Sustaining Grace: a Decade in Junior League

I am proud to have spent the last ten years in The Association of Junior Leagues International, Inc. (AJLI) - an organization of women committed to promoting voluntarism, developing the potential of women, and improving communities through the effective action and leadership of trained volunteers. After a decade, I have made the decision to become a Sustainer - the equivalent of retiring, but still retaining the connection to JL. It takes quite a while to become eligible for Sustainer status, and I'm proud to have stayed active this long.

I blogged two years ago - Junior League: What do you DO? - explaining what *actually happens* in JL. I began my JL career in 2003 with my provisional year in JLGNF (Junior League of Gwinnett & North Fulton Counties) when we lived outside of Atlanta; I was also a member of JLKD (Junior League of Kane & DuPage Counties) during the time we lived outside Chicago, before transferring to JLA (Junior League of Albany, Georgia).

I have made some of the sweetest friends and had the happiest, most fulfilling connections through JL...

My decision to go Sustainer was kind of a default: the closest JL here is actually JL Houston. It's HUGE; and after all this time, I really don't want to just be a number among thousands. I've met a few other JL ladies who have also been transferred here to the suburbs from other states, and there's been some talk of perhaps founding a new JL chapter for this area, just as The Woodlands & North Houston have done, (and as JLGNF serves northeastern Atlanta suburbs.) B/c I have enough years of service, I was able to go Sustainer instead of Non-Resident Active of JLA while we look into that possibility, I retain my connection to JL, and I'm able to reactivate at any point, if I do wish to get involved with starting something new here. It would be a monumental undertaking, but this area is booming with transfers, and if we can get enough support, it may actually happen! For now, though, I'm happy and proud to have attained Sustainer status. :-)

Big News from Last Month: Part Two

Like I said, we had two really big pieces of news last month that we didn't plaster all over the world right away, b/c we wanted to be sensitive to wait until all parties involved were informed and/or the dust had settled. (This & #1 were also two of the weights my stomach was knotted over until they were settled last month!)

Fire up your flux capacitor and pretend it's Thursday, April 18th, 2013 as you read:

About a month ago, the head of Group Fitness at the closer gym location came to me concerned about my Thursday class numbers. (She is *obsessed* with mega-packing classes, b/c that's how she gets evaluated by corporate. Higher participation = bigger bonuses.) The club minimum to run a class is 15; I was steady at 24. Not enough: she wanted well over 30.

I was so nervous about this mess, that I even rearranged Annelise's birthday party: the gym is having a big public Dance Jam featuring all of the instructors on Sunday the 28th...exactly when we were going to do her party. I felt like I *really* needed to be there to promote this class, so even I switched her party to Friday evening the 26th after gymnastics - *just* to be there to bump this class.

She emailed me Sunday that she was going to team-teach with me this week & next "to draw some of her regular students in to boost the numbers." I was not excited: we are oil & water - our styles are 100% opposite. It just doesn't make for a good class; but I was willing to do whatever she asked, so I swallowed my pride and replied: "How do you want to split the time? I have my playlist set down to the minute - right now it's designed to build up to anaerobic threshold, interval down, squats, heart rate back up, calf/leg toning, & finally abs before cool-down - so I just need to know how many minutes to cut & where. Do you want to start with the warm-up/beginning? I think that would be a great draw!" I wanted to prep, so I didn't look unprepared in any way.

No response. Ever.

I got there to teach today. She said, "I got your email; I like to just tag team back and forth, so I'll bring them up, you bring them down." *sigh* So no real plan, no steady flow, no continuity. I kept my agreeable smile on, and students steadily streamed in. (Exactly 24 people, again, by the way.)

Then she dropped the bomb: "So here's the plan. We'll team-teach again next time, and then this class is going to change formats after next week."
Read: you're canceled.
One minute before we start class.
A class I'm already uncomfortable teaching today with no actual plan, where I already felt under the gun and that I was being tested by her.
And after I even made the effort to change Annelise's birthday to promote this class that won't even exist then.

I plastered on my stage smile and did my best.

