The Journey Begins!

Goodbye Colorado, Hello Miami!

The day I’ve been anticipating for months finally came! Today I flew to meet my Chilean teammates in Miami.We are staying at Barry University until June 16th. Tomorrow afternoon is our first practice here...can't wait!!

Saying Goodbye to Family

Josh and I will be apart
for a couple months
until we reunite in
Canada at the qualifier

One of the main questions I’ve been asked is "will Josh be going with you?" Sadly, no. Josh is staying in the Springs and meeting me in Canada for the qualifier games. We will be apart for 2 months! Since we’ve been married, the longest we've been apart has been 5 days, so this is going to be TOUGH! We are crazy about each other; we miss one another even during a regular day of work! Nine months of workouts and pushing my body to the limit was hard, but saying goodbye to my best friend and hero was even harder! Despite the difficulty, we feel peace in being apart and pressing into what God will teach us! With the right attitude, I believe “hardship prepares ordinary people for an extraordinary destiny” (C.S. Lewis). 

I wouldn’t be where I am today Joshua without YOU! I love you and can't wait to see you again!!!

My Mom, Dad, and Guillermo also came to the airport to send me off. I’m blessed to have such a supportive family!

Making time to train while
working full-time wasn’t easy.
This workout was at 11:30pm
while on the road for work!

Feeling Ready to Rock!

In over 200 workouts and 850 meals, I’ve focused on this moment. God’s favor has been with me in preparing physically to be a competitive baller again! In my first blog I explained how I was told I wouldn't be able to play competitively again because of knee tracking issues, but God intervened and miraculously healed my knee. My physical condition after 9 months of training is just another example of God’s goodness! To compare a benchmark, here’s where I am now compared to college:

	Now	College
Max Squat	210 Lbs.	205 Lbs.
Max Hang Clean	180	175
Max Bench	147	142
Body Weight	159	168
Body strength index	3.38	3.25

I’m also a little bit quicker, and my vertical is about the same. I believe I’m ready, and the rest is in God’s hands! (Proverbs 21:31 “The horse is made ready for the day of battle, but victory rests with the Lord.”)

Capturing the moment

I have the best fan crew an athlete could ask for! Vaughan & Walker photography initiated a video and photo shoot Wednesday morning at my high school gym (The Colorado Springs School) to capture the story thus far!

Thank you mom and dad for all of crazy road trips you've
made for me! Here's to another one, see you in Canada!

One of the biggest
impacts to my training
(and hardest to comply
with!) has been diet.
I’ve focused on high
nutrient vegetables and
proteins, while drinking
water and staying away
from sugar.