Oh, The Places They'll Go!

I have a friend who insists that couples should elope.  She thinks money spent on a wedding is wasted.  I get her point.  Life is expensive.  A couple starting out would probably be better off with a down payment on a home.  However, I disagree with her.  Funerals are expensive too, and families and friends should not gather only to mourn together.  Some occasions deserve celebration.

Working on a tight budget, we joined forces with another family this week to celebrate two graduates.  Both these girls have full tuition scholarships to the schools of their choice.  They have worked incredibly hard, so we sought and found an affordable venue.  We prepared all of the food, except the cake, ourselves, and we had a great time.  As graduation parties go, there were conflicts. We missed two parties that we would have liked to attend, and those families, whom we would have liked to have hosted, were unable to attend our party.  My dad had no idea that we were having a party as his invitation was delivered to his home while he was in the hospital, so he missed it.  

The down side is always that we cannot include everyone we want. I was grateful that a handful of teachers crashed the party - or maybe they were invited by E. Either way, we were happy to see them.

Regardless, we had a good turnout, wore ourselves out, and enjoyed a simple celebration.

What's a party without selfies?

Family travelled from afar.

A family friend and mentor to Savannah.

Granny created a very special, personalized gift.

A beauty and her proud dad.

The cutest thing! After everyone left and the parents were busy cleaning up, these two sat and had a read aloud with their guestbooks -"Oh, the Places They'll Go!"

Matching penguin necklaces - a gift from E to Savvy for her birthday.

Laughing because the reality that high school over has not hit them (Savannah's words).

I think someone got a better picture of these two, but I still love this one.

The last two weeks have been a marathon.  I am so tired that calling in sick tomorrow has been on my radar.  Savannah has baccalaureate on Thursday, and graduation on Friday.  I cannot miss work either of those days, so I am hoping I have the stamina to get through the week.

Straight Outta CAL

On Friday, Savannah's senior class walked out of school for the last time as CAL students.  Those who started at CAL in elementary started in the elementary wing saying goodbye to teachers and students.  They picked up those who started in middle school in the middle school wing and proceeded through that part of the school and then finally picked up those who started in high school in the high school to walk those halls one last time.  The plan was then to walk out the front doors and meet parents on the school lawn.  The best laid plans did go awry yesterday when a steady rain drenched the lawn and continued threatening to drench any who ventured outside.  Instead of meeting parents on the lawn, the parents met the class in the gym.  Therefore, we rebels actually got to catch glimpses of the walk in the building before the kids made it to the gym.  They call Savannah a lifer because she started at CAL in kindergarten and never left.

Once the kids made it to the gym, it was a picture taking festival as they tried to record those last memories in the school building.  

E was Savvy's first school friend.  They re-enacted this kindergarten pose of the two of them.  E left Savvy's campus in the middle of kindergarten so that her family could be closer to the school and to guarantee a spot for which she had been waiting.  That move impacted these inseparable friends in a big way.  It was painful.  They reunited when Savvy moved to the big campus in middle school, but both had established other, strong friendships.  In high school they started running around with the same crowd again and will actually be on the same college campus this fall.

They call themselves the squad.  This big group has supported each other through thick and thin in these last years of school.  I love them all.  Savannah could not have a better group of friends. Just this week she realized what she is leaving behind.  For months her focus has been on the adventure awaiting her in college, but she had not considered how hard it would be to not see her squad every day in school.

In the last few months, I would say E and Savvy have become the best of friends. Both these girls are truly kind.  They put others first and would rather let a friend bare her soul and pain so that they can lend support than reveal their own. Tomorrow they will celebrate this momentous occasion together, gathering their friends and family in one place.  Pulling it together has been so hard with all the senior activities that some of the invitations never got distributed.  It has been difficult to plan a graduation party where the kids can be together and celebrate and to make sure no one feels obligated to bring gifts.  It has involved a lot of last minute stuff.  Even tomorrow, they will slip away briefly to celebrate with classmates who are also having a party because these girls are important to each other. We would hope those sweet girls could then make it to Savvy and E's party, but as parties go, they will likely be finishing up their own gathering until ours ends.

