The Day Emmy Turned 15

 Emmy's 15th birthday turned out to be quite the party. :) She left on Friday (the 26th) early from school with her cross-country team. They drove to Pueblo - about 4 1/2 hours away. They stopped in Gunnison and got a running practice in. Then they drove the rest of the way (actually, they stayed in a town about 45 minutes away - Canon City). There they went out to dinner, went swimming at the hotel's pool, played all sorts of fun games, and basically had a sleepover that night. What a great party, huh?!

Her actual birthday was not quite as "fun," but was still good. She had her first cross-country race of her high school season. She didn't do as well as she'd hoped (her time was 24:56, I think), but she still did great - running is hard! Her team is amazing and ended up taking 4th out of 19 teams. Emmy placed 54th out of 99. Not too shabby. If she was running JV (she's running varsity - the top 7 runners from each school run varsity. Emmy's team has 8 girls and Emmy is 6th, thus varsity), Emmy would have placed 3rd. Emmy's comment to me as soon as she finished: "I hate running so much." Haha, oh Emmy. Maybe it wasn't her best race because she was coming down with Covid . . . ? We'll see how she does next time. 

Ben, Lucy, and I headed out at 3:30 am to watch the race and then bring her home. It was really fun being a part of it. We stayed for all the races (varsity boys, JV girls and JV boys) and then the awards. Then we headed back home - stopping for some grocery store sushi on the way home. Oh, and some chocolate milk at the gas station, too, of course. Because chocolate milk after a run is The Best. It was a long drive home, but enjoyable. Emmy and Lucy each had a lawn to mow as soon as we got home and so they did that. Then Emmy went to a dance at the Elk's club (Miles and Jonas were also there), ending up Denny's. So I think she had a good, fun day! We celebrated her birthday as a family with her bday dinner and cake on Sunday.

Pre-race pep-talk by Coach Simpson.

Go, Emmy, go!

The course was on a golf course and wound around quite a bit - which was fun for the spectators because we got to see them at like 5 or so different times. 

The girls - minus one girl who isn't quite up to running 3.1 miles. 

Yay, all done!!

Emmy and some of her biggest fans. :)

I had Miles pick up Emmy's favorite donut (Fruity Pebbles) the day before (I was at work). Fun treat!

The team honoring the birthday girl. 

Oh yeah, chocolate milk.

Dear Emmy,

(Remember the night you decided to bake donuts at like 1am. You were pretty excited to tell me about it the next morning. :) )

It was the best of times; it was the worst of times. That's a pretty great sum of your last year of life. You had some pretty great times - but it definitely seems overshadowed by those worst moments. Your last year of middle school was rough, oh so rough, in the whole social and friend aspects. You had many, many nights where you just would cry in your room. It's devastating - especially for your mother. I ache everyday for the hard things you have to go through. It can be an ugly world. You haven't always made the kindest of choices, but we've been able to talk about it and hopefully learn from it. You are learning a ton on what to do and not do in friendships/relationships. You are learning a lot about how to treat others. You are learning about forgiveness. You are learning about sometimes having to stand alone while making the better choices. You don't like any of this, though, and I don't blame you. You're a 15-year old who just wants some besties in your life. Friends that love you and support you and encourage you. And you deserve them. You just might have to wait longer than you want . . . longer than I want. But, as I've told you, goodness and kindness will win - in the important matters and in the end. But it's so hard for you to hang on to that when you need some positive wins right now. I get it.

You've probably hung out with me more than you've wanted to. I have been sort of a default person to be with. But I haven't minded. I've enjoyed watching all the Julia Roberts and Reese Witherspoon movies with you! I've enjoyed running with you - well, kind of. The fact that I can beat you on the hill run doesn't make you a happy runner, i.e., not someone fun to run with sometimes. But we've had some good running memories! I loved that morning we went running together (slightly overcast and drizzly) and then checked out the new candle/cafe shop in town. I remember how kind you were in thinking of your friends (who had been so awfully rude to you the night before - and I saw it all firsthand on your phone) and you bought them some cool candles. 

