Monday, October 21, 2013

Hello, October!

Well, well, whattayaknow.  I'm getting a wee bit of a blogging bug.  I think it's about time.  And it makes a bit of sense that this would be the time.  Big cheer competition yesterday means a HUGE amount of time has been given back to me.  And not just time but brain cells.  I no longer have to think about dancing and cheering and reworking and strategizing how to do what and when.  It's all so great, or I wouldn't do it, but I'm always glad when the season ends and I can get some time back in my life.

So what's been up?


October, you've been extraordinarily lovely this year.  Thanks for the show you're putting on.



Our competition resulted in a beautifully performed 2nd place.  I really do love these girls.  They are such bundles of joy.  Games Saturday and a banquet and the 2013 season is a wrap!




At the start of the season I told them our plan for the season was "Work Hard and Be Kind".  Middle school years can bring out the unkind in some...lack of kindness is a good path to a miserable life.  So we talked a lot about kindness, that it matters.  These girls?  They exude it.   Many of us cried at our last practice, sad to see it ending.



Our team hug at our last practice.




And Miss Brenna has been running her little heart out!  She's having a great season with times that are consistently and substantially faster than this time last year.  League meet is this week, followed by districts and then (hopefully!) off to state!  So proud of her hard work and dedication.



She also has a heap of fun with all her friends.  So thankful for the wide and solid group of friends she has!












And how 'bout those Hawks??  They are making football season extra fun this year.



And extra, extra fun is a video our music teacher created for the Hawks.  "Can't Stop Hawks" is a Seahawk version of a Maklemore song.  This little video, made for fun to let the kids enjoy at one of our Friday Sings, ended up in the hands of the Seahawks themselves.  The whole team (players and coaching staff) watched it during a team meeting.  That led to the Seahawks calling to suggest we enter it in an NFL contest (go vote for us at nfl.com!) and also to request a copy of the video to play during their pregame recently.

And extra, extra, extra fun???  Maklemore himself was at that Seahawk game!  Here's a picture of him (in the blue jacket) watching our school's video on the big screen:






We've also had rare but loved time skyping with Alex.  I'm so thankful I get to see his face while I hear his voice...I can see for myself he is doing great.  He has adjusted beautifully and is loving college life.  Our adjustment was a lot slower, but now we have a new normal.  But I cannot wait to see him in December.



Here's one of our skype moments where he showed us that he is now making reeds out of these tube thing-a-ma-jigs.  It's apparently a great thing.



I never ever thought I would be a sticker-on-a-minivan kind of gal, but I now proudly am all that!




And our furry friend Lucy is still as fun as ever.  Beth decided she would snuggle her into a nest when we left so she "wouldn't get into any trouble".  Didn't quite work, but it was a sweet attempt.






And...I can't believe it, but we caved in and let Beth get a rodent.  I mean a hamster.  I've been asked/told not to call it a rodent.  She is head over heels in love with this little creature.  She named it Joy.  (Oh, the irony.)  I really helped her heart after saying such a painful goodbye to her brother.  She needed something to nurture.


I love that Lucy is being restrained in the background...wanting oh-so-badly to get up close to Joy.

So there's the long-winded but short-version wrap-up of our October.  Maybe I'll get myself back in to this blogging stuff!