A New Year...

As we go through the last few days of 2014 my mind drifts through everything that has happened this past year...a lot has happened...a lot of it good and a lot that I can learn from.

But as I sit and look back I remember that nothing can change from living in the past and that I wanted to go into 2015 with a list of things I wanted to do...

1. Laugh - I want to laugh at myself...I want to laugh when life is funny...I don't want to care who is watching or who is around I just want to laugh at the joy of life.

2. Dance - I want to dance when I'm happy, when I'm sad, in the car, in the shower, waiting for my coffee...when I outsmart someone at work...when I do something dumb...when one of my athletes do something awesome...when I do something awesome...just for the joy of it.

3. Sing - (first I apologize if you hear me sing) I want to sing at the top of my lungs...with my friends...for fun...in the shower...in traffic (that's always fun...people stare)...whenever I feel like singing because it's fun and freeing.

4. Love - I want to love...life, my friends, family, my dog...everything...because of all things I believe that love can conquer all.

5. I want to do life on my schedule - I want to nap if I want to nap...read a book...watch a movie in my pjs at 3 in the afternoon...I want to get back to doing things for the joy of me.

6. I want my mom to lay off how I look...I know I'm beautiful.  I realize that I may not be thin by anyone's standard but I am happy...I go to the gym...I work out...but this year I want to block out the comments and remember what I know to be true...I think I am beautiful inside and out and honestly my opinion is the only one I think really counts at the end of the day.

7. I want to keep my purple hair because it's become a part of me...it's the warning sign that I might be more feisty than I look.  

8.  I want to smile 

9.  I want to take pictures of things that inspire me

10.  I want to cook more

11.  I want to read more

12.  I want to write more

13.  I want to create more

14.  I want to follow my dreams even if they don't pan out I don't care I just want to say that I followed them because at the end of the day we will never know if we can achieve them if we don't try.

15.  I want to fall in love and even if I get my heart broken...I'll be stronger for it.

16. I want to be brave.

17. More honest

18.  More aware of the world around me

19.  I want to let loose 

20.  I want to take more chances

21.  I want to actually try some of the things I pin on pinterest

22. Connect with people more

23.  Take more time for God

24.  Take time to be still

25.  Take time to connect with out of state family

26.  Find more beauty in life than negativity

27.  Be okay with things don't go as planned...keep going regardless...remember that it will all work out in the end.

My dearest friend says that my 27th year would be my year...well maybe he's right...but I guess this list can't hurt things any.

I want to wish everyone reading this a Happy Holidays!  Have a wonderful New Years!

With Love Always,

Alex

The Practical Gift Giving Guide for this 27 Year Old

So I was on my lunch earlier this week and I came across this article about 51 things that a 25 really wants for Christmas.  It was great, so great in fact that I decided to repost it because I thought several of my friends could relate to it.  However as the week has rolled on I began to think of things that should be added or things that I would want.

So here it is...my practical gift giving guide for this 27 year old female.

• A phone that actually has enough storage so that I can take pictures and have apps all at the same time...that would be...wait for it...SMART!
• A fancy laptop so I can actually start building websites and making money on the side because after all single girls need to have some extra cash around to have fun with.
• An endless supply of money on my Starbucks Gold card...I mean I am a Recruitment Advisor...its sort of the stuff we live on.
• Someone to come walk my dog everyday mid afternoon for free not because they have to but because they love me and because they feel bad that everyone is getting on my case because I actually have to work all day instead of play with my dog. 
• Someone to do laundry and fold it and put it away...and that person can't be my mom...and if that person is my mom she can't judge me because I can't do it.
• Someone to clean my house...like every week.  Again the same rules apply for it not being my mother.
• I need extra time to go to the gym and craft without losing time to sleep
• The Jeep to never need gas or an oil change
• The perfect Spotify channel for work, the drive to work, the drive home and getting ready for work or going out...without me having to hunt for it or build it.
• A guy to just grow a pair and tell me how he feels...not just when he's drunk and flirt...or be subtle when flirting...I mean I need clear obvious "Hey Lady I like you!"
• A huge bed...that feels like a cloud
• Someone to laugh at my jokes...like all the time
• A partner in crime...and they don't have to be my boyfriend but just someone who's always down to get into trouble
• Endless amounts to time to watch movies...whether its on Netflix or on TV or at the theaters.  Just all the movies
• A guy to go dancing with...not just when he's drunk...but anytime I want to which is pretty much all the time.

