Semester is Closing Out

This is the last week of classes for my first college semester.  It's hard to believe that it has flown by so fast.  Already 1/8 of the way through my time at college.  That's a lot!  Last week was a good week with my birthday on Tuesday.  19 isn't much of an exciting year haha but it will be good nonetheless.  I got to celebrate it on Saturday when two of my good friends, Joey and Zach treated me to dinner at Clyde's in Chinatown, DC.  We all got huge burgers, wings, and a huge dessert.  It was really nice of them and a lot of fun.

The rest of the week was relatively lowkey.  Just keep getting work done and pushing hard through these last few days.  It was a little difficult adjusting back to school life after the nice Thanksgiving break but I got back in the vibe and rollin now.

This week my I finish up my Chemistry with my last lab on Tuesday (no final), my last Engineering design lab on Thursday (no final), and my last English class on Friday (no final).  I also have a big paper due Friday, big Calc test Friday, and need to start preparing for my finals in Philosophy and Calculus.

I am definitely ready for the Christmas break as well.  Even with all of the stress and artificial implications, Christmas is a great time and we should be mindful of our blessings and happiness with all the other distractions.  Now that Advent has started this past Sunday, we have four weeks to reflect and prepare our selves for Christmas.  How can you better your life in these four weeks?  It will be a good Advent.

It sounds like the Greystone production of the Living Christmas Tree was another good one this year.  I unfortunately couldn't go, but I know Nana and Pops and everyone else there put so much time and effort into it and Mom, Dad, and Nelson said it was a very good production this year.  Wish I could've seen it.  Mom and Dad are also away in Texas for the conference and they got to visit with Cindy and Norm and Kris and his family.  It seems like they are having a nice time.  Nelson is staying with Nana and Pops while Zoey is staying with a family friend.  I'm sure Nelson is missing her.

That's about all the updates I have for today.  Busy week ahead but have to stay focused on the goal,

-TZ

Very Thankful

It's been a while since I've updated this ol blog.  It's almost as if I have less to talk about now that soccer is done but it's still good to keep everyone updated on the "boring" stuff as well.  Today is the first day back to school since Thanksgiving.  It was so great to go home for the break.  It was the first time traveling back to NC since the start of school and I did miss it.  Megabus took me home safely in right at five hours of travel.  Although it's not much fun, it's probably the best way to get back and forth.

Anyway it was great to see everyone back at home.  It was nice to catch up with Meredith and Brian at the gym.  They seem to be rockin and keeping up the grind.  It was also great to see Nana and Pops for our annual Thanksgiving feast and then later for a quick celebration of my birthday.  It's weird but coming home helps you see how many people love and care about you.  The true family and friends at home will always be there for you and break helped me realize that.  Going home almost made me miss it more now that I'm back.  Being able to relax and spend time with the people you truly care about makes you want to stay there, but now I have to transition back into school mode.  Got two/three more weeks of school grind and hard work before I will get a lengthy break for Christmas where I will get to see everyone once again.  I guess Thanksgiving has made me much more thankful for everything I have.

While at home it was great to see our new puppy Zoey who is cute as can be but still learning her manners.  The bite mark on my nose is still sore haha.  But she's great and Nelson is definitely enjoying her company.  Also Nelson and I set up our Chirstmas tree and Dad did the outside decorations in preparation for the Christmas season.  Here's a pic of our beautiful tree that is still standing after a few attacks from the pup.  Quite beautiful if I do say so myself.

Anyway after arriving back on campus last night, I was able to hit the gym this morning to get a quick lift and to be honest, it just was not on point.  Don't know why but just wasn't feeling the lift.  At least I got some work put in.  I just have to get back in that grind as well.

Now tomorrow is my 19th birthday! It keeps slipping my mind and doesn't really feel like my birthday but I hope its a good day nonetheless.  The years keep flying by! Thanks to everyone who made these past 18 years fantastic.

So here's to my last day at 18 years old and looking for another good year ahead of me,

-TZ

Homecoming

This past week has seemed to just slowly pass by.  All I've been thinking about is coming home and each day seemed to take forever.  I only had one class on Friday and one on Monday so I probably could've just come home Friday afternoon but I didn't have enough time to plan that out.  It worked out alright because I ended up going to the Eagles v. Redskins game in DC with my buddy Joey on Sunday.  It was my first NFL game and it was a blast.  I wish the Eagles didn't get blown out, but it was still fun to watch the game.  Too bad he is a Redskins fan, but we'll get him next time.

