Hello, August!

How in the world is it already August? I feel like I was JUST locking up my classroom door for the last time before the summer started. Wasn't the 4th of July like yesterday?! Obviously not. So, hello August! While I am not quite ready to go back to school, I am definitely ready for routine. I thrive off of having a routine, a schedule. Because of this, I am SO EXCITED about a little something that came in the mail this week, BUT you'll have to wait until the end of this post to find out what it is ;) ...don't scroll down, silly! Patience...

The end of the summer brought us some fun events and activities. There has been LOTS of summer softball. Aside from being out on the field, there's nowhere else I'd rather be in the summertime than watching hubs play ball with my main gal.

We have also had the chance to enjoy some fun time with good friends. We went to see an outdoor play with a few of our favorites and our furry chicas.

                  

We've celebrated a few birthdays and had birthday parties for old(er) friends and new(er) ones :)

You can find these two lovely ladies at Caitlyn's Blog and Steph's Website and Blog--both with huge hearts for the Lord and oh so talented!

We got to witness two wonderful people promise to be together forever at their wedding, and unfortunately, I did not snap a picture of them, but snapped a few others.

Sorry ladies, he's taken!

We call this our #selfiesession

We still have a few more fun things planned, and we are going to soak up every minute. For now, I will leave you with my newest purchase... 

That's right, my 2014-2015 Erin Condren planner came in!!!!! EIGHTEEN months of organized awesomeness. They made a few changes for the '14-'15 planner that I really like am obsessed with. If you like keeping a paper calendar/agenda book, this is for you. It is worth the money spent, I promise. AND if you are a first-timer with Erin Condren, by using my referral code, you will receive $10 off of your first purchase! Just click the link above, and once you sign up, it will send you a code via e-mail to use toward your first purchase. Okay I'm finished. 

Enjoy your last few days of summer! Hope you are doing something fun to celebrate while you can!!!

Summer Lately

Last week, our church participated in Houston 1:8, an inner-city mission trip. One day, I hope we have the opportunity to travel to another country on a mission trip, but so often we think that the only "unreached" people are outside of the United States, not true. There are unreached people on the other side of the state, in the neighborhood over, down the street, and even next door. It was such a blessing to get to serve a group of unreached people in our own city. Matt and I, along with one of Matt's closest friends, were Recreation Leaders for the week, so we got to love on and play games with (and sweat with, see below) over one hundred kids. Being a middle school teacher, I am around kids all the time, but I loved getting to see how Matt interacted with the little ones and how attached to him they were. I pray that these children's lives were touched by their VBS leaders last week and that if nothing else, they will begin to wonder and ask questions and seek answers about our awesome God. I pray that they know how very loved they are.

After a fabulous week serving the Lord, I knew I had a fabulous reunion weekend planned with my roommates from college. With life evolving, we do not get to see each other as much as any of us would want, but even being apart for so long, it was as if no time had passed. We didn't have anyone take a really good, posed picture of all of us, but we managed to capture a few of the highlights from the weekend.

   

   

    

Even after staying up WAY TOO late the first night, a few of the girls woke up and did 21-Day Fix Pilates Fix with me (above, left). We were all sore the rest of the day! But, above (right) is a picture of what we did the rest of the day, so the soreness obviously did not bother us too much. It was so fun getting to catch up and talk endlessly about everything.

   

Still on cloud nine from all the fun we had. I love these girls with all my heart and am already looking forward to the next reunion!


Matt started his second season of Summer Softball--double headers. Thankfully, my parents came to support for the first game, but the second game, which was WAY past my bedtime, it was just the pup and me. She found entertainment in a soccer ball we found, but every time Matt got up to bat, it was as if she knew. She would jump up and watch him, just like her mamma. Such a little human!


   
















Hope you are enjoying your summer, too!

4CY

This morning, my high school softball coach, Tina Young, went to be with the Lord. She fought a seven year battle with cancer after being given no more than nine months to live. An absolute miracle.

If you are reading this and either haven't met me or did not meet me until after high school, you do not know about the thing that consumed the majority of my time for thirteen years of my life--softball. It is crazy to think that I have not been playing for almost six years now. Regardless, when I think back to my four years in high school, I think about softball.

I have been at a loss for words most of the day, and I think that was mostly because I thought that if I really sat down to think about the loss of this inspirational person, I'd probably just lose it. Much to my surprise, however, here I am, sitting down and taking it all in, and all I can think about is her joy. Pure joy. If you never had the opportunity to meet this woman, you missed out. Luckily for you, she touched so many lives, that you will see her joy lived out in the lives of all of her students and athletes. Coach Young was truly an inspiration.  As a teacher, I would love to say that the biggest impact made on my life in my high school career was in the classroom, but that would be a lie. The biggest impact made on my life in my high school career was on the softball field. Tina had a lot to do with that.

She coached me.

She helped me.

She taught me.

She lead me.

She inspired me.

She encouraged me.

She laughed with me.

She cried with me.

She fought for me.

She believed in me.

She challenged me.

That last one has been on my heart for a while now. She challenged me. A lot. She pushed me out of my comfort zone on the field, and she helped form me into the best player I could be. She was talented at doing that. I know this list does not only apply to me. I have spent today looking at all of the social media posts from so many previous players of Tina's, and I have been in awe of the number of people she touched. Before my senior season, I was told I could not pitch anymore without risking a more serious back injury, and she believed that I had more to give than softball. She was so much more than a coach.

She was a helper,

a teacher, 

a leader,

an inspirer,

an encourager,

an empathizer,

a fighter,

a believer,

and a challenger. 

She meant so much to so many, and my prayer is that she is always remembered for the impact she made and her joyous spirit.

4CY