Time Travel

Remember me? it's been 3 years since I last posted. A lot has happened, we moved back to Utah and to make a long story very short....we added a new "player," to our team! Meet Kara Jae Stahle! She was born on June 29, 2017 and has changed our world for the better. She is our everything and it is hard to imagine we ever lived without her. I got a job since we moved back, and recently quit it to stay home with our little munchkin. It is a whole new world...but a good one. Bring it on!

I don't know what is next up... but I am just glad to be in the game!

Thoughts from General Conference Weekend

The first week of October always brings an unusual amount of excitement and anticipation. No, not just because of football season (although this certainly is a strong perk), and no, not just because of the beautiful fall colors. The real reason is because of General Conference. We gather around the TV, computers, iPads and hang on each work that is spoken to us by our Church leaders. Dani and I spent the weekend in Bear Lake at a family condo, where we watched the various sessions with family. Here are just a few thoughts we came away with, ones that we would like to share with you:

Elder D. Todd Christofferson: He talked about the vital importance of personal responsibility. One of my favorite lines from his message came when he said, "We have the prime role for making our decisions." We get to choose the kind of person we are and will become. Evaluate the current choices we are making, are they in line with who we hope to become?

 

President Dieter F. Uchtdorf: He is a masterful teacher. And he spoke of essential truths that are always good to reflect on. Said President Uchtdorf, "God cares about you. He will listen. You need to learn to listen to His voice." How do we learn to recognize and hear the Lord's voice? It is different for each of us, as we are all entitled to revelation, but it only comes after careful study and reflection on our part.

Elder Kacher: Had one line that struck me right between the eyes, "Have we set our course firmly in the eternal current?" It seemed that a major theme of this conference hinged around the simple statement: Decisions determine our destiny. Elder Kacher expounded upon that.

These are just a few of our favorite highlights of Conference! It should be something we reflect on and share for the coming weeks and months. So get out and share yours! #ShareGoodness

https://www.lds.org/general-conference/sessions/2014/10?cid=HPSU100514465&lang=eng

Next Up: Nationals!

    Talk about living the dream!! In a week long conference tournament Tyler's team won 3 in a row labeling them the new 2014 MCC Tournament Champions and landing them a spot in the NAIA National Tournament that will take place in Branson Missouri on March 13, 2014.
    William Penn went in to the tournament as the #2 seed, right below the nationally ranked St. Ambrose squad who won the regular season. The Statesmen first took on a last placed #7 A.I.B, defeating them at home with ease as they sailed into the semi-finals game against Mt.Mercy. Tyler was sensational this game! While solid throughout the year and the tournament, Tyler was the factor that kept Penn in the tournament against Mount Mercy. What seemed like a slaughter quickly turned into a close game, as WPU watched its 18 point half-time lead dwindle quickly  into the second half.
    Enter Tyler. Hitting from all over the court The Tyster had all of his 18 points in the second half, keeping the Mustangs at bay and unable to rally up a lead; allowing William Penn to advance to the Championship game on a 96-89 victory over the Mustangs of Mt. Mercy.
    After an unlikely upset, Grand View beating the regular season champions, St. Ambrose, the Statesmen were able to host the Championship game against their rivals - The Grand View Vikings. This game was dominated by WPU from the tip-off as Statesmen went on to win the MCC Championship game by a score of 94-75. Much of the community came out to see their guys in their finest hour and one fan was sure to pull Tyler aside and remind him that "if it wasn't for you, they wouldn't have made it into this game tonight." I couldn't agree more!
    The Stahle's now await, quite impatiently, the first round of the NAIA National tournament against an in-state opponent (#6) Dordt College. Both teams seem loaded with offensive threats as they both rank in the top 3 of scoring offenses in the country; the Statesmen averaging 91 ppg with the Defenders average 89.

More news to come next week as the tournament gets underway!
   

