They Call Him Coach

This week we had the Wrangler basketball banquet to celebrate the boys/girls accomplishments. Of course there was amazing food, but even more than that there were amazing boys there! The basketball team has been so fun to watch this year! I was so proud of their accomplishments-taking 3rd at state and battling Jackson Hole-who they are all close with, in two huge games! Both for the regional championship and then again for the third place spot. Beyond being proud of these boys, I am so proud of Eric. HE IS AN AMAZING COACH...and I don't just say that because he is my husband-but because he truly is awesome at what he does. The head coach got up and talked about how great an asset Eric is not only to the program, but to the school with all of the great things he has done to help athletes become better athletes (and kids to become stronger in general). I whole heartedly agree! I don't say it much, but he is great with kids and an inspiring leader/coach. If all coaches coached with the passion he does-sports in general would be different. If all athletes played with the passion he did/does, sports in general would be different. I never imagined I would be married to a coach and teacher-even more so I never imagined I would live in a very small town. However, it has been so nice to move somewhere were I can feel like I am a part of a sports program again. My heart sunk when those boys lost the game that would have taken them to the finals. They played their hearts out, and it was so sad to see them walk out broken hearted. They met the best of the best this year and competed with them the whole time! They were a joy to watch, and so was their amazing JV coach-wink wink! Love you Eric! Here are a few photos of the season...I will post more of my favorite shots soon!

Passion for what you do for all my friends!

Liz

Peeping Toms and House Sneaks

I stayed up pretty late last night, so by the time I woke up today it was around 11-it was very nice. However, I woke up to a peeping tom! Actually, 9 of them to be exact. Then they called their buddies.....and I ended up with 28 eyes peeking into my windows! I thought Eric and I moved out of town to not have to put curtains up-haha. I was talking to my mom on the phone and I noticed a herd of deer across the street. By the time I got off and put in a load of laundry I came out and they were no where to be found. I thought it was a little strange, but soon enough I saw a little head poking out of the area where our walkout basement is. They had all congregated there for a little drink and shade. I grabbed my phone to take a photo and went outside. They moved, but one stopped on the opposite side of the retaining wall and poked his head up to watch me. After I went back in I grabbed my camera and moved to my room to see if they were over there, sure enough they were and they stayed there for about an hour while I got ready-watching the whole time to make sure I wouldn't come through the window and get them. It was pretty funny to see them so interested in our house and windows-waiting to see if anything was going on. I also had a bird try to fly in to the bathroom when I was in there this morning, and the most amazing bluebird fly right next to me and perch on our porch when I was watching the deer. God really has made some of the most amazing creatures. It's times like these that I am grateful I live in such a beautiful and remote place!! Lastly, here are a few sneaks of the house-rugs in the spare bedrooms, the spare bathroom, and the living room. I should be ordering my bed this week so soon we will have it more decorated and pictures up and I will post more. (Check out my new photography post below)
Pleasant peepers to all my friends!
Liz

Love These Kids!

I adore these kiddos! I was there for the first 2's births and up until we moved for all the important life milestones. It has been hard to be away from them and my family, and not be able to have the same experiences with Mara that I did with the older 2. Luckily I get to spend quality time with them when I go home for visits. I took these photos a couple months ago and have finally gotten enough time to edit them!! It was a fun shoot because I had new props and backgrounds! Paige is finally in to the camera so she wanted to do all sort of things (like go outside in the freezing cold) and pose in all sorts of places. Maybe she'll be a budding photographer soon :0). Mara wasn't so sure about the camera...but did pretty well. The most exciting thing about my photography is that I am upgrading my camera and lenses-so I should have a lot more capabilities soon. I am also hoping to get a mini studio in our house so I can shoot year round! Anyways, I played around a lot with these-since she's my sister I can take liberties like that-haha. Enjoy and you can see more @ http://www.simplemomentsphotographybyliz.blogspot.com/.
Sugar bribery for all my friends!!
Liz

Love This Girl!

This lovely lady is my cousin Kristine, and we have grown up together since we were in diapers! I was so excited for her when she got married! It was true to her style very low key and fun! They (meaning some of people waiting and threw snowballs at her)had an impromptu snowball fight when they excited the temple. Her being the softball pro and good natured girl took it in stride and promptly returned the favor! I took some shots at her wedding that you can see on my photography website (http://www.simplemomentsphotographybyliz.blogspot.com/). As I was editing photos I started remembering stuff from our past. It's funny being grown up and still remembering all the funny things we did as kids. I remember going one time to pick her up at her house (that used to be our house-we sold it to them when my dad went back to school-and then we moved into the apartment they were in behind my grandparents house) and she didn't want to come swimming because she said I was bossy. No offense Krissy, but you should see you with your brothers-haha, totally kidding-kind of. Anyways, we did lots together until they moved to Boise. I remember visiting there for an Easter egg hunt and in the summer. I also remember late night games outside with her friends when they moved to Idaho Falls-felt the wrath of Steve and Kathy one of those nights too, haha. Living in my bedroom in college-trundle bed delight, right? Trying to find parking spots on the way to institute...Great times together! Miss and love you cuz!!! Hope to see you soon!
Happy memories to all my friends!
Liz

Miracles Happen

This is my little cousin Tell, and he is proof that there are angles among us that make miracles happen daily. While my parents were here this weekend we found out that Tell had been in a pretty serious rollover on his way home from Pocatello. They are still not sure of all the details, but they do know that he was partially out of the sun roof of the car when it landed. The car landed on his head, and miraculously enough there were amazing people right there that pulled the car off of him. As far as they know right now the only broken bone he has is a small fracture in one vertebra (that they are not really worried about). They are still doing testing to make sure everything is okay since he was without oxygen for an extended time period. For all intensive purposes things should have been worse then they are. My brother was doing a search on rollovers on I-80...hardly any of them ended without tragic deaths occurring. This has helped me to understand even more the power of God in our lives.

I know God heard all of the prayers that were said on behalf of this amazing young man. I know that he has a larger purpose awaiting him here on earth. I know that God, Jesus Christ, and the Holy Ghost are active participants in our daily lives. I don't doubt for one second that God knows all, and that our life is truly in his hands. I am so grateful for him, and I am so grateful that Tell will be okay. It just helps me realize even more how fragile life is.

It made me think: I SHOULD cherish every moment, even though I sometimes don't. I SHOULD find joy in the journey, even when trials get me down. I SHOULD let people know how much they mean to me, even though I sometimes get caught up in drama and hold grudges. I SHOULD get over it and not sweat the small stuff-LIFE IS about the bigger picture. I have been thinking lately about a motto for the year. I think mine this year is going to be 'BE'. For being me...living genuinely, living a more Christ centered life, letting go of things that stop me from being who I am meant to be-stuff, grudges, people, fears, doubts, ect.

I know Tell might have a rough road ahead of him for a little while...but he is a fighter, from an amazing family of fighters. They've been through struggles before, and handled it with the utmost dignity and lots of laughter-I think that's important. They are an amazing example on how I could better handle my trials. I am so grateful for the knowledge of the gospel and for the amazing examples that I have who live it around me daily.

A dose of laughter and Gods love for all my friends!
Liz