State Day #3

The boys played first thing in the morning, sadly they lost and are now out of the tournament but they played really well and we are so proud! So now the rest of the day was devoted to watching. Two out of the three girls doubles teams from our district were out too and the Lakeside #1 team was still in it and ended up placing second.

We made a point to watch the Jansen sisters play because they are amazing! I wish I could play like that, but I don't spend every awake moment on the courts so...The whole weekend Reid has been making a big deal about how he's sure they like him because they looked at him lol so Mrs. Miles convinced him to get two state shirts signed by them because eventually they'll go pro. After they played each other for first and second place we all gathered around as we watched in amazement! Mrs. Miles had talked to their mom and sister while they were playing so it was fine. They thought it was just as hilarious as we did and me, Jess and their sister lined up to take pictures :).

Reid and Maya.

Reid and Lea.

Oh man so funny!

State Day #2

Yesterday before we could go to the hotel for good we had to find the boys the right outfits :). Before we had even gone to districts Jess and I had found some pink basketball shorts that the boys should have looked at, but since they didn't we had to go shopping. We first stopped at Value Village to see if they had any hot pink shorts. They had a few but none of them matched and didn't fit right so we had to continue our search.

TJ Max was a bit luckier, but instead of shorts we found shirts. It was quite the learning experience for the boys because they never try things on so that was something we had to teach them. The lady working back there was pretty funny! After trying on many different looks we finally found just the right fit! Yay!

Not right.

Light pink just wasn't right.

The color was better but too tight.

Yup. Those were it!

The boys played three matches today. They lost their first one and won their second and third. Meaning they were on to tomorrow! They played really well but you could tell that the heat was getting to them. Hopefully they'll be able to rest up and be ready for tomorrow.

Proud supporters.

We attacked them with squirt guns :).

State Day #1

Yay for van rides! We all head out to Yakima for State and just like last year Mrs. Miles gave us little goodie bags filled with fun toys! Like play doh, silly puddy, candy, and a prickle! Mrs. Van Gelder also made us bags and we had silly string in that one, but that would be used another day ;).

It was a pretty long trip but for the most part we all slept through it.

My tennis partner! <3

Once we reached Yakima it was time for the boys to go practice. While they were doing that we went to Fred Meyer and picked up a few things. Who knew grocery stores could hold so much fun!? There was a candy carnival, huge prickles, and so many toys! It was great :).

Tennis Party

It took some convincing but once I agreed to go to state that meant we had to make shirts to support our boys. Hot pink was a given! So before the party I went over to Jess's early and we got started. The fronts took a while longer than we thought they would and we only got half way done before people started arriving.

The party was fun and delicious just like last time. It was an ice cream sundae party! Yum! After eating as much sugar as our stomachs could handle we watched a slide show about the entire tennis season. Then we got our awards and such. Shocker I earned a varsity letter! lol just kidding. It was great and Rachel and I are the only two seniors to have been with the program all three years.

After the party started dieing down Jess and I went back to work on our shirts. It took us till about midnight but we got them done! They are so cool :). All because we love our boys!

Jess's shirt.

My shirt.

Districts

The past two days have been rough. We lost our first game to Lakesides 2nd team :(. We then won our second game against Rearden which made us feel better going into the second day. It didn't help that the boys were already garunteed a place at state before the day was done.

We played and beat Chewelah and Davenport on the second day so we felt good going into our third match. Guess who? The same girls from Lakeside. We were more determined than ever to play our best and make it to state. Sadly that didn't happen :(. We lost 4-6 4-6 which was way better than the first time we played them but it was still really really hard. Congrats are still in order to the boys who placed first.

The Hood of Jake's Traveling Pants.

After the play was finished we were going through the costumes and found Jake's pants. Who knows why but one by one we tried them on and they fit everyone! Hence the Hood of Jake's Traveling Pants began!!

Katie Worley.

Rachel Snook.

Jessica Van Gelder.

Me.

Jake Fields.

Emily and Hilary also wore the pants but I haven't been able to get those pictures :(.

Graduation Practice

Wow. Graduation practice seems like the weirdest thing! Its so crazy to think about the fact that we are already out of school and getting ready to be officially done.

Practice wasn't that incredibly hard. Except the synchronized sitting. We haven't really gotten that down. Oh well. No matter how weird it is to see what is behind us we are all excited to look forward.

Taylor Swift!

WooHoo! Taylor Swift! Audrey and I went and it was a total blast! Her concert sold out in 2 minutes! It was crazy packed! My mom bought our tickets right away and we still ended up in the nose bleeds. Gloriana was the opening band and they are pretty good. Then Kellie Pickler was the next on stage which was really cool! Then it was time for Taylor Swift! She was really good and sounds just like she does on her album. Her set was always changing for every song and she had an outfit to go along with it.

Gloriana.

Kellie Pickler.

Taylor Swift.