Team Stahle

    It was a big night for the Stahle Household on Feb. 22, 2014! We were lucky enough to have the Hosking family in town for the weekend to watch a few games, including the regular season home games in the Penn Gymnasium! Thank you again to Mom, Dad and Grandma Hosking for coming out to celebrate with us! We both had a great game and loved having family to come out to. Not to mention it was especially special for me to have those who have supported me for so many years at my long awaited "Senior Night!" Thanks for the sacrifices you all have made to come to Osky and throughout all the years of following me around!
      The Gym was packed and both games were worth the wait. Unfortunately the girls team wasn't able to pull out the victory. That's not to say we didn't have a shot at it! After a long hard fought game we found ourselves down 1 with only a few seconds left. As the time ticked away I passed to our freshman Alyssa Phillips who was fouled with 1.8 seconds left in the game. The Grand View coaches tried to freeze her by using all their timeouts and unfortunately it seemed to work as she couldn't get one of the two to fall and we lost 81-82. But what a game! Our team really played well together that game and, as embarrassing as it is to me to say, I had a career-high 35 points. Although I am not one to worry about points, it was fun to do well on my last game in that gym and more importantly it has been a privilege to be on a team that likes to see each other do well. I love these girls. The 8 seniors have come from all different backgrounds, all different states practically, and have played for differing times here at William Penn but I can honestly say it has been some of the most fun I have had on a team in my career. I admire these girls for the way they play the game 

with such passion and the way they have accepted me. I can't say that any other team hasn't been accepting; I have been blessed with amazing teammates all of my years. However, some teams have been more supportive of my efforts and accomplishments and it has been such a relief to be on a team that wants each individual to succeed so that the team succeeds as a whole. I never felt like there was a bitter competition among teammates to be the best... I always felt like we genuinely enjoyed seeing each other succeed. That doesn't mean they didn't give me crap the rest of the season about being a ball-hog and needing to pass the ball :) I would have felt neglected if they didn't keep after me for something! I love that no matter how many different things I have experienced... people always surprise me in a good way. 

 The men's game was even more exciting than ours! Grand View is our rival team and at the beginning of every home game against them, after the first basket is made, the fans all throw a roll of toilet paper onto the court! Of course, WPU is then given a technical; but it is a tradition that has been going on for over 30 years! It makes for an even more exciting atmosphere filled with anticipation and high expectations! The Statesmen didn't disappoint as the game was close the whole 40 minutes. Tyler played an amazing game and finished with 20 points and BIG TIME rebounds down the stretch to keep the game out of reach for Grand View. It was so fun to be in the stands with my parents and grandma. I am a proud wife! And I love watching Tyler play the game he loves. He is a great player and so passionate about playing. I am so glad we came to William Penn and that he is able to keep living a dream he has always had, there is no one more deserving of it! I think it is more nerve-wracking being in the stands and watching your husband than playing in a close game yourself! I just wanted him to do so well and I am glad he had such a great game!! Luckily for them, being the #2 seed, this wasn't their last home game and there is more excitement to come to Penn Gymnasium!!

This may be the longest post ever, but we both just feel blessed to be living a dream together. We realize how rare it is to have a husband and wife play on the mens/women's basketball teams at the same college together (how could we forget?! Coach Henry mentions it every time he sees us!), to travel together, to sit in the stands for the other cheering our hardest! I truly believe it has made our marriage even stronger. What a fun adventure and a memory for a lifetime. Truly our story is one for the ages :) 

HAPPY HOLIDAYS!

Don't worry, I am not trying to be politically correct -- I will be saying "Merry Christmas" all break -- but happy holidays is the title because I haven't posted pics from Halloween, Thanksgiving, and now Christmas! oops!

