2 months . . . . 2 long months! :)

It's been just over two months since I last posted.   Does this make a me a "former blogger?"

It might.

Since I last posted, we've had band concerts, banquets, AP exams, final exams, baton recitals/competitions, and the middle school end of year dance.  Gracie and I made a quick trip to Cali for BFF Alex's bat mitzvah.  Matt passed took (and passed!) Drivers Ed, we celebrated Easter, Orthodox Easter, Mother's and Father's Day.  Gracie became a teenager, I turned 40-something, and now Matt is off to the summer golf academy and Gracie and I just returned from band camp at UT.  

But most importantly we finished the 7th and 9th grades.   PRAISE GOD, Y'ALL!  

In some ways I feel like summer vacation is almost over, even though we're only about a month in.  Maybe its because marching band starts up so early, but I feel like it's going by too fast.  For goodness sake, we've only made 3 ice cream tour stops!

Here's a few quick peeks at what we've been up to.   I'll try to pop in more regularly . . . promise!

Complicated!

Last weekend Gracie and I headed to Alabama for her first baton competition since the fall.  It was a new competition, so we didn't know what to expect.

It ended up being relatively small.  Lots of team performances. And for Gracie, she only had competitors in a few of her events.   If you are are trying out new routines, this isn't always a bad thing because you can work the kinks out, get judge feedback, and the wins don't count towards advancement in your level.  However, the flip side is you work hard to see how you stack up against others.  Earning those wins is important and a point of pride.  

The day started with the groups and show twirls.  Gracie was 43rd of 61.   Needless to say, she spent over 2 1/2 hours sitting on old wood bleachers watching people twirl. When her name was finally called, she took the floor and gave an average performance.  Not her best. Not her worst.  But as she has getting ready to launch a new show twirl, she wanted this last performance of the old one to go great. 

But it didn't.   

Her marching and strutting went pretty well, although she competed against a girl who got a PERFECT score, so needless to say Gracie came in second to her.  

Somewhere in there, we had some tears. 

We made a quick costume change and discovered they had moved on to the X-Struts without the scheduled break.  She had to perform it three times in a row for each of the three judges.  The first one was rough.  In the second, she froze for a moment (10 second in her mind--more like 2 in reality) where she forgot her routine.   The contest runner offered a her a short break before her third time, which she thankfully took.  The third one went off without a hitch. 

But we had more tears.  Honestly, a lot of tears. 

Then on to her solo.  In her first performance, she dropped it 7 times.  I've never seen her drop 7 times.   Ever. 

More tears. I couldn't say anything right. But it turns out saying nothing was also wrong. 

The other solos went better, but none were perfect. 

Her last events were 2-baton solo, which she considers her worst event.   The first time out she had a no-drop routine with no deductions.  

Praise God, y'all. 

Finally, the last competition took her floor.  Gracie collected her awards and by 5 pm, we were in the car headed back home.  I waited until we hit the Tennessee state line before I asked if we could talk about what happened that day.  It was dark by now and she finally said, "I think I'm just complicated." 

I couldn't help but laugh.  I love that she had such a simple explanation.   We talked about what had gone well.  And what didn't.  We talked about how she could better respond when things didn't go her way.   I have a feeling this will not be the last time we talk about it. 

Hormones, the stress of competition, the anxiety of waiting to perform, the frustration of not performing well . . . they can combine to create the perfect storm. 

Or maybe it's just a "complicated" storm.  :) 

Dodging the rain . . .

It's Sunday afternoon.  We're in a battle of homework with both kids.  And it's been raining ALL DAY LONG.

Calgon, take me away.

Yesterday, Gracie spent the day at Vanderbilt with 9 other twirlers and the VU majorettes.  She got to practice with the band, participate in the pre-game parade and twirl on the field during halftime.  8 of the 10 visiting twirlers were juniors and seniors who were applying to Vandy and hoped to twirl there.  Gracie and her pal Callie (an 8th grader) were the youngest ones there.

Y'all, she belongs there.  Not necessarily at Vanderbilt (although I certainly wouldn't be opposed), but on the field.  You could tell she was having the time of her life and was completely unbothered by the fact that there were thousands of people watching.

We ended up leaving before the 4th quarter started because bad rain was a-coming.   Made it to my car and about 5 minutes away before it started to come down.   So happy they made it through halftime.   Funny thing is that is almost the exact thing that happened on Friday night.  Matt and the marching band made it through their performance, we started to push equipment and props off the field, and down came the rain.

