0, but the team fought hard and played well overall. Now it is officially the last busy week before fall break, and I am confident we can bounce back on Wednesday against a tough UNC Asheville team.

Speaking of fall break, on a completely new note, fall is my favorite time of the year with the temperatures fit for comfy sweaters, the leaves changing colors, and the pumpkin carving for halloween. I can't wait till break so I can carve a pumpkin, go hiking, and maybe go to the haunted trail again for some fun. Don't worry I'll be sure to tell you all about that fun stuff! (maybe even with some funny pictures to match)

It was another great week... besides the fact that I took the hardest test I have ever taken in my college career. As a Chemistry major, I have taken my fair share of difficult exams. However, I have never felt so unsure of every single question on an exam as I was on my Physical Chemistry exam this past week. Other than that though I had an amazing week! I went to my normal classes, practices, and research per usual but there were a few fun twists.


We had a midweek game away at Gardner Webb University this past Wednesday. Luckily, we were able to fit the game in before lightening got too close. Even more exciting was that we won the game 2-0 against two of my old teammates who I had played with since I was 5 years old. I loved seeing them because we will always be like sisters, but as siblings know there are always rivalries. The picture on the right is of them and I after the game. Winning was great, not only for me, but our center back grew up across the street from the University. Her parents work there as well, so winning was exciting for her too. We even got to celebrate her birthday after the game with some delicious key lime flavored cake. (don't knock it till you try it it was super yummy)

The weekend brought even more excitement, as it was family weekend and we had a bunch of family and alumni come to campus to hang out and watch our first conference home game on Saturday. Joaquin was nice enough to not get out game cancelled. It was also our breast cancer awareness game, so we sported our pink jerseys to honor all of those who have fought, are currently fighting, or have lost their battle to cancer. It is always a little emotional for me because my grandfather died of cancer, and my cousin just recently defeated cancer after a long hard fight. It was great to be able to play in their honor, and win the game 2-0. Then all of our family, friends, and alumni gathered with us after the game to enjoy a delicious dinner together. It was a memorable night for sure. I have another crazy week coming up, so be sure to check out my blog again next week!

It was a hectic week of school and soccer yet again (which is why this is a mid week post about last week). As I usually start out telling you every week, I went to my normal classes, did my normal research, and went to my normal classes. However, we had our first game of the conference season on Wednesday which made my week even more jam packed.

We unfortunately lost on the road at Longwood 1-0 on a night where nothing seemed to be going right for us. However, we are tough, united, and ready to regroup and kill it on the road again next week at Gardner Webb. That game day on Wednesday was a long day as we arrived back on campus in the early morning hours on Thursday, and I had a Quantitative Analysis test that morning. It may also be important to note that it took me a full 3 hour lab period to complete it. It was a struggle to say the least, especially since sleep time was limited. I was relieved when it was over, and I worked really diligently the rest of my day so that I could try to squeeze in a little nap before practice that night. (it was definitely worth it)

However, I think my lack of sleep was making me susceptible to the nasty cold that was going around campus. I had a pretty nasty cough, but nothing could get me down because I decided to take an impromptu weekend trip to Maryland to visit my amazing boyfriend who goes to the University of Maryland for our anniversary. When Friday rolled around I couldn't believe how quickly the week went. It was another busy day, and our practice was in the early afternoon right after my classes ended. To my delight our coach decided to let us have a fun team bonding event in the HPU arcade rather than practice in the rain. The games got pretty competitive, especially the at the ping pong, foosball, and pool tables. It was a perfect lead in to a fun weekend.


Our community service event that was going to follow practice was unfortunately cancelled due to rain, so I left ASAP for UMD! We had no game this past weekend, so it was a perfect time to take a day trip.  It was a blast, I got to watch my boyfriend play soccer, and more importantly just spend some quality time with him in the midst of both of our busy schedules. I spent no time on homework whatsoever, which put me behind a little bit this week, but the complete break from my hectic student athlete life was worth it. Sometimes days like that are needed in order to keep me motivated.

It was another fantastic week at HPU! Per usual... as I have said every week I had my mundane yet still great activities like classes, research and soccer practice, but there were a few twists this week. We had an oddly timed game on Thursday night (we rarely ever play on Thursday nights), but it was definitely an exciting one. We played USC Upstate in our last non-conference game of the year. It was a gorgeous night to play soccer under the lights at Vert Stadium, and we had a large crowd thanks to it being "Greek Week" on campus. It was definitely thrilling to have some fans other than our families... not that we don't appreciate our families, because they're amazing and we love all of them to death. Anyways, we won the game 2-0 to continue the best start in HPU Women's soccer program history which is cool. I can't wait to keep working hard with the team and getting better everyday to see where this year takes us. Last year was a epic ride to the NCAA tournament, and hopefully we can experience that again.

