A brief training log interruption...

...to share some big news for our family.

Things are CRAZY busy right now, so I'm going to try to share this story with as much detail as possible, without taking too much time! :) Here goes...

Jake and I have always been taken care beyond anything we could ask here at DBU. The staff has been encouraging, supportive, and very understanding of everything that has come our way. We love the DBU family, ABSOLUTELY love our cross country and track family, and of course love the Dallas area.

During the first spring of our marriage, we talked quite a bit about the possibility of relocating to the Houston area, and did some research on jobs and  schooling but nothing ever worked out or fit with what we were looking for. We did not want to leave running, nor did we want to leave a setting where we were so well cared for. We have a full support network here with the team and athletics staff. What we did want was a chance for Jake to train fully, the opportunity to take care of and be a part of our extended family while they're still here, and (selfishly) more than 2 weekends a year to spend together at our home!
After our efforts all lead to dead ends, we committed ourselves fully to Dallas. Jake became even more steadfast in his recruiting and seasonal plans, we started a Dallas area post-collegiate USATF team, and we settled into a long-term apartment lease. Upon graduation, we decided for me not to go into a full time job right away so that I could spend time figuring out what I wanted to do and (finally) finishing the unpacking and decorating process for our apartment in Mansfield!

In early July we traveled to NY to compete at the USATF Club National Track Championships. Unfortunately, we both had poor races and were frustrated with how things had panned out. God has blessed us with a physical gift and a passion for the sport, and we feel as though we have not been as responsible with investing in it as He deserves us to be. We decided to make changes to commit more fully to our training. Taking the extra time to drive 45 minutes to run on softer surfaces, resting every time we did not have to travel, etc. Of course, with the life of a college coach, this is a challenge, but we had committed to this life and were ready to take on the task.

Out of the blue, Jake heard from a friend last Tuesday saying that he knew of a job in Houston that he thought would be good for me. We figured there was no harm in sending in my resume. On Wednesday, I got a call to schedule a phone interview. On Friday I had the interview, on Monday I had the job. When we found out that this was a real possibility, we made a quick trip to Houston to see if it was even an area we would be interested in living, etc. On our way out, we stopped by a running store to grab some shoes for Jake. Long story short, he walked out with his dream job opportunity. A job he had been longing for since high school. Our only remaining worry? Breaking our apartment lease. The office quoted our dues at $2300 and we were ready to pay because God had already opened so many unexpected doors. On our way out, we were told that they actually had a sister site in Houston (RIGHT where we were looking) and we could transfer our lease. Wow.

So there's the story. This will not be an easy change as we love this team and school so much, but we are excited to be near family, be able to more fully commit to this gift from God, and share evenings and weekends together (something we have yet to do since our wedding!).

There are so many more "God stories" involved in this change, but I am out of time for now! Keep us in your prayers!