Still got soaked.

But got to see both kids "do their thing" this weekend.  And it rocked.

Now if we can only get through the studying/homework portion of the weekend.   It doesn't rock.  It's the pits.

Barefoot twirler

On Friday night, Gracie and I headed to to Memphis for a Twirltacular competition at the Delta Fair. Lucky for us, right across the street from our hotel was an IKEA.    It's the only one in Tennessee, so very exciting for G and I.  We wandered around for about an hour, lamenting at all the big things we would buy if we only had more room in the car.    In reality, I bought a bunch of small white baskets for the bathroom drawers. 

Very unexciting.

Saturday's competition didn't start until 10:30, which is unusually late.  But the gate for the fair didn't open until 10 am.  We were on the grounds by 9:30, Gracie outside practicing and I was chatting with other baton moms and moms for a dance competition that was also going on inside.   At 10 am, they opened the doors and we headed to our area.   Gracie was the second performer of the morning, so we wanted her to have time to warm up.   As she pulled out her batons, she looked at me and said, "I don't have my shoes."

Her twirling shoes always hang off her baton bag in a small mesh bag.  I'm not going to lie, I started to panic.   I sprinted back to the car and headed back towards the shopping center we passed that had a Walmart and Target in it.   When I stopped at lights, I searched for nearby Dance Stores or Dick's Sporting Goods on my phone.   Nothing within 20 minutes.  Walmart had ballet shoes for little girls (ending at size 1), but that wasn't going to work, so I got in the car and headed to Target.  I was ready to buy ANYTHING.  The only shoes Gracie had with her were flip flops.  She knew another girl there, Hannah, and I encouraged her to ask her if she could at least borrow her shoes for her first event while I hunted. 

Unfortunately, Hannah's event was right after Gracie's and she wore a size 10 women's (Gracie wears a 4 youth).  Yeah, not going to work.   Meanwhile, at Target I found a nude colored water shoes that looked like a tennis shoe.  It wasn't her size, but it was going to have to work because they were on clearance and there were no other choices.  I sped back to the fair grounds, parked illegally and sprinted inside as they were playing the National Anthem at the baton competition. 

She tried on the shoes and they were too big (women's 7). But we tied 'em tight and hoped for the best.   A few minutes later, a fellow baton mama came by and said she heard Gracie didn't have shoes, and handed her a pair of her daughter's that she thought she might be able to use.   They were a size 9 women and were bigger than the shoes she had, so we thanked her and returned them.  A couple minutes later, another mom came over and handed Gracie a beat up pair of size 6 women's shoes.   She apologized for their condition, which made me laugh.   Gracie put them on and they fit just fine. I had tears in my eyes and gave the mom a big hug.   So grateful for this community who would share their equipment.   I was reminded that at our very first competition (2 years ago at the Delta Fair, incidentally),  a twirler showed up WITHOUT HER BATON.   Although it was funny at the time, Gracie lent her one of her batons.  Who forgets their baton?

I don't know  . . . WHO FORGETS THEIR SHOES?!?

In the end, Gracie had a great day.   The competition was very small and she didn't have any other girls in her 10-12 intermediate division, so I told her to just twirl her heart out and take some chances.   Her two baton and x-strut events (the two newest events she started doing last spring) ended up being her strongest. She left with 3 titles, Strut Queen, Twirltacular Champion and Miss Delta Fair.

Long day. Stressful day.  Good day. 

Batons and clubs . . .

My tribe is all back under one roof again.

And with more dirty laundry, no less. 

On Saturday, Gracie and I trekked to to Knoxville for majorette camp.   It was 4 days full of twirling, fun, friends and lots and lots of orange. 

Gracie was thrilled that some of her best twirling pals for Mt. Juliet and Knoxville were all back at camp and assigned to the same solo group, making for a fun week.  Of course, the other big highlight is FIRE BATON!

We stayed in the hotel just steps off campus again, which was awesome.   We were easily able to to walk to everything, but enjoyed the comfort of a non-dorm bed, private bathroom and TV. 

The little things.

We came back in to town late Tuesday night and then late this morning, we got to pick up this kid who had been at the TPGA Jr. Golf Academy since Sunday afternoon.

We got to watch his last round today, which was fun and his game looked great.   He shot an even par earlier in the week and felt like he had made some big strides in his short game.   Also, on Monday afternoon, we got an email announcing he had made the high school golf team!   I texted him a screen shot of the email and I'm sure it gave him an extra incentive to work hard. 

