I Am Just Me...

This past week I had the opportunity to have lunch with a very special man in my life, PADRE of course! It was so great to see family as I have been surrounded by new walks of life all around me; a familiar face was comforting and much needed. While we only had about an hour together, as I had to get to a game, I had a great meal and conversation catching up andrelaxing with good company!

Much Needed R&R...

The weekend was slow as I was able to relax not work as it was my weekend off from stat tracking. Saturday was a great push at the gym followed by dinner and a movie. Sunday was my favorite day last week as my roommate and I attend Bachelor #4, RockHarbor Orange campus for church. It was a great message and great fellowship,definitely looking forward to going back this week and seeing what else God has in store.

As promised… I ended my weekend here.

I left the house a little late so I didn’t get as many as I wanted but was grateful for the alone time in prayer and meditation on life in such a beautiful setting. It is times like those when I sat in the sand and think about the many summers I spent on the Coast not to far from where I was in Carpenteria with family that is missed dearly. I was praying to God but was also talking to my soulmate that went to be with God almost two years ago. Not a day goes by that I don’t wish I could pick up the phone and call my Pops, he always knew the right thing to say and had, what I thought was, all the answers! I hope to make this a bi-weekly thing (with gas prices and 20 miles to the beach $ is tight) and spend some personal time with God as well as capture some still shots of his beautiful creation.

You’re Hired!

The week has been busy already at the Big West Conference with a release and POW out on Monday and Softball just right around the corner to prepare for, a little exhausting but entertaining at the same time. I am beginning to feel comfortable at the office and confident in the work I am producing. This past week I have found many statistical notes pertaining to the women’s basketball teams in our conference that even shocked me that I was able to come up with! Mind you I have had my fair share of mistakes and do-overs, but I continue to tell myself, “Practice makes Perfect!”

Last week I had my first action outside the office helping with an ESPN3 game at UC Irvine for women’s basketball. I was doing talent stats for the ESPN analyst and enjoyed watching the game and seeing the players perform that I get to write about. The opportunity to help with stats is always great practice to keep me hands on with event management!

A little funny story: Today the Commissioner came into my office and asked Mike and I if we are iPad savvy. I said, I WISH… my whole family has/had one and I am the lone ranger that hasn’t crossed that threshold, but I decided to see if I could help anyway. Commish’s iPad was frozen because of an alert that popped up from a movie rental expiring from his flight last week, he tried turning it off and but because the screen froze, he could not “slide to shutdown.” I gave my two cents and said, “try holding the home button and off button at the same time and see if it reboots.” (A trick I learned when my iPhone froze once) He responded with, “If this works you’re hired!” Long story short, he left my office saying, “You’re hired!” Just a little engagement that brightens your day and makes you appreciate the place you are. (NOTE: I am assuming it was a “You’re a lifesaver” rather than the actually meaning (hired).

Action without Works = NOTHING

Just when you think you have heard it all, God continues to speak and move in your life in numerous ways. If you know me, even a little bit, you know that I am a care bear, I love to help others and be there for anyone and everyone! At times I don’t realize it but it can be a negative trait, while I’d say 75% of the time it is a positive trait. Many times I will give up things I want for those close to me that might want them too, I wouldn’t say it’s because I’m not competitive, but more on the fact that I want them to be happy. I’ve learned that my personal happiness and wants matter too, but I have also learned that sometimes those wants are not within reach and some things you have to give-up in order to receive the better that’s around the corner. Relationships come and go in life but you wont have to fight for the lasting ones, they will be there no matter what the circumstance.

This Sunday the study was in Habakkuk. It was so inspiring to hear about a servant after God’s own heart, someone that didn’t question any situation or struggle he was facing asking God why, but more asking for strength to make it through the trial and talking out his feelings with God. I was reminded that when I go to church or talk with my fellow Christian brothers and sisters that its okay to be honest and share the struggles you face, WE DON’T HAVE TO BE PERFECT JUST BECAUSE WE ARE CHRISTIANS. I was also reminded that even though I know God knows everything I do and what I am going to do, I still need to talk to him about what’s going on and be honest with how I am feeling. There are so many things in my life that I want to chase, that I love and only wish I could have, but the time has come for me to surrender them to God and be content with where I am at now, the new journey ahead, and resting in the hope that maybe one day it will be a better time for those things.

Quote of the week:

“We only take action on what we truly believe, so if we want to see what we are really asking for, let us look towards our actions. It is when our desires, our thoughts and our actions are in alignment that this kind of life begins to emerge. The seed of a desire for something greater lives within all of us, but our lack of action prevents that kind of life from unfolding.” #TDL

Spin...CHECK...Travel...CHECK...Purpose

Happy mid-week to all my fellow readers, I apologize for the late blog post but I had a little stomach ache last night that kept me from my normal routine and getting this done. But do not worry I am here and did not forget! One more week in the books in the lovely Southern California as the weather went from rain on Monday to mid-seventy today… and 80’s this weekend! Woohooo!! You might be in for a treat next week if I make my way to the beach like I want to on Saturday! Anyways this past week was another week of work, working out and relaxing.

