Not So Much Love in Philly

I've gone to Philly many times for lacrosse stuff. My first trip to Philly was 12 hours after moving home from college and before I ever started coaching. I have now been many times. It's usually absolutely freezing so I try to avoid leaving the hotel. Since it is a convention in the hotel that isn't difficult to do. This year the weather was great. I was excited to get out of the hotel on Saturday morning and go for a run. I was out in shorts and a fleece jacket and it couldn't have been more wonderful. The famous Rocky stairs were just 1.5 miles from my hotel. I must admit I have never seen the movie but I was very familiar anyway. I ran down there and snapped a few pictures. 

 It was a lovely morning in Philly but it was slightly foggy. I ran the Rocky steps a few times and captured a couple cool shots from the top.

The City of brotherly LOVE with the flags and steps in the background                                                                                     

Me at the top of the Rocky steps with foggy Philly in the background                                                                                            

After a lovely day running and going to lacrosse sessions I decided I would head to the airport. I went a bit early because I was afraid of the weather in st louis. I really didn't want to deal with cancelled flight. I wasn't able to get on an earlier flight so I waited five hours for my later flight. When it came it was unfortunately a small plane. We got on, waited for 50 minutes and took off for DC. When we got to DC we started to land then flew back into the air. We then circled the airport before returning to Philly. It was SO very frustrating.

When we got back to Philly they had to rebook me on a 7:20 am flight to St. Louis. I was frustrated beyond belief but booked my flight and headed to a hotel. When I got there I enjoyed a blue moon to reward myself for a crazy day of "travel"

I woke up in the morning to a message from United. My flight was cancelled. Frustration. They rebooked me on a 11:10 flight. I watched Big and face timed with my buddy, Joe. That flight was cancelled also. Finally, I got on a 2:05 flight and headed home. It was beyond frustrating. What a weekend. 

MBU Lax Christmas Party

This is my fifth year coaching women's lacrosse at MBU. I believe our Christmas party tradition has been going on for four of the five years. Each year we have a Christmas party the last weekend before finals. We draw names in October because everyone has to make her gift. It is top secret who everyone has. It's become such a wonderful and fun tradition. Each year I ask the girls if they want to continue to make gifts and each year it is an enthusiastic, "yes!" With the invention of pinterest the gifts keep getting better and better! This year the party was at my house and was so fun. 

 Above is a picture of my team...try and find the coach! I totally look like one of the players and often get confused. Below is a picture of all of us holding our homemade gifts. I got beautiful coffee bag pillows. I love them! 

Conference Tournament and Banquet

Easter weekend my team went to Rome, Georgia to compete in the conference tournament. This was an exciting weekend for our team as it was the first year we have been in a conference and thus able to A. make it into a post season tournament and B. receive conference awards.

We wish we would have done better in the tournament but it was still an incredible weekend.

Below are some pictures from the various weekend activities:

The team all dressed up for the conference banquet

They really do love each other this much

The girls on the bridge

The sophomores and my first recruiting class :)

The Juniors

The team again

My favorite part of the weekend was seeing Amanda selected as conference player of the year. Possibly the highlight of my coaching career thus far. She has worked so hard and been through a lot with Mobap lacrosse. After her five years of dedication we finally were in a conference, had subs on the sidelines, and were able to reward her as she deserved. She received first team all conference and CONFERENCE PLAYER OF THE YEAR! I did not know she was receiving this honor so I was shocked and SO excited for her. I had talked to her parents and convinced them to come to Georgia and I am so glad they did. I know they wouldn't have missed it for the world.

I was also honored with Conference Coach of the Year

Amanda and me with our awards

Two players on first team, two on second team, and two honorable mention

also, four academic all conference.

So proud of them

The team after our last game.

We lost 18-17. It was a tough loss, but the girls fought hard.

We are excited for next season already!

An "Adult" Easter Egg Hunt of Sorts

Throughout the season I would tell my team it was time to ball hunt in the tall grass at the park where we practiced. Eventually, as I used the term ball hunt repeatedly the girls began asking for an easter egg hunt. I said "sure" knowing full well we wouldn't have time for egg hunts during the end of the season. However, as I prepared to head to Georgia for our post season tournament I thought it might be nice to surprise the girls with an Easter egg hunt for Easter weekend.