Matt dumped a smelly duffle bag of golf clothes in the laundry, which I promptly washed TWICE.  Ugh.   The house also currently looks like a tornado went through it, but I think they're heading off to the pool, so I'm hoping to make some headway while they're gone.

Despite the mess and pile of clothes, towels and bedding to be washed, I'm super happy that we're all back home again. 

Memorial Weekend madness

Sometimes you're just glad when a weekend is over, you know?

On Friday night, Gracie and I headed to Florence, AL for a baton competition. It was only 2 hours away, but it's always nice to not have to get up early and drive in, especially since this one started at 8 am.

Needless to say for Gracie, and her friend Emily who we traveled with, it was an OUTSTANDING day of twirling. Must be the fact that we stayed in a Holiday Inn Express!  Gracie's first event was her show twirl and she had one drop.  It was the best I've seen her do it all season.   It was also the first time Gracie competed at the intermediate level for her solo.   She was very nervous about that, because the expectations were higher.  But it was a good time to get her feet wet because at her age/level she didn't have a lot of competition.  But I can unequivocally say, that even for the events that she didn't have competition for, she would have won them.   She just had "it" on Saturday. 

And we left with an awful lot of hardware.   Don't ask where we put it all.   It is stashed in every corner and flat surface of her room.

We were home by 6 pm, but the day was not over for me.  Bassam and I were off to see U2 at Bridgestone Arena.  It was a great show, but I was really tired.  Really, really tired.  Sitting on bleachers followed by a long car ride wipes you out, you know?

While Gracie and I were in Alabama, Bassam and Matt stayed back in Nashville.  Bassam was on call, and his day (not to mention Sunday and Monday) wound up being a disaster.   Matt spent a large portion of his day on his own.   Of course, when I told him how sorry I was about that he told me, he told me, "It's okay.  I played FortNite."  

Lots and lots of Fortnite. 

Sunday was equally busy, although at least we were all in the state of Tennessee.   I drove the kids here and there, did laundry and tried to get the house cleaned up.  We had dinner with the Hales, except for Bassam, who had to make his 3rd trip in to work.  The kids had fun swimming in their beautiful pool and I got to catch up with Heather and Michael.  

Today Bassam, Matt and I got up early to start installing flags for Memorial Day in people's front yards as part of the marching band flag fundraiser.  We had 48 flags to install and it took us about 1 hour and 45 minutes.  I'm hoping it will be faster next time when we know what we're doing,  but truth is, part of the slow down was we didn't know the neighborhood we were in.   After doing flags, Bassam went to work and the kids and I went to downtown Franklin, where my community band was performing as part of the Memorial Day Ceremony.   I was supposed to work after that, but things were quiet, so my boss told me to go home.  I appreciated it, since I had a bad headache all day.  The afternoon was spent doing odds and ends at the house and then going back out at 6 pm to take down the flags and returning them to the high school.   Bassam didn't get home until 5:45, so his plan to grill out was thwarted and we went out to have Asian food instead.  

While I always love the weekend, I'm glad this one is over.  

Frenzy Friday

It's Saturday, it's sunny and hot, and we had nowhere special to be today.  My.  Kind.  Of.  Day.

Yesterday was 9 kinds of crazy.  Right after dropping the kids at school, I was in party planning mode.   My friend Colleen and I were hosting the retirement reception for the middle school principal on Friday after school.   We held it at the big Catholic church across the street from the school.  There were tables and chairs to be moved, trays of food, drinks and balloons to be picked up, and tables to be decorated. Everything turned out beautifully, if I do say so myself. 

In the middle of the afternoon, we took a quick break to head over to school for the last assembly of the year.   Both Colleen's kids and Matt & Gracie got to accept a gift to the school from the Nashville Predators for their leadership the Treats for Troops program that the Preds sponsor with us.  Given the fact that only the night before the Predators lost game 7 in the 2nd round of the playoffs, it was incredibly classy of them to be out making public appearances.  Craig Smith (wing) and Gnash both came to the school and all the kids gave them a super warm welcome. 

After the assembly, it was back to the church to put final touches on the reception.  The guests started coming in right at 3:30 and everyone seemed to have a great time, especially Mrs. Fizer, the principal.   

