WARNING: BORING POST AHEAD
Okay, my only reason for writing this post is so that I can remember the highlights of what I did during the past week or so.
Tuesday, July 29: Guest Free Day at the MeadowBrook Pool - complete with a blow-up water slide, clowns, temporary tattoos, and games. Basically, madness for 5 hours.
Sunday, August 3: Trip to Kansas City to see Jessica (a former ORU basketball teammate) and Luke Spencer-Gardner and attend Jessica's baby shower. They're expecting their first baby - Ella Grace - on September 7.
Monday, August 4: Shopping in KC and lunch at Spin Neapolitan Pizza with Jessica before driving back to Tulsa. Jessica tipped me off to the deliciousness of Blue Chip Cookies! Fabulous!! We also had our "end-of-summer" MeadowBrook lifeguard dinner at Hideaway Pizza, which is probably my favorite restaurant. I LOVE pizza!
Friday, August 8: My first official work day at Bishop Kelley. I sold parking permits and yearbooks to all the students - hectic, hectic morning!
I think that's pretty much it. Other than that I just worked at the pool, took care of a golden retriever puppy, babysat, and taught swim lessons. Exciting stuff I know! School starts at Bishop Kelley on Monday and my parents are coming to visit next weekend, so good times are in the future.
Thursday, August 7, 2008
Monday, July 28, 2008
Weekend in Omaha
I spent this past weekend in Omaha, Nebraska at Creighton University. We (that is, the head coach, the other assistant coach, and I) took our Bishop Kelley varsity basketball team to team camp. We left at 4 am on Friday (yes, that is EARLY) and drove the school's big bus north to Omaha. It took about 8 hours, but we stopped numerous times for breakfast, lunch, and bathroom breaks. Really it wasn't a bad drive, and we got to the campus in plenty of time for our first game.
The fun started as soon as we arrived on campus! The first eventful situation occurred when our bus stalled out while we were going uphill towards our dorm. It just stopped and wouldn't go forward. Every time our coach took his foot off the brake, we just slid backwards! Not a good situation! If we kept going backwards we would eventually slide into a busy intersection. We had no idea what to do. So our coach did the only thing possible: he turned off the bus and restarted it and wouldn't you know it, as soon as he pushed the accelerator, we made it up the hill! Thank God!!
We played 3 games on Friday afternoon/evening and played fairly well, especially since we have only had 3 short practices with the girls since taking over the program. On Saturday, we played 6 games, including a game against one of the top teams in Nebraska and one of the top teams in Iowa. We lost both those games, but only by a little. We also found out that the bus had an electrical short or something and had reverted to "limp" mode, which is why it stopped working! The repair shop would not be able to repair it over the weekend, so we had to find alternate return plans. Oh the joys of traveling on a school bus!
Finally, Saturday afternoon brought about one of the scariest incidents that has occurred in all the years I have been a lifeguard. I received a voicemail from the lifeguard I had left in charge while I was gone. All she said was, "Jamie, please call me as soon as possible," and I could definitely tell she was crying. After getting a hold of her and talking to both her and my boss at the country club, I learned that a 2-year old boy had slipped into the pool unnoticed by his parents and my lifeguards. They (the boy's father and my lifeguards) pulled him out approximately 20 seconds later, and he was not breathing. One of my lifeguards grabbed the breathing mask and was going to start rescue breathing, but his mother started in first. After his mother (a nurse) tried to give him 3 breaths, he started coughing, and began breathing on his own. In the meantime, my other lifeguard called 9-1-1 and alerted the general manager. I don't know the details of what happened next, but I do know that the boy ended up being fine. Of course my lifeguards were very shaken (especially the one I left in charge because she reacts to bad situations much in the same way I do - blaming herself and constantly thinking how it could have been prevented), and I felt bad that I wasn't there to at least offer comfort and counseling. I did have several conversations with both lifeguards throughout the evening to make sure they were okay, to assure them that they did what they were supposed to do, and that regardless of what happened before, they DID save a life. Wow, the things I have learned to do on this job! I'm glad God was watching over this situation!
