what few can claim

"it's not about getting a scholarship, getting drafted, or making sportscenter. it's a deep need in us that comes from the heart. we need to practice, to play, to lift, to hustle, to sweat. we do it all for our teammates. when we miss something, we don't let down an entire state, but we let down our teammates, coaches, and fans. but the hurt is the same. we train hard, lift, throw, run, and go to class. it's about pride, in ourselves, and our alma mater. it's about love and passion for the game. when we walk off the court for the very last time, our hearts crumble. those tears are real. but deep down inside, we are very proud of ourselves. we will forever be what few can claim: college athletes." -unknown

...on that note, i'm headed to God's country (a.k.a. chapel hill) this weekend to reunionize with my teammates for some volleyball, football, celebrating, and the inevitable creation of more inside jokes. yes, Lord, yes.

go heels :: ram it :: turn it blue

live unashamedly :: laugh uncontrollably :: love unconditionally.

better late than never

so what if it's january 10th and i'm just now posting more of the pics i took while i was home with family. yeah, life's been a little nuts. and i was actually spending time with my family while i was there. not blogging. enjoy the photo post. i'll get caught up eventually. just not today. :)

sis loves her some christmas tree.

so when dad said we had room for a 7 footer, we clearly pictured 8 feet trees in our heads. hence the measuring tape.

someone loves the fluffy kind...

sniff test.

don't be fooled. it was a mom photo op. i did nothing. 

i just love her.

really glad this one was here again this year. he came in handy with all our tree issues later on.

safely home and undoing the tree to get it in the house.

the boys doing work. 

obviously my role was to document this new tradition in the making. and to make sure the tree was properly centered and vertical from all angles. tough work i tell ya.

...and we lost him.

bekah

live unashamedly :: laugh uncontrollably :: love unconditionally.

from resident to visitor

a line from the book i just finished reading said...

"I realize with a wave of remorse and panic that Andy and I have suddenly, instantly morphed into visitors--tourists--in a city where we once resided."

this, unfortunately, is the story of my life. both Asheville and Branson have become just that for me. vacation destinations with memories of once being home.

yes, part of me will always consider Asheville "home" (i answered a coworker's question in that mindset just the other day actually), but my days of hopping in the car and running errands in this eclectic mountain town every day are done. i enjoy the moments when i'm home, obviously, and i'm tempted to relocate at times, but that's part of growing up and building my own grown up life. i don't get to stay forever. some stay, some go. i'm a go-er. as hard as it is, i'm a go-er.

and Branson is the same way in a different way. no biological family, but pretty darn close when it comes to how much of my heart is invested in the people there. but now i'm a tourist. i can proudly claim the status of a "has been local" though, and you better believe i will. i had my taney county driver's license that was good for local discounts at one point. so can i get an amen?

all that being said, i hope that someday i can say the same about tampa. i don't plan to live in tampa forever. let's be honest, i'm a mountain girl through and through. the beach will never float my boat. i crave the mountains. i crave crisp, cool air. i crave hikes and camping. sand is my enemy. here's to hoping tampa becomes a place full of rich relationships where my heart is fully invested and i can one day look back and say it truly felt like home for a time.

bekah

live unashamedly :: laugh uncontrollably :: love unconditionally.

what i miss

so, even though i'm quickly falling in like with Tampa, i still have moments of crazily missing the quirky little town of Branson and everything it represents to me. enjoy the picture journey of just a few of the reasons i find my mind wandering back to the Ozarks. i loved my phase of life in Btown and i can't wait to go back and visit.

working alongside Traci was never boring or mundane. she's going to kill me for putting this picture up, but it's totally worth it.

visits from Chief in my office. he's a troublemaker, but he's a cutie and a keeper!!

speaking of cuties, i loved when Mathias came for visits. he's a Tar Heel in the making!!

cheesy photo ops that were completely normal. abnormally large rocking chair? of course we need a pic!

playing and working alongside April and her team. both an honor and a joy. LOVE LOVE LOVE her!!

Branson High School Volleyball. the reason i stuck around Btown in the first place. conversations with these three on the bench mid-match are forever etched in my memory.

doing daily life with these two was a privilege. talk about two godly young women who passionately pursue the Lord. they truly get it more than i ever did in high school! not to mention, i don't think i've ever laughed that hard and that consistently in my entire life. what's not to love?? 

never a dull moment when you spend your weekends with crazy 15 year olds like these two knuckleheads. 

these nine girls gave me a glimpse into motherhood. i would do absolutely anything for them and i don't think it's possible to be any more proud of who they are as individuals and how hard they worked to become better volleyball players. i gave them my heart and they stole it. i'm not asking to get it back any time soon.

Trish and Shay are two phenomenal friends. i have never felt so unconditionally loved in my entire life than by these two incredible women. i adore them.

