Though Mom and Dad came in for Senior Day on Saturday, we also snuck in a lot of fun sites and played tourist for a bit. They stayed at the swanky New York Athletic Club (NYAC) across from Central Park thanks to our great friend Pete, (Thanks again!) which was a great central location for all of our mini adventures. We walked through Time Square, Rockefeller Plaza, by Carnegie Hall , the Brooklyn Bridge and Central Park. We also indulged in some delicious eats including Doughnut Plant, Trattoria Dell’Arte, and Union Square Cafe with Phebe’s family.
WE MADE IT TO THE NCAA’S! Today we found out that we got an at-large bid to the NCAA DIII Soccer tournament, one of 24 spots left. Six teams in our conference qualified, including: Chicago, Brandeis, Wash U, Emory and league champs, Carnegie Mellon. This is the first time in twelve years that NYU has made the tournament. The second in NYU Women’s Soccer history, and the first time that it has been done via “at-large” bid.
I can’t put into words how an incredible of a feeling this is. Four years of blood, sweat, tears, broken bones, torn ligaments, bruises, and turf burns. I am so incredibly proud of all my teammates, past and present who have made this moment possible. This has not only been a personal goal of mine, but a program goal that was set four years ago and it is truly unreal to see how much everything has progressed in that time period.
I’m going to keep this short and sweet, because I’m so excited and there’s still a lot we have to do.We play Amherst this weekend at Nazareth College in Rochester at 1:30PM on Saturday.
My soccer career would not have been possible without the love and support from my mom and dad. They are responsible for nearly two decades of driving me to and from practices and games, flying me across country for camps, recruiting visits, and tournaments and years of cheering from the sidelines. Through the roller coaster of my soccer career, and let me tell you, it’s had it’s fair share of ups and downs, they’ve been there every step of the way, and I am eternally grateful for them.
This past weekend, we played Brandeis in our final home game of the season. The school honored us (seniors) with a pregame ceremony, but I couldn’t help but think that my parents should have been the ones honored. Behind the eight of us, stood parents, grandparents, brothers and sisters who all made sacrifices to help us reach our goals of playing college soccer for NYU. Sure, we battled injuries, balanced classwork with a demanding travel schedule, but our parents and families were the ones who reassured us at the end of every phone call, every text, every email. They believed in us when we didn’t believe in ourselves and pushed us when we didn’t think we could go any further.
So in honor of the end of my soccer career, I would like to thank my parents because without them, I would be nowhere close to where I am today.
As I sit here on my last bus ride to Gaelic, I find it surprising that I’m not overwhelmed by a flood of emotions. It is, after all, my last collegiate soccer game, the last game of my career.
Man, that’s depressing to write.
Today begin like any other day – I got up, got ready, met up with Phebe and headed to Coles. Four years of waking my tired body, and forcing myself to get out of bed. Four years of carefully evaluating pregame and practice meals. Four years of walking to and from second home, Coles. Four years of taping my body up, of icing, of stretching, and foam rolling. Four years of hopping in vans and buses just to get to our “home” fields. And after four years, it’s all coming to an abrupt halt.
It still hasn’t hit me yet. I’ve been reflecting on it all week but I’m still at a loss for words. How can I describe my four-year career in a single word? Ineffable – I don’t expect you to understand because it’s simply been indescribable in so many positive and negative ways.
Come December I won’t have mandatory workouts, or meetings or lifts or events to attend. I won’t have to pass fitness tests or complete three-minute planks. I won’t have a stringent schedule to follow all summer and winter and I most definitely won’t have the last three weeks of summer planned out down to the last minute.
So, what comes next? Retirement? If we win or tie today, we might get an at-large bid to the NCAA tournament next week. If we lose, there is the chance of ECAC’s, which would be great and terrible at the same time. Making the NCAA tournament has been a goal of mine for the past four years. This has been a long time coming and I can only hope that we continue to perform to the best of our abilities.
I’ve collected a series of shots over the past four years. Looking back its crazy to see how much has changed.
Surprising friends and family is one of my favorite things to do, especially while I’ve been in college. Thanks to the generous support of my Dad, I’ve been able to surprise my mom on multiple occasions and now my sister! Here’s the latest “Megventure” update from Chattanooga, Tennessee!
