The Long and Short of It: Banquet Season

 

Come April/May, every single team, club, organization, and extracurricular in existence hosts a banquet, end-of-the-year celebration, or awards ceremony. Yes, every single one. 

Some years you feel like you can skip a handful of them, but - spoiler alert - senior year is not one of those years. 

Here are a few highlights of our exhausting but heartwarming season of saying goodbye.

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The Lads banquet was probably my favorite this year, in part because this group of boys and their gaffer mean so much to me, and in part because - with a great committee by my side - I made this one happen. It was A LOT of work, but in the end this banquet was exactly what I wanted for Will, his fellow seniors, and his departing coach's last year.

I make him take a selfie with me at every event. 

Lads Mamas

 

Region/State Awards

The captains collectively served as emcees for
the event, and they did a great job. I was surprised
to learn that Will has a knack for public speaking.

Varsity

I've worked "for" and alongside Coach Southern for four years.
I'll miss watching him love this sport and these boys with every
ounce of his being, and (I think) he'll miss me texting and emailing
him reminders to do stuff ASAP because "we're down to the wire."

Seniors

Academic All State Awards

Conference Awards 

These five seniors made varsity together as freshman. So grateful for
their growth as players, teammates, and friends these last four years.

Team Awards

Tom getting a well-deserved shout out for keeping
all of the Lads fans "matraca-ed" for the last three years.

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Same sport, different banquet... Will's last Cavalry banquet was relaxing compared to the Lads banquet - all I had to do was show up, chat with friends, eat, and clap for my senior. 

Another night, another selfie.

Seniors

Kind of hard to see, but
this was Will's senior slide.

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Next up, the orchestra banquet! When Will started playing the cello in the fifth grade, I had no idea he'd end up sticking with it throughout the remainder of his middle and high school years. After seven truly enjoyable years, this eighth and final year proved a bit challenging for Will; he'd had great relationships with his intermediate, middle, and high school directors, and when his high school director retired after Will's junior year, a new director was hired. He struggled to find his place in the new system under a new director, but at the end of the day he loved making music with his friends for one final year.

Selfie #3 - he was getting tired of me asking at this point.

Receiving his senior gift from his director.

With a few of his friends.

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Senior Awards

He was probably trying to run away from me at this
point, which is likely why the picture is a little blurry.

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Tiger Awards (awards ceremony for freshmen, sophomores, and juniors)

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CSISD Scholarship Night

Didn't need a selfie, thanks to Vacanva Photography...

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Missing in action - or at least in terms of photos - are Will's end of the year orchestra concert, Hallie's end of the year choir concert, the Strutters Showcase, and the choir banquet. We were particularly sad to miss the choir banquet (we'd made a commitment to a dance photo shoot before the banquet date was set), especially because Hallie received a "Sophomore of the Year" award, but hopefully we'll be able to attend next year.

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Cheers to surviving a great banquet season!

The Long and Short of It: Volume One

 After almost two months of absolute insanity and an equally long break from the blog (with the exception of Hallie's birthday post and my March Monthly Medley midway through April), I'm finally coming up for air. 

The next round of crazy looms right around the corner though, so I plan to spend the next couple of weeks documenting the many big and small moments that made these last few two months ones I never want to forget.

Last summer Hallie said goodbye to a dance studio she'd considered her second home for more than a decade. And while making the transition was emotionally strenuous, after a year in our new dance studio, Hallie and I both know we ended up exactly where we were meant to be.

This year she pushed and stretched herself as a dancer, taking on her first demi-soloist and lead roles and competing for the first time. She may not yet know where this road will lead - or even where she hopes it will lead - but every time an opportunity presented itself she took the next step forward, even when doing so felt scary, and I deeply admire her for that.

First Competition:

They were SO proud and excited to come home and
tell Mr. John and Mrs. Aya all about their experience
and how well they did.

First Spring Showcase:

As we wrap up our first year - or Volume One, as we're affectionately referring to it - with Elements Academy of Dance, I couldn't be any more grateful for all those who took a fairly terrifying leap of faith and threw themselves wholeheartedly into creating this space and making this dream become a reality. 

The Long and Short of It: Sweet Sixteen

After almost two months of absolute insanity and an equally long break from the blog (with the exception of Hallie's birthday post and my March Monthly Medley midway through April), I'm finally coming up for air. 

The next round of crazy looms right around the corner though, so I plan to spend the next couple of weeks documenting the many big and small moments that made these last few two months ones I never want to forget.

Midway through April, my sweetest girl celebrated her sixteenth birthday.

Her birthday fell on a busy school day (I actually think she took an EOC exam that day), so while we fit in our usual family celebrations - waking up to a balloon-filled bedroom, donuts for breakfast, sharing a treat with friends at dance, dinner out with the family, and finally cake and presents - it wasn't a wild and extravagant day. 

She celebrated with her besties a couple of weeks later, and someday - when she actually has a driver's licence (she's in absolutely no rush to reach this 16-year-old milestone) - she may get to celebrate again with a new (to her) car. 

I won't rewrite here what I wrote on her actual birthday, but I will share the link. If you don't have time to read that post in its entirety, here's a quick summary: she's hardworking, brave, and kind; she's a delight to be around (most of the time); and she makes me want to me a better person. 

Monthly Medley: April/May 2025

April and May kind of "became one," so rather than try to parse out which recommendations belong in an April Monthly Medley and which recommendations belong in a May Monthly Medley, I've decided to combine the two months into one post. 

