Pain is Good...I think.

Thursday Night Volleyball. A way to keep in shape, socialize with friends, increase sporting ability, make yourself look like a fool in front of pro Samoans, and realize how much you're out of shape.

I used to go to our stakes' volleyball night religiously (ha), and then I quit for a couple months with life being too busy. We started it up again this past month and tonight was the first night the Samoans returned.

Oy.

Don't get me wrong, I love playing against these guys. After all I'm related to one now, thus making me related to every Samoan in Utah. They're amazingly fast, powerful and just plain volleyball superheroes. I love the rush when I save one of their spikes, or get one of their jump serves (which includes watching my life flash before my eyes before impact). You can't imagine the rush of blocking a hit up close by the net in which I decide in a split second if I value my vision and/or face more than the victory of blocking a 100/mph hit from a guy who can jump 5 ft in the air without trying.

Playing against these pro's only improves me each time and I wouldn't have it any other way. Not to be humble, but I'm quite the decent volleyball player after having years of coaching from a vollyball superstar sister, so it's not like I'm some novice playing against pros. I know what I'm doing, but these guys are just SO GOOD.

I swear they have iron arms with supersonic fast reflexes, and endless muscle power. (Vampires perhaps? Nah, just reading too much twilight I think)

The result in my relentless blocking of hits and serves after not playing for two weeks, is the picture below.

No, I don't have fat forearms with patches of fat here and there, They are swollen, have blood spots under the skin as well as a bunch of small bruises and one big one. I think when the Samoans get going, I get going and we push eachother to the point of exhaustion. (Or maybe it's just me, and I'm kidding myself)

I have to admit though, I over did it tonight. I'm now nursing my ever bad left knee (which I won't be able to walk on tomorrow or the next day), arms so tender and swollen I can't wear a long sleeve shirt because touching them hurts so bad, a large headache from overexertion, one blister on my foot, and calves and thighs so sore I can't exactly walk upstairs or downstairs. Just straight forward (I like to dive for stray hits, what can I say?)

After taking two very large Extra strength Tylenol, and Icing my knee, I'm off to bed to dream about a sport I have a love/hate relationship with. Over time my arms will toughen up again and I'll be used to the 2hr game of death minus headache and killer knee.

So this is a good thing. I have to get right back on the horse and keep going.

Can someone bring me a ladder though? My leg won't lift that high on it's own right now.