"I'll B. Bock" Part 4

Although it seems like the draft was forever ago, the days flew by fast back at Notre Dame. Because I went to Spain with the U23's in the beginning of February, I only had a few weeks left to get any school work done, prepare for preseason, and hang out with my friends, brother, and boyfriend.

My flight to Los Angeles was scheduled for Thursday, February 26th, which meant that I had to pack up most of my stuff and ship my car out the weekend before. I drove home from ND on the 19th and got the confirmation call that my car would be picked up the next day.

When I woke up on Friday, my car was covered in snow! I took a few pictures as it was being loaded on to the car carrier (see one here)- the next time I would see it would be in sunny Los Angeles!

That weekend, I visited my Grandpa Bock and Uncle Johnny during the day (with my parents, sister Jenny and her boyfriend Trent), and then Grandma and Grandpa O'Neal at night. I cherished the time with both grandparents, and only wish I could see them more often. I know they are excited to watch my games on TV, and even a few live! My dad drove me Sunday morning from my Grandma's house back to ND, since my car was on its way to Cali, and this also gave him a chance to grab any last minute things from my apartment.

Once I got back on campus, I knew I only had a few days left, so I wanted to make it something I would remember.


So during the week my brother Erik - a freshman at ND - my boyfriend Dan and I decided to walk around campus for the last time and take pictures. The campus was beautiful as it had just snowed over the weekend. While Erik was in class, Dan and I visited my old dorm (Howard - home of the Ducks!), explored some of the new buildings on campus, and visited the Grotto one last time. When my brother got out, we all finished up by walking around the lake. I'm glad we all found the time to do that, it was a last good memory of campus together.

I also got to train with the ND girls one last time and say my goodbyes before I headed out West. It felt great to have their support behind all of us who were headed into the new league. We are all very excited, and hopefully when we (LA Sol) take the trips out to St. Louis and Chicago, I'll be able to see some of the girls taking summer school classes. Well, all I gotta say is - they better come - or else!

Crazy to think, the next time I'll be back on Notre Dame campus, I'll be getting my diploma! That's if to say I finish up with my last marketing class successfully ;). I'm really going to miss this place, all my teammates, all the memories, and my boyfriend. Hopefully I will be able to see Dan and the Notre Dame hockey team play for the National Championship at the Frozen Four on my birthday!

Once I arrived at LAX, it was like I started a new life. I met Jeremy Akers (ND alum and former NFL player) for the first time when he picked me up from the airport. He and his wife, Angie Akers (Notre Dame grad and a professional volleyball player) have been nothing but amazing. They greeted me with open arms as soon as I got here. Angie has been cooking the most delicious dinners every night, and of course they are always healthy.

I try to observe everything (without looking like I'm stalking them, of course), and pick up on what they eat, how they train - basically the little things that make them professional athletes. One of the first days here, I went to the beach to watch Angie and her AVP partner work out, and towards the end I participated in a fun exercise where the trainer hits up tennis balls and you have to run and catch the ball in a cone. She would test us on some, and being the competitive person I am, I laid out for a ball that I really thought I could catch. Almost had it, but all I ended up with was a face-full of sand. Yum. I've had a great time with these two so far and cannot wait to hang around them for the next month! I hope the married couple doesn't get sick of me;).

And then... it was March 1st! We had a team meeting at 11am at The Home Depot Center. It was great to finally meet everyone! I've never played on a team before where there were so many players from different countries all over the world, and I absolutely love it! There may be some language barriers off the field, but I don't suspect that to be any problem once we start playing. In afternoon, we had our physicals and then we had the rest of the day off.

This is when I had time to relax, and just get ready for the most exciting time of my life. I have been waiting for this day - to play professional soccer - since I started playing soccer. Now I get to play with and against the best players in the world, every day!

Come back for more to see how the first week of preseason goes... I'll B. Bock...