Top 10 Moments Of 2022!!

Well, the 2022 year has ended, and man, what a year it has been! As I sifted through the memory files it was hard to boil it down to 10 but here are the highest, lowest, and most fulfilling moments of 2022!

The day was filled with so must joy for her and her husband! Weddings really are the best! It is one of the only times everyone that has ever played a part in your life will all gather together in the same room! A fun day full of laughs, roasts, happy tears, and lots of love:)

2. “Uno, Dos, Adios” in Tlaxcala: For anyone new to beach volleyball if you ever hear a player after a tournament say, “We went uno, dos, adios” just say in a sad tone, “I’m sorry”. LOL. That means they lost their first two matches of the tournament and they had to get on a plane and go home haha. 

3.  Winning the Hermosa AVP! That day was so special. It was Terese and I’s first AVP titles. My whole family flew out. The fans were absolutely amazing! And I had a couple of margaritas to finish off the night. It was a great day and night I’ll never forget….I’ll leave it at that hahaha

4. Morgan Wallen Concert: Another high was flying out to see Terese and her family in Rochester, New York, and then singing our lungs out at the Morgan Wallen concert! I might say that was one of the best decisions I made in 2022. My second best decision was buying brand spanking new boots from the Boot Barn and wearing those ladies like a true cowgirl to the concert! Wearing a good pair of boots just puts ya in a great dancin , country mood!

5. Losing my furry best friend: A low moment in 2022 was my parents having to put my dog down after 15 years. Every time I Facetime my parents the last thing I always ask them is to see Gigi, she brought a smile to my face no matter what was going on in my life! 

Well I was sitting down halfway across the world in Africa after a match and I called my parents and asked to see Gigi for the last time…..there was silence across the phone and from that I knew everything. That was a really hard time. Those next nights I was wide awake thinking about all the good memories with her. I would try to cry quietly in the room, I still have yet to find out if Terese heard me or not. hahah I’ll have to ask her later

But what is funny about life is that a lot of times when you’re going through a hard time, a better moment is right around the corner….and that takes me to another high moment of the year.

6. 2nd Place Finish in South Africa: Two days after losing my furry best friend, Terese and I fought our way through the tournament and finished second. It was our first podium finish of the year in the Elite 16 and was such a great step for our whole team. It was a battle to stay positive and focused on the present task in the midst of a hard loss but l was proud to have left everything I had out on the court.

7. Finding Hope Chapel:  I had been praying a lot throughout my time in Hermosa to find a good church to attend in the South Bay and to meet new people in the area. I attended Hope Chapel on PCH one Sunday morning by myself and after the service, I felt an overwhelming sense of community from the people that attended there. After that day I wanted to get more involved and I can happily say I’ve been attending for 5 months now, seems like it’s been years of all the amazing people I’ve met there. God has answered my prayer more than I would’ve ever expected in 2022

8.  Death bed in Brazil: Another low was becoming gravely ill in Brazil. I had a clear view of the bottom of the toilet for two days. And I am not s***ing you I had a slight bruise on my forehead from diving to make it to the toilet. TMI but just painting a picture. I have never thrown up so much in my entire life. Now I did learn something from this experience which was that Terese not only is a great beach volleyball player but in her past life she was a well-trained NURSE. That girl nursed me back to health. Bless her soul. ( Terese didn’t take any photos of me throwing up but I would have included them in the blog….just take our word for it lol)

9. Becoming an ambassador for SVDP: Partnering and becoming an ambassador for SVDP this past year provides me with so many opportunities to do my part and share their mission with others; to feed, clothe, house and heal all those who need our help! So many people need our help, and I’m excited to continue that work with SVDP.

10. Mystery number 10: My last exciting news of the 2022 year will be revealed in my next blog! Stay tuned! 🙂

As I conclude my re-cap of 2022, one thing that remains important in the ups and downs of each year is the relationships and the people you get to meet along the way! When we look back at highs, lows, and in between moments of our years, we are essentially celebrating people. We are celebrating the people that support our accomplishments and big-time moments, but we also celebrate them for helping us get through the hardest times as well because those do happen, just not on social media haha!

As I ring in the New Year and celebrate all the good, bad, weird, and ugly times, I will be celebrating the people that surrounded me every day like my close family and friends as well as the people I’ve had the pleasure of meeting and greeting along the way!