Being Yourself Is Not A Bad Thing

Have you ever had a crush on someone and thought, "Hey! Maybe if I'm into everything that they're into, they'll like me more!" Or how about, "I really don't like football, but if he's into watching it, I'll watch it too." We don't notice what ridiculous things we'll do just to get someone to like us. I wanted to write a post for all the girls (and guys) about why it is good to just be yourself and not start doing absurd things just to get someone to like you. My story, that I am going to tell you, is the reason behind this post, and I hope you all will learn from my mistakes and just be yourself.

It all started in first grade. Yes, I was a first grader when I started being someone I wasn't. I had a crush on a guy in my class. At that time gel pens were a big thing! If you had gel pens, you were popular. Well, all I wanted to do was draw with my gel pens, but my crush liked to play with 'Lincoln Logs'. For a girl, Lincoln Logs were pretty boring. While guys have this big imagination thinking of big towers or nice log cabins, we're thinking, "So, you put this log over here and this one over there, and look! I made a square!" As I said before, it was boring, but I played with Lincoln Logs anyhow. After a few months I went back to drawing with gel pens and never played with Lincoln Logs again. Now, you would think I would've learned from my boredom of stacking so many logs that I would just be myself. Nope! I, unfortunately, did not.

Let's go to third grade. I had a crush on a different guy, who was actually best friends with my other crush from first grade. I had a crush on this guy for a few years, but let's not get ahead of ourselves. Third grade was the year I started playing basketball. Now, you all are probably thinking, "Aww! So, that was the year she wanted to try playing basketball." Yup, but not for a good reason. I gave up 6 years of dance for a new sport just because my crush loved playing basketball. I thought, "Okay, so if he sees me playing basketball and sees me all the time, he'll fall in love with me." I wasn't the brightest crayon in the box. I was like a lovesick pup.

Fourth grade! Fourth grade was when I really started to take a turning point. Fourth grade was the year when I started to look and act like a tomboy. I used to be this girly girl who was all about wearing nice clothes and turned into a tomboy who would have their bangs hanging in front of their face and would wear a sweatshirt all the time. Also, I used to always play tag with the girls, but then I started playing soccer with the boys.

Fifth grade was when I started really hanging out with the boys. At recess we would always play soccer, but all of a sudden soccer was out and tag football was in. I knew nothing about football! I asked two boys in my class if they could help me understand football. They were so nice, and they stayed right beside me to see that I knew what I was doing. After a few epic fails I finally got it down! I found it actually really fun!

(Cue evil song) Middle school! I don't know about you guys, but middle school was not one of my favorites. You start seeing who is the popular kids and who is not. I was not one of the popular kids, and I was fine with that until lunch time. Lunch time was when you really started to see it. My grade had two lunch tables, popular and unpopular. Population at popular table = a lot. Population at unpopular table = 2. Even in middle school I still did some crazy stuff for guys. No, I did not break the rules for guys, but I did somethings that made me look pretty odd. In middle school the teachers would get candy for us if we said our assigned bible verses right, or we had our homework done or other things like that. Well, at that time I had braces, and for my crush, who I had a crush on ever since third grade, I would walk up to him and give him my candy and use the excuse of, "I can't eat it because of my braces". Even though I could've totally eaten it, I thought this would make him think I was nice. He didn't make fun of me, at least in front of me, but he would say thanks and that was it. So, there was no sign of love there.

Now, let's go forward a year or two. I was still in middle school, but I started homeschool. I was in eighth grade at this time now and I found a new crush at my mom's bible study. He was not into sports, or Lincoln Logs, but he was into John Deere tractors and trucks. He was nice and sort of took me the way I was, but my old habits started to come into affect again and I tried to talk to him about tractors and trucks. I had a little bit working my way because I grew up on a dairy farm. We had John Deere tractors and they were fun to ride on, but trucks were a whole different monster to me. As years went on I started to find a liking for trucks and then that turned into a love for trucks, but no guy.