So, back to basketball... we played 2 more games on Sunday morning and the girls were exhausted! We rented a 15-passenger van and a Chrysler Pacifica to drive back to Tulsa. I got to drive the Pacifica all the way home! Wahoo! I love driving long distances, but I found out that driving is way more fun when you're actually with other people (that's a rarity for me). We ended up with a record of 8-3 during the weekend and all of our losses were close. We came from behind to win one of the Sunday games, which showed me that the girls have a never-say-die attitude. I also got to know the girls and the other assistant coach a lot better. We assigned the girls' roommates and told them to interview each other and learn 10 new facts about the other person. On the way home we stopped at Chili's for "linner" (lunch-dinner), and all of the girls shared what they had learned about their roommate. I also got to spend a great deal of time listening to the girls in my car talk (we had 2 different groups of 3) and learned some more things about those girls and the school. We finally got back to Tulsa at 8:15 Sunday night.
Overall, it was a fast-paced and super-fun weekend (except for the pool incident)! I had been looking forward to this weekend for several weeks, and it was as much fun as I expected it would be! Now, it is back to the real world (i.e. swim lessons, pool managing, and no basketball :( ) for a few weeks. Now more than ever I can't wait for the pool season to be over, but alas, it doesn't close for over a month yet.
Thanks for reading about my long and eventful weekend! I'll try to keep it shorter next time...
The fun started as soon as we arrived on campus! The first eventful situation occurred when our bus stalled out while we were going uphill towards our dorm. It just stopped and wouldn't go forward. Every time our coach took his foot off the brake, we just slid backwards! Not a good situation! If we kept going backwards we would eventually slide into a busy intersection. We had no idea what to do. So our coach did the only thing possible: he turned off the bus and restarted it and wouldn't you know it, as soon as he pushed the accelerator, we made it up the hill! Thank God!!
We played 3 games on Friday afternoon/evening and played fairly well, especially since we have only had 3 short practices with the girls since taking over the program. On Saturday, we played 6 games, including a game against one of the top teams in Nebraska and one of the top teams in Iowa. We lost both those games, but only by a little. We also found out that the bus had an electrical short or something and had reverted to "limp" mode, which is why it stopped working! The repair shop would not be able to repair it over the weekend, so we had to find alternate return plans. Oh the joys of traveling on a school bus!
Finally, Saturday afternoon brought about one of the scariest incidents that has occurred in all the years I have been a lifeguard. I received a voicemail from the lifeguard I had left in charge while I was gone. All she said was, "Jamie, please call me as soon as possible," and I could definitely tell she was crying. After getting a hold of her and talking to both her and my boss at the country club, I learned that a 2-year old boy had slipped into the pool unnoticed by his parents and my lifeguards. They (the boy's father and my lifeguards) pulled him out approximately 20 seconds later, and he was not breathing. One of my lifeguards grabbed the breathing mask and was going to start rescue breathing, but his mother started in first. After his mother (a nurse) tried to give him 3 breaths, he started coughing, and began breathing on his own. In the meantime, my other lifeguard called 9-1-1 and alerted the general manager. I don't know the details of what happened next, but I do know that the boy ended up being fine. Of course my lifeguards were very shaken (especially the one I left in charge because she reacts to bad situations much in the same way I do - blaming herself and constantly thinking how it could have been prevented), and I felt bad that I wasn't there to at least offer comfort and counseling. I did have several conversations with both lifeguards throughout the evening to make sure they were okay, to assure them that they did what they were supposed to do, and that regardless of what happened before, they DID save a life. Wow, the things I have learned to do on this job! I'm glad God was watching over this situation!
So, back to basketball... we played 2 more games on Sunday morning and the girls were exhausted! We rented a 15-passenger van and a Chrysler Pacifica to drive back to Tulsa. I got to drive the Pacifica all the way home! Wahoo! I love driving long distances, but I found out that driving is way more fun when you're actually with other people (that's a rarity for me). We ended up with a record of 8-3 during the weekend and all of our losses were close. We came from behind to win one of the Sunday games, which showed me that the girls have a never-say-die attitude. I also got to know the girls and the other assistant coach a lot better. We assigned the girls' roommates and told them to interview each other and learn 10 new facts about the other person. On the way home we stopped at Chili's for "linner" (lunch-dinner), and all of the girls shared what they had learned about their roommate. I also got to spend a great deal of time listening to the girls in my car talk (we had 2 different groups of 3) and learned some more things about those girls and the school. We finally got back to Tulsa at 8:15 Sunday night.
