Go, Go, Goers!

Whoa! It's been a minute since I posted anything. But, I'm ok with that. We are deep in a season of busy activity.  The RHSMB performed in their first competition at a neighboring high school on Sept 6, and they did great! They captured several caption awards, as well as the highest score of all bands at the festival. It's nice to see them kick off the season with such a strong showing. Happy to be sitting by friends and family on a really chilly evening! The following weekend was our turn to host the festival. Over 2100 performers, and between 3000-5000 spectators descended on our high school for one of the largest festivals in the region. And it went great! It was a warm day, but no rain. I volunteered at the high school on Friday to help prepare for the event. Then, my mom and I volunteered at the check-in table on Saturday morning and afternoon. I went back several hours later to help with garbage duty (yuck.) But no one had signed up, so another band mom and I took one...

Early this morning, I woke up with a sense of panic. You know, the kind where you have a pit in your stomach, your heart is beating fast, and you just *know* that something bad/sad is going to happen? Upon reflection, I had a dream in which I was looking through an old notebook that Arya had drawn in while she was growing up. Numerous small drawings showcased the progression of her artistic talent, allowing you to see how it developed. These are real notebooks...I have one that I use for work, and the last few pages are her scribbled drawings from early elementary school. I do believe that I'm grappling with the fact that she's got one more year left at home before she leaves for college. I'm happy and excited for the next phase of her life, but I will miss her so much. I know she has every intention to come back home over the holidays, summers, etc., and maybe even when she's done at school. She knows that she always has a place with us, regardless. I also realized tha...

And summer has officially come to an end. The kids both went back to school this past week. It's the first time that G had to go back before Labor Day, so that was a mind shift for us. It was a bittersweet day, knowing that this was the start of Arya's final year with us and G's first year of middle school. They're growing up, as it should be, but it still stings a bit. One day we won't have an empty nest... We'll have healthy birds who have left the nest! I'm focusing on the positive instead of dwelling on how quickly things are moving here. G's refocused his future on becoming a lawyer. With his debate skills and quick wit, this could serve him well! For the first time, she was truly locked in on a future career...the elementary art school teacher portion will start next year at RF! From Kindergarten to senior year! I was a little sad knowing this is the last time I will fill this out for Arya. Healthy birds, healthy birds, healthy birds...this will be...

This last month has been hectic! The weekdays and weekends have been full of activities (most of them RHSMB-related), and then by the time that we had a chance to breathe, I had picked up a cold, which sapped my energy. So here we are, a month since my last post. And here are a lot of random pics! Enjoying a lovely July morning on the deck, with a chai Tasty lemonades for me and G Enjoying a local park! My cherry tomato plant has done so well this summer! This was the first one that I picked. More cherry tomatoes! My roma tomato has produced some fruit, but not as many...there are a ton of green ones on there, but some of them have blossom rot :( G and I went to see Superman! I don't like the Smurfs. So, ofc he had to pose in front of the backdrop. Pria doing Pria things Then we did some band stuff, lol! My mom and I picked Arya up at the end of band camp, and saw them perform for the first time this season! Banished to the basement during a storm at band camp! The next morning, we...