Greetings from Chicago!

Hello Team!!! Happy New Years!
Wow all of these blogs have been unbelievable! Like most of you my break hasn't been super eventful. I have been just living it up in Chicago with my family and friends. My days consist of waking up, working out, sleeping, reading, watching movies, and pretty much sleeping. Also I have been experimenting with sushi and I have grown a profound love for it.  LUCKILY for New Years I spent the weekend in South Bend to watch Anders play Boston University which was awesome! It snowed in South Bend that weekend and that was the first time I saw snow all year, it was so pretty. I know this makes you super anxious to get back hehe.

                      

Similar to Jordy I work out at a gym that I work at when I'm home. Often my trainers will make comments like "Wow you can squat more than some of these boys" or "that looks too easy lets just add another 45 to the sled". I laugh it off keeping in mind that there are 28 (i think??) other girls experiencing the same thing. Unfortunately the weather here has been bipolar so I have gone from running on treadmills, football fields, and a 25 yard turf field. Anywho I can't wait to get back and get this upcoming season started with my girls! 

As some of you may have heard through the news, a high school Minnesota hockey player named Jack Jablonski was paralyzed during a game last week. He was chasing a puck into a corner and was hit from behind leaving him motionless on the ice. Later that night Jack was pronounced paralyzed from the triceps and down. Jack was a normal high school boy with similar aspirations and goals that we all had when we were his age. Relating to Flan's blog, you really don't realize how lucky you are until you have lost something. Jack didn't just lose his season, he lost his freedom to run, skate, walk, bike, the ability to do anything on his own. He will never be able to play the sport that he loves so much ever again. Here we are are ONE week left, everything that we have been doing has been on our own and by choice. How lucky are we?? So the next time you run this week or when we get back just keep in mind that we have control of our season, it is in the palm of our hands and everything that we do in preseason will determine the rest. This week Jack's mother announced that Jack raised one of his arms, and was able to move the other. The doctor had told them the week earlier that he would never be able to raise his arm again. So screw those rankings and whoever else has anything to say because the only people who can tell us how far we go and how much we can do is each and every girl or coach on this team. I believe in all of you as individuals and collectively we have the ability to be invincible!

ONE last thing to keep in mind during this last week and especially throughout preseason. Work your butt off, if something feels too easy or painless, then you aren't working hard enough!!! This is difficult to live by, trust me I battle with it all the time, but if we can all achieve this collectively we will become the team that we all described in the locker room during our goal meeting. Please Please enjoy these last couple days with family, friends, and mommy's home cooked meals because you probably won't see them again until the end of May! Love you all!!

P.S. I hope Kayla doesn't mind that I packed on a few pounds during the Holidays! (this ones for you Molls)

-Grace^^^^^^ (hard to recognize, i know)