Oh Casey :)

Casey and I always find a way to have fun. Even during set clean-up. Potentially because we are so great :).

We are royalty.

Why we are decorating the stage of course!

Cast Party

The drama play is finally over and to celebrate we had a cast party dinner at IHOP. Yum! Pancakes for dinner is always delish. We were so loud I feel bad for our waiter and the people around us. Hey There Delilah was playing over their sound system and our whole table broke into song lol! And then Tayne is just a kid in a whole different league! Jake also sang us a beautiful song lol...it was a song they sang on their Russia mission trip.

After feasting we went to Sydnee's house. We played on her rope swing, jumped on the trampoline, ran around, carried people everywhere and played volleyball on their sport court. We also did a lot of trust falling. We did this domino thing and my knee popped really bad! :( We decided to go inside and watch a movie. 7 Pounds is a confusing movie until the last five minutes where it seems like everything happens at once!

Game vs. Lacrosse-Washtucna

Today was an absolutely crazy day! To start it off I had to wake up and be to school early for the A.P. test. That was the longest test ever! It was also national day of prayer, so worship team had stuff to get ready for the end of the day. Worship was really cool in the commons and then we had prayer stations set up throughout the hallways. I couldn't stay for that because I had to rush off to our last tennis match. That was a really short game and we won 6-0 6-0. We almost beat the boys in being the first ones off too. The day still wasn't over yet! Tonight was the last night of the school play and I had to be there to help with lights.

Final Small Groups

Small groups this year have been amazing! Every time we have gotten together we've had great conversation and really have grown pretty close. After every time we are together we leave the classroom laughing and are pretty loud. Other people in different small groups have said that they are jealous.

Today was our last time to meet before the year is over. For our final time we got to go out to lunch and enjoy each others company for a while. Shandy was even able to join us! We all miss her dearly. We had planned on driving through some fast food and then go to a park to have a picnic but the weather was a bit iffy so we decided to stay indoors. We went to Ron's and stood out because we were a loud group of teen aged girls in amongst many middle aged men lol. Mrs. Trom was our chaperon and she dug herself into quite the hole. You should ask her about Mr. February ;). We all almost died of laughter. Brianna was crying! The party continued on to Starbucks and all the way back to school.

I love each and every one of the girls in my small group and they are the best by far!!! I will miss you all! May you continue growing in your personal relationship with God. You are all amazing young ladies! <3

Game vs. Davenport

Today we had our last away game in Davenport. Jess and I were a bit on edge about this game because their record has been pretty good so we wanted to do well. We ended up leaving school a bit late so we didn't get any warm up time which was unusual, but we got our ten minutes before we started our match. Even with the little warm up and the insane winds we won 6-3 6-4! The second set got interesting when the score was 5-2 and then Davenport snatched two games on us before we could put it away.

After we had finished only three games were still on the courts so we figured we would be done early. But that was silly thinking on our parts. Each game came to a close but Hannah and Rachel kept theirs going and pushed their game into split sets. The wind was still terrible so instead of a third set they did a tiebreaker which went much faster! Congratulations to them because they pulled out the win! I'm not going to lie though it wasn't the most entertaining game so a few of us got a bit bored and somehow we turned into gnomes :). Fun pictures no doubt.

After we had all finished we went to Edna's for milkshakes (anytime you smash a ball over the fence you get one. Stephen got his third and I got super close!) and to celebrate Mr. Miles' birthday. Good milkshakes by the way! But most definitely HAPPY BIRTHDAY and thank you both so much for everything you do!

Confidence

So I realized today during my lesson how much more I get out of everything I learn. I'm really learning life lessons that would take so many more experiences to get what I encounter in just an hour of riding. Working with a two thousand pound animal is no doubt a challenge and every time I step into the stirrups I practice patience, determination, work ethic, diligence, communication, decision making, and so many other skills.

These past few weeks have focused unknowingly in confidence. Last week wasn't our best lesson and we broke a pole in two. This week though I was not about to tolerate any misbehaving and Cheeks really listened and we had a great lesson. As I was sitting there after I was finished and watching the more skilled riders jump higher thats when it hit me how noticeable an affect riding has on my everyday life.

As time has worn on I have become very comfortable in my skin and have taken on leadership roles I never dreamed of. Leading the entire Jr. High and High School in worship every Wednesday during chapel, being the senior class treasurer, co-leading a small group and getting to go on Jr. High retreat have been a huge blessing to my life!

As my partner and I prepare for tennis districts we need a certain level of confidence. We have the skill to beat just about everyone in our league and our record agrees, we just need the confidence to say that it isn't simply a possiblility. We need the confidence to trust ourselves to play the way we know how to and to push ourselves past where we think our limit is.

Confidence is also needed as I head across the country to college. It's needed in every desicion I make, I need the strongest confidence in God to trust that what He says is true and that He will never leave or forsake me.