Unfortunately, I had to leave early because Gracie's baton recital was at 6 pm.   Naturally she had to be there early, so I rushed home, did her hair and we headed over for last minute practice.   Gracie performed three times, including her show twirl from competition.  She had several drops in her solo, so wasn't thrilled, but she still looked great.  I realized at the end of the night I hadn't taken a single picture of just her the whole night.   3 different costumes, and no picture of just her.  Way to go, Mom!  Luckily, we had a photographer at the event last night (my neighbor, Ray) and he snapped a zillion pictures of every routine and every girl.   I usually try to just watch Gracie perform at competition . . . not take pictures, so I can really enjoy it.  Plus, when I do mine always seem to be a blurry mess.  It was a huge blessing to have some beautiful action shots capture by someone with professional equipment!  This is one of my favorites! 

After recital, I made a quick stop back at the church to help with the last of clean up before heading home.   Needless to say, I was asleep by 9:30 and slept until almost 7.  Much needed. 

Today we ran a few errands, Matt studied for finals, I got a pedicure and we pressure washed the porch.   Also much needed.    

I'm sure I've mentioned it before, but I'm really, really, really looking forward to summer!

On the seventh day, we rested

It's Sunday morning as I write this.  The house is very quiet as both kids are still sleeping, Bassam is on call--so already off to work.  Charlie is sitting patiently at the front door waiting for our neighbor's dog and cat to come over for their usual morning visit.  

I should probably get the kids up for church, but it was such crazy week, I'm going to let them sleep.  Friday was the end of the 3rd nine weeks at school, so needless to say it was a busy one.   I think some of Matt's teachers were short on grades, so all of his classes had not only a big test last week, but also one (or in a couple cases -- two) quizzes.  Needless to say, there were lots of late nights studying.  He is especially glad to be finished with "To Kill a Mockingbird."  I think Bassam is, too.  He read it (I never had), so had taken the reins for reviewing it with Matt for quizzes and tests. 

Incidentally, I am finding  I am one of the only people I know (around my age) who hasn't read "To Kill a Mockingbird."  I'm left to wonder, am I lucky?  Should I read it now?  Was my public education in the western suburbs of Chicago seriously lacking?  

Speaking of books, we closed up book fair on Thursday morning. For three days of work, we did pretty well.  I still miss the excitement of book fair at elementary schools.  And in middle school you don't get the kids who come in to buy books with a ziplock bag full of pennies, nickels, dimes and quarters.    Next week is going to be even busier with Teacher/Staff Appreciation Week, but after that it's SPRING BREAK, so I just need to make it through Friday! 

This weekend Gracie and I drove to lovely Milan, TN (2.5 hours west of Nashville near Jackson) for a baton competition.  Since it was an early start on Saturday, we left after dinner on Friday stayed in a hotel.  The last 45 minutes of the drive is decidedly off the beaten path, which wasn't ideal since it was pitch dark at the time.  Also because we lost our GPS signal multiple times.  But we finally made it, both exhausted and ready to sleep.   I never sleep well in hotels--too loud.  But the pillows were comfy (always a plus) and they had a free breakfast, so I won't complain.

The competition was a LONG one.  We arrived at the gym at 8 am and left at 5 pm.  A long day for Gracie twirling and a long day for me sitting on the bleachers.  Ouch!!  It was a big competition, especially in the morning when the teams were performing.  Gracie was thrilled that her pal, Callie, who we met last year at a competition and then became friends at twirling camp last summer, was there, too.  Better yet, they weren't competing against each other since Callie is in a different age and division.  Biggest highlight of the day was Gracie's NO DROP solo at the very end of the day. It was her first of the season and the last of 5 solo performances!  The biggest disappointment was probably dropping her baton during one of her struts earlier in the day.   In a strut, you march with high knees and she hit her baton with her knee and it literally flew out of her hands.  She picked it up and recovered beautifully (noted by the judge on her evaluation, not just the opinion of this mama), but disqualified her.  Since it was a part of a title event (the biggest one of the day, no less) it took her out of the running and landed her squarely in last place.  

Having said that, the day was otherwise successful. She left with three other titles for her division, Hall of Fame Solo Champion, Strut Queen and Miss Majorette, plus 3 first places and a second in open events.   

We don't compete again until late April.  The next one is an NBTA competition, a different organization than today.  It doesn't allow any tumbling/gymnastics, which is one of Gracie's specialties.  Needless to say, she has to spend the next month revamping her routines to remove tumbling and add other skills.  It's also a state competition, so sure to be even bigger!

But for today, we rest. 

Back at the baton . . .