It's very hard to work with her. She is a *GREAT* fitness instructor - very knowledgeable and incredibly fit!!! But she's not a dancer. When she teaches "Zumba", it's not Zumba. It's aerobics to Zumba music. 16 counts of lunges, 32 counts of knees, etc. She doesn't do dance choreography to a song and stick with it. She doesn't have routines. She has no dance background, and that's really OK: she has certainly carved out a HUGE niche of other non-dancey people at this location who LOVELOVELOVE what she does, and that's fabulous. But it's not really what Zumba is about, and it's not what I do. I have set dance steps to each of my songs. I have a playlist that is arranged purposely. My classes don't stop to change CDs. I'm not a drill sergeant; I'm your BFF encourager.

We are just night & day, style-wise, and it doesn't make for a comfortable class. My regulars had a weird time switching b/t us...

...And then, in the middle of her set, she announced this Zumba class was going away after next week and would be replaced with something else.

One of my usual ladies beside me froze and said to me, "What?! What is changing? Oh no!" :-/ Yeah. Was that the best way to tell *my* class? I personally felt like I should have been the one to tell them, but she definitely likes everyone to know she's the one in charge.

My core group of ~24 may not have been huge, but:
1) It more than met the 15 people minimum. (BTW - I found out later the minimum is actually 12.)
2) Those ladies were dedicated.
3) They love my style, and they don't get it from anyone else's Zumba. (I'm very good at explaining the steps to non-dancers; no one feels lost or intimidated; I'm the least scary Zumba teacher for newbies you'll ever meet!)
4) The biggest complaint about this gym is that the classes are too overcrowded; I feel this number was perfect for the studio size: able to move w/o mowing down your neighbor.

Two other ladies came up and asked if there was any way to make comments anonymously, b/c they are scared of her, and they are so sad about my class. Yeah.

I wanted to burst into tears...but I didn't.
My friend Carmen had come to class and said, "Do you want to get out of here and get some lunch?" I called JB & told him everything on the way, too.

OK, so now time to flip the script: this is for the best. Yes, I'm still angry and my feelings are hurt, but I have HATED going to teach there for the last month & a half, b/c all I do is stress out over the numbers! "Omigosh, am I going to have more people?!" All of the joy of Zumba had been completely sucked out by that bureaucracy...and honestly, I resent walking on eggshells. I think this was God's way of rescuing me out of a stressball.

Yes, I could have fudged my numbers a little bit, inflated a tad to make them "look better" (*I'm* the one who records them), but I didn't want to lie.

You know, we're not all meant to fit perfectly into every situation, and my puzzle piece just obviously doesn't click there. It's OK. God knows where I'm supposed to go.

My class at the other (more prestigious) location on Mondays is still WONDERFUL: it's growing weekly, and the people are SO EXTREMELY FRIENDLY!!! I would've thought they'd be snobbier, b/c it's a ritzier location, but no way. It's the exact opposite. Another instructor friend of mine is going on maternity leave this week, and I'm taking her Wednesday class at this same happy location, too, so I've still got my two classes, and they're both at the better place.

God will use this for my good. He will heal my hurt feelings, aleviate my anger, and make this be for the best. So yeah, I'm OK (now that I got all this mess out to people who actually care about me! ;-)) and I do already feel the weight of that class & "the numbers" off my shoulders...

Thanks, y'all!!!

One last prayer request: today would have been my Grandmommy's 101st birthday (she passed in Oct) and it's also the 16th anniversary today of my Dad passing away. It hurt a little to take Grandmommy's birthday off my phone calendar today... Her birthday being on the same day really softened the blow of my Dad's death each year, until now... Send a little comfort to me, my mom, & my brother.

Oooo, I'd already repressed that last blow was on the same day... Whew... OK, so fast forward: I talked to the head of Group Fitness at the happy, prestigious location the next week, and she was both disappointed and totally NOT surprised at how it went down! She is my biggest champion, 100% on my side, shared lots of edifying insights, and I am completely transferring my status to her club, so that she will officially be my boss. I've essentially traded the unhappy Thursday stress class for the long-term subbing of my friend-on-maternity-leave's class on Wednesdays, so I never even missed a beat. Thank you, God, for working this out for my best!

Big News from Last Month: Part One

We had two really big pieces of news last month that we didn't plaster all over the world right away, b/c we wanted to be sensitive to wait until all parties involved were informed and/or the dust had settled. [This & Part Two (coming soon! ;-)) were also two of the weights my stomach was knotted over until they were settled last month!]