This season has been physically and emotionally draining. After sitting out for nearly a month with my back, and going through the painfully slow process of getting cleared, it was established that I probably wouldn’t be traveling with the team to Chicago and St. Louis over Halloween weekend. This happened to be the same weekend my sister was also set to be in Chattanooga, TN for her first college race. After learning I wasn’t traveling on the 29th, I jokingly texted my Dad asking if I could surprise my sister in Tennessee with a quick stop in Nashville on Halloween to meet up with Dave and his friend CJ. My joke soon became a reality, when just hours later my flights, Megabus (oh my) and hotels were booked.
Fast forward: It’s now Friday morning (Halloween) and I find myself trekking it to JFK via the subway. Truth be told, I’ve never taken the subway to the airport, just the LIRR – THEY ARE VERY DIFFERENT EXPERIENCES. After switching trains four times and finding a fellow Greenwich Villager like myself, I finally arrived at JFK and made my way to the Admiral’s Club (my airport safe haven). This is when the surprise truly began to take form – I had talked with Twist and explained that I was going to have a boring weekend and was considering going to Boston (lest I slip up and accidentally post a traveling pic to social media). After some delays, I finally got on my flight to Nashville via Dulles and then sprinted through the airport to catch my next flight. Less than 10 minutes later, I was upgraded to First Class (granted it wasn’t that different on the tiny plane), and well on my way to the south.
Upon arriving in Nashville, I was immediately greeted by a gentleman on my flight asking if he wanted to split a cab downtown. HELLO SOUTHERN HOSPITALITY?! I quickly abandoned my New York attitude and said, “Why not?” 20 short minutes later, I was in downtown Nashville and met up with the boys. I immediately fell in love with the city – the people were so sweet, the food was to die for, and the music… don’t even get me started. The three of us ventured out to get some food at Peg Leg Porker (definitely recommend it) then out that night to numerous bars to celebrate Halloween, country-style!
Hours later, I was packing up and headed on my first Megabus Adventure. I paid $14 dollars for my seat on the double-decker packed bus to Chattanooga. I ended up sitting next to a mother and we exchanged stories about our lives – she was on a 15 hour bus ride from Indianapolis to Atlanta (WOAH!). Upon arriving in Chattanooga a few hours later, I sprinted towards “civilization”, also known as Starbucks to get some caffeine and figure out how to get across town. Unlike New York or Nashville, Über does not exist in this quaint town. After ordering, I asked the barista his recommendation on getting across town. His response, “Try making a friend, I’m sure they won’t mind.” I wish I could have seen my face in that moment because before I could utter another word, he added, “You’re not from around here are you?” Laughing off what I thought was a joke, I began looking up taxi services to bring me to the hotel a few miles down the road. Thirty minutes later, a woman in an old, cluttered white mini van pulls up and I hop in. I kept saying to myself, “Toto, I don’t think we’re in New York anymore.”
After checking into my hotel, I began my reconnaissance of my sister’s hotel across the street. I sat in the lobby for an hour waiting for her team to come back to the hotel from the race course, but began to get hungry so I headed back to my room. I found out that a website similar to Delivery.com exists in Chattanooga, but there’s only about 5 different restaurants with the same cuisine (BBQ) – lucky for me, I was in the mood for some southern cooking. Once I finished eating, I trekked back to my sister’s hotel and ran into some of her novice teammates who led me into their workout room where Twist would soon be heading. A few minutes later, Twist was in my arms crying; a surge of emotions no doubt overwhelming the two of us. I knew she had team obligations and workouts before we could hang again, but I was just so happy I was able to see her for a few minutes! It had been almost three months since I had seen her last – and so much had changed for the two of us since then.
Unfortunately, my sister’s races were canceled on Saturday because of strong winds, so she told me to go ahead and move my flight up a day because there was literally NOTHING for me to do in Chattanooga except watch her race. No more than fifteen minutes after I changed my flights, her races were re-scheduled to Sunday. I was really bummed I missed her race, but that’ll be something I can do next time I surprise her!
Sunday morning, I headed back out to the airport. I gave myself an hour and a half (because of my history with flights) even though the airport was a whopping 7 minutes away. I could have waited 20 minutes before boarding because that’s how long it took to get from my hotel room to the gate. Chattanooga has a single terminal, 5 gate airport (sans Starbucks) with a grand total of maybe 10 employees working at any given time. Unfortunately, my flight was delayed on the ground and I missed my connection in Chicago, pushing back my New York arrival time a few hours. I got back to my apartment late Sunday night with a big smile on my face, knowing that I had once again successfully surprised my family!
It was definitely another Megventure for the books and I am so incredibly blessed I had the opportunity to surprise Twist, hang with Dave, and see Nashville!
