I'll be honest -- it's not easy to take a seven-hour bus trip to games instead of hopping on a plane. But it does give my team, Sky Blue FC, valuable time to get to know one another! I've been playing on different pro teams and for various leagues for more than 10 years, so I definitely understand the circumstances of a start-up league -- and I'm so excited to be playing for the National Women's Soccer League.

Whatever ups and downs I've had through my career, I try to be as optimistic and positive as possible because I want this league to work out so badly. I could get frustrated that the training room is at a different location from the practice field, or that we don't have a locker room; but it's pointless to compare things to the past leagues -- those leagues did fail, and this is our chance to do better and do it in a sustainable way.

It's good to be back in Jersey, my home state, starting fresh with a group of girls who are really committed to playing great soccer. We're not there yet, but we're coming together quickly as a team. It's a starting point for me as an older player, too. I wouldn't say I'm so much in "mom" mode, but I'm enjoying the fact that I can be a leader not just on the field, but also in teaching younger players how to be professional soccer players. We're going to make mistakes, and that's OK. It gives us something to build on and learn from.

I'm also fortunate to be able to keep my family life as normal as it can be. I get my girls, Rylie (age 7) and Reece (age 3), up at 7 a.m., get them ready for school and get their lunches made. I'm out the door by 7:45 to drive to the training room and get taped, and then drive another 15 minutes to the field. Then, as soon as training is over, I'm back in the car heading home to be with the girls. It's a lot of driving, but I enjoy the quiet time -- it's the only time I have to myself!

For me, training is just one part of my day, whereas for some of the other players it is their day. I can only put so much focus on it; once I pull into the driveway, I really change into "mom" mode. I have to stay one step ahead of the game, and am always trying to keep everything organized as best as I can. I go grocery shopping on the weekends so I'm not always running out midweek, but fortunately there's a Target right next to the gym where we lift and get taped. The other players make fun of me because I'm always making quick Target runs in between training sessions. I pack my own lunch, stealing my kids' lunch boxes, and have all my practice gear in my car so I don't have to worry if I've brought the wrong stuff for that day. It's safe to say I pretty much live out of my car.

Next up we're heading to Rochester to play the Western New York Flash on Wednesday. Cue up the bus trip! As I said, the long trips are a great chance for us to just ask each other questions and learn more about each other. We have a player, Caitlin Foord, who's only 18 years old and came over here from Australia. She's closer in age to my daughter, Rylie, than to me -- I think it's so amazing that she had the confidence to come over to another country to play at such a young age. And then we had one player, Katy Freels (Frierson until a couple weeks ago!), who just got married. With such a range of ages and lifestyles, we're all really different, but I think our coach, Jim Gabarra, picked a great team, and we're meshing well on the field.

It's our second time playing against the Flash, and it will be a tough game. When we faced off before, we didn't have a whole lot of familiarity with ourselves. We played a more direct style and this match we will attempt to have more balance and take what the game presents. Hopefully we'll be more composed this time and able to connect more passes. It's also a challenge not to get into a battle playing against Abby Wambach. She's such an amazing forward that sometimes you forget to play your own game. We've got to be mindful of where she is at all times, but also not make her our main focus.

So far I think the NWSL is off to a good start. No one team is dominating yet and everything is up for grabs, which keeps it exciting. Hopefully by midseason we'll see more of a personality emerge from each of the teams. Right now, I can't even say who Sky Blue FC is as a team, but that's the fun part -- we get to figure it out!