Fire up your flux capacitor and pretend it's Friday, April 12th, 2013 as you read:

JB just got the head coaching position for Will's fall football team!!!! I cannot tell you how HUGE this is!!! The coach we suffered through last year was an abusive moron; we've been through LITERALLY MONTHS (since November) of petitioning the Board of the League to remove him. After an exhaustive investigation (this is serious $#!+, y'all!!!) they fired him today, and JB will get the head coaching job.

Yes, it's "just" youth football...but this is TEXAS. People wait *years* to get a volunteer head coaching position in youth ball here - they literally lobby for YEARS. The high school here is the current TX state champ, they are #1 IN THE COUNTRY and have 7 state titles; they guard the grooming of their youth players very seriously!

Despite the horrific coach JB assisted last fall, he fell in love with coaching (JB played youth through college, so he has the experience) and everyone on the team championed him to take over. It fulfills such a passion in him; I don't know if there's been a time in our 15+ years together that he's ever been as excited for something. I'm just so thrilled that after months and months of strife with this terrible last guy and the investigation that it's finally over and that JB *officially* gets one of his ultimate dream hobbies fulfilled out of it!

I am so excited that JB will be their role model. This spring, he's started off every passing league practice so far with a short couple-minute lesson on personal growth: focus, self-control, fear being a choice, discipline, etc. The boys are so encouraged, it's just a different world from last fall. They BEG to get to practice early, and the respect they feel for him is tangible.

The father/son aspect fills my heart (and his) beyond words. I'll take over head coaching our team's cheer squad w/ Annelise, too, so football will be our ultimate "family time" ...and there will be a TON of it! Our lives will revolve around youth football March-May for spring passing league and July-November for regular tackle league the next three years, and I couldn't be HAPPIER!!!! :-D Y'all certainly know how long we have been in limbo before this last move last year, and now that so much happiness has converged here... It almost makes me misty daily. Totally not joking... ♥

I'm the next Tami Taylor, y'all! :-P :-D

In more happy news, we won our first spring game Friday night! The kids are on cloud nine, and the parents are filled with hope, b/c win or lose, our boys are happier, more motivated, and showing strong growth every.single.week.

[Will is #1 in spring ball.]

You Are Peace

Here's me at outdoor gazebo yoga earlier this week:

(I've started keeping my sunglasses on during practice. I did it initially a few weeks ago when it was so windy, they kept my eyes from watering; now I keep doing it, b/c something about having them on keeps me focused inward. No thinking, "Oh, I hope she doesn't think I'm judging anything!" if I catch someone's eye, etc. It's peaceful. I honestly could live in my sunglasses.)

In light of that last post, I wanted to share more good stuff. :-P I thanked my yogi for sharing this pic and said, "Just seeing this sends me back to a place of peace..." She replied, "You are Peace."

You.
Are.
Peace.

Indeed! It is written:

...the mind governed by the Spirit is life and peace. ~Romans 8:6b

Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful. ~Colossians 3:15

Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid. ~John 14:27

Airing Dirty Laundry...Or My Silver Linings Playbook

Honesty time: I've felt weighed down & stomach-knotted off and on a lot the last month or so. Most people have had no idea, b/c I really try to focus on the positives & count my blessings in the midst of the junk - always looking for silver linings. :-) This is a trait I am very thankful for, but I can't lie: it can be exhausting, and sometimes I just want to air it all out. (Y'all know I function better as an open book!) That's a bit risky, b/c I don't want to sound ungrateful for our myriad of blessings that MORE THAN outweigh the crud or like I'm depressed when we have such happy things going on, too. On the flipside, I also find it really valuable & encouraging when my friends share their trials along with the ways God has brought them through. :-) I promise I'm not about to lose it or anything :-P but trying to shake these things off and/or suck it up on a daily basis piles up, so I ask y'all for the grace to let me vent a smidge...