I will miss my driver.  Starting this week, it will be on me to pick Wyatt and Julia up from school, and it will be on Andy to deliver them there.  By the way Wyatt was quite reluctant to hug his sister when she saw him in the middle school wing, and Julia was not much better.  Say what!?

Per school tradition, students trash their uniforms on the last day.  Savannah incorporated the elementary and middle school plaids in the pleats of her skirt.  She did a cool thing with a class t-shirt that says "home" really big on the back.  Above the "home", she wrote goodbye.  Below it, she wrote CAL.

This week will be another busy one.  We will attend a track banquet, baccalaureate, and finish the week with graduation.  The pool opens next weekend, and I have promised myself that I will be poolside even if I have to wrap up in a blanket for at least an hour one day that weekend- unless it rains.

We did not do a video for Savannah.  There just wasn't time, but if we had, I would have used Rod Stewart's Forever Young for the music, so I will end this post with some of the lyrics.

May the good Lord be with you down every road you roam.  May sunshine and happiness surround you when you're far from home.  May you grow to be strong, dignified and true - and do unto others as you'd have done to you.  Be courageous and be brave.

I am so excited, my sweet girl, to see how much you love college, but these years came and went far too fast.  

Prom 2016

If a picture is worth a thousand words, then this post is worth 20,000+ words, and then there will be the actual words that I add.

A Prom Story

The Dress

Savannah started planning for prom months ago...actually, she started looking for a dress months ago-literally the day after the formal Winter Dance.  She knew what she wanted.  The dress needed to be yellow and include lace and beading.  She found a dress online but wavered on ordering it, and then it went away.  We searched the local stores and tons of websites but found nothing suitable.  When her dress showed up online again, she jumped at the chance to order it. There were some glitches.  Her dress was a two piece dress with no model pictured in it.  Concerned that the design would result in a bare midriff, she inquired about it.  She was told to send her collar bone to waist measurement and that the dress would be designed to make sure no midriff showed.  When Savannah actually sent the measurements, the company got back with her and asked if they could just make it one piece - even better. Score!  When the dress arrived, it was much too big.  We could have sent her measurements and saved quite a bit of money, but we opted to order her usual size for fear that we would mess up the measurements.  It took alterations from both a seamstress and a tailor to get it to fit to Savannah's satisfaction.  

The Promposal

Once the dress was squared away, plans needed to be made for the actual prom.  Would there be a date?  We tossed around ideas of whom Savannah might ask outside of school, knowing that would be out of character for her.  Rumors circulated about possibilities of dates from school. Savannah's friends arranged for a limo, and then there was concern that if she got a date, she would not be in the limo.  In the end R asked her to prom.  He's the perfect date. Not only is he a perfect gentleman, but he and Savannah are very good friends, so they are comfortable together.  This is not their first formal dance together, so that adds an extra element of fun.

How it Went Down

R decorated Savannah's locker before school one day.  Despite constant warnings at school and home, high schooler's at Savvy's school do not lock their lockers, so he had easy access.  Leaving a bouquet and a note that said something like: Even though my dancing might cause some (here he taped a Snicker's candy bar to the note), would you be my date to prom?  Those aren't the exact words, but it was something along those lines.  They took no pictures of the two of them together for the promposal which is reminiscent of his last dance proposal to her.  History repeats itself.

Two of my AHG girls.

The dresses were all so lovely.  Prom time is one of my favorite times on social media.

We have pictures of these three together practically every year since they became friends in 4th grade.

Prom Night

The kids (lots of them) gathered at K's house per tradition.  The girls hid in her room for a time and then made an entrance - not as grand as in the past.  This time they started showing up just whenever. Parents were everywhere with cameras and phones to take pictures.  We saw them off in the limo and then went on with our evenings.  

