Often I get asked about my career to this point. Inevitably,
when I tell people that I spent four years in Lubbock, Texas they respond with
a “oh boy, that sucks” or “I bet being in that town was terrible.” My personal
favorite is “Lubbock? That’s a place?”…The reactions are pretty comical to me. Honestly,
it has taken me some time to truly appreciate Texas and Lubbock as it deserves.
I was one of those people that would scoff at the thought of Lubbock and having
to live there. But as time went on I realized all that Lubbock had done for me.
That is what todays post is about. Reflecting on my time in the one place I
would have never expected to grow as much as I did.
Now, it would be easy to rant about all the bad times I had
or focus on Lubbock’s short comings but that’s not what I want to do. There was
so much good about my time in Lubbock that I want to focus on those memories.
And where better to start than with my job. With this being my first
professional “big boy” job, I was so excited when I go hired. Side note, I received
and accepted the job offer on my 24th birthday. My family and I proceeded
to go celebrate with some Korean BBQ and a few (ok more than a few) libations!
I started work on October 1, 2009 and I never looked backed. Coming in, I was
charged with taking the Life Skills program to new heights. My boss was
fantastic and gave me the freedom to do as I wanted (within reason) to ensure we
had a comprehensive program for our student-athletes. In my four years we did
exactly that! We truly a built a program to be proud of and one that we loved
showing off. Within our office, I enjoyed most of the coworkers I had over my
time there (“most” being the word of focus here). We had a lot of laughs and a
saw of lot of change together. From press box on Friday’s, to our entertaining staff
meetings, food days, many of our ridiculous conversation topics, and of course Justin
(yeah this guy) always referring to himself as THEE Director of Student-Athlete
Affairs to our guests and recruits…good times all around! But don’t get it wrong;
just like any close knit group we had our issues and disagreements. There were
plenty of days I left wanting to curse one of them out. But we always got
through those times and for that I am thankful. We could have all been in a far
worse work environment, and some of the staff had before, so we should all be
grateful. And then there were my other athletic department coworkers. Some I knew
better than others. Our administrators and coaches all had their unique
personalities. A few of the coaches and I did WORK when it came to recruiting.
We really had a good flow. And for the coaches and administrators that I spent time with outside
of work, haha well, all I need to say is thank you for the memories. To those
individuals I am referring to, please take a minute to think of your favorite
moments in time with JPay! We had an amazing group of student-athletes too.
Overall they really were a great bunch of young adults that cared for one
another. They made my job pretty easy when it came to certain aspects of our
programming. I loved seeing them grow and mature throughout their time. My
first freshman class of student-athlete from when I started either graduated
this past spring or they’re finishing up now. They have grown so much and I am
sincerely sad I am not there to see you cross that finish line at graduation. Just
know I am so proud of you. And was everything fun and fantastic about my time
at Texas Tech? No. But as I look back on things, it really was a solid four
years with some amazing people and for that I thank you all.
And then there was Capstone Crossfit. Probably some of the best people
I have been around to date. My Crossfit family will ALWAYS have a special place
in my life. Once I got cleared from my back surgery, one of my coworkers and
now great friends, Hilary Sanders, and I went down to Capstone for our
introductory lessons. There to greet us was this tatted white dude with a
backwards hat blasting hip hop and talking like he was down. So naturally I was
hesitant to like him at first. Where I come from guys like this are usually
posers trying to be cool. But little did I know that this guy, Russell Butler,
would become one of my closest friends in Lubbock and in life for that matter.
I still remember Thursday’s being max days and him always making me lift by
myself because my strength was coming back much quicker than ever anticipated
and there was no one on my level. Yeah, I was kind of a big deal…kidding. I
guess in reality I was like the smelly kid that played alone on the playground.
Over time I would come to make friends with so many people at Capstone. The
Brandiger’s and Osborne’s, our gym owners, are nothing short of extraordinary.
They are the ones that had the faith in me to be their Crossfit Football coach
and allowed me to get my certification as well as run my own class. Talk about
fun times! No one will ever forget “This Is Gonna Suck” Saturday workouts or
the crowd favorite post workout Tummy Tummy Time (in my devious voice). I also can’t
fail to recognize all my fellow coaches: Russell (who I already mentioned), Steven,
Geoff, Ally, Garrett, Niraj, Jordan, John, Christina, Jason, Andy, and newly
added Kasey. Now what I need those reading this to understand is that we went
as hard outside the gym as we did during workouts. Does anyone remember Spring
and Summer of 2012? From all the nights out at The Office or The Roof or even, dare
I say it, Chances R! And then there was the infamous LA Trip that is only to be
discussed within the group…Ha! And we can’t forget the 2012 Cinco de Mayo
party! Jake, Nathan, and Britt will laugh when I say “I don’t know what happened,
I was just sitting there…..” Let’s also not fail to mention last year’s 27th
birthday party, the 13.6 party from this spring, or the Going Away party in
September…If you missed out, I really do feel bad for you. Overall, to my boys,
I can’t thank yall enough for everything. To my homegirls, yall know who you
are, thank you for always being there for me and for all the good times.
And then there was Experience Life, the church that changed
me forever. Prior to my time at E-Life I was a person who relied solely on his
good deeds and “being a good person” as his rationale for not needing to attend
church regularly or form a true relationship with Christ. In my eyes, I was
just fine and would get through the pearly gates because I was a nice person. But
I now know how wrong I was. And honestly, had it not been for Loren and Jeff
Richardson, I may have never joined E-Life. Loren worked in my office and every
week for months asked me to attend church with her and Jeff. Week after week I turned
down the invite. But their last week in town before moving away I agreed to
come along. Little did I know there would be no turning back. Pastor Chris and his
staff pulled me in from my first visit and from that point, week after week, I
had to be there. The energy and spirit in that church was addicting and I had
to have more. Soon I made the decision to commit my life to Christ and was honored
to have this done at E-Life. That still is one of the greatest days of my life.
I get emotional thinking about it to this day. Every day I thank the Lord for
leading me to him because I was so lost before. There were plenty of dark days
in my past. Honestly, there were a few times when I probably should have lost
my freedoms or possibly my life. But even not knowing him, he delivered me from
my self-inflicted pain and destruction. After committing my life to him, I still
have days where I want to give up when life doesn’t go in my favor, but I am
able to keep moving forward. Through prayers, faith, and an understanding that I
will never be dealt a situation that I cannot handle, I am able to continuously
get up despite circumstances that knock me down. The extreme anxiety I once
battled on a daily bases...well let’s just say it is not even a fair fight
anymore. I rarely get rattled and hardly have anxiety attacks anymore. And when
I do, I kid you not, I laugh them off. I am in such a better place in my life
and I sometimes struggle to truly articulate how I feel about it all. There is
not day that goes by when I am not in constant prayer and thanksgiving for my
spiritual walk. So to the Richardson’s, E-Life, and all those that helped keep
me in line with my faith…Thank You!
Listen, we all know Lubbock, TX is not this booming city
that is at the forefront of everyone’s mind. But Lubbock is filled with great people
and tons of magnificent opportunities for those that take the time to look for
them. I would have never expected to meet some of my closest friends while in
Lubbock. Nor did I ever think that my spiritual walk would begin in Lubbock
either. But it did. And I could not be more grateful. The memories I have from
my time there will last forever. Everyone I came in contact with will forever
be part of my heart and we will always be connected. Life long bonds have been
formed and whether yall like it or not, you are all stuck with me…accept it now!
So from the bottom of my heart, to every person I came in contact with and the memories
we created…Thank You.
Here’s to you Lubbock.
JPay
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