Then Monday I had one class at 9am.  I got up early, hit the gym, went to class, and then had an hour to pack.  It is weird having to pack to come home; I usually only pack to leave home.  Anyway around 11 I lugged my huge duffel bag and backpack down to the metro and headed to Union Station.  I got there really early so I got lunch and people-watched while waiting for my bus.  There are definitely some interesting people all around DC.  It's fun to just sit back and watch sometime.  Then at 12.45 we loaded up the bus and headed for Durham.  There is also a random mix of people that take the Megabus.  College students, business people, and even homeless people lol.  They all got off at Durham. jk.  But we stopped in Richmond and then Durham.  The whole trip took a little less than five hours which isn't all that bad.  

Now I am sitting home on a nice Tuesday morning enjoying some fresh pumpkin bread and hazelnut coffee while listening to some music.  It's great to be back.  I also got to meet Zoey for the first time.  On Saturday my family went and adopted a puppy from the SPCA in Raleigh.  It was so unexpected but awesome.  They got a black labrador retriever mix and she is so cute.  She was running all around the house yesterday when we got in and only peed in the house once.  Haha she's definitely a handful but so sweet and fun.  She gets random bursts of energy and runs around the house.  Me and dad were just watching her while she did about ten to twelve laps in a figure 8 pattern around the den and kitchen.  We couldn't stop laughing.  Then right after that she just goes into her kennel and sleeps until her next bout on energy.  She's awesome.  Here is a pic of her and Nelson.  They're already good pals.  

Now I get to relax for the rest of this week until Sunday when I head back to DC.  It will be a great week spent with family and relaxing.  

Happy Turkey Week,

-TZ

Home Stretch

This weekend I traveled with the whole fam to go watch Michael play in the NCAAs.  Mom and Dad picked me up off the metro and we drove up near Philly to Swarthmore College.  CNU played that evening and we had enough time to get a nice dinner and were happy to have J.M. join us at Carrabbas.    We then went to watch the game.  It was an intense match, but CNU ended up coming out on the short end of the stick.  They lost 2-0.  It's always hard to watch seniors play their last soccer game, and this time my brother was one of those seniors.  It was very emotional after the game, but I'm glad the whole family got to be there to support him.  You had a great run, Zimm.  I can't tell you how much you impacted me with your constant persistent attitude and I salute you.  It was a great run for you, and now you have bigger and better things to move on to.  Congrats on a great soccer career.

So I ended up coming back to campus on Sunday and had time to do some homework and get ready for the week.  This week is extremely busy with Thanksgiving coming up next week.  Teachers are trying to get big last minute papers and projects in by the end of the week.  Six days left..  I got this.

I also bought my Redskins vs. Eagles tickets for this weekend! I'm so excited to go to my first NFL game.  We got lower level seats for around 60 bucks so I hope it'll be fun.  Even though both teams are struggling to be last place in the league, I remain true to the Eagles.

Lastly best of luck to Gibbons soccer tonight against Jacksonville in the state semifinals.  I know that the game is going to be a battle; these two schools have developed into quite the rivalry.  Especially after what happened last year at their place...  That story is for another time.  But go get em Gibbons! End their season once again.

Keep working hard, it's almost Thanksgiving

-TZ

Back to the Gym

To be honest, I have somewhat enjoyed this week with no soccer.  Don't get me wrong, I would much rather be playing in the NCAA's this weekend but nothing we can do now.  I hit the gym everyday this week and it's great getting back to the weights.  Monday was upper body, Tuesday lower body and those two day left me extremely sore for Wednesday.  After not lifting for the entire season, my body wasn't used to feeling soreness.  So then Wednesday I just decided to run and I got on the treadmill and just starting running.  Didn't have any goals or distance in mind but I ended running four miles in 29:30.  It was actually a decent pace for that distance after I thought about it considering I got faster each mile to end with a 6:40 pace.  Then Thursday I went back to upper body and Friday I burned the legs.  Soreness currently on entire body.  But its great.  

Friday night a group of us went to see the new James Bond movie, Skyfall in Chinatown.  We got dinner at Chipotle and then watched the movie.  It was great.  Much better than the second Bond movie and about equal quality as Casino Royale.  

Now today I'm going to watch Michael play NCAA's first round.  He is playing at Swarthmore College and the fam is passing through DC to pick me up and then the entire crew will go watch the game.  Let's go CNU! 