Personal, Professional & Spiritual

Butt Kickin’ Fun

This past week I have been hitting the gym really hard, trying to get this body back into shape and feeling great! Yesterday I endured my first spin class in the skinny SoCal, man was I in for a treat! The minute the class began I should have just dismantled from my bike and walked out… I quote, “Ok today we are going to do a seven minute hill followed by a nine and a half minute hill.” Ummmm WHAT! Needless to say I left feeling like I had been ran over by a truck and then hosed down with water, but a great workout! So great I am hoping, and key word hoping, to attend her Friday morning class at 5:30 AM. I figure my regular routine 4 days a week, spin two, and my rest day of course… I will be set!

On another note I am happy to announce that I have made travel plans this past week! I am very excited to be visiting the parentals and family come mid-February for President’s Day weekend, being so close compared to before and just now getting back isn’t what I expected but welcome to the real world right! I will also be having a mini weekend getaway with my two bestest Cali girls Kel and Kim in March right before my birthday… followed by a trip back to the South. I am excited to be able to see my Memphis friends one last time in the end of March and beginning of April before they all get jobs and venture out to different parts of the world! But then that will give me an opportunity to travel to new places J

Passed the Test

This past week was my first week of taking over women’s basketball completely from the fulltime staff director, it was test week to see if I could handle it… let’s just say, I SURVIVED! It was a long weekend tracking games on Saturday, first one starting at 2 and last one starting at 8, but that meant a lot of practice and room to get better. Monday was my first POW (Player of the Week) release at 12 pm followed by the Week Release that is sent out by 5 pm. With a little help along the way I survived and didn’t get any complaints from the SID’s from around the league. Now that the stress of my first one is over, I am ready to get set in a weekly routine, which is soon to be messed up as softball starts the second week in February so I will be doing double.

I also got to step into the “Swag” office this past week. As I mentioned before my great friend Rob, Deputy Commissioner of the Big West Conference always makes comments, “ Oh good Brie is still here,” but late last week I guess I passed the three week mark entitling me to get “hooked up.” I am now a proud owner of Big West Swag, such as two t-shirts and two polo’s and of course my awesome jacket! It is official I guess, not getting rid of me now!

Another One Down

This past week I attended church with my roommate and her family. It was a very nice church in Costa Mesa, Beach Cities Community Church. It was a little ways to drive but was very welcoming and comfortable in size. The message from the book of James just spoke wonders to me and I wished all my Memphis friends were there to hear it as it spoke a lot about doing our part in finding out where God wants us. Do your part and God will do his: This related most to me in the past when looking for a job after school, my part was to apply for all the positions I could and from there God would place me where he wanted me. Waiting is not always a still characteristic but an active one because we all know waiting for God to arrive is not easy. I also really enjoyed the part about character and purpose. Right now I may not know what my purpose is for being in Southern California but God has a plan through it all, even in times of suffering. God continues to give us trials until we learn from it and cling to him for guidance, but always remember God won’t ever give you more than you can handle!

After church I had a wonderful lunch getting to known Courtney’s parents and where they were from. It is a small world I tell you as I came to find out her dad was also a retired police officer and that they were from Tracy, just about a half hour from where I lived. All in all a great Sunday followed by a quick nap and NFL Championships.

As the weeks progress I continue to grow and learn more and more about myself everyday and what it is that God has planned for this journey.

My New Room....

Home Sweet Home...

My new home...

As promised...

This past week has been one of more reflection and searching deep within myself. As I continue this new journey I often ask myself what is behind the next corner, which can be the next day, next month, or in the next six months. I know everyone always says live in the moment and each day as it comes, but personally I feel comfortable at least having an idea of what the next thing may be. But beyond a lot of soul searching and continuous adjusting to this new life of mine, week three is complete!

The Daily grind…

I have started to get into a routine with work and finally understanding more and more every day. I normally arrive at work somewhere around 8-8:20, meaning I get up at 6:20 roughly after hitting snooze twice, and spending a half hour in traffic to go 12 MILES! The office hours are not set in stone, which is nice due to the traffic being different every day. Today being my first day back this week, as yesterday was a holiday, I got the statement of the year I feel, “Oh good Brie is still here.” It seems that at least once every week one of my co-workers make that comment, my hopes is it is a joke! They are a wonderful group of people, and while the job is at times tedious and I know the flood of work is coming, I still enjoy what I am doing.

