Change

This was the decade of change with 2019 being the crescendo. In the last 10 years I remarried, had a baby, and coached many amazing athletes to victories (both team and personal). We traveled to Hawaii, Mexico, Disneyland, and all along the Oregon Coast. I changed jobs twice and watched my very deserving husband retire from teaching. It was a wonderful journey with great friends and new family. All of the changes and challenges of the year have been humbling and brought us so much closer as a family. As we head into the new decade and prepare to celebrate Jillian’s tenth birthday and our tenth wedding anniversary we will continue to celebrate our dreams and set our sights on more goals. I don’t know yet where the new year will lead us, but I do know I’m grateful for the friends and family that supported us on our journey. Love and Hugs to you all and best wishes on your new year.

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2019 saw all of the changes and accomplishments finally come together. 

January flew by with some major plans in the making and coaching my last competition cheer team. 

In February I coached my last cheer squad and retired from 24 years of coaching cheer. 

March was the transition to Track and Jillian’s bridging for Girl Scouts on the Hoover Dam. 

April was filled with coaching track, transitioning to the new cheer coach, my last girls weekend with Char and Jules, and helping to organize my last Quarter Auction. 

In May I graduated with my Associates Degree, Jillian performed in her dance recital, I Co-Coached my last Track team to Regional and State runner up titles. 

In June I applied for and accepted a job on Oregon’s North Coast, packed up our family, and said goodbye to some of my dearest friends and support system. 

July was spent adjusting to a tiny apartment and Doug starting a new job as Assistant Park Ranger for the State Park. 

In August Jillian started attending day camp and saw the sights of the area including the Astoria Tower, Trolley, County Fair, and Trip to the Zoo. I began working as the Head Secretary/Office Manager at Astoria High. 

September was a time for Jillian to start a new school and make new friends. I had a good 40th birthday. I also said good-bye to one of my dearest friends who lost her battle with Cancer. 

In October we faced some continued challenges and changes with adjusting to the area. 

November we traveled down to Medford to visit mom and came back up the coast visiting Newport and Tillamook. 

December finished up with school and traveled almost 2000 miles to visit Nevada seeing family and friends.

Friday Nights

In the fall, each long week culminates with Friday Night Lights. 

Each Friday night at some point I experience a moment of total calm. Everything gets quiet in my mind and my heart is at peace. Tonight it was during the national anthem. Standing on the sidelines between the cheerleaders and the band. Seeing the football boys stand proudly and ROTC on the field with the Stars and Stripes. I know in those moments I am home. I’m where I’m supposed to be and doing what I’m supposed to do. It’s what I never knew I wanted to be when I grew up. Sometimes the weeks are hard, the job is hard and the hours are long. But it’s always worth it. 

To the kids who’ve shared their lives with me and the kids who challenge me to be the best coach I can for them. Thank you. Thank you for all of it.

On The Track... Again

This has become my spring...Again. 

Coaching all 4 jumping events is ridiculously complicated and pushing me out of my comfort zone, but so rewarding! Long Jump, Triple Jump, High Jump, and Pole Vault. 

I have some pretty awesome kids who give their all each weekend. 

This weekend we had a tied PR in the high jump and 3 new PR’s in Triple! I came home sunburned and wind-burned and freezing cold, but really it was one of the best Saturday’s I have had in a long time.

Thank you to my husband who I know is living vicariously through me giving me tips and drills. Thank you to Coach K and Coach Leo for always being there to help me and my kids learn. Glad to be on the track again with some pretty great coaches! Thank you to Brad and Troy for putting up with me! 

Time Reveals Our Path

I have spoken a lot in the last few weeks about things happening for a reason. In my life, I believe this is true. I am learning to look back at my choices and events and start to piece together the how and why of life's twists and turns. I have become a student of my own life and it's fascinating. All my choices and experiences have lead me to this moment. I am who I am because of the mistakes, trials, relationships and things I have loved and lost. I can start to see the paths and the choices and how it has come together.

In the last 30 plus years, I never had a good answer for the "where do you see yourself in 10 years" question. I don't know if it was the fear of the future, fear of committing, or the fear of failure, but something always kept me from thinking so far ahead.

Over 20 years ago I was given a small opportunity, not to change the world, be certainly to affect the world around me. That one opportunity has been the one thing spanning all the years that has stuck with me and motivated me. The one things I have been truly good at. Through the years, I struggled to find myself and my true passion when all along it was with me. I was given the opportunity to coach, but that opportunity became so much more than skills and drills. Teaching kids the value of hard work and committing to something that was bigger than them; than all of us. This has taught me so much more that I could have ever imagined.

I learned something about myself 8 years ago. I learned that I would never be 'one of the notorious', or be in a position of power or great importance in a business world. I will never be rich and famous, and in some respects, I would just never be enough for some people. So much of society dictates what our personal success is. But success means so many different things to each and every one of us. 8 years ago, through failure, I learned that my success was not determined by someone else. It has taken 8 years to finally understand that letting go of others view of my success will set me free. This is a lesson that I struggle with each day.

Five weeks ago, Sparks High gave me an opportunity to do a job that I knew I would be good at. A job that all my previous jobs prepared me for. A job I knew I would love. Each day I wake up excited for the new day and the challenges that lie ahead. Some days have been easy and some frustrating. But each day I know, that in a small way, I am affecting change. I know that by my small contribution, I have a small part in the successful journey of others. I get to help others define their own success and their future.

I will be forever grateful to my Sparks High family. For over a decade they have given me the opportunity to find myself. They supported me when I stumbled and continue to have faith and trust in me. This family has saved my life. Now in the face of so many changes and dividing paths my heart breaks. Change is never easy, but inevitable. I will do my best stand tall and support those who have supported me. It may be with tears and a broken heart, but I know that the success of their journey depends on my choice to support them too.