First baton competition of 2018 in books.  It was a USTA comp, which are not our favorites.  There are no titles at most of the competitions, so you get one shot at most events, plus the show twirls (called Dance Twirls here) only use one baton, and the routine Gracie has been working on includes both a 2 and 3 baton portion, so we skipped entering.   But this competition was a short 45 minutes from our house, so we figured it was worth the chance to get on the floor and in front of judges before our big competitions in March and April. 

Gracie only had three competitors in her division.   Of her 5 events, two of them she was unopposed.  Naturally, she "won" those (you get an award, but they don't count towards advancement)  In the other 3 events, she scored all 2nd places.  She didn't lose to the same person every time, but naturally, it wasn't the outcome she was hoping for.  She was very close in two of the three, but it was definitely a case of the better girl won.   

Needless to say, Gracie was not a happy camper.   And let me tell you, nobody beats up Gracie quite like Gracie does.  Her events were wrapped up by 1 pm, so we decided to pack it in and not watch the end of the competition. I let her sulk (and text) quietly on the way home. 

I noticed today that the 2 small trophies and 3 medals she won yesterday were nowhere to be found. I suspect they are stashed in her closet somewhere.  She's clearly ready to move on. 

But there is a silver lining, her new costume, purchased second hand online and altered by my mom, looks FANTASTIC! 

MIA

I think this is officially the longest I have gone without posting.  I have thought about doing it multiple times, but laundry, sleeping, picking up kids or otherwise working always seems to take priority.

It's not just the blog that has been ignored.  The DVR is overflowing with shows I want to watch.  There are house projects that have been been on what seems like a permanent "to do list." The dog needs more walks.  The pantry needs to be cleaned.   The shelf on my coffee table has two half read books and a stack of unread magazines.

Despite that, there has been plenty of good.  Matt's golf season wrapped up, including a fantastic end of year party at Top Golf.  Gracie competed at Twirltacular in Birmingham this past weekend and left with two titles (Hall of Fame Grand Champion and Strut Queen Grand Champion), plus a handful of 1st and 2nd place finishes in her other events.  

My dad and I saw Kenny Roger's Farewell concert last week.   It was amazing!  Over 20 artists took the stage to honor Kenny, including Kris Kristofferson, the Oak Ridge Boys, Reba McEntire, Chris Stapleton, Lady A, Little Big Town, Lionel Richie, The Flaming Lips, Elle King, Crystal Gayle, the Gatlin Brothers, Lee Greenwood, the Judds and of course, Dolly Parton. So much talent in one room!

Matt and Gracie had their first band concert of the year last Thursday.   I helped with the chili dinner beforehand and then sat back to enjoy the Halloween-themed selections.  

And of course tomorrow is HALLOWEEN!  Costumes have been purchased and altered (thank you, Mom), trick-or-treat plans made, and candy bought and hidden away.   Unfortunately, we haven't carved our pumpkins, but I have high(-ish) hopes for tonight.

So that's a quick update.  I'll try to stay more on top of things here at "And Charlie Makes 5."  

Which reminds me, Charlie is fine, too.  Sleeping through the night once again!

Camp week!

Returned today from 4 days in Knoxville with Gracie at twirling camp.  Once again, it was blistering hot, horribly humid and for my girl, all kinds of fun.

We decided to stay off-campus this year in a hotel just a block off campus.  Smart choice.  It was so much more relaxing for both her and me.

Gracie hooked up with a few girls we had met casually at competitions this year and they became fast friends.  Definitely helped make the week more fun for her than last year.

She learned a lot and once again got to twirl fire on the last night.  Always a highlight, albeit a scary one for her mama!

Meanwhile, Matt is at golf camp for the week.  It's only one town over, but it is residential so he's gone, too.   He is able to call us at night, but he claims it's so loud in the gathering room that it's too hard to hear, so he texts instead.   A likely story.  However, he says he is having fun, learning a lot AND the food is good.  What more can you ask for?   I miss his face.   

But a phone call would be nice. 

Trophy troubles . . .

The first full week of summer vacation.   Starting to feel official.  

We spent this past Saturday at the Twirltacular Championships North Alabama.  We drove over on Friday night since the competition started at 8:30 and hitting the road at 6 am didn't sound terribly relaxing.   

Bassam and Matt made the trip with us, golfing on one of the courses on the Robert Trent Jones trail. Then in the afternoon, they came and sat on the oh-so-comfy wooden bleachers at the Mars Hill High School in Florence, AL to see Gracie twirl.  

