Big News!, Time with the Rents, and 2-0 Week - Blog #53 (Mar. 30 - Apr. 13 '26)

Basketball Update:

It's starting to be nut-crunching time. Our first game in this two-week stretch was at home against Słupsk. We had beaten them fairly handily earlier in the season at their place, but we both had a couple of new players and were different teams. The first half was pretty similar to how we have played our last few games. We haven't really asserted ourselves at all and haven't played up to our potential. Coach really got on us at halftime, and Andy (our captain) also gave us a hype up speech saying how urgent our situation was and that the game was a must-win. We came out with a much better defensive effort and took control of the game. We cruised to a 16-point win in front of a nice home crowd.

We had 11 days between games, and it was another big one against Ostrow. They were and still are very close to us in the standings. We had already beaten them this year at home, but they were coming into the game with a 9-3 home record. They are notoriously difficult to beat at their place because of their rambunctious fan section. Personally, I played one of my worst games of the season. I just didn't feel comfortable for whatever reason and struggled on both ends, to be honest. The team played great, and we won by 7. We honestly should have won by more, but it was a great team effort with everyone chipping in. Huge win for standings and tie-breaker reasons for us. Let's keep it rolling this week!

Leadership Lesson:

When I was dealing with my back injury a couple of weeks ago, I had to sit out of some practices. It gave me a nice, fresh perspective. It was a great reminder of the power of observation. There is serious value in just sitting back and watching sometimes. In my case, I was able to watch us practice and see some of our habits while also observing my teammates. I would obviously rather be involved in practice, but being forced to sit helped to not only to give me an added appreciation for being able to practice, but it also helped me gain some insight into our team. It helped me be more aware of my teammates to view things from the outside. Sitting out helped me once coming back to practice to be more intentional with my teammates and coaches. I have been enjoying practice much more, and it all stemmed from stepping back and being able to observe practice for a couple of days.

Top 5 of the Week:

Nikki Memories

1. Proposal in Como: You can read more about this below, but all time vibes and obviously a hugely significant event. It was sublime, transcendent, and unparalleled (thank you, thesaurus).

2. Hilton Head Trip 2023: Our first vacation just the two of us. We went after my first season at CSU, and it was really special to spend time in an amazing place with Nikki who grew up going there all the time. She was able to show me around, and the vibes were so great.

3. Paris 2024: We went right after Christmas two Christmases ago. It was unreal. Paris totally lived up to the hype for us. My favorite night was just us two hanging by the Eiffel Tower with some bread, cheese, and a bottle of wine. Great couple of days.

4. South of France 2025: Definitely one of the best places we have been together. Nice was great, and the trip was really chill. We were getting ready to go home after our first year gone, so it was fun vibes that way too.

5. Camping Weekend in Wisconsin: I honestly do not remember when this was, and I was just trying to find some pictures from it, but could not. I think we were In high school or early college, but we did a night camping just the two of us, close to Madison at some random camping ground. It was fun to be independent together for the first time, make dinner, and hang out together. Lots of fun times... this was a hard list to make!

What Else Did I Do This Week?

Hmmmmm... where should I start? I don't think I'm breaking news to anyone reading, but Nikki and I are engaged!! It was an absolute whirlwind. I had been planning for the last few months to propose back home this summer. But we had some changes in plans, and my mom suggested to me that I should propose while her parents and my parents were both going to be in Europe. Nikki and her parents were visiting her cousins, Dani, Andrija, Lili, and Emmie. They were going to be in Lake Como... what better spot to pop the question?! I figured out my practice schedule, and we booked flights around it. Before I go any further, I have to give a huge, massive shout-out to Dani. She was instrumental in finding me a photographer. She booked a dinner reservation spot. She helped me pick an outfit. It would not have been possible without her. The plan was for me to fly in, taxi from the airport, and arrive at Villa Lario (proposal spot) about 20-30 minutes before Nikki and her parents. It is important to note that we are flying Ryanair. Probably the least reliable airline in Europe. They even made me check my bag once I got to the gate because my carry-on was an inch too big. However, there was an angel dressed as a Ryanair luggage worker who took my checked-bag tag off, which saved us at least 20 minutes upon arrival. Everything with the travel went perfectly. The proposal was straight out of a movie. I seriously can’t describe how amazing not only the scenery was, but the proposal itself. I got to read Nikki a note that I wrote her six years ago when we broke up for a little bit. It was an amazing moment, and I was happy to be able to celebrate with some loved ones, too. We celebrated with an amazing dinner and some drinks afterwards. I booked us a hotel with a sweet lake view. The morning after, we read some letters that our siblings wrote. That was very special. We also had an amazing Easter brunch on the lake and walked around a bunch. It was a weekend out of a dream. Can't wait to marry my bestie for the resty!!!

https://video.wixstatic.com/video/18aa85_c7333bd42a3a4b30afb79e9dacd74657/480p/mp4/file.mp4

Once my extended family left ZG, I got to spend some great quality time with my parents. I was a bit of a hot mess leading up to the proposal, which my dad handled well and my mom enabled. It was great though. We went to a couple of my favorite spots in ZG for dinners, and we walked around the city a lot. They enjoyed the wine scene in the area too. We went to a really cool winery that I will put some pics in from. They got to see a great game for us as a team, and I was happy to play well too. It was a bit weird to have all my visitors for the year here at basically the same time, but it made that time just that much more special.

Top Meal of the Week:

Our Easter Brunch was superb. It was a Michelin-starred place on Lake Como. It lasted four hours. I am not exaggerating. It was really enjoyable though because there was a lot of food, and it was spread out over several hours. Great wine too.

Cultural Difference In Europe:

While saying goodbye to our Italian photographer, I made sure to make a point to give a heartfelt thank you because she was able to come on very short notice. Then, she leaned in for a hug and was kind of offering her cheek. She said, "Oh...", and then, Dani told me I had to kind of kiss her on the cheek. It was fairly uncomfortable and reminded me a bit of meeting my Hungarian family when I was younger. Now I know. The contrast in greetings between Sara (our photographer) and Joe Pink was pretty funny. Thanks for reading!