Back to School!

I just got home from one of the longest days! It was my first day back to school for my second semester of graduate school! Did you catch all that? Ha!

I knew I had to give this day to God before starting it or I knew I would come home in tears! It most definitely was a trying day and will prove to be one heck of a semester! With every day of grad school that passes I feel as though I have accomplished something! I know I'm one day closer to a paycheck and that is great to think about and I actually made it through the day. The great thing about getting my masters now is that I'm older and don't let myself freak out about too many things (only a few, and tears are a must when I am frustrated)! I just know I have to get it done and it will eventually get done! So, today I reminded myself that it will get done when I was given all my clinic assignments for the semester. I only have three clients but I will have some very long Mondays and weeks ahead of me. Mondays: I leave for school at 10am then don't get home till 10pm!

But God is good!

I have to admit I am totally looking forward to fall and Christmas break! It has been such a long time since I have been on a school schedule it is going to be nice!

God continues to be faithful! I have been praying specifically for some things and He is starting to unfold things in His timing! His timing is the key! Ha! Things never happen when I want it to but it is always perfect!

Soooo, this journey God has me on in this life is getting better and more interesting everyday! I am thankful for so many things and God is soooooo good!

Football Season + Grad School = Busy, Busy

I get it, I totally get it! Why God has placed or has yet to place certain things in my life. He is calling me to a closer walk and I am humbled by the journey he has me on right now! I feel as though my spirit is unsettled and I desire so much more from my relationship with Christ! I love being in a place like this!


I have fully realized this past weekend how sad I am to leave Northwest Arkansas (friends, Shiloh & our home) but how excited I am for what God is doing in Northeast Arkansas! I knew when I married a coach our lives would not be settled in one place for very long; just kinda goes with the territory! But I love being a coach's wife! It keeps me young and well keeps our schedule full! I also love the influence Jeff has on so many people.

At this point, lots of things are happening! I have finished my first semester of Graduate school with a 4.0! Yay God!! And am moving into next semester with the same prayer that God would show me favor in my studies! Jeff is really gearing up for football! It is so exciting! I am praying for things that Paragould people don't believe will happen just so we can say - God did it! I am also praying that God would show Jeff favor with the kids, coaches and community!

Oh man, I can't forget! It seems like every where I turn the women I meet or are friends with in NWA are pregnant or just had a baby or have a whole litter of kids! Ha! It is bizarre, I'm not sure if it is the fact that I am now at an age that people typically start having kids or what! Sure makes Jeff and I feel a bit out of place! Our new small group has five pregnant ladies and everyone else has kids! Jeff and I were laughing this past Sunday because everyone else was going on about life before kids and we gave each other the knuckle bump (like- yea, it's sweet)!! Ha! Everyone laughed, but I believe that God will bless our lives with children one day! And that will be a sweet day and a sweet time in our lives! However, I am a bit scared of the process, personally! But know that if you are a friend of mine and are pregnant, I am praying for you and your baby!

Sorry it has been so long since the last post! And sorry this is so long! I will try and post pictures soon!
With Love,
Melissa

God's Plan!!! Amazing Stuff!!

Wow! That is all I can say at the way God works!

Our journey into head coaching and graduate school has been great but stressful none the less! God has continued to sustain us in ways never imagined. I am in awe of the work he is doing in our lives and the ways he is using us!

This past weekend we were back in good 'ole Northwest Arkansas! It was a refreshment for the both of us to see so many people who were encouraging us in this journey God has us on (I would also call it a mission). Ever since Jeff has moved here God has been using him in the community and with our football team! Well, while in NWA this weekend he had about 21 players that came with him to the 7 on 7 tournament. Jeff had his team stay in the 24-7 building of First Baptist. Shawn Smith spoke to the team on Thursday night and Michael Guyer spoke to them on Friday night! There were 7 boys among that group of 21 who prayed to receive Christ this weekend!!!!!!!!! Hallelujah! God continues to confirm to us that we are where he wants us!

