Sometimes it is just not in God's plan....

Sometimes it is just not in God's plan to win championships. This is what my wise dad told me Saturday after our tournament. Every team I've had this year through JV and V Volleyball and JV Basketball has been a state champion contender. My JV Volleyball team lost it's only games in volleyball (except one in the tournament) to one team (Lee-Scott) They battled their way to the championship game at that tournament and lost to this team. It was dissapointing, but they were a better team, and....we still had basketball. My team knew they were a better basketball team than LSA and pay-back they wanted. Myself included.

As I said in my last post, my basketball team was undefeated until losing a key player. We lost our first game to LSA. That hit hard, but that wasn't the game that mattered. We knew we would see them in the state championship. Coming into the tournament we were seated 1st and got a buy. We played Glenwood a tough game and won, and then we are faced in the championship game with who else, but LSA. We led the entire game, but did not pull it out in the fourth quarter. It came down to missed free throws and some clutch plays, and we lost by 3.

I did not want to accept the fact that we didn't win. We were better. If it weren't for our injured player, we'd have won, no doubt. this was ours.......why?......why to this team...agaiin?....why?

Sometimes it's not in God's plan.

Update

I guess I got a little too proud. Last night my JV Basketball Team picked up their first loss to make a 9-1 record. With an injured player that makes a big impact we are going to have to work a lot harder to meet our goal. We have our JV State Tournament coming up Saturday. I want to win so bad and we still can, injury and all but we can be beaten and will have to play our absolute best to win! Wish us Luck!

Undefeated....so far

I coach basketball. I was actually hired at Macon-East for the main purpose to coach basketball and the added purpose to coach volleyball and teach Math. My first year was the hardest thing I've ever done. I taught 5 DIFFERENT classes. That is 5 different preps. Of these classes were some of the hardest kids to motivate and discipline (considering a private school). I coached Varsity Volleyball and ran the JV. I coached the JV and Varsity Basketball Team. I had some part-time help this year, but I still think they were trying to kill me or scare me off in my first year. Coupled with the fact that I was new and eager and would get myself up at 5 am to leave the house at 6:10 to drive 45 minutes to get to the school at 7 am to tutor kids in my class at the place where I never really got to leave in the first place, except to go home and take a nap/sleep.

My second year the class load was much improved. I taught 2 math classes and the rest PE, the load that was taken off with class prep and grading papers was unbelievable. However this year, I had 0 help. Zero. I coached jv and varsity volleyball an jv and varsity basketball. My problem is, whatever i do, I am going to do it the best I can. I tried really hard not to slack on one or the other. Without any help and backup, and through a lot of diversity I think this year about made me lose my mind. I feel like this year in my life was lost, because anything besides my job was nearly nonexistent. If I wasn't at the school, I was either sleeping or crying(the stress was hard and the lack of perspective from never getting to step away made me crazy) But I have to say, through some of my hardest times so far, i think (i hope) it strengthened me the most.

I am in my third year and I coached JV and Varsity Volleyball again by myself. With no help except my sympathetic and dear dad who sat on the bench with me during games. In the past the "no life" part was hard, but it was ok. I felt I was paying my dues. But having just gotten married, it wasn't "just me" anymore. Approaching basketball season, I knew the same situation was going to be and I just didn't feel that I physically or mentally could do it anymore. Coupled with the fact that I wanted to have some time to spend with my husband and family. I know i can't take back these years, and I did not think that was fair to him. I stepped down from the Varsity Basketball Coaching job, asking someone else to do it. I knew it would be easier to get someone to coach the V instead of the JV and less stressful with only a JV job. I also had a lot of pride in my JV team having worked to get them where they are and build the program.

I know success will come and go, but this year has really been rewarding. I have had 2 hard years and some negativity to deal with. But all I could do was my best and do what I could to try to make my players better. This is one of those years where it has paid off. I coached JV and Varisty Volleyball. My JV team was 10-2 regular season and won 2nd at their state tournament. My varsity won their region and went to the final four.

We are in the middle of basketball season. Let me give you some background.