In the end of all this there were some good things and some things I wish I would've figured out. My mistake with basketball turned into a blessing. God took my mistake of playing basketball to get a guy and turned it into something I can't even think about not having in my life. I played basketball for 10 years and I am now a basketball coach and just love helping kids learn how to play basketball. The tractors and trucks mistake, that turned out good in the end too! I am now learning more and more about what kind of vehicle I want and what I don't want. I'm learning about how things work in vehicles, and I'm learning that I have a hardcore love for trucks that I didn't know about. Oops! I almost forgot. Also, by me wanting to learn so much more about trucks, it has brought me and my dad even closer and now we do projects on our F-250 almost all the time. It's so fun to see what something different in a vehicle will do to affect the vehicle's performance! The Lincoln Logs, I honestly have no lesson behind that one besides, if you're playing Lincoln Logs with a little kid you know what to expect.

Even though things turned out a little bit nice, I still wish I would've had better reasons to do the things I did rather than do them to get a guy. It's not bad to try new things, but do them because you want to, not to get someone to like you. You can't make someone like you, but you can be kind and be yourself. I know that is hard in our society, because it seems like if you don't have a boyfriend or girlfriend throughout your youth then something is wrong with you. First, getting into a relationship just because you want to say to your friends you have a 'special someone' is not a good reason to get into a relationship. Second, even if you aren't in a relationship that does not mean something is wrong with you. I was in the whole 'I need a boyfriend' thought process once. I almost started a relationship with someone and at first it was like, "Yeah that's nice, but I don't want to get into a relationship". But then I started thinking about that I might finally have someone I can call my boyfriend. It sounded nice and that is what Satan wanted me to do. In the end, I didn't do it and I'm glad I didn't. By starting a relationship just to fit in society would not only hurt me, but I'd also be hurting the other person. All they wanted to do was get to know me better, and I was going to use it for my selfish benefits just to fit in. It says in the bible we are not of this world. As Christians we should not become of this world. We are not in this world forever. This is just temporary, so why would we want to try and fit in if we're not going to be there forever? Satan wants us to be someone we are not and make bad decisions, God wants us to be ourselves and enjoy life while serving Him.

So, the ending to my post is this, be yourself. You are not bad. You are not a mistake. You do not need to change anything about yourself just to get people to like you. If you don't have a boyfriend or girlfriend, be proud of that! It just shows that you are waiting for God to bring the right person into your life. Being single is just a season. It's just temporary. Take this season of singleness to help others and bring glory to God. Also, have fun! :)

9/11...The day we remember like a holiday, but was like a nightmare in reality

As we were driving in Hanover and York today I looked around and tried to find flags. Not just any flags, but American flags flying half mast. Every flag you saw was flying half mast and it got me thinking. Just think for minute, we all fight with each other about religion, relationships, politics, who's right and who is wrong, but when it comes to something such as 9/11 we all join together flying the American flag half mast just to remember that day. Now picture this, 9/11 affected New York City with the towers. A plane went down in Pennsylvania, and a plane hit the Pentagon, but being we are one whole country under God we all come together to remember the day that we thought the world was ending. From California to Wisconsin, to Georgia, to Texas, to Indiana, to Maine all of the states come together to remember events that happened in New York City, Pennsylvania, and Washington D.C.. These states and many others who were not affected by this tragic event still remember along with us.


13 years ago, I was in first grade. I was going to Christian School of York at the time. It seemed like any other day, go to school, learn, eat lunch, go out for recess, come back in, blah blah blah. You get the picture. Well, me and my class were having reading time. Our teacher was reading 'Mr. Popper's Penguins' to us, and then suddenly the bell goes off to let us know they are making some kind of announcement, which happened a lot in the middle of our story time. Then our principle was saying something about two planes crashing into towers. Being that we were only first graders we had no idea what they were talking about. After they announced about what was happening we did prayer. I can't remember very well if our teacher was crying or not. I have a funny feeling she was, but that part is still a little bit of a blur. After reading we went to computer class, and they called me down because my mom had come to pick me up early. Being the first grader I was, I got mad at my mom for taking me home because I was missing computer class. Once we got home my dad was sitting on the couch watching the news about the twin towers being hit by planes. This was on live coverage and the towers were still on fire, when all of a sudden the towers fell and all you saw was just towers going down in dust. All I could do was sit there with my jaw dropped. I didn't know how serious this was until I saw that. 