I am absolutely sick over my friend Terra's daughter Kendall fighting for her life in the PICU (Hope For Kendall). I met Terra at MOPS when we moved to Chicago right after Kendall was born; Kendall fights mitochondrial disease, but this week has been her worst. By far. The things Terra has posted that they are going through rip me to shreds. I'm glad I found a couple ways I can help them, but it's still hard to "shake off" thinking about it all. Please, please cover them in prayer! I was super anxious about officially making some Zumba changes after MAJOR drama that occurred last month, (hmmm, maybe I'll share that story in another post) and I also discovered a few new Zumba requirements I need to make time ASAP to complete; the requirements aren't difficult, but I churn about professional obligations until they are in the books. I can't stand being deficient in ANY capacity!!! Our van is reeeeally stressing me out: the damage from being hit by a flying tire tread on I-10 this past Saturday (yes, it was terrifying; yes, we're fine) is purely cosmetic, so it's not really a smart investment to repair the body when the a/c is out, again, (no a/c in a month; I've been OK w/ the windows down, but that's not going to work when we're steadily in the 90's) so that gets first priority on the van's ever-growing financial totem pole. I've battled my teeth & mouth aching w/ different periods of intensity for about two months now; if (like JB!) you don't struggle with dental issues, fall to your knees and praise the Lord right this instant! It's enough to make you crazy after a while - pain waking you up in the night, your bite being off with new crowns that have to be adjusted over several visits which in the meantime make simply chewing your meals difficult. Even if everything else is all rosy, that can be enough to sully your mood. :-P My 7th (& please God, last!) dental appointment in this current slate of work is May 21: pray for total completion! :-D I also had sinus stuff all last week, and the icing on the cake: I even had a reaction that made my lips painfully puff up for over a week starting on Annelise's bday. Miserable.

None of this stuff (except Kendall!) is life threatening, and God is steadily carrying me through with so much happiness in between!!! But it struck me when a friend asked how I was doing yesterday, and I instantly replied with my Susie Sunshine, "Awesome! :-D" Then I stopped: "You know, I don't know why I said that. I'm not super awesome. I'm OK, but there's some junk weighing me down, so yeah - hanging in there." Talking to her made me actively realize that I need to get this mess out sometimes and that it's OK to *not* be Susie Sunshine 24/7. (Maybe just 23.75/7 ;-)) So thanks to her and YOU for being my prayer partners and sounding board for the junk as well as my praise sharers for the good! :-D

And b/c focusing on the good is my default mode, my FB status is: SOOO BLESSED by the Zumba I'm currently teaching, the hot tub & steam room at the gym = my haven, gorgeous weather, the fact that I could easily trot up 4 flights of stairs in the parking deck, *ALL GREEN LIGHTS* down a busy stoplight-filled road from I-10 giving me time to grab bubble tea before getting to school on time to volunteer for Will's science program, and a sweet friend that drove me over to the auto shop. God always blesses me and shines through the junk!

ASTROnomical Adventure

We were so blessed Saturday: a friend of ours' parents have amazing season tickets to the Houston Astros Major League Baseball games. No one in their family could use Saturday evening's tickets, so they asked JB: YES!!! We headed into the city (after Annelise had a cheer clinic & won her soccer game earlier in the day) in time to eat dinner before the game at The FiveSeven Grille inside the stadium. I usually feel like those places are such a rip off, but honestly, my meal was DELICIOUS: grilled chicken sandwich with red pepper jelly, Boursin cheese, & sliced apple = heavenly! *AND* super key: they had TVs so that I could still watch the Kentucky Derby! [Yes, I wore my giant monogrammed Derby hat allllll day!]

When I say we had amazing seats, I am not exaggerating in the slightest: FRONT ROW DIRECTLY AGAINST THE ASTROS DUGOUT!!!!!

The players could all talk to us going in & out, and they threw Will THREE baseballs! At one point, Orbit (the Astros mascot) came and danced on the dugout, right in our faces:

[I love that you can see us (& my gianormous hat :-P) on the jumbotron, too! (I'm under the O, Will under the E)]

Now, here's a handy guide on "How to Get Your Family to Appear on National TV": get primo 1st row behind-the-dugout seats, make sure your son doesn't get all the eye black completely off just one eye from his game last night, let your daughter eat blue cotton candy & smear it all over her face, make sure your usually-coordinated children have dressed themselves for the day, and wear a giant hat. You're welcome. [And with that, I requested on FB that if anyone saw us on TV, please pause & take a pic for us! :-P] I do think it's pretty cool that our old MI friends could see us down here in paradise! :-D One friend *did* catch us:

[I guess Will was leaning too far over toward home plate, angling for more balls, to make it in this shot. :-P]

We had an absolute BALL [pun intended! :-D] Saturday night!!!

