I relearned that spending time with my nieces and nephews is priceless. I had a blast playing in the snow, sledding and just being silly. I hadn't been sledding since I was a child, so I was reminded of how much fun it really is. And to watch Tyler, Brooke and Morgan having fun made all the cold very worth it.
On my last day, we went sledding at Mt. Misery and believe me, the trek back up the hill after the slide down was pure misery, but great exercise! My nephew, Sam, joined us. It is always so cute to watch the younger kids follow him around and look up to him. I also spent some time with my niece Emily taking some shots of her in the snow. She's such a beauty!
I was reminded why I love dogs so much. I got to spend some awesome time outside with my neighbor's dog, Belle. She is a sweetheart and helped ease my loneliness of missing my two pups back home. Thanks Belle!
With the wedding coming up in August, I am determined to get in the best shape I can, so I had to relearn to exercise in the cold. For those of you who follow me on FB, you should know what a wog is by now. For those of you who don't, a wog is simply a walk + jog. I wogged almost everyday while I was at home and was reminded of how stinking cold Wisconsin is. I did get accustomed to it, and it has been very helpful upon my return to Oklahoma. Now wogging in the 30 degree temperature doesn't seem all that bad! In fact, I rather enjoy the cold and the snow now.
On Friday night, I was asked to speak to the Kaukauna varsity girl's basketball team before their game. Why me? Well, there is a jersey that hangs outside the gym that belongs to the school's all time leading scorer and her name is Sara :) I was honored that anyone would even think to ask me. So now I had to relearn how to inspire and remind myself of what a great opportunity this was, nerves and all. I didn't really know much about the team and had never met the coach. So what does one say for inspiration to a group of girls one has never met or seen play? I drew my inspiration for my "inspirational speech" from my short discussion with the coach during the JV game. It was very apparent to me, that Coach Fischer has a lot of confidence in his team. He spoke very highly of the girls and really believes in their talent.
I had a great talk with the team and found my nervousness quickly subside. They had been told a surprise visitor was coming to talk to them. I was not the Clay Matthews they were hoping for, but I do hope that they found my visit helpful and a tad entertaining with my "southern" accent.
I watched them play hard, be down at the half, make a great comeback and then after a hard fight, eventually lose. I saw a great team who needs to believe in themselves, their teammates and their coaches. The girls will meet a lot of diversity in their basketball careers and hopefully from that, they will learn to work harder and become more determined than ever.
I had some trying times in high school and from that I worked harder. Many would think that being a "star" athlete brings you loads of friends. In my case, it actually did the opposite. Being a freshman on Varsity was an easy transition for me sports wise, but friend wise, not so much. The older girls didn't like me because I was stealing "their position" and the girls my age assumed I thought I was too good for them because I was on varsity. Funny thing is, I was probably the most quiet and humble "star" athlete, you'd ever met. I was a team player...always first and foremost. It was important to me to take those trying times and turn them around to benefit the team and secondly myself. So, girls, keep those chins up, play every game like it's your last and don't forget to have FUN! Thanks so much for a very humbling and awesome experience. It was truly an honor.
And last, but certainly not least. I was reminded how much I LOVE my family. My mom made me Christmas dinner one evening and had the whole family over. It was awesome. The only thing that would have made it better was if Scott could have been there with us. But he was holding down the fort in Oklahoma taking care of our pups, Lucky and Sulley. We also went out for dinner on one of my last evenings there and had a wonderful time. I relearned to never take my family for granted and was reminded how lucky I am to have such wonderful parents and family. I can't wait for the Biese crew to all be in Oklahoma in August for the big, much anticipated wedding!
For Family Photographer
For Family Photographer
