According to my mom, the record number of times she brought my sister and me to the beach in one single day was six. Apparently that day the waves were huge, and some friends were over who happened to enjoy swimming as much as we did. Growing up just five minutes from the biggest freshwater lake in the world, life as a child was pure bliss. Every day in the summer we spent at the Quarry Beach, which was hidden in the northern Wisconsin forest at the end of a winding gravel road that seemed to lead to nowhere. Little did hardly anyone else know, it led to over a mile long stretch of smooth sandy shores and water that was as crystal clear as glass. Most days we had the entire beach to ourselves, and I can remember some days where we would be splashing and throwing our bodies into waves twice or three times our size for hours at a time. I knew the shoreline by heart so well that I memorized where which curve and crevice had the shallow sand bars and which ones led to deeper waters. I knew where the rocky patches were, though that was only found at one spot to the left of a large flat rock. It was made of quarry stone that jotted out near the beach clearing entrance and several times I can remember running, walking, jumping off, and waiting for the waves to crash and spray us like those water buckets that drop water onto you in waterparks. Only this waterpark was much bigger and better than any waterpark I had ever been to.

The amount of joy that I experience every time I went to the Quarry beach growing up, when I go back and visit now, or when I think about it even while halfway across the world is something that I will cherish for the rest of my life. During the hard times in life I can always think back to that beach as it reminds me of a stillness, peace, and a joy that I can tap into whenever I need encouragement.

Is there a person, place, or thing that brings you complete joy like this beach does for me? Picture it right now. Whatever or wherever your happy place is, I want you to picture how it makes you feel. Imagine as many details as you can. What sticks out to you? Why does it bring you joy? For me, my joy stems from childhood memories. Yours could be the same, or maybe it’s because of something else. That happy place is special to you, however the reason. And no matter what happens in life you too can tap into that joy. But is there a joy that is even greater? A joy that can satisfy you when the memories of your happy place cannot sustain you?

Only God can bring you the greatest joy.

True eternal joy – the joy found in Jesus Christ – stems from another word: hope. I want to highlight 1 Peter 1 verses 3-9 to get an entire picture of what eternal joy looks like.

Praise to God for a Living Hope

“Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade. This inheritance is kept in heaven for you, who through faith are shielded by God’s power until the coming of the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time. In all this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. These have come so that the proven genuineness of your faith—of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire—may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed. Though you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy, for you are receiving the end result of your faith, the salvation of your souls.”

Now let’s go back to that happy place for a second. I am back on that beach, running along the sandy shores. I know every curve. Every sandbar. Every place where the waters were deep and every secret spot where the best views of the lake resided. I knew the Quarry beach like the back of my hand. But do you know who else knows you like this? In fact, there is someone who knows you so much that it isn’t even comparable to anything or anyone else. God created, knows, and loves YOU. He knows you not just like I knew that Lake Superior shoreline, but he knows you like he knows the shape, size, color, and texture of every single grain of sand that could possibly be on that beach. God knows every curve, flaw, strength, weakness, vulnerability, and all the views that make you the person that you are. I couldn’t possibly know every single grain of sand, but God knows every strand of your hair.

“Indeed, the very hairs of your head are all numbered… do not be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows.” -Luke 12:7

The shores of Quarry Beach changes just a little bit each summer, depending on the wave pattern that wipes away certain areas more than others. But God’s unimaginable love for you will NEVER change. No matter what you do, He is always there. Because of this, we can praise him! For he has given us a new birth. We can live with a new hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ and be reassured that there is an inheritance waiting for us in heaven that will never perish, spoil, or fade. As I have grown older, I do not have time to visit that beach like I did when I was a child. Maybe once a year, sometimes more or sometimes even less. The shoreline is probably way different than I remember. Gone are the same sandbars, deep waters, and curves. Even my happiest place on earth has faded.

But our inheritance in heaven will not fade.

“And you also were included in Christ when you heard the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation. When you believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God’s possession—to the praise of his glory.” -Ephesians 1:13-14

He has marked us with a seal, and because of this we can rejoice! We can have eternal joy in our hearts right now and especially during the grief we suffer in all kinds of trials. Sometimes it is hard to understand why we go through hard times, but it is so we can prove the genuineness of our faith. And during these exact times we can be certain that God is shielding us with his power and protection until we are ready to receive our inheritance in heaven. Stay strong, for God can give you all the power you will need.

Even though we cannot see God, we know him. Even though we cannot see him now, we can be filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy for we are receiving the end result of our faith, the salvation of our souls.

God wants to you not only picture your happy place, but to picture your happiest place with Him by your side! Whenever you are down, just grab your bible and flip to 1 Peter 1:3-9. This is the true source of eternal joy, and this is the place where YOUR eternal joy can be found!

Things to Remember: 1 Peter 1:3-9

God has given us:

-New birth through the resurrection of Jesus Christ

-Inheritance that can never perish, spoil, or fade

This Inheritance is kept in heaven for you. In the meantime:

-Through faith you are shielded by God’s power until the coming of salvation

-In all of this you can greatly rejoice though now for a little while you may have to suffer grief in all kinds of trials

“But my God shall supply all your needs according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus.” – Philippians 4:19

Fulfilled. It’s a word that can be defined in the dictionary — or rather by today’s world of Googling — as being satisfied or happy because of fully developing one’s abilities or character. Further research additionally concludes that fulfilled means to bring to an end; to finish or complete. This makes sense. For example, a person feels fulfilled once he or she achieves the highest possible stepping stone in their career. Or another someone finally masters a skill that was dreamed up as a child. In any case, fulfillment in the world’s point of view has always meant for it to be an ending. To be fulfilled must mean that people like you and me have to go through this entire journey. It means to plan out, to work, and to achieve this end goal of true satisfaction only when all of these things fall into place.

But what if we were to start our lives fulfilled?

Sounds pretty great. I mean picture this: every single day you get out of bed with a sense of peace. You feel a happiness that overwhelms you while at work. Amongst the chaos of hard times, you know that everything is in control. Even during your biggest failures you are 100% percent certain that the most powerful force that has ever existed still unconditionally loves you more than anyone else could ever love you. I mean I don’t know about you, but just thinking about this lifts a burden off my shoulders!

The next questions that are probably swirling around in your head are most likely as follows: 1. What is this powerful force? And 2. How do I start my life fulfilled?

Well, it’s no coincidence that both of these questions are completely and intentionally related to each other. Let’s open up the bible and go to Philippians. The biblical book of Philippians was written by a guy named Paul. Sounds like an ordinary name, not really anything too special (no offense to all the Pauls out there reading this, it’s just that there are a lot of people named Paul!). Anyway, Paul wrote this book as a series of letters to the people of Philippi about how to righteously live out their lives for Christ. He was a man who you would think was this super religious dude who always followed the rules and was besties with Jesus right? I mean this is one of the most important books of the bible, that logically sounds correct! Incorrect. Before Paul became an apostle (or should I say Paul THE Apostle), he persecuted Christians! He was a man that imprisoned people who believed in God! Also, Paul’s name back then was actually Saul. Saul doesn’t sound like best friend material… especially to the one and only Savior of our entire world. Yikes. So why and how did “Saul” get this title of “Paul The Apostle” bestowed upon him? His resume is not speaking volumes here. I mean come on, if Saul was applying for a job in your company and you saw the list of all that he has done included: imprisoning innocent people, persecuting others because of their faith, would you hire him? Probably not! So why did Jesus even give a second look?

That second look, thankfully, is a look that we’ve seen before. I mean technically we haven’t seen it before Paul’s lifetime since none of us were alive back then. But what I am trying to say is that this second look was and is currently bestowed upon — guess who? — you and me. Spoiler alert: We are Paul!

Okay now this is the part where you are thinking to yourself, I’m not Paul, and I am certainly not Saul. I didn’t persecute or imprison anyone. I’m out here just living my earthly life not bothering anyone! I am a good human being and I try to do the right thing. Am I perfect? No, but no one is.

Except one.

That perfect being? He happens to be that “most powerful force that unconditionally loves you more than anyone else”. Sorry, I know that’s a mouthful. So let’s shorten it to one three letter word: God.

“But my God shall supply all your needs according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus.” -Philippians 4:19

Who is God? He is the creator of the universe. Creator of all that is in existence today. He is the creator of earth, land, seas, creatures, animals, and all of mankind. Everything and anything that you can see and touch was created ironically by someone that you cannot see or touch. But can you feel Him? Absolutely. When a person is fulfilled by the eternal perspective, and not by the world’s perspective, they can not only feel God, but are fulfilled with God inside them.

