La Famille Armstrong

I've been trying to keep this under wraps until things panned out... no, not another baby! We love our kids, but two is good for now - and very possibly for a LONG time :)

I am super excited to announce that in Spring 2011 I will be the Jumps Coach for the Track & Field team at Corban Univeristy!! It's a Christian University in Salem, OR with a track & field program that is only 2 years old. This year, we've got several jumpers coming on board who have great marks and could use some more precise coaching than Corban has had recently. My friend (from my GFU track & field days), Brad Bates, is the Assistant Cross Country coach and the sprint coach at Corban, and he referred me for the position. The head coach, Norm Berney, is giving me a tremendous amount of freedom in coaching and he and Brad will be taking care of my athletes the 2 days a week I will not be at practices. (Also crazy... his brother lives in Coos Bay and he used to watch my HS coach Fran Worthen run when she was just out of HS!) Coach Berney & Corban are also giving me lots of flexibility with the kids... I'm still in shock that I get to do this!

Track has been a great passion of mine for a while. I'll admit it though, I'm kind of a wimp. I didn't work as hard as I should have, and I think I was afraid of trying my best and still not being the best... so I (ignorantly & ridiculously) went with the option of not trying at all. Sadly, I'm pretty out of shape now, though getting better every day, but I'm so blessed to get back into training and becoming a support and encouragement for young, Christian athletes. I know my coach at GFU has had such a great impact on my life... I don't know where I would be without his support and the friendship his wife has given me. I look forward to seeing how God will use me in this role.

This means all my other endeavors are getting kicked. I do love taking photos, but this summer has really shown me that it's just not what I want to spend my energies pursuing. It leaves me drained, not energized. I understand that work is tiring, but I am seeing that God wants me to get closer to Him and share Him with others and I truly see this as an opportunity from Him to do just that, while most of my photographic endeavors have been drawing me away from Him, tempting me to pursue the things of the world. I've never been closer to God than when I am out working hard at something He made me good at. I can't wait!! And I'm sure you will be hearing all about it! Mark is already calling me coach and Asher is chiming in right behind him. I know my boys will love going to track meets and I really can't wait to get the season started! Time to hit and books (or rather, google) and plan workouts... it's going to be hard work and I'm trusting God to use me in this role to impart His love to these students. Did I mention I am excited?? January is just around the corner... wish me luck!

Darlene Taylor and I have a little booth set up at Heiser Farms today! You can get a family photo taken and receive a 5x7 print for $25 or an 8x10 print for $30. You can also get the image on a CD for $50. No matter what you order, we'll ship it to your address within 1-2 weeks. It's a bit wet out today, but we're in a covered area so you'll be dry while getting your photos taken ;) We plan on being there every Saturday in October so come get a family photo at a great price and pay us a visit!!