The One Before Spring Break

March 13 - 15, 2020

I think this entry would have been a bit different if it had been written closer to March 15.  But the past 2 weeks have brought about a lot of change and challenges.  And looking back to create this entry, my world has been colored in ways that couldn't even be imagined on March 13th.

So many things happened for the last time this weekend, but we didn't know it at the time.  So I will review the things Emma and Lara did and didn't know it was the last time...

For Lara, it was SMAC Week, and time to pack for her trip to Alabama. Emma was starting spring sports and looking forward to working with her Grandpa for Spring Break.  But this was the week where the threat of the COVID-19 Coronavirus started to change everything in our lives.

It was SMAC week for Stillwater High School.  "Stillwater Makes A Change" is a student-led fundraising effort with all kinds of events.  This year's benefactor was Habitat for Humanity.  The group raised almost $190,000 this year.  Lara and her friend Erika chaired the Hat Day event.  Each day of the week, a different school in our district allowed students to spot hats if they donated a dollar to the event.  Friday was Finn's elementary, middle school, and high school.  Lara had gone to other schools early in the morning previously in the week, but Friday she got to go to Finn's school and see all her old teachers.  

SMAC Hat Day

Co-Head Hat Lady (other co-Erika)

Meanwhile, Emma and her welding friends had a huge undertaking they were working on as well.  Stillwater was to host the MidSough Gravel Bike race this weekend.  To help commemorate it, the design, welding, and metal fab classes designed and constructed a 12.5 foot tall bicycle to put erected on top of a downtown business.  They later put led timed lights on it and made a light show for all the bicyclers and visitors.  It was quite a sight!

In the meantime, this is when the COVID-19 crisis really started to hit home.  Lara's much-anticipated Spring Break trip to Alabama was canceled.  University classes were moved online for at least 2 weeks following Spring Break.  Stillwater Public School declared school was out until at least April 6.  Professional and college sports team canceled the rest of their seasons and all spring sports.  The grand opening of OSU's new Baseball Complex, O'Brate Stadium, is postponed for an entire year.  Proms are postponed.  Graduation is up in the air.  It has been a TOUGH time, and we are all learning to live in a new, temporary, normal.

There were a couple of bright spots, of course. For one, we found a rent house and were able to move in immediately.  We spent Friday night unloading the U-Haul and some of the weekend putting furniture in the house.  We didn't stay there until mid-week, but it was good to know we weren't homeless anymore.

And on Sunday, our favorite photographer met us on The OSU campus for a quick "Cap and Gown" photoshoot.  Emma and Lara each got to pick out a new OSU T-shirt as their reveal shirt, and we had fun even though it was cloudy and had just stopped raining.  Here are some of our favorites.

Class of 2020

Emma chose a simple OK State shirt, Lara chose the 2020 OSU BAseball O'Brate Stadium commemorative T.

ANd this fun, sassy, and personality capturing pic the girls took from the car after we were done with pictures:

Twins.  Sisters.  Twisters

As we face these unprecedented, scary, and sad times, the world of social media has allowed up to cry together, laugh together, and come together.  I found this post, and copied it for my kids:

Time is still marching on.  We are weeks away from these 2 amazing red-heads celebrating their eighteenth birthday!  It's different now.  This is a generation-defining moment for these kids.  And the internet is reminding us daily.  Here are some pictures and memes from this week that try to sum up the way we are feeling.

Emma - Age 6

Lara - age 6

The One with Cars and Cleaning

April 27-29, 2018

This one was not super busy, but still loads of fun.  I am excited for the next few weekends - turning 16, ending sophomore year, moving on to new adventures!  But for now, let's recap...

LARA:
Lara's weekend started a little early - AGAIN!  Thursday night was "Senior Night" at the Stillwater High School Varsity Baseball game at Couch Park.  She and I had a little impromptu photo shoot there before the game began.  Pioneers won, The Hatfield's passed out Senior Blankets, and it was a beautiful night!

