Charlotte

This week I am playing a 25k in Rock Hill, South Carolina, but I am staying with my good friend Meggie Stazak in Charlotte.  It has been alot of fun so far, and today I qualified for the main draw.  I played a girl from Columbia and won 1-6, 6-4, 6-2.  I started off really slow, but I was able to turn it around and get back into the match.  It felt really good to find a way to win without playing perfect tennis.  I play the first round of main draw tomorrow against a girl named Chichi Scholl.  I also am playing the first round of doubles tomorrow as well.  Charlotte has been really fun so far.  It has been really great to get to spend time with Meggie because I haven't been able to see her much since she has moved here.  On Saturday we went out to a cute restaurant in Charlotte called Nolan's Kitchen with some of her friends.  She also took me to an AWESOME diner/dive resturant called the Penguin on Sunday.  It was great! Sunday we went to a pumpkin patch and picked out some pumpkins to carve, but we haven't had a chance yet.  So far it has been a great trip and I hope that I keep winning so I can stay here longer.

On the Road Again...

Hello everybody!!

 I am currently sitting in my hotel room in Albuquerque, New Mexico.  It is Saturday night, and I am super bored.  I have been watching Lifetime movies all night trying to entertain myself. I got here yesterday from Redding.  The tournament in Redding turned out well.  I qualified for the main draw and then lost 2nd round.  I felt that even though I lost I learned alot from the match and know exactly what I need to work on to get to the next level.  I got 9 points towards my ranking so overall it was a really successful week for me.  After I lost, I had to figure out how I was going to get to Albuquerque.  Megan still had to play a doubles match the next day, so we couldn't travel there together.  I wanted to get to Albuquerque as soon as possible, because it is high altitude so it takes a while to get used to the conditions.  The balls really fly off of your racquet and you have to play with different balls!  I rented a car on Friday and drove 4 hours to San Jose.  I then flew to Phoenix and then from there to Albuquerque.  It was a reallyyyyy long travel day and I was exhausted by the end of it.  It definitely was not fun doing all that traveling by myself.  I landed in Albuquerque on Friday night around 9pm and took a taxi straight to the hotel.  Today I woke up and practiced twice to try and get used to the conditions.  Megan got in tonight, and we are sharing a room at the Courtyard Marriott.  I play first round qualies tomorrow at 10 am.  Albuquerque is a 75,000 tournament, and it is the highest level tournament  I have played so far.  I will write again soon! I really miss everyone at home! I am posting some pictures from the Sundial Bridge in Redding that I got to see in one of my last days in California.  Enjoy!

The SunDial Bridge...the walkway is all glass

Some Pictures from Redding

My room for the week!

The house next door...I thought it was so pretty!

Me on the evening news

Megan on the evening news

On our drive from Oakland to Redding....freaky

My First Blog Post!

So I have decided to start blogging since I am going to be traveling so much, and I want to keep everyone at home updated on my adventures! I hope everyone will bear with me through these first couple posts while I get the hang of it!  I am in California right now for a tennis tournament.  I am traveling with another player named Megan Falcon, who played at LSU.  We flew into Oakland on Saturday and stayed with some of Megan's family there.  When we woke up on Sunday we hung out for a little bit and watched some of the US Open.  Then we had a big breakfast, and it was time to hit the road again.  We went to get our rental car (which took wayyy too long).  Then we drove to Redding, California (where the tournament is being played) which took us about 4 hours.  I had to check in for the tournament and we got a short practice in.  We are staying with a really nice family here in Redding.  It can be nice to stay with people rather than always staying in a hotel; not only because it saves money, but because it makes you feel more at home.  It is very dry and hot here, but it is strange because I hardly sweat because there is no humidity.  I played my first round of qualifying on Sunday and won 6-1, 6-0.  Megan and I practiced again after my match.  The Redding news was there while we were practicing and we were on the evening news.  It was pretty funny!  We got home after a long day and were excited to watch the men's final of the US Open, but it was raining in New York so it was postponed to Monday night :(  I play my final round of qualies today so I am hoping for the best!  I am hoping to post pictures soon!

Also check this out... I thought it was soo funny.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=94xyOpETYYs&feature=player_embedded#!