Meredith, the athletic trainer, and I snuck some eggs and candy into our room and began to fill them. The next morning Bill, our lovely bus driver, took us to the park and dropped us off. We hid all 92 eggs in 10 minutes while he went back to pick up the girls. They were ecstatic when they jumped off the bus! It was pretty fun since they were (or at least acted) excited about the egg hunt.

Below is a picture of them heading out to hunt some eggs.

A cool stump in the park

Vanessa and Amanda with their eggs

The whole team with their eggs

And Susie, who is apparently a small child. She found almost half of all the eggs.

I almost didn't do the egg hunt because I didn't know if they would be excited enough for all the energy it would take. But they were! We had a blast.

An Excuse for My Blogging Absence

I have been a bad blogger lately. I admit it. I have been traveling and dog sitting and just plain have not gotten around to it. I do have some pictures to share but I have not gotten them on my computer yet. UGH! Here's the run down of where things are right now.

BIKRAM

I am still cleaning the bikram yoga studio once a week in exchange for free bikram. So far I have only been able to attend one class a week (at most) but sometime in the near future I hope to complete the 30 day bikram challenge.

INTERNSHIPS

I am officially halfway through with my internship hours at Kirkwood. They have gone well so far and now I have a plan to complete the hours by the 7 of May. I am so excited to have an end in sight! 70 more hours to go!

I still have a lot of hours at my agency site, but, to be honest, I don't want those to end. I love the agency I am at and I am getting so much from the experience. I have about 40 more hours to go and wish it was more.

SCHOOL

I have 6 more class sessions to attend in order to complete my masters degree. I am in my last two classes right now. One meets every other Wednesday and the other meets every Tuesday night. 4 more Tuesday night classes and 2 more Wednesday night classes before I am finished. Unfortunately I won't officially graduate until August once I take the Praxis exam and complete my counseling portfolio for approval.

LACROSSE

We are currently 7-3. We are on a five game winning streak which is the longest in MBU women's lacrosse history. We have two games in Chicago next weekend and then we head to Georgia for conference tournament during Easter weekend. It has been a great season so far. It is awesome to know that we will definitely finish at .500 or above!

FAMILY

Always lots of fun with the family. I am anxious to be home more (less work traveling) to spend time with my favorite little people.

60 HIKES

Hikes every weekend possible are going well. Tom hurt himself on our hike last weekend, but we are hoping to get back to it soon.

I think those are all the updates for now. In short.. life is BUSY but good. I have definitely not been this busy since college days and it feels totally different. I am anxious for May 7...that is for sure.

Game Time

The season has finally begun! After what seemed like the world's longest practice season, we have finally entered game season. This is my third season at MBU. When I came in 2008 I had 8 girls on the team. I recruited around campus (and one girl I already knew) to complete the team, however we still played man down in every game unless I played. Only 3 of those 8 players had high school lacrosse background. I was teaching the game and trying to develop players at the same time. It was a tough job to say the least.

Last season I brought in 5 freshmen and 1 transfer student. We grew in numbers and ability. I lost most of my team from the year before, but kept a number of strong players. The team was incredible in terms of attitude and hard work. They grew so much and gave me great hope for the future of the program.

This year I brought in 7 freshmen and 1 transfer student. Again, a great group of girls. We did well in fall ball. I was excited to finally start game season. Friday morning, the day of our first game, I woke up to a blanket of snow on the ground... super. I hate to be negative nancy, but there is nothing I hate more than coaching in the cold. Not to mention we were playing SCAD, a team that beat us by 15 goals last season. However, the girls came out strong and pleasantly surprised me. We scored the first two goals of the game. Although they scored six unanswered goals first half we were able to hold them within two goals second half. The final score was 12-6, but I was still very proud of them... and I wasn't too cold since the game was exciting!

Saturday we continued our season playing UDallas. It wasn't our best showing but we still won 9-8. I wish we could play them again and show our true colors. I am glad we got that game out of our system because we have 2 more games in Kentucky this weekend. Can't wait to travel with my girls. I hope we have a weekend to be proud of!

Enjoy the UDallas game pics below:

Amanda is a grad student who is playing her last year of eligibility. She has been with the program since the beginning and has been such a trooper through it all.