Friday Night Lights ...in May

Here's what our Friday nights will look like this entire May: 7-on-7 Spring Passing Football League. JB is head coaching, and I just can't tell you how happy it makes our family to be out there! Best family time ever...

Thank Yous

Must brag on our girl: she wrote almost THIRTY thank you notes yesterday & this morning for all her bday party thanks! ♥

Daddy Daughter Dance

Adding to the glory of Annelise's bday weekend, Saturday night was the "Daddy Daughter Dance" at church! I had been bummed that many of the neighboring elementary schools here had had their Daddy Daughter Dances back in February & March; I didn't want Annelise to miss out! Even though her school didn't host one, our church came through: they called it "Spring Fling :-) and JB initiated the whole date with her on his own. ♥

They danced, Sis ate tons of cupcakes, and she made a fingerprint flower pot craft. :-)

[Don't feel bad for Will: he was in heaven, staying home with LaLa, teaching her how to play Ticket to Ride!]

Biggest Bday Party EVER!

Annelise chose Chuck E Cheese as the venue for her 7th bday party Friday evening. [Ugh, Chuck E - I know. I have to say, though, CEC is a great bday location, b/c they are one of the only places that lets you bring in your own cake & drinks. Making the kids' cakes is important to me, and we do *NOT* do coke for kids! It's awesome not to have to pay for junk that you don't want to use/have. You do NOT have to buy any of their party packages. We pre-booked nothing: we had a walk-in party (yes, even for this many people) and the only thing we paid for at CEC were the game tokens. I hate paying for overpriced party accoutrements I don't want, so CEC is actually ideal. Plus, I didn't have to clean anything before or after!] We had *34 KIDS* ...and it was wonderful! I never would have guessed that EVERY KID IN ANNELISE'S 1ST GRADE CLASS except for 2 would actually RSVP yes! :-D (Those were the first 17 kids, and then we had 17 more friends whom we are close with that we wanted to be there.) Everyone had a ball, and we were so excited that so many sweet friends were able to attend!

I was proud of myself for trying to get a group shot first thing, but it was hard to gauge when "everyone" was there! :-D :-P Here's the first half of Annelise's party guests to arrive...

And a few more... (Missing 14!)

I made Annelise a castle cake. (It had sparkly purple tulle in the turret tops and a glittery green "7" candle that we removed here to cut. :-)) Everyone also got fresh cut strawberries & whipped cream, too. Mmmm!

All hail the Token King!

"Who wants just cake? Who wants just strawberries with their cake? Who wants cake, berries, AND whipped cream?" [Please, this should not be a question. :-P]

Conga for free tickets...

"BACK OFF, KID! MY SISTER IS THE BIRTHDAY GIRL!!! SHE'S FIRST!!!" [How hysterical is this pic? And look at Annelise's classmates behind Will charging in, as well! :-P They did not actually get into it; in fact, I hadn't noticed this happened until I went through the pics, but that's why it cracks me up!]

Virtual rollercoaster fun!

Ticket chomping to close out the evening...

THANK YOU ALL SO VERY MUCH!!!!!

SEVEN!

Our Prinkie Punky Princess Pumpkin Peach Annelise turns SEVEN YEARS OLD TODAY! She chose family dinner at Zoës Kitchen and got to open her gifts from all the grandparents just now. ♥ She blesses me every.single.day...

First Green Tomato

I picked my first tomato of the season on Tuesday from our backyard. :-) [Tomatoes in pots on the porch = the only gardening I have remotely any interest in.] I wanted it a tiny bit bigger, but I was afraid I saw tinges of red beginning, and I'm growing mine for my personal fried green tomato crop. ;-)

Photo Catch-Up

So, I do a steady job with any pics I upload to FB...but until this week, I was three and a half months behind on scrapbooking and almost five months behind updating our old family website. [Why do I even bother keeping that old thing up? This blog is so much better, but apparently there are a few people who only look there; the bigger reason is that we have an amazing old web hosting rate from 2001 that we just don't want to give up. :-P]

