It's been a marathon around here and the sprint to the finish seems to have taken place over the last ten days. It all began with State Swim. Thursday night, Coleen came all the way from Arizona to support the boys. We stayed up too late talking and catching up but didn't realize that until the next morning when the alarms went off. We woke up Friday morning when the clock began with a four which is way too early according to everyone here. The boys had to be on the bus at the school at 5:30 and Gary and I left shortly after they did in order to get in line for a good seat. State Swim is held at BYU and, even though the doors don't open until 8:30 or so for the 9:15 start, you better be in line around 7:00 if you want to be somewhere you can see your swimmer swim. The caravan left here about 5:30 and we headed north. When we got there, the bus hadn't arrived yet but we were still about 75 people back in line. Swim fans are crazy! Day one both boys swam really well. Ethan swam in the medley relay as the freestyle leg, the 400 freestyle relay and both the 200 and 500 freestyle individual events. He qualified for day 2 in all four events. Dylan swam in the 200 freestyle relay and also qualified for day 2 even though they had us worried. They only take the top 16 teams to day 2 and they originally placed 17th. All the relays made it to day 2 but in the consolation bracket. Ethan was in the medal round for day 2 in both of his individual events. It was fun to have Tom and Brin join us for the meet. They are only able to come to state so it was fun for them to watch their brothers do what they love.
Day 2 was a repeat of day one. We got up early and got in line to wait for the doors to open. The boys swam great and the cheering section was loud. The relays placed well and Ethan met his goal of taking 6th in the 200 freestyle and 2nd in the 500 freestyle breaking his own school record in that event. It is strange to think that he is done swimming in high school We are pretty sure where he will swim in college but we still have a trip planned in March to make sure it is a good fit. It is super fun to watch Dylan swim and start becoming such a strong contender. We're excited to see what he does in the next two years on the swim team and what he decides to do with swim after.
Sunday was full of meetings and preparations. As the General Sterling Scholar for Millard High School, Ethan needed to have a service project and he chose a fundraiser for the local school food pantries. Brinlee needed a project for one of her elementary education classes as well that got the community involved in the school so they teamed up to plan a Bingo night to raise money. They had solicited prize donations from local businesses and our home was filled with so many amazing donations. We spent the afternoon after church organizing and planning and preparing for the next day.
Monday brought the bingo fundraiser and it was a HUGE success! We were hoping to have 50 people come. The line started forming before the 7:00 start time and everyone was buying 5 cards here and 5 cards there. The cash box was filling up and we even had to send Ethan's friends to the store to get more candy to be used as bingo markers. Before I knew it, I heard more tables being set up behind me and turned around to see every seat in the house filled. We counted almost 200 people who came out to participate in a good cause and Ethan raised almost $2,000. It was such a fun night!
Tuesday was Valentine's Day and all that comes with that. School was filled with parties and chaos and sugar cookies that the Millard High School girl's soccer team sells each year for their fundraiser. We had a yummy dinner at home and everyone went to bed early.
We got to see Tommy on Wednesday. He came down to say goodbye to Kia and Ethan and Dylan and I went to lunch with him while he was here. It is so fun watching the boys interact as adults. I love hanging out with them. I love watching their relationship continue as they grow older. I love that they let me come along sometimes.
Wednesday night Gary had Town Council meeting with a public hearing before to raise some electrical rates. Everything is more expensive these days! I really admire how he serves as the Mayor of Meadow. It isn't an easy job. It isn't a job you do for the money - all $100 a month of it. It isn't a job where everyone is happy with you and usually only those who aren't happy are the ones who are vocal. He does it and does it well.
On Thursday, Ethan met with the Stake President and submitted his mission papers. How is he old enough to be going on a mission? How is he a senior already? Where did the time go? It is different than when Tom submitted his papers. Everything is electronic now including how the calls come. We are awaiting an email possible as soon as this week to let us know where the Lord wants him to serve. He is ready. I'll get there.
Friday was filled with tears and heartache at our house. Our dog, Kia, had not been doing well for several months. We got Kia when Logan was getting super sick with his BiPolar. He was cycling super fast and we knew a pet may help him through the dark times. We brought her home just two weeks before he died to be his therapy dog. Little did we know, she would become our therapy dog. She got us through some pretty dark times and was especially close to Ethan. Knowing what we needed to do, we planned it for after State Swim so that his mind would be on performing to the best of his ability. It was heart wrenching to say goodbye. Our home feels empty and quiet and we keep looking for her. I had an impression that afternoon on my way home from school. It was a quick picture that flashed across my mind but I saw Lo smiling big and Kia running over to him to wrestle. He let us borrow her for almost 7 years and now it was time that they could play together.
Ethan left that afternoon for a day date for Sadies and that helped him get through the heartache of losing his dog. Dylan spent some time alone in the basement because he is not a fan of too much people time and he'd had a lot of it this week. That helped him. Gary and I went to St. George for a play that had been rescheduled from my birthday weekend and that distraction helped us as well.
Saturday was the actual dance part of Sadies. Ethan went with his friend, Austyn Bennett. They had a great time and looked so great. I love seeing these teenagers dress up and go on these fun dance dates. It reminds me of my high school years and the fun and the nerves and the excitement of dance dates. Dylan will start next year and we'll have a couple more years of kids coming over for dinner or movies and games. Having teenagers in our home brings so much joy.
We replaced all the floor in the living room, kitchen, and hall in November and are finally finding some time to put in the baseboards. We're hoping to work on that on President's day, but for now, we are taking it easy and trying to recharge after 10 days of crazy highs and low lows. This stage of life is busy. This stage of life is exhausting. I wouldn't trade this stage of life for anything!
1 comment:
Thank you for sharing ❤️❤️❤️
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