I've loved watching you perform so beautifully in your gymnastics' meets. Your floor routine is so great and you totally rock the running man. You ran cross-county way back in the summer/fall for middle school and now you're back at it at high school. Oh yeah, you started high school! Aiyiyi. Cross country has been good. You really like it, even though it is hard. You are one tough girl! You first day of high school was long: high school all day, cross country right after, and then gymnastics after that. With a tough conditioning. Your coach KJ and teammate Audi called you a bada$$ for how amazing and strong you are. Although I don't, ahem, support such language (haha), I was grateful for their support of you as you needed it that day. 

You are liking high school so far. Ups and downs. But I think more ups than downs? You haven't quite found a group to sit with a lunch and so that's been a bit challenging. You do eat with Jerica (a nice girl, but not necessarily a good girl. But I like her and get why you do, too) - but she's a sophomore and so sometimes she likes to leave the school (and freshmen are not allowed to. Although your awesome Spanish teacher let you go once and it was like your favorite day of high school thus far, haha).

You still have a lot to work on - but the cool thing is, I do see you working on it. I gave you difficult tasks to do to/for certain friends (ahem, ex-friends) this past year. Things I probably would not have done as a 14-year old. But you did them - although you would tell me at first, "No way." But then you would come back later to me and tell me you did it. I am impressed by you and know you have what it takes to be good. And that's what matters. Not how popular you are, or how pretty you are, or how awesome your cowboy boots are, or how fast you run. It's your goodness and your goodness to others that counts. Always and forever. Learn that, Emmy girl, and you will be just fine. I promise.

I love you.

love,

me

First Days of School, 2022-23 year

Emmy started high school (!!!) on the 18th. Lucy started her 7th grade year on the 22nd. Both had good days (except for a stupid, lame snapchat about Emmy . . . )!

Lucy turns 12!

 Happy birthday!

Dear Lucy,

Dear Lucy Dee,

Happy 12th birthday! You've had a big year since you turned 11 . . . mainly by finishing up your first year of middle school. I can't believe you've already done a year and that in just a few days you'll begin your second year of middle school - 7th grade. Wow. 

You had such a great 6th grade year. You loved it! Mostly because you had your best-friend, Lila, finally at school with you. You two have been best of friends since your preschool days - but since preschool, have never attended the same school nor the same ward. So it was extra-cool that you girls got to go to middle school together - finally! You had a lot of other friends there as well - especially Ruby and Peyton (who are best friends and are in another ward). The four of you (Lila, you, Ruby, and Peyton) became great friends and made 6th grade such a positive experience! Unfortunately Lila just moved away - as in yesterday. Sniff, sniff, cry, cry, bawl, bawl. You've done a little of each of those things - but you've been shockingly okay, too. I even get choked up just thinking about your bestie moving and, while you've had a couple of moments, you've handled it really well. Luckily Lila and her family will be about an hour's drive away from my parents . . . so we're planning on you two being able to see each other throughout the years. She is a sweet friend and you're lucky to have her as one.

You had many friends from gymnastics there at school - plus just friends you've made "along the way." Your social life is healthy. You hang out with one friend and as soon as that's over, you're wanting to hang out with another one. Luckily you have a very close friend just a few houses away - Genevieve. You two have actually become better friends now that you're not in the same grade as each other. I'm glad you have her and that she's so close by. You'll be riding bikes together to school this year and so that will be a fun adventure for you two!

You continue to do well at and love gymnastics. You still love to do crafts. You are so awesome at making your bed every morning and keeping your room clean (your closet - not so much!). You and your friends are in journalism together this year and you are so excited about that. You love rings and bracelets a whole lot. You're suddenly obsessed with daisies (which are my favorite flowers, but I guess I can share that with you :) ). You are going to miss Miles when he goes off to college. You and Emmy are still best frenemies . . . maybe leaning more towards the enemy relationship than the besties at this point in life . . . But you two do have your cute moments.

You went on your first YW's Girls' camp - and I was lucky enough to go as well. I am pretty sure I won't be going again in the near future and so I felt blessed to have gotten to go with both you and Emmy. You loved it all and had such a great group of tent-mates. All eight of you in one tent! You impressed me with your speed on the Via Ferrata as well as the hike! You were the only YW to have caught a fish, too. I hope you'll remember the experience of it forever. (Especially because I won't and so someday you'll have to remind me of the cool stuff I once did . . . )

I am making you out to sound practically perfect. But you're human and so you're not. You tend to act the part of youngest sibling pretty well - as evidenced by annoying your oldest siblings a lot of the times. (I was/am one, too. So I get it. Someday your older siblings won't think you're so annoying - right Erin and Derek?!) You ask for it a lot of times, but I do think you'll grow out of a lot of the annoying youngest sibling-isms soon. You're growing up.