“I am crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but it is Christ who lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live in faith, the faith of the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself up for me.” -Galatians 2:20

Alright folks, I am sorry to leave you hanging but I cannot reveal all of the confetti that is to come! In the next 10 posts, I will try my absolute best to answer the question: how do I live my life fulfilled?

Lace up those running shoes, we have a race to run!

“For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only son, and that whoever believes in Him will not perish, but have everlasting life.” -John 3:16

I remember growing up as a little girl, I was extremely attached to various stuffed animals. My first favorite animal was a Winnie the Pooh Bear. I brought him with me everywhere possible. And when I mean everywhere I mean with me sleeping in bed, walking around the house, visiting my Grandma, going shopping with my parents, out to eat at a restaurant, and probably even going sledding outside on a cold typical Wisconsin day.

I loved that movie, that bear, and the feeling I got whenever I held onto that small red shirt.

Around the same time, I had acquired a small pink stuffed animal bunny. And by “acquired” I mean that I stole it from my dad who got it as gift while in the hospital for appendicitis… I know I know, clearly I was not the most righteous child out there. But we all have a past! Thankfully my dad was very glad to let me have him. Now Pink Bunny (yes, that’s the name I picked out, super clever) was very small and could basically fit in the palm of my hands. He wasn’t the most attractive bunny, and was made from cloth instead of “fur” like most of the stuffed bunnies you buy at the store. He had long floppy ears that didn’t even stand straight up — instead they hung down the entire length of the rest of his body with absolutely no structure.

Despite his gangly looks, I loved my Pink Bunny.

Whenever anyone tries to explain what Love means, we explain it as a feeling or a strong emotion. I loved my Pooh Bear because it was my favorite movie character. I loved my Pink Bunny because it was a comfort to me.

But here’s the thing about love that comes from this earth. It’s made up of two elements:

1. Love is limited
2. Love is temporary

As just a child who loved her toys, I only loved them within the bounds of my own humanly limits. I loved Pooh because he was a character from a movie. It evoked an emotion of happiness based solely from another certain something to exist. If that movie or character was never created, my love for that bear would not exist either. I only loved my pink bunny because it reminded me of my Grandma Mary who always wore the color pink. If my dad wasn’t in the hospital at that time and/or if my Grandma didn’t wear pink often, I probably wouldn’t have shown the slightest interest to Pink Bunny. Each of these beloved stuffed animals were loved only within my humanly possible limits of love. What about the other element of earthly love? Well, sadly, both of those stuffed animals are now collecting dust somewhere deep in a closet or packed away in a box stored away in my parents’ house. Human love is temporary. It won’t last forever.

Applying this to our real adult lives, our love is limited and it is temporary. As humans born of this earth, we can only love so much. Sometimes it’s hard to imagine the love that we have for special people in our lives is limited. Our friends, for example, are loved by us because we enjoy being around them, no matter how similar or different they may be from us. If we didn’t enjoy being around them, they probably wouldn’t be our friends. That’s a limit. What about family? Surely our love for family has no limits. The love we have for our family members is limited by the fact that they are your family. Of course, family in your definition can be considered biologically or un-biologically related– either way, your category of who they are to you is a limit. I love the people in my life because I have met them, gotten to know them, and love who they are to me and how they make me feel. Even so, the love I have for family and friends feels really deep. And it is! Your love for the people in your life is deep too. It’s just limited by your humanly bounds of how much you can possibly love. We are also temporary beings. We will not live forever in this world and therefore our love cannot go on forever. As soon as we die, our capability of continuing to love ceases to exist.

Human love has so many limits.

Think of this: is there one person or even a couple of people in your life that you love so much you would take a bullet for? Or no matter what they do you will always love them? I can think of a few who I feel this way towards. That is powerful love, a love that is humanly possible. But did you know that the most important limit on our love is that there is one other who loves you and your people more than you can? Did you know that there is someone who already took that bullet? In fact, He took more than a bullet. He took a beating and was crucified on a cross. And He did that all for you and for every single human that exists. And it’s not just for the mass of all humans. It’s because He knows every single one of us at the most intimate level and decided that we are worth saving!

That type of limitless love can only be found from God who sent His son Jesus Christ to save us.

This kind of love is so strong that it renders the title of our first confetti.

How to Race with God’s Love

God’s love for us is Given.

John 3:16 says “For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only son, and that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have everlasting life.”

God gave us His own flesh and blood in order to save us from ourselves.

In the same way that God gave us His son, accepting Jesus Christ as our savior and learning to live everyday for the Lord is a choice – and not an uncontrollable feeling or emotion. C.S. Lewis, who was a renowned Christian writer, said in his book Ibid that “Love, for Christians, is not a state of the emotions but of the will.” As stated earlier when describing my love for stuffed animals, I had a strong emotion and feeling attached to them. I loved them because they evoked a joyful emotion inside of me. Many of us love things or people or places because they evoke that same joyful emotion. Some people call it uncontrollable, others call it a love that can last. But it won’t.

God’s love is bestowed upon us because He chose us. Even though we have betrayed and continue to run away from His teachings on a daily basis, He STILL chooses us. God doesn’t just love us because we evoke a joyful emotion from Him. In fact, if we were in God’s position, I would assume that humans would evoke an emotion out of us that is quite opposite of joyful! But we are certainly not God. And He certainly doesn’t look look at us that way. Instead, He sees us as His creation and deliberately chooses that we are absolutely worthy of being cleansed and renewed.

God’s love is Unconditional.

He loves us even when we betray Him everyday with sins. As humans, we are limited to loving those who are good to us. Do we forgive those who betray us? Yes, we forgive. But in human eyes, no one can be wiped completely clean. Even when we forgive, that betrayal still happened. In God’s eyes, however, His forgiveness completely wipes your sins away. It’s as if that sin or that betrayal never happened.

God’s love is Sacrificial.

Galatians 2:20 says “I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.”

God sacrificed His son for us so that we can choose to be made new through Jesus Christ. When we decide to take up our own crosses daily, we allow Christ to live within us. We are completely cleansed and made to become a new creation.

God’s love is Eternal.

We as humans will not exist on this earth forever. When that day finally comes to enter the gates of heaven, God will be there waiting for us and His love will last all of eternity!

Until we are called to leave this life, we are temporary beings placed on this temporary home incapable of giving and receiving eternal love by ourselves. But thankfully, we don’t have to be alone! God not only waits for us in heaven, but he can also come into our hearts right now and walk alongside us as we complete our mission as Christians by pointing others in the direction of the ONE who is capable of this eternal love!

Putting on your Running Shoes

I spent most of this blog post telling you about human love and how many limits it has. I even told you that it is humanly impossible to love as much as God loves. So how can you possibly race with this kind of love in your heart toward God’s Kingdom?

It’s as simple as accepting Jesus Christ as your savior and allowing the Lord to live in your heart.

You cannot love like God loves unless you have God living inside of you! This is the first step in your race for God’s confetti: putting on your running shoes. Those shoes are understanding what God’s love is and how to receive it in your hearts.

For God loved YOU so much that He gave His one and only son to SAVE YOU. Once you decide to believe this and truly accept it, the Holy Spirit will dwell inside of you. With it, you will be capable of a love that is limitless. A love that is given. A love that is unconditional. A love that is sacrificial. And a love that is eternal. This type of love with these characteristics can flow out of you onto all those around you right now in this world. With God dwelling in your heart, you can be capable of loving others the way Christ loves His church and to start creating disciples of all nations!

Below are three bible verses that can read and further understand how Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit can actually live inside you. By ourselves, we are not capable of a love as strong as God’s love for us. But if God Himself takes up residence in our hearts, we can imitate and discover that type of love in our daily lives!

