SNR SZN

 

It's Official: Senior Season is in full effect. It really feels like it started at the end of last school year, when Sara was named cheer captain. Her life has been crazy and exciting (tiring?) ever since. That announcement was such a special way to start her year, and although it's already been a ton of work, I see it shaping her.

In July, we went for yearbook and cap & gown pics right after she got home from camp.

We spent a HOT weekend in August painting Sara's senior parking spot. Her vision felt a little overwhelming to Steve and me, but we worked together on a plan and we were so proud of our finished product! Steve gets all the credit for those stripes, and Sara worked hard on perfecting the rest.

The quote says, "you'll get by, just fine" - a Zach Bryan lyric. Perfectly fitting for our girl.

She painted her car, and included lyrics from Fleetwood Mac and "The Boss". Love her style!

Sara and friends attended Senior Sunrise. It's one event after another to document in their hearts and on The Gram.

And of course they had to embrace the theme of wearing a backpack that represents their childhood. Sara chose Strawberry Shortcake💗 Of course I loved SS as a kid, but then they came out with an updated version when Sara was little. I loved watching the episodes with her.

I got to be a fly on the wall at football media day and loved that Sara stopped for a quick pic with me.

Last week, she was finally back on the sideline for football. All night, she just looked SO happy. Between games, comp, captain responsibilities, and more, cheer will be a lot this year (already has been), but seeing her shine and smile one the sideline was a reminder that the work is worth it!

And of course there have been Senior Pics ... on top of Senior Pics on top of Senior Pics. Apparently being a Senior these days is like being a highly sought-after super model. It's a little over the top ... but how I can complain? I'm so thankful for the people capturing Sara as she is today. 

Sara has a busy school schedule with cheer, PALS, forensic science, AP stat, AP Econ, and dual credit English ... but that Senior early release sure helps make up for it. We've only just started this year and it's already so busy ... I know football season will stay that way and it'll probably snowball after that. Staying busy, soaking it up, and documenting it daily in a million photos and memories.

The Recap of All Recaps

 A LOT has happened in our lives since Christmas (my last post), not the least of which includes the fact that I lost access to this blog on my computer. I have to use Steve's, which is actually not a big deal but clearly got in the way of my blogging productivity. But I'm back now because we are about to start Sara's Senior Year (technically festivities have been underway for a while), and I want to document as much of it as possible here.

But first, a recap (as seen on FB in the absence of this blog) ... 

In January, I spent the best weekend in Vegas with my mom and sister! We went to a speakeasy, played a few slots, enjoyed great food, drinks, and music, and saw "The Wizard of Oz" at the Sphere. It was amazing and such a special weekend with my favorite ladies!

                                                  

              We had our annual lots-of-days off school due to snow and ice near the end of January.

In February, Sara's comp team went to UCA Nationals in Florida! They competed in two divisions; one of their performances just barely missed moving on, but the other went to finals and they came home with bronze medals. She also came home with the flu, but she texted from Disney and said, "I'm having a blast!" which was all I needed to know. So proud of this girl and her years of dedication to cheer. She originally wanted to different color medal, but I think that bronze ended up feeling pretty great!

The girls and I spent spring break in Arkansas. We visited the university - it was beautiful but SO cold (as in it snowed) the day we were there - and then hit Hot Springs for a few days!

Sara came home to the surprise of a much needed new car! It's the perfect fit for her.

Then Steve and I left again for a quick weekend in Nashville to see our friend play with the RRB at The Ryman. We met Steve's sister there and have the most fun 36ish hours ever! Core memory.

Sara has continued to work at Katy Trail. She had to work on Easter, so we brought our celebration to her.

Emma ran track. She didn't love it and probably won't do it again in 8th grade, but she worked hard and learned a lot. 

She ended the year with her favorite - soccer season. Her team had a good run, but finished a disappointing 2nd after they were down several girls in the championship. I'm proud of Emma for participating in every available sport at school in 7th grade. Quite the feat!

Just as soon as school let out, Sara went to her final cheer camp, where she earned another All-American medal! After camp I asked whether she felt sad that it was her last one and she said, "No, I feel good." I'm glad she can enjoy this cheer chapter and then be ready to move on when it's time for college.

Sara got home from cheer camp on a Monday night and left early Tuesday morning to head to Camp GC to start her first summer as a counselor!

She came home for a quick college visit to OSU. We both really liked Stillwater and I know why: it reminded me so much of Ames!

Then we spent a glorious week at the beach! It was our first time to the Mirimar/Seaside area and we fell in love. Lots of special memories made.

 

Emma signed on for a new soccer year. Same coach and a lot of the same players, but with a new club.

And we enjoyed ALL of the World Cup soccer! This was a game watch with friends between Florida and camp for the girls. Of course we loved cheering on Team USA, but generally had so much fun watching all of the festivities. We were all sad to see it end.

Emma headed to camp for two weeks, and Sara was back for three as a counselor. 

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While the girls lived their best camp life, Steve and I enjoyed celebrating our 23rd anniversary in Cow Town. We ate at Joe T.'s and then enjoyed drinks and music in the Stockyards.

Of course we got in some pool time ... a pool highlight earlier in the summer was having friends and pups over for a 4th of July swim and cookout.

Emma's social life kept her busy all over the place - the mall, parties, event centers, various houses, parks, even tubing at the lake!

And it wouldn't be the end of summer without her spending a day at school helping me prepare for the teachers to return. She's been a great helper for years, though now she is a bit more methodical about how she bargains after a day of work!

School starts Tuesday. More to come as we embark on 12th and 8th grades!