Spring Has Sprung, Beach Day, & No Game - Blog #20 (Mar. 3 - 9)

Basketball Update:

No game and nothing to report this week. Two games versus Groningen on Wednesday on the road and at home against 1st place Oostende. Huge week for us. Let's go 2-0!

Leadership Lesson:

This may sound a bit lame and contradictory to the popular Mamba Mentality mindset that is so popular in athletes, but rest is so important in athletics and in the business world. This has become a big priority for me this year because of a grueling practice schedule. I have been much improved at placing an emphasis on my sleep schedule - huge credit to Nikki - and being consistent with that. Listening to my body for when I need to see a trainer and rest is important. This is only important, however, if you also prioritize working hard when you do feel good. Getting extra shots up and going hard at weights are a couple of essential things that are the standard for me in my job. If I ever feel like I can't give 100%, I know there is a reason for it, and I may need more rest. Now, this can apply to work, too. Many people's "rest" from work is actually exercise, funny enough. I have found that whenever work is overwhelming, taking the time to do something for yourself that you truly enjoy is important. As a leader, giving people the ability to do this will keep them happy, motivated, and empowered at work. "Rest" can come in many different forms, and it is important to know what that means to you.

Top 5 of the Week:

Colors:

1. Green - Specifically, dark green/evergreen has become my favorite color over the last several years. Every single one of my favorite sports teams is green. Packers, Bucks, and CSU. It is also the color of nature and is simply nice to look at.

2. Blue - This was my favorite color growing up. Nice in the ocean and nice in the sky. Also love the navy shade too.

3. Yellow - I like yellow because there are some great things that are yellow. The sun, (again) Packers, bananas, eggs, sunflowers, etc. Top 3 color for sure.

4. Purple - Purple is a great color for no other reason than it is nice to look at. I am also looking at some of our purple tulips right now which probably helps.

5. Orange - I love looking at a sunset with orange in it. Solid color but not a huge fan if it's too neon-y.

What Else Did I Do This Week?

I went to pick Nikki up on Thursday night from her office because she had a new monitor to bring him, and we went to dinner at this cool Indian spot. We had kind of an interesting encounter with a Dutch old lady. The restaurant was not very busy, and we got seated at a table right next to two women. There is a stereotype that Americans are loud and annoying, so Nikki and I try not to stick out too much when we are in public places. We were going about our conversation normally and suddenly Nikki gave me a weird look. I was pretty confused, but Nikki shook it off, so I did not think too much of it. Turns out, one of the ladies who was sitting directly behind me looked at Nikki and opened & closed her hand in a mocking fashion, insinuating that we were being obnoxious. Nikki did not say anything back to them and tried to keep her volume down. We try to be conscious of other people, but maybe we were being loud and annoying. Oops.

I had off Saturday, so I was able to join Nikki for her coworker, Amanda's, birthday at a bar in Amsterdam. I met her after practice, and it was a lot of fun to hang out and meet some new people. We also unknowingly got on the last train out of Amsterdam which was very clutch. Saturday, we went to Katwijk which is the closest beach city to us. The weather was unreal. It was low to mid-60s and sunny all weekend. We biked there and stopped at this nature preserve area with some cool walking paths and sand dunes. It was the closest thing to a hike that we could find in the Netherlands.

Then, we were supposed to meet a couple of my teammates to do a cold plunge in the North Sea, but they were about an hour late. I grabbed some ice cream, and then we laid in the sand and read our books for a bit. It was so relaxing and nice to sit in the sun. I tried to do it by myself and chickened out after getting up to my thighs for about thirty seconds. Really disappointed in myself, but that water was insanely cold. We grabbed a quick sandwich at a place on the beach and headed out.

We biked back, grabbed our stuff quick, and went back to Amsterdam to meet some friends to hang in the park. I let the dogs breathe a bit which felt good, and we went to hang at Hagen's houseboat. We listened to music, had pizza, and played some games. It was a great time.

Sunday, Nikki and I went for a walk through this golf course we live next to and made several stops to read our books along the way. Fun weekend!

Top Meal of the Week:

Despite a grumpy old Dutch lady, meal of the week goes to the Indian food we had on Thursday night. The restaurant in Amsterdam Zuid (South) is Holi Indian Restaurant. It's a bit of an unfair advantage for the rest of the meals because Indian is my favorite at the moment, but so be it.

One Thing I Like About the Netherlands:

I really like the fact that every grocery store has a bakery in it with really cheap croissants here. I know that some grocery stores in the States do have bakeries, and maybe it's because this is the most grocery shopping I have done in my life, so I notice it more. However, you can get four croissants for 1 EU here. You can get a really good "chocoladebroodje" for 0.55 EU. Great deals and always quick and easy to grab while I am at the store.