protagonist

 M is having a good summer.  I love her.  I so want for her to have a happy life.

Having gone through hard times it is so hard to relax and enjoy.

She is in a good time.  I will be grateful and breath.

She is amazing.

1 year down

M is home for a month before she flies to MD for the summer camp she works at.  We've been able to spend time together with kayak trips, Dr. visits, and family time.  I'm so glad we've had this chance to reconnect.  She is going to be an RA in the fall which will give her free room and board.  She'll get a lot of money back from her pell grant and scholarship.  This will allow her to save up for a car.  Way to go M! 

College

 M is having fun and trying new things.  She joined the rowing team and ran a half marathon!  

Adulting

 M got a job at a summer camp in Maryland.  She hustled, applied, interviewed, and did the training all on her own.  I'm really proud of her for making that goal and doing all the work to get achieve it.  She flew out a week after graduation and flew back barely(?) in time to check into the dorm.

While she was at camp she served as a camp counselor for different age groups, taught sessions in paddle sports, worked in the kitchen, and even drove the motor boat a few times, subbing for the regular person.  she had co-workers who lived in Maryland so she spent weekends with them rather than going on some of the big trips offered to most counselors.  

Getting her home was a crazy adventure.  She was stranded at BWI for 22 hours because of bad storms.  She changed flights 3 times, and was on a plane at midnight which got canceled!  Throughout she communicated with us.  When she was talking to dad after the canceled flight some other passengers heard her situation.  They adopted her, escorting her to the front of the ticket line, where a man gave up his ticket so she could fly home on the 9am flight to Nashville.  I picked her up and we drove straight to Auburn for the manditory 4pm meeting.  

She got moved in to the dorm with a friend from high school.  They were going to both be in the band but it looks like M decided to focus on work and school instead.  All good things come to an end.  I've enjoyed the years she was in band.   I hope she can remember it fondly.

Camp weekend

 We attended a family weekend at the camp with Hands and Voices.  It was so fun.  I work for Hands and Voices so it was more fun for me, having a role.  I love the location, the family time, the deaf community.  It is really beautiful.  Some sign, some don't.  We're all parents with deaf kids and accepting differences is important.  I make so many important professional connections working for Hands and Voices.  I have a clear vision of how to move forward.  One lady challenged me to come up with a catchy name.  I did.  So she challenged me to come up with a solid mission statement.  I'm working on that now too.  So good.  

World Finals

 M's indoor wind group is in Dayton, Ohio right now.  They went up Tuesday and have been rehearsing for  4 days there and staying at a youth camp/cabin situation.  I'm so amazed at the director's ability to refine the program to higher and higher levels.  M sent me a text yesterday saying that they were being given 1 hour off for doing such a good job on their 9 hour rehersal.  I'm so glad she is able to be part of this amazing group.

Going to college

 M has scholarships to pay for tuition, housing and food.  So awesome.  She hustled and got a summer job lifeguarding in Maryland.  She will fly out a week after graduation and come back a little before college.  So crazy.  I'm proud of her.  She's a great girl.

She is taking four AP classes; music, precalc, physics, and english lit.  She is in the indoor winds that are competing at world champions next week.  I love their show.  The theme is "Decomposers" and the music is incredible.

We're proud of her.

Caving

M and I went caving for reals with the former stake president, youth and RS women.  It was so much more real than I expected.  Tons of climbing, crawling, butt sliding, awesome. 

 

What a savings

 Today M let me cut her hair which saved a lot of money.  I also found the shoes she asked me to keep an eye out for at Plato’s Closet.  Yay for lightly used.  I’m glad M let me help her fashion life and save some money.

This was about $100 in savings compared to the fancy hair cut and new shoes.

Gym Rat

 M and some friends joined a local gym together.  It is their regular spot for hang out.  I'm so glad she's getting into healthy habits.  Marching band is pretty physical and takes up so much time you can't do another sport.  Joining a gym with your band friends, you can go to the physical fun activities whenever you have time.  And your friends also have time!  She said there was a cycling room where they show movies.  So cool.

Senior Year

 M is doing all the senior things.  She went to the senior sunrise activity.  She got her senior pictures taken.  She is applying for college.  So many senior things.

The set up for Senior pictures involved going to a professional photography studio.  On the one hand it seems unreasonable to expect every senior to pay $40 to have their picture in the year book.  On the other hand it seems like a lovely idea to provide a way for every senior to have a professional quality photo taken.  As a person who loves beautiful pictures, but doesn't pay to have them taken even once a year, it is nice to be sure this is as good as possible.  My senior photo was not well lit.  So I'm hoping for M to have better.

M's band takes awesome photos of the kids.  It's hard to pick her out in these photos with everyone dressed the same!

Summer is ending

 This summer M went to Girls Camp, FSY, AAA, leadership camp, road trip to Chicago/DC, and now she's in 2 weeks of band camp.  Summer has flown by.  She helped a friend change a tire today.  She is incredibly kind and capable.  What a great kid.

girls camp

M had her last year of girls camp.  This stake lets the girls plan the whole thing and has awesome activities.  I hope M will go again next year and be able to be more involved in the planning because she is awesome.

Leadership

 M applied for and was selected to be an assistant conductor for the band in the fall.  She's awesome like that and in many ways.  Tonight she showed B and lP how to make browned butter cookies.  I'm glad she spends time with us.

Where's M?

 Having a great time at Disney.  Lucky!

Indoor Winds

 

M does a group called Indoor Winds.  It's like Blast!  Her band program is amazing and we're grateful that we have this opportunity and the resources to support her in this.  She earns half of her expenses by teaching her brothers piano lessons.  Go M!

Life of the party

 

Halloween

 M invited friends to our home on Halloween and played ALL the INSTRUMENTS.  They had a good time.  It made me feel a little like we have an instrument problem.  So many!  But I'm glad M wanted to share that with her friends.  She's so cool.

More fun

 M's band held a homecoming because they had a competition and missed the school homecoming.  M was part of the decoration committee.  She had fun at the pre party, and post party.  We disagreed about what dress she should wear.  So we can check that off the parenting bucket list.  Yay.

M teaches the boys piano.  Sometimes she is busy but makes time to get that done.   She is also preparing to take the ACT.  I'm grateful that she is looking toward the future and planning to go to college.

Friend visit

 Today M has a friend coming to the house.  We are trying to pretend to be normal.  I like our new home a lot.

M is fixing up a crafting space out in the shed.