Holding It All Together: A Coach’s Wife, a Mom, and a Girl with a Dream

Being a coach’s wife isn’t for the faint of heart—especially this time of year.
If you know, you know.

The house runs on late nights, drive-thru (and sometimes cold) dinners, and schedules that barely overlap. Sometimes it feels like Adam and I are ships passing in the night—quick hugs in the kitchen, short texts between practices and bedtimes, a brief conversation, maybe a back rub, and then lights out before we do it all again the next day.

But that’s football season.
And even though it’s hard… it’s ours.

When Passions Collide

Football season means Dad (Coach) is all in—film sessions and game-day prep, practices, late nights, and long bus rides.
It also means that Mom (me) is juggling barn nights, school mornings, horse show registrations, and sleep arrangements for weekends away during show season.

Faith has been working so hard getting ready for her first USEA recognized Horse Trial next weekend. Watching her pour her heart into this sport—the hours she’s spent grooming, jumping, conditioning—has been such a gift. I’m thankful I get to pour into her passion, even when it means I’m running on caffeine and sheer determination.

At this point, I’m pretty sure I’m being held together by prayer, dry shampoo, and Diet Coke

But let’s be real—hauling to horse shows during football season is no small feat. Dad can’t come.
So it’s me.
Packing, driving, loading, unloading, making sure both girls are fed, rested, and ready to go (and that I don’t forget the saddle pads, helmets, boots, or show jackets).

There are moments it feels like I’m doing it all solo—but I know I’m not alone. Every coach’s wife reading this knows exactly what that balance feels like.

First Flights and Sweet Reminders

A couple of weeks ago, my baby brother got married, and I took both girls with me—just the three of us.
Adam couldn’t come, because… well, football season.

It was Faith and Gracelyn’s very first time flying, and I’ll be honest—I was nervous. Traveling with kids can be chaotic. Traveling with kids alone during football season, when you’re already running on fumes? That’s another level.

But something about that trip reminded me that I can do hard things.

Faith immediately called dibs on the window seat and documented the entire flight like she was filming a travel vlog. It was precious. Gracelyn, meanwhile, completely surprised me—she handled it like a champ. From “wheels up” to “wheels down,” she giggled, wide-eyed, and yelled “woah!” during landing, and of course, we all laughed.

We lugged suitcases, ate airport snacks, survived security lines, and came home sleep-deprived but with hearts so, so full.

It was exhausting and beautiful all at once—the kind of memory that sticks.
A “first” I got to experience with my girls—without Adam, yes, but still with joy.
And that’s something we’ll remember forever.

The Weight of Missing

We love our coaches. We’re proud of them. But sometimes… we miss them.
We miss family dinners that aren’t dictated by football schedules.
We miss help with homework and bedtime routines.
We miss the feeling of being in sync instead of running on two completely different clocks.

Still, we choose this life—and the lessons it teaches our kids are worth it.

Faith and Gracelyn are learning firsthand what dedication looks like. They see their dad give his all to something bigger than himself, and they see their mom doing the same—showing up, supporting, loving, leading.

That’s the stuff that builds character—theirs and mine.

To My Fellow Coach’s Wives

If you see us this time of year—bags under our eyes, coffee in one hand and a backpack in the other—say a prayer for us. And good heavens, don’t even think about making a snark remark about our coaches… we might just go off on you. Or I might— respectfully, of course. 😅

We’re holding it all together.
We’re holding down the fort.
We’re raising kids who know what commitment looks like.
And we’re cheering on the man we love, even if it’s from the stands—or from a horse-show barn somewhere hours away.

This season of “ships passing” won’t last forever.
So when we do get time together, we protect it.
We make it quality. Whether it’s a Sunday morning breakfast before church, a quick lunch together during the week, or five minutes to talk before we go to bed.

Because this life may stretch us—but it also grows us.

Here’s to Us

Here’s to the wives keeping the schedules straight, the kids loved, and the house standing.
Here’s to the moms lugging gear, managing meltdowns, and cheering through exhaustion.
Here’s to the girls who travel solo, cheer from afar, and love hard through the chaos.
And here’s to Faith—for chasing her dreams with courage and heart.

It’s not easy—but it’s worth it.
We’re tired, yes. But we’re tougher.
And if there’s one thing I know for sure… this is what holding it together looks like.