09.15.07 = drama!!

well, yesterday the big event finally happened. we got our car, a navy blue skoda (SHkodaH), four doors, fully loaded (it even has AC, dad!) and i am very thankful to say the least. yesterday was a really tough day, and the timing of finally receiving the vehicle was pretty much a god-send. with the drama that has happened with having too many import players and therefore some unhappy teammates, combined with slavia not coming through with the contract yet, combined with Karel picking apart every defense between the 1st and 2nd period (more on that later), i'd about had enough. i was beginning to wonder why i was sitting there taking this abuse, when i didn't have to be, and slavia wasn't even coming through on their end of the deal... would they ever? but, the Lord definitely knows how much we can handle, because his timing was impeccable, and he's blessed me with two great christian teammates to share this journey with and help me through the times when i feel hopeless or just lost. i was also feeling pretty homesick and i just wanted to see my mom and dad! mr. happy, one of the assistant coaches (his name in czech literally means 'happy', so we call him mr. happy, which is much easier than the czech word for it!) anyways, mr. happy was very kind as well and even though he doesn't speak any english, his concern was evident and i much appreciated the fatherly hug from him! bless his heart. anyways, today is a new day and i'm looking forward to playing another match, even though its in the czech league and we've been annihilating these teams. oh well, it's hockey, so i'm happy.

i've never been coached by a person whose philosophy is personal attacks when he doesn't like how you're playing, so yesterday it was a bit of a shock to have Karel come in and yell at me for my play in the 1st... in front of the whole team, spit flying, cursing left and right. it's definitely not the best way to get a message across or motivate a player. i was ticked.... lets just say if there was a direct bus from the rink to the airport, i might have been on it. thankfully, there wasn't one, so i was forced to stay there and tough it out, which is good for me, i'm sure. i guess that first experience is overwith now, so i'll be better prepared for next time.

all in all, yesterday was a rough day. definitely the worst since i've been here, but i suppose that is normal and there will be more to come.

in contrast of the earlier part of the day, we went for a supper at our new friends' place, phil and shanna. they are a couple from South Carolina doing a church plant here and they are awesome. they had us three hockey girls over, along with 3 of the aia guys for some awesome eats, a good chat and, of course, much laughter. i was so appreciative of the evening.

that's all i'll say about my rollercoaster of a day. have a good one.