Tis the season

WARNING: I have no clue why it is underlined nor do I know how to get rid of it!

Most of you know that I coach multiple sports, but this is my favorite season - Softball! I love being outside (even though it has rained more than it has been sunny this year), I love the game intensity, I love the athletes, I love the dirt, the double plays, the several ways to bunt, I love almost all aspects of the game the only thing I do not really like is the COLD weather!
This year the I am the Varsity assistant at BVNW. I am excited about this position, mainly because you get to work with the top team but you still get to coach the younger girls too. We have a great team this year and we should be state contenders this year - that is if we keep our heads in the game and there is little to no girl drama! We have 6 seniors and almost all of them have played at the varsity level all 4 years, 3 are going on to play in college - 1 at Nebraska, 1 at Wisconsin, 1 at Rockhurst! I think as long as we get our hits and runs in the first couple of innings no body will be able to stop us. However it is softball the score can all change with one swing of the bat!
So far we have played 4 games, we have had to postpone 2 games due to the rain. We are 4-0. We have a big game this week against another team in our conference that always gives us a run for our money. Then next Monday (April 20th) we have a super big game we play Blue Valley and they went to state last year and won the conference by 1 game and we got 2nd in the conference! I will most likely post again after that game because I know all of you will be wanting to know how it turned out.

Here are some pictures:

The team

Pregame equipment


Outfield/scoreboard/flag

Catchers view of the game

Michigan Trip Pictures Spring Break 2009

Gabby with her big "I love the camera" smile
Mason Thomas just chill-axing

Yoh doing one of her famous poses for the camera

The sistas getting geared up for the wagon ride

Gabby climbing to the top of the slide at the park

Yoh and her favorite dog Cooper! Yoh is also mid dance

Brynn eating some grub

Brynn getting pushed by her big sister! Amazing facial expression

A goose and 2 ducks on the pond at Yohs apartment complex.
The second duck is the the cattails - can you see her?

Some geese on the pond at Yohs apartment complex



Some of my followers were looking forward to some pictures of Yoh's new place in Michigan. Well I failed to take any, my bad! I will do a better job this summer!

House Update!!

Well I accepted an offer on my house on Saturday morning! The house is getting inspected on Wednesday! So please pray that everything from here on out is good news and that it is meant to sell to this person! Thank you in advance! I am not sure what the Lord has for my next step but I am ready!

"Early in the morning"

Okay so for awhile now something has been standing out to me when I read the Bible. It is a simple phrase or group of wording that I come across. "Early in the morning," "Early the next morning," "Rose early," and others similar to it. These verses have stood out to me for awhile, and I started praying into them to see if I was suppose to be getting up early to 'workout'/worship with the Lord again. (Background: I trained for a marathon a few years back and did quite a few early morning runs due to coaching high school sports after work - and I really heard from the Lord at those times.) So I talked to Yoh about it a bit and then today I did a key word search look on the phrases that I mentioned above and they appear in the Bible over fifty times. (And yes I did highlight them - with my favorite color!) So I just thought it was awesome how many time the Lord spoke to people in the Bible in the early morning and many peoples days started off with conversations, events, etc. with the Lord. So I am praying into what I should be doing. In the meantime if any of you - my fellow readers have any more insights, knowledge or studies in this area please pass it along to me. I think this is at least an area that the Lord wants me to gain knowledge in! You can either comment on my blog so that it benefits others or send me something via email. Thank you in advance. 

Tues-Wed-Thurs

Okay well here is a summary of a few of the things that I have done over the past few days while on my spring break: 

Tuesday: In the morning I did my usual routine (while Yoh got some more z's) went on a walk to a small pond, did my Bible reading, listen to a teaching on a CD. Then I added a walk to the REI store and Whole Foods. Then we ate lunch - leftover Macaroni casserole (tasty). After lunch we went on a long walk to Starbucks - for green teas and then walked back. After our exercising we decided we needed to run errands before the crew showed up for dinner. We were having a Mexican St. Patty's dinner! Okay not really that is just what I called it - although we did eat Mexican food on St. Patty's. Shauna came up for dinner and Schmoop and the girls were coming up also for a 2 day slumber party. We ate dinner and hung out with the visitors. Yoh went to work and I stayed to play with the girls and Schmoop - which consisted of us watching High School Musical 3 with Gabby - oh JOY! (I really am not a fan of these movies.) 

WEDNESDAY:  Well my morning started off with Gabby climbing into the futon with me and Aunt Bobby (this is what the girls call Yoh if you are unaware) putting in High School Musical 2 movie! Then the rest of the AM Schmoop and I entertained the girls while we waited for Aunt Bobby to wake up so we could go to the park! Finally we went to the park and had some good clean fun - okay well almost clean - Gabby got a tad muddy - but all good! We then went to dinner, came home and hung out, died Schmoops hair, Gabby took a bath and then bed time. 

THURSDAY: Woke up to Gabby saying Good Morning Maasen and Aunt Bobby! We watched Gabs eat most of her yogurt and then Yoh and I went to Smoothie King for smoothies for Schmoop, Yoh, and myself: smoothies that taste like peanut butter and jelly sandwiches - very good and filling - which is great for fasting! Then Schmoop and the girls went home, Yoh and I walked in and decided we should lay around and watch a movie until the MARCH MADNESS games started - one of our favorite times of the year! And basically ever since then I have been watching hoops and talking hoops with my pal Yoh! Then we ate dinner - pizza - a great basketball game watching type of food. Then Yoh watched "The Office"- I watched too - but I don't like this show really at all.  Then Yoh went to work and I started some laundry for her - all the towels her guests have used! :) Oh and I am still watching hoops!! Love it! Okay off to finish a night of hoops. Only a 1 and a half more days left here in Michigan! 