Overall, it was a fast-paced and super-fun weekend (except for the pool incident)! I had been looking forward to this weekend for several weeks, and it was as much fun as I expected it would be! Now, it is back to the real world (i.e. swim lessons, pool managing, and no basketball :( ) for a few weeks. Now more than ever I can't wait for the pool season to be over, but alas, it doesn't close for over a month yet.
Thanks for reading about my long and eventful weekend! I'll try to keep it shorter next time...
Sunday, July 20, 2008
RICH
Tonight at our college-age Bible Study we watched a short video called "Rich." The speaker/pastor in the video started out by talking about a popular bumper sticker that he had seen recently - "God Bless America." Then he proceded to talk about how God HAS blessed America, and he gave many statistics and examples of how rich Americans really are compared to the rest of the world. One statistic that stuck out in my head is that only 8% of the people in the world have a car (and my family has 5 cars for 4 people).
Obviously this is not new information by any means, but it definetely caused some intense reflection tonight on my part. For starters, I went to India on a basketball missions trip 2 years ago, and so I have seen extreme poverty up close. I remember thinking while I was there that I really have too much stuff and that I should reduce my spending on such frivilous things - I mean look at how many clothes I have in my closet! Then use that money to support missions and projects for poor countries. After I returned, I remembered these thoughts for, oh, about 2 weeks before I again became bombarded and consumed with wanting and buying material goods. How easy it is to forget, which is why it was good to be reminded by the video tonight.
While our group was discussing the video, our leader asked everyone, "Have you ever been to a country that is poor?" Many of us in the group had, but some people had not. Then our leader mentioned that everyone should go at some point because it changes your perspective on your life and on your "need" for more stuff. Short-term mission trips is something I have actually been thinking about a lot lately; mostly because 5 members of my Athletes in Action India team are on their way to another 2-week basketball trip in North Africa. I really wanted to go with them, but couldn't clear my schedule. I do hope to play on another basketball missions team in the next year or 2. Anyway, more than that, I REALLY want my parents and my brother to go on a short-term overseas missions trip. They do not currently have "bad" perspectives on life, but I think ministering to people and experiencing a foreign culture would help them grow so much. I have never talked to them about this directly, but now feel like I should.
Back to the beginning point of this post: I know I live in a materialistic society and have much more than 90% of the world could ever dream of having, but I need God to continue to show me how to use my (His) time, my (His) talents, and my (His) money to further His kingdom. I realize that this should be my daily prayer and that I need to ask Him to help me keep a proper perspective.
I know that the 2 people who read my posts have both been on year/2 years overseas "mission" trips. What are your thoughts? :)
Obviously this is not new information by any means, but it definetely caused some intense reflection tonight on my part. For starters, I went to India on a basketball missions trip 2 years ago, and so I have seen extreme poverty up close. I remember thinking while I was there that I really have too much stuff and that I should reduce my spending on such frivilous things - I mean look at how many clothes I have in my closet! Then use that money to support missions and projects for poor countries. After I returned, I remembered these thoughts for, oh, about 2 weeks before I again became bombarded and consumed with wanting and buying material goods. How easy it is to forget, which is why it was good to be reminded by the video tonight.
While our group was discussing the video, our leader asked everyone, "Have you ever been to a country that is poor?" Many of us in the group had, but some people had not. Then our leader mentioned that everyone should go at some point because it changes your perspective on your life and on your "need" for more stuff. Short-term mission trips is something I have actually been thinking about a lot lately; mostly because 5 members of my Athletes in Action India team are on their way to another 2-week basketball trip in North Africa. I really wanted to go with them, but couldn't clear my schedule. I do hope to play on another basketball missions team in the next year or 2. Anyway, more than that, I REALLY want my parents and my brother to go on a short-term overseas missions trip. They do not currently have "bad" perspectives on life, but I think ministering to people and experiencing a foreign culture would help them grow so much. I have never talked to them about this directly, but now feel like I should.