My first year coaching basketball, our Junior High basketball team was 3-13. The girls weren't sure they liked basketball because they didn't feel like they were good at it. We worked in the off season and went to summer camp. I think we didn't win a game at camp, but they got better. The next season the team was 7-5.

So, as I said earlier, I am only coaching the JV girls. As of now, we are undefeated. That is not to say we will stay undefeated (hope so) but at 9-0 I never knew how rewarding, proud, and how good it would make me feel to be this far in the season and to be undefeated. I know it is "just" jv, but to me and to those girls it's more than that.

Undefeated.....I love it.

I will try to keep you updated on the success or lack there of through out the rest of the season.

Awesome kid

I got an email today with this attachment. I really wanted to share. This is such a simple and well-put message. Per MT, I need a disclaimer: tissue may be needed. :)

Happy Girl

Honestly I am in a writing slump. I'm not a very good writer and I don't really have anything going on in my life right now that I am inspired to write about, however my last post was so negative, I am anxious to write something new....something that is more uplifting.

Basically I just want to say I am a Happy Girl. I could not ask for anything more. I have a fabulous, hilarious, loving, caring, and helpful husband. I have family and parents that I adore with all my heart! I have friends that are there for me. Friends that listen, friends that share, friends that I love spending time with, friends where a conversation overwhelms me with joy. I have a job, while definitely not perfect and really hard, I feel that I DO make a difference in some kid's lives. I have a HOME, not a house, but a home. I have a best friend in my dog. Most importantly I have God in my life and what else do I need.

When I was younger, I used to sing that song "Happy Girl" and I felt it was describing me. As a kid I was happy because I was care free, not a worry in the world, and I loved it. In the present, I am happy for completely different reasons. Now I am happy because I am proud of who I am and proud of what I have in my heart. I am happy and I am blessed.

I have learned so much about life and really what I've learned is that life is hard. But I have also learned that is ok and that I can get through it. Looking ahead I know there are going to be challenges and hardships...but I can still be and always be a "happy girl".

Who wants to be older anyway?

So, I feel that I am doomed for a lifetime of crappy birthdays. But that would only be if I looked at it in a negative way. But let me just be negative for a minute.

When I look back, starting at my first birthday I spent in college, I have had the worst days. I can remember exactly that day when the reality hit me that my birthday was just another day. I was playing basketball at Huntingdon and of course Jan 5 during basketball season we had practice. But not only that, I remember being stuck at that school all day with the basketball team and then instead of going home to have a birthday dinner with my parents, having to bag groceries to raise money. I was ok with that. I don't have to have a perfect birthday, but that day I grew up and realized my birthday wasn't going to be a magical day.

Ever since then it seems the day just can't be good. I mean, what do I expect it is almost always the first day back to school and we always have a basketball game. Last year was hopeful, the 5th fell on Saturday. There's no way they can make me go back to school this year. I am spending time with friends who came in town to see me...when i have two basketball parents call me and chew me out. Answering a phone call, thinking maybe someone is calling me to wish me happy birthday, I have to listen to 2 parents be unthinkably and undeservedly ugly to me. Why couldn't they have waited till Monday, why couldn't they have compassion, why couldn't they screw their heads on right and realize they are being wrong. Of course, all I could do was cry all day, company, birthday get together and all. This year, first day back to work/school...ok, basketball, ok, we won........speeding ticket on they way home, not ok. No matter how good we have it, and we know it, sometimes you just can't help but only see the negative. I did that last night. But you know what........I really had a good birthday. I have a wonderful husband that cooked a great meal for me last night and wanted so bad for my birthday to be good. I have parents that love me so much. And I have friends, friends that try every year to have a party for me, despite it being nearly impossible because of timing and location. (carolyn, love you!), friends that dedicate a whole blog to me (laurel, made my day).....and friends that can turn my day around. I'm not the biggest fan of facebook, but seeing all the birthday wishes last night, that was about the only thing that could put a smile on my face last night after getting a ticket 10 min earlier, and it did. All the birthday wishes mean the world to me. It is amazing what those simple words and that thoughtfulness can do for a person.
So thank you for allowing me to be negative about birthdays and thank you for brightening it up. Because I can be as negative as i want to be but I still know, LIFE is good :)

I just protest Birthdays:)