As I watched, I didn't think it was her best day of competing (and she would agree), but the haul she came home with said otherwise. 

Those are all hers!  In her division (10-12 Novice), she walked away as the Twirltacular Grand Champion, Majorette Queen Grand Champion, and Hall of Fame Solo Grand Champion.  The smaller trophies are for open events she placed in.   

So proud of this girl, but honestly, where is one supposed to keep all this hardware?  Those larger trophies are 3-feet tall!

The rest of the Memorial Day weekend was much less eventful.  Golfing for Bassam and Matt and swimming for both kids.  We had dinner with my parents on Sunday and friends over on Monday, plus the band performed at the Memorial Day ceremony in Franklin.    

Unfortunately, by the time I went to bed on Monday night it was clear I had come down with something.  Sinus pressure and a bad cough make for a bad combination. My ability to get things done today was hindered greatly by the fact that I had to sit down and rest after every task I did.   

So much for enjoying the start of summer . . . 

Blog first, email later?

It's been a few (5) days since I've popped in here.  Not for a lack of having things to write about, but I swear every time I've sat down at the computer in the last week, I got sucked into the massive amount of emails about baton, 5th grade promotion, retirement receptions, luncheons, and assemblies that all happen in a 8 days span and I have some level of involvement in. 

'Tis the season.   5 1/2 more days of school, y'all.  

So let's back up to last week . . . 

On Friday, there was the last big assembly at the middle school.   One of the highlights was a member of the Nashville Predators coming to school to thank the kids at school for collecting 80 zillion pounds of candy for the troops  after Halloween.  It was a joint project between school and the Preds.  Matt was one of the student leaders, so he got to go up when the school was presented with an autographed jersey by Kevin Fiala who is a winger for the Predators.  

Unfortunately, the Kevin isn't enjoying the playoff run with the team because he fractured his femur at the end of last month.  Quite frankly, I can't believe he was up and about as much as he was!  But he was a super nice guy and Matt was thrilled to meet him.  

Gracie had her end of the year baton recital.   Biased mama here, but she was the best one there!  

Despite missing both of her two turns during her solo, her routine was a complete crowd pleaser and they oooh'd and ahhh'd in all the right places.   And after a disastrous dress rehearsal last week, her middle school team pulled it together and had two good routines, too.   Great night for twirling!

By the way, Matt skipped the recital and went to the Farewell dance at school.  2 weeks ago, he wasn't so jazzed about attending, but when given the choice of the dance or baton recital, he managed to find a gaggle of pals attending and joined them.

And of course Sunday was Mother's Day.   Bassam cheffed up a lovely meal and we had dinner with both sets of parents and his brother.   Biased daughter here, but my mama is the best one. 

So those are the highlights.   Tomorrow is the 7th grade honors assembly and band banquet and Thursday I'm helping host a retirement reception.   I should be chock-full of things to write about it. 

I just need to write before I open my email!

Sunday sleepiness . . .

It's Sunday night and I need a nap.

On Saturday morning, Gracie and I were up early and off to scenic White House, TN for a baton competition.  It was the first USTA competition we had done (it's one of the governing bodies, and they all have their own rules).  I'm not sure it was Gracie's favorite, but she had a pretty good day and got to see some AMAZING twirlers, including a 48 year old coach who was attempting to qualify for Worlds.  First of all, I didn't know we had "Worlds," but second of all, she was completely inspirational!  Lots of high school girls working on their qualifications for Nationals at the competition, too.

Gracie competed at either the novice or beginner level in each of her events. There wasn't a ton of competition in her divisions, but she managed to come home with a first in best appearing, a first in military strut (only one competing for that--nice!), and first in novice solo.  She tried her solo again at the beginner level and scored 4th and she pulled out a 2nd in basic strut.   We wrapped up in mid-afternoon and she left tired, but with a smile on her face.

Last night, we had dinner at my parents and got to visit my Aunt Jane, Uncle George, cousin Theresa and her kids who were stopping through on their way home from Orange Beach, AL (aka "The Redneck Riviera").  So happy to catch up with them all.

This morning, Gracie and I were off to serve breakfast at downtown for the folks at the women and children's shelter with her Sunday School class. Then this afternoon, while I was off to meet with the Girl Scouts to work on their Bronze Award, Matt and Bassam snuck off to play their second round of golf for the weekend.  Matt beat Uncle Wad for the first time and is on cloud 9.     I suspect Matt will not let him forget it either!

So those are the highlights.  We weren't home much, but everyone got to do things that made them happy.  Can't ask for much more than that!

