Memorial Day Weekend

Goodness, we needed a getaway! My parents left town for FL to see Riley sing in a performance and that meant their house was empty (minus Aaron) over Memorial Day weekend. No brainer! We decided to invite the Powells and make a weekend of it. Funny enough, we did very little planning because of all the crazy end of the school year stuff. So it was really easy going, make it up as you go sort of thing.

When Paige's two friends at school came down with Covid the day we were set to leave, we all tensed a bit as we figured out what our next move would be. I certainly didn't want to spread anything and we wouldn't know for a few days whether Paige was contagious. I'm glad she had chosen to wear her mask for the last two weeks and felt that might offer a bit of protection even when the other two had not. We decided on a test and go plan. I tested Paige the morning we found out about the other two and then again the morning the Powells were supposed to leave to get to us. All along the way she was symptom free and testing negative. Just to be safe, we pulled Paige into a different room for sleeping purposes and she agreed to mask while she was in the house with everybody. I know those two things weren't easy for her, but she was a trooper and did great. 

So with the Powells headed up to the lake, I ran to the grocery store and prepped just a couple of easy dishes. We grilled hamburgers and did homemade pizza one night. They all loved the panini maker so lunches were easy too. With paper plates on hand, meals were great!

Our main activities were boating, tubing, knee boarding, swimming, jumping off the dock, chatting, skiing, lounging on an island beach and generally hanging out. The lake got busy in the afternoons so we were good about getting out at a reasonable time before things got too crazy with bad drivers. The weather was PERFECT! The kids loved staying up late and eating too many treats. We adults had a nice time chatting and just relaxing for a bit. It was definitely a success, even with a little bit of sunburn. 

In an epic Dude Perfect move, Patrick threw a frisbee from this dock to our double decker dock in the background, while John jumped off the top and caught it in mid-air. First time. No joke. 

The only bit of a downer was announcing to the kids that our Associate Pastor who does youth ministry, and his family, will be leaving toward the end of the summer as they accept a new position in AL. The kids were sad and I am too. We love this family! So we had a sweet time of prayer for them and will love them well before they leave. 

With everybody helping, clean up was easy on Monday afternoon. I think we are ready to hit this last week of school running. Anna is already out on summer break, but if you can believe it we still have last school things to do! Paige will have her symposium for her impact project tomorrow and we will also have the track banquet tomorrow night. Anna has a skate party for orchestra as well as a sleepover. I think NEXT week we finally simmer down a bit before we head to TN to see the fam, including John and Jessi who are moving back as I type this!

The Press, Promotions and Gathering

Last week was definitely full! We're winding down the end of the school year which means lots of celebrations and this year has EXTRA because both the girls promoted to new schools. From the top:

I did jury duty Monday through Thursday and it wasn't terrible. At one point I was selected as alternate and then asked to leave just as I entered the court room. Score! It made for a bit of business as I wasn't sure when I would get out each day, but overall, it wasn't bad and a I made a few bucks. 

The news of the school shooting on Wednesday hit hard. Imagining our 11 year in the same position as these kids was unthinkable. Of course, Patrick was immediately hit with inquiries as his job is in the realm of education. He was asked to do a live interview panel on the 5:30 news and it went well. I had several people praying over him and the news segment because these are difficult and polarizing times. So grateful for my prayer warriors. Patrick's parents had arrived to town just a couple of hours prior, so even they were able to catch it live. 

On Thursday, I was able to get out of jury duty early enough to grab the pizza for the class party I helped organized for the 5th graders. It was sweet to see them all running around and having a good time on the playground. Her teacher also received the class present which I organized. I got her a rocking chair for the class and a gift certificate to her favorite restaurant. Easy peasy. I did notice one of Paige's besties was not at school which was off considering it was their promotion day later that evening. Turns out she had covid. Oh boy did that start some wheels in motion as Paige hangs out with this kiddo all day at school. 

We didn't quite worry too much about it and headed off to her 5th grade graduation. I LOVE this ceremony. It has tons of tradition, and the kids receive individual words of affirmation spoken over them. Sally gave the class speech. I was so proud of her and I was proud of Paige for being a supportive friend, knowing she did not win the class speech. At the end, they pass the torch to the 4th graders while singing "I can go the distance." Ugh. It gets me every time. Even more special was that Anna's best friend at CFI as a little sister, Braeden who is in 4th grade and Paige got to pass her torch to her. Tears!!

It was a sweet evening. Paige got to wear her special dress and looked so pretty. We went out for dinner afterward and tried to find Paige some pasta which was harder than I imagined on a Thursday night. Kathy bought the girls Georgetown cupcakes to celebrate and we each enjoyed picking out our favorites to eat. The whole day was fun-packed and filled to the brim!

On Friday morning, we had Anna's 8th grade promotion. I was able to score two extra tickets for Gary and Kathy to join. Anna totally rocked it with her converse and dress. She finished the year strong and essentially started off her freshman year in high school as she managed two varsity sports and three high school classes. After the promotion, she was released for the rest of the school year and began her summer vacation. Yay!

I came back to the house to grab Paige who stayed home that morning. She was tired and the news that another bestie at school had Covid hit us hard. Basically, we were waiting it out to see if Paige would come down with it and it also affected our weekend plans with friends.  She decided she did want to attend her last Gathering which was where she shared her impact project and at the received a certificate from the District for her poem. That was pretty cool! While it was Splash Day at school that afternoon, she was ready to come home. Being without her friends just didn't seem like fun and I don't blame her. 

Back at the house, the grandparents left and Anna and Patrick started preparing for our weekend fun at my parent's house at Lake Keowee. I was grateful they got the laundry and cleaning and packing pretty much finished before Paige and I returned. After a few small things, we were ready to hope in the car and head to Seneca. I'll write about that next. 

I expected to feel a lot more emotional with all the things that happened this week. I'm not sure why I wasn't too nostalgic. Being busy lately has me side tracked and the shooting really left me so pre-occupied. We had to explain it to the girls and Anna was so mad, she wrote a letter to the President. I don't blame her. I was angry, sad and heartbroken. It was weighing on me so much that my chest felt tight this week and I finally had to take a break from the news for the weekend. Regardless, I have a feeling the feelings will catch up with me. Maybe this week when I pick up Paige for the last time at our beloved school, the tears will flow. Who knows!?