Dinner was included in the dance.  The girls stayed the night at K's house. The boys stayed for a bonfire and left super late.  Savannah arrived home at 5:30ish this afternoon.  She said the exhausted girls laid around all day coming up with captions for social media posts.  Savannah texted me several times requesting the pictures I took.  I took them with the camera, so I had to email them to myself, open them on my phone, and then text them to her.  It took awhile.

They had a great time.

If Savannah has a best friend right now, it is E.  She's a precious girl- compassionate, smart, motivated, and hard-working.  

photo credits on this one goes to R's family, and this is possibly my favorite photo of the two of them
It shows off Savannah's hair.  I failed to get a photo that does that, and R has such a handsome profile.
After practicing the placement of the boutonniere at four dances now, Savannah handled this one like a pro.

I am so grateful that Savannah had prom to look forward to over the last few weeks and that she had such a good time.  I hope R had at least as much fun as Savvy.  They both work so hard and deserve it.

Savannah finished her last AP test before noon on prom day, so she was able to go without any school stress.  Her online college class is complete, and with three AP tests and good grades under her belt, she is exempt from all other finals.  She returns to school this week with so much more freedom than she has had in a long time.  However, she has picked up an extra shift at work to make sure she will be off for baccalaureate.

And the lasts continue

Life

It's been a bit stressful here during this season of lasts.

This week started after a long, busy weekend. I spent last Friday in the ER with my dad.  He remained in the hospital until this Friday.  That was scary, still is scary.  His health is fragile. Visiting was challenging given the schedule this week which went like this.

Monday: a bit of freedom, not sure what I even did, but I remember that I had to accomplish stuff that night.

Tuesday: Savannah had her senior awards night.

Wednesday: Savannah's youth group met for the last night.  Parents were invited, and we had a special delivery to the house.  Andy's DC group brought him a tree.

Thursday: Wyatt and Julia played their final band concert of the year, and it was awesome!!! I saw Dad that afternoon before heading home to get Wyatt, drive with Andy to school to pick Julia up from her cheer clinic, take them to eat, and then return for the concert.

Friday: Julia finished three days of cheer clinics/tryouts.  Savannah went to prom, and Andy had his DC graduation.  I secured a ride home from tryouts for Julia, went with Savannah to have her hair done and to take pictures of her before the dance then met Andy for the graduation/dinner.

I totally forgot that the coach was going to email the parents about cheer tryouts until I got a text from Julia during the dinner asking if she could have my email password so that she could see if she made the team.  Of course I checked my email and forwarded it to her immediately.  She made the team.

That's a proud band teacher...so impressive what they bring out in these kids.

After this week, I needed a break, so today, I saw the dentist, took Julia to tumbling and rested the rest of the day.  I would say that next week will be easier.  It should be, but I have a party to plan, so yeah.

I tell the kids every year to finish strong.  This year I am really struggling to do that myself.

Senior Awards

The first of the lasts took place tonight.  Savannah had her senior awards night.  I am behind on blogging, and the picture above is not even from tonight.  I took it a few days ago when she was headed out for a party, but I will never remember her awards if I don't post them now.

A representative from her future college presented her scholarship.

She received her certificate from National Merit for the National Merit Commended Scholar.

Savannah received the Home Ec award, and that perplexes her.

She also received the college prep government award.

Savannah was recognized for her participation in the Commonwealth Honors Academy.

She was also recognized for the Principal's Honor Roll (straight A's).

They left off her Business First / First Honors Award, but she also neglected to turn in all of her scholarships, and they recognized those for students too - no biggie.

Savannah has worked so hard, and it was good to see her recognized.  17 days until she says her final goodbye to high school.

Prayers

Good Morning, Y'all,
Please pray for my dad. He has a cardiac cath scheduled today, and this will determine the nest steps since his heart attack last week.

My prayer is that anything that needs to be revealed will be revealed and that nothing needs to be revealed.  I am praying that he will come out of this hospitalization stronger than he has been in a while and that he will be able to enjoy the plans he has with his family in the upcoming months.

Thanks for praying!

