Young Life

One of the very best parts of not having to drive to Nashville for soccer and to have the local fields closed for rain is this. 

I love that he has the time to cultivate friendships outside of sports. Last night was the Young Life Hoedown. Next weekend is the Young Life trip to Sharp Top. 

College Visit #2

We drove to Birmingham last night and toured UAB today. While downtown Birmingham has some room for improvement, UAB, in the heart of downtown, put on an impressive show. We arrived to sirens blaring and traffic and crowds. We were quickly turned off. 

Once we got on campus, though, it was as if we left the city behind. The facilities were all new. The housing was very nice and the list of degree programs was impressive. This was important since Evan has explored sports communication, physical therapy, and political science as possible interests.

Next up are the schools in Louisville.

College Visit #1

We drove south from Cullman to Auburn to tour UA. The campus was dead due to fall break, but I loved the quaint downtown. 

We had pizza for lunch, walked to the football stadium,  (because we have priorities that include athletic traditions over a specific major) 

And then continued back to downtown for ice cream. I was expecting a sprawling campus, but it was completely walkable. I was expecting a student population of 40000, but it’s closer to 25000. I was looking for older, historic buildings, but it was fairly modern. 

We finished our tour by driving to the soccer stadium and the IM fields. Since we left with a hat, I can only assume Evan has put Auburn on his short list.

Family Wedding

We are in Alabama for the start of the boys’ fall break. Last night we celebrated the marriage of Wes’s youngest cousin, Emily.

We spent four hours at the reception eating and watching others dance. We also took plenty of pictures.

We are spending the rest of the long weekend looking at prospective colleges for this guy. I cannot believe we are actually in a place in our lives to do this, but one look at this photo, and it is very apparent. He’s grown (and so handsome). 💙

Team Bonding

Everyone on Keagan’s soccer team, except Keagan, is on fall break this week. Instead of practice, the boys had a team bonding event last night and watched the NSC game in Nashville. We arrived just before half time because someone had to spend a couple of hours with his girl. 

The game did not disappoint. Evan and I sat in our season ticket seats and had a front row seat to the winning goal scored in stoppage time! What a game! 

We Made It

This was our view on Friday afternoon! 

Madi tore her meniscus and her surgical consult is tomorrow; Keagan was sent home from school with another knee injury. We put him in the immobilizer and he was back on crutches. 

This weekend’s soccer game determined the last team to go to state. With Keagan injured and another defender injured, our hopes for a win were not very strong. We went into the game knowing we had to win by two goals. Lucky for us we scored early. Just after the second half got started, we had a lightning delay. Halfway through that delay, another 30 minute delay was added. The game was called and we were determined the winners! By the skin of our teeth, we are headed to state!!

Service

The high school the boys attend offers a service pin to wear upon graduation if an allotted number of service hours has been accumulated. Evan has met his minimum for this semester, but he continues to get up early on Saturday mornings to serve breakfast to the needy. This week Keagan joined him. 

We give praise to teens and children when they make the honor roll, when they win state titles as the star athlete, or when they win awards for being the most popular kid in the class. Why don’t we praise kids for community service and helping the less fortunate? This has a far reaching impact on society and our community, and yet so little of it is recognized or acknowledged. 

On our way home this morning, Keagan said, “My day started at 6:30am and ended at 11:30am. I’m livin’ the best day!”

Friends Weekend

We’ve known each other for more than forty years. We went to preschool together, we all attended the same elementary school, we graduated highschool together, and now we all have teens of our own! We met this past weekend in Charleston to catch up, exchange gossip, and eat great food. We also did a lot of laughing! It was hotter than Hades and our VRBO had a hard time keeping us cool, but we had too much fun together to complain. 

We have next year’s trip already penciled into the calendar. I can’t wait!