Beginning of the Megventure
New York, NY
Admirals Club
New York, NY
Headed to Nashville
First Stop: Peg Leg Porker
Full Rack of Dry Ribs
Peg Leg Porker
Pulled Pork, Mac ‘n Cheese and Beans
Peg Leg Porker
Frustration might not be the right word to describe what I was feeling going into this preseason. Frustrated doesn’t even begin to explain it. Upset, disheartened, and defeated don’t even get close to describing how I was feeling.
After a deadlifting accident last Fall, my lower back was in a state of chaos – leaving L4/L5 and L5/S1 partially sacralized and the prospect of returning 100% was questionable. Numerous doctors appointments, x-rays, cortisone injections, and physical therapy appointments failed to get me where I wanted heading into my senior season. Nevertheless, I was determined to get back on the field.
August 13th rolled around and I still had back spasms during workouts and a numb sensation down my leg whenever I ran for more than a few minutes. In a word, debilitating. I might as well have had the word UNCLEARED tattooed across my forehead because that was the simple truth. Another cortisone injection, a cocktail of medications, ice baths and a daily back massages helped me get on the field again. It was slow and excruciating learning how to dive again so that I didn’t further damage my spine. I believed that because I had done this twice before, why not a third time?
Nearly a month from that first day back on the field, just jogging for ten minutes, I am now back at it and fully cleared. There is still a painful jolt to my back every time my body slams into the ground, I have come to the realization that it is worth it. Every dive, every kick, every sprint. It is after all, my senior season.
Last first day? Is that even a thing? According to my Facebook last Tuesday, it is. There was a plethora of seniors who posted pictures of their first day of kindergarten accompanied by photos from their first day of senior year of college. Does time fly or what? Since Tuesdays are my busiest days (Lift, Soccer, 7 hours of class) I wasn’t able to snap a cute picture in front of the arch, but I think these photos will suffice.
In Front of Freedom Tower
New York, NY
Soph, Cassie, Amy and I
New York, NY
Happy First Day of School from your favorite NYU Goalies
New York, NY
As I sit here typing my summer recap, I can’t help but think these past few months were my “last summer”. I don’t mean to say that I won’t have days at the beach, or weekend getaways, but going into my last semester of school, the only things I imagine in my near future are long hours, office cubicles, and an entry-level income. That being said, this past summer was one for the books and here are my top 10 favorite things about Summer 2014:
1. FOX Sports San Diego – Is it ironic that I start my list with an internship? Over the summer I worked in the marketing department doing everything from learning about OAP’s (On-Air-Promotions) to helping manage our two brand representatives ( the FOX Sports SD Girls) to writing press releases and drafting tweets. The stuff I learned was only half the fun though; the people I worked with (shout out to Megan, Gema, Jacquelyn, Katie, and Brie… the list goes on) were absolutely incredible. I can only hope that my first job will have coworkers that are half as amazing as these ladies. Did I mention that I also got to cool events and spend my summer at the ballpark? Talk about one killer internship!
2. World Cup – Do sports montages make you as emotional as they make me? When the US qualified for the World Cup and the #IBelieve commercial came out, I was ECSTATIC to say the least. The best part of the WC, besides the US making it out of the Group of Death, was Tim Howard‘s stellar performance (16 SAVES!), putting a GK in the spotlight (He was even named Secretary of Defense on Wikipedia!).
3. Fourth of July – The fourth is my favorite holiday by and far. But, what’s not to like? Hot dogs, fireworks, slip n’ slides and hanging with friends. This year I spent my 4th on Coronado, which is arguably the best place to spend a fourth. There is a sense of camaraderie because it’s such big Navy town and there’s nothing better than watching fireworks on the beach, right?
4. The Beach – What sort of San Diegan would I be if I left the beach off my top 10 things about this summer? There’s no greater feeling than the saltiness of the air, wind blowing through your hair and the sun beating down on your face. The beach and ocean are my place of solace – where I go when I want to escape and I am so blessed to have so many beaches at my fingertips.
5. San Francisco – One of my best friends and teammates, Phebe, lives in San Francisco and I had the opportunity to spend a weekend with her in Marin. It was an adventure (Megventure) filled weekend and you can see all the highlights in my blog here!
6. Boston – This past Spring, I was elected as Vice President of NYU SAAC (Student-Athlete Advisory Committee). This position led to an opportunity to represent NYU at the UAA SAAC (University Athletic Association) in Boston the first week of August. I, along with the rest of our exec board and Denise, our advisor spent 48 hours in Boston reviewing legislature, meeting our conference rivals, and conquering a ropes course. I walked away with 30 new friends, a sense of community within our conference, and a black eye (Let me tell you, tag is dangerous!).
