The One That Was Supposed To Be The End

May 22 - 24, 2019

This was supposed to be the last "2020 Project" entry.  They turned 18 last week.  Emma was supposed to graduate last week; Lara this week.  But, instead, we are still in the middle of a worldwide pandemic, and we are on like week 1200 (ok, just 11) of a stay-at-home order we affectionately, called quarantine.  Oklahoma (and Stillwater) is in Phase 2 of the reopening, so more places are open for business, but not everything.  And we still stay home most of the time.  And still wear protective masks when we got out.  Hand washing and hand sanitizing are top priorities!  But, things are starting to come back to life.

It was also supposed to be the Stillwater High School Class of 2020 graduation ceremony this weekend.  But, it has been rescheduled for late July.  In honor of that missed occasion, here is Lara's graduation announcement and social media post about her college choice:

Since some students won't be able to be at graduation this summer, the high school celebrated the Senior Class all week on social media and with small things happening around town.  Lara missed out on it, because, well, she was on "make-up" Spring Break."  More on that later.  In the meantime, her family decided she needed to be represented at the drive-through, plus we wanted to make sure she got the gifts, gift cards, t-shirts, and other goodies being handed out.  We drove through her elementary drive through and the high school.

In the meantime, while Lara was out of town, I did get to see Emma for one night!  She had some work to do in Stillwater, so she spent one quick night with us to cut down on her driving!

And Lara, the beach bum, spent a week on the Gulf Coast of Texas with 3 of her favorite friends.  Her friend Kendall's family has a condo on the beach at Port Aransas, and they were going down for a week to get a break from and coronavirus craziness and to get away from the quarantine.  So, they told Kendall to bring friends.  Lara was among the chosen!  While I was a little nervous to let her go, her BFF Erika was going, plus I knew she was in great hands!  Their buddy Karsten rounded out the group, and the had the time of their lives!  Days on the beach, cruising around in a golf cart, fun activities, and mentoring from 2 older friends.  So glad Lara got a vacation with friends before going to college.  She came home on Sunday, and we were all so glad to have her back in the house!

On the beach at Port A!

Karsten, Kendall, Erika, Lara

At the pottery painting place

BFF's in the Golden Hour Light - singing I would assume!

So, like I said this should be the last entry.  Based on the goal I set out when I first started this in the middle of summer 2017.  But, life throws curve balls.  And I know I have at least 2 more entries with this project, as I have 2 high school graduations to attend in the next 9 weeks.  Emma moves to Campus in 8 weeks.  Lara in 11 weeks.  So, we will enjoy our summer.  The last summer of being a care-free teenager.  College starts soon.  The real work begins.  Childhood is indeed, fleeting.

CLICK HERE to see all the 2020 Project posts

The One About Lake Life

July 14 - 17, 2017
Another weekend has come and gone.  Seems to be going even FASTER since I am trying to document it!  The weekend, Emma and Lara spent all their time at the lake with their Dad, Step-mom, and her extended family.  Fishing, Sailing, tubing – you know, all the fun lake stuff!  It started a little earlier than the “weekend,” too!  Lara joined Emma out there mid-week, and they stayed through Sunday.

But I was lucky enough to CATCH them for a few hours on Friday night!  My cousin, Jane, and her two kiddos (Ages 7 and 6 – 14 months apart!) are visiting for 2 weeks from New York (Long Island, to be exact).  Those of us not at the lake had a dinner play date with them on Thursday night, where an impromptu trip to the Cushing Aquatic Center was planned for Friday night.  I texted my girls to see if I could come get them and drag them along, and they agreed!

After work on Friday, I drove out to Lake Carl Blackwell and picked Emma and Lara up from their camping location at Pine Grove.  We met up with everyone else, and off we went!  We got there and got settled in, spent less than 20 minutes in the pool, and the lifeguards saw lightning!  OUT OF THE POOL!  We waited out the lighting for about an hour, but just before they let everyone back in, we left since we were already dry.  Back to Stillwater to get the boys in bed, then back to the lake to drop off the girls.  It was a GREAT night despite the changes in plans!

