this will be long...so warm ur coffee up, take your shoes off and enjoy the ride.
For those of you who have forgotten me, my name is Shannon Johnston aka "shannon the cannon". haha jk jk. but i have missed blogging! The past week I was in Apeldoorn Holland. (google/images this place, its so nice) None the less i took a very short(NOT) 16 hour bus/ferry ride over there. we traveled through Denmark, Germany, and finally made it to Holland. As I have mentioned before my idea of traveling is different than Europeans or atleast the ones that I have been around. I am not sure if this is because of how my Dad enjoys traveling or maybe just becaue sometimes I live in "Shannon world" and i have this picture perfect idea of how everything is going to pan out...and then ofcourse it is unrealistic and more or less a huge joke. The worst part is that I continue to live in "Shannon World" and I continue to shock and amaze myself when things to meet my idea, when in reality I should be used to this. Oh well! So none the less..the bus ride wasnt bad.
Close ur eyes, picture your self in a bus that holds 54 people and has 54 people in it. 44 of these people average to the age of 15. so most likely leaving at 7 pm they didnt shower before entering the bus, 1/3 are wearing swim suits so they just got off the lake, 1/3 are wearing their uniform already becaue they just have no clue, and the other 1/3 are preparing to practice on the bus playing catch with oranges. almost as nice as a private jet right? the entire 16 hours i had kids running into my chair, sleeping on the floor underneath my feet, screaming for another movie, or to change the language of the movie, and the best part was how great 15 year olds smell :)
well we got to Apeldoorn. Since they told me it wouldnt be like a hotel i stay at in the states, i prepared myself for the worst...like a holiday in express instead of a mariot? or maybe like one of the hotels with outdoor entrance because my dad complains how those are noisy and unsafe. well we pull up and park in the woods...im looking around for this "motel" or whatever...finally to the right i see like...well it looks like a camp site? and i about freak out. WE STAYED IN A HOSTILl. i dont know how to spell it. but it sounds just like hostill..do you ppl know what im talking about...really really nice. no air, no towels, no shampoo, no conditioner, no mouthwash, no free shower cap to try on and take pictures and laugh, no bible in the night stand, for that matter NO night stand, no shower curtain, AND NO FREAKING WIFI INTERNET. so ofcourse...my bitching begins. basically camping for another week? GREAT RIGHT UP MY ALLEY!
well i survived. it was about 98 degrees F some days, but we had no air so it was hotter inside. the field was alright. we played teams from all over: france, Robur, Europe, USA, Holland, and we met alot of people too. We had fans that I had never met til i got here, and that was kind of cool. they brought us holland gifts and cheered for us all week! i pitched every game for the sr's team and coached every game for the younger team. so i got my fair share of softball. I would love to continue and bore yall with more softball talk, but the trip wasnt about ball. it was about seeing another country, meeting foreigners, hearing different languages, communicating with out talking, meeting new upires, getting to know the sr team. i mean it was great! ofcourse it had its falls: walking half a mile to email my mom and dad, no air, no wifi, did i mention no air?
if anyone knows me, yall know my biggest pet peve is being hot for no reason. i can sweat for hours when i play ball or when i work out, but sweating when i sleep and when i sit inside just really rides my nerves.
but anyways it turned out to be a great trip. i got really close to kristen. i probably laughed for a straight week. no joke, we had the time of our lives. i got really close with Tes, and Lina:2 girls that play on the srs team. tes is swedish/american and plays in cali when she lives in the states, and lina is about to movie to ohio to play in the states.
One umpire really took a liking to me. he was a physical therapist as well and he rubbed out my knotts and stuff after games. he was really sweet. one of our fans came to ever game. her and her husband. id guess they were about 60. she was so sweet. I met the USA softball and baseball team. i got close with the tournament directors. I mean it was just so great to see all the people of different languages and cultures come togehter and be able to communicate in enlish or somehow. they communicated better than americans that live in the US. haha.
You know whats really funny? were at the opening ceremony..they play everyones national anthem, and youd think hollands would be last and they would have someone come sing it live right? WRONG, they had someone come and sing America's national anthem. that was kind of cool!
So one night we went down town. It was great. Holland Soccer (futbol) garb was everywhere...the town was so awake due to the soccer team being in the finals. i try and conn my way into free drinks and stuff. I just tell them Im american and see what i can do from there. it works more than half the time.