Somewhere around 12:30-12:45 every day most of the employees in the office take a lunch break for about a half hour and we meet in the conference room. Discussion can range from Tim Tebow to Kobe Bryant, to what was on Teen Mom 2 the week before. It is a great time for all of us to step away from our desk and converse, or just silence as a majority of us are playing words with friends against each other. We get back to the grind after lunch and from there we wrap it up around 4:45-5:00.

The aftermath and relief…

At that point I make my daily trip to the gym. My major motivation to go to the gym is to let traffic die down so it doesn’t take me another 30 minutes to get home. I have enjoyed the routine of making it every workday and at least once during the weekend. I am taking advantage of my time now as when the workload increases I am not sure how much gym time I will get.

I have reached many goals just in my three weeks there and am pleased to say, I am feeling good about myself. While it takes a lot of push and sweat, lots of sweat, I truly believe I am enjoying the stress relief and winding down time. From there I head home, make dinner and my lunch for the next day and relax, then up again for another day!

Second week of confusion…

So for my second week of church hunting I attended an evening service geared more towards young adults at RockHarbor. I enjoyed the worship very much and while I semi-fit in with the young crowd, I walked away wondering where I fit in. The message was geared toward the young audience, which is appreciated, but at the same time, I feel trapped in the middle of my young adulthood as well as the traditional service and preaching where you have to find how it relates to you. This week the pastor spoke on our roles in life, and where we are. The thing that stuck with me the most was when he spoke of his wife and a speaking opportunity she had at a conference. The topic she was to speak on was living “my dream life,” his wife struggled with that as she said this isn’t her dream life. But instead of us living our own “dream life” we are put on this earth to live HIS “dream life.”

Being content in where we are and understanding that the life that we are living is not for us but for a greater power, Jesus, is hard to see on a daily basis. I hope that I am living my life in a way that is pleasing to him. I know I let him down more times than I can count, but he still forgives and continues to love me.

As I continue this new journey I am searching to find out who I am in this new environment and where I belong…

And we meet again...

Here we meet again… a new beginning. It was merely a year and a half ago that I packed up all I had and made a journey across the country to attend grad school at the University of Memphis. This past December I graduated with my Masters in Sports Communication and have made my way back to the home state, California.

While I started a blog when I moved to Memphis, I failed to follow through with my weekly updates. So, after one week of being back in sunny California with my new job I pledge to write once a week! HOLD ME TO IT!

It was truly a blessing on how I made it back to, what is now Southern California. In October I started to contact those that I had communicated with in the past to let them know of my future graduation date and looking for employment. It really is true what they say, it’s about the people you know. Just weeks later I had a phone interview with the Big West Conference in Irvine, California and the next day was offered a six-month internship in the communications department.

Memphis has by far been the best year and a half of my life so far. I learned so much about myself and who I am, through work, friends and new experiences. I was truly blessed with a wonderful support system in friends and co-workers as well as gained so much experience that has made it possible for me to continue in the work I am doing today. While it was very hard to leave Memphis, I know that I have left with lifelong relationships that no amount of miles will be able to separate.

My goal is to do a reflection in three different categories of my week of experiences, lessons or random facts I encountered.

Professional, Personal & Spiritual

New beginnings have begun…

January 3^rd I started and so far so good! I am overwhelmed with information, but who isn’t in a new position. I work in a relatively small office with a great group of individuals that have shown nothing but a warm welcome. There are three people in our department and come February we will be down to two, as one is going on maternity leave, so the learning process must be quick. I am in charge all aspects of communication in the Big West Conferences, 9 teams, for softball and track and field, and come February women’s basketball and golf as well.

Letting go of the Past…

The roughest part about starting over again is leaving the relationships I grew to love behind. There comes a point in time in everyone’s life where they want a constant, something to be the same instead of changing, in what my life seems to be, every two years.

I have had to learn that there was going to be a time when everyone else was going to start over too, I just happened to be the first. I wasn’t leaving them behind for a new life, but just starting over in a new place while continuing to keep those lifelong friendships.

It’s not about forgetting the past but holding on to those memories and knowing that there will be plenty more in the future.

Slap in the face…

I started the church hunt my first week in a new city! Bachelor #1 was Calvary Chapel in Costa Mesa. I’ll make this short and sweet… It was very contemporary and traditional, while a wonderful place of worship, I have adopted the more modern and contemporary atmosphere.

But sure enough when I zone out and wonder what the heck Pastor Chuck Smith's speaking of… God just slaps me in the face to wake me up! Pastor Smith was talking about all the churches he had preached at and the people he met along the way, and in conclusion how it led him to where he is today.

I learned that while I hate new beginnings… there is a reason for every one, and someday I will be able to see exactly how it all was set out and planned for me. For the time being I must trust God to lead the way, which is a part of a bigger picture.

Thought of the week:

~You cannot see the why’s when you are going through the experiences, but rather you will be able to look back and see how God has put everything together~