So on Friday night I didn't get to bed till about 3:30 cuz I was working on presents for everyone on my team. I know I'm insane. Well, this year we have assigned an individual to do the inspirational thought before each game. I was in charge of doing the thought on Saturday and I wanted to make it special since it was senior night. I have stressed about this all week!! I decided that I wanted to make picture frames for everyone. I didn't have a lot of money to spend and so I had to get creative and although I was creative it was very time consuming. I made picture frames out of cardboard. I painted both sides, then taped the edges, then put the pictures on, and glued buttons and ribbon to finish it off. Sounds simple, but wow it took a long time. I had to make 12, and with the help of Bryce, Mom, and Whit I was able to get it done. I didn't start on the project until Friday and I worked on it all day long!! Bryce and I wanted to go to the temple Friday night, but I was stressing really bad cuz I didn't think I would be able to finish the picture frames on time. I told him we should wait and go next week, but then when I went to practice on Friday Chad was giving us his little inspirational thought before we started practice and I just really felt the need that we should go. I knew that if we went Heavenly Father would bless us and He would help me find a way to get my project done. I got done with practice at five and booked it home. I didn't get home till 5:11 and I hurried and got ready and we were out the door by 5:30. It was a miracle. I seriously think that is record time for me!! ha ha I take a long time to get ready okay! We made it to the 7:00 session and it was amazing. I am so thankful we went. Heavenly Father knew I needed to be there and I'm so thankful we listened and went. He answered my prayers and I knew that He would take care of everything.
After the temple we hurried back to Pocy and I started once again on the pictures. Ugh, I worked on them till 3:30 A.M. and decided it was time to go to bed. I was supposed to go to my ICLA study guide session at 9, but I totally skipped out on it. I was going to sleep in till 10:30, but I was so worked up and stressed about getting everything done that I woke up at 9 and laid there for 15 minutes and decided to get up and get to work. I was really stressing about what to say to the girls. I liked the idea about the picture frames but I was freaking out about what to say to them. Everyone in the past has done some great things to motivate us before the game and I wanted it to be good. Well, Heavenly Father helped me out and when I woke up at 9 my mind was running 100 miles per hour, so I got on the computer and started writing down my thoughts. I basically wrote down all my thoughts and feelings about volleyball for the last four years. It's pretty personal, but I felt like I should share it with my team. After I figured out my thought for the night I kept on working on the picture frames. Ha ha this stupid project took me forever!! Then we had a team lunch with all of our parents and family at Ruby Tuesdays. Mom, Dad, Whit, Brayd, and Blake made it down and we had lots of fun. After the lunch dad took some pictures of us seniors. I don't have them right now, but I'll post the pictures when I get them. At lunch mom and dad gave me a present. They got me some jewelry and this super super cute cardigan sweater!!!! I absolutely love it :) I wore it to church today and felt so pretty. Thanks mom and Dad, your the best! Then mom and Carleen got me a gift. It was a fleece blanket with my name on it and ISU, then a cute bag. I told Carleen thanks at the game and said I loved the bag and couldn't wait to use it to pack my lunch in it for school and stuff and she leaned over and said, "Well you could use it for a diaper bag." ha ha I love it!! I think that's an even better idea ;) I'm gonna have to get on that. ha ha I won't lie I do want a baby really bad. Thanks Mom and Carleen!!!! I love it.
After the lunch we came back to the apartment and guess what . . . more picture frames :) Mom and Whit helped me finish them and I got them done right on time. It felt like a never ending project but Heavenly Father made it work out and we got them done. While we were making them the Post Register called Whit and asked her quesitons about coming to ISU and stuff. Then five minutes later I got a call from the same guy and he asked me questions about my career and Whit coming to ISU. He said there's going to be an article in the newspaper in a few days. Sweet, huh!?! ha ha I thought it was pretty cool. Hopefully I don't sound too stupid. I'm a little nervous. I hate getting interviewed cuz I feel like I never say the right thing. It's pretty cool though that they're doing an article on us though.