“You, however, are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if in fact the Spirit of God dwells in you. Anyone who does not have the Spirit of Christ does not belong to him. But if Christ is in you, although the body is dead because of sin, the Spirit is life because of righteousness. If the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, he who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit who dwells in you.” -Romans 8:9-11

“Even the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees him nor knows him. You know him, for he dwells with you and will be in you.” -John 14:17

“But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you.” -John 14:26

December 31st, 2021. I cannot believe that today is the last day of 2021. As I sit in a cave-like room in a quiet, dimly-lit Warsaw cafe surrounded by shelves of books, I finally have the time to take a breath. It’s just me and my dog Pancake today. Normally, I am constantly surrounded by basketball arenas, teammates, coaches, and the like while I travel all over the world. Since it’s December, you can usually find me somewhere in Europe. The past two seasons I’ve been playing in Poland, and the year before that I was in Hungary. During my first year in Hungary and last year on a different team in Poland we mostly had just games in those respective countries (not including last year during COVID, where we had one “bubble” format for Eurocup in the Czech Republic for 5 days). However this current season is much different since my team not only plays games in the Polish league but we also have games in Euroleague, which is the top league in all of Europe. So far I have played in Russia, Turkey, France, Spain, Hungary, and traveled to Greece during a November break to meet up with a couple of other overseas players. And finally, over the past 10 days my parents flew in to visit me during the Christmas season. I only just dropped them off early this morning at the airport. It was an absolute blast having them come. We explored areas in Poland (including the largest brick castle in the world), went to Berlin, Germany after one of my Polish games by the border, and just last night ended in Warsaw. I have an extra day off today after our game here last night so Pancake and I are enjoying a relaxing day here in a cute Airbnb while exploring Old Town. As I reflect back, I am so blessed to be able to do what I do everyday. I get to play the game I love while traveling and experiencing so many different cultures at the same time.

Oh yeah! And if you are not so familiar with my story, I also play in the WNBA during the summer months. My first two seasons I was drafted and played for the Dallas Wings. This year I was released from their training camp and then signed by the Washington Mystics a month later. What an unforgettable experience! I love D.C. and their organization. The people, teammates, and coaches are wonderful and so much fun to be around! I also got my first career WNBA start with the Mystics this summer and got to learn from and play with some of the most legendary post players in the history of women’s basketball. Pretty cool if you ask me!

So… after all of those updates, what could possibly be next?

Well, you’d be right if you guessed more basketball and traveling. I mean, that’s basically what has made up the majority of my life over the past 20 plus years. And I cannot wait! My team and I have more Polish games to win and more countries to travel to next. We should finish up in mid April, and then it’s back to the States to start up my next season in the WNBA!

But as I open up a new chapter in 2022, I want to literally do what the headline of this post is saying: Race. I know some of you have kept up with my journey thus far, so you are probably familiar with my past blogs. In 2021 I did not post as regularly as I used to. Call it writer’s block, getting caught up in basketball and schoolwork, or honestly just trying to find peace amidst the chaos. Whatever it was, I felt that it is now time to prioritize what’s most important and get back into it. Back into spreading the word of God, to keep writing about my faith, and to bring hope to anyone who may encounter this blog.

But why Racing?

Well, This is our theme for 2022. As I mentioned just above, “Racing” has been written about in several of my posts before. More specifically, “Racing for God’s Confetti” is what I really want to write about.

2 Corinthians 9:24-17 says the following:

“Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize. Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last, but we do it to get a crown that will last forever. Therefore I do not run like someone running aimlessly; I do not fight like a boxer beating the air. No, I strike a blow to my body and make it my slave so that after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified for the prize.”

To get some further perspective, let’s look at one of my previous posts about Racing for God’s Confetti:

“I want you to picture yourself running toward God’s open arms. He laughs and His eyes are smiling with complete joy. You are as well, and with a heart filled with true eternal victory, confetti of all colors rain down upon you from the heavens. God and His Kingdom is the only prize that really matters. The only confetti that you should want raining down on you isn’t just small pieces of colorful paper that will be swept away once the celebration stops. No, that confetti is for the aimless runners. It is for the people who don’t have a purpose. But the kind of confetti I am talking about? The eternal kind? THIS confetti will last forever. Because it’s not really just confetti. It. Is. So. Much. More. This confetti represents the daily characteristics of what it takes to be a follower of Jesus. Because of God, the bible, and the gospel of Christ, we can soak this confetti into our souls as we race closer and closer to His Kingdom. And the best part? We don’t have to wait until the day we die to experience this amazing feeling. We get to experience this race each and every day!”

Now it’s our turn to be in “the race”. During each week of 2022, we will dive into the bible and discuss 100 different types of “confetti.” Furthermore, we will group them into our 10 main concepts that grasp the overall concept of Racing for God and His Kingdom. Those main concepts will be introduced before each grouping of confetti. By the end of 2022 we will have a complete 10 x 10 perspective – and of course the number 10 is a biblically significant number that corresponds to our end goal here, which we will get into that later 🙂

So, sit back, have a cup of coffee, and come along with me on this journey!

Talk soon,

-Megan and Pancake

Picture this: It’s a rainy day in Budapest, Hungary. It is starting to get dark outside, and most people are already back in their homes after a long days’ work. Not everyone though, as you notice a 6’4″ hooded figure walking rather quickly inside a store. As she steps through the doorway, she takes off her hood. Her dark hair makes her look even more intimidating as she gathers what she needs and heads to the cashier. The cashier is probably a normal-sized human being but she looks dwarf-sized next to this giant. To top it all off, the poor lady starts pleasantly greeting her using the Hungarian language but the giant looks down at her with a blank and tired stare. She responds and almost cuts off the cashier’s words abruptly with one word: “English.” The cashier then hesitantly tries to speak English all the while her neck is craned upward at an uncomfortable angle. It turns out she isn’t great at speaking English (I mean, do you blame her? No one speaks this as their primary language in Hungary). They continue this rather sad encounter with the giant visibly getting frustrated as she motions with her arms and hands like a game of charades while trying to ask where the bananas are. After unsuccessfully getting the cashier to understand her — and quite frankly ends up making the cashier downright fearful with her long limbs waving frantically about — the giant gives up, pays for the rest, and leaves the store while putting her dark hood back up.

This is based off of a very true story, a story that has been told several times throughout my time here in Budapest. Yes, you guessed it — I am the giant. Being an American in a foreign country is different and sometimes hard to begin with, but throw in my height and just overall giant basketball presence into the mix and you got yourselves a sight not many have seen before.

You know in America how most people at least try and hide their surprise at seeing something out of the norm? Well here they don’t even bother. Usually in the states I don’t notice when people are looking at me (at least for the most part… there are always some that don’t think I can hear or see anything they do…). But over here? I see the many wide-eyed stares, the dramatic head turns as I walk by, the occasional jaw drop, and of course the “let’s-talk-super-loud-in-our-language-about-how-tall-she-is-cause-this-giant-American-freak-definitely-speaks-English” conversations that occur a mere two feet away. At least this is what I am assuming because I don’t know hardly any Hungarian and probably never will. Oops. Here’s the thing though: I understand that most people actually have good intentions, but honestly it is just pretty darn entertaining to experience all the reactions. And besides, I like to make light of most situations that I am put into. Anyway, I have started to get used to it. This is just the beginning of what I have experienced during my first year playing basketball overseas.

Uber. Uber Eats. Peanut butter. Ranch dressing. Walmart/grocery shopping in general. Reading or understanding anything important. Iced Coffee. These are a few of my favorite things and/or necessities that unfortunately do not exist like they do in America (as far as I know) here in Hungary. I know, I know, sad content shouldn’t be allowed on my blog — but it is time to face the music and come to accept this… however, do not fear everyone I have some good news! Thankfully I have been here long enough now that I found some substitutes and similar options in order to make do without my loves.

Below is a survival kit for anyone who is also obsessed with these particular things and more if you are about to live overseas for a long period of time:

Step 1: Solving the Uber Everything Problem

Normally the very first thing you would do after getting off that cramped 10 hour flight is to open up your Uber app and catch a ride to wherever you need to go. Well, I’m afraid that Uber is not a thing here. I’m not sure about other countries, but here in Budapest we use a taxi service called “Bolt”. It is a green app in which operates just like Uber, only all cars that pick you up have a distinct yellow color — which by the way, I find to be even better than Uber in the states. Maybe it’s time they take a page out of Bolt’s book… (this is where I would @ out Uber on Twitter, just saying). Do this and you are pretty much set to travel anywhere you need to go!

But what about Uber Eats, you ask? Thankfully, there is a similar app (thanks to my Hungarian teammates) that is called NetPincér. This is a red app in the app store, and also operates just like Uber Eats… there are thousands of restaurants to choose from (even more so than Uber Eats honestly), and all get delivered right to your door! This was honestly a life-saver for me, especially for when I didn’t want to go to a place that didn’t speak my language and reading menus was difficult. There is an option on this app to have English (something I didn’t figure out right away…) as the set language so I would suggest also downloading this along with Bolt while you are waiting in the baggage claim area. And the best part? THEY DELIVER STARBUCKS. You’re welcome.