You still have a great deal of impatience . . . that is a huge struggle for you (which means it becomes a huge struggle for me . . . to deal with). We're working on that and hopefully that is something you can learn to control.

All in all, you are great. We love having you part of our family - you really do bring a happy and good spirit into our home. You try to be kind and thoughtful (for the most part). You try to help and make others happy (for the most part). You want to choose the right and usually do. I hope you just keep on being you - improving those areas you need to, while maintaining all those areas that make up beautiful (inside and out) YOU.

I love you.

Love, me

South Bend, Indiana

So for our children's 18th birthday, Ben and I decided to gift them with a trip - just a "long weekend" trip somewhere in the U.S. (and maybe perhaps Canada or Mexico). Miles had a hard time deciding where to go, but finally came up with the perfect spot for Miles: South Bend, Indiana. Huh?! Well it turns out there is the one and only Studebaker museum there and so that's what Miles wanted to see. Perfect.

It turned out to be a delightful trip!! Even for me - who doesn't' like history nor museums! :) But it was all awesome and just so fun to be just with Miles. What a pleasant few days we had together. 

We flew in to Chicago on Thursday evening. By the time we had gotten our rental car and we heading out of Chicago to South Bend, it was prime rush-hour. Ugh. It was awful. But we finally made our way out, found a Cracker Barrel to eat it, and then got to our BnB stay in South Bend. Our little "house" was quaint and perfect - it was literally across the street from the museum! So on Friday morning, after Ben and I took a lovely run along the river on a cute path in the downtown South Bend area, we headed to the museum. It was awesome. We all really, really loved it. It was just so awesome! My pictures are in reverse, but whatever:

After we spent a few hours in the museum, we next went to check out Notre Dame. Since we were in South Bend, why not?! I love college campuses anyways, so it was fun to go and check it out. It was gorgeous. All of it.

There we are with Touchdown Jesus in the background.

I love it!

This was the administrative building - and was quite beautiful inside. There is a legend that if you walk those steps before you have graduated . . . you won't graduate. So many of students avoid those steps. Miles decided it was best for him to avoid them as well. So we took the side doors. :)

We walked the whole campus, checked out the administrative building, the bookstore, and even the Basilica of the Sacred Heart (crazy ornate, but so fascinating!). It was very enjoyable. As was the weather - we lucked out with mild temps and humidity. Yay!

That evening we ate Mexican food (Miles' choice) and then had dessert at Bonnie Doone's drive-in. Bonnie had a "fleet" of Studebakers way back when that her employees used for deliveries, and just to look cool at her restaurant. It was fun. :) That night we watched "Air Force One." 

On Saturday morning, after another run along the river (I loved it), we left South Bend and headed back towards Chicago . . . 

On our way to Chicago, we stopped off at Indiana Dunes State Park to see Lake Michigan. It was gorgeous! We weren't expecting it to be so beautiful.

After that little stop, we made our way to downtown Chicago. Ben was not a fan of driving and parking there . . . but we did it. We just did the river walk in Chicago and I loved it. I don't know how much Miles and Ben did - I think they thought it was cool. I just love being outside and seeing new things, so it was a win for me. The buildings, while different from the beauties of nature, were definitely pretty in their own way. The river alongside them made it all the cooler in my opinion.

After our walking tour of Chicago (we walked a ton!), we were on to our final destination: Ben's Aunt Martha and Uncle Rudy's home. Aunt Martha is Jim's sister. She and her husband live about 45 minutes north of downtown Chicago. They were nice enough to host us for the night - complete with a delicious dinner (briskets - something I have never done but man were they good) and a fun night playing games. We slept at their lovely home and Aunt Martha even prepared a yummy breakfast sandwich for us to take on our way to the airport early Sunday morning. It was so nice to meet up with Ben's family!

Rudy and Martha's home and property were beautiful.

A couple of Ben's cousins (here's one of them, Adam) came over for dinner and games that night. It was a lot of fun!

Adam showing off some magic skills. :)

We flew out early Sunday morning. What a unique and awesome trip!