Well, things are winding down here. After two insanely busy weeks, it’s oddly quiet. There are two more regular weeks of school before finals, but all the concerts and special events are over.
This isn’t a big transition year for us- my daughter is finishing her freshman year of high school and my son finished his junior year of college (EEP. Next year at this time we will be at Baylor FOR HIS GRADUATION- I seriously can’t wrap my mind around it.) I have to admit I’m still a little sad. My daughter will never be a freshman in high school again- she’s now 1/4 done and it goes so fast.
One of the big events was the band banquet. There’s food, dancing, and awards. My daughter won the Outstanding Freshman award! I took a picture of her plaque to send to my son. He won the same award as a freshman, and responded with this photo to remind me what Angie did to the picture of HIS plaque six years ago:
Ah, kids. So supportive of each other.
Anyway, the banquet is a dressy occasion. Here’s a photo of my daughter and her friend before the event:
And in case you were wondering- no, the theme of the banquet wasn’t “The Addams Family.” The girls just, ahem, decided to dress like that. The black outfit went well with my daughter’s blue hair.
Moving on! Another transition is the change of seasons. In South Florida, this is not a good thing. Let’s take a look at our weather forecast- pay special attention to Wednesday.
BLARG!!! 98 degrees??? I have a TWENTY MILE run on Wednesday! I’m going to DIE!!! Okay, I won’t be running in the hottest part of the day- but I have to drop my daughter off at school so I can’t start until 7:30, so… yes, it’s going to be hot. And don’t forget about the humidity. Seriously, it’s not going to be pretty. We had such a lovely winter, and now we’re going to pay the price.
Are you enjoying the change of seasons? – If the answer is yes, you definitely don’t live in Florida.
What was your favorite year of high school? – Sophomore year!
26 Responses
The black outfits look very dressed-up though!
Though conditions make you stronger! I know you’ve got the mindset to deal with hard stuff, so just go out there and suffer out those 20 miles. Remember, every single mile will serve you well in the race! You’ve got this, Jenny!
Thank you Catrina! You’re right about everything (as usual) : )
Congrats to Angie! I had to laugh at the sibling jab thought. So typical. Do Paul and Angie have a good relationship? I find sibling relationships so fascinating and really hope my boys are friends when they grow up!
Ugh that is hot and will make your 20 miler extra challenging. Come on Mother Nature!! We are not dealing with such hot temps but it was in the mid 80s here on Sunday which felt so warm! But it would have been a cool day for you probably since it wasn’t humid.
I don’t know that I liked any year of high school honestly… high school was a hard stage of life for me. I grew up in a tiny town of 500 people and had a graduating class of 28. Athletics were valued above all else and I was not athletic. I excelled at music, speech and academics so I was kind of an outcast? I so badly wanted to be athletic so I could fit in but my parents told me some day I would be grateful for the gifts I had because they would serve me well in life. But you can’t seem that as a teen that doesn’t have a fully formed brain. I think if I had gone to a large high school with more diversity that would have allowed me to find my people, I would have had a different experience. I did end up dating a guy from another town over that went to a bigger school where music and academics were more valued so I spent a lot of junior and senior year with him and his friends. But then we broke up fall of senior year which was very very hard for me. So high school was overall a really tough time that I kind of survived as dramatic as that sounds? I wish I could go back and hug teen Lisa and tell her that life is going to be so amazing when she gets to college and she just needs to get through this really hard period of time. Of course my parents tried to tell me that but I didn’t believe them at the time…
So all that said, I am very glad that my kids will have a much different experience since they will go to a large school with a diverse student body so have a much higher chance of finding their people earlier in life!
Oh, poor teenage Lisa!!! I agree- if you had just gone to a larger school it would have been different. My high school wasn’t really known for its sports tems (although of course we had them) and all my friends were in band. It sounds like your parents gave you good advice, although it’s not what a teenager wants to hear. But- looking back on it do you see anything positive that came from that situation?
Sigh. My Paul is SO NICE to his sister, and she’s kind of mean to him. They could have such a good relationship if she would allow it. I’m hoping they’ll be close later on (?)
I think if I had a fully formed brain at the time I could have taken more from the adversity I experienced. Or if therapy would have been an option. I was extremely depressed and unhappy and was in a pretty dark place for much of my HS experience… I guess I am just glad that I survived and never have to go back to a reunion or interact with any of those people unless I want to – and 20+ year later I continue to have no desire to do so! But college was wonderful and showed me that I was a likeable person that would be valued for who I was.
LOL LOL LOL the picture of the plaque– hahahahahaha. Also, congrats on having such talented kids– happy to see they are being rewarded for being awesome. We went to UW-EC over the weekend, and I saw kids taking pics in their caps and gowns and thought how quickly the time is going to go and how soon that will be us– yikes! It’s SO EXCITING though!
Thank you Sarah! Yes- college goes by insanely fast! I feel like I just dropped my son off at his freshman dorm yesterday. The start of college is very exciting though- i hope Harry loves it.
I love your daughter’s dress, I would have worn that when I was 15 as well! So goth!
I was just thinking the other day that it is almost a year since my son graduated, wow, did that go fast. Time, it is fleeting.
Nicole, I didn’t picture you as “goth” but I guess you do wear a lot of black! And yes… this year sped by, alarmingly fast.