Step 2: Solving the Language Barrier… Well, Sort of.

Speaking of language, I am about to introduce you to your new best friend: Google Translate. Let me say it again: GOOGLE TRANSLATE. Quick, download this app while you’re still in the airport! This will make your life overseas a MUCH easier transition. Obviously this is used for translating between different languages, but my absolute favorite part of Google Translate is its newest feature: the camera. No, I am not a fairy godmother, but all your grocery shopping in a foreign country dreams are about to come true. All you have to do is press the camera button in Google Translate, make sure the local language is set correctly to translate to English on the top of your phone screen, and aim the camera at whatever you need to read. That’s it! There is no need to take any pictures, as it works just like a scan. You will see the translation literally right on the item after a short pause. Now, before you get too excited, let me stop you right there. It isn’t perfect (only God is!). Sometimes it cannot translate properly if the writing is too small or the font is too hard to read. But for the most part it gets the job done. I spent my first couple of weeks here in Hungary without using Google Translate in grocery stores, and trust me, it was like I was living in a nightmare. I couldn’t read anything, I was in stores for about 45 minutes longer than what was necessary, and most of my time was spent playing a guessing game as to what I was about to buy. This was no more evident than the day I accidentally bought two pints of sour cream thinking it was yogurt. Yikes. Lesson learned.

As far as stores and grocery shopping go, there are no Walmarts. In fact, most grocery stores are smaller in size here unless you find a bigger one that is located in a mall. Most of my groceries are not done in big hauls like how I did it in the states, but rather several small trips throughout the week. Conveniently, Budapest is a city of almost 2 million people, and so I never have the problem of finding stores — I swear there is a cute little store on every corner! I also discovered the names of some reliable grocery stores that somewhat resemble Walmarts: Tesco (bigger store)/Tesco Express (smaller convenience store), Spar (this is the smaller version)/Interspar (you guessed it, definitely bigger), and Príma. Also, if you are really missing America, let me quickly introduce you to your other best friend: The British Store. These hidden gems are tucked away throughout different nooks and crannies here in Budapest. They have a ton of American foods and brands, like Quaker Oats (shout-out to Cedar Rapids, Iowa!), Doritos, Reeses, and more. Check out these places when you need to stock up the fridge in your new home for the first time overseas!

Step 3: Adjusting

I’m going to be completely honest here. This is not America. Gone are the golden grocery isles of ranch dressing or Jif peanut butter. Gone are the days of plate-sized good ol’ fashioned American pancakes. And gone are the heavenly iced coffee drinks you cherish on a daily basis. Unless you are given some great advice. Thankfully I have solved most of these problems, but I didn’t do this alone. Thanks to either myself discovering ways on how not to live life here or advice given to me from my WNBA and new overseas teammates that I am now about to pass onto you, I am at your disposal!

Ranch Dressing: Pack some in your checked bag. I’m not kidding, this doesn’t exist here in any shape or form. You won’t regret it.

Jif or other American-Branded Peanut Butter: Best option? Pack this too. Next best option? Go to the stores I suggested and you MIGHT find some substitutes, such as Pamita, Island Sun, or Mother Africa. To be honest Nutella seems to be everywhere. Watch out. Worst option? Ordering two jars of Jif peanut butter for 25 Euros on Amazon only to NOT get them for a whole month, even after having a Hungarian teammate track the package and call the delivery service, who then eventually calls back the said Hungarian teammate, who then has the delivery service FINALLY complete their quest. Was this discovered by experience, you ask? …Maybe…

Pancakes: Pack a box of your favorite mix. Normal American pancakes also do not exist. I make my own here, and if you are on a recent health kick like myself, try making pancake batter with oatmeal (shout-out again to Quaker Oats and Cedar Rapids) and bananas. Next best option? Starbucks sells tiny American pancakes. Worst option? Well, you can’t really go wrong here. Most breakfast places actually do sell pancakes here, it’s just a little different. They are smaller in size, with different flavors, fillings, toppings, and sauces that are not usually maple syrup. But, if you are a pancake connoisseur just as I am you may actually start to enjoy trying different pancakes from around the world!

Driving: To be honest, I have not conquered this yet since I am still without a car (it is coming soon though woohooo!). However, I am suggesting now that you try and learn how to drive a stick shift (or as they call it, a manual) ASAP. Most cars in Europe are not automatic, and if you want to buy a car overseas, keep that in mind. Thankfully before I got here I got a little practice driving one, and I am eager to start trying this for real once mine comes. Speaking of cars, traffic here in Budapest is quite the nightmare. Rush hour is terrible, or should I say rush hours. From about 4pm-7pm the streets are jam-packed with cars, and I have also noticed a lot more accidents here compared to the United States. There are also above-ground free trams (that are actually very convenient), buses that are attached to a wire system above (it’s really weird), and stop lights that go from red to yellow and then to green. This is probably the strangest part. My advice for getting around? Stick either Bolt, tram, or subway system. Walking is also pretty easy around here. If you need to drive to places across the city or further, then a car is just fine (it’s really not that much different than the states). I have also been told that the train system in Europe is great, so I’ll let you know how that goes once I try it out!

P.S. NEWS FLASH! Cars in Hungary drive on the same side as the United States. If you are going to live in a different country, I would suggest doing some research on which side of the road they drive on.

Iced Coffee: You’re probably wondering why I saved this one for last. Well, best for last as they say. I LOVE iced coffee. Just about everyday in the states I would order my usual iced vanilla coffee with cream from Starbucks. Life was pretty good. Thankfully there are Starbucks here (I think this is the case with most bigger cities overseas), and don’t worry, you can order iced coffee. However, if you want to try other cute local coffee shops out you need to be VERY specific. So specific, in fact, that you need to say “make it with ice cubes” otherwise you may end up with actual ice cream in your coffee. Yes, this happened to me (and let’s be honest I wasn’t too upset… I mean who doesn’t love ice cream?!). My other overseas iced coffee experiences have included “no sorry, only hot”, or “no ice”, and “I can make it with cold milk”. So, your best option? Go to Starbucks and order normally as you would in the states, except you have to also be specific on which drink you want (e.g. latte, americano, espresso). From my experience you can’t just say iced coffee; they will just ask you which coffee you want. Trust me, I’ve tried. Iced americano is basically normal coffee, so maybe just ask for that. To wrap this up, most people (scratch that, virtually everyone) overseas drinks their coffee hot. I once went to Starbucks with my team here, and I was the only one who ordered iced — it is definitely not the norm here.

P.S. My Starbucks Rewards app isn’t accepted here… if someone knows of a Hungarian program PLEASE let me know ASAP. Thanks.

Survival Guide Conclusion:

I hope this survival guide will help anyone who needs it — best of luck, and when in doubt? Use Google Translate and go to The British Store.

P.S. As you have noticed, most of my guide is centered around food. Food is life. Ball is Life. That’s all you need to know.

Basketball

By now if you made it this far (congratulations, you are almost to the end!) you are probably wondering why on earth I haven’t mentioned anything basketball-related. I mean Megan for crying out loud you are overseas for the sole purpose of playing basketball. If you are thinking this, don’t worry I’m not offended. In fact, I’ve been wondering that myself. For this post I didn’t plan out anything in advance — I have just let my fingers do the typing and see where it leads me. Well, here we are, and I have finally discovered why I haven’t talked about overseas basketball until now: because basketball here is without a doubt the easiest transition for me. Basketball is universal, and so to be honest not much is that different. The game has always been like home to me, and that hasn’t changed even halfway across the world. I continue to try and work hard, get better, and have fun along the way! I practice everyday (although I have two practices a day instead of just one, so I guess that is different than the states), I do strength and conditioning workouts, I shoot on my own, and I play in games. The language barrier is not much of a problem, because my coaches and teammates all speak English (some better than others). Usually the coaches will speak in Hungarian first, and then either translate to English themselves or I’ll have a teammate relay the information to me. There are times when the coaches exclusively speak in Hungarian when they are correcting one of my Hungarian teammates, and usually if it doesn’t apply to me or my fellow American teammate then translation doesn’t happen. Now sometimes things get lost in translation and I get confused on a drill, but everyone here is pretty understanding and helpful! Resources here are also different as you can imagine – locker rooms are tiny, recovery is mostly just stretching (a far cry from ice baths or Normatechs) and practice gear is not given or laundered everyday (let’s be honest, I was so incredibly blessed to have all the services and resources that I got as a college athlete!). But you know what? I am keeping my body as healthy as I can under the circumstances, and I am just as happy with an orange ball and a hoop in a gym overseas as I would be in a sell-out arena under the big lights.

