(Top from left to right: Carlos, Toby, Isaiah, Jeff, Jesse - Bottom from left to right: Marcus, Cade and Shane)
As promised I am finally getting the chance to recap the 2009 SWOSU football season. It has been quite a trip these last 5 months since moving here to Weatherford, OK and summing it up might take awhile, so anticipate that this will be a long post (too much good stuff to remember! :)). Hard to believe that it was this time last year as we were preparing to go to a "Tacky Christmas Sweater Party" at the Farden's house (which was a blast thanks to Taylor and Lisa :)) and Toby came in to the kitchen, sat down at the table and told me that he had just been offered the Secondary Coach and Recruiting Coordinator position at Southwestern Oklahoma State University.
The road to get back in to coaching had started nearly 5 years before on a random Saturday afternoon while folding laundry in our bathroom. While I folded and the hubs packed for yet another business trip I listened to my sweet Toby talk about the weight of his work and travel. As I listened I couldn't help feeling there was something more on his heart.
After he finished talking I simply asked him, "What about coaching?"
That little question lead to a precious conversation that I will never forget. In that normal everyday moment a passion to pursue a God sized dream was ignited.
God has been so good to us this football season...it's been crazy and a bit hairy at times, but He has always been faithful. He kept Toby safe as he drove back and forth from Weatherford to OKC/Texas during spring football practices, provided a place to stay during our transition at my brother and sis-in-law's house (Mike and LeAnna ya'll are amazing - thank you again!), He sold our home in Texas (whew :)), provided a new home in W-ford (whew again :)), He kept us all sane (well, mostly sane...lol :)), healthy and fairly organized as we dealt with so much change. We have had some great times eating Taco Mayo in Toby's office after practice watching Cade and Ainsley draw up "cover 3". We were given some great opportunities to serve Toby's position players with wings and Monday night football, a couple of Sunday lunches and had an amazing time starting FCA on the campus.
Toby and I listened to Cade pray for the players he knew by name and consistently ask when we were going to see Carlos, or Jesse, or O, or Shane, or Jeff ..etc. I was the wardrobe assistant to the kids as I dressed them up in their game day gear: Cade in his oversized bulldog's jersey and knotting Ainsley's bulldog t-shirt behind her back in true 80's greatness! We've met great new friends, got reconnected with some dear old friends and have been so blessed by being closer to our families. Whether it has been Cade tackling the coaching staff after practice or watching Ainsley run as fast as her little legs can take her yelling, "DADDY!!!" across the field after a game.....(whew...told ya there was a lot to remember :)) it has all equated to God being so very Powerful, such an Abundant Provider and a very Loving Father to us while we have stepped in faith during this 2009 football season.
The highpoint of the season was definitly Homecoming. The homecoming parade downtown was again awesome and very much like something out of a Southern Living Magazine ( i.e. my Spooktacular post) the streets were full of people and it was not just a dinky (is that a word? oh well, it is now :)) 30 minute parade full of cars, no candy and politians handing out random stickers for the upcoming county elections. No, no this was the real deal parade and every school, business, service organization, community activity and church group rolled out to be a part. And they threw plenty of candy to keep my kiddos eating sweets the whole day...chocolate went to me of course :) It was a great way to start the day!
The bulldogs had battled through every game having "victory" on many fronts, but hadn't marked that W column just yet. The team had grown and learned and had finally reached Homecoming. It was a huge day for the program and Toby had over 50 recruiting families in for the weekend...the recruiting visits had been a complete success and now if we could walk away with our first win it would make the day INCREDIBLE! But late in to the 3rd Quarter we were lossing and didn't look like we had the zeal to take over the game in victory....
....or did we....
Late in the 3rd Quarter the defense made an incredible goal line stand, a couple of interceptions and then as the 4th Quarter came around you could feel life pumping into the stadium. The offense drove the ball down the field all the while eating up a great amount of the clock...obviously I have slept since then so the details are a little foggy...but the way the game ended was the kind of stuff movies are made of!
The visitors were on top 13-7 and we were on the 5 yard line....1st and goal......pass thrown incomplete in the endzone and our QB goes down injured and has to leave the game...the crowd is literally going nuts and time is ticking off the game clock which is now under 2 minutes. In the midst of it all I am holding Ainsley who probably thought I was going to pinch her in half as I was screaming and jumping up and down like an idiot :)....so the backup QB comes in we get to 2nd and goal....again, nothing. Then in true movie form QB one comes back in the game, we hike the ball, pass is thrown.........TOUCHDOWN!!!!!! So at this point the game is tied, no time left on the clock. All we have to do is make the extra point.....kick is up.....kick is good!!!!!! And the crowd goes wild!!!!! Everyone rushed the field and in "magical moment" form fireworks started going off....literally :) It was already in the plan to have a fireworks show after the game for Homecoming...but in my own little "magical moment mind" it could not have been scripted any better. And the best part was walking out on that field and seeing all the recruiting families enjoying the moment right along with us!
So the 2009 football season is in the books...I know I have spoken to many of you other coach's wives either on the phone,through email, facebook, the Coach's Wife website, etc and heard about your seasons too and I am honored to a part of such an incredible fellowship of women that call themselves coach's wives, and along with their husbands are raising coaching families. It isn't easy and I am laughing at myself even as I glance at the phrase "the 2009 season is in the books" because any good coach's wife knows that my coach is on the recruiting trail right now as I type these words! I'm sure some wives have sent their husbands off to coach their second sport :) and that no football season is truly "in the books" because everything that happened in the season before fuels your energy to focus on the next one....and that includes what happened off the field too :)....At the end of this season in more ways than one I say praise be to God for fufilling the dreams of His children, giving us jobs we love, experiences to strengthen us, and opportunities to depend on Him with all that we have!!