After the game I knocked out my physics test at 7:50 am the following Friday morning and eagerly finished out my classes before going to the HPU ropes course with the team. It was thrilling! I definitely have a fear of heights like many of my teammates, but we went on the high ropes course that ended with a zip-line nonetheless. We also went on the low ropes course to test our balance and communication skills. The scariest part though by far was climbing up, standing on, and then jumping off a modified telephone pole to hit a bell approximately 40 feet above the ground. Even though you are strapped in and held up by two ropes by your teammates, your mind just keeps telling you that throwing yourself off a pole 40 feet in the air is a bad idea. Not to mention the fact that the pole was extremely wobbly and difficult to stand on. I don't think I have ever shook from fear so much in my life. However, it was a great bonding experience with the team because there wasn't one person who wasn't uncomfortable at some point, yet we all still communicated and worked through our fears together.

After that I was pretty tired, so some of us went to dinner at the grill before going to get some dessert. That half baked warm cookie dough with ice cream and whipped cream on top definitely hit the spot. Luckily this weekend we got to spend some quality time at home at HPU for the first time in a while, which was much needed. I had time to do my homework after practice and relax a little, which was probably the thing I was the most excited about. Overall, it was a super exciting week for me. Not sure if I would jump off that pole again... I think it was a one time thing, but it was still an epic week in the life of an HPU Student athlete.

P.S.  Sorry I don't have any pictures of the ropes course. I didn't bring my phone with me, but if you go follow HPU Women's Soccer on Twitter or High Point University Women's Soccer on Facebook you can get a look at all the fun things we did!

Last week was another fast and furious week! I went from morning weights to classes, research, and then practice per usual. When Friday finally rolled around I was relieved. I finished my first Physical Chemistry exam on Friday morning, and I was ready to leave our weekend soccer games. (Saying that I slept well on the bus ride would be bit of an understatement)

Our first game on Friday was at Appalachian State. It was an absolutely beautiful afternoon to play soccer as it was sunny and warm with slight mountain breeze. Despite the weather, our team ended up suffering our first loss of the season. It was disappointing, but we were eager to bounce back as we traveled on another lengthy bus ride to Nashville, Tennessee to face Vanderbilt on Sunday.

Saturday, after the 8 hour bus ride, we arrived in Nashville on another delightful day. We practiced at a teammates old high school field, and then, to end the day on a high note we went to another teammates aunt's house for dinner. We had pasta, salad, and the most beautiful display of desserts I have ever seen. A lot of families and friends made the trip to Nashville as well, so we got to hangout with everyone for a few hours. It was a blast! On top of that, we also got to celebrate two of my teammates Birthdays in the same weekend! Our team really is one big family, and I am so blessed to have each and every one of them in my life. Even a drive back to the hotel that night to get into the freezing cold pool to refresh our legs couldn't dampen the mood. The weather in Nashville that night was gorgeous fall weather, but it was a bit chilly for a nightly swim. It was a cool 60 degrees with a breeze, and we were in the pool... (One of the small sacrifices we make in order to play our best)

To finish off the jam packed weekend, we got to sleep in on Sunday morning before breakfast at 9 am. After breakfast and some down time we left for our game versus Vanderbilt. We were ready for the challenge, and the team really came together and performed well. The game was a hard fought up and back battle by both teams, and the game ended a in a 1-1 tie after two overtimes. It was a definitely a great way to end a week full of school, soccer, and family. The hectic week and long bus ride back to HPU was, yet again, definitely worth it.

This past week started off delicious as I took my first visit of the year to 1924 Prime on Monday when I returned from Maryland. I went with a few of my teammates, and I really enjoyed the large piece of filet I ordered. I almost changed my mind to order the salmon, which I have heard is delicious too, but I couldn't convince myself to pass up a piece of steak. My dad grew up on a farm in Maryland, so his family used to butcher a cow every year, and eat steak all the time. Thus, I grew up eating a lot of meat as well. I could never be a vegetarian, so it was definitely a great way to start off the week.

The rest of my week was pretty mundane. Per a usual week, I went to classes all morning, did my chemistry research in the afternoon, and went to practice at night. Nothing too exciting, until our game day on Friday. Luckily the thunder and lightening held off so that we could play. We had a home game against Stetson, and we came away with a 2-0 win. Becca scored 2 goals in the final 10 minutes of the game! This meant our team had officially achieved the best start in program history with a record of 3-0-2. Yay!!

On Saturday I had a relaxing laundry and homework morning. Then I went to practice, and the first home men's soccer game of the season against VMI. They won an exciting game 1-0 after a lightening delay. The delay was long, but luckily there were some adorable puppies to play with in the mean time.  ------>

We finished off the week with another win against North Florida on Sunday to continue our best start in program history improving to 4-0-2!

I have lots of work for school this week, and my first official test of the semester... Eek Physical Chemistry is scary! I hope it all goes well so that I will be in a good mood when we travel to play App State and Vanderbilt next weekend. Wish me, and our team good luck! Thanks for reading!