birthday week.

It's my birthday week! But I'm getting old and into pointless birthday's soooo I guess I should stop having weeklong celebrations.

This last weekend I went to the anniversary of the Miss Merrie Christmas pageant as the 1994 Little Miss Merrie Christmas with my LARGE lacy sash and all. Yes a few people giggled when they saw it, but I wore it very proudly.

THE sash :)

Saturday night I had a sleeping buddy; Miss Blair stayed the night with Nanna, Pops and I. Only I had to sleep in the same room with her with the RAIN! The rain has to go, ASAP. I always dread Sunday's when I have to go back to work. I love being home with my family and most of all the babies.

This past week at work has been pretty low key. With us not being in season and it being towards the end of the semester it's pretty quiet in our hallway. Next week we are in the office for 2 days then head to SAN ANTONIO for the AVCA Convention and Division I Final Four. I'm super excited, FREE VACATION!

This weekend is Stella's party and the Lady Antebellum concert! I cannot wait!!

Welcome Sweet December!

I think the movie title is Sweet November, but December is definetly the best month.

Day 22- I'm thankful today for text messaging. I know that sounds stupid, but the littlest smiley face or message can make your day.

Day 23- This is Ashley's day. Ashley is my caring, nurturing, easy going older sister. She has the KINDEST heart of all and is so strong. She has been through a lot in the past but never skips a beat and she will never let you know if she is in a bad mood. She goes with the flow. She is also the mother of this precious baby girl and my nephew who will be here in MARCH :)



Day 24- My step-parents. I seriously have the best step-parents EVER! Either one of them would do anything I asked them to do. Steve might complain about it, but he'd do it. Julie has always made sure to include us in EVERYTHING and she always was there when we needed something like laundry, cookies (my fav), wedding stuff, etc. I am so lucky all 4 of my parents get along so well.

Day 25- Yuki's treadmill. HAHA something ridiculous, but in this cold weather I'm thankful she had a treadmill and I do not have to go buy a membership somewhere to get my run in.

Day 26- Today I'm thankful for BLOGGER! Without this blog I wouldn't be able to log on everyday and see what one of my best friends is up to in NEW YORK! Love Jennissa and I'm so glad she's doing something out of the box.

Day 27- Itunes. I used to never use Itunes and got music illegally, well one day this past summer I got a VIRUS, a $125 virus. YIKES! I vowed I'd be picky about my music from then on.

Day 28- Drury. Drury provided SO many opportunities for me. I don't think I'd be where I was without Drury and the people I met there. That was my life for the last four years, and I'm counting all my blessings.

Day 29- I'm thankful for band-aids. No joke, I SLICED MY KNUCKLE AND HAD SKIN DANGLING FROM IT! I was trying to get some dried hot glue off of something and I used some razor blades that my mom had used to clean my oven. I wasn't thinking and was scrapping toward the body, I know..."ALWAYS CUT AWAY FROM YOURSELF" (I can totally hear my mom saying that). Thank goodness for Yuki's medical bag being here at the house, band-aids GALORE!

Day 30- Lastly, my education. If there was one thing my parents would NEVER let me do (and they really could care less what I did) it was let me quit school or not finish something. Currently I'm working on my Master's Degree...after that I'm DONE forever. A master's degree will allow me to get one step closer to my ideal job, a Division I head volleyball coach.

I'll leave you with a family picture taken in October. How pretty is my fam???????

AND IT'S MY BIRTHDAY MONTH!

catching up

Obviously I am slacking:

Day 4- I'm super thankful for my siblings. I have a HUGE family and everytime I tell everyone how many brother's and sisters I have they kind of laugh. No people, not a joke: 2 real sisters, a step-sister, 2 step-brothers and half brother. It's always chaotic at times, but I wouldn't have it any other way. Sounds so cliche I know, but seriously...they rock.

Day 5- Day five is dedicated to JENNISSA! She is such a courageous person who I really look up to. She is not afraid to stand up to anyone and always has to coolest stories. She's been such a good friend to me and makes me realize what is really important. Why #5 you ask?? Well that is when I first met Jennissa, in 5th grade. She had the coolest zipper pull that was a thermometer!

