Day #36 (5/5): A Fun, Fast Paced Drill

After practice today, I taught an adult class of 8 players. Everyone seemed to have a great time, the sun was shining, it moved quickly, and it was one of those moments that reminded me how fun my job can be and how much a "performance" it can really be sometimes

Day #35 (5/4): New Song!

After some meticulous YouTube studying, I learned to play "Learn to Fly" by Foo Fighters on bass! Finally nailed it in one take.

Day #35 (5/3): Love2Play

Featured on the USTA Middle States "Love 2 Play" Tumblr page today! These are my sentiments exactly. Despite the odd hours, various site locations, constant hustle, and occasional unpredictability, its great to do something so rewarding for a living:

http://love2play10s.tumblr.com/

Day #34 (5/2): Showing Some Heart

It was a tough loss today, but the team definitely showed some heart out there. They showed that they really wanted to win, and I really feel invested in the success of this team now. At first it was a fun little experiment. I always wanted to try coaching high school tennis, but I was a bit caught up in the idea of it all. Now I feel totally invested in the matches.

This counterpunching style and intensity of Lleyton Hewitt exemplifies some of the play I saw out there today!

Day #33 (5/1): Arcade Games

Went out with a few friends from out of town for a few drinks tonight at a local townie bar. I thought it would be just a few casual drinks followed by an early drive home, but I ended up playing until close, having a blast playing arcade basketball. Beers were on the line, the stakes were competitive and I totally lost myself in this moment. I think my final record for the night was 67.

Day #32 (4/30): I Can Finally Jam

Learned how to play some basic root notes in blues music today, so I finally feel like I can jam a bit!

Day #31 (4/29): Having fun at work

On a rainy Tuesday, I spent the late afternoon at work playing in on some fun tennis drills with the high school players. We played 105, king of the court, wipeout, etc, and it was a lot of fun. I know work is supposed to be "work," but on days like this, you lose yourself in the fun of it.

Day #30: (4/28): New Music and a Good Run

That feeling when you download new music, add it to your running playlist, and your 4-5 mile run through town feels effortless:

Day #29 4/27: Argentinian Wine

Winding down after a long weekend on the courts with a movie and a glass of Argentinian red wine :)

Day #28 (4/26): An Unexpected Crowd in WC

After a long day of work, I had an amazing night in WC with my aunt, her boyfriend, and, get this, even my Dad. We went out for some drinks, had lots of Fireball, caught some great live music, ran into some friends, and had an extremely memorable night in town. Looking forward to more nights like this!

Day #27: 4/25: Learning New Songs

I was practicing what I learned in my bass lesson and was able to jam to "On Top of the World" by Imagine Dragons! Yeah, I only know the basic bass lines, but its a start .

Day #26: 4/24 - A Solid Win and a First Trip

Today was my first time driving the school van out to Delaware for an away match. We were also able to earn a solid 3-2 win! After a long morning of trying to make order out of chaos, it was nice to just get out there, enjoy the weather, experience a new location, and coach. This is me within a few months...

Day #25 (4/23): Victory!

There was a packed house this night at music trivia, but we came away with the win and gift card! There's something very "townie" about becoming a regular at a place like the place we do trivia, but at the same time, it's honestly a really fun way to spend your Wednesday evening

Day #24: 4/22 - Birthday Steak and Shots

A tall Sam Adams Summer Ale and a 22 ounce porterhouse at Outback for my brothers birthday, followed by family shots of Jack Daniels Tennessee Fire!

Day #23 (4/21): Upbeat Music and Fantastic Weather

What better way to complement beautiful weather than with upbeat music? Today was a busy productive day. A gym session in the morning, a lesson, a clinic, a team practice and tons of administrative work kept me pretty swamped all day. But my walks around yesterday listening to this old school gem made me feel pretty upbeat and immersed in fantastic weather that made me love being out there on the court:

Day #22 (4/20): Oarball

For Easter, we went to my cousins house, enjoyed a great meal, caught up with my Dad's side of the family, and played a family classic game: Oarball. I had a lead throughout the day, but in the end, my brother came back and beat me by 1 run. I'm sure we invented this classic backyard game, and its always a good time.

Day #21 (4/19): Backyard Gathering

After a full day on the tennis courts, I was able to get together with friends and enjoy drinks, good weather, good conversation, and music that reminds me of summertime. It felt like a tailgate the entire night. Great way to spend my Saturday after work.

Day #20 (4/18): Easter Egg Hunt

It was the last day of practice before Easter, so I decided to have a fun little tennis competition, give away some prizes, and then end practice with an "Easter Egg Hunt" for USTA Middle States rubber bands. It was a fun, upbeat way to end a week of practice, and a great transition into the weekend.