I mean I feel like that covers it...I don't know if any of these things are practical but I really don't care...shoot for the stars right!

With Love Always,

Alex

Hard Lessons In Love

I think if you've met me you know that if one word in the English language stands out to me more than any other word its "love."  I think it came be overused, I think its special, it can be powerful, it can heal and it can save.  The most important thing is, that at the end of the day, it's one of the few things I believe in absolutely. 

Well I have learned some hard lessons in it recently...but sometimes love is hard and I think you have to go through struggles sometimes to be happy.

If there is one thing I can't stand, its the people who say they love you, they are your friends and do things to purposely make you look dumb or insufficient.  I have never felt that love needs or should be about having a hidden agenda.  If you have something to say you should just say it.  Unfortunately, the people who just say what we think, or how we feel often get labeled as trouble makes, or  instigators but I would rather be labeled as such and know that at the end of the day you know exactly...and I do mean exactly how I feel then to allow someone to have power over me.  And I truly feel like that...I feel like when you go behind someone's back or when you do things to set them up to fail while leading them to believe you love them you hold power over them.  It's not a power I believe we should have over each other and it's not a power I want to have taken from me or to have over anyone else.

I have learned that love can't be compromised but you have to compromise once you have it.
I have so many friends who are with people just because they have to be.  It hurts to see my friends unhappy with these people but they can't bring themselves to do what they need to do to be happy for themselves even though no one in their relationship is happy.  I think there is another side to this that in order to have love we must compromise.  I have been in handful of situations that people will tell me how and when something will be....how I will act, when something will go down...that's not love in any form.  Love meets in the middle...where both parties feel loved, happy, like they were heard, appreciated and that no one was taken advantage of.  

Love is loving yourself and feeling free.  I joke that I'm not ready for a relationship and honestly I really haven't been.  I wasn't happy where I was...stressed out...literally losing hair from the stress of work...some of which I am sure was self inflicted...feeling trapped in a never ending cycle of being stuck in a job that wasn't going to go anywhere after being passed up for a job that everyone thought was mine.  And then one leap of faith changed the path I was on and put new life into my day.  Now its not like I'm saving the world...and even if I was I couldn't tell you because that would go against some hero code or some top secret clearance.  But the point being this change started the ball rolling...or maybe it was the hair that started the change...the world may never know...but being truly happy and just waking up everyday happy that I can go to work without being stressed...though we still need to figure out how to tell the one department I'm a girl...to go home at the end of the day and be done with work and do whatever I need to do without worrying about work stuff is amazing.  For the first time in a long time I wake up in the morning with a smile on my face, feeling unstoppable. Someone asked me how I liked my new job the other night...when I responded they asked if I was being sarcastic.  I was shocked and replied quickly with no.  But it occurred to me that this feeling of being light and free is so new to me that it must look crazy to everyone around me.  
So I mentioned that I felt like up until now I felt like I could not have been in a relationship because I was too stressed and bogged down.  I'm not saying sign me up but I'm saying that in order to even consider loving others you have to first love yourself.  I've always loved myself...but now I feel love...and could finally be open to it if it found me.

Change isn't easy...I don't think love is either...but I think there as parts of love that are.  I think we can challenge ourselves to love everyday.  To be upfront with the people we say we love, to not compromise our happiness but to compromise when it matters...when its in love...and to be free and to feel love even if it's for one small part of our day.

With Love Always,

Alex

3 years and lots of boxes later

This is my last week at my current job it seems like so many prayers have been answered all at once (except for the one that helps my bank account go above $100...c'est la vie....pay day is next week pardon me if I don't drive anywhere I'm most likely out of gas!).  

The feeling of being stuck is not a feeling that anyone wants it's like quick sand sometimes, other time its like glue, it can be so many things regardless of the feeling one thing always remains the same...you are going nowhere fast.  For awhile now I have felt so trapped and so stuck...at times I felt like I was in that quicksand, the more I struggled and fought back the more consumed I became.  Other times I was just stuck...glued down to my current spot...I could reach and wiggle but I wouldn't get anywhere.  

