Stories from Kristina + Breanne

Shared by Breanne Smedley I have always thought the “work from home” gig would be the best thing ever. I’ve had my eye on the  # WFH  hashtags for a while now… In my mind, it would go something like this: Early morning: Get all the work done (limit this to a few hours) Mid-morning: Workout Afternoon: Hang out with Charlee Grocery shop Catch up on books Coffee dates and hikes with friends Nutritious, home-cooked meals Plus, my house would be clean and orderly because I’d have time to do it Sounds amazing-I want that! In fact, in the back of my mind, it’s been one of those things that I could see myself doing “someday…” Well “someday” happened. March 13th, 2020 to be exact. Nothing to do with my planning. Everything to do with a mandatory closure of schools due to COVID-19. All of a sudden, I was faced with what I seem to always be chasing: more time. Time to do GRIT (without giving up my lunch break). Time to read. Time to build the business. Time to be with family. Time to cat...

Shared by Breanne Smedley Whenever I’m in a new city, or even when Brett and I have a date night that requires one of us to decide on a restaurant, it’s a predictable story. “Where do you want to eat?” “I’m not sure, what kind of food do you feel like?” It goes back and forth for a bit, until one of us pulls out our phones and opens Yelp. Even in my own city, where I’m familiar with most restaurants around me, I still default to Yelp to help me make a decision. And the first thing I tend to look at? The reviews. And quickly, I decide that there’s nowhere to eat. It happened this Saturday. Scrolling through all the restaurants within a 10-mile radius from our house. I’d click on one that looks good, then go directly to the reviews. A handful of good. People love this place! Then a few bad. Then, one that says, “Terrible service and cold food!” “Ok, we can’t eat there!” I’d decide. Then, go to the next restaurant. Same thing, check the reviews. Oh, this person said the atmosphere is bad....

Shared by Breanne Smedley As a coach, it’s interesting to see and compare the way things were when I was a player, to how players are now. It seems I’m not the only one who tends to do this. I was at a volleyball conference last year with hundreds of other coaches. It was a Q&A session when a coach raised his hand and asked a question along the lines of, “How do you motivate players to play?” Then, the famous words.. “Kids these days are impossible to motivate.” I’ve heard it many times. Kids these days… …are so much more entitled. …don’t respect authority. …have a short attention span. …are babied by their parents. …don’t want to be held accountable. …aren’t mentally tough. There seems to be a popular thought circulating around coaches and teachers of youth that kids are so much different than they were 10, 20, 30, 40 years ago. This is undoubtedly true. Obviously, kids are different. It’s 2020, why would we expect them to be the same as kids from 1990 when everything about our wo...

Shared by Breanne Smedley As more and more news of school closures, canceled athletic events, and terminations of seasons roll in, I can’t help but think what a crazy time this is. The realization hit home when the volleyball clubs in our area canceled practices, tournaments, and any organized meetings for the next three weeks. I can’t help but think that the school districts aren’t far behind. While COVID-19 is likely not a direct threat to most athletes, students, or even the adults in my life, I do agree that we all have a duty to aid in the prevention of spreading a potentially life threatening virus. The thought that “It doesn’t affect me, so I shouldn’t have to adjust” I’m learning, can’t be our response. We are all connected, whether we chose to believe it or not. So, it’s likely that the majority of us, through our own decision or not, are going to be faced with adjusting our daily lives for the sake of the greater health of our country. And, I’m not going to lie, as I started ...

Shared by Breanne Smedley I’m still trying to process, as maybe many of you (and your kids) are too. When I started hearing of cancelations this week, then the eventual closing of the schools for 6 WEEKS, I was hit with a variety of emotions. Most were unexpected. Confusion as I started to wonder what I do for 6 weeks (I’m a high school teacher). Do I still teach online? What about all the lost time? Anxiety as I started thinking about how serious this could be. I have parents in the “at-risk” age. Should I have no contact with them at all? Overwhelm as I began to wonder how I respond to the teams, athletes, and students that I lead. What do I tell them? How do I help? Then, sadness as I started to talk to my athletes. Many of them, dealing with the disappointment of cutting their seasons short. Interrupting a key time in the recruiting process. Most of them feeling…lost. Lost without their sport to ground them. With much of their identity wrapped into their role as an athlete, they ar...