I just can't get over God's goodness! Takes my breath away!

It was great to see my many friends this weekend! I hold you all close to my heart and love you guys! May God do something great in your lives this week!

Comes around about ONCE a month

Greetings from the Conaways!!

I am sorry to all my friends and family who constantly check my blog only to be let down because nothing new has been going on worth blogging... well I am here to tell you there have been plenty of things worthy of posting here; however, I have been completely and utterly exhausted from school and the hours I continuously put in. It is never ending! The work is rediculous but will make me stronger. I am always writing some sort of paper, usually! That is probably the main reason this is neglected!

As, I write this blog I sit in bed in our home in Springdale! Jeff and I are over here for the weekend because he brought his team to a 7 on 7 competition to get them as much experience with the new offense as possible! I tell you, this day has been long, overwhelming and exciting all at the same time! Long because I woke up around 5:30 am and I am still up writing this, overwhelming because I came back to my home that is still for sale and it is bittersweet, and exciting because Jeff and I have been able to already see so many people who we have missed and have gotten to catch up...oh and exciting because it's time for some FOOTBALL!!!

I love being a coach's wife and everything that goes with it. I love that these kids keep me feeling young even when I am not! I love encouraging kids to better their lives and strive for something, I love most of all the influence my husband has on his football players! I thank God daily for what a Godly influential man he has placed in my life! Saturday Jeff and I will be celebrating our 5 year wedding anniversary! We will celebrate with football, but it is celebrating and that's all that matters! These have been the best 5 years of my life and it has only seemed to get better. With every new adventure God continues to bless our marriage and our lives! So, with that I say to Jeff...I LOVE YOU AND AM MORE THANKFUL FOR YOU EVERYDAY OF MY LIFE - HAPPY ANNIVERSARY!

Just another note on our house: The house is being shown again Sunday July 13 at 11:30am! If you think of it or just after reading this, we would appreciate a short prayer asking God to sell our house soon! And that these people are the buyers for this house! Thanks again for all your prayers, concern and support!

We love you all and are thankful for you!

It's been a while!!

I know that is has been over a month since my last post! I am so sorry! A lot has happened in this past month to keep me very busy!

For starters, I moved around the first of May! We are still praying that our house will sell and are currently living with Jeff's mom! That is going really well! She is a very gracious woman and I am thankful for her willingness to letting us stay! We also, have a new newphew...Dallas Weston Hitt! He's the cutest cowboy I have ever seen!!!

Secondly, we have been gearing up for all the football stuff coming up... we had our first fundraiser and that turned out to be rather successful, had the spring game and getting ready for the summer schedule! Their first 7 on 7 is this weekend! Fingers crossed! Some exciting things have been going on and Jeff is very encouraged about what's to come in the future! Below are a few photos from our Spring Game! Go Eagles!!!

And lastly, I started school on May 28th! And oh man has it been difficult! Just getting back into the swing of things and conditioning my mind and body on waking up at 5am just to go to class! The work load expected is unreal! I have so much to do and am just really not sure of how they want it done! But God is great and faithful in sustaining my energy and mental focus! I also could not have been blessed anymore than I am with better professors and cohorts! We have such a great group of girls in the first year graduate group! Everyone has been so helpful! I know this year and a half will go by quickly but will be so hard; I keep telling myself that I won't be happy with what I do in life until I finish this degree! So, I keep on keeping on!

To add to the stress level of this past week...my car decides to breakdown or I should say overheat and well there goes a bunch of money fixing it! Jeff was great in taking that stress away from me and dealing with it all himself! I am so thankful for his understanding of my stress with school!

Hope this has caught you up on the Conaways as of late...enough procrastinating for me...gotta get to work!!!

Moving very soon!

The time has come for me to pack my things and be with my husband! This week will be my last week here. We will have to come back when the house sells but other than that we will be calling a new place home! I will be heading out of town the weekend of May 1-3.