7. FOX Sports (LA) – On my last day in San Diego, I drove up to Los Angeles to get a tour of FOX Sports 1’s studios and meet with some people in the communications department. My visit to LA reaffirmed my passion for working in sports broadcasting and desire to continue my career with FOX Sports.
8. Learning to drive stick – I’ve wanted a shiny, fire engine red, Jeep Wrangler for as long as I can remember; the only thing standing in my way (besides the cost) is the fact that I have no idea how to drive manually. One of our closest family friends, Yo and Trena, however, own a 1985 Jeep Laredo and on one of their last days in San Diego they let me “learn” to drive stick. After stalling out what seemed like 100 times and giving whiplash to my passengers, I finally was able to shift up and down through the gears while riding around the block.
9. Catching up with old friends – I was a little weary of returning to San Diego this summer because many of my high school friends were either back at their respective colleges, interning in LA/NY, or traveling the world. Luckily for me, two of my oldest friends, Lauren and Kayla were around this summer and we spent HOURS together giggling, reminiscing and just being girls. It’s sort of strange to think that I’ve known them since I was less than a year old and 21 years later we’re still friends despite all the places I’ve moved and events that have transpired.
10. Spending time with family – Family is not an important thing to me. It’s EVERYTHING. This summer I was blessed to spend so much time with my mom, dad and sister, along with my adopted family (the Staab’s). I know I can always count on them to have my back and support me in all my endeavors. As I end my last summer, I realized how much they’ve sacrificed for me to get where I’m at and I’m eternally thankful for everything they’ve done.
As the leaves turn to orange, the weather gets colder and football season hits full force, I bid adieu to my last summer. I will cherish it closely in my heart forever.
5 D’s of Dodgeball:Dodge, Dip, Duck, Dive, Dodge
San Diego,CA
FSSD Girls at the Races
What’s better than good friends and fireworks?
#1 in your hearts, #1 on the field
Los Angeles, CA
“Taking over for Eric Wynalda, I’m Meg Patten. On behalf of Rob Stone, Warren Burton, Brian McBride and FOX Sports 1, thanks for watching.”
Los Angeles, CA
7 Miles later… the most gorgeous view with a gorgeous best friend.
Stinson, CA
“She had not felt the weight, until she felt the freedom”
Tiburon, CA
Happiness is the sand between my nose and a sunburn on my nose
Coronado, CA
Best SAAC in the UAA
Boston, MA
Driving them crazy
San Diego, CA
Old Friends are Gold Friends
My Rocks
San Diego, CA
Years of hard work, dedication, blood, sweat and tears into art.
San Diego, CA
What’s a football-loving girl to do when she lands tickets to the NFL draft in the middle of finals?The only possible answer is: head uptown to Radio City and spend the majority of her Saturday watching the fifth through seventh rounds. Though there isn’t traditionally a ton of excitement during these later rounds, there was still a lot of buzz following these rounds including the drafting of Alabama QB AJ McCarron in the 5th round by Cincinnati and Michael Sam as 256th overall in the 7th round by the Rams.
I had two sets of tickets available to me including priority tickets that I was able to get online and group tickets through a friend. I had invited my two teammates, Phebe and Julie, to join me so I opted to use the group tickets. After drowning in humidity for almost an hour, we finally were able to get our VIP tickets for inside Radio City. Once we were inside, we walked straight into throngs of NFL jersey sporting fans taking photos next to the Lombardi Trophy and just walking about. I was genuinely surprised at how low-key the event felt. After walking around and getting situated with the layout, we found our seats in the second mezzanine, which provided for a great view of the draft and plush seats to rest our weary bodies on. I saw a bunch of seats up towards the front row and urged us to walk around to see if we could sneak our way up there. As we walked around the floor level, a security guard asked us if we wanted to sit in the front – we happily obliged.
How many times in your lifetime will you get to sit in the front row of the NLF Draft? Hopefully, more than once. Just another bucket list item to cross off my list.
What sort of daughter would I be if I didn’t write about how amazing my Mom is on Mother’s Day? It goes without saying that my Mom is the most amazing woman in the World – she’s transformed my life in numerous ways and has taught me more than I can remember. I have always been called a “Daddy’s Girl” but the fact of the matter is that I am my Mother’s Daughter through and through.
This post is dedicated to 21 of the millions of lessons my mother has instilled in me.