Day 6- I'm thankful for my college friends/teammates. I had the privilege to play volleyball with some AMAZING teammates. And not only were they my teammates, they were my best friends. I lived with Kyrie for four years and although we did fight some, she is still some that I talk to at least 3 days a week. I also talk to Rachel and the 'snatch pod' the about every week. They are incredible and we had so many fun times.

Day 7- I'm thankful for my job. Although some can say 'your job isn't tough' it really, really is! It's such a mentally challenging job and you don't realize how much goes into it if you are just a player. I know I felt that way when I was in college, you get pissy about the littlest things like if you don't get to eat where you want...but someone's budget get charged for that! Whose the budget manager/watcher??? ME! It is tough.

Day 8- I'm thankful for sports. Sport build character...believe it! They have taught me so many life lessons.

Day 9- Skyler. Skyler and I fought like cats and dogs growing up, but now no one messes with the other without hearing about it. We can call and talk about nothing and it's fine. We have become so close and I love the relationship we share. (And I love her Hubby!)

Day 10- Buffalo Wild Wings. If you know me, I love me some good food. I've become addicted (not a good thing) to their boneless lunch special. Yes, my waist will agree.

Day 11- my players. I've learned so much this past year with this group of girls. Granted it wasn't how we wanted our season to go, but they taught me ALOT. I saw so much of myself in their mannerisms, both good and bad. I would call my mom with a story and she would say 'you acted the same way Austin, remember calling me and....' If only I'd know then what I know now (Right Reba??)

Day 12- I'm thankful for HEAT. It's ice cold outside. I'm a whimp, I don't do heat well. Currently, my toes are frozen...need blankets!

Day 13- A washer and dryer. I LOVE doing laundry. Sick I know. But seriously I do at least 3 loads a week.

Day 14- I'm thankful for CABLE! Without it I wouldn't get to watch the most awesome reality shows. The list is too long to name, so I won't bore you. But if you know me, you know I'm OBSESSED with reality tv. (The Bachelor comes on in January...so pumped)

Day 15- Tom Brady. That man makes football worth watching...and I'm not even a HUGE fan. The Chiefs are somewhat of an embarrassment.

Day 16- Pictures. I love pictures and love to decorate with them. Just ask my Hobby Lobby Visa...too many frames

Day 17- HOBBY LOBBY! If you don't like HB then we cannot be friends. Thanks to my friend Michelle, I'm obsessed.

Day 18- I'm thankful for pens. Yes, the writing utensil known as pens make me smile. I have some favorite pens and people know to not touch them or else. I have always loved school supplies.

Day 19- my bed. I take a place to sleep for granted sometimes. I'm lucky to have a place to rest my head each night. And I'm super picky about my bed: I have a body pillow, 4 regular pillows, and 2 mattress pads on it. Yes, I am all about being comfy and feeling surrounded...I also loathe sharing my bed. My poor future hubby, hope he likes the couch :)

Day 20- Gain detergent. I have a favorite laundry detergent..GAIN original! I even have the Gain air freshner...totally obsessed.

Day 21- Today's thankful post is a short work week. Only a few e-mails stand in my way of getting to my friends in Springfield and home until SUNDAY! SO PUMPED! I love going home.


Thankfully I am caught up (no pun intended).
Much LOVE!

30 Days of Thankfulness.

Ok, I've been seeing all these posts on Facebook about Day 1: i'm thankful for...., Day 2: i'm thankful for..., and so on and so on. I'm a little leary about doing that on Facebook each day because I know how annoying I think it is when I'm in a bad mood or having a bad day so I'll use my BLOG to do it! Genious idea I know, but bear with me since I'm a little behind

Day 1: I'm thankful for my sweet neices and nephew who is on the his way! I literally could spend ALL day starring at their pictures and being around them. I cringe each time their parents get on to them, they are NEVER in the wrong but sometimes their mommies and daddies don't agree with me. I'm pretty sure some people think I'm obsessed, but when they get some they'll understand. It's the best feeling, ever! Unfortunately I do not have a picture of Bubby yet, but when I'm sure I'll post it.