At the end of the day, it is the game of basketball I fell in love with at such a young age, nothing more and nothing less. And although I love and miss all my family, friends, loved ones, and those of you in Hawkeye Nation (and of course Wings fans too), do not worry! Your girl is doing just fine. Even though you cannot be with me now, God is always with me. I’d say I’m in pretty good hands, wouldn’t you agree?

Thanks for reading checking in with me! Until next time, Go Csata, Go Wings, Go Hawks, and Go Jesus!

I have been playing the game of basketball since I was basically in diapers. For some reason even back then I thought that putting an orange ball in a basket was quite entertaining. Fast forward about twenty-two years and this still rings true. I am currently living out my dreams as a professional basketball player for the Dallas Wings, and I would now like to take this time to reflect on everything that contributed to my life as a WNBA rookie.

Do you remember that feeling in the last year of Elementary school when you felt on top of the world? You were the oldest of all the other students in the school, and everything felt under your control. You had a schedule you were familiar with, and you had the same teacher that you loved. You had your same classmates that you hung out with during lunch everyday. And then it all changed: middle school. — At least, this is how I imagined it would be, since I went to an extremely small school and middle school wasn’t all that different for me. Anyway, for the rest of you who went to larger schools, everything probably felt out of your control. You were suddenly thrown into a new building, had to go to different classrooms every hour, and you were forced to make new friends. Well, I can honestly say that my transition into the WNBA from college ball has gone something like this. A new city, new coaches, and new teammates. A new position, a new offense, and a new (and MUCH faster) pace! All of this newness hit me like a bus, and most of my time spent in training camp was figuring out how to deal with the aftermath.

Being a rookie, especially in this league, can mean a multitude of things. Whether that be rookie duties (like delivering laundry and uniforms to the other players on game day), roller coaster playing time, or information overloads during practices, trust me I have experienced all of this! I think the best piece of advice I can give to anyone who is entering the WNBA is to understand that there will be a huge, steep learning curve! This learning curve will ultimately be your pathway to success (or not), and it is up to you to fully embrace whatever role you are given. My role this season has been to develop my game behind the scenes, implement what I have learned into games, provide a spark of energy whenever our starters needed a break, and to cheer on my teammates. When I was given a second chance with Dallas, I told myself that I was going to take full advantage of every single day and to trust that God’s plan is best!

Adaptation

If I could summarize everything that I learned this summer in the WNBA by using one word, it would have to be adaptation. In the beginning of this summer I didn’t fit the typical mold of what a WNBA post player looks like. I’m undersized (even though I am 6’3″…). I was a back-to-the-basket type player. I was not considered to be an outside shooter. And perhaps most evidently because I was once on the outside looking in, desperately wanting a second chance. All these things and more could have easily counted me out of the WNBA. But guess what? I’m still here. I’m getting better everyday and I love to learn. Currently my top two priorities are implementing a face-up game and improving my three-point shooting. Most of my days in Dallas and while traveling all over the country were spent doing extra shooting workouts either before or after practices and during my off days. Practices are even more intensified compared to college, with each one requiring a full day’s worth of total focus physically, mentally, and emotionally within a few hours. Our home games consisted of dressing up for walk-in game-day outfit photoshoots, a far cry from the usual sweats that I arrived in for my college games. Traveling, however, as a WNBA player is not as glamorous as it may seem since we fly commercial. Every week we traveled to a different city across the country, and more often than not we had three or more games per week to play. Our team usually had practices right after we landed and got to our hotel, but the rest of the night we were on our own. I really grew to like this because that meant I had time to visit and get dinners with family and friends. On game days either before or after you probably could have found me in a random hotel fitness center on a treadmill or lifting weights to keep in shape. As a professional athlete, it is extremely important to have self-discipline in order to have longevity in this league. Self-discipline for getting in extra workouts to improve your game and maintain excellent physical shape, self-discipline for studying your opponents by utilizing the coaches and film, and self-discipline even for staying healthy and resting appropriately to recharge your body. There is a lot that goes into the days of a professional basketball player – and most days are quite exhausting – but I know that at the end of the day I am doing what I love while sharing something that is most important to me in my life as a Christian: my faith in Jesus Christ.

Faith in the WNBA

Even though this summer has been full of basketball, I have to say that one of my favorite things to come out of my first season in the WNBA is not directly basketball-related. The creation of my platform for sharing my faith has not only grown my own relationship with God, but I have been able to help inspire others to strengthen their own walks with Him. Social media has been my main channel to spread the gospel, and I am so thankful that I can use this tool in order to reach as many people as possible. Right now I am going through a Bible reading challenge, and it is honestly so refreshing to hear from different people about their testimonies, get feedback through my social media pages and website, and have conversations after games with fans throughout the summer. I just wanted to take this time to thank everyone who has followed my blog thus far, and I am even more excited to continue to hear from all of you as I head overseas to play! Speaking of playing overseas, I will soon be implementing a segment on She’s Got Faith social media pages called “Happenings in Hungary” that will have regular updates on my life overseas. I cannot wait to see what God has in store for me in Budapest, Hungary!

All of my life I have been pretty quiet about sharing my faith in Jesus. I grew up in the countryside minding my own business and not wanting to bother anyone else about who or what I believed in. Looking back now, that was a mistake. Sure, finding my voice to tell others about God may sound scary, but I never knew how impactful my message could be to other people who desperately need a light to guide them amidst their own darkness. I wish I would have embraced this role earlier in my life, but I didn’t until about 1 year ago.

Athletes in Action

If you have never heard about Athletes in Action, I am so glad that I can tell you about it now. This organization is a Christian ministry for college student athletes across the nation. You can find most gatherings held in a University sports building on a weekly basis, where athletes from every sport come together to talk about Jesus and what it means to implement their faith into their respective sports. Up until the summer before my senior year in college, I had attended these meetings only once in a great while. Toward the end of my junior year, Coach Bluder approached me about going on a trip with AIA that upcoming summer. They were planning on partnering with the USA Team to compete in the FISU World Championships in Sao Paulo, Brazil. It didn’t take me too long to decide to go, because I was familiar with Athletes in Action and my Iowa teammate, Hannah Stewart, was also going to be on the team. Originally I thought that this trip would be great for Hannah and I to get even more used to playing with each other on the court before our senior seasons started since we knew our offense would be geared toward having two post players on the floor. Boy, if I only knew then how life changing this trip would actually end up becoming!

Training Camp – Xenia, Ohio

The day that Hannah and I left for training camp was on July 14th, 2018. The night before our Iowa team had an inter-squad summer scrimmage, which was super fun because it was our last workout and first time displaying our championship team to our loyal fans. Our flight had a slight delay, so we were one of the last ones to arrive. This AIA trip was compiled of more than just our women’s basketball team – we also had a men’s basketball team, and men’s volleyball team, and women’s volleyball team. We all stayed and trained in Xenia, Ohio for about 5 days where the national headquarters of Athletes in Action was housed. Each day was full of activities, with most days starting with breakfast/morning gospel as a whole group and then prayer time with our teams. We also had several other sessions throughout the days where we would gather and listen to the testimonies of some of the coaches and staff members. We worked really hard in practices as we only had a few days to prepare for games, which meant most of our time was spent going over our offense sets and scrimmaging. Some of us would also get in other workouts such as lifting and extra shooting, so by the time each day ended we were all pretty tired! It was worth it though, because not only did I push myself physically, but I was able to grow in my faith and learn more about what it meant to use my basketball platform to Glorify God and help lead others to Him along the way. I would definitely say that my biggest takeaway from training camp would be to play for an Audience of One. At the end of the day, the only person who I should be playing for is God and He loves me no matter what! Toward the end of training camp, I got to share my testimony to my team since we had been learning how to write our own stories throughout camp. Let me tell you, I was a mess! I was a bit nervous to be honest – ask me to score 30 points in a basketball game, no problem. But ask me to talk about my personal life to a group of strangers? That is a WHOLE different ball game! Thankfully I had gotten to know my teammates and coaches over the past few days before this and they were all super supportive! Once I started sharing about how God impacted my life, I immediately started crying, and then of course cried some more because I also talked about Hannah and how she was such a wonderful spiritual leader to me and for our college team. You guys I am an emotional person as I have said many times before, and I honestly just have to laugh at myself, I have come to accept the fact that I am not very good at bottling up all those feelings!