Twirler Girl!

It may be Saturday and it may be the first day of spring break, but Gracie and I were up before 6 am this morning and off to a baton competition in Decaturville, TN. 

Where?

Not Decatur . . . Decaturville.  And other than telling we generally drove west and were in the car about 2 hours, I can't tell you too much more where it was. 

Gracie competed in 5 "open" events, as well as for the title event, Riverside Majorette Queen.  There's no crown, it's just the name of the title and it is awarded for each age division and level.  While results for open events are posted as the competition goes on, the events for the titles aren't, because they compile the scores for multiple events to determine the winners.  

Gracie's first few open events didn't go particularly well.  Her scores were lower than her coach thought they should be and there weren't enough comments to explain them.   Finally, she got a break and got 3rd place in basic strut.  I could see her confidence rising.  When she went in to her open solo performance, she knocked it out of the park.  NO DROPS!    It wasn't perfect, but it was the best I had ever seen her twirl it, especially since we were making changes to the routine on Thursday when we found out she had 30 less seconds to perform than we expected.

I couldn't believe it when the results came in and she got 2nd place.   Don't get me wrong, 2nd is nothing to turn your nose up at.  It's AWESOME! But the girl who scored first had several drops.   It is possible her routine was more challenging, but it was clear from the people sitting around us, that it wasn't just a slightly biased mom (and G's coach) who was surprised. 

When she repeated her solo for the title competition, Gracie ended up dropping (as did the twirler who beat her in the open).   I could tell she was having a hard time "shaking it off, " as Taylor Swift would say. 

But in the end, Gracie walked away with not only the 3rd and 2nd, but a 1st in show twirl AND the Riverside Majorette Queen title for the Novice 10-12 division.    That last one put a big smile on her face and made the two hour car ride home a lot easier. 

As for me, I'm exhausted.  It's 8:30 and I've been in my PJs since 7 pm.  Time to hit the sack!

reluctant blogger or just a busy one?

It's funny that I always think summer is when I get behind on blogging.  Truth is, this fall (which is what we call anything after the point where school starts, even thought it's been in the mid 90s practically ever day) I'm having an even harder time keep up.

This past week, we enjoyed the 4 day week, although it felt just as busy come Tuesday, because it was 5 days of school work crammed in 4 days.   

Still, we survived the week, so when Friday rolled around I helped host a breakfast for the bus drivers at Gracie's school (I'll do Matt's school on Wednesday), had a PTO meeting and then packed up the car to get Gracie and I (along with another baton friend and her mom) to Memphis for our first baton competition.  

The competition was at the Delta Fair.  It's a smaller competition with less than 40 twirlers.   Over the course of 5 1/2 hours, Gracie performed her show twirl once, marched 3 times, walked for "best appearing" twice and did her solo 4 times.   For the majority of the time, she was only competing against other 10-12 year olds in the novice division. The exception were the components for the Miss Delta Fair competition, which was one march, one walk and one solo.  For that, she competed against all 10-12 year olds, some of whom were incredibly talented and part of the 2 levels above hers.  

Despite our novice status, she managed to score 1st place in the open competition for best appearing and strut (marching). She won 2nd place for her show twirl, earned 3rd for her solo in the Hall of Fame division, 5th in the Miss Twirltacular best appearing and 8th overall for the Miss Delta Fair. 

Maybe. I can't keep them straight.   All I know is the kid came home with 5 trophies and a medal. 

Her pal Emily won one of the 1st place trophies that you can see in the background of this picture. 

I know the redhead was feeling a little jealous about that, but she was super gracious with her friend.  Emily is a year older and had done competition before, so hopefully it will give Gracie something to work towards.

This was the costume Gracie wore for "Best Appearing."  It was loaned to us by G's friend, Faith, who is a dancer extraordinaire! So grateful to have something beautiful borrow (and it got great comments by the judges!).  We saw some amazing costumes at the competition . . . lots of bling and fringe.  If I had more talent (and patience) with a needle and thread, I'd try my hand at making costumes.  People drop hundreds of dollars on them. 

Back at the ranch, Matt had his second flag football game.  Unfortunately, it was a second loss for the Cowboys.  Matt started as quarterback, but was pulled after throwing two interceptions. Ouch.  Luckily, when he went back in the game he caught a short pass and ran the rest of the length of the field to score his first touchdown of the season!  Go Matt!  