Philippians 4:13 "I can do all things through Him who strengthens me."

Be: Fruitful

Q: When you look at others, do you only look at their gifts-or do you look beyond, to their character?
A: I think for the most part I have a good judge of character although I can get stuck on someone's gifts that I can get jealous off.

Q: Whom do you consider to be a role model? Why? What qualities do you admire?
A: I have many role models. Micaela, Alina, Chris Rogne, Casey, Mr. Orr, and Stephen. Each one of these people have inspired me to become a better person and have challenged my walk with God to grow stronger. Some I know very well and others have made an impression upon my life by the simple things they have said and the actions taken in their life.


Q: Do you think that other people see any fruits of the Spirit in your life?
A: I hope so. I would hate to think that I can't be the slightest bit of an example but I am definitely not a great example of anything.

Q: Choose one of the fruits of the Spirit, and think of an area of your life in which this fruit may be lacking. How can you allow God to develop this particular area?
A: Love
Definition - unselfish loyal and benevolent concern for the good of another
Isaiah 49:16 "See I have engraved you on the palms of my hands; your walls are ever before me."
I really need God's help with having a loving attitude towards others.

Joy
Definition - a state of happiness or felicity
Psalms 16:11 "You have made known to me the path of life; you will fill me with joy in your presence, with eternal pleasures at your right hand."
Not always to I look for the best in every situation or in every person.

Peace
Definition - harmony in personal relations
Psalm 4:8 "In peace I will both lie down and sleep, for You alone, O Lord, make me to dwell in safety."
I need to find peace in God's perfect plan for my life and totally trust in Him.

Patience
Definition - bearing pains or trials calmly or without complaint
Lamentations 3:27 "It is good for a man that he should bear the yoke in his youth."
Along with peace I need the patience to let things happen when they are supposed to.

Kindness
Definition - tender and benevolent affection
Psalm 112:5 "It is well with the man who is gracious and lends; He will maintain his cause in judgement."
In my words and attitude towards those I love.

Goodness
Definition - virtuous, right, commendable
1 Chronicles 16:34 "O give thanks to the Lord, for He is good; for His loving kindness is everlasting."
In all my actions. May they be always pleasing to the Lord.

Faithfulness
Definition - firm in adherence to promises or in observance of duty
Lamentations 3:25 "The Lord is good to those who wait for him, to the person who seeks Him."
To always look for him in every bad and good situation.

Gentleness
Definition - free from harshness, sternness, or violence
Proverbs 24:17 "Do not gloat when your enemy falls, when he stumbles, do not let your heart rejoice"
Towards those who need it.

Self-control
Definition - restraint exercised over one's own impulses, emotions or desires
Proverbs 21:5 "The plans of the diligent lead surely to advantage, but everyone who is hasty comes surely to poverty."
Self-control in my actions and of my words.

Inland Empire Day #2

Congratulations Alina! I'm so proud she made it to today! She doesn't believe she is as good of a player as she is. She played at Mt. Spokane in the consolation bracket. So My mom, Audrey, Jess, Stephen, Rachel and I went out to support her. She played West Valley and did really well but lost. Instead of being immediately out she got to play one more game. She played Othello and the girl was pretty good but Alina was able to hold her own though the other girl pulled ahead to win. I think she still ended up placing eighth but they only recognized through fifth place. She still did really well, lasting longer than the rest of us. Good Job Alina!

Inland Empire Day #1

What a long day. After leaving my house around 7:30 and warming up around 8:20 and playing three matches till around 2:30 I would say today has reason for me to be tired. Jess and I as number one girls doubles played at Mead High School. The Inland Empire Tournament is open to any high school in the area, meaning we could play a 2B league school all the way up to a 4A school.

Our first match was against Selah, a 2A high school from the Yakima area. We didn't know exactly what to expect so we thought the worst. However it turned out that even with their sharp outfits we were able to hold our own. We still ended up losing 2-6 1-6 but we relaxed a lot more and were warmed up for our next match.

The tournament is double elimination so we had to win our next match to continue. We found out we played Rogers, a 4A high school on the north side. Even though they were a 4A high school we went into the match pretty confident. We ended up winning 6-2 6-0! I was pumped and ready to keep playing.

Our next match was against East Valley, a 3A school. When we got out to the court one of the girls we were going to play was someone I knew from Miss Spokane Valley and she happens to be a neighbor to my cousin's cousin. Even though we lost 3-6 1-6, I would say we played our best ever! We practiced our doubles strategy and really did well. Because we lost that meant we were officially out of the tournament.

We were done but some of the other players were still in the tournament. So my mom drove Jess and I to CV to watch Stephen and Reid, our number one boys doubles, play Medical Lake. They played a really long game and even split sets but sadly lost meaning they were out too.

However there was someone moving on to tomorrow! Alina, our number two singles, had won her last two games of the day and was moving to day two!!! I am so proud of her! Best of luck!