Yesterday’s activity began with a wonderful Dance Praise workout. I enjoyed myself so very much that I kept bee bopping along for an hour and did it at what was a pretty high intensity for me! I just loved praising and worshiping the Lord while moving around on the dance pad!

But after lunch, it was time for me to start moving tons (literally) of gravel with the shovel and the wheelbarrow. I hadn’t planned on my body being fatigued from the gravel moving I did earlier in the week! I was good only for about half the pile…about 3 tons. I literally couldn’t control my arms any more when I decided to stop. Nuts! I was going to finish that today.

Got up, had my quiet time and was going to head out to do gravel when my daughter realized that there was an all day series of tennis clinics available for FREE here in Auburn Lake Trails by a USPTA professional who is the director of tennis at Auburn Racquet Club. Well, when tennis was the love of your younger life, you just can’t let an opportunity like that go by. Not only that, but I have been PRAYING for tennis activities for the kids to come to our neighborhood. We live out in the country and it is a long way to go to find something that works. God has delivered as the professional who came wants to establish a client base out here! How cool!

My family got there just in time for the first event: Adult Cardio Tennis! OH MY GOODNESS! Did I ever get a HUGE workout!!! It was a BLAST! I tell you, I would sign up for that a couple of times a week…but man alive it busted me to pieces! I was huffing and puffing and just about dying. My husband did die, I think. LOL! He had us do drills and run around constantly for 30 minutes and then since no one showed up to do his next clinic–a beginner adult tennis clinic, he gave us 30 more minutes of cardio. That was an HOUR of intense cardio tennis! I CAN’T GET OVER HOW MUCH FUN IT WAS! LOL!

So after that, I was going to go home and work on the gravel…but no way. I was shot. 🙂 We had just enough time to eat lunch and then grabbed the kids and hauled them back to the courts so THEY could do a middle school/high school clinic and then a junior cardio tennis class. WOW! They BOTH were surprised at the fun they had.

The professional was Marsh Riggs. I was impressed with his skill with tennis, but beyond that at the way he was so incredibly affirming. No matter what he wanted the kids to do (or the adults) and even the littler kids (I watched him with 6 – 12 year olds), he was positive, encouraging, affirming. He moved things quickly, but taught a LOT in a short time. I was blown away that he would give of his time freely. Yes, I know it is to build a client base, but some would attempt to do this charging a fee to start. He let us see what kind of teacher he was. Definitely skilled as a teacher and a pretty nice human.

At the end of the afternoon, he and his son who is the #2 player at Placer High as a sophomore, did a demo of playing out points. It was very cool. I also loved to see the positive way they interacted. He is a coach I would LOVE for even my autistic son to have in his life…and Michaela loved him too. BOTH kids are interested in lessons when Marsh starts them up here in May.

Boy, I had forgotten how much I love tennis! I think I have to return to playing again! What a BLAST! I also made two new friends–women I will play with…the first is this Wednesday at 7pm. COOL!