Midnight Frenzy

If your from my area back home, think back to the first time you walked into Fun City. The lights, the sounds, the colors, the screens, the movement. Everything was going on everywhere and it was like an over-dose on the brain. And for me at least, it made me feel like I had intense ADD.

Times that by about a thousand and that is how I feel here. I don't even have to move a muscle to feel like I am expending energy, because everything else is moving! Including the hands on the clock, which means in six hours I will be heading across the road into the weightlifting facility to do my team workout. Gotta love college life.

So a little bit of an update, before I completely crash. This weekend was crummmmmmy weather. It rained all weekend and it rained hard. That did mean we didn't have to do our 9 A.M. turf workout, which was a semi-nice surprise. The only problem is...basketball is an indoor sport anyway, so why not run in the gym :)? Yay. So we did, and we ran faster than the first time we did what are called sets. (One set = baseline sprint, half court sprint/back pedal, shuffle right foul line, stop *one example. Six sets of that = a SET. We run six SETS of six. That equally 36 series of sprints.) Anyway, we are running these sprints that basically take up the same amount of time and energy as a player would use in an entire game, and I feel like my chest is going to explode. My roomie has what was today diagnosed as strep throat, and I am praying I simply have a chest cold. Don't worry, I'm going to the doctor tomorrow, I promise.

We all made it through them though, which was good considering we had three recruits in that were watching us. Giving up wasn't exactly an option (and I have a feeling it never will be). I will mention that one of my freshmen teammates tore her ACL at practice the other day :(. This is extremely sad, but thankfully she is an extremely remarkable person. Here's how you can tell she was meant to be at Harvy: she's collapses to the floor while defending a player one-on-one and then after a couple minutes of calming down (she didn't even cry!), she says, "Oh wait! Coach! While I'm thinking about it, I think Emma and I are going to miss tomorrow's workout because we have math class!" WHat???? Are you kidding me Jasmine?? You are lying on the ground seriously injured and you're talking about math class?? What a kid. Harvy is great about injuries though. She had her MRI the next day, results that afternoon, and is looking to have surgery coming up (I think) next week. Talk about service.

How strange it was to have recruits here, and to think that just a year ago that was us they talked about and planned for in the locker room. It was a ton of fun playing with them in scrimmage and getting to know them as people. We had one girl from Arizona and two from California. They haven't decided if they are for sure coming here, but Harvy is right there at the top. The rain kind of messed up some plans, but part of the team did take them out to Boston Commons and the North End where they ate at the famous and delicious Mike's Pastries.

Being that is 12:48 at night my brain is a bit scatter-brained, but there were just a couple things I wanted to make sure I got down while they were still near the surface:

1) Italian is going to be all about my attitude. Grin and conquer versus grin and bear it. We shall see how that works out. I just took a timed, closed-book quiz and I honestly have no clue about some of the stuff I wrote. I suppose that's why I am learning it!

2) I know Harvy is where God wants me and that he wants to use me here (which is why every time I start trying to think of any place that I maybe would rather be, it doesn't work), but it is always interesting to see that "knowing" come into action. My position coach (so the assistant coach) goes to a church that was recommended to her by the strength and conditioning coach. They are both randomly the age my brother David would be, so I feel like I can get along with them really well. So we go to this church today and I can barely talk because of this whatever sickness, and before I know it Kelly's setting us up to get involved in starting a Christian athletes fellowship/study group! Whoa, whoa, whoa! But I'm a freshmen! I've been here two weeks! I don't know how to organize anything! Or who to talk to! Or what to do! What are you doing Kell?? Of course all of this is stuck in the middle of my throat (or into the crook of my elbow as I hack away) so I just grab the back of her shirt and smile as she keeps planning and organizing at the small group fair after the sermon. It was kind of funny really because throughout the past two weeks maybe the hardest part has been that I have constantly had to make so many decisions from so many different options. Well Lord, I guess you are telling me loud and clear where you want me this time and that you really don't want to hear any excuses about it. I sort of felt like Moses and the burning bush, except that I didn't even get to verbalize my excuses. I will keep everyone updated on how all of that ends up going but I guess the last bit I will leave you with is the chorus to a song we sang at church today...a good reminder of what this life is really about:

Lord, I give you my heart,

I give you my soul

I live for you alone

Every breath that I take

Every moment I'm awake

Have your way in me

The pastor this morning mentioned something about how when we let God take the lead in our life something explosive will happen. I suppose that means if I'm going to let him have the driver's side, I better buckle my seat belt.

I know these next few months, this next year, these next four years, aren't going to be perfect, and aren't going to always be rosy or by any means easy, but I know for a fact it will be one heckuva ride...

And I guess I've never been too afraid of roller coasters.

O&O,
M