Even though we weren’t together on Sunday, we all learned the same lesson.  The girls attended Life Church in Edmond, while we attended in Stillwater.  It is Week 2 of At The Movies, and the movie we saw was “Collateral Beauty” from 2016.  The clips we saw really made us want to see the whole thing!  Maybe we can do that as a family soon! 

After an evening out in Stillwater with her sister and her friends, Lara finally made it home Sunday evening.  She had a GREAT weekend – Sunburn and all. 

Two funnies – Friday night in the car Emma was telling a story about the road between Mulhall and Guthrie and how they call it Wildcat Curve.  Then she was saying the bridge on that road (which is in bad shape) will be taken out next summer.  To which Lara replies, “That’s a year from now!” And then Britt says, “If they take it out – how will anyone cross the river?”  Probably had to be there, but it was pretty funny.  Then late last night Emma tells me how Lara gave a coin to the barista at Starbucks and said, “Here’s a quarter!”  They guy looked at her and said, “This is a nickel.”  She shrugged and smiled.  Emma said it seems as if this might happen a lot…  J

Here’s to another weekend!

The One About Summer Nights

July 7 - 10, 2017
Summer Days are drifting away!  Bu, OH!  Those summer nights... Can a "weekend" start on a Thursday night?  'Cuz this one kind of did.  And it was worth it.

Lara:

Around lunch time on Thursday, it was decided that we would go to Twilight Swim (6:30-8:30pm) at the "Water Park" in Cushing, OK.  We left Stillwater after I got home from work, and got there a few minutes before the gates opened.  Spent the whole 2 hours splashing around!  After a (much too long) trip to Walmart for 2 of the boys in attendance, we attempted dinner in Cushing.  At 9:30pm.  On a Thursday night. In the middle of summer.  We finally got to a pizza place.  We finally got food.  Well, the pizza Lara and I were sharing ended up 2/3 on the floor, and we had to wait for ANOTHER one, but we did get to eat.  We got back home at 10:15pm.  But then we all stayed up to watch the DVR'd episode of Boy Band that showed earlier in the evening...

Friday night was much more calm.  We all were still recovering from Thursday night!  So, some TV time, and a much more respectable bedtime.  Saturday morning we got up early for "Little" Brother Jake's basketball team to play in a tournament in Oklahoma City.  Lara always has a choice as to whether to go or not, and she usually chooses to go.  She's our "Sporty Spice" and her involvement with the Athletic Training program with the school is a big part of her life.  So, being Jake's "Super Fan" is right up her alley.  Long day with 4 games, but we got to try a hamburger joint we had been told about that we had never been to before, so that was a fun time, too.

Got home late afternoon, and found the movie "Grease" on the Freeform channel!  What a great way to spend a couple of hours!  (And, it may or may not have influenced this post...).  Since the fireworks here in Stillwater got cancelled for the 4th... AND for the 5th, the 8th was the reschedule date.  Kinda of fun for a Saturday night, I suppose! None of us are big on crowds, and Finn FREAKS at loud noises, we drove to a parking garage on the Oklahoma State University campus where the top level overlooked Boomer Lake and Park nicely, tuned our radio to 93.7 to hear the music that went along with the show, and enjoyed the fireworks!  It was WONDERFUL!  accompanied by a great looking moon, an almost cool evening (I was in a light weight sweater), and great company.

Sunday we got to sleep in a little bit... Jake was back to basketball in OKC by late morning, accompanied by his family again!  Lara got to watch Jake and his Bandit team battle through losing yesterday to make it to the Championship game, AND THEN WIN IT!  These boys haven't played much or practiced ANY since we all just wrapped up baseball, so it was a thrilling day.