  Shared by Breanne Smedley Friday night I went to bed with a splitting headache. Not because I was dehydrated, ate something funny, or was sick (usual culprits). But because my mind was spinning in crazy circles. Thinking, processing, and sifting through some unexpected emotions. School was called off for 6 weeks. No sports. No activities. Not even online learning. As I look around our world, to China, Italy, and Spain…I recognize and see the reason. The need for all of us to sacrifice and suffer a little, so that no one has to suffer a lot. It makes sense, and actually brings me a sense of faith in humanity. An interconnectedness to help each other (assuming people follow the guidelines…) That’s not what kept me up at night and made my head hurt, though. Instead, it was the question I kept asking myself, “What do I do?” Not “what do I do with my time?” I can create a whole laundry list of projects and deep cleaning/organizing that can be done, quick! (Cue eye roll from my husband...

  Shared by Kristina Smedley “Stuck between the people I love and my dreams…” One of the principles I strive to live by is “Relationships are the Foundation of Accomplishment.”. But relationships also take time. A lot of time. As a mom, I want to prioritize Kaden. As a wife, I want to also prioritize Sennad. As a friend… As a daughter… As a sister… I want to prioritize them all, spend time with them, show them they are loved, hear about their days, and more. But, I also have big dreams about the business we’re building. And I want to take care of myself – mentally, physically, emotionally. So, I often feel like I’m on the edge of failing everyone. And the first thing that feels like it has to go is the time spent on the business, quickly followed by time for myself. It’s the worst feeling… like I’m stuck between my dreams and people I love (who are also in my dreams!). At times I get really down about this. I feel guilty. I wonder if I’m making the right decision in building a busi...

  Shared by Kristina Smedley “Letters to Kaden…” I talk to Kaden a lot… all day long. We talk about changing his diapers, the rain outside, what we’re going to cook for dinner, how big he’s getting, what Lexi is up to, when dad will get home, and so much more. Sometimes he stares at me intently, following along with the words I’m babbling at him. Sometimes he coos and smiles (which melts my heart). And sometimes he’s too busy staring and the lights above to even notice me… But I keep talking anyways, because I know there will come a day when he and I won’t get to chat all day. He’ll have friends, school, sports, or whatever it is that he’s in to. And he likely won’t want to sit and talk to his mom for hours on end. I’m guessing he really won’t want to talk about deep topics like who he is as a person, what he stands for, the challenges he’s facing… how much I love him. So, following in  Ryan Fletcher  ‘s footsteps, I’m going to start writing regular letters to my little g...

  Shared by Kristina Smedley “Perfect Timing…” Here’s one thing I know about myself… I will always have “too much on my plate” and there will never be that perfect time ”when I’m not as busy.” But actually, I’d like to change up those words a little… “Too much on my plate” = a lot of passion and drive “When I’m not as busy” = now is the only time So, here’s what I really know about myself… I will always have a lot of passion and drive and there will never be that perfect time, now is the only time. Now is the only time! It’s the only time for our relationships. It’s the only time for our great ideas. It’s the only time for the next step in our life journeys. Mikayla and I were chatting about this at brunch today, as she’s reading “The Power of Now” (great book if you haven’t read it!). Nothing in life is guaranteed, especially not time. And the older I get the more I know this to be true. It’s hard to watch my parents get older and my grandparents’ health diminish. It’s exciting to...

  Shared by Breanne Smedley Some days, it’s easy. Charlee listens. Says please and thank you. Reads in the car silently by herself. Randomly stops to say, “Hi, momma. I love you.” And kisses my face. Puts her trash in the garbage and cleans up spills without being told to. Snuggles before bed and goes to sleep within 60 seconds. Then, there are days like yesterday. When I question everything. Crying from the moment she gets into her car seat. Throwing a fit because she wants to “watch Anna” but I won’t let her. Yelling “NO!” at the top of her lungs. Streams of applesauce splattered on the seat from a thrown applesauce pouch. Then, nonstop crying during CrossFit when all I want to do is just get a workout in. Crying over the coach’s voice. Crying every time I touch the barbell. Then, the internal chatter starts in my mind. I’ve noticed, this voice of the Inner Critic has taken on a new form once I became a mom. It’s way more harsh. Conniving. Diminishing. “Everyone is staring at me....

  Shared by Breanne Smedley “I don’t have time” is the primary reason most people don’t do the things they want/need/ought to do. It’s been a topic of conversation in our house every time Spring starts to show itself. Mainly in the form of weeds popping up, bark dust washed away from 6 months of PNW rain, and gutters overflowing with leaves. Those first sunny days signaling the return of the sun give me a tease of what summer is going to feel like. The thoughts of hanging out on the patio in the warm sun, late nights, bonfires, and vacations quickly give way to a realization. That the weather is finally okay enough to take care of some of the yard work we haven’t touched since last spring. Talk about a buzz-kill! “The weeds are coming back…” I comment. “We don’t have time!” Brett usually responds. That’s partially true. We are busy. We’ve filled our life with people, careers, and passions that take up our time. And with the little we have leftover, it’s not that we can’t use it to ...