Saturday, Lara got up early with me to go help me at our new house.  She cleaned and polished cabinets like a pro!  And, she brought her portable speaker to make sure we had tunes to keep us motivated - there is a lot of wood in the new house that needed a good polish!  After that arduous chore, she was off to baseball,, while the rest of the Weavers headed south for basketball games.  We got back in town in time to see the last few innings of the Pioneer baseball game!

Sunday, after helping watch her 2 little brothers all morning, Lara spent SEVERAL hours at the high school preparing and decorating for SMAC Week - which FINALLY starts today!  There was no AC, She didn't know how much PAINT would be involved, and she had some sort of paper war with her friend Clay.  Good Times!  They have worked so hard to this week of events.  So many delays, but it. is. HAPPENING!  Lots of fun events panned for the week!

EMMA:
Emma and I played phone tag all weekend.  I do know she went to a car show on Saturday in Perry, and got to drive a fancy car home that belongs to her step-mother's dad:

And then on Sunday she was apparently in Stillwater and drove this car:

Instagram keeps me updates on her where-abouts! LOL!

Looks like they both had good weekends!  Glad we are finally getting some late spring weather and that everyone has smiles on their faces!  It was a good weekend.

The One With... Wait, WHAT?

April 6 - 8, 2018

OK.  It's official.  This is the latest I have ever been.  I have started this post a dozen times.  It's here!  That busy season at the end of the school year.  When I have 4 kids in school and work in academia, it hits hard!

So, I looked up today, realized I had no 2020 Project blog, and said, Wait, WHAT?!?

Here's a recap...

EMMA:
Emma had a semi-formal dance with her class on Saturday night. It had a Great Gatsby theme.  Friday night they set up send decorated; Saturday they got all dolled up, danced, and went out to dinner.  Here are the pictures she sent:

LARA:
Lara was on Spring Break 2.0 all week and the Stillwater Public Schools were closed so teacher, parents, staff and families could participate in the Teacher Walk Out at the Capitol is OKC.  Inconvenient for sure, but the future of education in this state is worth it.  So, no school, but she still had school activities.  This was supposed to be SMAC Week but the walkout postponed it.  They had Monday's activities, but the rest of the week is cancelled until we get back in school.  Thursday and Friday she traveled with Varsity Baseball to Enid for a tournament, but then due to weather the rest of the weekend was cancelled (bitter cold and wind).  So, Saturday, she "escorted" Finn (age 6) to his buddy's 7th birthday party.  She sent this text:

He was very introverted at the party, so we are thankful Lara was there to help him along!  Sunday, the 5th grade teacher's at Jake's school held a get together on the playground because the teachers missed the kids, and the kids missed each other (and the teachers).  Lara helped carry the big GOTT jug of water form our car to the picnic tables.  As a good trainer should!  It was cold and windy on Sunday, too.  April's weather is brutal this year!

Here's to next week!

The One with Omaha and a 5K

March 9-12, 2018
One was on Spring Break; One had just finished finals.  Never a dull moment and always an exercise in logistics!

Emma was out for Spring Break as of Friday afternoon.  She has signed up to do a 5K Color Run with her sister (more on that later), and then go to Western Kansas with her Nana to visit our Kansas family.  But!  An illness sidelined the Kansas trip, and her Dad and step-family had planned a trip to Omaha for a couple of days, so off she went on Friday - to return Monday afternoon!  Here are some pics from her adventures being a tourist.  She even went skiing at Mount Crescent Ski Area!

Right before Spring Break, she also had some time with her Lady Panther Basketball team, and they took some pictures to commemorate the year.  Here is Emma and the rest of the Sophomore class!

Lara had just finished finals for the first 9 weeks of her second semester, and baseball season was in full swing, so she needed the time off to rest a bit!  Friday night was spent in Ponca City with her beloved Pioneer Varsity Baseball team.  And after a late arrival home that night, she had to get up BRIGHT and early Saturday morning to participate in the SMAC Week 5k Color Run!  (Her sister was supposed to be there, too, but, life happens!)