A quick dinner on the road so we would make it back to Stillwater to take in Week 1 of AT THE MOVIES at the Life.Church Stillwater campus.  Our lobby is all decked out in a STAR WARS-esque theme, and the message Pastor Craig Groeschel pulled out of the 2016 movie Hacksaw Ridge was INCREDIBLE.  What a great way to end the weekend!

Emma:
I didn't see Emma this weekend.  Sometimes, plans change.

The One That Started with a BANG!

June 30 - July 3 (4), 2017
So, this past weekend was the first in my countdown.  This was weekend #151. (Thanks for all the awesome response, BTW!  I am so glad to get to bring you along on this journey of weekends as we countdown.)  And, it was a L O N G weekend!  From Friday night until the last fireworks launched and exploded in the night sky late Tuesday evening, it was a weekend jam packed with family, friends, and memories.  I am still not sure what the best format for these little notes will be, so it might change as we learn together how best to document these times.  As for today, I am going to do it chronologically, by twin.  We will see how that looks and make changes as we grow.

Lara (age 15 years, 1 month; Stillwater, OK)

Friday night, Lara was still with her friends at Falls Creek (Church Camp) in the Arbuckle Mountains of south central Oklahoma.  It was their last night there, and I am sure she was making the most of it!  She was good to call me every day and tell me fun snippets and stories from her day.  I still remember MY days at Falls Creek as a youth, so I know she will cherish these days.

She arrived back in Stillwater mid-day on Saturday; she was excited about the trip she had been on and thoroughly exhausted by it as well.  She wanted food, her bed, and some peace and quiet.  I obliged her all of those, but only after telling her that I had arranged a babysitting job for her at 6:00 that evening.  My pittance for the short turn around was that I did all of her camp laundry – as well as the 2 weeks of laundry that had piled up before she left.  This is a big deal.  I haven’t done her laundry since 5^th grade!  While her nap was not quite long enough, she made it to her baby-sitting job, and her clients were very pleased with her work!

Sunday, was truly a day of rest for her.  No one asked anything of her, and she kept a lazy schedule.  Monday was more of the same.  With the Holiday coming up on Tuesday, everyone was keeping it low key and just preparing for the upcoming festivities! 

Tuesday – Fourth of July!  We were going over to some friends’ house that evening for food and fireworks.  We had a few items we were bringing with us, so we dedicated the morning to food prep.  Lara had decided earlier that she wanted to make celebratory cupcakes, so she set about that task.  She even let her 2 little brothers help along the way – with minimal bickering.  Later in the afternoon, we stopped by Uncle Brian’s gravesite, set off our traditional smoke bombs commemorate his favorite holiday, and reminding ourselves of how much we miss him.  Then, it was off to our get-together!

Celebrating our Freedom with a family that means so much to us was an excellent way to spend a beautiful evening.  It was HOT and STICKY when we got there in the late afternoon, but by the time the sun started setting and we went about blowing up a vast pile of pyrotechnics, it really was a nice night.  Lara spent time with wonderful friends and family, and we all had a fabulous time!  I will let these pictures speak for themselves, just a little….

Emma (age 15 years, 1 month; Orlando, OK)

Emma was not with me this weekend, so my knowledge of her weekend is a bit more ambiguous.  Nevertheless, I know she had a great Fourth of July!  Thanks to her Social Media, I got a glimpse into what she was doing from her Instagram posts and her Insta-story.  I am sure her Snap Chat was much more exciting, but I don’t Snap.  I asked her what her favorite thing was from this weekend and she told me it was watching fireworks from her house.  While probably not “fun,” I also know she had some sort of mishap in her barn and may have broken some toes.  We will have to see how that pans out.  I hope that this accident will not turn out to be the most memorable part of her summer! Looks like from the photos she had a good time with her friends and stored up some memories!

Next weekend both girls should be in the same place.  I can’t wait to see what memories we will build moving forward!