         
 Miss Blair

         
               Miss Blair                                               Miss Stella

Day 2: I'm thankful for a loving and supportive parents. My supporting cast is seriously the greatest. My parents have supported me 110% and have always pushed me to be the best. My parents ran me all over the country for various volleyball tournaments, and have paid every dime of what my scholarship didn't pay for. I'm debt free out of college, awesome! They've always been there when I've needed someone or something.

Day 3: I'm truely thankful for my health. Being an athlete has honestly been the best thing that has happend to me! Not only did I get paid to workout, I now get paid to teach students/athletes how to take care of themselves and work them out. It's rewarding to me, some might think differently. I've never (knock on wood) had a major injury while being invovled in athletics and I've never had a major illness (knock on wood). I see people fighting daily from different injuries and diseases, and I really count my blessings. It's been challenging these past few months to figure out ways to stay motivated to work out since I'm not being forced too but I think I've managed well. I have actually lost some weight since the summer, so so far so good.

I'm already brainstorming Day 4...

in the meantime...

I feel like I am progressively getting worse at this whole blogging thing. It's been quite the month for my family and myself. It has also been what feels like the LONGEST month. The best day in October was the 13th when I received this beyond precious picture:

Yup, she is going to be a big sister to a baby BOY! I can now say that I called the sex of the baby when she found out she was preggers. How cute is my little pumpkin with her waffle fry! Her mom is already scared of how she will act when little brother comes, seeing as she has been written up in daycare at least 7 times already for hitting, kicking, etc. He will have a name within the next few months, mommy and daddy are still debating on whether to go with the "B" theme or not.

Volleyball is almost over, crazy that it has gone by so fast. I really love my job, but look forward to a weekend of NOTHING. Yesterday I laid in bed until 3pm after we didn't get home until 2pm. It was so nice to just lay there and relax. (although I paid for it last night when I had severe insomnia, cool.)

I also got the opportunity to go work on the set of Extreme Makeover: Home Edition here in Joplin. They are doing some extraordinary things with these houses and I got lucky and was chosen to volunteer on the first day. I met some of the neatest ladies while working. I volunteered by myself and kind of just hooked my wagon to Ryan, Robyn, and Julie. It was like we were friends before we even knew eachother.

It was such a fun day, I want to go back! I started out by unloading all the fencing and backyard materials for the homes, then I snuck away from that job to meander around and try to get to work on the actual houses and look who I found:

Yes, I found my main man.. TY PENNINGTON! And it was his birthday, so it was an extra special day... I even told him happy birthday right before this photo:



LOVE AT FIRST PICTURE!

I know I look a little ridiculous, but I was in shock that I actually went up to him and said "Hey Ty, can we get a picture with you?" Then I said "by the way Happy Birthday" and he said thanks and RUBBED MY BACK! That is definetly true love.

It's been quite the month, can't wait to see what the rest has in store. I'm so blessed to be in the position I am...

Lots of love!

one month hiatus.

i know, i know...it's been a month! i feel like i've been running around like crazy; leaving home early in the AM only to return when the sun is down. this whole 'real world' experience has been awesome so far, but there are some days that i'd like to stay in bed ALL day and just watch television. only in a perfect world would that be okay, or if i find my long lost sugar daddy...whom i'm still searching for :)

currently we are almost half way through our season, crazy to think we've played that much volleyball. although we have not had the season we'd hoped for, we have a really really great group of kids who continuely work hard each day of practice. i've learned that while it's is somewhat about winning, it is also about constant improvement and motivating these kids to keep putting in the time. i always tell the girls that i feel like i have 11 kids. i'm in charge of all 11 kids at one time, and they are almost the same age as me...weird! it's been such a rewarding experience and i wouldn't trade it for anything. i mean really, who doesn't love a job where they get to wear workout clothes and messy ponytails to work daily....yeah, i'm doing alright. life is good.

other exciting things include this little pumpkin:


I know, cutest little toddler ever. She doesn't even look like a 'baby' anymore, WHERE HAS TIME GONE! and to think she will be a big sister to the newest Bough addition in 5.5 months! NUTS! in 2 weeks we will find out the sex of the new addition, but secretly i've been praying for a boy so no one rains on sissy's parade. not right i know, but for reals...sissy is one of the princess of the family. Nan and Pops bought her and Miss Stella a new puppy named 'Mic'. Blair loves Mic and wants to walk him all the time wether Mic actually wants to walk or not. She always yells 'Meeek walk!' and if he doesn't she sits down and cries. eventually Mic runs over to her and starts licking her face which doesn't really help the situation, but she will get up and try again. poor Meeek.

this is Mic during labor day weekend, i haven't gotten another picture of him lately but it's safe to say he is almost double this size. fast growing little boy. Nan & Pops are trying to find him a new home because it's been a lot of work so far, but there have been no takers so it looks like Mic will forever be ruled by Sissy.


something else i'm pumped out- the CARDINALS clinching the NL wild card! since i've worked for the springfield cardinals it's been a big deal about what a down season our organization was having. we got phone calls, e-mails, facebook messages, etc in regards to our management not making the right decisions. now we can look back on those instances and laugh...we are going to the playoffs! just last week there was talk they wouldn't make it in, i've watched more hours of baseball the last 2 weeks than i've ever watched. and no, i'm not a bandwagon fan. i just don't like to sit and watch ALL of a game when there is reality tv i could be watching.

stay tuned for more updates...while you are at it, go over and read about my bestest friend Jennissa's awesome NY adventures. LOVE HER!

delayed.

it's been awhile - and a busy while to say the least. we started our preseason on the 15th, and ever since then it's been chaos. i can honestly say i LOVE my job. i work with some of the nicest kids around. they are competitive and constantly are striving to get better. our season gets underway this week and it's going to be so fun. we have a lot to work on before we start conference matches, 5 teams from our conference we ranked in the top 25 of the preseason poll. awesome news for our conference, but it's time for us to surprise some people.

other than volleyball,  nothing else is really new. i am starting to miss my friends from Springfield, but that just means i have to visit more often. and i can't wait to see my nieces and new baby b soon! can't wait to see my sisters baby belly soon, and can't wait to learn what baby is!

bye-bye sweet summertime.

yup, it's over. tomorrow marks the first day of my coaching career! i've been looking forward to season for a long time, and i cannot believe it's finally here! it will be the first time in at least 8 years that i haven't been through preseason myself. now i have the whistle and don't have to do any punishments, just be the punisher. ha! it's going to be an exciting year around MSSU volleyball, and i'm ready to get goin.

i think my OCD/organizationalness is getting the best of me lately. some of the girls' gear isn't in yet, so some of them are going without for a day or two and it's for some reason REALLY bothering me. although as my mom said it's no reflection of me it still bothers me! i hope it comes in by Tuesday at the latest so i'm not stressin' out anymore. for those of you who know me...i'm so stressed i have canker sores. yes, that bad!

other than season, it's not been very eventful to be me lately. my roommate moved in today. she is so nice and her parents are the cutest! they are so sweet, i'm thinking it's going to be a good fit. her parents are leaving tomorrow to go back home to japan, so i think she is kind of sad.

until next time bloggers..

10 things i miss.

since i've graduated from college i've had a lot of adjusting to do. i know in high school i used to say 'OMG, i cannot wait to get out of this crappy town (Lebanon)' and in college i would always say 'i cannot wait to get to not have anymore homework to do, EVER'. yeah well, now i retract all my statements i've ever made like that. how often is it that you live with your bffs and it's a constant good time??? i miss those days. so in honor of missing things, i give you 10 things i miss about college.

1. my roommate/bff, Kyrie. Kyrie and i lived together for four years! yes we had our fights, but we were like sisters and neither of us wanted anyone else to talk bad about the other and we were always ultimately there for eachother. we could spend days laying on the couch, drinking dr. pepper, watching television and eating chips and salsa. livin' the dream!

2. free rent. i had my scholarship that paid for almost 3/4 of my school, and then my parents foot the bill for the rest so the money that i made from camp, work, and juniors went in my pocket! only thing i paid for was gas. now i pay for it all, it SUCKS.

3. the commons. i hate, hate, hate cooking..especially when it's for just myself. the commons always had the infamous salad bar, or the grilled cheese when all other meals were sketchy. it was so nice to have food cooked for you, my ateries might not have liked it but i sure did. commons for life.

