National League

Family . Florida . Futbol  CONTINUED

Here are some action shots of Reagan playing in 3 of the 4 games (I forgot my camera for one game) in Florida during the Disney Showcase/National League games. The girls played incredibly talented teams from Kentucky, Michigan, North Carolina and Kansas. I couldn't be more proud of the effort and determination of our 18 players. We finished the League undefeated. Actually, I didn't do anything to win a game except spend money, encourage and provide good nutrition & sleep. I left the running, tackling and scoring to my daughter.

Reagan in the maroon with the ball 

Do you see the determination on her face?

Just a little juggling to maintain possession

Big Sister Em enjoying soccer in the sun

Finding shade at the ESPN Wide World of Sports Soccer Fields

 Reagan in the White

This is a Reagan Sandwich

Flying Blondie

EGA 01 Maroon

  Reagan in the maroon

Um, pretty sure you can't do that!

Little Sister taking a break

BIG DAY 1, 2, 3

#1

Yep, I watched it and as soon as it was over I turned off the television. Who needs a group of media specialists telling us what we just saw? I watched it...don't need you to add your twist, your approval or your disapproval. This was a great day for some, horrific day for others but many of us will wait and see where we go from here. My guess is there will be changes but nothing that prevents the sun from coming up tomorrow. I am not a politically out spoken person. To be frank, I have very little trust or hope in any of the political establishment. When I vote it is based on issues not parties. When I am around the ranting and raving of people who deem themselves political giants I mostly listen, or walk away if I can't take it any more. ;-)

What I do know is we have a 45th president of the United States of America. He is not perfect and he will not make or break this country. We need to pray for him, his staff, his family and all he will have to work with to make our government run. Pray for his success. Failure of a president means the ship goes down people...and we are ALL ON THE SHIP!!!

On a complete side note, our new First Lady looked elegant today!

One more thought, what do you think the Obamas said when the door on the helicopter closed? I think it was something like, "Hallelujah, that's over!"

#2

Three girls from the EGA Maroon 01 soccer team are on a college visit at Auburn University today. Reagan's itinerary includes meeting all kinds of coaches, soccer facility tour, sports dietitian, academic counselor, dorm tour, campus tour and staying with a student athlete host (overnight I think). The Tigers women's soccer finished ninth in the nation this year so getting an invitation for an unofficial visit is huge! In case you are wondering what exactly this means for Reagan, it's hard to know. This trip gives her the chance to see if going so far away is really something she could handle, which is why mom and dad stayed home. Doing something a little uncomfortable far away is a good growing opportunity for her. She will see how the coaches and players interact which also helps her know if she is a fit at AU. The coaches have seen her play on several occasions but now they get to see if she can add something to their program. There is no talk of scholarships and there are no promises made. It's a two-sided interview and hopefully all parties leave with more answers than questions. Tomorrow Reagan and her two teammates will attend a prospect ID camp. 

 My prayer for Reagan is that God will allow her to see past the bells and whistles of recruitment and gain wisdom towards her academic and athletic decision. Come home safely sweet child.

As I am writing this blog post this picture was sent to me. Hmm, this game room looks like a great recruiting tool. I see skee ball in the background...I love skee ball!!

#3

AND EMMA GAVE BLOOD AT SCHOOL AGAIN!

Sadly, when she got back to class her teacher was mad at her for missing class. Hmm, maybe they shouldn't allow kids to give blood durning school hours (at the school blood drive) if teachers are not going to support the effort. Anyway, I am proud of her for giving such a precious gift. 

We all can do something to make this world a better place. Not everyone can give blood just like not everyone can donate $10,000 to an Anti-Human Trafficking organization but we ALL can do something. Some people like to hold babies in the hospital or drive kids to school or pray faithfully. Find your thing and do it with passion and reap the benefits of joy. Thank you Emma for donating blood to help those in need. You may have saved a life today.

Family . Florida . Futbol

Family time: I am not willing to say it's a thing of the past, it is just a thing that is difficult to find in our schedule without planning for it. So we planned and it happened. 

Some of the choices we make are steered by finances but over the years I have found that those very choices that some may feel are less than best, such as driving half way across the nation rather than flying, are the things that draw our family close. We left our home in Omaha, NE on December 26th and 3:30am bound for Ponce Inlet, FL. The trip was great. To be honest, I was a little crabby to start out, I don't even remember why. At the time I probably thought it was Chris' fault...that may or may not be the case. Once we arrived at the beach we were ready for some serious R & R. The first two pictures I have posted below look a little foggy. It was actually VERY FOGGY! The natives called it "sea fog" and they had never seen it so bad. We were all elated to see the sun the next morning.

Florida
2016

Running through the seagulls

Running through the seagulls was a thing for Emma, there were multiple attemps to get good pictures. That's ok, it's the memories that are most important.

Game night

First Morning on the Balcony

Our friend's condo is located on the 7th floor right off the beach, no more than 100 yards from the waters edge. Mornings on the balcony with my coffee and bible study made that 22 hour drive totally worth it!

River walk at Daytona Beach

Ponce Inlet is a quiet private area. But if we wanted crowded beaches and all the hub-bub of tourist we just drove 5 miles north to Daytona Beach. We saw all kinds of people there, it was another form of education for my girls.

One of the families in the condo had developed amazing sand castle skills. Next time we go, I know what tools to take. Since we couldn't really compete we started out in the beginners category of sand art. No, there wasn't a legitimate contest, just one in my mind (and probably Reagan's too). Above is our sand turtle. We love him. He even made it through high tide. Day two we built some pretty cool castles but by the time we got back outside after lunch some boys had already come by and destroyed them...not pictures.

One of the castles not built by us...it's not even their best one.

Sun Rise Morning #2

Thank you God for making something so amazing that even I want to wake up early to see.

Right before we walked out the door on our last day at the beach I had to get one more picture. As you will see below it took two snapshots to capture both our family and the ocean. 

We look good in this but can't see the ocean

Ocean looks good but can't see us

After 3 days of beach, sea food and lounging around we made our way into Orlando for Reagan's Disney Showcase and National League games.  More on that later.