So I hustled over to the gym and we did serve and pass and then it was time to give my inspirational thought. After writing down my thoughts from the morning this is what I came up with. It's a little long and it might not make sense, but this is what I shared with my team:
Inspirational Thought
It’s Senior Night . . . for me! Not Katie, not Brenda and Blakely, and not Emily, Paige, and Kolay . . . But senior night for me! Holy crap, how did that happen? I swear just yesterday I was a freshman on my way to practice with Sarah, Jenna, and Charlee singing “Apple Bottom Jeans.” I knew that high school flew by for me, but looking four years down the road of playing only volleyball felt like an eternity. I knew I loved the sport, but this would be a test of my commitment and passion I felt towards the sport that I always said I had. Freshman year goes by, and by the grace of God I survived, due to the fact that I really disliked the coaches and all the drama we went through for finding a new coach. Sophomore year . . . unexplainable events occur! With the new coach we actually start winning some games. We have a fun season and get used to our new coaches and system. After the season . . . I quit for various reasons and I’m ready to move on and leave volleyball behind. However, Heavenly Father was looking out for me once again, and circumstances allowed for me to come back to ISU and be a Bengal volleyball player. I knew my teammates would be frustrated, hurt, and angry about the situation. It totally made sense why . . . I mean, they worked their butts off during spring and prepare themselves for the upcoming season and here I come walking in again having missed all of the hard work, dedication, and time they spent into getting better. Although my teammates were upset, they welcomed me with loving arms. My teammates love and acceptance of me meant more than they will ever know. I was scared, humiliated, and embarrassed, but my teammates showed kindness, love, and forgiveness which I will forever be grateful for. Getting back into the groove of things again was challenging but worth fighting for. Junior year flies by and we have improved yet again since our freshman year . . . but this year we win even more games than we did as sophomores. Miracles are occurring and with the help of some amazing coaches we are getting to be really good. Senior year comes. What does that mean??? Well I basically have three months left of volleyball and then I’ll be done. In the words of my Aunt Jaye who knows nothing about sports or volleyball, “Oh three months . . . That’s nothing! Just get through this and then you can move on with life!” ha ha little does she know that this is my life. These three months mean everything to me. I have dedicated 10 years of my life to this sport and now I only have three months left before I have to hang up the towel and walk away from the sport that has changed my life. Now as a senior I have proven to myself that I am committed and have a passion for this sport that I questioned as a freshman. As I look at my senior season ahead of me it doesn’t hit me and I don’t comprehend how little time I have left. Even up to this point I don’t comprehend the little time I have left. However, two words have been slowly creeping up on me and have haunted my every thought this last week . . . Senior night! This night has brought so many emotions out of me and all I want to do is cry. My life flashes before me as I just briefly described above. I think about all of the hours and hours I have spent in this gym practicing, practicing, practicing, and attempting to perfect a sport I have grown to admire and love. I have felt a lot of pressure leading up to this night. This will be the last night I hear “Bartschi-Rhodehouse” announced on my home court. Last time I see the familiar faces of our fans, Benny the Bengal, the cheerleaders, and the all around atmosphere of our gym. Not only this, but there is an immense amount of pressure to win tonight so we can go to the Big Sky Tournament.