4. neighbors. i lived either in the dorm (1 year) or in an apartment where there was an abundance of college aged kids. always something going on, and always someone to go see. now, i am sitting in my recliner blogging and i rarely see my neighbors. in fact my neighbor told me once, we didn't even know someone lived there, we never ever see you. help!

5. fitness center. it was free to all students, so naturally when i was done with volleyball this last spring/winter i went and worked out at any time i pleased. now i have no weight room, just a neighbor hood loop and gravel roads. luckily at work i have an indoor track so i can use that, but i'm too embarrassed to run in front of a lot of people so i'm forced to wait until it all clears at about 5.30p to run. which is okay since i just sit in my recliner a lot.

6. baseball house. that infamous house was always where we hung out. EVERYONE knew what the baseball house was, and if not we knew you didn't belong at drury. we would party there, watch movies there, even meet there before we went out. granted kyrie and i lived literally right across the road, but it was always cooler to go there and meet people to go downtown.

7. speaking of downtown... i miss the downtown atmosphere. springfield is college central, so there were tons of bars and lots of people down there. i sound like a crazy wild child, i really wasn't i just liked to have ummm...fun! and the good thing about drury's location is the distance from downtown (or dt, as we texted it). instead of drinking and driving, bad news, we could walk across chestnut expressway to get home. lots of crazy things happened on our walks, so it was tradition that we walk.

8. my team. i miss being a part of a team with those girls. those are my friends, we all share the same bond and we all had a good time. we spent hours and hours together, and although we got sick of eachother, we were family. there is no other group of people that i'd rather be on a 12 hour bus trip with and no other group that could lay in our bunks and laugh at the most random things. miss those chicas.

9. summer vacay.  Back in college, I used to get bored during summer vacation. Two whole months of doing nothing but watch TV, read books at home, or working at a piece of cake summer job. i took some summer classes each summer but they were ONLINE, cake. i'd work volleyball camps in the summer and get paid to toss balls. now i have to plan camp, sort things for it, etc. not necessarily high stress, but my boss is a perfectionist so everything is done correctly or you redo it. i miss the days of if i didnt have to work, i went to lebanon (an hour away) or to the lake. now i have 0 days off during the week since i'm fulltime.

10. the excuse to make mistakes- and be forgiven for them. in an experimental period like college, we are given allowance to take risks and make mistakes; we were still at that learning phase. and while the learning never stops and we are bound to make mistakes in our career and adult life once in a while, the world (or your company for that matter) won’t be as understanding or as forgiving as when you were still a student. responsibility is at it's highest now.

happy jersday everyone!

almost humpday!

these past two days have flown by for me. i'm guessing it might have something to do with the fact that i have walked into my office each morning and had at least 4 voicemails in regards to community service (i'm the community service coordinator for our student-athletes) and different events prior to the start of school. i'm in a bind - most athletes won't report back to campus until august 13th, or august 17th, and most events are august 9th-11th. i really, really, really want to help out these organizations after the joplin tornado in may, but i've had to tell some organizations that it just isn't possible. prayers that we do not get any bad press over it. it's so awesome to see how much community service in the past our athletes have done for the community of joplin, but it is also a lot of paperwork on my part. AND we are exactly 2 weeks away from the start of season so i'm adding volleyball stuff on top of that. CRAZY BUSY!

the end of the week is more relaxing and laid back.. thursday we have our staff retreat in which all athletic staff will be on campus so it will be fun to see them all, and then this weekend i'm headed to lebanon, the lake, and six flags to hang with the fam. each year my dad and step mom try to get all of us kids and spouses together for a big six flags trip. some summers it works, some it doesn't. last year we did not go because Sissy Bough was too little to go. this year we get to take her with us, i'm sure she will LOVE the rides and games. she might enjoy a pretzel or two, and a slushy. can't wait to see my little pumpkin!

i was sitting on the couch tonight, waiting for another reality show to come on, and was thinking how blessed i truely am. so many good things are happening in my life and in my loved one's lives that i cannot thank Him enough. just another day to count my blessings :)

awesome –adjective; inspiring awe: an awesome weekend.

