Heather Candela, Author at Friday Night Wives

Hey Coach’s Wife, It’s Okay to Have Expectations

Yes, football and marriage are team sports. And for the team to get stronger and for the game to go well, each member needs their expectations set and then met. That's what makes a good team into a great one.

Journal

A Postseason Sing-Along: The Most Wonderful Ball of the Year

It’s the most wonderful ball of the year With the brackets all forming And top-seeds all donning their jerseys and gear It’s the most wonderful ball of the year

Journal

Fall Start: October Violations

It's October. It's football season. It's week 8. It's 90 degrees. I'm pretty sure some penalty flags are in order... Oh, how I'd love to throw them! Fragrant foul: Laundry. Unnecessary roughness, nose guard. Offensive violation, tail back. Off putting penalties. Illegal motion: Away ...

Faith, Journal

The Beauty of Light on Bended Knee

And I'm reminded that while my life might be hard right now... and my shoulders and knees may be bent way more than usual... that is a far cry from a bad thing. I needed to be humbled. I needed to shake things up, to be shaken, to be bent.

Journal

This is What Football Does to a Coach’s Wife

Yes, Friday nights give me goosebumps. Good old-fashioned, puckered-up chicken skin. And not because I’m lucky enough to get a pre-game kiss from a tall mug of coaching caramel macchiato. (Although that helps, too), but because boy, can our boys play some ball. And man, can our men coach ‘em ...

Family, Journal

Just Because You’re Struggling Doesn’t Mean You’re Failing

But that phrase reminds me that yes, while I am struggling -- absolutely, positively, no-doubt-about-it struggling -- that doesn't mean I'm failing. I've gotten some points on the board. Not as many as I'd like, but some.

Journal

To the New Wife on the Staff (And the Wives Welcoming Her)

I’m writing this as a gentle reminder that all of us have been there. We’ve all been the New Wife -- the one no one knows. And sadly, some of us have even been the New Wife that no one ever knows… the one that no one ever reaches out to before the transient nature of the football life has its ...

Family, Journal, Marriage

Football Gives Me All the Feels

Because starting in less than a few short weeks (and then for the next five months), my life will be FILLED with powerful emotions. Wave after wave of powerful emotions. No doubt about it.

Family, Journal, Marriage

There Are Three of Us In This Marriage

You see, my husband is a high school football coach, and he’s been married to the game for a really, really, long time. They were a thing long before he and I were a thing. And when we started dating, I had to come to terms with the rules of engagement.

Family, Journal, Marriage

What Football Has Taught Me About Family

Yes, football and being a football family requires physical demands and emotional commitments from everyone involved. There are so many lonely dinners and difficult bath times. There are so many rushed labor-day cookouts and daddy-less trick-or-treats. There are so many tears from kids who miss ...

Heather Candela

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