High Five for Friday (6.25.21)

One

After finishing summer school late last week, the weight of the world (well, the weight of summer school, which felt like the weight of the world to Hallie...and maybe to me, too) was lifted from my girl's shoulders. I can tell she's finally enjoying summer vacation, which she certainly deserves to do after such a long year.

This boy is also enjoying summer vacation. He has a pretty regular - and pretty typical teenage - routine: wake up, work out (high school boot camp), shower, nap with kittens, hang with friends, play soccer, shower again, play video games. Oh, and he eats a lot in there too. 

Two

After qualifying earlier in the year, late last week my nephew, Carter, competed at the United States Tumbling Association (UTSA) National Championship in Rochester, MN. He earned sixth place on Trampoline, third place on Double Mini, and...wait for it...FIRST place on Floor. He's literally the 7-8yo UTSA National Champion! Congratulations, President Carter!

Three

Happy (belated) Father's Day! We had a fun day showering Tom with a little extra love (and letting him do whatever he wanted, which - per usual - included playing disc golf and puttering around shirtless in the backyard) and called our dads/grandpas to wish them a happy day as well.

Four

Happiness Highlights

Look at sweet Teaka (once Bob, of Hallie's Hairstyle
Babes) being adored by all four of her doggy sisters!
There was a time when we weren't sure these five girls
would ever get along, so this feels like a colossal victory. 

Trying out another of Tom's crazy Amazon purchases. Life was
easier and cheaper before he discovered that Amazon existed...

Last year's pool, which served us well for six months
during the pandemic, sprung a leak over the winter (or
in transit to/from the attic). Tom worked incredibly hard
to diagnose the problem and find the leak, but in the end
we couldn't save her. I'm sad to see her go, but secretly
happy about her not taking over the patio this summer.

Do you know how much work it is to get hair that
short into a bun?! Calling this a MAJOR victory.

A week late on the pic, but a pic none-the-less!

Going away party for a friend - sad to see her go, but
happy to have had one more night of fun together!

Five

Lastly this week, a little PSA about Juneteenth.

In case you missed it, last Saturday was Juneteenth. Until last year, I knew nothing about what celebrating this holiday - also called Jubilee Day and Freedom Day - meant.

Juneteenth commemorates the day - June 19th - in 1865 when Union General Gordon Granger read aloud the federal orders that all previously enslaved people in Texas were free. Though these individuals had been formally freed by the Emancipation Proclamation more than two years earlier and the Civil War had ended in April of that year, Texas was "the most remote of the slave states, with a low presence of Union troops, so enforcement of the proclamation had been slow and inconsistent". Festivities began the following year here in Texas, and grew gradually throughout the last 150 years until just last week, Juneteenth became a Federal Holiday.  Popular Juneteenth activities include readings, lectures, exhibitions, and historical reenactments, as well as prayer services, street fairs, cookouts, reunions, rodeos, and parties. The day is about celebrating African American* freedom and achievement, but also about celebrating heritage, instilling pride, and honoring influences.

* I used "African American", rather than "Black", here because that is the terminology used on the official Juneteenth website.  

We "celebrated" Juneteenth (though on a very small scale thanks to COVID-19) for the first time last year - Will and I attended the Brazos Valley African American Museum's Juneteenth Curbside Celebration  morning, Hallie and I baked red velvet cake in the afternoon, and over dinner we talked about what we'd learned as a family. This year our previously-scheduled Saturday activities kept us from attending local celebrations, but I still spent time talking with both kids about what the day means for African Americans and why it should be honored by all Americans.

Want to learn more about Juneteenth? Check out www.juneteenth.com and the What is Juneteenth? episode on the podcast First Name Basis with Jasmine Bradshaw.

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Happy weekend, friends!