This was Lara's fist 5K, and she ran it without training first.  Needless to say, she spent the rest of the weekend, um, RECOVERING!  But she had a blast and loves supporting SMAC.  Her committee event is coming up in just a couple weeks - barring the teacher walk-out in Oklahoma that is looming.

So for Emma, this week is Spring Break; while for Lara it is the first week of the LAST 9 weeks of her Sophomore year.  Wow - that went FAST!

If you would like to donate to SMAC (Stillwater Makes a Change - an annual philanthropic campaign initiated and led by Stillwater High School students to raise money and awareness for a local charity), this year's recipient is Our Daily Bread.  HERE IS A LINK to  donate directly!

Here's to another week of fun adventures!

The One After the Crazy Weather

February 23-26, 2018
The last week was a mess with crazy Oklahoma weather!  We had ice storms that were faster and stronger than predicted, and that were smaller and less severe than forecast.  Either way, it resulted in a crazy week, early pick up from school on Tuesday, and no school on Wednesday and Thursday.  Everything was frozen - including our basketball goal (as pictured in the lead photo.  Pioneer Woman Ree Drummond over by Pawhuska in Osage County also had a frozen goal as well, but her kids managed to stuff four balls in theirs!

Due to the weather, there were lots of postponements, cancellations, and reschedules.  Emma was supposed to play with the Lady Panthers in OSSAA Area games on Thursday night but they were moved to Friday.  Lara was supposed to go to her first Varsity Pioneer Baseball game Friday night, but it was cancelled.  So, on Friday night, Nana, Grandpa, Britt, Betsey, Lara, Jake and Finn headed to Stroud to watch Emma and the Mulhall-Orlando Panthers play their tournament to see if they could advance.  It just so happened, that since Lara's obligations were canceled, the M-O crew volun-told Lara to be the film manager for their game.  So she got a special spot in the crow's nest and helped her sister's team out by filing the game on the iPad.  The girls lost, but it was sure fun to be there!

Saturday, there was hope for Lara to get to go to a baseball game, and Jake had early basketball, so it was a divide and conquer kind of day.  I took Jake and Finn to Edmond, while Dad stayed back to get Lara where she needed to be.  Of course, it wan cancelled, too!  Saturday was a dense fog and torrential downpour kind of morning.  But the afternoon, the sun came out, but MAN!  The few days before that were brutal.

Sunday, we got up and went to LifeChurch, then Lara was at the high school most of the afternoon working on SMAC week decorations.  Everyone is looking forward to better weather this coming week and the opportunity to have a more "normal" week - whatever that is!

The one that was Chill

February 9-12, 2018
Looking back over the Friday-Saturday-Sunday that just passed, there was nothing too remarkable that happened.  It was ferociously cold here, and we had the usual busy-ness, but not took much else going on to report. Chill.

Lara: Friday after school she was planning to stay through the varsity boy's basketball game, but ended up coming home before it even started.  She had felt ill during wrestling practice, and continued to get worse, so she found a ride home and spent the evening on her futon watching TV and resting.  Nothing specific - just worn out teenage girl syndrome!  Saturday she got up and went to Edmond with us for Jake's games, then had a chill evening.  Sunday we all slept in, then she spent the afternoon at the High School working on decorations for the upcoming SMAC week!  She sat in paint.  I think that's her best memory of the weekend.

Emma: Friday night she had a district basketball game, but it was over 2 hours away and none of us made it to the event.  She had not been feeling well, and didn't get to play either (She was diagnosed with flu on Tuesday morning). She is contemplating getting at least one Daith piercing for migraine relief after the season is over - still lots to consider there.  She spent the rest of the weekend in Newkirk with her Grandpa Bruce working on her truck.  She got pulled over and got a speeding ticket warning while driving his Tahoe in the tiny town.  I think that's her best memory of the weekend. 

This coming weekend is regional wrestling for Lara and regional basketball for Emma.  Go Sports!