Another night I had a braniac idea to rent the bikes from the hostill and go down town again for one last sight seeing. It was such a good idea. we saw all the apartments, parks, everything...and just as were on our way home (20 minute bike ride) the sky opens up and we were caught in a European tsunami. no joke. im talking raining cats and dogs...and not like teacup dogs, like huge german sheapards. it was crazy. we were soaked. at first kristen and i were biking faster and faster to try and get out of the rain, but once i was soaked we just slowed down and enjoyed it. we were jumping in puddles, swimming in the fountains. it was so fun. We pulled up to the "resort" and EVERY baseball and softball coach were standing on the porch waiting for us. taking pictures, laughing, bringin us towels. So ofcourse i get off the bike and say "is it supposed to rain tonight" hahaha we all laughed. all week I would go into the resort and watch the soccer games and eat peanuts at the bar...so the bar tender so kindly brought me my peanuts and we sat soaking wet laughing and eating until my abs hurt.
before we left on our tsunami excursion, i hung my jersey in the tree outside of my "suite" of a room. When i got back it had obviously blown away. i found it in the morning soaking wet! awesome shannon..real good job. haha but we laughed for days about it! So the resort/hostill was called "Stay Okay". You dont have to take any marketing classes to know thats just bad. bad decision on the name. first of all its not honest...if you want to be honest you should call it "stay shitty" but even still, why would you create a place where someone could just stay OKAY? who wants to stay okay? maybe "stay great" or "stay forever" or "Stay happy" i mean stay okay? and people go to this place and pay to just stay okay? really blows my mind.
so all week i called it "stay away" i guess everyone liked my name and within a couple of days i had the entire baseball and softball team calling the resort stay away. i guess they werent staying okay either? hahaha Eurpeans are crazy i tell you.
so the holland trip was a total success. i just love traveling. i think it would be alot more enjoyable in a room serviced hotel but...I MADE IT!
since we have been home, i have been to the beach, practiced, & coached. Tonight we had a b-day dinner for Tove. I made the cakes. Ill show yall a picture soon hopefully! the grandma and grandpa came over too which was nice! i talked with them a bit. I miss my gramps, well and my grams for that matter. i havent seen her and i miss phoning her every other day. I always love when she tells me what the weather is like, what shes having for dinner, (pears and cheese) and how proud she is of me :) tonight i asked granpa how he was doing and he said not good at all... he has had cancer for quite some time now. i think 14 years.
If everyone can say a prayer for a man named Bill. He is like a grandfather to my best friend Katie. He was in the signage business with my old boss and Mama (grandma through Katie) Mama and Bill are best friends,,,Bill will probably not make it through the week :( LOve you Mama, Katie, Bill, and Purcell family. PS Bill:have a beer with my gramps and enjoy the ride :)
now that im "home" or back in Sweden i am homesick due to the fact that im not as new any more, and I have been here almost 2 months. i dont get any ice cream dates with my dad here, and no one has a cold water waiting for me after my runs...but i guess thats life? pshh...id kill to have a couple days at home right now.
In 3 weeks I will be coaching the national team in Prog, Turkey! how exciting right? strictly coaching which I am excited about. 26 hour bus ride...im still picturing myself in a private jet though. should be great! its so funny house much i can bitch about something but have the time of my life. i just love "shannons world" haha. good thing though bc i have to live in it forever.
there is a million things i wanted to blog about but ofcourse aftera week of laughing i cant remember. my laughing gets in the way of the tiny details im supposed to remember for yall.
i skyped mom and dad yesterday, that was great. We need to redue the loft upstairs though, it is looking kind of "tired". Here is a good song I think everyone can listen to..it might "take you home" for a bit.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KWMFyPU_csg
I think i will listen to this song, and lay it down for the night.
i always tell my mom i love to her to the stars and back. and she says no matter where i am we see the same stars. and it was weird. when i was on the ferry i saw the big dipper. its so crazy i see the same big dipper as everyone in Texas! kind of cool. ok go to the site i posted!
i miss yall like crazy
and love yall to the stars and back
"work hard, and play harder"
xoxo
shann
#1 on the field, #1 in your heart
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