Samaritan’s Feet

One of our first days in Brazil was spent with an organization called Samaritan’s Feet. This organization devotes its time, resources, and energy into providing shoes for underprivileged youth. We traveled through some of the poorest parts of Sao Paulo in order to get to our destination, and while on the bus looking out the windows I can honestly say I have never seen such poverty in my life. There were hills with houses that were shaped like stacked boxes, covering up every single inch of ground possible. Families seemed to be literally living on top of each other, and most of the houses were a brownish-red color. There were also blue, green, and yellow houses mixed in, making for a unique landscape. This went on for miles and miles as we weaved in and around the bumpy, dangerous roads. Abandoned shops lined the streets as little children ran around without any parents in sight. When we arrived at the center, it was easier to tell that these buildings were more taken care of than its surroundings. They were all around this main pathway and each building was home to different activities that children could come to during the daytime. This particular program takes in young children everyday from 7am to 7pm where they get to do fun activities, play sports, get meals, and take clean showers. It was amazing to witness this place and how much of a real difference that the workers and volunteers were making in these kids’ lives. After a quick orientation, we were all split up into different groups where we took turns getting to wash the feet of the children (just as Jesus washed the feet of his disciples all those years ago) and then gave them a new pair of shoes. Seeing their eyes light up was something that I’ll never forget, and I am so glad I wrote all this down in a travel journal. I wrote about each child that my translator and I interacted with, and asked them about their families and ultimate dreams. Some wanted to become doctors, others wanted to be police officers or professional athletes. I was also able to tell each of them about Jesus, and how he came to save us from our sins all those years ago. I would wrap up each conversation by encouraging them to seek God in everything that they do, because He is always with them. It was a day that I can cherish forever – God has a special place in His heart for those children, and I am so glad that I was able to do the Lord’s work and directly feel and see the impact that we made!

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Rio and The Power of Prayer

Our team played four games in five days and so we were exhausted by the time everything was over. We first played Mexico, and then the next day we played against Uruguay. On our off day, my team and I flew over to Rio De Janeiro and spent a whole day exploring this incredibly beautiful city. We went up a big mountain on a cable train to visit Christ the Redeemer – pictures do not do this justice, it was so big and detailed, we could even see the holes in his hands from the nails! We were extremely high up and it felt like we were in the clouds because a fog surrounded the entire statue viewing area. Despite the fog, the views were still breathtaking as we looked down onto the entirety of Rio. Most of our time was spent taking a ton of pictures of each other imitating the statue with our arms out and hands spread wide. As powerful and incredible it was to see this world-wide known statue of Jesus, I would have to say that something during this trip was even more powerful.

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After every game my team and I got to meet in a big circle with the other team we just finished playing and share the gospel with them. Each message was shaped around a bible verse, and we gave each of them a bracelet with that bible verse on it so they could remember and carry it back into their own lives! Most of the girls did not speak English, so we would try and find one who could and use them as a translator. Even though it was hard to speak with them at times, God guided our conversations in such a powerful way – there were multiple times during prayers together when someone would get emotional because our message hit home. I was asked to lead one of the messages and talked with Uruguay about the Bible verse of 2 Timothy 1:7 –> “For the Spirit God gave us does not make us timid, but gives us power, love and self-discipline.” It was one of the first times where I found more confidence in my own voice to publicly talk about my faith. One of the girls was so moved by the message that she broke down and started crying because she had lost her father a couple of months prior to this. We were able to comfort her and tell her that he is in a better place watching over her always. The power of praying with other people is an incredible experience, and I hope that God can continue to use me in this way!

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Sharing My Story and Going for the Gold

I would have to say that our gold medal game day was one of the craziest days I have ever experienced. The day started with myself sharing my testimony in front of our entire group who traveled together. By the time I did this, I had already shared with my team so I did have some confidence in sharing with a much bigger audience. It felt more and more natural to talk about my own faith each time that I stepped outside of my comfort zone. I have our team chaplain, Karen, to thank the most for urging me to tell my story. I will be forever grateful to her and all that she did along with our head coach, Coach Albright, and other coaches and staff members (Coach Ely, Coach Yow, Bonnie, just to name a couple) to help me find my voice for Jesus on this trip!!

The rest of the day was pretty chaotic, but thankfully God had everything under control. The actual gold medal game time was miscommunicated to us, and so we arrived about 4 hours too early! We were all stranded because the buses back to the hotel took over an hour one way so it would have taken too long to go back and find food. Believe it or not, we all ended up taking different Ubers to a local McDonalds and had burgers and shakes for our pregame meal! I remember thinking that this would make for a funny story one day, but only if we won the game. Thankfully we did, but not without its own troubles. During halftime the power went out, and so we had originally expected the game would be delayed. But to our dismay, the ref summoned us to come on the court like nothing was out of the ordinary and we played the entire third quarter in darkness. The only light coming in was from a couple of windows that were shining down from way up above! Ironically our team had the biggest run of the entire game during this power outage and we ended up beating Brazil with the lights finally coming back on in the fourth by about twenty points! Looking back now, it is such a cool story, especially knowing how God really was watching over us despite facing many obstacles. We stayed and watched our men’s team capture the gold medal as well, and then we all headed back to our hotel.

My experience with Athletes in Action while playing in Brazil is something that I will never forget. I met some amazing people who love the Lord, and together we learned and grew in our faith. There are so many other things that I could have written about, but I think that the most important part that I want to emphasize is that I believe that my specific time on this trip propelled me into my current love of sharing my faith through this blog! Thank you so much again to Athletes in Action for giving me a chance to find my voice.

A Wrap on College Athletics

Being a college athlete taught me many things. It taught me teamwork, time management, and perseverance. It also taught me what hard work really looked like. Time and time again I spent hours in the gym instead of hanging out with friends, going to the movies, or whatever else college kids do these days. My summers were spent getting up at 6am for weights and practices, and coming back for late night scrimmages. And this was only the absolute bare minimum required. Most of us spent even more time alone or with some teammates getting up extra shots/workouts. During the season I had three hour practices with film sessions beforehand and weight lifting afterward. There were late nights from flying across the country, with most of our time spent when we were not on the basketball court studying for an exam or catching up on missed classes because of games.

So yes, the athlete life is not all fun and games. It is pushing yourself to the limits and then sprinting right past those limits to find yourself accomplishing things you never thought possible. I found myself becoming a leader, winning championships, and inspiring thousands of people across the country. Being a college athlete might have been one of the hardest things I have ever done, but I can also consider it one of the best things that ever happened to me. I felt some of my happiest moments in all of my life while wearing a college athletics jersey. This has partly to do with winning some awesome games and championships, but it mostly has to do with my teammates, coaches, and support system. I was blessed enough to have been surrounded by a team who loved, cared, and played for each other and put the needs of the team above themselves. This was the most evident during my senior year when we became Big Ten Champions. Let me take you back in time to reminisce my absolute favorite memory of being a Hawkeye! 

Preparation – Championship Mentality

Bankers Life Fieldhouse. Indianapolis, Indiana. March 9-11th, 2019. This arena has been home to the Big Ten Tournament Championship during all four years I was at Iowa. Up until my senior year, this place also gave me some of my worst memories. Each year we came up short whether it was in the first or second rounds. It was especially gut-wrenching whenever this tournament ended because that meant no games after this was guaranteed. Knowing this, I think my fellow seniors and I were extremely motivated to go all the way for our last shot. Additionally, we got to adorn new warmup shirts that said “Family” across the front and I felt that this described our chemistry as a team perfectly. I remember practicing for this tournament only days before we left; all of my team was really excited and we worked hard and had a lot of energy. One of the days after practice, Coach Bluder actually had a ladder brought onto the court and we all got to practice going up that ladder to cut down the net so we knew what it felt like. Our team was really into envisioning success, and that day we put it into action. In fact, I still have a piece of that net as a reminder of this motivating day. Picturing success before it happens really does work – it is important and everyone should implement this into their own practices and training as this creates a championship mentality.

Game #1 – Redemption against the Hoosiers

Our first game was against Indiana. As you may have read in one of my previous blog posts, Indiana was the one team that prevented us from becoming regular season conference champions. Let’s just say that none of us needed even an ounce of new motivation to beat them and honestly I did not have any doubt that we were going to win. That confidence carried us all the way through that game, even when they made some good runs toward the end of the game. I think winning that game against this particular team gave us the spark we needed in order to keep ourselves going. This was also the game that the media started to notice our “victory formation.” This started to occur earlier in the season (e.g. when we beat Maryland at home for the first time in my career), but basically whenever we as a team felt we were about to win a game, we would all walk down the court together with our arms around each other if there happened to be a foul drawn and we had to shoot a free throw at the other end of the court. Every time we did this it gave me chills, and it felt very empowering to do that in this tournament. The formation truly demonstrated the fact that we were more than just five individuals on the court – we were working as one unit, as one team. We were family.