And then came a moment...I thought it was THE moment...finally a job that was perfect for me.  I was qualified, I was familiar with the program, what it took to do the job and I was already doing parts of it in my current job.  My boss was so convinced I had the job that he even came to congratulate me only to find out that they went with someone else, someone who has never worked with the program, or in that job "field"...let's talk about awkward moment!  I was crushed...politics...they suck...and it's not like I don't know about them...in fact I studied them in college...I'm well aware of them but regardless they still stink when you are on the short end of that stick.

That's the funny thing about motivation...it can come out of nowhere, it can come out of strange situations, it can come from crappy places, and when we least expect it and it can give us the strength to wake up the next morning put on a face and move on...dig out of the quick sand and break free.  God is funny like that sometimes...He had everyone convinced that was my door...and when it slammed shut we all kind of looked at each other like "now what?"  And then another one opened...and I had the motivation to walk away from what I thought was supposed to be my "home."

Thank goodness for best friends...Liz forwarded me a job opening for her company and fast forward through the interview, the crazy hard test I had to take and some emails and phone calls and BAM! I walked through that door.

My last week here is proving to be harder than I thought...don't get me wrong the struggle was real (while I was actually here and working...before I resigned) but as I peel pictures off the wall and take things down to put into boxes I can't help but think about the fun times and the people I will miss seeing everyday and how naked my room looks without all my color and sass and the 1000 different pictures most of which have me sporting different hair colors!

I remember the crazy Art teachers and their goofy themed Friday's, all the Track County Championships that I coached, I remember the rap my girls made about me on the way to a track meet my first year, or the time I didn't hit the right button on the phone and messed up the page system...I was laughing and crying.  I remember hiding in Wheeler's office when it was Wheeler's office crying because I was overwhelmed...or going for tape in Lauren's office when I'm stressed out.  Filming the torch relay video in K-Craig's room and Trulock's room...or just randomly stopping into Sarah's room because it's colorful and fun and who doesn't want to be in a room that is colorful and fun...not to mention she was my favorite teacher to co-teach with my first year here when I was an IA.  Our trip to VEGAS! (That's pretty much all I can say about that but it was awesome!) I remember teaching the teachers the Ice Ice Baby dance...or the tricks and jokes we've played on each other. All the birthdays, babies and weddings and even death that has brought us closer together and let us laugh and cry together...there's a big part of me that relives it every time I take something down...this could be why I'm not taking things down quickly!

 


















But the last picture I took down is an oldie but a goodie!  KP and I...I thought about leaving it there for the rest of the week just to remind me that a little bit of sass never hurts but I also need to finish packing so I took it down!

I can't wait to see what this new job has in store for me and immediately I can feel a huge weight lift off my shoulders knowing that things in my life will get better.  But there is a big part of my heart that will always be with these people. 

With Love Always,

Alex

Sundays With My People Make Me Happy!

AHHHH!  I'm back!  Life has been super crazy lately with school back in session, taking on some huge projects with Young Life and just life...life constantly gives us curve balls that we don't think we are ready for.  

My level of stress lately has been epic between work, friends, drama, money and family.  Needless to say I am constantly reminding myself that what doesn't kill me will in fact make me stronger.  

I saw a really cool quote on Pinterest the other day it said, "Life isn't about waiting for the storm to pass, it's about learning to dance in the rain."  I'm trying to relax and learn to breathe through the stress and most importantly I'm trying to find the fun in the my day...everyday.

Today was no exception...Sundays are great for me because I start them off at church.  Church is great because not only do I get to start off my week with feeling awesome with a great message but I typically see a bunch of Young Life kids at church...no matter what service I attend!  Even more exciting is that sometimes I see adult friends at church who are regulars or just coming to check it out.  Regardless of who is there I feel at home there and I always feel like I can have a more balanced week when I can start it off with church.