Have a good weekend,

-TZ

My First Season Comes to an End

So this weekend was the Landmark Conference Tournament.  We entered as the number 2 seed and played University of Scranton on Saturday at Susquehanna at 11 am.  We were the cause of their first and only loss earlier this year when we played them in the season.  It is always so much harder to beat a team two times in a row.  Anyway I was pleased to get the start and we came out strong and put together some solid chances.  Even with a wide open goal, we just could not finish it.  We got unlucky.  The half ended 0-0 with Scranton getting the better chances late into the half.

Onto the second half, we just couldn't get our style going.  Scranton got more chances and eventually scored off the crossbar off of a corner kick.  We went down 1-0 with about 20 minutes and then we started freaking out on the field.  It took a while for us to settle down and we got a free kick at the top of the box.  Ian Smith hit a great shot that went upper ninety and tied up the game with about ten minutes to go.  We had momentum and I thought we were going to be able to put in another goal until Scranton had a breakaway and their forward hit a great one-time shot that just got passed Torston with about three minutes left.  We battled for the rest of the time, but we just couldn't get anything else.  We lost 2-1 and the entire team was stunned.  It's weird how fast your season can come to such a fast ending.

We knew we weren't high enough ranked to get a NCAA bid, and since we lost in the conference tourney, we were completely done.  The goal for the entire year was to win the conference and get into the NCAA tourney; we did neither..

Although that was a great disappointment for the season, personally I couldn't have asked more for my freshman year.  I constantly worked hard to help the team and I got multiple starts, and played consistent minutes in each game.  I see freshman, sophomores, and even juniors that struggled with playing time and I am happy that I got the chance to get out on the field.  I had a blast playing for my school once again and am glad I got the chance to play.  I really enjoyed all the guys on the team and I think this was a great fit for me to come and play at CUA.  I had a great time in my first season. Now next year we are only losing one senior.  We have a huge returning class, so we are looking ahead.  With this years' abrupt ending, I know we will be motivated next year to avenge our losses and work even harder to make the NCAA.

Now it is time to start training for next season.  I didn't know what to do without practice yesterday, so I hit the gym hard with my lacrosse bud Zach.  We did upper body and it felt great to get back in the weight room.  I was actually pleased with my bench and hit 95 X 10, 115 X 10, 125 X 8, and then 115 X 6.  Then after lifting a group of 8 guys most from the team came to the Duf and we played indoor soccer, 4 on 4 with trashcans as goals.  Even on our first day off, we continued to play soccer.  It was fun just to get a few touches on the ball and just have fun with soccer again.  I really feel the soreness today, but it is worth it.  I will be going back to the gym with our keeper, Cam today for some legs, core, and plyos.  Offseason training and body-building has begun.

Now congrats to Michael and CNU mens soccer for making the NCAA tourney.  Even with the shocker vs. Greensboro in conference tourney, they received an at-large bid and will be playing this weekend.  I look froward to traveling with Mom and Dad to go watch them play.  This will be the first game I will get to watch CNU play this year and it will be good to get to watch them again.  Best of luck to Michael and the team; I think they could make another deep run!

So here's to the offseason and working for next season,

-TZ

Let the Postseason Begin

It's been quite a while since I last posted.  This past Saturday we traveled to Drew in NJ and won a very important conference match 1-0.  It was great to see Lisa and Grandma out there supporting us again.  Very nice of them to make the trip.  The win put us at a three way tie for first place within the conference.  CUA, Scranton, and Susquehanna were all tied with records in conference and goal differential and everything.  We had to result to a "hat draw" to determine the seeds of the tournament.  We got the second seed out of the hat which has us playing Scranton again.  We are playing them at Susquehanna this Saturday at 11am.  We are traveling Friday afternoon to PA and spending the night and playing Saturday.  If we win we will play in the conference finals on Sunday at Susquehanna as well.  From here out it is single elimination; we have to win both games this weekend to enter the NCAA tournament.  It is a very important weekend.

Everything with Hurricane Sandy ended up "blowing over." LOL.  But seriously, we were lucky not to get hit too hard; we never lost power yet we got Monday and Tuesday off from classes.  Lots of wind and rain but luckily nothing too bad here.  Prayers go out to those that were hit very hard at home in places like New Jersey and New York.

Today we just finished up with a 7am practice.  Very early but I enjoy it.  It reminds me of those summer tour days.  Classic.  Now time to study for a big Calc test tomorrow and rest up for this weekend.  Here comes the postseason!

-TZ