So it's been about 2 weeks since my last post and a TON has happened, i'm just hoping that I can remember it all as I write this hahah!
I guess I'll start of by saying that I was offered a contract last week by the East Perth Eagles of the SBL (state basketball league) in WA (western Australia) Perth!! I am suppossed to receive the paperwork early this week to sign and all will be set in stone!! I am SUPER excited as it was my goal to have a contract lined up before leaving Darwin to head home for Christmas, and sure enough I achieved it!! I can't be more thankful for yet another blessing in my bball career, it's a crazy business to be in but I love every moment of it! Nothing like a Christmas present to yourself :). All the hard work I've put in this past year is really paying off and deals are starting to fly in at me left and right! So needless to say I'll be returning to Australia February 19th for pre-season training with my new squad!!
I am also super pumped that about 3-6 AIA (athletes in action) guys will be in Perth playing ball as well for other teams!!! There was a good group of guys out there this past season and I know they had a blast all getting together for church and bible studies every so often. I'm really looking forward to that situation and being able to grow spiritually with some other ballers. The last situation I had like that was in England with Johny O. and I miss that a lot. It's been tough at times out here w/o anyone to push me to stay on track and further my walk with God, so I'm really excited about that!!
On to other news....
We played last Tuesday against the TV Jets and ended up winning by about 25pts. It was a game that sealed us in 3rd place for the playoffs! I had 24pts and 14rebs. So from that point on it doesn't matter how we do the last 2 games of the regular season, ALTHOUGH of course we want to win every game and get in a good rythm as a team going into the playoffs. So last night we had our final Saturday game of the regular season. We played against the Rebels who are currently tied for 1st place and are a tough team, although they are not deep off the bench at all. It was a battle and we made a great run in the 4th quarter to cut their lead to 6 but couldn't pull out the victory. We ended up losing by 9 points, but hopefully we will get another shot at them for the championship game... I finished with 21pts and 13rebs. Now we have our final game on Tuesday against the Lightning who we have already beaten 2 or 3 times. Then it's on to the first round of the playoffs the following Tuesday. I'm excited to see how things pan out, I think our guys will be ready to roll.
In our game last Tuesday I took an elbow to the face and got my lower lip busted open through my tooth!!! I ended up playing the rest of the game, but had to go get 3 stitches later that night at the ER hahaha. It actually didn't hurt as bad as you think it would... Anyway I've got them in for a week then I'll get them taken out. Might have a nice little scar for that one :)
Work has been pretty busy actually. I'm getting 4-5 days a week and it's keeping me busy passing the time. I've decided to work up until the 6th of December, right before I take off. My U.G.L.Y. fundraiser is still going very well and we're currently up to $640, almost to our $1000 goal! I still have until December 1st to get all my funds raised and turned in to be eligible to win the contest, so we're making good progress.
The schools I've been working at weekly have been going well and I'm having fun teaching them some new things. It's always a challenge to get 25-30 kids to focus for a whole hour but that's part of the fun of it all haha. Every time I'm around the kids it makes me think about when I have kids how crazy the whole journey is gonna be! Being a parent must be quite the experience... It's definitely a FULL time job hahaha. I'm looking forward to it, let's just say that (although I have no plans anytime soon to be a Dad so get that mixed up haha!).
I finally made it into a church for a service today!! It's been WAYYYYY to long and it felt nice to be back in it again (even though I do online services every week, it's just not the same). I went to a christian church just a few minutes from our house and it was a small but nice play to worship and get my Jesus time in. I'll definitely be there for my last few Sundays I have left!!
As you can tell from the title there's 23 days and counting until I touch down in SeaTown and I can't express to you how excited I am to be coming home!!! It's more than ever before when I've been out of the country... Although I must say that I am going to miss being here in Darwin. It really feels like home here and a big reason for that is Momma Donna. She has made this situation here feel just like home! I've been treated and loved like a son and can't express how much I appreciate that. I'm definitely planning up something nice for her before I leave! I've really been lucky to make some nice friends while I've spent my time on the road the past 5-6 months. I couldn't be any more happy for the past 2 contracts I've had. This is just the beginning of my career in Australia though!!
I often catch myself thinking while at work or on the way to the bus stop or while getting shots up at the gym. I really am truely blessed to be able to do what I do and travel and see the world. I know I am missing things back home, but honestly every time I come back not much has really "changed". People are usually still doing the "same old" things and still working at the same old jobs. So as much as I sometimes think about hanging up the shoes for the "real world" again I usually quickly correct myself and remember how lucky I am to be doing what I do . There's a bunch of guys who would love to be in my position and "trade" lives... I always end up talking to old teammates and all they ever say is "keep playing until you can't do it anymore!!" I think that's the right advice to give. As much as there are certain things and people back home that I want to be with 24/7 I believe in my heart that God has me doing what I'm doing for a reason. I'm on his path and it just happens to be as a professional bball player, what I always wanted to be...
Well it's going to be another super busy week with 5 days of work and a game on Tuesday night, but I'm sure it'll fly by like it has been. I hope all is going well for those back home and life is treating ya good! I'm thinking about everyone a ton and appreciate all the emails and skype calls that I get weekly, it makes me feel NOT so far from home :). Have a great and uplifting week, catch ya next time!
Until tomorrow...
"make it happen"
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