Next, Audrey, Pidge and I headed to Starbucks to chat for a little bit and to catch up!  Coffee on Sunday...also a great way to start my week!  Those girls crack me up and remind me to laugh!  It is so fun to see life through their eyes and it reminds me of what high school was like, even though it wasn't too long ago it is easy to forget what it was like.  I know at the time that the struggle seemed so real and tough but in reality life was easy and carefree.  I would love to go back to those carefree and fun days!

Audrey and I said our goodbyes to Pidge and headed to see our friend Grace in her school's play!  We met up with some of our Young Life leader friends and Nat Rat!  The play was so good and Grace (the mouse) was awesome!  It was a great way to spend the afternoon!  And the stepsisters were freaking awesome!  Loved them!!!

After Audrey being the trooper she is went to the store with me to get the buffalo chicken dip supplies!  Then Audrey came to my house to hang with Maverick as I worked on my computer which helped me out a ton because Maverick loves to distract me as I work.  

To finish off this awesome day...I went over to K-Craig's to hang with some of our adult leaders who work with our Wyld Life team!  It was great to just hang with them and chat and just grow more as a family.  Oh and did I mention sweet baby Olivia was there!   She is so freaking cute!

At the end of the day I know my level of stress has a tendency to get the best of me but I feel like slowly but surely I am trying to take time out of the stress to enjoy life again is important and something that I am getting better at.  Today is proof that not everyday is a storm but even if it rains I won't mind dancing in it!

With Love Always, 

Alex

Saturday Adventures and the best laughs I've had in a while!

If you have been on any form of social media for the past few weeks you have seen probably about a thousand crazies dump buckets of ice water on top of their heads.  (Personally, my favorite videos are the ones where people fail only because I love a good laugh in the name of a good cause!)  Well anyways with the thousands of videos have come a lot of criticism that these videos and social media craze has turned into just that a social media craze.  

How many of us were truly aware of ALS prior to all these people drenching themselves in the name of research.  How many of use were aware of our friends and loved ones who knew people affected by ALS prior to this...how many people knew what ALS did to your body?

Now don't get me wrong I know that some people did know and that some people are doing this for the wrong reason but think about how many more people now know about ALS, are aware of what it does to the body, will now give to the organization, and people who will benefit from the millions of dollars raised from buckets of ice dumped over peoples heads.

I'm not saying that all people get the gravity of what they are doing by participating but I can tell you that there are so many more people who are now aware of ALS, the people it has affected in their lives, in the lives of people around us and if some progress can be made from this then I think at the end of the day we need to believe that good did come from it!

Now I managed to make it without being nominated until yesterday when I was nominated not once but twice within two hours!  Well being the great sister I am I let my little brother do the honor because I feel like we should turn any experience possible into a family bonding experience...so that being said we had to teach mom how to work the IPad and Drew not only squirted me with water while I was talking but then dumped the bucket on me before I gave him the okay!  That pretty much sums up how we do things at the Kocher household!

So after that nice freezing cold (extremely full) bucket of water...I went home to change for our first Wyld Life event of the year!  We started it off with the messiest event of the year...Paint War!  Mother Nature wanted to throw in a twist and make it rain (literally) on us which added an unexpected twist.  We had so much fun and we made the best of it.  This is the first year we have some solid structure and we really have our high school leaders owning a lot of what we are doing with the kids...it was really nice my job tonight was to guard the wagon that was holding the paint!

It was so much fun to be able to just goof around and be silly!  After a long week it felt good to just let go...but with that came the need to take a freakish long shower because I had paint everywhere!

After all was said and done it was a great day!

With Love Always,

Alex

Silently Screaming

In the past few months I have been told I'm too tough, I'm rude, I come off as dismissive, sarcastic, demeaning etc...for almost a year now I have taken beating after beating of being told how wrong I do everything, I have felt like an outsider in places that I've called home, felt cast aside by people I called friends and family.  For months I've held it in...well tried to hold it in pushed to the breaking point then shoved over without hesitation.

I've been silently screaming, holding back tears, fighting to stay afloat and frankly it sucks.

Now I know this blog is about love and don't get me wrong we are getting there just hang on...we are getting there...I promise.

I am trying to learn who "is sitting around my camp fire and who isn't"  and while I don't know who is sitting around my fire all the time...I can at least figure out who isn't.  