Game #2 – Battling the Scarlet Knights

This was a tough game for many reasons. For one, it was back- to-back with our Indiana game so we had less than 24 hours to prepare. Some of you probably do not understand how the game preparation works when we have games with no practices in between, so let me explain real quick. We don’t just go back to the hotel and chill. Once we got back, our coaches would specify a time in a conference room or ballroom that they reserved and we would all sit down and receive our scout. There would also be a projector so we could have our videographer set up film. After this we usually had a walkthrough of their plays in the same room with tape on the ground to represent the court. These sessions required a lot of focus and attention because we did not have time on the court to go through everything like we normally would. Rutgers was especially an opponent we had to focus on – they were young, but had a lot of talent and were really good at full court pressing. Thankfully earlier this season we had beaten them, so we knew how to handle their pressure. During the first half of this game I actually missed my first seven shots – for those of you who don’t know much about my basketball story, let’s just say that I was a 70% shooter from the floor and I wasn’t supposed to miss that much. This was extremely frustrating, especially since I wanted to do whatever I needed to help my team to victory. I remember during one specific huddle after missing a shot I looked at my teammates and I saw something that I won’t forget: complete confidence. They had total trust in me even when I was doubting myself at the time. They kept reminding me of my abilities and this is honestly what helped me get back on track. Having teammates that constantly uplift and support you is vital in having success, and I hope that all of you can experience this! We got some really good stops as a team toward the end of the game, and we held on to a single digit victory. Winning this game felt like getting over a hump because we had never gotten to this round let alone past it. On to the championship!

Championship Sunday – Taking on the Terrapins

When I say that I waited for this day to come for years, I am not exaggerating. I remember watching the Big Ten Championship games each year on TV wishing over and over again that my team would be playing. I used to daydream what it would feel like to have that final buzzer go off and confetti falling all around me while walking to my classes. I visualized hoisting up that trophy and would get emotional while driving around campus. Finally, this day had come. I couldn’t wait to play my heart out and give everything I had on that court, even if it meant playing with extreme pain moments before warmups started.

Most of you do not know what I went through behind the scenes just before heading onto the court that day. Leading up to this, I was battling what is called a “soft corn” in between my fourth and fifth toes on my right foot throughout the second half of the season. Please do yourself a favor and try not to google this – it is nasty! I’ll spare you the details but basically it is like a blister that over time digs a deep hole into your skin and comes with a constant, sharp pain. Unfortunately, these tend to get worse when playing a lot because of sweat and rubbing. During the second game against Rutgers this actually “exploded” and got dramatically worse. I didn’t feel this until after the game since I had adrenaline from the game, but let me tell you, it felt like I was getting stabbed over and over again in one little spot! My athletic trainer and I had a routine to cover it up with a gel insert to lessen the pain, but once I showed her it the morning of this game, she called in the big gun: our team doctor. She sent him pictures and they talked about what they should do for the game. After some discussion, I was told that they could give me a numbing injection. Yes, you heard me correctly. I had a shot put in my foot just minutes before the game! It had to be inserted into my top foot area right above my toes so that the numbing medicine had room to work into my sore area. I wasn’t too afraid of this being painful but my team felt scared for me, especially Kathleen Doyle. She volunteered to hold my hand and distract me from the pain when the injection happened. Having her there with me actually made it worse because of her reaction but it was also extremely funny! If any of you know Kathleen, you can probably understand why this was the case. While the doctor was preparing the injection, she distracted me with jokes and just being her usual enthusiastic self. However, she immediately got nervous and started freaking out when the injection went in my foot, which of course made me even more nervous! We both started screaming when my skin bubbled up momentarily right after the injection came out and honestly while writing this I am laughing so much – it was something that I’ll never forget! Eventually Kathleen and I settled down, and she left to go on court. I waited for my foot to go numb and after a few minutes I felt the pain go away. It was like magic! I kind of felt like part of my foot fell asleep, but feeling that was better than horrible pain. My trainer gave me some extra strength Tylenol and Ibuprofen, and so let’s just say by the time I joined my team on court for warmups I was feeling pretty darn good!

Playing three games in three days is really hard on one’s body. I remember each night I got a massage from our team masseuse- I honestly don’t think I could have made it without her! My legs and back were very sore and tired by the time Sunday rolled around, but I wasn’t going to let this stop me. I knew that all of my teammates were in the same boat. We were exhausted. But we were also in this together. They were my sisters, and it was time to go to the final war with them against a really good Maryland team.

We started off the game on a big run supplied by an energy boost and found ourselves up 15 points halfway through the first quarter. We ended the quarter up 10 points, but Maryland rallied together and outscored us by four points in the second. I remember just before halftime both ourselves and Maryland traded basket after basket – most of these coming in transition. Additionally during this time we got into some foul trouble, with a couple of our starters having to sit out. Thankfully our team had a “next woman up” mentality and I remember how well our bench players did filling in alongside myself and the remaining starters.

After regrouping at halftime, we found ourselves in a dog fight for the first part of the third quarter. During the first three minutes is when Maryland made their biggest run as they quickly tied the game 53-53 with seven minutes to go. Eventually we were able to pull away and went into the fourth quarter up nine points. I distinctly remember our timeout before the fourth quarter – we had the momentum and all the confidence in the world. I looked around at the faces of each of my teammates and I saw the excitement emanating from everyone. Honestly it was hard to keep my own emotions in check during most of this final quarter.

Maryland would not go on to have any more runs and with the help of Tania Davis’ clutch plays, Hannah Stewart’s big rebounds, Kathleen Doyle’s hustle and heart, Makenzie Meyer’s sharp shooting, and everyone else’s amazing contributions, the University of Iowa found itself winning its first Big Ten Tournament Championship title in 19 years. After getting a defensive rebound, the ball was kicked out to Kathleen and she excitedly dribbled the ball around half court as the final buzzer went off. Finally, there it was. After four years of hard work and dedication to this program and to my team, it had all paid off. I was immediately overcome with emotion. I couldn’t even run over to greet my teammates because I was sobbing so hard – I tried walking (more like stumbling) toward them, but thankfully they all rushed to me and literally kept me from falling to the ground as we jumped and embraced each other. Hugs. Smiles. More tears. The first confetti cannon going off in the background. Cameras everywhere. TV interviews. Embracing my fellow senior point guard as we both cried some more. Finding my coaches amidst the crowd. The championship hats, T-shirts, and team pictures. All of these activities commenced during my greatest day spent as an Iowa Hawkeye. What followed next was the trophy presentation, and I can clearly picture seeing both my parents in the crowd as happy as could be. Coach said a few words on the microphone and we all were on the makeshift stage behind her eagerly awaiting what was about to happen. 

Hoisting up that championship trophy while confetti of all colors rained down upon us was all that I imagined and more. Actually much more because it was really heavy and I didn’t realize that it was until I had it completely above my head! I remember saying out loud “wow, this is really heavy!” and right next to me Lexi said, “put it down before you hurt yourself!” We had a quick laugh about that before we collectively lowered it to the ground. More pictures, cutting down the net, and interviews followed, and eventually we were able to all go into the locker room and celebrate some more.

What I really loved about several of our amazing wins throughout the season is that all of us players and coaches would gather in a big circle to pray and give thanks to God. Even though we didn’t capture that regular season title, God knew that would fuel us to win this tournament. We captured the hearts of thousands across the state of Iowa and even the country with our team-first mentality and for that I couldn’t have asked for more. During those times of prayer, I could feel God’s presence and it was a wonderful reminder that He had written out our magical season before it had even started.

Looking back now, it is clear to me that God’s plan for our lives is so much bigger and better than what any of us can imagine and I hope you as readers can truly embrace this wonderful promise!

Go Hawks, and Go Jesus!

“God is greater than our heart, and he knows everything.” 1 John 3:20

You know that feeling when you feel as though you’re living in a dream and you don’t want anyone to wake you up? I actually have only felt that feeling twice in my life. The first time was when my college team and I won the Big Ten Championship. And the second time? Well, that is currently ongoing, and has been since 7:42pm on June 12th.