Awesome probably cannot describe how this weekend was. I had been looking forward to this weekend, and I was also dreading this weekend. It was a weekend full of celebrations.

First up, my BFF Jennissa's going away party. She is taking a giant step, like I've posted previously, and is on a jet-plane to Greenwich, Connecticut for at least SIX months. That is a LONG time, but I'm super super super excited for her. She will be an awesome influence on those kids and the family. I wish her nothing but the best, and plan on going to visit her while she is there. This wasn't necessarily a sad celebration, it was bittersweet.  Here are a few pictures to commemorate the events that night:

 This is Brittney E. and I downtown.

 The party girl, in the white, and two of her friends.

At trops we ran into a high school friend, Jay M.

Second celebration this weekend was an old teammates wedding and wedding reception. Krystal and Aaron have been together for quite awhile so this was a very centimental day. She was GORGEOUS and he look handsome as well. It was a mini-reunion for the Drury volleyballers. We had about 8 or 9 of us in town to celebrate so it was craziness to say the least. Our day started at about 3:30p, and last until well into the morning. I loved every second with these girls, so the hangover and tiredness is well worth it.  

 Rachel, Me, Brittany C., and Kyrie at the wedding. These 3 girls are probably the 3 that I was/am closest to. Kyrie and I lived together for 4 years, known eachother for longer, so we are really, really close. Rachel has always been one of my best friends as well, along with Britt. I love these girls. There truely is NEVER a dull moment when together.

 Britt and I at the wedding reception

 Kyrie caught the bouquet at the reception and did not put it down at all, not even after it was completely dead (like nothing was left on the the stems at all).

 The four of us that got ready at Rach's grandparents, thanks G-Ma and G-Pa Montgomery!

 Rachel, me, Kyrie and Courtney

 This is probably my favorite picture from the night. Three Amigos :)

And some other girls we played vball with. Kyrie, Callie Jo, Kaitlin, me and Rachel.

It's been an awesome weekend, seriously! I am blessed to have the friends that I have, and am thankful that we can all come together and celebrate moments in life.

"Life isn't a matter of milestones but of moments" -Rose F. Kennedy





monday nights.

it's monday, so that only means one thing...BACHELOR/BACHELORETTE! i'm a reality television fanatic and monday night's are one of my favorites. i've watched almost every season of the bachelor and bachelorette, which is a lot because most of them come back on the show to be the one choosing since their previous relationship quest on ABC didn't last. it's a sick obsession of mine, don't judge.

speaking of favorite things...

this is my most favorite little person. i just cannot get enough of her cuteness!

this week is the LAST week of camp for the summer. thank goodness! we've seen some really good kids, and unfortunatly some not so good kids, so it's helpful for recruiting...and the $$ made isn't too bad :) i'm ready to be done with camps and start season! by no means am i wishing the summer away, but it's going to be a good year for us! our freshman class is a bunch of studs. also this week is a lot of fun things. i get to see all of my friends and old teammates, and i get to meet some of our boosters at the annual sports auction. lots of exciting things ahead...i'm blessed!

dwindling down.

Since my last post, I've been going non-stop! I've been working volleyball camp almost everyday of the week and if I'm not working camp I'm doing something in the office. It's almost time for season to start, so things are getting hectic. I've also not had a computer because of a virus I accumulated...a $125 (OUCH!) virus. I cannot believe I only have 3 weeks of summer left! I'm looking forward to getting into a daily routine, but not looking forward to being gone almost every weekend.

This week is filled with lots of exciting activities. First, we will conclude our camp series with our college prep camp on Tuesday. This is going to be the most exciting camp because we invited have some really good athletes coming to our campus. Then I have to attend our athletic charity auction Thursday and Friday I get to see Jennissa and celebrate her adventure to Connecticut. I'll miss her but so excited for the opportunity she has been given. Saturday is also a big day because one of my old teammates is tying the knot to her high school sweetheart. All of my old teammates are coming into town so it's going ot be a mini reunion. I can't wait to see them all!