151 Weekends (2020 Project)

Well, HELLO, Blog!  Long time, no see…  I know, I know… That’s my fault.  You see, the last 11 months have been, well, tough.  A year ago today, everything was “normal.”  We were living life at our usual speed.  Doing the normal things.  Had NO IDEA that the rug was about to be pulled out from under us MANY separate times over the next few months.  Number one child moved out, job loss, job changes with financial ramifications, health issues, money issues.  I could go on and on.  But never faith issues!  This season is a test.  SOON it will be our testimony. God is good, ALL the time!

During those 11 months, life continued to happen.  It felt like we were limping at times, using crutches at others, and flat out being pushed on a gurney some days.  But, despite all the turmoil and trials, last fall Finn started Pre-K, and turned 5 years old.  In the winter, we celebrated the Birth of our Savior and Jake turned 10. Spring rolled around and our Twins turned 15; Emma was in Texas that day and Lara in Kansas. Then all the kids finished another year of school. Summer arrived and the pace slowed a little, yet time still marches on.

One more trip around the sun.  Got me to thinking.  You know, those fiery red-headed girls of ours only have a few more of those trips around the sun as kids. A scarce number of little brother birthdays and Christmas mornings around our house as care-free teenagers.  A finite quantity of weekends before they graduate high school, spread their wings, and FLY!

So, I had this little idea.  I'm calling it "The 2020 Project." As in, Class of 2020.  As in, I can see clearly.  As in, see the vision that is your future. And today is the day I begin to work it into existence.  As I think about it and write my modest introduction, I feel like I have bitten off more than I can chew!  DEFINITELY! But, ah!  The memories!  If you know me, you know I take pictures of EVERYTHING. And I do it ALL THE TIME!  Before Smart Phones and cameras at the ready, I always had some sort of camera with me to steal those instants and memories.  Now, it’s that much easier to capture the moment with my iPhone.  Jake loves to tell people I have over 8,000 pictures on my phone – that’s the evidence of my vice.  (Don’t tell him I’m up over 12K now!). While I will still make them turn and smile for a pic or just capture the special seconds from a discreet distance to catch the candid images, this project is, hopefully, to be a little more long lasting.  They say a picture can say 1,000 words, but you have to know the story behind it.  Memories wane.  The atmosphere and nuances are often lost or misconstrued in a photo after the flash fades.  But WORDS!  Oh, words.  They paint the picture.  Add texture, and light, and COLOR! 

I printed a calendar today.  July 2017 through July 2020.  Three years.  Today is June 29, 2017. Starting with this coming weekend.  Ending just a few short weeks after “Jenna & Barbara” graduate from high school – May 22, 2020. (If you know my fascination with numbers, you could probably imagine my eyes lighting up as I typed that.)  Starting with this weekend, there are only 151 weekends left until they graduate high school. 151 Friday nights of fun and adventure. 151 Saturdays of shenanigans spending time doing what they love with family and friends.  151 Sundays of “rest” and worship. 151 Monday mornings to re-charge and face a new week.  Sounds like a lot as I write this.  Looks like a lot as I numbered my little calendar.  But I know how fast it goes!  I want to remember it; CHERISH it.  And I want my girls to as well!  The goal is to write 151 blog entries of memories from each weekend.  It could be just a funny thing someone said or a recap of the weather.  Or it could be a long narration with pictures of a much-deserved celebration; or a tearful memoir of a special milestone in life as they pass through it.  All the stories that I wish I could remember better 30 years later…

Are you ready for the ride?  It’s going to be bumpy for sure!  Those climbs to the top, and dips and valleys as we wind our way through.  Victories, defeats, joyous occasions, moments of heartache. Weekends are precious; memories are delightful. Here’s to the next 151 weekends…

(These dates are assuming Stillwater High School keeps on the same schedule they have been on the last several years, and if Emma stays at Mulhall-Orlando she has the potential to graduate before her sister. So, in my mind the LAST one to graduate completes the project, so for my purposes, I’m using these dates)