I just find it frustrating to be beat down by so many people everyday and maybe they don't know they are the 10th person to make me feel worthless or lesser or like a complete idiot regardless it can be hard to stand tall when you feel so small.

At the end of the day I realize that being hard, and tough has closed me off to a lot of things...self preservation is key when you feel like you are under attack.  I feel like I laugh a little less and cry a little more but one thing I know for sure is that without a few key friends that are really more like my family I would seriously crumble.  

They are my family, I love them....there are no words beyond thank you for these amazing people in my life.  

I know that these times are tough and dark but after the dark comes the light, because of the rain all things can grow...basically I know things will get better because with these people by my side I can get stronger than I am alone.

With Love Always,

Alex

Diamonds are a girl's best friend...

As some of you know I have the privilege of serving as an advisor for my sorority and my chapter which not many women get to do...let alone at my age.  It is a really cool experience to be able to give back to the chapter and the campus that gave me such an unique and meaningful college experience.  

This year I was able to travel with 2 other advisors and 2 collegiate members to Atlanta for Leadership Seminar/Impact!  It was by far one of the best sorority experiences I have been able to have both as an advisor and as a collegiate member.

Now of course this trip did not go out without a hitch because after all this is me we are talking about and let's be honest I am a planner which usually means my life turns out to be a hot mess 99% of the time...I never quite understood that but nevertheless it always seems to happen that way!

Let's start out from the beginning...I had Maverick set up to be boarded way in advance (yay me!) I had laundry almost all the way done, I had the plan to get dropped off and picked up from the airport...heck I even had the morning of the flight completely planned out almost to the minute.  So of course the day before the flight I figured some pool time was much deserved!  After getting out of the pool I decided to check in for my flight (24 hours in advance) and upload my ticket to my Passbook (yay technology!).  Except for one problem...there was no confirmation number for my flight...in fact my flight info didn't actually exist...the initial flight info was there but no confirmation did because I forgot to actually pay for my flight!  So in a panic I called the travel agency that was supposed to book our flights (yes we had to use them) and let a frantic voicemail and shortly thereafter received a call from the agency and after some time and a lot of luck I was able to get booked on the flight I was originally scheduled to fly out on! 

Thursday: I was able to get everything done almost on time...it was my first time dropping Maverick off to be boarded which caused me some stress but the guy who came to take him back was so sweet to him so I was able to breathe easier after I saw that.  
Of courses I got to the airport with plenty of time to watch almost the entire USA game!  

So we landed in Atlanta and my smart self thought we should walk from the last terminal all the way to Baggage Claim...not a great life choice...such a long walk...I wish I were one of those people who counted their steps or had a monitor on because I would have crushed it! So finally get to the luggage and it's no longer luggage shaped!  Yep my brand new luggage that has only been on one other trip with me has been misshaped and cut...how does luggage get cut...it's it like tetras in the cargo area...everything fits in there all nice like and boom...liftoff?  

So to make matters worse as we are headed out to the shuttles it begins to monsoon...yes monsoon...it was horrible.  The whole left side of my body was soaked and as soon as we were "safely" across the rain stopped...thanks Mother Nature...you win again!

Now the coolest thing about getting down to registration was seeing that a sister who wasn't even there with us had sent me a Violet for my name tag.  It was so sweet and it made me day!

Friday started off great with meaningful conversations with other advisors about things that we wanted to talk about and problems that we wanted to address.  It is refreshing to feel like your advice can help or comfort someone and it's nice to know that we are doing some things correctly!  I can honestly say that by lunch time I was mentally exhausted from everything I had heard and discussed which is a great feeling but also hard because we had a whole afternoon of programming left.
During lunch we heard and amazing about Mean Girl culture that really hit home to so many of us...I think I took away the most out of the presentation is the idea that we as women have to stop thinking there is a limited quantity of things...just because you are pretty doesn't mean I can't be pretty too, just because you are smart doesn't mean I am not just as smart.  I think that is something that we as women who are raising, mentoring and maybe will raise or mentor women one day need to start teaching...we can all be beautiful, smart, qualified, amazing, courageous and a million other things and these great, amazing qualities are not limited we can all be these things without tearing down others because when we as women tear each other down we teach others that its okay to do it as well.