Oh, and I'm also all signed up for the Chicago Marathon this October! That'll be a fun one to train for :)

Replace these eggs with sweet tennis rubber bands, and this picture would be accurate

Day #19 (4/17): Our First Win!

We won our first match with a 5-0 sweep! It was nice to see the girls dig deep mentally, win some difficult points, and thrive when the momentum was in their favor. It was a great away match, and I was very happy with the result. Great job girls!

Day #18 (4/16): Music Conversations

Any night where I can play music trivia, enjoy some locally made beer, and have great conversations about my favorite rhythm sections in all of rock music is a good night for me!

Day #17 (4/15): A Rainy Day's Journey

Today was a terrible rainy day here in suburban Pennsylvania. On days like this, it's easy to feel miserable, wet, and discouraged, but as I ran my errands today in the pouring rain, the soaring, epic choruses of Journey added a certain element of epicness to this otherwise dreary day

Day #16 (4/14): Wait, This is Work?

I spent the last hour of work today playing tennis, hitting balls and drilling. It was my last day working at that particular club until the summer rush hits, and it was great to end it on a fun, casual, and recreational note

Day #15 (4/13): Dogfish Head IPA and a Night Off

After a long weekend of tennis teaching and organizing, schmoozing, and getting sunburnt, I'm going to enjoy this beautiful night with some movies, a good book, and some 60 minute IPA :)

Day #14 (4/12): Organized Chaos

Those moments where I realize I'm in my element making order out of total chaos. 2 clinics, 4 tournament divisions in a USTA sanctioned 10U tournament, inquisitive parents everywhere, and a million things to do at once. It can be hectic, but I always lose myself in those elements

A gazebo of spectators

Day #13 (4/11): A Classic Rock Kick

I opted out of the local bar scene tonight and stayed in to watch movies and download a bunch of classic rock songs. Tonights songs include some old school hits by The Kinks, Boston, and REO Speedwagon. There's something very satisfying, relaxing and cathartic about listening to music and just taking it all in without any outside distractions.

Day #12 (4/10): Great Way to Start a Staff Meeting

One of the nice things about my job is that I can get out and hit some tennis balls in the middle of the afternoon with colleagues, get some pizza, talk a bit about summer expansion, and then call it a staff meeting. It was nice to enjoy the warm weather and hit some balls at one of our new sites today.

Day #11 (4/9): A Yuengling to end the night

After a day of tournament planning, coaching, and coming in a close second in music trivia, what better way to end the night?

Day #10 (4/8): What's My Age Again?

I planned to wind down my evening with a few drinks, but it turned into one of the most fun nights I've had out in town in awhile. My brother and I went to Landmark for music bingo, hung out for a bit, realized it was stagnant, stopped by Sidebar, and then went to Barnaby's. I took a stab at checking out the beer pong table, but as I dodged and weaved through the crowd of 21 year old scantily clad college kids with Lil Jon's "Turn Down For What" blaring, I realized I'm way too old for this. 

So I spent the rest of the evening enjoying some great live acoustic music with old friends and new friends. We submitted requests, we talked about Irish pub culture, we sang along to classic songs at the top of our lungs. And thanks to our new Irish friend Jude, we indulged in some Guiness. Slainte!

Day #9 (4/7): Candy Nostalgia

A Milka bar?....with Tuc crackers?....In the US?! I was happy to indulge in one of my favorite candy bars from abroad today. Despite the shitty weather and sporadic schedule that accompanies most of my Mondays, this candy bar was the perfect mid day snack. Brought me back to the days when I'd buy way too many candy bars. :)

Day #8 (4/6): A Fantastic Day in Philadelphia

Spent time with a good friend, finished 54th out of 3,000 something in my first ever 15K, was extremely satisfied with my time, indulged in some chocolate fondue, a world famous philly cheesesteak and some water ice, enjoyed a warm sunny day in the city of brotherly love, and ended the day with some lounging at City Hall. So much to be happy about today!

Day #7 (4/5): Pre-Race Pasta

I have a 15K race tomorrow in the city, so I made some pasta with vodka sauce, hot italian sausage, turkey and onions. A beautiful day for fueling up and lounging around :)

Day #6 (4/4): A Fun Night Out in Town

A visit from a good friend, a run-in with newer friends, and an overall fun night at the bars in West Chester. From Landmark to Saucey (where some lady thought I was Czech) to Barnaby's and finally to the Social Lounge for some live music and good conversations

Day #5 (4/3): Conversations

I had some good conversations with a few potential TEFL trainees today. It's conversations like these that really energize me and remind me why I love traveling, uprooting, starting new, and feeling inspired by my surroundings. It's jobs like this that keep the travel spark alive and remind me of what excites and inspires me

Day #4 (4/2): That Moment When You Know It's Spring

Last night, I went to music trivia with a few friends. It's been an absolutely brutal winter, and I always associate that kind of weather with music trivia.