The pics here are not the greatest, we need some of Shaun's! But from the pieced together pics here hopefully one thing is discernible: Love. We were fortunate enough to have the Stahle's come all the way here for Thanksgiving! We had a great time with them, eating delicious home-made food, delectable desserts, and even got to watch (and play in) some good basketball games! It was fun for Tyler and I to both have someone on the sidelines cheering for us, and more importantly, family to celebrate with. Major memorable moments happened even: Jaimee faced her fear of dogs (who can deny Lydie?!) Noel & Becky watched 2 basketball games, and Tyler and I had our first real Thanksgiving together! It was fun to eat a beautiful and delicious thanksgiving meal with the Stahle's and then to come back to our apartment, re-heat the food, and have Brenda Steele over for thanksgiving dinner part 2. I felt blessed to have been surrounded by family (especially considering my teammates spent thanksgiving at HyVee...) but the best part was seeing how my family has grown. I am glad to be a Stahle! And I am even more thankful and grateful for my thoughtful, kind, handsome husband. We are so blessed to have good families and to love spending time together with them.

Speaking of which we can't wait to see everyone for Christmas!! Thank you again for helping us come home, it means more than you know. We have begun to get in to the Christmas spirit starting with our branch Christmas party and continuing with the chance to help at the Nelson Pioneer Farm Christmas Celebration. Tyler and I were the School Masters and were stationed at the lil one-room school. We talked about and read some recitations, had a spelling bee of Christmas words, and helped a few families make chain-link count downs to Christmas! It was fun to sit in the candle-lit room with frosted windows and think how school and holidays must have been in the old days. How simple, and honest it must have been....especially in contrast to the flashy present filled holidays we now experience. All in all it seemed like a very well put together program with carriage rides, lights, festive music and cold, snowy weather.

Now we've got our Christmas music going, our sparkling cider out, and... our basketball bags packed for two more games :) Nothing says Christmas to college athletes like one more tourney! Thankfully, afterwards we will have a long break and we can't wait to see the fam, the christmas lights, the snow covered mountains, and to feel the warmth of the Christmas Season among our loved ones. Thanks again everyone! Can't wait to see you :)

Playin the Game

WILLIAM PENN BASKETBALL

I will try and make up for my lack of posts by mashing all the recent pics and memories into two collages! Sorry I haven't updated this much, but things get a lil busy, believe it or not. But now that finals are done and we are nearing the Christmas break, I thought it would be  a great time to catch up and reflect on some of the experiences we have had over the last few months.

We have been playin' the game of life and mostly winning! Best news is that basketball has been good to us both here at Penn as well, which makes life even the more sweeter. The men's team is doing great with a 9-4 record (and I hear they have the conference's best looking 3-point shooter, number #15). Tyler is enjoying his role on the team and Coach Henry has pretty much told him to shoot if he even sees the rim! He is doing great and having a good time. The women's team is...well struggling right now. Overcoming a few arrests (2 of our starters and leading scorers) is taking its toll on the team and we are all ready for this upcoming break. We're hanging in there with a 7-6 record....but should be doing a lot better. Both teams hope to improve that record by two wins before we head back to UTAH for a much anticipated Christmas Break! The talk of the teams is if the Stahle's will sit by each other on the long bus ride to Kansas... :) We are excited to finally start traveling TOGETHER and getting to watch some of each other's games during conference play.

The women's team volunteered at the Senior Care Center here in Osky last saturday and all I have to say is that someday I hope I am as cool as our friend Fancy! They are some funny people and we enjoyed playing "who am I? Christmas addition" after painting nails and reading to several residents. I think everyone had a good time, if not they pretended to pretty well, which is a step forward from the somewhat negative attitude we have been having as a team. It was sad to see some of the residents so down during the Christmas season because of their families not being there, but it was nice to bring them a few smiles and it certainly brightened my day. We hope to go to the Children's Hospital in Des Moines when we get back from break.

Lastly but not near least, we are both trying to find missionary opportunities with our teammates and we have really begun to feel accepted, respected, and loved as part of the teams we are on. Either they realized that being mormon married and old isn't that weird.... or they have become comfortable with our weirdness, either way we're grateful to have more friends and "family" here in Osky.