Volleyball Part I

So, I have this relationship with volleyball. It started when I was...uh...can't remember. My Dad has always been a volleyball coach, and it's difficult to recall the first time I ever touched a ball.
I DO (however) have memories of setting the ball back and forth while sitting cross-legged on the living room floor...playing pepper in the backyard...and tagging along to every practice and game my Dad ever took me to.

Dad pretty much taught me everything he knows, and I owe most of my accomplishments to him. Even though he coached me all the way through high school and 3 years in college...we were able to make the father/daughter and coach/player relationship work. We left volleyball on the court and home life at home. He was extra hard on me in practices, but for valid reasons. He knew the other players would think I was being favored if he wasn't careful. I understood, and so I worked my tail off running extra sprints, taking the heat in time-outs, and being made an "example of" in drills.

Once I hit the 6th grade I was playing on my first organized club volleyball team. After that the years went by pretty fast and all the tournaments, sweaty practices, tough sprints, wins, losses, and gyms blur together into what people refer to as a "volleyball career". .

Every Fall season for about 13 years I was a part of a team set out to accomplish whatever goal it was for that particular year. Beat our school rival. Win Districts. Win Conference. Get to the State tournament. Make it to Nationals. And I set out to make personal accomplishments as well. Be the best hitter. Get better stats. Make fewer mistakes. Be first in every sprint. Hustle more. Be a team captain. Some years the goals were met. Other years they weren't. Teams changed, coaches changed (in club), schools changed, and I battled to improve every area of my game. And for many years volleyball remained my close companion. We were like peas in a pod.

Even as I sit here I get goosebumps reliving some of those memories. There were so many great highlights....I wish I could list them all!

So, me and VB went through high school, college and then took our relationship to the "next level"...overseas. And THAT, my friends, is when our relationship got a little out of whack. I had just graduated from college, got married that summer (simultaneously my parents were splitting up), and I had just finished coaching my first high school varsity girls VB team. I was looking for an escape. I couldn't deal with the fact that my VB career was officially over (coaching was torture...I just wanted to get back on the court), or the fact that my family was divided and going in separate directions. So this looked like the answer. I could keep playing the sport I so desperately loved, take my new found husband with me, travel all over Europe, and run from every problem I could think of...or so I thought.

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I'm hoping to make this a 3 part series...maybe more. There are lots of details in the next Part so bear with me. Hopefully this gives you a better understanding of how this area of my life was affected by so many things, and how so many things affected IT. My struggle with perfectionism. My perspective of self-worth. My need for approval. And even more how it eventually brought me closer to the Lord...

Disappointment

The last couple of days it has been bright and sunny, with fresh white snow, glistening icicles dripping from rooftops and well....just simply beautiful. I absolutely love winter on these splendid days! The sun has been pouring through the whole house. I hardly need to turn any lights on until nightfall!

However, life has not been so bright in my life this week. I've been dealing with lots of disappointments lately. It seems like every day, someone or something falls short of my expectation. I think I can count at least 5 major situations where I was left thinking, "Man (!) that person is so selfish...or Man (!) am I just completely outnumbered?....or Man (!) that did NOT go as I had planned!

In each situation I am left feeling so angry and annoyed. Yet, I know the "right" thing to do is remember that God feels the same way when I disappoint Him....blah blah blah. I just want to be MAD ok? I wish I could flip a switch and do the "right" thing. But it's so hard. I just want to get even sometimes....arrggg!

I know God is trying to teach me patience, and unselfishness. In fact, this week lines up perfectly with last weeks bible study. A significant portion of the study was about what we do when others disappoint us. I wrote down all the answers I just knew I would do when the time came. Well, now's your chance Shannon....walk the talk!

The red dress

I had this big, elaborate plan of surprising Greg when he came home last night

wearing the dress above /\

making a delicious homemade dinner (complimented with sparkling cider)

and setting the mood below \/ of rose petals and candlelight....

with Frank Sinatra faintly playing in the background.

Dreamy right?

Well, as life has been lately...Greg worked ALL day Saturday (beginning at 5am) and had no promise of coming home at a descent hour. And as I have learned in the past, there is little point in "guessing" when he will arrive home (due to the nature of the business). So, instead of trying to keep a meal warm, sucking my stomach in while wearing that dress, and watching the clock to no avail.....I decided to scrap it, and wait until I heard from him with a definite arrival time.

To my surprise, he called at 4:30 saying he was on the way home. Hooray! Except, I had no meal prepared, and as far as my appearance....well I showered at least (!) and was wearing my [nicer-looking] sweats. And on top of it, there was no babysitter lined up for the evening.

But, I have learned that Greg would rather have a happy, home(y) wife, instead of a stressed out, fancy wife.

So, Greg took a quick shower. We threw Kensie in the car seat. I brushed my hair and spruced up my makeup. And we headed out to eat at our favorite Mexican restaurant. Just the 3 of us.

Kensie fussed the last half of the meal, so we scarfed down the rest of our food, headed home and put her to bed by 7:30.

It was not what I had pictured for a special Valentines night, but at least we had some movie-watching, cuddle-couch time after Kensie went to bed :). Comfy sweats and all.

High chair cuteness and a puzzle...

Kensie has been enjoying her new high chair more than ever! It provides a much better view than the bouncy seat ever had [at only 2 inches off the ground]. I can tell she loves being a part of what's happening at the table (even though she hasn't started on cereal or baby food yet...we'll find out at her check-up today if it's time...).

Oh my!...Gesundheit!

And here's what I've accomplished the last 3 days...



Hope you have a wonderful Valentines Day!

5 months

Another month under her belt, and not a care in the world!

(must be nice)

Not much else going on these days....just lots of snow, puzzles, Seinfeld episodes, drinking hot tea, and trying to think of V-day ideas on a budget.

What are YOU doing for the day of love??

Life of a blogger

It's been one whole year since I officially became a blogger. Prior to, my first avenue to stay connected with friends and family was the ever-popular Facebook. It's a fast and easy way to briefly keep people up-to-date with the going's on in life. But, once I discovered the world of blogging, I was hooked. While I don't consider myself a "fanatic" (yet), I have enjoyed the journey over the past year. It has become a tool for recording special moments, expressing and (yes) sometimes venting about this thing called life. In my opinion, it beats FB any day of the week. There's a tendency for me to want to depict my life as perfect. And (like anyone) I only want to post the best pictures of myself on my profile. However, that's not real life. And while I have not totally given into posting what I consider "less-than-satisfactory" pictures of myself here on this blog, I DO feel free to write about my imperfect life. It's been a good way to force me to write, even during weeks I don't want to. And wow. What freedom. Things that I used to consider such a "big deal" to talk about are not so big anymore.

Blogging has pushed me to be more vulnerable that's for sure....now if only I could conquer it in person (always a bit tougher).

If you've never taken it up, give it try! You will be surprised how much you have to write about....

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[need I say more?]