Michigan - first 2 days

Well Spring break is finally here!! I am in Ann Arbor (A2 as we refer to it). I am having a great time of course - mainly because I am getting some face time with my friend Melissa Yoh! So I thought I would tell you what we have been up to so far. 

I took the Megabus here from Kansas City and it was great however there were some college kids on the bus that were going to Chicago to party it up for St. Pats day! They were sort of loud - which is fine because I had my iPOD but I totally could have gone without hearing all the bad words - gee wiz they said a ton of them. Other than that the Megabus was another great cheap trip. 

So when I got to Michigan Yoh picked me up and we went back to her apartment so I could take a shower because I was a little gross from being on a bus for about 15 hours. Yoh made me some of my favorite things and went to the store to buy some of my favorite things also. She made scotcharoos and beer dip, the fridge also has a supply of coke in there just for me!! She spoils me! After my shower we got in the car and headed to Pat Yoh's house for the night. At Pat Yoh's house we just hung out with Schmoop and the girls mostly. We fed the animals, went to Wal-Mart, went to eat at a restaurant called the Barn - which is basically a place that makes good old home cooking! Tasty. Then Sunday we went to church at Pastor Johns church, watched some hoops, took naps, watched/played with the girls ate dinner - then headed back to A2 so Yoh could go to work. While Yoh was at work I watched some cable television, ate tasty food - cheetos, scotcharoos, beer dip, and washed it all down with a couple cokes!! Then I went to bed around 2 am. So far my spring break has been delightful. That is all for now - more later!

A WOMAN'S WEEK AT THE GYM

Okay I got this in an email - and thought it was Fun-ny! So I did some slight editing and decided to post it. I hope you enjoy!

If you read this without laughing out loud, there is something wrong with you. This is dedicated to everyone who ever attempted to get into a regular workout routine.

Dear Diary, For my birthday this year, my daughter (the dear) purchased a week of personal training at the local health club for me. Although I am still in great shape since being a high school football cheerleader 43 years ago, I decided it would be a good idea to go ahead and give it a try.
I called the club and made my reservations with a personal trainer named Belinda, who identified herself as a 26-year-old aerobics instructor and model for athletic clothing and swim wear.
My daughter seemed pleased with my enthusiasm to get started! The club encouraged me to keep a diary to chart my progress.

MONDAY:Started my day at 6:00 a.m. Tough to get out of bed, but found it was well worth it when I arrived at the health club to find Belinda waiting for me. She is something of a Greek goddess - with blond hair, dancing eyes and adazzling white smile. Woo Hoo!!
Belinda gave me a tour and showed me the machines. I enjoyed watching the skillful way in which she conducted her aerobics class after my workout today. Very inspiring!
Belinda was encouraging as I did my sit- ups, although my gut was already aching from holding it in the whole time she was around. This is going to be a FANTASTIC week!

TUESDAY:I drank a whole pot of coffee, but I finally made it out the door. Belinda made me lie on my back and push a heavy iron bar into the air then she put weights on it! My legs were a little wobbly on the treadmill, but I made the full mile. Belinda's rewarding smile made it allworthwhile. I feel GREAT! It's a whole new life for me.

WEDNESDAY:The only way I can brush my teeth is by laying the toothbrush on the counter and moving my mouth back and forth over it. I believe I have a hernia in both pectorals. Driving was OK as long as I didn't try to steer or stop. I parked on top of a GEO in the club parking lot. Belinda was impatient with me, insisting that my screams bothered other club members. Her voice is a little too perky for that early in the morning and when she scolds, she gets this nasally whine that is VERY annoying. My chest hurt when I got on the treadmill, so Belinda put me on the stairmonster. Why in the heck would anyone invent a machine to simulate an activity rendered obsolete by elevators? Belinda told me it would help me get in shape and enjoy life. She said some other crap too.

THURSDAY:Belinda was waiting for me with her vampire-like teeth exposed as her thin, cruel lips were pulled back in a full snarl. I couldn't help being a half an hour late - it took me that long to tie my shoes. Belinda took me to work out with dumbbells. When she was not looking, I ran and hid in the restroom she sent some skinny girl in to find me. Then, as punishment, she put me on the rowing machine -- which I sank.

FRIDAY:I hate that Belinda more than any human being has ever hated any other human being in the history of the world. Stupid, skinny, anemic, anorexic little cheerleader. If there was a part of my body I could move without unbearable pain, I would beat her with it. Belinda wanted me to work on my triceps. I don't have any triceps! And if you don't want dents in the floor, don't hand me the barbells or anything that weighs more than a sandwich. The treadmill flung me off and I landed on a health and nutrition teacher. Why couldn't it have been someone softer, like the drama coach or the choir director?

SATURDAY:Belinda left a message on my answering machine in her grating, shrilly voice wondering why I did not show up today. Just hearing her voice made me want to smash the machine with my planner; however, I lacked the strength to even use the TV remote and ended up catching eleven straight hours of the Weather Channel.

SUNDAY:I'm having the Church van pick me up for services today so I can go and thank GOD that this week is over. I will also pray that next year mydaughter (the little pain in the butt) will choose a gift for me that is fun -- like a root canal or a hysterectomy. I still say if God had wanted me to bendover, he would have sprinkled the floor with diamonds!!!