She moves faster when she is carrying the ball :)

Can't wait to report our season as we move on. I think it will be a good one.

MBU Preseason Clinic

Three years ago when I started at MoBap I decided to try and host a preseason clinic. I thought this would be a good fundraiser to do to get the name of the school out in the area and provide an opportunity for high school students to prepare for their upcoming season. Each year the clinic has grown and has been quite a success. I am pretty proud of this vision I had. This year I struggled a lot with finding a date only to hear that two other local colleges were holding clinics. I was quite disappointed. However, I quickly learned the disappointment was unnecessary. I had approximately 130 girls between the two clinics. It was an exhausting day, as always, but still a great fundraiser and promoter for the MBU women's lacrosse team.

Teaching some skills to the new players

Some of the girls at the clinic

Shuttle Lines

Why is it that none of them look like they are paying attention? Ha. Regardless, it was a great day!

Baltimore/US Lacrosse National Convention

Every Janaury US Lacrosse holds their national convention up east. I love to attend this and get new tips and tricks to have for coaching. I have also enjoyed speaking at the convention for the past three years. This year I was the only coach from the area who went, and, although I was bored at times, I really enjoyed the weekend to myself. I left my hotel one time to get Linner at a restaurant in Little Italy. I purchased a Groupon before I went. Genius! I had wine, bread, cheese ravioli appetizer, salad, pasta, and tiramisu for 20 bucks. I ate those left overs all weekend.

Looking toward Baltimore Inner Harbor from my hotel room

Friday night was riveting... I worked out. :)

This is the view from the workout room...Camden Yards.

If you look closely you can see the baseball stadium and the reflection of the fitness room

The sunrise in Baltimore

Beauty

It was a long weekend since I was all alone, but I really enjoyed relaxing and gaining new lacrosse information.

Joly's Wedding

Although Joly (Andy to some), the guy's lacrosse coach, purposefully tries to drive me crazy on a daily basis, I was excited to get to go to his wedding on Saturday night. Tom was an usher, so I went as his date--- I am pretty sure that's the only reason I was invited, but, hey, I'll take it. Everything was beautiful and the evening was fun. I think Tom had more fun than I did reconnecting with some lax guys. Enjoy some pictures from the evening!

Joly and Tom after the reception

Tom and Goudy- a Lax Buddy- Sharing a drink

Me and Tom at the reception

Alexa and Andy on the party bus heading to the reception

Overall it was a great evening. Congratulations, Andy and Alexa!

Time flies...

Lately, I've been thinking a lot about my coaching career and what a crazy little adventure it has been. 

4 1/2 years ago I received my student teaching placement at Nipher and Ladue Middle schools. At that time I decided to contact my high school lacrosse coach to see if she needed "help" while I student taught. Our "help" conversation ended with her saying, "How do you feel about head varsity?" And thus it began 

That spring they needed help with the Central Division Team. I volunteered... and thus it began. 

After three years of Kirkwood I decided to move out to Colorado and figure out what to do with my life. Apartment and moving details were set. I went to the state championship game where someone said, "Would you consider coaching lacrosse full time at Missouri Baptist University?" After many no's I found myself in the office of the MoBap AD... and thus it began. 

NOW: I am getting ready to start my fifth season of coaching lacrosse. I have taken the Central Division Team out east four times. I work camps as college coaching staff. My life is lacrosse... 

and the time has simply flown by. 

Sweet Summertime!

To most of the world it's beginning of baseball season, spring cleaning time, and crunch time for seniors. To the mobapian world it is sweet summertime. You heard it right, folks, those of us who are students or employees at the good ole MBU have already started our summer vacation. Sweet gig, I know. However, on those days that I do report to the office I miss moments like this: 

Susie and I paraffin waxing our hands in the training room. 

Amanda doing her rehab

These days work consists of fighting off consistently ridiculous comments from my officemates while also trying to find four more girls interested in playing lacrosse at MBU while simultaneously holding in any bathroom needs seeing as they have turned off the water in my building and all adjacent buildings for that matter. It's a pretty crazy life I live. Tomorrow I will opt for breakfast with a friend, a signing, and perhaps a run. Yep, sweet summertime!