Volleyball Time!!

Oh how I miss watching college volleyball sometimes. Since being out of college sports for the last two years, there are certain things that spark my attention and make me crave to be working in the sports world again.

One plus side about my job at the Hilton is that I get to work, alongside with my co-worker, with the sports teams coming into our hotel. Imagine my excitement when I realized that volleyball teams were amongst those coming! I really enjoy watching the sport of volleyball. I think it is such an awesome game and I am always amazed by what the players can do!

This weekend marked our first set of volleyball teams at the hotel. To add to the excitement, I found out that one of the former players at Mercer is now an assistant at Villanova, and I would get to see her at the hotel! Julie was a junior when I started my two-year graduate assistantship at Mercer and so we got to spend two seasons together. She is such a wonderful girl, and I was super excited that I would be seeing her in North Carolina!

Furthermore, to add to the excitement was that Penn State, the two-time defending national champions, would be playing Villanova at the Carolina Classic at UNC. By the time I found all of this out, I was just giddy!!

So Brett and I headed out to Chapel Hill to watch the Nittany Lions of Penn State take on the Wildcats of Villanova. It was a good match and it was just great to be back in the volleyball atmosphere! Here are a few pictures from the match:

Miss Julie Darty...former Bear!

Action shot! haha!

Penn State during a timeout

These girls were huge and amazing!!

It was great to see the match and to see Julie! I can't wait until Mercer comes to play at NC State in a couple of weeks!!

Jack Johnson - To The Sea Tour

Last night, I had the chance to go see an amazing performer...Jack Johnson! My roommate ended up having an extra ticket, and I gladly accepted the offer to join in the fun! I can't remember the last concert I went to...I'm thinking maybe it was Daughtry in Macon a few years ago.

Anyways, the concert was held in an outdoor venue, the Time Warner Cable Pavilion at Walnut Creek in Raleigh. It was really hot, but still worth it! Unbeknownst to me, people tailgate before concerts...is that new or am I just out of the loop?!? So, we headed to the parking lot at Walnut Creek and chilled for a few hours. Things I learned from being in the parking lot before a Jack Johnson concert....Jack Johnson has a very eclectic mix of fans and Cornhole is a very popular game in North Carolina.

Our crew...Brett, Scott, Shannon, Elizabeth, & Nick.

Tailgaters and Cornhole

After a few hours in the parking lot, we headed inside to secure a good spot on the lawn and to get excited for the concert! ALO was the opening act and they provided some good music. G-Love followed...and for the life of me, I can't figure out why someone would self-name himself something that looks like "glove", but whatever. He was alright.

Hanging out before the show.

ALO...the opening act

G-Love...the second act

Finally, it was time for Jack Johnson!! I can honestly say it was one of the best concerts I've been to! I really appreciate artists that sound exactly the same live and on their albums. Jack Johnson put on a good show and I really enjoyed it!

To The Sea Tour!

Jack Johnson!!! Singing one of my favorite songs...Banana Pancakes!I think everyone enjoyed themselves!He closed the concert with my favorite song...Better Together!!

It was a great night and I'm glad I got the chance to go!