* * * * 

if i was a crier, now would be the time where i tell you that i need to go grab the kleenex and take a moment before i continue. but i'm not, which shouldn't come as a surprise to any of you. but i am sitting here in my new home in tampa with a heart that's absolutely bursting with love and joy and memories coupled with a deep ache to see each one of these people right now. obviously that's not possible unless one of you knows how to master the art of teleportation.


i'm glad i like Tampa so much already, or else i think i might be overwhelmed by feelings of homesickness or loneliness or the desire to pack up and move back. thankfully, that's not the case, but i do long for the return of my fabulous Bransonites into my daily life. and when i say "Bransonites," i'm including my loves in Ozark, Springfield, etc. so, who's up for a beach trip?? seriously.


much love to my Bransonites. you have captured my heart forever.


bekah


live unashamedly :: laugh uncontrollably :: love unconditionally.

pictures

pictures. love them. i take pride in taking great photos. i actually tried to get into a photography class in college, but, as a senior, it was a little too late to declare myself an art major just for one class. lame. but i still love photography. i love that pictures capture a moment you can re-visit over and over again. good or bad, you can go back to that moment forever...or at least as long as your facebook album exists and your photo box has room. or your scrapbook.

scrapbooks. something else i love. i'm not creative. i'm just organized. and somehow, in my mind, having oodles of pictures stacked together in a box is not organized. it may be neat on the outside, but i know good and well it's total chaos on the inside. and who actually enjoys sifting through stacks of pictures on a regular basis? not me. i do, however, enjoy flipping through pages that are organized and semi-creatively arranged with pictures, stickers, quotes, and fun embellishments. it's also therapeutic for me when i put them together. double bonus.

some day i want a scrapbooking room in my home. maybe one that looks like this??



image

so, all that to say. i love scrapbooking. it preserves memories and brings a smile to my face when i look at my fun creation full of even more fun memories. i wish i made it more of a priority on a weekly basis, but life gets in the way sometimes. maybe i'll be a nerd and find a scrapbooking club when i get to florida?? go ahead and laugh at me. i might be on to something though...

bekah

live unashamedly :: laugh uncontrollably :: love unconditionally.

more memories

well, like i said in my previous post, chapel hill is a place that is near and dear to my heart and one that is full of memories. i knew i forgot a lot of things on my list of what i miss most about chapel hill, but i banked on someone who loves that town and university as much as i do to pull through for me and fill in the gaps.


christie clark, fellow tar heel and teammate, sent a list of things she misses from our four years together at carolina. i'm sure the two of us could go on for hours, but we'll spare you. enjoy her faves!!

1. Turning on the locker room showers five minutes before going in because it took that long for the water to warm up
2. Running 20 50's in the indoor track because you knew that as soon as you were done with the 300, you didn't have to do it again for 365 days
3. Watching fireworks from the avery balcony with the baseball field full of sounds
4. Sitting outside of the Daily Grind on those just-right spring mornings, with a latte and the Daily Tar Heel in hand.
5. My favorite day of the year in Chapel Hill:  the day that the new mulch was poured and spread over the dry, dull, threadbare mulch-carpet at the end of winter.
6. Putting on my Chase Dining Hall outfit: old sweatshirt and pants that I would never wear anywhere else, because no matter how many times I washed them, they still smelled like Chase.
7. The huge, plush couches in Graham Memorial on a cold, rainy day with the sound of espresso machines in the background, warmed by the fireplace.
8. Christmas in August. [note: earning our Carolina team gear in August was sometimes actually better than Christmas]
9. The sound of the band playing when we ran out for hitting warmups.  The sound of the band playing when we won.  The sound of the band playing when we lost. The sound of the band playing on Saturday afternoons.  The sound of the band playing in my sleep.
10. Beating dook.  In anything. [i told you that's how it's spelled...d-o-o-k]
11. All-nighters at the UL.  Write, vending machine, write, facebook, write, Coke, write, facebook, write, candy, write, think "oh crap, why did I procrastinate?", write, print, sigh of relief.
12. Getting lost in Venable, both geographically and academically.
13. One of the few bad memories of Chapel Hill: A tough spring upper body workout the day after getting a tetanus shot in my right arm.
14. Mike passing out "lucky gum" before matches.
15. Never being able to decide which was better, the nachos from Carrburritos or those from Top of the Hill.  Eating them incessantly to try to find the answer.  Obviously.
16. 4 to 4, because I got to set.  Not because I had to play middle back.
17. Preseason in un-airconditioned Fetzer.  Games in un-airconditioned Carmichael.  Seriously, they will never be the same.  

thanks for the memories, chris!! meet you in the pit at noon?

beks


live unashamedly :: laugh uncontrollably :: love unconditionally.

scrapbooks

that's the mess i've created in my floor today in an effort to finally finish scrapbooking my year at the kanakuk institute. i've added it to my list of 2011 goals.


i love scrapbooking. it's therapeutic. and i haven't done it in a while. yes, it can get tedious at times, but i always remember how much satisfaction it brings me when i can sit and flip through the organized and decorated pages full of memories. it's worth it. because, let's be honest...i'll never sit and dig through a box of pictures, but i will from time to time sit and flip through a scrapbook.


i have 40 pages left to read in book #5 for 2011, so i'm well ahead of schedule to meet my goal of 24 this year. that being said, reading will take a short hiatus in hopes that the extra time will be spent finishing off my institute scrapbook. i still have all 4 years of carolina volleyball to scrapbook after i finish this one, so i have plenty of work ahead. don't worry, i'm all stocked up on double sided tape.


bekah


live unashamedly :: laugh uncontrollably :: love unconditionally.