I'm blessed to say I'm alive to re-tell my story about that day, but unfortunately there are many others who will never get to tell their stories.  The day of 9/11 makes us remember not just the people who lost their lives to this tragic event, but to remind us what really matters in life. Many families lost family members that day. There was probably many people who wanted to see their family and friends one last time. Many husbands and wives who had to call their loved one to tell them they are going to face death and just wanted to make their final words, "I love you". People who had children waiting for them at home just thought about how their children are going to live without them. You don't think about all this stuff until something life-threatening comes along. Then it's like your whole life is flashing before your eyes. So please, pray for the people who lost loved ones in 9/11, remember the ones who lost their lives, and live everyday like it may be your last with family and friends. You can be on electronics, but don't be on them so much that you miss out on the fun stuff in life. The cell phones, laptops, and iPods are not going to be the ones you are going to miss when something life-threatening comes along.

I got baptized!

Hey guys,

How many of you guys have been a little bit hesitant on getting baptized? Probably a few. I have gone back and forth with the subject of getting baptized. It sounded like a great idea and also Jesus even got baptized. My hero, the One that saved me, was baptized! There was just one problem with getting baptized. I was tremendously scared of getting baptized in front of a whole bunch of people. Also, was I ready for that step in my life?

Past years I have gotten off the beaten path, but I found my way back. I have had times when I've asked myself, "Am I really a follower of God? Do I do what God wants me to do and make Him proud?" I think we all ask ourselves that, but the truth is, if we weren't followers, why do we put so much trust in someone we can't see? Why do we obey the Ten Commandments when others will call them myths? Why do we pray and go to a place called a church to glorify God? Because we are followers of God. I get times when I question myself, but then there are nights when I feel so loved and so happy to know God personally, I could cry.

After many years of debating if I wanted to get baptized, or just stick with my infant baptism, and also telling myself last year that I would get baptized before I graduated from high school, I finally found the confidence to get baptized in front of everybody from our church. I actually felt called to do this. I know that sounds silly, but once I heard they were going to do baptisms, I filled out a box saying that I wanted to get baptized. I wanted to do it. It wasn't a "get it done and over with" decision, but more like a "I want to do this!" I felt so excited to get baptized through out the week, until today. I was so nervous! But really, who wouldn't be?! You are taking one of the biggest steps of your life! Of course your gonna be nervous, but that just makes it even more exciting when you actually get baptized.

Everybody knows your story. You are an example of what great things God can do. If you actually believe and love God so much that you would go into a pool, lake, swamp, bath tub, or whatever just to say, "I am a follower of God. I am His child. I want to follow Him for the rest of my life!" Well then, your life is a fantastic example of what God can do. You are now a disciple of God. Your Hero is Jesus, and you have the Holy Spirit to help you know right from wrong. Your life is now a great story to share with others and help them to become followers too. Getting baptized is not the end of your life story. It is only just the beginning. :)

Oh! I almost forgot! Here is the link to the video of my baptism. It shows me and three other great people getting baptized. I hope you enjoy hearing their stories, as well as mine, and getting to see one of the biggest moments of our lives! 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UeDLzNPgiNE&feature=em-upload_owner#action=share

Determined like a farmer

Okay, so I wrote this blog post a few days ago and I am just finally getting around to putting it up on my blog. Hope you guys like it!

As I'm writing this at 4 in the morning (Yes, I know I should be asleep. I had to switch my laundry out of the washer real quick.) there is a farmer out in a field. How do I know this? I watched it with my own eyes. Here's the story. While I was hanging up the laundry I saw something moving at the corner of my eye coming from our sliding door. I went up to the door and I saw headlights coming from a field across the street. Then it got me thinking, my heart really goes out to the farmer that is out in the cab of that piece of machinery. It's not easy being a farmer. Now, I wouldn't know from a farmer's perspective, but I know from a daughter's perspective.

