How I Make Lemonade out of Lemons...

1.) Surround Myself With Positive, Loving People

Friends and family who truly know me and what I am about. People who have mutually shared their heart with me and I with them. They know my soul. Thus they can help feed it and bring out the best in me. I am blessed to have people like this in my life!

2.) Thankfulness & Praise

It is in the midst of chaos and trials that we truly appreciate what we have. Here is what God has revealed to me today to be thankful for...

I have a loving and supportive husband. He truly is my knight in shinning armor. (Cheesy!) Okay maybe not in shinning armor but he does do battle for our family. Both spiritually thru prayer and physically, thru support and words.
Every young lady deserves a man who will fight for her, alongside her and when necessary be the commander of the army. Please don't settle for anything less and when you're dating... put the boy to the test. He should be pursuing you and fighting for your hand in marriage. Nick did this, and God has blessed me with a man who won't back down.

I have a beautiful little girl who daily laughs and giggles with me. She is a testament that comfort does not always come in words but sometimes comes in just being present. At times I have not comforted others because I feared I didn't know what to say. Shame on me... God could have just used my presence for their strength.

Two people who have been through amazing storms. They chose to praise God in the midst and see Him work in amazing ways. If God gives them the strength & power to endure, than I can too.

3.) Daily Pour into Good Books

When life throws us lemons, God views it as a test of faith. Satan seeks to use it as temptation to bring us into despair, discouragement, depression, etc. All to say that there is a daily battle of my spirit and my mind. Will I choose to rejoice always?

There is no better way to do battle than by making sure I am prepared and equipped. So each day I HAVE to put on the armor of God (Ephesians 6:11) or else I can fall into fear, anxiety, or discouragement. I equip myself by reading the bible daily. Personally I like to dig in and study it. I use Jon Courson's commentary and my fancy IPad app to read different translations. I also listen to sermons.

Few favorite pastors:
Mark Driscoll at Mars Hill Church www.marshillchurch.org
Brett Meador at Athey Creek Christian Fellowship www.atheycreek.com
Jon Courson at Applegate Christian Fellowship www.joncourson.com
Wesley Towne at Ekklesia www.ekklesiaeugene.org

4.) Hold on to and Grasp for Myself God's Promises

This is another way to do battle. I have experienced the benefits of praying God's word and specifically his promises. I attempt to not pray with words like, "God I hope and pray you'll do..." or "God if it is your will, please...." No, I am working on praying with faith and conviction. There are certain things God promises He will do. There are times in the bible when He does tell us His will. I choose to pray to him and remind him of what He says He will do. He has to follow thru on His word and He will. The question is... do I believe he will?

Philippians 4:4-8 - "Be joyful Always... Do not be anxious about anything... Just pray...and GOD WILL GIVE YOU PEACE that transcends all understanding."
Jeremiah 29:11 - "God knows our plans and they are to see us prosper, to give us a future and a hope."
Romans 8:28 - "For WE KNOW that all things work for the good.."
1 Corinthians 10:13 - "No test or temptation that comes your way is beyond the course of what others have had to face. All you need to remember is that God will never let you down; he'll never let you be pushed past your limit; he'll always be there to help you come through it. "
Matthew 11:28-30 - "Come to me all who are wear and heavy, and I will give you rest"
Philippians 1:6 - "He who began a good work in you, will carry in to completion"
Nehemiah 8:10 - "The Joy of the Lord is your strength"

There are also times when God is silent about His will. It is than that I can pray,
"Not my will but thy will be done."

5.) "The Best Way to Cheer Yourself Up, is to Cheer Someone Else Up." - Mark Twain

Blessed are those who are persecuted and put to the test. Yes, we can acknowledge that it sucks, but having faith in God is saying "I am blessed for having to go through this." So don't seek to "feel sorry" in a way that slanders God's plan, but seek to cheer someone up by reassuring them of God's promises!

