A Perfectly Imperfect Life

“Turn it up”  “Let the game come to you” Those were some of the instructions I would hear on a constant basis during each one of my basketball games growing up. The funny thing is, there could have been hundreds of people screaming, coaches yelling at me, music playing, and buzzers going off but I still would have been tuned to the one person yelling in the stands. You see, that one person was my dad. My dad spent countless hours with me outside of practice, my dad knew the ins and outs of my game. He knew me as a person and as a player. He knew the right things to say to help kick my butt into gear so to speak. We spent time together, we learned from each other and when it came to game time... I was tuned to his voice. No matter the Chaos around me, no matter how many other voices I heard, his voice was the most clear. I listened when he spoke because I knew without a shadow of a doubt he wanted the best for me and he could see things that I couldn’t.  Now a...

The other morning I found myself in a state of panic as I woke up way too late. I looked at the clock and I could not believe my eyes. It was 8:00am. What?! You have got to be kidding me?! Not Today?! Where in the world were my two beautiful blessings that always wake me up every morning at 7:00am sharp? They have never failed me before, even when I desperately wanted them to… they NEVER, NEVER, NEVER and I mean NEVER let me sleep in. Until now!! On the morning I needed to be up and out of the door by 8:15am. Yup, they chose that morning to sleep in. Just great… As I ran around the house like a crazy person, I found myself frantically wanting to be mad at someone for my mistake. I wanted to blame someone for something I did (or even better didn’t do)…. BUT… I could not. It was my fault. I was the one that chose to not set my alarm clock the night before. I was the one that chose to rely on two children for my wakeup call. I was the one that chose to put a...

“It is what you do in the darkness that makes you shine in the light.” I heard this quote on a commercial for the Summer Olympics the other night and it really got me thinking. I think quite a bit… one of my strengths but also one of my weaknesses. The Summer Olympics are just around the corner. I am an Olympic junkie… well… Summer Olympics… I can take or leave the Winter Olympics. Anyway, I absolutely love everything about it. I love watching the competitors and hearing all about their incredible journey. Their price is great; their cost is great. Their physical, emotional, and financial boundaries are pushed to the limit in order for them to reach their full potential. They literally give all they have every single day with ONE HUGE goal as their primary focus. They are completely driven. They are completely sold out. They are completely dedicated to getting the job done. They desire one thing; to proudly represent their country and to WIN at all costs. The...

My sweet little Addison has found herself smack dap in the middle of a very clumsy stage of life. She literally gets hurt 6 times a day… Maybe even more. Most of her accidental injuries come with nice bumps and bruises on her head and face. The other day she was playing tag with Braden. She thought (in her 22 month old mind) that she would be faster running backwards I guess… So she decided to run as fast as her little legs could go backwards. Now… Obviously this was a terrible decision and would not end well no matter what. Nonetheless, she was determined. She was pretty persistent for a while and then she started tripping over her own feet. The same feet that she relies on (without thinking) to stand, walk, and run. The same feet that usually never fail, tripped her up so bad that she slammed into our glass end table. She slammed into it so hard that the entire table moved several inches. You could see the indentations from where the glass table used to be. Her response surprised ...

My children are superior to many things when it comes to stripping any amount of pride I may have lingering in my parenting skills. They surpass all the failed speeches I ever gave, all the embarrassing falls, all the horribly missed basketball shots, all the uncomfortable doctor appointments, and all the awkward moments I have found myself in. Their innate ability to turn into Jekyll and Hide at any given moment makes them top dog when it comes to bringing me (as their mom) to my knees. Braden has always been scared to death of the doctor’s office, shots, or anything that makes him in any way feel uncomfortable. He literally turns into the Hulk and it usually takes the nurse and I to restrain him for his shots. I knew this at an early age so I thought we should wait to take him to the dentist’s office until he was older. Although my intentions were good… This was definitely a huge mistake. Anyway, Braden’s first dentist appointment was a total train wreck. In all honesty, at on...

I saw this tweet the other day from one of my favorite Christian artists growing up. Although I do not agree with the situation of his quote, there are a couple of parts that really got me thinking.  Kirk Franklin’s words read, “No sprints, but marathons… However long the race takes… Running at your pace… That won’t stop me from running.” If you know the situation and know the reasoning behind this tweet I am not wanting to focus on that at all. My sole focus is on this crazy race . What does it truly mean to run (with endurance) the race set before us (Hebrews 12:1) ? What does it truly mean when it says that in a race all the runners run, but only one receives the prize, So run that you may obtain it (1 Corinthians 9:24 )? What does it truly mean to press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus (Philippians 3:14) ? This race is vigorous. This race is extensive. This race is excruciating. This race discomforts.  The Bible...

I absolutely hate procrastination! Just ask my husband…  But I procrastinated to the very last minute to sit down and write this post. I could have written three to five other posts in the amount of time it took me to write this one. I was and am extremely nervous to share my thoughts on this topic because I believe God is trying to reveal something in my life personally. He is pulling and tugging at my heart. I have so much passion for this topic right now but I am not sure what I am supposed to do with it yet. It is hard to write about something that you are so passionate about because you want the words to be clear and interpreted correctly. Certainly, I know, there will be some that will miss the point, some may not care, but maybe… just maybe one person will get it. Maybe one person will catch on and see the vision. Passion, along with vision and attitude, is extremely contagious. Alright… enough chit chat. Here we go… So, where did this passion start? Where did i...