I remember when I was little I would get up at the same time my dad would. I would watch him go brush his teeth, I would spend time talking with him while he ate breakfast, and once I see him walk out the door to head to the barn I would go back to bed. Most mornings I would get ready with him and we would walk out to the barn together.

 I know just watching my dad, whether on the farm or anywhere else, a farmer is determined beyond measure. Just by watching the guy in his tractor at 4 in the morning you can already see the determination of a farmer. Which really, a farmer has to be determined. That is part of the life. You have to be determined and motivated to get things done. There is no room for procrastination and laziness. You have to give up sleep, personal time, family time, being on the internet, watching t.v., and whatever else I'm forgetting. You have to milk cows, plant crops, deliver calves, harvest the crops, make new parts for machinery out of stuff you find around the barn, get hurt and still try to do your best to keep working. He has to give up the fun stuff he would like to do, so that the farm is still going, the cows are healthy, and his family is able to live in a house and have food on the table. You don't think about all the stuff a farmer has to endure when you are running late for work and you get mad because you are stuck behind a tractor. Dude, give him a break. He's just doing his job. Trust me, the farmer is probably wishing that tractor could go faster too. Most farmers try to get the tractor to go as fast as it can on streets, but just like pickup trucks, it's made to be a work horse, not a sports car. So, just sit back, relax, and enjoy the scenery for a little.

Now, there is a lesson behind all this. Something we can learn from the farmers is to be determined beyond measure in everything we do. Just think if we were determined like a farmer in our faith in God, that no matter what distraction came up it wouldn't pull our focus off the goal or God. Yeah, we'll make mistakes, but that's the whole point of being human. We are not perfect. Luckily, we have a forgiving Father. Then, we gotta get back up and have the 'want' to do better.

So, let me ask you guys, what's it gonna be? Are you gonna be a person of procrastination, or a disciple of determination? The choice is yours.

Thanks for reading my post! :)

What the Jets have taught me

Well, as you all know, I have been helping with the Spring Grove Jets Girls basketball team for the past few months. The 16th of this month was our very last game. We made it to the championships, and we won the championships! The girls were all so excited, and I could see why! I was pretty excited too, and I was so proud of them! Well, this past week has been a bit rough. It's been like a roller coaster for my family, except it was more down than up, but I noticed when I have a rough time I start thinking about the girls and what all they have taught me about basketball and life. I wanted to share with you guys what each girl has taught me.

How 'bout we start with Katie! Katie is a girl with a spunky personality. Something that I remember her saying is that when someone would usually say, "Burn!" to someone else like, 'Oh! You just got served!' she instead would say, "Oh Shnap!" It would always get me cracking up laughing. On the court, Katie would play with attitude. She played like you were never going to get that ball. Katie has showed me that off the court you can be nice, but once you are playing you better be playing like you would do anything to get the ball.

Next is Molly. Molly was a bit shy at first when I met her, but after awhile she got used to me. Molly has been a player who has improved a lot this year. She went from not wanting to shoot the ball at all, to every time she was squared up to the basket she would shoot. Molly was also a player who would come to me or the other coach about questions that had to do with basketball. She asked questions about certain situations in the game that I never even thought about! Which really, I'm glad to see players like her who ask about the game. It's better to ask questions than try and fake it till you make it. Trust me, I've tried faking it till you make it. I wouldn't recommend it. Anyhow, Molly had a thing for wanting to learn more about basketball and trying to know what to do ahead of time. So that way, if the same situation she asked about comes up she knows what to do. Molly has taught me that even when you are done with school, you are never done learning. I have learned a few new things myself just because of the questions she would ask. (I didn't say everything had to do with basketball. :P )

Okay, who's next? Jasmine! Jasmine was a girl full of energy! Before practice we would all be shooting around, and Jasmine would come and steal my basketball. Her and Molly would gang up on me and make me run all over the gym just to get my basketball back. Actually, I liked running all around the gym. It would be when I would stop and breath is when I didn't like it. I was definitely out of shape, and I still am! In games you wouldn't find Jasmine on her feet and going up and down the court. Most of the game you would find her on the floor, because she always dove to the ground for the ball. Jasmine has showed me that even when you fall to the ground and are all bruised up, you gotta get back up and keep going. 

