Tennis season is difficult at this house. It means:* Hiring sitters for the kids * Feeling constantly "behind" in all of my home responsibilities * Skipping things I love (like running/reading/blogging) * Losing time with the babies (pretty sure I came back from state to two different children) * Wondering, constantly, if I'm doing the right thing/saying the right thing/making ANY difference at all ...
But this weekend, God gave me an incredible gift. The pleasure of being an assistant tennis coach to a the most amazing team of God-fearing young women I could have imagined. There are highlights beyond measure, but let me share some of my favorite moments with you.
* Driving up with 3 freshies, 2, sophomores, and 1 junior who literally made me laugh until tears were streaming down my cheeks. * Eating BD's Mongolian BBQ (again while laughing until I cried) at "Smashing Out Hard Time," "He wants a piece of THAT!," and learning all about Revelation 16:19, or was it 19:16 ... * Listening to my girls pray :) (even for meals) and be open about their faith (even when talking about body art) ;). * Playing photographer at Target while they exhibited all manner of "modeling" trends (pictures ARE/will be on Facebook) * Coloring the van with our fav inspirational "quotes" and the obligatory "honk if you love us." just because "other teams did and we had to keep up." * Watching at least an hour of female cop television and helping Frenchie acknowledge her inner desire to BE a law enforcement official! (As soon as she exceeds 100 lbs, she might start working on that!) * Skipping bed checks because our girls are responsible enough (or at least made us think you were responsible enough) to take care of themselves * Watching girls play their best tennis (WITH CLASS!!!!!) and do amazing things ... like Megan going from unseeded to challenging the 2 seed and Lo lo up-ending the #4 seed without dropping many games, and Frenchie taking a set off the 4 seed! * Cheering and screaming for the 2D when they played AMAZING against Schoolcraft to make it to the semis * Encouraging/chatting/partnering with South Christian girls and parents/NPC girls and parents to root for all of the other Christian Schools making THEIR way in the tennis tournament. * Crying tears of joy as our girls took the lead and helped us all voice our "snaps" for each other at dinner. (highlights: listening to how much the girls had grown to love each other, hearing things they appreciated about us as coaches, and having a chance to watch their faces while we shared the truly amazing things we remember/cherish about them) * Singing Happy Birthday to Jenny Ruth at the top of our lungs in the middle of Luca's Chop House * Watching as the girls turned the restaurant into a dance party after dinner * Taking pics in the middle of the parking lot because everyone was "just gorgeous." * Competing in the semis/final matches ... watching our 2D split after losing the first set and playing so gutsy! Cheering our 1D as they split after losing their first set and managing to bounce back even after getting a "late arrival" game penalty!!! (They won 6-2, even though the ump gave the first game to ASH!!!) * Screaming "SMASH OUT HARD TIME" at the top of my lungs like an idiot because Jessi beat an incredible senior athlete from NPC in order to win the 3 Singles Final ... and "get revenge for Sylvi." * Praying with my girls as they were down 5-6 in the State Final .. not for a win, but that God would give us the strength to play our best and honor Him (and He did ... despite the circumstance my girls were amazingly gracious) * Finishing 4th in the State (our 5th consecutive year in the top 5) when Coach Ipema and I truthfully were just "hoping to qualify" this year. * Screaming like idiots for Meika when she won the 1S state title because her team wasn't there to do it. * Praising God at Wendy's because "He had a better plan" for this season ... even when we all thought it was caving in around us.
So, that, my blogger friends, is what I'm so so blessed to be a Coach ... After all, look at these faces ... who WOULDN'T best blessed to work with them!!!