Although there is a mounting load of pressure for tonight, I feel calm and collected. The reason being . . . my team. Our attitude and heart sets us apart from any other team. We step out on the court ready to compete and win! We know in our hearts and mind that we are good . . . Not only good, but amazing! We are better than any team in our conference. There are no other hitters that can slam the ball in someone’s face like Haylee. Her shots are wicked hard and no one can touch that ball. Jac’s sweet hops and fast arm swing sets her apart, and with her fiery personality and determination to win no one can stop her. Jennika, only a freshman, has come on to this team with confidence. She steps out on the court and challenges our opponents by using her power and strength to succeed. Dani has a wicked arm swing and I never know where that ball is going when I block her. Before I know it she has slammed the ball down right past the block and I stand there dumbfounded. There’s no other middle that can block and hit better than Sarah. Her arms come out of nowhere and before you know it the ball is coming back and hitting you in the face. Trust me, I would know from practice. When she hits she has amazing placement on the ball and knows right where to send it where no one is standing. Vanessa, oh my gosh lurpiness! She comes out of nowhere and blocks me right in the face. We have our hitters that dom, but without our passers and setters none of this would be occurring. Our passers and setters don’t get the kind of recognition that they should. Without them we would be nothing. There are no other setters that can joust, dump, or set better than Karissa and Lori. Karissa dom’s at the net and our opponents are taken back when she discreetly dumps the ball over or pushes the ball with authority on their side of the net on a tight ball. Lori is balls to the walls! She’s a wild woman on a mission to get every single ball up and in play. Our back row upsets our opposing team’s offense because nothing drops. Bree, aka baby giraffe, uses her stubbornness and speediness to layout for balls that I could never get to. Katie knows how to pass and that’s that. Servers give her their best and she passes a 3 like it’s nothing. Kylie goes for everything and never lets the ball drop. And last, but definitely not least, there’s no other liberos that can pass and dig better than Jenna. Balls look like they are going down and will never come up, but out of nowhere Jenna is there to save the day and miraculously get the ball back up and into system. Not only that, but there’s no one else in the conference that can boob pass better than Jenna.
I look at my team and all I feel is confident. Tonight may be my senior night and we may be playing for our shot at getting to the tourney, but it is just a game. It is like any other game we have played all season. We step out on the court with confidence, a determination to win, and ready to compete and we will win!!! We have proven it to ourselves over and over again. We know how to play and we know how to dom! Tonight I am going to do my very best like I have on all the other nights. Tonight our team is united . . . we are as one and no one can stop us!!
I teared up a little and I think Jenna and Sarah shed a few tears, but overall it went really well. I then handed out the picture frames to everyone and they loved it. They were so sweet and everyone gave me a hug. Even though it was time consuming it was all worth it. After the thought it was time to play . . . GAME DAY!!!!The game went great. I couldn't have asked for a better game to end on in Reed Gym. I may not always remember exactly what happened during this game, but I'm sooooo thankful I can look back and have a happy, content feeling knowing that I did my very best. Each of us seniors did a great job. Haylee had 17 kills, Sarah and I each had 10 kills, I had 5 blocks, and Jenna had 16 kills. I had the highest hitting percentage on the team and hit a .429!! I had 10 kills and 1 error, with 21 attempts. I would say out of the match my favorite point was on an over pass. Sac dug the ball and it was an overpass, I jumped up and swung as hard and fast as I could. The next thing I know I look on the other side of the night and the ball has landed in between a girls legs and she was standing in front of the 10 foot line!!!! I couldn't believe it. It was sooo cool. ha ha I loved it!! I also had some pretty sweet hits off of Karissa. We were able to connect really well on 1's and push 1's and so that's what we ran all night. It was a fun game and I loved it!!
After the game our family went to Senior Iguanas for dinner. Then the underclassman had put together a movie for us seniors. We all met at Jac's an watched it. It was the best movie ever!!! It was amazing. They had a bunch of pictures of us with some music and then they acted out some really funny things. They impersonated each of us seniors and totally made fun of us. It was hilarious. They even put some things about Chad. I was dying laughing. It was awesome! Along with that they gave us a scrapbook to put pictures in and a vb necklace. I have the best team ever!!! They were so thoughtful and sweet in what they gave us. I really appreciated all the time they spent into putting this together. I've been so blessed to be on such an amazing team and I couldn't ask for a better season or team to end my career on. We have three more games left and if we can win all three we'll make it to the tournament! Cross your fingers. We're tied for third right now with Montana since we beat Sac last night. I'm so excited. This is like a dream come true. I really hope we can pull this off. We play Weber at Weber on Friday this week. It's going to be a good game. Weber always plays really well at home so we're gonna have to make sure we're ready to play. I'm so excited though and these next 2 weeks are going to be fun.
Alright, I have once again written a novel. That's what I'm known for. Sorry! When I get pictures from last night I'll post them for sure. They're a lot more fun to look at then read all the crap I write. I'm off to bed, but I'll talk to ya later! Night :)
Sarah posted this on her facebook and it's the only picture I have for now of senior night.
Seniors: Haylee Thompson-Brock, Jenna Proost, Sarah Carson, and me
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