Back to the beginning point of this post: I know I live in a materialistic society and have much more than 90% of the world could ever dream of having, but I need God to continue to show me how to use my (His) time, my (His) talents, and my (His) money to further His kingdom. I realize that this should be my daily prayer and that I need to ask Him to help me keep a proper perspective.
I know that the 2 people who read my posts have both been on year/2 years overseas "mission" trips. What are your thoughts? :)
Wednesday, July 16, 2008
Pee-Wee Camp Pics
Okay, here's some pics from today's Pee-Wee Camp!
A few of my girls. They were the taggers for a crowd-pleasing game of Car Lot.
Playing Basketball Musical Chairs with paper instead of chairs. Each girl has her own ball and must make a basket (when the music stops) before claiming a piece of paper. It's fun!!
The Dolphins - aka the adorable younger girls.
I had a terrific time at camp today, and I think it is because of the following reasons:
1) I stopped for some QuikTrip French Vanilla Cappuccino on the way to camp!
2) I decided to be enthusiastic and goofy all day (instead of grouchy)
3) I changed the "bathroom policy" - the girls can now only go on breaks (except for emergencies)
4) God reminded me why He has given me the gifts to work with children and play/coach basketball
Tomorrow is the last day! It will go by fast because we have an "Awards Ceremony" for the last half an hour. The girls show off their new skill to parents, siblings, grandparents, etc. I'm expecting a huge crowd because we have so many girls. Hopefully, I won't be too nervous to talk in front of everyone!
I've got to finish my player evaluations, so I'll call it a night on the computer!
~ Jamie ~
P.S. Erin, thank you for the comments! I'm glad one person is reading my posts. lol! I really appreciate the teacher "story" - I don't think I've heard that before but it is certainly true!! I honestly can't understand how you elementary teachers do it. So many of my friends teach elementary, and all of you guys are amazing!
A few of my girls. They were the taggers for a crowd-pleasing game of Car Lot.
Playing Basketball Musical Chairs with paper instead of chairs. Each girl has her own ball and must make a basket (when the music stops) before claiming a piece of paper. It's fun!!
My team this week - The Dynamites!
The Bad Butterflies - The girls pick out their own team names!! This one is about the strangest yet.
The Dolphins - aka the adorable younger girls.I had a terrific time at camp today, and I think it is because of the following reasons:
1) I stopped for some QuikTrip French Vanilla Cappuccino on the way to camp!
2) I decided to be enthusiastic and goofy all day (instead of grouchy)
3) I changed the "bathroom policy" - the girls can now only go on breaks (except for emergencies)
4) God reminded me why He has given me the gifts to work with children and play/coach basketball
Tomorrow is the last day! It will go by fast because we have an "Awards Ceremony" for the last half an hour. The girls show off their new skill to parents, siblings, grandparents, etc. I'm expecting a huge crowd because we have so many girls. Hopefully, I won't be too nervous to talk in front of everyone!
I've got to finish my player evaluations, so I'll call it a night on the computer!
~ Jamie ~
P.S. Erin, thank you for the comments! I'm glad one person is reading my posts. lol! I really appreciate the teacher "story" - I don't think I've heard that before but it is certainly true!! I honestly can't understand how you elementary teachers do it. So many of my friends teach elementary, and all of you guys are amazing!
Tuesday, July 15, 2008
Pee-Wee Camp
This week I am teaching basketball to 38 5-8 year old girls (with 3 helpers of course)! Whoa!! This is my second summer to direct ORU's "Pee-Wee" Basketball Camps, but this group is by far the biggest I've had. I generally love working with kids and still enjoy babysitting even though I'm 24, but keeping a smile on my face during these first two days of camp has been difficult. Some of the girls listen and follow directions well, but many others do not. Further more, they ask to go to the bathroom all the time, which is extremely disrupting! I mean, really, how many times do you need to use the bathroom in 4 hours (with 2 breaks to boot)?!?!
Pee-Wee camp has always been fun because we play lots of games, such as Car Lot, Basketball Musical Chairs, Queen of the Court, and Dribble Freeze Tag, which means I get to act like a kid again! It is just hard this time to get all 38 girls to do the same thing at once - without complaints. I feel like I'm counting heads and making sure everyone is in one piece more than I'm playing the games.
