One
I'm fairly certain that last week (Sunday, January 26th through Saturday, February 1st) was, other than the week of Nutcracker, the busiest week of my entire year. I spent close to 35 hours "on school property" - inside the school building as well as in/around the stadium - working on soccer and musical responsibilities and attending games and shows. I also tallied at least 15 hours of related volunteer work at home, preparing for these responsibilities, games, and shows.
I'm not complaining. Quite the opposite, actually. I love this kind of work (most of the time), and consider myself incredibly lucky to have the kind of schedule that allows me to be involved in ways that positively impact my kids' and others' academic and extracurricular endeavors. I believe we all play a role in educating our children and prospering our communities ("it takes a village"), and just like we need teachers and counselors and librarians and nurses and accountants and mechanics and plumbers, we need people who can volunteer their time to fill in the human and financial resource gaps within our schools, athletic clubs, fine arts programs, etc. (To be clear, these gaps aren't the fault of school administrators, teachers, or coaches..and they're a topic for another post.) I've admittedly stretched myself w...a...y too thin this year, but I'm still so grateful for the opportunities I've had to do my part.
Zoom in - the clock says 10:14pm. On this night - one of three late ones - I didn't actually go home until around 10:45pm, but I wanted to document the late hour. |
Two
On a related note...
Last weekend my girl took the stage in her first musical since she played "Noah's Wife" in a church musical theater camp four years ago. (She also played Dorothy in a summer drama camp production of The Wizard of Oz a few years before that. The video of her solo as Noah's Wife won't load, but her audition song and one of her solo videos from The Wizard of Oz sure will!)
When auditions were approaching, she truly couldn't decide what to do; there was a part of her that wanted to participate and another part of her that really didn't, and she had a lot of valid reasons, pros, and cons on both sides. In the end, she went for it, but decided to audition only for a non-speaking, non-solo part to get her feet wet and so she wouldn't have to miss too much dance. She was cast as a cheerleader, which is funny because her personality/demeanor is so far from what I think of when I think of a real-life cheerleader (extroverted, outgoing, enthusiastic), but she was perfect for the role and did a wonderful job.
I'm used to seeing Hallie on stage, but it was so fun to watch her try something new...especially something so scary and intimidating from a social perspective and that would force her outside of her normally VERY small comfort zone.
I'm grateful that friends snapped all of these pics for me.
Proud of you, kiddo. And sorry for sharing those videos above - it had to be done. 😉
Three
A separate high five goes out to all the friends and family members who supported Hallie - from near and far - last weekend. So many people in her life came to see the show, and those who couldn't sent lots of love in the form of sweet notes and messages and even flowers. Once again, thanks to the friends who took these pics for me - I didn't take hardly any pics all weekend!
Cayla |
Abby |
Kara came back from Houston to surprise Hallie! (Hallie actually knew Kara was coming, but it was still an awesome reunion.) |
Avery and Kara |
Jenn and Mandi |
Tom and Will |
I always wished they could perform in a musical together, and while that obviously didn't happen, at least he got to see her in this one. |
Four shows in three days! (And I love that she was repping the Lads - since she wasn't able to attend their Friday night game - with her choice of attire.) |
Four
The Lads had a rough week (a tie that could/should have been a win, a medical emergency, and a loss that could/should have been a tie all in the span of four days) last week, but they had a great night on Tuesday and we're hoping things are heading in the right direction now!
Not a great night... (Will was upset, they turned the stadium lights off on us, and I look super creepy.) |
A much better night! |
Five
Happiness Highlights
Gorgeous sunset on the musical's opening night. |
She kept her gorgeous hair long through the musical because it worked for her role... |
...but then she chopped 7+ inches off the following week. It's adorable! |
Look at how cute he is when he rests on the windowsill. 😍 His one back leg just dangles, and if (when) he falls asleep, the leg's weight pulls him down s...l...o...w...l...y until he slips off. |
Kristen came back for the crosstown rivalry game! Would it even be a picture of the four of us if a Findley didn't photobomb? |
That's better. 😍 |
LOVE this pic of the girls varsity soccer team with their 2025 Lads matracas, custom 3D-printed by Tom! |
Happy weekend, friends!