Take lots of pictures – The name of this blog is titled after my mom’s advice when I was handed a camera when I turned 8 at Disney World. “Snap away Meg, capture the memories”. This sentiment has truly stayed with me, whether it is via snapchat or with my Canon.
Home is where the heart is – Moving around as a kid was like one 15 year-long adventure. Kudos to my Mom for packing up the house (by herself on more than one occasion) and bravely moving us around with a smile on her face. We have a sign in our house that reads, “Home is where the Navy Sends You”, but she taught me that it’s not where you live that matters, but where your family and heart is.
Family First – This is pretty self-explanatory but she has reiterated numerous times that your family always comes first. No exceptions.
Making friends is a hobby – I distinctly remember my mom telling me that making friends was her favorite hobby when I was 9 years old and living in Japan. I really didn’t quite understand this because sports were my favorite hobby. As I’ve grown up and (hopefully) matured, I’ve come to embody that same sentiment. I love making friends more than anything!
Is it a want or is it a need? – Every time I go shopping, my Mom’s voice rings in the back of my head, “Is it a want or a need?” I am not very good with spending money (or rather saving it) so this is something that I hope I will get better with as time passes.
Never quit – I have on more than one occasion wanted to quit a team or drop a class, but my mother has always told me that Patten’s never quit. To this day, I have always finished out the season or completed the class. You feel so much better knowing you stuck with it.
Handwritten thank you notes never go out of style – I always dreaded writing thank you notes as a kid, but as I’ve grown up, I have realized the value of writing somebody a quick note, no matter how small or insignificant the task. It takes five minutes and gives you an excuse to get cute stationary.
Put your phone down – We have No-Phones at the table policy, but this has extended into other social gatherings. I have learned that you learn so much more about a person when you’re 100% focused on them and not your boring virtual conversation.
Leave your judgments at the door – Don’t judge a person until you’ve walked a mile in their shoes. My mom taught me that everybody comes from different circumstances and backgrounds and it’s rude to judge them for their decisions.
Sunscreen. Sunscreen. Sunscreen. – My mother is a skin cancer survivor and has instilled in my sister and I an obligation to our skin. Though this took me longer to put into actions, I now put on SPF everyday before I head out the door.
It’s 5 O’Clock somewhere – My mom not only taught me that it’s acceptable to have a beer at 5, but that as a girl, it’s totally okay to love beer. She taught me to make jello shots at a young age for the parties we hosted and that a glass of wine on top of Iron Mountain with your girlfriends will solve most of the problems coming your way.
It’s okay to have feelings and be sensitive – My mom used to (and still does) call me Ajax for my abrasive personality, but what I have learned from this is that it is okay to have feelings and wear them on my sleeve.
A clean house is a happy house – I could never understand why my mom cleaned so much before parties and required us to keep clean rooms until I moved into my own place and lived with people who have no sense of cleanliness.
It’s okay to ask for help – My mom always is there for me and has taught me, despite my extreme stubbornness that it is more than okay to ask for help. It is not a sign of weakness, rather a sign of strength to admit that you need help.
Remind people that you love them – I carry around a note in my wallet from 9th grade that my Mom put in my lunch saying I love you. It’s these little notes and random texts that make the best feeling in the world.
Be patient – Patience is not one of my strong suits and my family has tested my patience on more than one occasion, and definitely on purpose multiple times. My mom has always preached to me that patience is one of the best qualities you can practice.
Don’t grow up to fast. It’s okay to act your age – You know that movie ’13 Going on 30′ – that was me for a large portion of my childhood. I always sought more responsibilities, more freedom, more fun, but what I lost were those crazy moments spent with kids my own age.
Do what you love, love what you do – This should be self-explanatory, but my mom simply lives by this rule. She’s a stay at home mom that does cooler things than I do. Honestly, I’m jealous!
Pick up the phone and call – I used to be petrified of picking up the phone and calling anybody, but now calling people is one of my favorite things to do. I always remember listening to my mom call friends and family from around the world to catch up. Nothing replaces organic conversation.
Life is short. Cherish each and every moment. – My mom’s mom died at a super young age and my mom has always reiterated that life is short. You never know what moments you’ll be laughing at 20 years from now so cherish the memories now.
Be Yourself – My mom has taught me that above all, being yourself and staying true to your identity, whatever it may be, is the most important thing of all.
Mom – thank you for the memories, the wonderful days spent together, and the many life lessons. I can only hope to be as amazing as you when I finally grow up.