Aww I hear you on the time flying thing! I literally feel like we were JUST sitting in the gym bleachers at a Parents Freshman Orientation night last August, and now here we are with E finishing up his 1st year already. Finals are next week and then he’s done.
Congrats to your daughter on the award! How cool! And see…. your kids are very high achieving too! Didn’t you just comment something about that on one of my posts? 😉 Your Adams Family comment made me laugh out loud too, hahahah!!! It does kind of look like that was the theme! 😂
Ha, I know, I literally felt like I HAD to clarify that was not the theme of the banquet! And yes- my kids are high schievers in music. But I’m pretty sure I was commenting on ALL the things your kids do, including having jobs and all the sports teams. I don’t know how they find the time!!!
I was just there… the beach (and in the water) is the only place to be. LOL
My Senior year was the best… I had a great group of friends that year.
Congrats to your daughter. Is she thinking about colleges yet?
Yes, we’re at that time of year where if you’re outside, you want to be in the water. Either that or running 20 miles, ha ha.
Yes, she’s thinking about college- although her thoughts don’t line up with ours (going to a state school closer to home.). We’ll see.
hahahaha on the “stupid idiot” – my kids would 100% do something like that.
in other news, I just about died on my run this morning. i mean not really but it was so, SO SOOOOO unpleasant. I cannot wait for my race to be over because I am planning on . .. NOT running super long runs for a bit. omg. I just feel like I need a break from it already . . and it’s only MAY!!!!!
I KNOW. I have to say I’m looking forward to the same thing. Although… I always say that and after a while I miss the long runs. But maybe in our upcoming super-hot, hurricane laden summer, long runs won’t be SO appealing.
UGHHHHH when the hotest day of the week is long run day. BOOOOOOO
Yes I blinked and my oldest stepson finished his first year of college and the youngest is closing in on his junior year of high school…where does the time go?
Yes- I can’t believe the temps are spiking up like that TOMORROW. Oh well. As I keep saying, my race will be hot so I might as well get used to it.
Isn’t it crazy how fast those high school years fly by? College is at triple-speed, as you’re discovering:-) I think the black Addams Family attire is dressy, by HS standards . They’ll look back on these outfits and ask YOU what were you thinking, LOL.
Ha ha, that’s so funny Kim- that’s exactly what will happen. My daughter blames me for everything.
As the mother of a child with a very unique sense of style, I applaud you for letting your kid be herself. She looks so cool and I love her dress (and how brilliant the hair color is). That said, I know it’s not necessarily EASY to go along with some things (my daughter, for instance, has about five temporary tattoos ON HER NECK at the moment, and she has three dressy events coming up and I do not think the tattoos are coming off anytime soon), and I empathize.
I will be sending you all my cooling thoughts during your long run, because SHEESH.
We have a big transition here, from elementary school to MIDDLE SCHOOL and I am not dealing with it well! I am anxious about ALL OF IT and feeling desperately sad that elementary school is nearly behind us FOREVER. I am well aware of how quickly time passes, and yet I am not prepared at all when it speeds by. All good things, but feeling a little melancholy and wistful for my baby these days.
Yes, that’s a big transition, and it was a worrisome one for me because I HATED middle school so, so much. If it helps at all, both my kids liked it! They both especially loved seventh grade (which was the absolute worst year of my life.). There’s some quote which I’m sure you’ve heard, about how having kids is all about constantly grieving for the phases that are passing. It’s so true.
And- I’m laughing about the tattoos on Carla’s neck. At least they’re temporary, unlike my daughter’s septum piercing (screeeaaam!). Well- I guess that’s temporary as well but I have a feeling she’ll have it for many more years.
Sending you all the cool thoughts for the long run tomorrow! We are definitely seeing warmer temps here, but nothing like what you have.
I did not enjoy high school, but always considered college more of a normal high school experience. My freshman year of undergrad was magic – theater friends and late night walks and legit fun – just the best.
“And in case you were wondering- no, the theme of the banquet wasn’t “The Addams Family.” ” LOLLLL. This made me snort-laugh.
We had a really good run of great weather and now we’re definitely in the thick of it with the heat and humidity. UGHHHH. Although we’re definitely not experiencing those kinds of highs here! We’re still in the upper 80s/low 90s, at least. A high of 98 in MAY is not okay!!
Ah, siblings! My sister and I definitely teased each other a lot growing up but we’ve always been pretty close and still are today so I definitely value that relationship! I hope your kids can be friends as they get older – I feel like it’s easier once you’re in your 20s and more mature.
98 on Wednesday?! That sounds like our weather, minus the humidity. Good luck on your long run, and hopefully you won’t have weather like that on race day, but if you do, you’ll be ready!
Vanguard is the name of the restaurant where Birchie and I went to eat lunch! It must be a sign. (Note: Or just a coincident. But let’s be whimsical!)
I’m so happy to see your daughter and her friend dressing how they want to and developing their own sense of style. I sense from your tone that you find it hard at times, but I feel like she’s less likely to become susceptible to the insidious nature of peer pressure surrounding body imagine and the like. I mean, she won’t be immune, but at least she has a bit of a barrier from it. Also, the world has enough preppy women out there dressing in sundresses and sandals!!
School goes by entirely too fast. I loved being in school and felt it was “too short”… but I know that not everybody feels that way. I do hope your daughter enjoys highschool. She does look like she’s doing her “own thing”, black dress and blue hair and all 🙂