Saturday rolled around and needless to say I was in desperate need of real food as I had been getting the allergy friendly meals because of my onion allergy which as one of my fellow advisors put it...my meals were more like a punishment than a safety measurement.  So I made new friends and ate the most amazing omelet at the restaurant in the hotel and I got a coffee to go! Lunch was so awesome because we got to listen to a panel of sisters who were successful and pretty much awesome!  They had a lot of great things to say and it was so awesome to hear them speak!

Moving on to Saturday night we finally got to see our whole "delegation" now let me tell you I knew that we were having a great time because my newsfeed told me so but it was so fun to see us all together and to actually talk face to face...and of course to take pictures and laugh about life!

Well...Sarah and I might have just gotten a little silly at one point in time during dinner...but let's be honest isn't that what life is all about!  Trust me it got worse but I will spare you!

 So Saturday also had a lot of entertainment that we were both prepared and unprepared for.  We were ready for live entertainment and I was excited because let's be honest at my very core I am such a country girl!  What we didn't know about were the two awesome displays of talent that we would get to see pre-dinner that were so awesome! 

We got to see some awesome baton twirling which was awesome because our International President did it!  Talk about being awesome!  Then to top it off we got to see Grand Council dancing to Happy!  Needless to say my night was made...we all know I love to see dance no matter what kind!  It is always awesome!

Now here is a special treat...Deana Carter is a sister of ours and she played some of her songs for us on Saturday night!  Now I love her song Strawberry Wine...like seriously love it!  I was so happy to get to see her play and to hear a little bit of her story and get to learn about her as a person!

So Sunday came and it was time to go home...now I think the most exciting part of the whole going home experience was the fact that I finally got a DIET COKE!  Yes I went almost four whole days without a diet coke! It was so hard!  So what did I do when I finally got a diet coke...well like any good diet coke addict...I took a picture!

Now we couldn't leave Atlanta without taking an advisor "selfie"...yes I went there! But it was truly awesome to go on this adventure with these wonderful sisters!  I can't wait to see what this next year has in store for us!

With Love Always,

Alex

County...Junior High Style

After stepping down in December from coaching the Junior High team I was asked to help work the Junior High County meet on Friday night.  I'm not entirely sure what our A.D. was thinking when they thought of this plan...well I actually know he didn't have much say but still he's seen me at County I was usually a hot mess of nerves and what not.  

So this year my role was clearly different and I wanted to make sure for the sake of the two new coaches that I kept my distance not to mention my role for the night required me to pay attention to what was going during the meet.

I believe at one point in time my AD said that it was the calmest he had ever seen me at a meet ever.  I guess the girl's meet came down to the last race...I had no idea...I'm going to go ahead and say that is for the best. 

Truth is I had spend the season chatting with the new sprint coach because he has first period prep but beyond that I kept my distance.  My 8th graders were sad when I left but while it always takes a while to warm up to new coaches they did so I wasn't going to interfere on the most important night of their season.

Anyways, I actually had a great time.  I love track and field.  I love seeing close races, I love watching the nerves athletes have before races, the focus they have before getting into the  blocks before finals.  And honestly, when you don't' have to worry about points or athletes...you can actually enjoy it!  

So the best part of the night was the end...not because it was the end but because of what I did!  I was helping load the cars and I thought it would be funny to buckle the championship plaque into the AD's jeep...except it was the wrong one...I might have accidentally picked up the boy's one instead of the girl's which is the title we won...oops!

Overall, it was a great night and once again I am reminded why I love the sport I coach.  

With Love Always,

Alex

So I guess there is crying in track and field

One of the biggest joys I have had the privilege of experiencing this year has been coaching for my old high school team.  For those of you who don't know I was a high jumper in high school...I jumped varsity for 4 years and lived for track season.  I wasn't great but I loved it and I honestly say I bled blue.  Well after 4 years of coaching for other teams I was given the opportunity to coach for the school where it all started and ended for that matter. 

My first year coaching I was 22 in Bloomington I really didn't worry about much.  I was young, I had some crazy notion that I was still in shape enough to jump....lies all lies...worst idea in my whole life.  I co-coached with another guy who actually was in shape to jump which is most likely where I got the idea I could still jump.  We were a young staff and we had fun.  I got a girl out of sectionals without much stressing and that was a major victory.

