I am so excited to hurry up and get all my stuff done today so I can sit and watch a cheesy Hallmark Christmas movie this evening, so in the interest of rushing into a couple hours of laziness I will do the ever-efficient list!
1. Monday evening was my first evening in a looooong time having no place to go! I think this was the evening that I truly realized cheer is mostly done for the year! Oh, boy, it felt so good.
2. Tuesday, Alex found out that he made the All-State Chamber Orchestra. A very exciting placement! All State/All Northwest alternates every year. His goal is to be in the All-Northwest Chamber Orchestra his senior year. This is a great step in that direction!
3. On Tuesday, Alex was also invited to be a paid bassoonist in a Martin Luther King event at Washington Center. Music is being written especially for this event, and they even are going to meet to professionally record it. Oh, my heart is over-flooding with bassoon excitement! (There's a sentence I never imagined I would say.)
4. Also on Tuesday, Beth's teacher made a special and spectacularly welcomed return to school for two hours. She is recovering from the first step in her fight against breast cancer, and we were all so very glad to have her back amongst us. She is a bright, joyful presence in our school, and we want her back where she belongs!!
This is how her classroom door was decorated for her return! Each of her kids and all the staff wrote on one of the Reese's Pieces!
5. On Wednesday, Alex's cross country banquet wrapped up his very successful season! He was awarded Most Improved Athlete (yes!), got his varsity letter and district certificate. Although the season ended, that boy has not missed a beat in the running. They are still going for runs after school and the boys have started a "Breakfast Club" in their coach's classroom every Wednesday. They cook up a full spread of pancakes, eggs, sometimes omelets...and they are scheming of how to sell their culinary masterpieces to earn money.
6. On Thursday, our elementary school had their Veteran's Day program. This assembly is unbelievable. Our choir teacher is an amazing Christian woman who believes strongly in honoring others, and it sure shows. The school walls are covered with stars, a star for every Veteran representing the families of our students. A reception, complete with food and photographs taken of veterans and their families, goes on in the library. The song of every branch of the military is sung, along with so many other songs and a moment of silence...over 60 veterans stood and so very proudly introduced themselves, their branch, and their years of service...everything from a couple World War 2 Veterans to men and women currently serving. The tears flow at this assembly, and this year, for some reason, felt extra tender. I tear up just thinking of it. Well done, Centennial Stars!
7. Later on Thursday, Beth had three of her besties come home from school with her to celebrate her birthday! Oh, did we have fun and make some memories. These girls danced, sang, ate, painted pottery, giggled, watched a movie, ate, slept a little bit, and ate some more. I adore these girls, and am so thankful for the friendship they bring to my daughter's life!
Painting some pottery...
...while momma relaxed with some liquid energy.
After they were all settled into their jammies and ready to watch a movie, we hauled them off to Limeberry for dessert in jammies!
8. Leaving the pottery painting studio, the girls saw the above mentioned teacher in a next-door hair salon, and FREAKED OUT!!! You honestly would have thought they spotted a rock star! They were jumping up and down, calling her name, waving frantically. So we got to go in and give her some extra hugs, which honest to goodness was as fabulous for them as every other part of the party!
9. Also on Thursday, I did something I have never, ever done in my whole entire life: I got a parking ticket! I truly did not even know there was a meter (or a kiosk or something) that I needed to drop money into. Someone asked me how it was possible that I have driven so long without getting a parking ticket. Well, because I avoid parallel parking downtown at all costs. I will walk BLOCKS instead of parallel parking. But on this night, I found an end spot that was so easy to slide my van into. And then I came out to the cute little yellow envelope tucked so nicely under my windshield wiper. I feel so very grown-up now!
Oops!
10. On Friday, Brenna had her end-of-year cheer party! What a sweet bunch of girls, and I will miss them cheering together. They had a ball going glow-in-the-dark bowling! Brenna was voted Loudest Cheerleader by her teammates. Which is just so ironic in so many ways!
Oh, Christina...thanks for a great year!
11. And the Fed-Ex man delivered my new bags today! Oh, the happiness! It felt like Christmas morning at my house today. Complete with bed-head, pajamas, and unwrapping crinkly-papered treasures!
Let's see...I am pretty sure I am all caught up enough. Now I can get some busy stuff out of the way!!
Good job not letting your blogging get too behind. I keep telling my family I'll do an October wrap up... I might have to include November in it too if I don't get busy! Congrats to Alex- what exciting accomplishments. So proud of him! Where did you get the bags from? Ah, we have so much to catch up on... Can't wait for next Sunday :)
ReplyDelete