Reading

I'm fairly certain I didn't read at all in April, and I know I didn't pick up a book in May until the very end of the month. I'm hoping to finish the one I just started, but it might be tight given that the library is already after me since I've had it for quite a few weeks...

Watching

Just like with reading, I hardly watched anything at all (other than episodes of Friends because they 1) have a calming, comforting effect and 2) they only last 22 minutes) in April and May - there just wasn't time. But at the very end of May, Tom and I watched both Jack Reacher movies and we all rewatched Mission Impossible: Dead Reckoning Part One so we'd be ready to see Mission Impossible: The Final Reckoning in theaters in June. 

Now that I have a little more time, I'm going to binge everything in my DVD and then start sampling the many shows I've saved/bookmarked on our streaming services!

Listening To

Unlike reading and watching, I've listened to A LOT of new podcasts these last two months. They did a good job of distracting me from all the crazy and all of the emotional ups and downs. 

First, Dancing With Shadows, about George Balanchine and the New York City Ballet. As the parent of a ballet dancer, this was an incredibly interesting - and at times concerning and disheartening - deep dive into this man, his legacy, and the world he all but created. 

Second, a Betrayal episode about Munchausen syndrome by proxy (otherwise known as factitious disorder imposed on another) led me to Nobody Should Believe Me. I've always been fascinated by this illness - ever since I watched The Sixth Sense decades ago - and listening to these families' journeys has been both eye opening and fascinating from an educational standpoint.

Third, season 61 of American Scandal about the history of television quiz show rigging. I'll never watch another quiz show without questioning its legitimacy after listening to this podcast...

Following

I don't think I starting following any new influencers, content creators, businesses, or organizations these last two months - if anything I'm unfollowing these days. My feed has gotten a little too crowded, so I could stand to spend some time "cleaning house" in June!

Trying/Using

The Dungeon (the Lads' locker room) has cement walls and is NOT temperature controlled, meaning if it's humid/cold/hot outside, it's humid/cold/hot inside. These two "features" together mean that hanging anything on the walls can be - to put it mildly - a challenge. Enter alien tape, which was missing from my life until this year and without which I don't know how I survived. 

As a big fan of The Hunger Games series, Hallie asked for this updated book set for her birthday. It's so pretty...really disguises the fact that the series is about a dystopian society that kills off their children for sport and to maintain the power and wealth of a handful of elite.

I bought Will a pair of Goodr sunglasses last summer, and he really liked them. They recently met their demise, however (something about a backflip into a body of water while wearing them), so he asked for a new pair the next time a gift-giving occasion arose. I always "surprise" the kids a summer basket, which ended up being the perfect opportunity to give each of them a pair; Will picked Flamingos on a Booze Cruise, and I chose Sunbathing with Wizards for Hallie. They're affordable, sturdy, polarized, and are suddenly available a lot more places than they were available previously. 

When I used to wear contacts, I could cut onions for hours. (Not that I ever did cut onions for hours, but I could have done so if needed.) Once I had my eyes fixed and I stopped wearing contacts, I couldn't cut onions at all - like it would take me 20 minutes to tackle half of an onion because I had to keep walking away to recover before moving on to the next cut. Enter onion googles, the greatest kitchen invention of all time. 10 out of 10, HIGHLY RECOMMEND.

Wearing

So April and May include A LOT of special events, and as it turned out, I didn't have hardly anything to wear to spring special events. Throughout April I bought like 163 dresses from Amazon, Target, and Kohls; below are the ones I kept! 

• Amazon #1 - chose the "floral beige multicolored" design, and love how well it flows and lays.
• Amazon #2 - chose the "green orange flower" design, and in addition to adoring the colors and floral pattern, I love that I can wear a regular bra and that it has pockets.
• Target - chose green for this one, but I like it enough that I might also buy it in the blue ikat.
• Kohls - loved all of the colors, but went with the blue. Sadly, this one shrunk in the wash - I can still wear it, but it doesn't fit as well as it did when I tried it on in the store.

I've been shopping for a strapless bra that stays up for probably decades, and I finally found one that I don't have to pull up from my waist every 10 minutes! I think it's a knockoff of the Shapermint bandeau, but it works and comes in a much lower price point.

My spring/summer dress shopping isn't quite done - we have a wedding to attend in July and none of these are quite right for the setting - but I'm close. 😃 (Also, stay tuned for pics of all of these in my upcoming "The Long and Short of It: Banquet Season" post!)

Eating/Drinking

I did actually manage to cook - beyond baking for the Lads - a couple of times in April and May. 

First up was this Basic Quiche recipe from The Stay at Home Chef. I added bacon and gruyere cheese, and while the end result was delicious, I should note that the quiche took a good 20 minutes longer to fully cook than the recipe indicated.

Second was this Pasta e Fagioli Soup, which I made according to the recipe minus the bay leaves, which I never have on hand. The soup was delicious, but note that like most soups that contain pasta, it's best served at the exact moment the pasta is perfectly done. Because it's a crockpot recipe, I made it on a night when we all needed to eat at different times; as a result, those of us who ate later in the evening enjoyed more of a Pasta e Fagioli casserole than a soup. 

Smiling About

• Fascinated by this place in South Korea where the sea parts and exposes a narrow swath of land for an hour twice a year.
• Bookmarking this list of the best feel-good movies so I can rewatch them this summer.
• Mom parkour - this is my jam.
• Class of 2025, 1st - 12th grade music recap.

See you next month!