Okay, I've gotta give you guys a little bit of a blast to the past. We'll get back to Abby in the present, but we gotta take a little joyride with Devan. About around three years ago Abby was in our Rocket basketball camp. At that time I was one of the counselors at the camp. I remember when her mom would leave she would start crying and hang out with one of the other counselors. She would get used to not having her mom there, but it took awhile. By the end of the week, if I remember right, she was playing basketball with all the other girls. To make things really funny, by the end of the week Abby knew each of us counselors names. We couldn't remember her name, but every time she passed us in camp she would say our name, and we would have this confused look on our faces while trying to figure out how she knew our names. So, now back to the present. It's funny to see how Abby is today based by what I saw three years ago. She has definitely grown up and matured, but she is still hilarious! At some of our games, while we would be waiting to get on the court she would start playing with my hair. But it wasn't just playing with my hair, when I would wear my hair down  Abby would work with it and after a little bit I would look like Cindy Lou Who from The Grinch Who Stole Christmas. I remember saying to her, "I don't remember seeing 'let hair get done' in the description for coaching." Then she said to me, "Well, then we'll add that next time." Also, Abby has a big imagination! When the Jets were getting ready to be playing at the halftime of the high school girls basketball game we were sitting in the bleachers, and Abby gasped. We were all like, "What?" And she said, "What's that?" while pointing to a water bottle that was sitting behind one of the coaches chairs. We're like, "That's a water bottle." She said, "No. Inside the water bottle." I said, "Well, it's probably grape Gatorade or Powerade." And Abby said, "Or maybe the coach is a robot and that's oil for him to drink! Or maybe he's an undercover unicorn!" Me and the Jets just all stared at Abby trying to think how an undercover unicorn has anything to do with it, but from then on me and Abby always called each other undercover unicorns. Why I am sharing these stories with you is because Abby has taught me that even when you are an adult you can still have fun like a little kid. Somedays she gets a little bit out of hand, but by the end of the day she is always my undercover unicorn. 

Wow! I type alot! Sorry guys for typing so much. Next is Lindsey. Lindsey is also a shy one. By the end of the season would be probably when she got comfortable around me, but that's alright. Lindsey was always one to be very focused on what was being shown in practice or very focused on the game, but she would also be funny at times too. Lindsey has shown me that you should stay focused in everything you do. Whether it's basketball, school, driving, or your walk with God. Stay focused, but still have some fun along the way!

Next is Victoria! Victoria is one that when she thinks too much of what she's doing or loses control of the ball, she starts having problems. When she stops thinking so much, slows down, and just fixes things one at a time, she does great! Victoria has taught me to stop controlling so much and let things go naturally. If there is something wrong or off I will know if something needs to be fixed, and I will go through each stage till it feels right again and I succeed by seeing that ball go into the hoop. Also, that goes the same when it comes to our lives. When we try and control our lives, we fail, but when we let God take over and we follow His rulebook and fix things one at a time in our daily lives, we succeed.  

Okay, let's see, Addyson! Addyson is a good girl and she's got her mind in the right place. She is a good basketball player, and I want her to know that she is a good player, but I don't want to see her become the 'All about me' show. And you know what?! I don't think I need to worry about that with her. At our game that would decide if we would go on to the championships or not, she said something that I hope I hear every player say through on my years as a coach. She said to the head coach, "Could I say something?" Tim, the head coach, said sure. Addyson said, "In this game I think we should play as a team." Addyson has showed me that no matter how good you are in any sport you still need your teammates by your side. There is no "I" in "Team". 