Afterward, Bassam, Matt and his pal, Parker went down to the Vandy game.  They saw most of the first half, but then they had a delay in game due to crazy storms. The delay ended up going 1hr and 45 minutes, so they headed home to eat pizza and watch it on TV.  They also found we had lost some huge limbs from the tree in front of our house.    Hence, we're spending part of Sunday with the chainsaw. 

Next week I'll have to call a tree trimmer out because we have one more big limb that broke off and is still perched up among the branches and a few others that are hanging too close to the house.  

So that's our weekend in a nutshell. I'm off to a band concert in about an hour, Gracie is going to Youth Group (her first one!) and Matt has big plans to sit on the couch and watch football. 

Twirler girl . . . .

This weekend we had Gracie's spring baton recital.   She performed both a group and solo routine and she did really well.   It's been a fun year in baton and she has really improved since this time last year.   So lucky to have an amazing coach like April!

If you are so inclined to see my girl twirl, then check out this video!  Gracie was bummed about a few mistakes in her routine, but I reminded her there are so many great parts that are much more memorable!

Next stop . . . . fire batons!  Just kidding.

Kind of.

She really wants to attend a fire baton clinic this summer.  She doesn't make the age cut, but her coach told her if the class doesn't fill, she'll think about letting her participate.

Get your fire extinguishers ready!

Saturday smiles

I'm typing this while sitting on our back porch, because y'all, it is 68 degrees and sunny!  1 week ago, we were building a snowman and sledding.

I prefer today's weather, just for the record.

I have been an extra proud mama these past two days, as both kids have had a special opportunity to shine.

The redhead tried out for the Kenrose talent show which was yesterday and she twirled her baton in front of the whole school.   This is a kid who gets a bit freaked out by all eyes on her, so it was a big deal. I was so proud of her (and every other kid who performed!) for being brave enough to stand on a stage in front of over 900 kids, 100+ staff  members, plus a bunch of parents and do their thing. 

Gracie has been twirling for just over a year and her skills have really improved in the last few months. 

Meanwhile, Matt had a chance to show his stuff today at the middle school county-side Mini Mu math competition. Unlike the elementary level competition Gracie participated in back in December, this included students from both private and public schools.  Matt placed in both exams with a 7th and 11th place finish.  So proud of this kid.  I looked at the tests and they were HARD!   Even though Algebra was probably my favorite and best math subject, I'm starting to feel that he has "out-mathed" me.   When he has homework questions (which admittedly, is rare), he goes straight to his Dad.  Love this big smile as he shows of his new hardware!

Twirling girl!

Today marked the end of the last full week of school.  

Wow. 

A week from today we will have enjoyed (hopefully!) our first full day of summer break!  So ready to have my kids home and be through all the craziness that is the last couple weeks of school!

Of course, it's also the time of year to wrap up other activities.   Tonight, we went to Gracie's first baton recital.  She started baton in September and has really enjoyed it.   She complete the beginner class and will move on to intermediate next year.  Her teacher puts on a small recital every spring and each of the three classes perform, plus a couple solos for the girls who are doing competitions.   We're not there yet, but enjoyed seeing Gracie and her twirling pals do their routine to "Jump Rope."  The picture is a bit shaky (Matt was the videographer!) and the sound is low, so you'll need to turn it up!

Girls day out . . . and in!

Bassam and Matt are off on a Scout camp out tonight, so it's just been Gracie and I!  We started the day at the Nolensville Veterans Day Parade.   Gracie marched with her baton group which had a great spot right behind the Ravenwood band.  She said she dropped her baton a couple times on the route, but when we saw her, she did just fine . . .with a smile on her face to boot!

Can't say enough about the charm of a small town parade like this one.  Well organized, simple to drop off/pick up/find a spot to watch and an easy mile route.  Matthew did the Nashville parade with the Cub Scouts a couple years ago and I vowed NEVER AGAIN.   Had to be there an hour early, parade started late, huge parade so Matthew's group (towards the end) didn't even step off for at least 30 minutes after the first entry and a long route.  

Nolensville rocks.

Anyway, we had lunch with my parents after the parade (their house is just a couple blocks from the parade route!) and then embarked on our "Girls' Day Out," which included shopping, a stop at the Sugar Dive for a sweet treat then picking up a pizza and watching the Parent Trap (Hayley Mills version!).   It was Gracie's first viewing and my 80th (or some insanely high number).   Having only seen the edited version on TV the majority of those times, I had forgotten some of the scenes they leave off.

In short, a great day for the girls!