June 12th, 2019

This day started out like almost any other while in Iowa City. I had spent the past couple of weeks here training for basketball – I was still heartbroken over the fact that I was now looking in from the outside of the WNBA. Basketball is something that I knew I loved before getting cut, but honestly it took losing this to really understand how much I love it. It was around 5:30pm on this day when I had a tattoo appointment scheduled – I know, exciting right? This was to be my first tattoo, and it was of my favorite bible verse (Philippians 4:13) with a cross down my spine. After a rather painful but happy couple of hours I got back to my apartment at 7pm, still completely oblivious to what was about to occur. At precisely 7:42pm I looked down at my ringing phone while heading out of my bedroom to go put some laundry in the washer. My agent’s name popped up, and I instantly felt butterflies in my stomach. Earlier that day I had talked to her on the phone about other interview stuff, so I wasn’t expecting her to call. It was also later at night so I had a feeling that she had some news for me.

“Are You Ready to Head Back to Dallas?”

I answered as quickly as possible. We talked for a few seconds about how I was doing, and I briefly mentioned my new tattoo before she asked the most exciting and wonderful question ever: “Are you ready to head back to Dallas?” I paused for a second, making sure I heard her correctly.

“Wait… What?” my heartbeat sped up as I replied back.

“Dallas, they want you, you are heading back to the WNBA!” I couldn’t believe it. Seriously. I asked if she was serious, and she did confirm that she was indeed telling me the truth. All I remember next was saying YES OF COURSE!! Over the next couple of minutes I think I repeated “thank you!” and “okay!” over and over again as we talked about heading back as soon as possible. After we hung up, I immediately dropped my laundry on the floor, screamed extremely loud, and ran down the stairs to tell my roommate what had just happened.

The Phone Calls, The Packing, and The Flight

I spent the rest of the night on the phone, calling my parents, sister, Iowa coaches, and close friends to tell them the good news. I also talked with the president of the Dallas Wings, along with the Director of Operations person to book my flight back. My flight was scheduled that very next morning at 6:40am. Talk about a quick turnaround! I packed up my bags, went to bed (honestly I did not sleep very well as you can imagine), and headed to the airport at 5:00am- thanks Coach J for giving me a ride so early in the morning!

My flight was pretty uneventful in terms of my surroundings. No delays, and the news that I was being claimed by Dallas had yet to hit the papers. But my mind and my heart was anything but normal. I was so excited, and I couldn’t wait to get back to the WNBA! This “calm before the storm” gave me time to really reflect on what this all meant.

Reflection

As I look back on the past few days, I can honestly say that words fail to describe how blessed and thankful I am to have this second chance. God truly does have perfect timing. The verse at the beginning of this blog says “God is greater than our heart, and he knows everything”, and this couldn’t be more true. As much as it hurt to be cut, God knew that it was supposed to happen. As hard as it was to be away from the game I loved, God was greater than what what was in my own heart. He showed me my specific pathway that was beautifully and perfectly planned out. During the time away from my dream, I was able to spend some quality time with my family. I was also able to work and train on parts of my game that I hadn’t really emphasized enough of in the past. This in turn gave me more confidence in my abilities, and I have carried this confidence right into my first few days back in the WNBA. But most importantly, I put all of my energy into becoming the best version of myself that I could possibly be by starting this blog about my faith in Jesus Christ. I have been able to impact people in a new way that I probably wouldn’t have if I hadn’t been cut. I have strengthened my relationship with God, and this has in turn given me a clearer perspective on what is most important in life.

Speaking of clarity, I do have to say that my tattoo now has a whole new meaning to me than what I originally planned – God literally gave an incredible sign of His plan for me that I can remember for the rest of my life – talk about goosebumps!

At the end of the day, I know that my basketball career is nothing compared to my identify in the Lord. I wouldn’t have been able to say this when it happened, but now I can say without hesitation that I am so glad I was cut from the WNBA. Why? Because God is greater than my heart, and he knows everything!

Failure. It’s one word that just about everyone tries to avoid at all costs. If you were to google the definition of failure, the first thing that pops up is “a lack of success”. Sure, by its technical definition, failing at something is the opposite of succeeding. But in reality? I believe that failure is truly needed in order to succeed. At one point (or even several points) in each of our lives, we will fail. We will get knocked down, lose a battle, or suffer in one way or another. Several of you as readers have asked me to talk about confidence, and how to gain or keep it at the highest level. To answer this to the best of my ability, let me first ask you my own question:

Are you willing to embrace failure?

Because if you are, I promise that you are headed in the right direction toward confidence. Not just confidence when you are performing well, but confidence even during the darkest of storms. I believe that attaining this type of authentic, resilient confidence comes down to three key ideas.

Failure Makes you Better

The first key to confidence is having a healthy mindset. Failure at first glance makes someone feel as though they are getting further away from a desired goal. But truthfully? That failure is making them better at their craft. My most recent experience confirming this was during my senior year of college basketball. My team and I were only three wins away from becoming Big Ten Regular Season Champions. All we had to do was defeat Indiana, Nebraska, and Northwestern. We had already beaten Nebraska earlier in the season and the other two teams were ranked below us. On paper it was the perfect set up for a magical ending to the regular season. However, reality showed us a whole different journey. We lost on the road to Indiana by two points. Two. Points. It was heartbreaking to say the least, especially because we failed during such a crucial time to a team we knew we should have beaten. We watched as our Big Ten Championship dreams slipped through our fingers. Maryland, who we beat previously, was now two wins ahead of us and it would have taken a miracle for them to lose their final games. As easy as it would have been to give up as a team and just try and finish out the season, we did not give up. We used this failure to get better. We went back to the drawing board. Back to film, to scouting reports, and to practice and used our failure as fuel to our fire. We won out the rest of the regular season, and ended up finishing second place overall. Thankfully, we still had the Big Ten Tournament left, and we rode our confidence all the way to a Big Ten Tournament Championship Title (we even got to beat both Indiana and Maryland during this – talk about full circle!). You see, our goal was reached not by the absence of failure, but because of it. Failure makes you realize what you were doing wrong so you can address it and make things right. Failure makes you better and this is something I have come to fully embrace since being cut from the WNBA. Trust me, I have already seen results. Keep radiating that confidence readers, don’t let failures take the driver seat to your desired destination!

Align Your Confidence with Your Passion

Confidence, I believe, is like a flower. As long as you nurture it, it will grow into something beautiful. But every plant needs roots, and what is at the root of confidence, you ask? Happiness. Doing what you love is the very foundation of being happy, and is considered a recipe for sustained confidence. Think about this – if you love doing something (e.g. a career, a hobby, etc.) then you will most likely find joy while spending time into doing that very something. Speaking of time, let’s go back to our flower scenario. As long as a seed to a flower receives water, it will grow. That water is actually representative of time spent improving upon a skill. The more time we spend on reaching a goal, the better we become and ultimately the more confident we become. Real confidence has never been built in a day – rather, it is built up after years of nurturing it with time and hard work. The only way we are able to put in time and hard work is if we are motivated – and what better way to be motivated than to be inspired by doing what we love?

If you are currently in a place where you cannot seem to find your own passion or purpose, do not worry because the works you are doing right now are a part of God’s wonderful plan for you! – “For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.” – Ephesians 2:10

Audience of One – Ao1

Finally, if you forget absolutely everything else I have written, please remember what I am about to tell you. The most important key to establishing true confidence is this: having an audience of one. An audience of one means simply that – your audience should always be and only be Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior. During each of our lifetimes, the world will be watching what we do in life – some more than others – but no matter who you are, people will judge you, attack you, and try and bring your confidence down. Whether it may be strangers, the media, friends, or even family, it is critical that you cancel out the external negative noise. Now this doesn’t mean to not listen to or love others, because some people in your life are trying to uplift and help you. But what I am emphasizing is that God is the only one who will unconditionally love you the most no matter how many times you fail. He will be there to pick you up, to wipe your tears from your face, and to show you how much you mean to Him. How incredible is it to know that the creator of the heavens and earth cares about you that much?

My performance as a basketball player has never depended on how good or bad I do. I know with 100% certainty that God loves me when I score 0 points or when I score 50 points. He loves me when I win or lose. Off the court I know that no matter how many times I mess up in my life, He will be there to guide me in the right direction. At the end of the day, the only person in my arena – in my audience – is God. To me, that is all the confidence I will ever need!

“He must become Greater, and I must become less.” – John 3:30