I'm starting to run out of basketball players to talk about. Next basketball player on the list is.....Leah! I don't mean to sound like such a girl, but Leah and many of the other girls are so adorable! Leah is small, but I've seen she never gives up. No matter how many times she misses the basket in a game she still keeps shooting! She also has a positive attitude all the time and always has a smile on her face that would make even the grumpiest person want to smile too! Leah has showed me that even when you fail you need to keep trying. I'd rather see myself fail and atleast say I tried rather than have failed already, because I didn't try. And we should all have a smile on our faces. You never know when your smile and positive attitude would brighten somebody else's dark day. I know if you would smile at me, it would definitely brighten my day!

And last, but certainly not the least, we've got Ellie! Ellie is another little girl who is small, but she comes off mighty! She is one to not say no to a challenge, even if she knows she'll fail. She has her days when her height works against her, but really, I remember those days too. I was always the shortest on the team, funny thing is, I have played every position in basketball in my ten years. I have been a point guard, guard, and even a post. Look at me now! I was the shortest, but I can shoot 3-pointers. Where I'm trying to get at, is not how good I am, because I'm still improving myself. What I am trying to say is, I know how she feels, and I know as long as she keeps working she'll get better. Ellie has also taught me to try new things. I have seen her play point guard, she likes to stick with her right hand, but in games I have seen her try and dribble with her left hand. Even if she loses the ball she still keeps trying to dribble with that left hand. I like to see players get out of their comfort zone and try new things. How are you supposed to go out for new goals on down the road if you stick with the same old, same old? You can't. You gotta give it a try and fail a few times before you succeed. 

There you have it guys! This is what each and every little Jet has taught me whether in life or in basketball. They have each taught me something that will help me personally on down the road. And really, I think every coach gets this, but each and every one of these girls show pieces of me. I was the girl who would start getting some attitude when I would start yelling, "ball, ball, ball, ball, ball" in my opponents face when they would have the ball. It's like I became a whole different beast! I was the girl who wanted to know what I should do in this position or wanted to know what to do ahead of time. I was the girl who came home from tournaments with their knees bashed up from diving so much. Just ask my mom! Haha! I am the girl who has sports induced asthma, and no matter how much it gives me grief, I do the same thing as Abby, I get back up and keep going. I was the girl, that even when all my teammates wanted to talk, I was focused on the drill or the plays. I was the girl, who at times would worry about, "Am I using the right hand on a layup?" "Oops! I used my right hand on a left hand layup." "Am I looking at the front of the rim when I shoot?" It gets to a point when you are micro managing everything. Just stop, take your time, and work on it. It's not bad to also ask help from your coach. Anyhow, I was never the greatest at basketball, but I was one that a team meant everything to me, because they were my family. I was the girl that was known to have a positive attitude on my basketball teams. Because I loved playing, even though I hated practices. And I was the girl who was open to challenges. When I went to Messiah College's basketball camp, they had this drill where you had to bring the basketball around the front of you and toss it behind you, and it would hit a toss back. (A toss back is this really springy net hooked onto a metal bar that was shaped like a rectangle.) On the first day I stunk at it, so after I came back from lunch on the second day I started training myself on the wall. I trained my left hand first since that was going to be the hardest, and then I trained my right hand. By the end of the week, I became a pro at tossing behind my back. To make it even better, as I got older and came to camp every year I went from catching with two hands and tossing with one hand, to using one hand all the way around. 

To end this tremendously long post I'll end with this. I am so glad God has given me the privilege to work with a nice coach, like Tim, and be blessed to help a great team. I am going to miss all these girls, but I hope they go on to do bigger and better things down the road. I hope they go on to be good role models, go out and show God's love, and show other girls how fun basketball really is! Basketball is not all about winning games, it's about coming together as a team and enjoying the sport we all love with all our hearts. 

                                            
                                2013-2014 Rink A Girls Spring Grove Jets


Back row, From Left to right: Katie, Me, Molly, Jasmine, Coach Tim, Abby, and Lindsey.
Front row, From Right to left: Victoria, Addyson, Leah, and Ellie.

