The Ballad of a Football Coach's Wife

Two-a-days start and our summer comes to an end, that's when we kiss daddy goodbye until we meet again. We'll reunite around November, or, if we make a good run, it'll be December. Football has consumed our family for more years than I can remember.

Mondays through Wednesdays are for running drills and learning plays...Thursdays and Fridays are games, Saturdays are reserved for game film and college games. Sundays we go praise God with a proud heart and bended knees. It is then that we pray for no season-ending injuries.

We pray for junior high boys to understand all of the X's and O's, and for them to realize that they have NOTHING to do with tic-tac-toe. We pray for high school boys to understand that fall is no longer about the ABC's, but now their lives revolve around the F's and G's: God, Grades, Family, & Football...everything else must take a back seat.

We pray for these boys to learn that "Yes, Sir" is the answer to any question or command, and that they also realize that football is building the character that it takes to become an honorable man.

While my husband prays that God helps his receiver to finally learn to run the slant, I pray that my husband learns to let God control the things that he can't.

Long days and sleepless nights can sometimes take their toll, and sometimes kids and parents do things for reasons that we'll never know. Though on Friday night he pours out his blood, sweat, and tears, on Saturday morning, never failing, he'll receive some boos and jeers. He feels conflicted because his time is often spent with the kids of others and not his own, and I pray that he understands his family knows that through all of this his heart has grown.

He instills in boys daily the desire to be a part of something greater than they are, and the knowledge that successful teams need eleven, not just one star. That each and every one of them is important in their own way, and that no matter how much he yells, it's because he cares so much about them at the end of the day.

So then it's back to Monday, to do it all over again...and for the rest of the week, our lives are focused on a win. We love our God, our kids, our family, and for one thing we all unite: the emotions and the excitement of a small town Texas Friday Night.

Written By: Lacy Hollingsworth
For: My Favorite Coach in the Whole Wide World, Josh Hollingsworth :)

Sneaky Meatloaf

I came up with this recipe to try to sneak veggies in on Jase, who is NOT a veggie eater. I just threw a bunch of veggies together and mixed it in with his meat so that he wouldn't taste it! It's basically a traditional meatloaf, just using ground turkey instead of ground beef, and NO KETCHUP. Some people, my mother included, love ketchup and use it in their meatloaf, but I don't like ketchup and don't eat it, (it's nothing philosophical, I just think it tastes nasty...haha), so I don't use it. If your kids will run at the site of veggies, then, by all means, douse theirs with ketchup! lol.

This recipe feeds Josh, Jase, and I, but if you have a larger family, bigger appetites, or like leftovers, then just double it. I don't always use the same veggies either. I always use onions, but sometimes sub the carrots and/or bell pepper for squash, chopped fresh spinach, or whatever other veggies that I may have on hand at the time.

1lb ground turkey meat
Approx 1/2-1 cup finely chopped carrots
Approx 1 cup chopped onions
Approx 1/2-1 cup finely chopped bell pepper
1 egg
1/4 cup bread crumbs or crushed cracker crumbs
1 envelope dry onion soup mix
1-2 tsp garlic (to your tastes)
1 Tbsp Thyme (opt.)
1 Tbsp Oregano (opt.)
Salt & Pepper (to your tastes)
1 can Italian style diced tomatoes

Mix all ingredients except tomatoes together thoroughly in a mixing bowl with your hands or a fork. Form into a "meatloaf" shape in a small casserole dish. Pour tomatoes over meatloaf, then refill the tomato can halfway with water and pour this half can of water around the sides of the meatloaf. Place coarsely chopped potatoes, carrots, or any other vegetable of your choice around the meatloaf in the pan. Bake @ 400 degrees for approximately 1 hour.