Move to the fall when I moved back home and was hired on as a junior high coach.  Junior High is a completely different beast than High School Track.  More kids, younger, more wild, way less coordination and I even coached sprints...I know anyone who knew me in high school knows how hilarious that though is!  When I came on board the girls team was coming off County wins and undefeated seasons and the boys were trying...bless their hearts.  For three years the girls continued that streak, and the boys continued to drive me crazy...I mean tried to win and be as awesome as the girls!

Then came this awesome opportunity...to coach the very event that I competed in for 4 years at the very same school.  I had an opportunity to go from coaching 100 athletes to 15...so I went for it...I jumped and hoped it would worked out!

Well it did...it was has been such a great experience to coach for the team that I jumped for so many...okay  not so many...years ago.  I feel so blessed to have had this opportunity.  

There has been so many challenges and successes this year that I can't begin to count...but last night was by far the hardest....sectionals.

Unfortunately, none of my girls were able to advance to Regionals next week and I by no means thought going into the meet that all 4 would advance no problem and it be a cake walk kind of meet.  

For those of you who know me...I try to be tough...I like to joke that I'm tough because I wear too much eyeliner to cry.  Well...last night that was not the case.  I don't ever remember there being so much emotion in track.  Now that is not to say that I didn't cry when I was in high school because let's be honest...I was in high school.  But I don't think that I ever made Carp cry!  Now I'm not sure that my girls know this but I kept my sunglasses on most of the night because I had evidence under my eyes from the  tears.  There was one point during the night that I went to watch the shot put and asked if crying would be involved because I couldn't handle any more crying...then our girl rocked a huge throw...happy tears were almost involved!  


It is always sad to see so much hard work end in disappointment.  As a high jumper especially it is tough because no matter how well you do you will always end on a miss. As I continue to coach long jump and mind you I have always been very blessed to get some of the best athletes who just have passion and drive...I feel like no matter how far they jump they always will look to the end of the pit and see that there is still sand left to jump in  and know that there is room to improve.

I'm not going to lie to you...I went to bed last night defeated...we won the meet, we had lots of girls advance...but tomorrow at practice my girls won't be there at the pits asking me to wobble (yes it happens) or calling me "Fairy God Mother"...again I can't make this up even if I tried.  The nice thing was that I woke up to a text that reminded me that the doubts I was having weren't true and that no matter how things ended this season was a success.


So it's off to bed because after all  the boys are back at it tomorrow and while they don't call me their Fairy God Mother...which would totally be weird...I need to be well rested and ready to be the ball of nerves I was just last night ready to get some athletes out of Sectionals.

With Love Always,

Alex

Living on the Edge of YIKES!

So first a disclaimer...it's track season and the end of the year so life is just super crazy and I know I say this every time but I will try harder to get on here more often but until then it will be a happy surprise when I find time to get on here and write something!

So last year I heard about this really awesome book from my friend and fellow blogger Sarah (http://livesoverlap.blogspot.com/).  She was going on about how awesome this book was and how fun it was to read it with some of our Wyld Life girls! Well K-Dog really wanted to read this book too so she "talked me into" starting a morning book club.  I'm a huge fan of reading outside the classroom and after hearing how much Sarah loved this book I knew it would be epic!  

So I got my three girls together, I ordered the book, we decided on the day and I even promised donuts...because who doesn't love donuts.  

So what book did we read you ask?  LOVE DOES!
If you haven't read...you must...like right now...well actually finish reading this then go read it!


The girls loved reading the book and so did I.  The book is about all the amazing and wonderful things Love does and living a life of whimsy.  If you don't want to be more awesome after reading this book you didn't actually read it!  Bob Goff, the author, is so awesome and he loves God so much and is such an amazing person.  Sarah (who is in the pictured with me above) had the chance to meet him awhile back and had told us how amazing he was.  

So fast forward to a month ago when I was on facebook and saw that another Young Life leader and friend of mine, K-Craig, had shared a link to an event...not just any event but a chance to see Bob Goff live!  I didn't ask questions, I didn't text anyone to see who else was going, or see if anyone would go with me I just clicked the link and bought a ticket.  I figured the rest of the details would work themselves out. 