^"12 Blessed is the one who perseveres under trial because, having stood the test, that person will receive the crown of life that the Lord has promised to those who love him." James 1:12

^"13 Who is going to harm you if you are eager to do good? ¹⁴ But even if you should suffer for what is right, you are blessed. “Do not fear their threats^[a]; do not be frightened.”^{[b] 15} But in your hearts revere Christ as Lord. 1 Peter 3:13-15

Fall Camping

I was pretty determined to get McKinley out camping so off we went a few weekends ago with Granny, Grandpa, Uncle Joey and Aunt Hanna. We went up to Belknap Hot Springs and Nick was able to join us for a day as well.

With Uncle Joey and Aunt Hanna... 3 weeks married!

"My mom found me this fleece camo bunting... It was on sale so that is why I got camo instead of pink. I don't like pink much anyways"

We decided to trek into this waterfall up the old Mckenzie hwy.

one of my favorite places in Oregon.... the Old McKenzie Hwy

McKinley and the North Sister

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Lil Baller

This past week McKinley took a trip to Utah with her mom. We watched lots of basketball. And yes, McKinkey actually watches the game too :). She stays awake for about a half. Than she attempted to take a nap the 2nd half only to discover that the buzzard horn greatly disturbs sleep. She would jolt awake whenever a substitution was made so I soon figured out it helped to cover her ears.
In Utah we got to visit and hang out with Velaida and her family. Than we got to visit and watch Elise play in her first college game. In 20 min of play she had 6 pts, 7 rebounds, and 3 assists... Not too shabby :) It was great to see Elise in her new home and so comfortable there as well. God is blessing!

Halloween

Nick and myself aren't much for dressing up for halloween or for any other reason really. We are in tshirts, basketball shorts and sweats the majority of the time :) But we have come to enjoy dressing up our little one. Here is her halloween costume as well as a few other favorite dress up outfits.

Daddy-Daughter Talk

Our little girl has become quite the chatter box. Nick and McKinley will often go back and forth to each other in baby lingo. In this instance I just so happen to sneak in behind Nick and catch it on video. Enjoy!

Divided

Which will she be???

Thought #2 on coaching

Thought #2:

Any "success" that we experienced was not our own because God enabled and guided our steps. Too many things have to go right and you have to have a bit of "Luck" on your side in order to be successful in the world's eyes. Sure character and work ethic can take you along ways. Our teams beat other teams at times simply because we were better prepared, had a stronger work ethic, physically out manned them, and were more cohesive on the court. Being a person of high character, knowing how to compete to your best, having a strong work ethic and being united as a group are necessary and I believe give you the highest percentage of success. That is why we sought to be those things at Thurston. Those aspects are about 90% of the ingredients in the recipe of success. Than there is this 10% that you feel like you have no control of. The OSAA changes the classifications, injuries occur, your league changes the playoff format or you have to have the right talent born at the right time at the right place so that they all go to high school together. It just feels like there is this piece we lack control over. It is like the stars have to be perfectly aligned in order to win championships. I personally believe this is because God wants you to control the things you can and than trust Him with the rest. Sports taught me this as a player and also as a coach. Anyone who is driven has to learn to do all you can and than "Let Go and Let God".
That is what we stressed, you put the work in at practice. You do all you can to be mentally prepared for game time battle, and than when the ball goes up... "Just Play". Trust your preparation and enjoy the competition.
In four years of high school ball a young lady will have about 80 games. They go by fast! That is why it crushed me to see a player stressing on the court. Looking to the stands after a play because they are concerened about what mom & dad think, up tight because they feel their future is at the pivotal moment as college coaches watch, desiring to reach their goals SO bad that they just press, having enough trust in themselves to allow for mistakes (many athletes are perfectionist) and perhaps the hardest.... having the mental toughness to withstand the correcting and reinforcing by their coach on the sideline. Being able to play through these things as a teenager is a tall order. But when you "Let Go and Let it Flow". You enjoy it all the more!

The team that taught me how to coach in a way that allows young women to "Let go and Let it flow"

The team that represented Desire - Drive & Determination through out the rollercoaster ride of a season. They enjoyed each moment and treasued their court time and team time.