The Weight of the World

We are in a busy season here.  May arrives every year promising the final stretch of the school year, and once we get past the first week, our weather is usually amazing for the rest of the month.
However, May always brings with it a busy calendar - end of year activities, band concerts, and award ceremonies.  This year we also get a baccalaureate, a graduation party, a prom, a doctor's appointment, and a dentist appointment and two graduations before June 1st.

This May is stressing me out more so than usual. As usual there are many days when I cannot take off work as I am proctoring many exams.  My dad spent last week in the hospital, and I was battling an infection.  While the infection was mild, and I doubt being near my dad would be risky for him, I played it safe and did not try to see him until Saturday.  On Saturday evening the girls, Andy and I stopped by to find him sleeping, so we left.  Zach tried to see him on Friday and found him sleeping.  He was finally released on Sunday only to face an emergency appointment today for an infection unrelated to his hospital stay.  I am worried about him, and that weighs heavy on me.

We have spent the last few weeks questioning school placement for one of our children and weighing the options.  There is no easy answer on this one.

We face an appointment that will lay out a plan of surgeries and all sorts of stuff for one of our kids in just two weeks.  This comes after experts discuss the situation.  You never really want to face an appointment where you get the feedback on a panel of experts regarding your child- not life threatening in this case, but scary in many ways, nonetheless.

I am planning a graduation party.  I never feel like I am good at hospitality stuff, so this is out of my element.  It is fun but busy and stressful.  It will fall on a very busy weekend, so we will have to do as much preparation as possible in advance.  I have ideas, but I have only gotten so far as to book the venue and order invitations.

Getting ready to launch my oldest daughter is admittedly a bit emotional.  I am trying to hang on to every moment of these last weeks of her high school experience - okay maybe not so much this past weekend when she never looked up from an AP practice book for calculus or the never ending English Lit assignments that had to be submitted to her teacher electronically every. single. day from last Thursday until today when she finally took that AP test - yes, Sunday and the night prior to the test too.  Really?!

I work for a school district where many teachers, students and parents are fed up, so this week has been full of protests.  Our schools are in crisis, and there are no easy answers.  Did I mention that this is teacher appreciation week?

Don't even get me started on the unicorns running for president!

Oh, and by the way, remember those new dishes I bought?  They are great, but I have one child who will remain nameless who has broken one of my old dishes every, single. week since I bought the new ones.  At least the new ones are fine, but they were to supplement our sad supply of dishes, not to fully replace them.

Mother's Day is coming, and it's not so fun when your mom is not here.  I did have to smile today though when Julia asked if I like the day after Mother's Day better.  When I asked why, she said, "Frankie Heck does."  In case you don't know, Frankie Heck is the mom on the sitcom The Middle.  I mentioned to Julia that I am not fond of Mother's Day, and she said that we should go out for ice cream because Grandma liked that, didn't she?  I could not help but smile at that.  Julia was so young when Mom died, and I am glad she remembers that even if it is only because we have told her that.
On that note I have to share another high: S'mores blizzards are back at our local Dairy Queen - the low: I have had a mini blizzard the last two Sundays, and the schedule this month has greatly diminished my Jazzercise participation.  Clearly I lack self control. lol

I am beyond tired. After a day that did not seem that bad on Monday, I came home whipped.  Andy kept asking if I was okay and noting how tired I looked.  When I finally sat down, he brought me hot chocolate.

I had planned to join a Sunday morning women's study at church but could never find the class, but I bought the book anyway.  I have only read two chapters, but I am trying to apply the principles in those chapters to my situations; specifically, the second one- how can God be glorified in my current situation?  I don't know the answer, but it certainly offers perspective and eases the weight a bit.

In case you are interested, the book is:

The Red Sea Rules by Robert Morgan

Maybe I will finish reading it in June :) - or I will continue reading it poolside when Julia has practice.  So much of this will be behind me Memorial Day weekend, so I am quite sure that if the weather permits, I will be poolside at least one day that weekend. Now if only the pool allowed Margaritas - just kidding.