As we were leaving McKenzie's, I braced myself for a wave of cold air to hit me. I was fully prepared to sprint to my car and blast the heat. But as I exited, I was happy to find that it was a beautiful night. No jacket required, no heat required. Spring is here!

Day #3 (4/1): A Run Through The Borough

When I woke up this morning, the sun was shining in downtown West Chester.  I have a 15K race in Philadelphia coming up this weekend. It was the perfect morning to strap on the Vibrams and go for a run throughout town. Although my mp3 player died about 2 miles into my run, I was still able to get vigorous workout in through the scenic little city/town where I live. When the endorphins kick in, the sun is shining, and a race is approaching, happiness ensues. Here's to more great weather!

Day #2 (3/31): The Sweet Science

I've always loved boxing, and today I was able to watch a boxing documentary about up and coming fighters in California, and end my night with a few chapters of a book about the world famous upset of James "Buster" Douglas over Mike Tyson.

The sun is also starting to shine, which brings me back to the days when I'd lounge around outside at Stromovka park in Prague listening to Bastille's "Pompeii" on repeat (before it got popular) and reading AJ Liebling boxing essays. The 'Sweet Science' and it's colorful history will always have a special place with me, and its days like today that really remind me

Day #1 (3/30): Music Appreciation - Trying out the Bass Guitar and Remembering Rush

Music has always played an integral role in my life. From the road trips to Lancaster with my Dad, to the family parties and beach trips with my Mom, it was always at the center of everything. From the catchy hooks of Tom Petty and Sheryl Crow to the blue collar, sentimental passion of Bruce Springsteen, I've always been surrounded by it. And something about it just resonates with me. I've always had a fascination for musical knowledge, facts, and statistics.

Today, I was able to watch a documentary about Rush (one of my favorite bands of all time) as well as get a little playing in. You see, a week ago, I impulsively bought a bass guitar (I'm a lefty, so I had to look online for a cool looking, cheap one), picked up a cheap amp off of craigslist, and took a free lesson. I've been playing for about 3 days. I've only been able to master an easy little 12 bar blues, but I'm happy I got to mess around with it today. This is the start of a new musical adventure. I'm pretty clueless now, but I'm proud I was able to lock that riff down!

"Your Vacation is Over...Welcome to the Real World!"

So I've noticed a few friends and social media connections posting things that make them happy with the hashtag #100happy days. As someone who has read pretty extensively about mindfulness and the law of attraction, this little phenomenon piqued my interest. This morning, I decided to see what this was all about, so I checked out the website. The timing couldn't be more perfect for me to try something like this.

As many of you know, I spent nearly 2 years living in Prague, Czech Republic (2011-2013). I earned my TEFL Certification, held down some cool jobs (guidance counselor, social media copywriter, tour guide, pub crawl guide), made a ton of friends, traveled to numerous countries, fell in love with the city, thrived on the positivity and curiosity of my expat friends, and lived a life far more exciting, stimulating, entrepreneurial and eclectic than what most twentysomethings describe the 'real world' as. I thought through living in Prague, that I somehow avoided this seemingly vacuous, soul-sucking time in the life of most twentysomethings. I was already picturing a life of constant travel, constant stimulation, constant happiness, and constant entrepreneurial success.

Why I'm doing this: After I came home from Prague, I had $210 to my name, I gave most of my clothes to goodwill so I didn't have too much luggage, no apartment, and no car. I had my childhood bedroom at my Dad's house, my laptop, a few tennis businesses that I was to join forces with, and the memories of a life that I missed and felt extremely distant from. "Your vacation is over." My brother told me. "Welcome to the real world!"

Needless to say, I felt desperate to play catch up. I figured that since I'm now living and working in the States, I need to buckle down, make up for all the fun I had abroad, make some sacrifices, figure out exactly what I want out of life, and save some money so I could start my adult life at 26.

I have a lot to be happy about and a lot to be proud of these days, but I feel like deep down, I'm still trying to mentally recover from my 2 years abroad. In my quest to follow my strengths, obtain total job satisfaction and conquer this 'real world' that I'm now experiencing, I've lost sight of the many things I should be thankful for and happy about. I'll be posting here every day for 100 days in an effort to appreciate the little things. To reveal myself to myself in a way. 

Enjoy!