We have two days of camp left, and I have resolved to have a better attitude and more enthusiasm. Nobody likes a grumpy coach! I really enjoy having the opportunity to work with kids and share about God and His love for them (that's why I'm so thankful I went to a Christian university). I need to remember to ask God for strength and energy and for a reminder about why I'm really out on the court - to be a Christian role model for these young girls!
Anyway, I know this was kind of a random post, but I needed to get the frustration off my chest, and I needed to take a second to remember why I love working Pee-Wee Camp in the first place! Thanks for listening! Have a great week!
P.S. I'll try to post a few pics from camp tomorrow. The girls are adorable!
Pee-Wee camp has always been fun because we play lots of games, such as Car Lot, Basketball Musical Chairs, Queen of the Court, and Dribble Freeze Tag, which means I get to act like a kid again! It is just hard this time to get all 38 girls to do the same thing at once - without complaints. I feel like I'm counting heads and making sure everyone is in one piece more than I'm playing the games.
We have two days of camp left, and I have resolved to have a better attitude and more enthusiasm. Nobody likes a grumpy coach! I really enjoy having the opportunity to work with kids and share about God and His love for them (that's why I'm so thankful I went to a Christian university). I need to remember to ask God for strength and energy and for a reminder about why I'm really out on the court - to be a Christian role model for these young girls!
Anyway, I know this was kind of a random post, but I needed to get the frustration off my chest, and I needed to take a second to remember why I love working Pee-Wee Camp in the first place! Thanks for listening! Have a great week!
P.S. I'll try to post a few pics from camp tomorrow. The girls are adorable!
Wednesday, July 2, 2008
Getting Started
I've wanted to start a blog for a while now but didn't feel like I had a whole lot to share. I still don't really have a lot to say, but I like to write and I would like to post some thoughts and life events every now and again. So here goes...
This summer I am managing the pool at MeadowBrook Country Club where I have lifeguarded the past 4 summers. It is a fun job, and I am learning a ton about management! I am responsible for maintaining both of our pools, which is by far the toughest part of my job. The equipment is old and has a tendency to stop working at all the wrong times! lol However, the pool members and my lifeguards are good people and make my job interesting, entertaining, and enjoyable. I am responsible for scheduling and making sure everyone is happy (the club manager, the members, and my lifeguards). I also teach swimming lessons at the club, and its such a great feeling to see kids learn and become stronger swimmers. This is probably my favorite part of my job. Well, besides my fantastic tan (just kidding)!!!
This fall I will be coaching varsity and jv basketball and working in the business office at Bishop Kelley High School, a private Catholic high school here in Tulsa. I have already been working with my basketball girls for over a month, and I absolutely LOVE it! Coaching is definitely a calling on my life - I love investing my time and energy in kids of all ages.
I think that's about it as far as updating on what's going on in my life. I am trying to become more active in my church (Cedar Ridge Christian Church) and have found a college Bible study group (we also play water volleyball every week!). I just try to stay as busy at possible! :)
This summer I am managing the pool at MeadowBrook Country Club where I have lifeguarded the past 4 summers. It is a fun job, and I am learning a ton about management! I am responsible for maintaining both of our pools, which is by far the toughest part of my job. The equipment is old and has a tendency to stop working at all the wrong times! lol However, the pool members and my lifeguards are good people and make my job interesting, entertaining, and enjoyable. I am responsible for scheduling and making sure everyone is happy (the club manager, the members, and my lifeguards). I also teach swimming lessons at the club, and its such a great feeling to see kids learn and become stronger swimmers. This is probably my favorite part of my job. Well, besides my fantastic tan (just kidding)!!!
This fall I will be coaching varsity and jv basketball and working in the business office at Bishop Kelley High School, a private Catholic high school here in Tulsa. I have already been working with my basketball girls for over a month, and I absolutely LOVE it! Coaching is definitely a calling on my life - I love investing my time and energy in kids of all ages.
I think that's about it as far as updating on what's going on in my life. I am trying to become more active in my church (Cedar Ridge Christian Church) and have found a college Bible study group (we also play water volleyball every week!). I just try to stay as busy at possible! :)
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