Sweet 16

Last week our beautiful daughter turned 16!  It’s hard to comprehend that sixteen years have gone by since I gave birth to my first born.

She had a nice celebration with a small group of close friends over the holiday weekend.  They had dinner, played outdoor games, hung out at the bonfire and slept out in a large tent.  Unfortunately, the temperature dropped over night and it was cold. So cold that Olivia came in at 5:00 am to get a heavier sweatshirt and another blanket. Apparently the girls were fighting for warmth all night.  An hour later, they all came into the house for warmth as well as breakfast and hot beverages.  They were all smiling and wide awake so the cold did not hinder their mood.

Tuesday was Olivia’s actual birthday.  John decided to take the day off so he could take Olivia to the DMV to take her test to get her learners’ permit. He was glad he took the day off, otherwise, she would not have gotten her permit. She got a 100 on the test and was excited about driving.  She met me at the driveway to show me her permit.  We had a quiet dinner and celebrated with cake and ice cream.

Since last Tuesday, just one week, she has driven quite a bit with me.  She is starting to relax and feel confident about her ability to drive and is improving every time she is behind the wheel.  Monday night we went shopping for a business suit so she drove the back roads until we go to the highway and I drove into town. On the way home, we switched seats and she drove home.  That night alone she drove 22 miles. 

Yesterday she picked up her working papers at school so she is ready to get a job.  Last night, we drove the same roads into town as she had an interview – her first interview!  I drove her to campus, walked with her into the building then left to park the car.  I walked back to the building to wait for her.  She looked so professional in her dress and jacket.  

She was the only student that showed up for the interview so it went rather quick. She said the woman that interviewed her appeared surprised that she had a resume and cover letter to give to her.  For a high school student, Olivia has it all together.  We are so proud of her.

After leaving the interview, we stopped to pick up a few things before heading home. Olivia drove home from our “switch spot”.  She did much better and I am feeling more relaxed when she is driving.  It all comes down to practice, practice and practice.

When we arrived home the boys were finishing up mowing so I started dinner. Olivia started working on her homework. After dinner, she checked her email and she had an email from the woman that interviewed her.  She offered Olivia a job and Olivia accepted.  It means more running around for me as far as getting Olivia to and from her job but she wants to work and this will be an incredible experience for her.

How was your week?

Shifting Gears

Now that school is over the kids have shifted into their summer mode. They spent their first night of summer with friends so we had a quiet night at home.  Both kids had a wonderful school year which ended with numerous academic awards.  They give us so much to celebrate and to be thankful for. Here are photos of them on their last day, taken June 21.

Elliott was inducted into the junior national honor society in early June. I went to the ceremony.  It was the largest induction the middle school has ever had.  Elliott was excited about the ceremony and perhaps nervous because on Wednesday night he said they hadn’t gotten together to practice what they were going to have to do.  I told him they would probably gather everyone the day before so they would not forget what they had to do. I was right and he was relaxed.  The ceremony they have is really nice but short. They don’t waste much time getting down to the inductions. It was a nice way to start a Friday.  Many of the boys Elliott plays football and basketball with were inducted.  He has a large and intelligent class.  

Olivia is loving sleeping in late every day.  I get a little upset when she doesn’t do her chores and am trying to get her to understand that the world doesn’t work on her watch.  I expect her to do her chores before I get home, not after.  Sometimes it doesn’t make for a peaceful evening. She is strong-willed and wants to do things when she feels like it. It will be a tough summer this year.  One that I am not looking forward to in some aspects.  Growing pains but we’ll survive.

Our weekends are usually busy this time of year with mowing and gardening; however, due to the drought conditions, we just mowed after three weeks of waiting for rain.  We are still waiting and the grass continued to brown daily. We have been hauling water to the garden a couple of times a week and it looks good so far.  We did not plant much just potatoes, onions, green beans, beets (selfishly for me) and squash.  Our blueberry bushes are loaded this year so I hope to get some before the birds eat them all.  We are also watching the elderberries so I can make a pie for the family to try. My mom always made at least one elderberry pie each year.  I love them and they are so healthy.

One weekend when we did not mow, we removed some honeysuckle bushes from the upper pond bank.  John and I worked all afternoon together. It was nice to work beside him and help with the lawn. I love being outside and improving our living space.  We’ll be getting back up there soon to pull a few more bushes out and then I get to start trimming, raking and mowing.  Yes, I am excited about that.  It’s always nice to stand back and see the improvements from our hard work. If we let the honeysuckle continue to grow, they will take over the field and the upper pond bank.  We can’t let that happen, even though they smell so nice in the spring, the wild roses grow in them and then wander and they are painful to remove.

We have purchased some trail cameras and are enjoying checking the photos every other night.  We have seen three different buck and one doe and baby, along with our dog Ruddie.  He loves to roam the property and has been very good at staying on his property.  We have new neighbors and they have two dogs. One dog, the younger one, comes over quite often, almost every night and they play.  It is good for Ruddie to have a friend.  Often he’ll go up and sit on the back hill to wait for her to come play.  Down from our house, across the road, a family has moved in. They have two horses, two dogs and motorcycles, four-wheelers and 6 kids.  It’s a bit noisier now but it is nice to have a family in that house.  The other night, their horses were up on our upper pond bank. It was getting dark as it was almost 9:00 pm and they were not home. I called his work number and he answered. After telling him about the horses, he said he was on his way.  Apparently they have now fixed the fence as this was not the first time they got out. It didn’t bother us, they were happy eating dried grass, but I did not want something bad happen to them.  

It rained a little this morning. So I am ending this on a happy note and praying more rain is headed our way. I want my flowers and garden to survive.  Below is a photo of my clematis that John thought died last year - surprise!

Momma Bears

You have heard people say – don’t get between a momma and her babies.  Our community had a situation that had to be dealt with.  A couple of weeks ago I received a phone call, email and text message from the middle school.  Our rural town had visitors – a momma bear and 1-2-3, yes three baby bears had come to town. Our school was notifying parents that students that walked to/from school would need to be picked up that afternoon. For safety reasons everyone should understand.  No one needs to get between a momma bear and her cubs.

Lately I have been feeling like a momma bear.  I have been blessed with two healthy, intelligent, caring and loving, humorous and gorgeous children.  They are at the age when strong friendships are being formed and dealing with drama.  It has led to a little trouble and our child has not been found of any wrong-doing but has been involved due to association. We were aware of the situation but last week it blew up because an adult felt she needed to intervene. Youth drama.  Her actions caused an uproar and let me tell you, there were many, seven to be exact, angry mommas.  Did you hear us?  Well, let me tell you, we were fired up and met with the principal the next morning.  Meetings took place over the next two weeks.  You threaten my child and I will react.  I will advocate for my child’s rights. I will talk, follow procedures and expect the situation to be investigated.   

We, as parents handled the situation the best way we felt was right. After two meetings, we decided not to file a formal complaint but there are others that have.  We have decided to close the door and move forward. Another lesson that our children will grow from and move forward with knowledge. We have discussed it to death. Tomorrow is the last day of the school year and we are thrilled and ready to move on. 

And this momma bear is feeling rewarded that we as a family pulled together to talk about and work through a problem.  As a mother, I will always be there to support and if needed, defend, my child. It’s not often I will bare my teeth but when you threaten my child, be prepared, I don’t need to bite to get my point across.