Things are coming together really well in Paragould for both Jeff and I:

Jeff has a lot of exciting things going on with the football program. He is cleaning things up and perfecting some things that needed his hand in them. He finally has a desk and computer and we are getting ready to kick off our first fundraiser for the Greene County Tech Football program!

I met with the director of the Communication Disorders program at ASU this past Tuesday and realized just how tough this venture will be. God has answered prayer for providing for my tuition for graduate school. And I praise HIM for that! God has continued to show Himself faithful!

We have found a great group of faithful friends that we enjoy so much! Jeff and I are still praying about what church to call home. I have not had the opportunity to visit with Jeff as much as I would like.

Our house has been shown a few times over the past couple of weeks but no offers yet! We know God will sell this house! We are trusting in Him!

I have to say that our time in Northwest Arkansas was a blessing in every way possible! We are so thankful for the people who have touched, blessed and poured into our lives while we were here. We loved the opportunities we had to minister to the students of Shiloh Christian and First Baptist Church, Springdale. We know that God used our time in NWA as a time to grow us and prepare us for the ministry that is to come! I certainly thought that my last week in Northwest AR would be easier than I am finding it to be, due to me having more time to say 'good-bye.' It is mighty hard!

So, we will say it is not 'good-bye' but "UNTIL NEXT TIME!"

Biggest Loser

I am such a fan of the TV show called The Biggest Loser! I love that this show is about people trying to better themselves and realizing their struggle with weight has gotten out of hand! Most of these people who go on this show could qualify for gastric bypass surgery and they choose to lose the weight the natural way!

The LIVE season Finale is on Tuesday night at 7pm. My favorite contestant on the show is Ali! She has lost 99lbs and looks incredible! I hope she wins! You should watch to see these people's before and afters, they are truly amazing and should inspire you.

These people inspire and motivate me to take care of myself. One of my biggest fears in life is not being healthy and gaining a bunch of weight. I have always been driven to take care of myself whether that is eating right or working out; it is a priority in my life. When I watch The Biggest Loser and I see how hard these people are training in the gym it makes me reflect on my workouts and that I can always push myself harder. Seriously if these people, who have lost more weight than I even weigh, can workout that hard I should be able to!

I firmly believe that you should take care of yourself! If not for you, do it for the PEOPLE who LOVE you!

So here are a few tips on taking care of yourself:

1. Do some sort of cardiovascular exercise for at least 30 min. 5 times a week. - That is bare minimum! Weight training is great to incorporate with cardio for ultimate fat burning!

2. Eat 6 small meals a day: really it is 3 meals and 3 snacks. The more often you eat, the more your metabolism speeds up.

3. Eat Breakfast! Many people don't understand why breakfast is important...When you sleep, your metabolism slows down. So, eating breakfast jump starts your day and will speed up your metabolism to burn more calories during that day. Not eating breakfast will keep your metabolism slow from the night before and you will probably end up binge eating or over eating at a meal or find your self mindless eating and you will burn fewer calories in that day.

4. Drink some Green Tea! Green Tea has a lot of antioxidants in it that are great for your body and will also give your metabolism a boost. White Tea is great too!

5. Eat a clean diet six days a week and give yourself a CHEAT day! There is a book about eating a clean diet - let me know if you are interested and I will email you the name of it! Basically don't over do it on Sodium or Sugar intake, eat red meat once a week, watch out for the bad fat and carbs, eat green food, eat lean protein. Stop eating fast food! (My view on fast food changed after watching the movie called 'Supersize Me' a documentary by Morgan Spurlock - you should watch it). Giving yourself a cheat day will give you something to look forward to and will make up for any lack of calories your body got throughout the week.

6. Figure out good healthier options for the things you love to eat!

7. Get your family, Spouse or significant other involved in your journey and be commited!

There are many more but I will stop at that! I could go on for days!

Please watch The Biggest Loser tomorrow night at 7pm on NBC and be inspired to change your life!

I will leave you with an inspirational picture! Haha!! Love you guys!