*DISCLAIMER* I know some of y'all are like, "3½ months behind? WHATEV! I haven't done anything with my pics since 2007!" But my pics are my highest priority. Some of y'all are obsessive about cleaning your homes, others about reading tons of books, still others about month-ahead menu planning, or gardening. My house is usually a dust bunny haven, I haven't had the urge to read a book of fiction in ages, I don't enjoy gardening at all (except for tomatoes in pots on the patio), and with our various evening family activities (football M & W, gymnastics T & F, etc.) and odd schedules (sometimes JB lunches at 11 AM & is starving; other days at 2:30 PM & isn't hungry at all) we don't usually make a big deal out of dinners, except on the weekends. [We ARE all together; but the meals are not a big production. It's healthier for lunch to be your biggest meal, anyways. :-P] But my kids' childhoods are completely documented!!! :-D It's just what I find a ton of personal value and satisfaction in; no judgement on anyone who doesn't feel the same. It means a lot to us, b/c having moved around so much, the kids have a hard time remembering what happened where and esp. with whom, even just a couple years ago. ...But if any of you crazy cleaners wants to come clean my house, I'll digiscrap for you!!! ;-)

So yeah, being that far behind on my digital scrapbooking is A LOT: 17 PAGES!

Our 11th Wedding Anniversary

We are so blessed... We spent our 11th wedding anniversary on Saturday the 13th at Annelise's soccer game:

She won the MVP medal for her team! We then headed to the kids' elementary school for their big annual Bonzer Bash festival. Not quite a romantic get-away, but honestly, this *is* why we got married: to do life together, to make a family and to revel in it! ♥ ♥ ♥

After the school fest, we dropped the kids off at their friend's and went out for a nice Italian dinner. They even brought us a special dessert and champagne for free!!! Mmmmm, tiramisu...

[No, I didn't have time to change into some occasion-worthy Lilly dress after soccer & Bonzer Bash. Yes, I wore my hat & sunglasses the whole time. It was kind of perfect, since ΦΔΘ really brought us together! :-) That, and it was really windy at our outside table!]

Finally, we came home to relax with this crazy yummy Au Chocolat Sparkling Wine (a la World Market :-D) and enjoyed smelling the GORGEOUS roses & calla lilies JB had delivered for me! ♥ ♥ ♥

Hello & Goodbye, Sweet Friends

Hello:

I got a fantastic surprise Sunday afternoon when an old friend who lives in Hattiesburg, MS said she was flying into Houston last-minute on business for that night only and wondered if we could have dinner. Divine! Her other friend picked her up at our airport three hours later, and we met up closer into town. We ate at Cyclone Anaya's:

And I converted her into a bubble tea believer! :-D

B/c we talk so much over FB, it felt like we hang out together this way all the time. We didn't need to catch up, as much as enjoy each other's company. I was most appreciative that she took the time, even at the last minute, to say, "Hey! I'm coming!" Even for just a couple hours together. B/c we have moved around so much, it means the world to me when I get to see my friends who don't live close by, even for just a meal = priceless.


Goodbye:

When Lilly Pulitzer passed away Sunday, I was shocked at the number of FB condolences *I* personally received. :-D I love that so many friends associate me with Lilly. That's an honor! I am so thankful for the light & joy her style has given me. "Pizzazz" is defined as "an attractive combination of vitality and glamour" - her brand has definitely added to my personal pizzazz!

Soccer Sis

Annelise played her first soccer game day on Saturday! This season is her first opportunity where her dance/gymnastics/cheer & Will's baseball/football haven't conflicted, so she actually has the chance to play. I'm glad for her, b/c she's wanted to try it, and she's a GREAT runner. (JB & I still agree soccer is one of our least fave sports ever¹ :-P BUT) she had fun, played hard, looked adorable, made a great stop in her few minutes as goalie, never hung back, mixed it up with the boys² (aww, yeah!) and is excited for next week = success!

¹Please stop saying, "If she gets into it, maybe you'll love soccer." Will played three seasons before football; of course I *LOVE* watching my kids play their best at ANYTHING!!! And esp. when it makes THEM happy (...but I still don't enjoy the sport. Just my kid doing it ;-))
²Yes, she's on a co-ed team, playing with boys. I love that!!!