Today was kind of a bittersweet day for me. I spent last night in Springfield celebrating my step-brother's marriage to Kelsea. It was such a fun evening! This morning I woke up and drove to Lebanon to clean out my room. My parents sold their house two weeks ago, after having it on the market for 5+ years, so moving day is in 2 weeks. I loved that house, so it was kind of sad to see it go but I'm happy they can finally build their ultimate dream home in the next couple years.

Happy Reading Bloggers :)

4 signs.

my very first blog post! i got inspiration from my best friend jennissa (http://www.inthebeginning-j.blogspot.com/) to blog about my life adventures. although mine are not as exciting as most, i think this could be interesting and fun. where to begin.....

first and foremost was my job that i landed. i cannot express how much i LOVE my job. yes the bills suck, majorly, but at most normal jobs you don't get to wear sweatpants. guess what?? i do! i cannot thank God more for the opportunity he placed in my hands, literally.

i had originally planned to move to youngstown, ohio in mid-june to be the graduate assistant for the youngstown state volleyball program for the next two years. it was going to be my big leap of faith and a far far far move from my beloved family. i just knew i could do it and i'd get past the homesickness and it would be awesome. WELL- i flew out to youngstown in mid-april with my mom. it was by no means a 'cheap' trip. airfare was expensive, renting a car cost a ton, and the gas to and from apartment places and what not was expensive as well. i was so excited to get out there that i think i masked my unhappiness deep down inside. we first ventured to some apartment complexes that the coaches suggested and after touring a couple i literally looked at my mom and said 'no thank you, i cannot live here' (SIGN 1). my mom had the same feeling and was not about to let me move that far away from home and live like that. at this point i still had 2 more days there, a long time. the second day was more promising, we found apartments literally a block from campus that were perfect. they would pair me up with a roommate, furnished, etc. and i really thought that was it, i was set to move. i started telling the coaches about my find and i learned that the student-athletes lived there so it was going to be something they would have to check out and see if i could live in a different area of the complex (SIGN 2). so i was back to square one, and i started praying. i needed some guidance because i was feeling uneasy about it all now but i didn't want to disappoint anyone or feel like i'm letting them all down because i backed out. later that night we had just gotten home from watching the team scrimmage and we were laying in bed when the national news, CNN, had st. louis' lambert airport on tv with tornado damage, where my car was parked. i woke mom up and we watched for a bit but figured we would just get up early try to get on an earlier flight and get to my car. on the way to the airport i started checking flight status'...morning flights to st. louis were cancelled. once we arrived at the airport, 4 hours before our original flight, we were in a panic. the airline attendant told us it looked like no flights were going out of or in to st. louis for at least a day, BUT  to check with the flight attendant at chicago to see what they could do there. after arriving in chicago we learned we wouldn't be going to st. louis but instead to springfield so we arranged for my sister to come get us when we landed and my other sister would pick up my car on the home form illinois the next day. fast forward one day, the phone rings and my sister says well the good news is your car is still here, bad news the windows are blown out and its destroyed inside (SIGN 3). just great!!!!! at this point, i knew it was the Man upstairs telling me something. i had a lot to think about over the next few days. i spent a week praying and thinking about it, i was almost sick about it and i wasn't sleeping at all, on top of all my finals. after about a week of all the worriesome, sleepless nights i decided to make the call to their coach. i knew it wouldn't be easy and i had to coach myself through it and not cry. as hard as it was, i felt relieved and knew that it was right. (yes, they were mad but i do not blame them at all. they were GREAT people and it was a great experience).

literally 30 minutes after my dreaded phone call, my now boss called me and was asking about my trip and if i had thought any more about her offer to be her assistant (SIGN 4). i couldn't help but laugh, what perfect timing. i told her my story and explained that i was very interested in her position. we discussed the timeframe for hire and the step necessary for employment, and here we are now...

i'm in a great spot in life and i cannot wait for season to get started! this summer has been busy with camps and having to do actual work almost everyday, but it's been so much fun so far. i'm living in a duplex since it was the only thing that we could find for rent after the Joplin tornado. my mom and i drove down here to find a place to live and didn't realize how hard it would be. thanks to some family friends i found a place and am waiting the arrival of my roommate, Yuki, in mid-august.

hopefully my other posts aren't ever this long, happy reading!