God Works In Mysterious Ways

I never, ever would've thought my sports induced asthma would be used as a good thing till tonight. It has always been a pain to me. Always getting sick with a cold or something and making it harder for me to play basketball as I get older, but tonight has changed my whole understanding of my asthma. I've always thought of it like a curse, because I can't go into any places that have a funny smell that bothers my asthma, or if I don't take my inhaler an hour before a practice I don't play my best. Well, tonight one of my basketball players, who has the same kind of asthma as me, came tonight after being sick for a few days. She definitely looked like she was out of it. Her mom came to me asking if I could keep an eye on her through practice. I said sure. I toned down some of the drills for her because I know how she feels. After being sick for a few days and then you are thrown back into practice again at full pace, you feel like you're gonna fall over and just give up, but she still did good. At the end of practice her mom came up to me saying thank you and that she was glad I was there, because I understood what her daughter was going through. Then, her daughter came up to me after I gave her a basketball valentine and hugged me. That was the first she has ever hugged me. All I could do was smile. That just shows I'm doing something right...maybe. :P

Anyhow, the whole point behind this post is that even though I have asthma, God has showed me there is a good thing behind it. It's not all bad. Yeah, I have asthma and I need to take an inhaler everywhere I go, but it's not all that bad. I can connect a little bit more to this little girl and many other basketball players that have the same problem and understand them better. And really, this little girl had taught me new things about my asthma too. For example, I can stick my inhaler in my vent, so I don't need to go digging through the black hole I call my Nike bag to find my inhaler. I can just pull out my vent and there it is! I know that sounds a little bit silly, but it's a miracle to me! Haha! So, if you have a disease, disability, or a health issue, don't think of it as a curse, think of it as a blessing and a way to connect with others and maybe connect them with God. :D

Goodbye to 2013...Hello to 2014!

Hey guys,

Wow! It's been awhile since I've written anything on here! Sorry about that.

Well, I've got a lot to catch you guys up on! Like what all has happened in my life this past year! Hmm...where do I start?!

Well, 2013 has been a big year for both me, my family, and my friends! A lot has changed!  I've given up 10 years of my life to basketball and I finished up my senior year with the Spring Grove Rockets. I never thought I would make it this far! I thought I was going to be done with basketball after my first year playing for Spring Grove, but God had different plans. And you know what?! I'm glad He did. Now, I bet you guys are thinking, "So, now that you're done playing basketball, what are you doing in the winter?" Well, I'll tell ya. I have been blessed this year to be an assistant coach for the Spring Grove Jets. So, I'm not totally done with basketball, just being a player part.

Okay, you guys have probably already figured out that, if I got done with my senior year of basketball then I must've graduated...well...you're right! I got to graduate with a cool group of people from the York Home School Association. It was great to graduate with them. We had lots good times, and some of us are already talking about a Class of 2013 reunion, but that's still a work in progress.

 My plans for the future are to still be coaching with the Spring Grove Jets, but also start on my certification to be a personal trainer. I might still be planning on going to college to be a physical therapist's assistant later down the road, but that's still up in the air. Things can still change.

So there you have it, now you are all caught up! It doesn't really look like much in a post, but in reality, it's a lot to take in! Luckily, I have God who stays by me and is always there for me to talk to when life gets rough. Also, I'm glad to have a great family and friends who encourage me everyday and are also there for me too. 

Down below is a collage that I did (using Picmonkey) for 2013 made up of all the special events that has happened in my life this year. From my senior night of basketball with my other fellow senior teammates, to Spring Formal. From my graduation, to having fun with my family at the Shoe House in York.  From having a great time at the Combine Derby with some crazy cool friends, to being a head kidmover for the very first time at a vacation bible school called Kids Fest. All these pictures showed great memories I had this year. Each and every one of these memories were hard to let go, but I think this year is going to be even better yet!

 I'll be trying my best to keep up with this blog, and keep you all up to speed on what's gong on in my life as I start a new chapter.

One last thing! What are your favorite memories from 2013, and what things are you planning on for 2014?  

Hope you all have a wonderful day! :)