A Bittersweet Picture Day

It is spring picture day for Sara—last school picture of Middle School!!  It’s so bittersweet.  She is growing into a beautiful, bright, enigmatic young lady right before my eyes.  It seems like just yesterday, I was picking her clothes out for her but even as a small child she definitely had her opinions on style.  She has always been a “comfy” girl fighting against anything that “looks nice”.  

But today I didn't have to beg her to wear something other than her usual volleyball tshirt.  She didn't even ask for my help in picking something out.  She emerged from her room this morning looking beautiful with her own style definitely showing.  I think she is finally starting to become comfortable in her own skin—no longer feeling a need to hide under tshirts and jeans.  She’s starting to be her own person and stand out in her own way.  I love her so much!!

Rebirth

I thought since I was resurrecting this blog with fresh content, it needed a fresh look too!  What do you think?

Totally Random

I'm filching this from Melodee over at Actual Unretouched Photo.  Hadn't done a good meme in a while so why not!

What is the last thing you watched on TV?   Helix.  I LOVE a good sci-fi show!!  Can’t wait for the season finale tonight!  But then I have to wait for the new season to start!!  Bummer!

When did you last step outside? What were you doing?  This morning taking my children to school.  It’s a beautiful day even with the pollen!  Wish I could play hookie!!

What is on the walls of the room you are in?  Calendars……work calendars, school calendars, sports calendars, project calendars…..

If you became a multi-millionaire overnight, what would you buy?  A sports complex in our town for my daughter’s volleyball club so they would have a consistent place to practice and an awesome spot for tournaments.  

Tell me something about you that most people don’t know.  I'm pretty transparent but when I was little, I wanted to be a lady truck driver.  Uhm.   Yeah.

Who made the last incoming call on your phone? My husband asking how Sara was doing at the national volleyball team tryouts.

What was the last book you read?  The Mortal Instruments:  City of Bones.

If you could change something about your home, without worry about expense or mess, what would you do?  Add more storage to each and every room!  And make the bonus room into a bedroom for Sara because she keeps begging for it!

What was the last thing you bought?  Bojangles chicken wings for Sara after tryouts last night.  That girl is gonna turn into a chicken wing!!

If you could eat lunch with one famous person, who would it be?  Audrey Hepburn.  I just love her!  She is still an inspiration for women everywhere.

Which store would you choose to max out your credit card?   Lowes or Kirklands.  Would love to remodel and redecorate!!

Is the glass half empty or half full?   Yes

Name something that took you by surprise.  Walking Dead…Lizzie…WOW!!

Name one TV show you will watch every time it’s on.  Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives.  I LOVE that show!  But I think I gain weight just watching!  Sara wants to go on a road trip and visit all the diners!  LOL!

Name a movie you will watch no matter how many times you’ve seen it.   A Christmas Story and Jaws.

What’s the farthest-away place you’ve been?   Los Angeles

What’s under your bed?  Dust bunnies.  Did you know they make great watch dogs??

What is your favorite time of the day?  Bedtime.  That’s the only time I’m not doing something!

What Inspires You?   God, my children, my husband, my friends.  I can find inspiration in just about anything!

Want to play along?  Answer one of the question in the comments or on your own blog!  It’s a fun way to kick off the weekend!

The Power of Positive

Sara’s last volleyball tournament was this past weekend.  It was the Regional Finals and they were playing awesome!  They’ve had a up and down kind of season.  Lose big, win, big, lose big win big, etc.  This was their last tournament and I know they wanted to go out with a bang!  They played hard and worked so well together.  They kept each other’s spirits up and they hung in there and won 1^st place!  I can’t tell you how proud we are of the whole team!!!

The Final Match was kind of difficult.  The referees had been pretty strict all day and had overruled the line judges on out of bounds calls many times.  In the final, this continued many times in our team’s favor.  The other team’s coach got very upset, arguing with the ref and even throwing her papers down.  The parents in the stands got into it too yelling at their girls things like, “watch out, you’re playing everyone today!”  It was all very negative.  The opposing team got frustrated and rattled, their level of play dropped and they lost.  

In the end, their coach told her team that the referees gave us the game.  At the awards ceremony, they received their medals first and all of our team and parents clapped and praised them.  But when Sara’s team got their awards, only a couple of their players and parents clapped.  And this behavior was duly noted by Sara and her teammates.

Now, the truth be told, these two teams were VERY well matched.  They had played each other earlier in the day with Sara’s team winning but in three fairly close sets.  So either team could have won the Final.  I have to wonder what the outcome would have been if the coach had handled the situation differently.  With a positive attitude and encouragement to move on and continue to play their best would they have persevered and won the final match?  I guess we’ll never know.  I pray one day they get to see what a positive attitude can bring them.  

Scary!

The scariest thing I’ve heard from my daughter yet was “Mom, I have my High School registration stuff”.  I knew it was coming.  I mean it’s inevitable.  She keeps promoting to the next grade so she had to go sometime!  She’s growing up right before my eyes.  But that doesn’t mean I have to like it, right?  Last night we went to the High School Open House.  My jeans and t-shirts girl wore a nice blouse and scarf!  Yup, growing up whether I like it or not!

The campus is HUGE!  There’s going to be 700+ students in the Freshman class next year.  It’s going to be so different than her Middle School.  Lots more choices, lots more opportunities, lots more freedom…..and lots more stress!  She’ll be taking 3 Honors classes and Sophomore Math plus if all goes right, playing Volleyball for School and Club.  It’s a lot!  But I know she is strong academically and emotionally.  I have faith that God will guide us all through this. 

And as a friend reminded me, this is just a bump in the road, wait until she starts driving!!!!  My reply?  One thing at a time!    

Finding my way back

Hey there!  If anyone is still visiting my blog, my apologies!  Life got in the way as life is prone to do.  There is so much I've lived through in the last 2 years and would love to share with you where I've been and where I'm heading.  I've missed this blog and this outlet to share my life with you.  It was always therapeutic for me.  So please keep checking back.  I've so much to share!!!