Thank you to those who have given me the opportunity to be successful in my own way. I love you all so very much and I hope that I can continue to be a positive influence for years to come.

Family Traditions

Growing up, my family didn't have a lot of traditions. We had the usual holiday get-togethers where everyone congregated at my grandmother's home. When I was very young my grandparents on my father’s side took a two-week holiday vacation at Diamond Lake in Oregon.  They rented a cabin and took their boat.  It was always a highlight of my summer, but as they got older they stopped taking the trip.

When Doug and I married we were both in need of a new life and new traditions.  A few years in, he had the opportunity to interview for a teaching position in Astoria, OR.  We discussed sending him up to interview solo, but we decided to take in impromptu family trip.  We rented a very small car, reserved a spot in a KOA ‘Kabin’ for a few days, stuck a cute little two-year-old Jillian into her adventure seat and off we went.  Doug had not spent any time on the northern Oregon coast and I had hadn’t been there in 20 years, so we explored and fell in love with the area.  While we were there, we both imagined what our lives would be like if we moved and it was wonderful.  Doug didn’t get the job and we were actually kind-of heart broken, but we understood that the time was not right and we had other things left to do in Nevada.

Hug Point State Park, 2012

The following year we went back.  Doug had applied for a job in a different town, but we still went up to Astoria to visit.  He didn’t get that job either, but we continued to explore and fall in love with the area.  This time we spent some time in the ‘Kabin’ and we took our camping setup with the tents and outdoor kitchen. Jillian was a little older and starting to understand the beauty of the coast. We visited lighthouses, the Tillamook Cheese Factory, most of Newport and continued to fall in love with the coast.  Growing up in Oregon, I took many trips to the coast.  I always loved visiting, but as I got older I appreciated the community and culture even more.  Happily, Doug and Jillian were starting to see it too.  It felt like going home.

Cape Mears Lighthouse, 2013

The third year there was no job interview, we just went.  We adjusted the trip a little and didn’t go all the way up to Astoria. We Packed up the car with more camping equipment that you can fathom! We grabbed our hoodies and jeans and spent a week enjoying the coastal weather while Nevada was sitting in 100+ degree heat.  The trip was fun, but we decided that we needed to look into a tent trailer or a small trailer.  It was taking upwards of two hours to set up camp. Our fussy, now 4-year old was hard to wrangle and there was too much for one person to do while the other entertained Jillian. Jillian was now starting to really love the coast and looked forward to the trip.  It had become our family tradition for sure! Doug was developing a healthy taste for Rogue Ale’s and Jillian loved seeing the sea lions lounging on the rocks, docks and beaches.

Beverly Beach State Park - Nature Tour, 2014

In the next year Doug did a ton of research and we visited every RV Show that came our way.  We checked out Campers, Tent Trailers, RV’s and even wandered through the big 5^th Wheels and Class-A RV’s that were only a dream. Finally, in March of 2015 we were in a place to purchase a tent trailer that we could pull with our current small SUV.  We drove down to Turlock, CA to pick it up. We tested it out a few times prior to the Oregon trip and loved it! So much easier to set up and take down. Less than a half hour compared to the 2+ that the tent site took.  Much of the setup involved things that even Jillian could help with. Because of the trailer, we were able to head all the way back up to Astoria and even extended our trip to nine days! It was wonderful! 

Beverly Beach State Park - Sunset walk, 2015

As we round the corner into spring, we are planning out our vacation again.  We have booked our favorite spot in Fort Stephens State Park in Warrenton, OR and plan on taking advantage of our Thousand trails membership along the rest of the coast. This year we will go up through Bend and Central Oregon to get up north, hoping to avoid the awful heat and humidity of the Central Valley and I-5 Corridor. We plan to take 14 days this year, the most we have ever been away from home.  Jillian is already starting to plan out her toys and packing her must-haves for the trip.  She really wants to try her hand at fishing this year! Doug and I want to take advantage of the amenities our membership to Thousand Trails gets us and attempt crabbing. 

With a lot of patience and other necessary events between, we look forward to this year’s adventure! 56 days to go!

Friendship

Friendship as a child is simply saying, they are my friend.  Kids are not judgmental or picky about friends.  They simply see a person and know that they want to play, so they are friends. When they fight over playing time or sharing, they simply want until the next recess and play again. It’s a simple plan with a very simple outcome. 

As adults, this becomes more convoluted.  When someone is different or sees things different than we do we don’t think that they can be our friend.  When someone’s priorities are different than ours, we see them as threatening or wrong.  When in reality these are the people that we need the most in our lives.

We need people around us that will challenge us. Those who make us think are the ones that make us grow. We all see the same world, but we see it through our own eyes and own experiences.  When we allow people around us that see the world through a different set of experiences and we share with them what we see, we learn something new.

Many of my best friends didn’t start out as friends.  We had a difference of opinion or a challenge, but by divine intervention, or circumstance we were able to see beyond the differences and realize that we are all on the same ride and the same journey.  Our paths have lead us different ways, but at any given moment we are surrounded by people by which we have something to learn. 

Some paths we cross teach us a life lesson in what not to do, some teach us compassion, pride, and love.  Some paths we join and walk a while and sometimes we need to find our own path.  As friends start to take their own path they learn new lessons and new experiences grow them.  And when your paths cross again you can learn from each other.

I challenge you to go someone an chance today that you wouldn’t normally.  Reach out to that person that has challenged you or caused you think about something outside your comfort-zone.  You will gain an experience and possibly even start a new friendship.  

One could even save a life.