I Choose My Family….My #FootballFamily

What does #footballfamily mean? For those of you who might not know, it’s a hashtag I tend to use regularly on social media. Last fall I found myself knee deep into it………..

I started writing this blog with tears filling my eyes on a flight back to South Dakota last fall. Airport goodbyes with my husband never seem to get any easier….especially this past season. I missed my family being all together. As many of my readers know, my husband, got the head football coaching job at the University of Idaho right before Christmas of 2021 (#GoVandals), and my head has been spinning ever since.

Jason and I decided together that we would let our son Jax, a senior in high school, finish his 2022 football season with his team in SD. He has moved a lot as a coach’s kid, and I just could not imagine moving him from his team the last year of high school football. This move was his 8th move as a coach’s kid…..so I was more than willing to sacrifice for him to give him that final football season as a Bobcat.  👦🏼🖤🏈❤️🐾.

This ended up being our longest coaching transition yet….over 11 months to be exact. I’ve went through covid, a sick baby in the hospital, trying to potty train (failing miserably btw🤦🏼‍♀️), babysitters canceling on me last minute before flights, building a house in another state, a flat tire driving to the airport on my way out to ID, and I probably would easily bore you rattling on any more. After it is all said and done…I have traveled well over 100+ hours back and forth from ID to SD. What can I say I am a sucker for a guy with dark curly hair, blue eyes, and a whistle😍🖤🏈💛🙋🏻‍♂️. 

I am pretty sure there may have been some of you that thought I chose my son over my husband.…..Jax’s senior year over my husband’s first year as a head football coach. Well, I could not disagree with you more…..I chose my family. I tried to do my best juggling it all to make everyone happy….and I would be lying if I said I didn't struggle a bit through it all…..there were a lot of tears.

I wanted to stay to see my son’s final season…. playing football under those Friday night lights as a Bobcat. I also chose to get up at 4 in the morning to catch the first flight Saturday morning…..battling a flat tire before the Drake game…..so I could kiss my husband after his first win as a head football coach. I chose to miss one of my senior’s away games so that I could watch one of his younger brother’s 6th grade football games. I missed a lot of my 6th graders games traveling back and forth to Idaho. I couldn’t do it all….but I chose my family!

My message to every coaching family is that there is no right answer on when to move your family when you are in transition. I firmly believe that you have to do what is best for your family at that time….whatever that may be. There is a lot of pressure put on you as a coach’s wife as far as when you should move. Don’t listen to the outside noise, trust your gut, and think about you and your family first. 

As far as what is best for you and your family….only you will know the answer to that……Not other coaches wives…..not the fans…..not even your extended family. And let’s be 100% real….family still does not have a clue about what you go through daily as a coach’s wife👧🏼👦🏼👦🏼👦🏼👦🏼🙋🏻‍♂️🏈🙋🏼‍♀️🤹🏼‍♀️.

On a final note, I could not end this post without a thank you. The support I received from my friends & fellow coaches wives was amazing. Especially the ones that checked in on me……that took the time to be there because they care……that understood and related to what I was going through. You know who you are….you are truly the REAL MVPs! Because, let’s be real….you find out who truly cares when times are tough. 

We finally made it to the light at the end of the tunnel. My family….all together again in our Idahome. This Coach’s Wife could not be happier👧🏼👦🏼👦🏼👦🏼👦🏼🏠🏔️🙋🏼‍♀️🙋🏻‍♂️🖤💛🏈✌🏼's⬆️.