Playing with a Purpose

Every sports team plays to win, and there is nothing wrong with that, but along with winning there are so many more lessons to be taught. Coach Mckeehan has made such a great effort in teaching our girls to play volleyball with a purpose. I have watched Kyndall grow this year as much on the court as I have in everyday life because of this. The past few weeks the girls have played with one little girl and her family in mind, Please click here and read / listen to Mia's story.

We have all been so touched by her story and send many thoughts and prayers to this beautiful family. They have been invited to the first playoff game Friday morning, and and our girls will all be warming up in their Mia shirts.

As I took Kyndall to school this morning to watch the school do a send off for the volleyball team I had noticed she still had the word "Purpose" on the inside of her wrist, this is something she has done for a few games, but this morning I caught a glympe and noticed she had added to it Mia's name.

We want to win, dont get me wrong!! But I am beyond proud that they will be "Playing with a purpose"

Friday night our football team will start their playoff rounds against Delta, on Monday we attended a benefit night for Brian Scott, as I listened to a boy sing a song by Kenny Chesney holding back the tears as the lyrics talked about the "Boys of Fall" and "You mess with one of us you mess with us all" as the football team walked out holding a banner. I thought  "this town, these teachers, parents and coaches have done an amazing job in showing and teaching our kids a bigger purpose and how proud I am to live here and have my children apart of it."  I know our boys will also be "Playing with a purpose" for Brian.

There are so many good causes out there, so many people in need. I urge you to find what or who you are passionate about and play with a purpose!

Bike4mia


P.S GO TIGERS!!!

Big Brother, Little Sister

My earliest memory of my brother growing up, who is 2 years older than me, was when I was about 3 to 4 years old, crazy huh just hear me out you’ll understand why I can remember this!

“It is like a ride at Disneyland! Just climb in and it will be fun” as he opened the dryer door and I climbed it. The door shut and it was dark, and fun, he was right it was like a ride! As I started to turn and tumble I seriously remember thinking ok this isn’t fun anymore, my back started to hurt as it hit the sides and it was getting warm.

And that’s it, that is all I remember.

The story continues with my brother going back into the house (I guess the dryer was in the garage back then) and my mom asking him where I was, he said something about garage and dryer as she bolted out to find me in and it on!!! Great ending to the story is I survived.

Throughout the years he coerced me into doing many things, including eating dog food once. I know seriously!! There were many fights, he picked on me and contstantly pestered me. We traveled in the summers in our motorhome, I was a perfect target while the parents up front with the music blaring, usually Abba, the windows down, left us unattended in the back. He would sit on me until I would do something for him. One of those trips he pinned me down and sang the whole David Bowie song White Wedding to me, I cringe everytime I hear that song.

He was my ultimate protector, my biggest ally, and someone I knew was always there if I needed anything. I cannot tell you how many times he said to me “Do as I say not as I do”. He had his own struggles. Growing up with Dyslexia was hard for him and he often chose things that were not good for him but if I even looked in that direction he was the first one there to turn me around and march me far far away from it.

His love of the ocean and surfing has kept him right on the California coast where he belongs with his dog Rocky. What a wonderful family of friends he has made there, thanks to all of you for loving my brother like family and I hope some day to meet you all.

Mike left Sunday morning he is a computer networking specialist and works for a company that contracts computer services to the Marine Corps. He will be in Afghanistan for 5 to 7 months. I am not afraid for him he will be fine, I am so proud of him! Love you Big Brother!! And remember.... "This is living!"

I love this Town!

I grew up in a small town in Southern California, yes back then they did exist. I went through the same school district and had the same class mates from Kindergarten to Graduation. This I believe in so many ways grounded me everyone was related to someone everyone knew I was Michael Hennessy’s little sister and that my mom worked at Summit Elementary and most importantly I knew I was a Beaumont Cougar!

I wanted the same for my kids raising them in a town with a sense of community, family, and belonging was very important.

We were settled in Washington City and thought our kids would go to Pine view and this would be “our community” even though Brad had been coaching basketball in Hurricane for 7 years and we had lived there for 2 years when we first moved to Southern Utah. We decided to look for a bigger house, and really focused in the same area we were in. Torrie was in 4th grade and Kyndall Kindergarten and had already put down some roots where we were. We got a call of a house option in Hurricane, of course it was an easy consideration we still had many friends from there. On a Friday night Brad and I got a sitter and went to look at the house and just drove around, We popped in on the Homer’s (Brad had coached with Chris for about 5 years at this point) who we discovered were in the same neighborhood and went to find the Hurst’s who we had been very close with when we had lived there years before. I had the most peaceful feeling of coming home, this is where we needed to be, suppose to be. I worried about changing Torrie’s school for the 5th grade , this is a pivotal time in a young girls life the friends she had already become attached to, and starting over was something I vowed I never wanted to put my kids through.

Everything just fell into place and 2 months later we were residents of Hurricane Utah.

Brad took a year off from coaching that year and when Chris Homer was announced as the new Football coach I knew it was only a matter of time before he would be back at it. They went from that first year being 0 and 8 to having a winning streak right now 8 years later of 20 games straight!

I sat at a football game one fall night a few years ago, as I watched Torrie in her Cheer uniform and Kyndall with friends doing what girls do at games, and just realized, this is “Their town”, their memories, their legacy, they are Hurricane Tigers and all that goes along with that. I had a peace that I had been able to give my girls what I had and so wanted for them.

Hurricane is a small community about 20 minutes from St George Utah which has in the surrounding areas 4 High Schools. It has grown from the once step child of the region, to a serious contender in all sports.Its been such an amazing ride to watch and be apart of this. But aside from that what I have learned over the years is much more; this is a community of family, friends, and tradition. One that welcomes people in, goes into action when someone is in need, and bands together to raise and teach our youth. There’s always going to be drama in a small town and we aren’t lacking but people always seem to put aside differences for the kids and when someone is in need, they come together in ways I have never seen.

I realize that 99% of our involvement has come through sports, this is just who we are, and once our kids are raised we might need to find another way to be involved in this town we love. But I love that on a Friday night in fall it doesn’t matter if you have a child playing or not hundreds, possibly thousands fill the stands and cheer on “Their” team, the Tigers.

Tonight our Volleyball team is having a "Pink" game, all wearing a pink jersey with a name of someone close to them that is or has battled cancer, Kyndall will be wearing her jersey in honor of her Dad, you can read his story in this post We will also be fundraising for Brian Scott a young man that has touched so many people in Hurricane. Brad had the opportunity to coach him and his brother and is just beyond sad with this news. The town will again come together tonight on a Thursday for one of our own, many of our own. A post and pictures of the night to come...

I will always be a Beaumont Cougar! and I am sure had I stayed would have the same amazing things to say about my home town, but am beyond proud and content with being a Hurricane Tiger too!!