So of course my first immediate thought was to tell K-Dog about this awesome chance to meet Bob Goff because she was the one who really pushed to start the book club with me last year  and lets be honest she's my mini me...well when I say mini me I mean as mini me as two tall people get!  

When we got there we got super great seats and we could literally see Bob...K-Dog seriously had a total fan girl moment it was so awesome!  We had so much fun!

And it was so fun to catch up before and after his talk about everything that had been going on...did I mention the awesome friendship bracelet she made me!  It rocks!  (Total side note...my total adorable little brother kindly pointed out that my watch is upside down but clearly I didn't take the picture so I am aware..Bubs I love you!)

So back to the main event Bob Goff...he is awesome...I can't even to begin to tell you all the amazing things he said or that I heard or saw because my mind was pretty much blown...like COMPLETELY BLOWN! 

One thing Bob said that really stuck with me...I mean there is a lot...but one thing was that we want to live on the edge of Yikes.   Living on the edge of Yikes is where we bump into Jesus and living in the middle of comfortable that won't happen.  That is such a cool concept.  The edge of Yikes can totally be whatever and wherever we want it to be.  It's going outside our comfort zone and putting ourselves out there and going beyond.  It's going outside the daily, weekly, monthly routine and experiencing life, living in whimsy and showing people love.  

Something else that Bob said that really hit home was that we should stop keeping count. and that rather than telling people how short they fell we need to tell them how far they have come.  It's about building people up and being humble about our successes.  That is how we come closer to being like Jesus not by showing people their shortcomings and telling people how much more they have left to accomplish.  

The biggest take away from Bob's talk and book is simple...you don't need to be smart to figure this one out...its two simple words...Love Does...last night Bob said this really great quote and for those of you who know me know that above all things love is one of the things I believe in most (even if I joke about being a crazy dog...not cat...lady the rest of my life)...I mean after check the name of the blog..haha...we are defined by our love and that we need to live in grace and walk in love.

I can safely say it was a night and talk that will stay with me for such a long time and I am even rereading Love Does...it's probably the first time ever that I am rereading a book.  I started rereading it this weekend in preparation to see Bob's talk but then laundry and life happened.  But maybe now the book has new meaning or maybe I'll read it with new excitement...if nothing else there are some new notes in the front cover and an awesome signature in the front!

With Love Always,

Alex

Clearly the sand is never going to be perfect

Woah...what is this business...two blogs posts two days in a row...clearly I have lost my mind or have been locked away somewhere.  Good news friends...neither have happened!

So first thing the highlight of yesterday by far was seeing the one and only Pidge!!!!  I died a little bit (from happiness) when I saw her! It has been so long since I have seen her with our crazy schedules that it was definitely a much needed surprise and by that I mean random alignment of the universe!

So the past few days we (okay mainly I) have been trying to soften the sand in the long jump pit.  During the off season it hardened and was possibly painful to jump in ( I cannot confirm nor deny but don't ask the jumpers as they will completely confirm).  It took a lot of work to turn over every inch of that sand and then to rake it and smooth it out.  I am not going to lie...I might hurt a little bit from doing it...yes I am well aware I have no arm muscles.   

So the pit is finally beautiful...I mean seriously look at it!  So it took a lot of hard work and a lot of the athletes asking the most annoying question ever, "Are you done yet!"

Seriously now...if I was done would I still be in the pit  turning the sand over...crazy kids!

So we finally start working in the sand and you won't believe the words that came out of their mouths..."Coach...now the sand is too soft!"

You have got to be kidding...all that hard work and sand all up in everywhere...and now it's too soft!  I could have died but instead...I laughed...I laughed so hard.  

That's life sometimes you have really crappy hard sand and you think spending hours making it soft and pretty will be just the thing you need to make everything better but it doesn't.  Sometimes soft sand is just as hard to jump in as hard sand...and it is messier too.  It just goes to show you that sometimes you just have to dig your way out of the soft stuff and get back up and try again.  Or in our case...let the sand dry out so that next week we can go at it again!

With Love Always,

Alex