Back to School

As the only counselor in our school, I don't have a team like our teachers do; but these ladies are my people - one of our secretaries and our nurse. We've made our own team and I love them so much. 

All ready to see the students and families for Open House.

And here we are: the first day of school! This year, we have a senior, freshman, and eighth grader. This is our very last first-day-of-school picture with all three kids. I'm trying to prepare myself for all the emotions that are going to accompany this school year.  

Senior Year!

Freshman Year!

Eighth grade!

And it's my fifth year as a school counselor.

Over the summer, I became a Swiftie (aka a Taylor Swift fan). I guess it started last fall with the release of her Midnights album - I really liked it. I was already familiar with her really popular songs, but throughout the year and especially this summer, I started going album by album. She is such a talented songwriter and creative artist. Bella asked me one day if I wished I would have bought tickets to her concert when she announced her Eras Tour. 100% I wished I did - that show looks amazing! Fast forward a month or so and Taylor announced additional US tour dates, one being Indianapolis! She'd be performing there Nov. 1-3, 2024! I immediately texted Bella and registered with Ticketmaster to become a Verified Fan. Bella also registered to increase our chances of getting a code and access to the sale. A few days go by and Ticketmaster sends out emails: you were either waitlisted or you were chosen as a Verified Fan. Many were waitlisted, including Bella, but I got a code!!! In the days leading up to the sale, I was scouring the internet for tips on how to use Ticketmaster, what to have ready, etc. One thing I couldn't decide about was whether I should go through the computer or my mobile app. Since tickets went on sale while I was at school, I decided to use my phone because I wasn't sure if our internet filter would mess something up. Before the waiting room opened, I kept refreshing my phone, which kept taking me back to the countdown screen. I wanted to get in right away, so I kept refreshing. All was still well. The sale started at 11am, but the waiting room opened up 30 minutes prior. At 10:30am, when the waiting room opened, I refreshed again and the phone started buffering. I knew the sale didn't start until 11am, so I thought maybe this was what would happen until that time. However, at 11am, nothing changed. 

I decided to try through the computer. I got through right away, however, by this point there were already over 22,000 people ahead of me. My heart just sank. I knew there was probably a long shot that I would get tickets, but I held on to hope.  

The line moved fast. After an hour of waiting, I finally made it to the ticket purchasing screen. It looked like some seats were still available, so I clicked on whatever came up. But this was the screen I got whenever I clicked on anything. Before I knew it, everything was gray. 

Unwilling to accept my defeat, I kept trying until Ticketmaster literally said there were no remaining tickets. I was SOOOOOOO sad. I had gotten my hopes up way too high. I almost wish I hadn't received a code because I could have avoided all the stress and heartache of that morning. The sad feelings stuck with me for a while. It seems silly to feel so sad about a concert, but it was really more than the concert. Seeing Taylor Swift was an experience I was really looking forward to sharing with Bella. And this concert would have been something to look forward to after she went away to college. So I was also grieving the loss of that. 

Andy took me out for drinks that night. He knew I was sad. We started at a coffeeshop that was offering flights of fall drinks. We sampled the four and ranked them. The two drinks with the highest ratings will be on their menu this fall. 

Afterward, we went somewhere else and I got a margarita because sometimes you need something a little stronger than coffee. 

Bella and I have now made plans to see the musical Hairspray in February. She'd also like to see Hamilton and/or Mamma Mia, so now I am planning to schedule one of those for after she leaves for college. We may not get to see Taylor together, but there are still many other fun experiences to share together. And who knows? Maybe we'll get to see Taylor someday.  

The Rest of Summer

We celebrated the 4th of July with some friends in their backyard. They live on a lake and lots of the other lake families pool their money together to create a fireworks show. It's pretty impressive. 

When the kids and I were in Missouri, Bella's bunny, Oscar, passed away. We had a short little service and burial in our backyard.

Curtis became a teenager this summer. He doesn't often want a birthday party for himself and was even a little hesitant this year, but when I suggested something super small and simple that involved mainly playing basketball with friends, he was on board. 

This is what I get for ordering the birthday candles through Wal-Mart pick-up. I chose two different styles and the "1" came a little damaged. 

But they still did their job. 

A little bowling followed by ice cream in Franklin one evening. 

I had a whole week to myself when Andy and the kids went away to church camp. The first project I tackled after they left was shampooing the carpets. I only got around to doing the living room and Curtis's room (he shares with Mabel, so his needed it the most). Pouring out the dirty water from our carpet shampoo-er was both gross and satisfying. 

Curtis played on a basketball team this summer for some additional practice. He finished up the season after he got back from camp.

Mabel loves to be outside as long as someone else is out there with her. 

We made our own high jump so Graydon could continue to practice. It's gotten a lot of use this summer, but I mostly have video of them jumping, not so many photos. 

It was after 10pm on a hot summer night and all three kids wanted to go to the pool. We've never gone over that late before and it turned out that the outdoor light needed to be replaced, so it was a dark swim. But it was also one of my favorite memories from the summer. I love when all three of them want to do something together. I was able to get some photos of them thanks to my camera flash, but it was so dark that I had a hard time seeing what I was actually taking photos of. They can be pretty silly. 

I texted this photo to everyone so they wouldn't be scared if they walked into the room I was in and found me this way. 

Coffee date with Bella at a new favorite coffee shop. 

The morning golden hour is one of my favorite times of day. 

In an effort to expand the kids' cooking skills, I ordered some Home Chef meals throughout the month of August. All the food comes measured with step-by-step instructions. Curtis was the first to go and he made a Bruschetta Shrimp Risotto. 

Delicious!

I got a haircut! I should have taken a before photo. I think I cut off at least 8 inches.

Graydon made this meal: Stuffed Buffalo Chicken and Carrots. Loved it!

Graydon made a new friend at camp and she sketched these pictures of him. I think they are amazing! 

Our church had a large group attend Faith and Family night at the Cincinnati Reds game. We had 71 people there from our church! It was a hot day and the Reds didn't play that great, but we still had a fun time.

After the game, we stuck around to watch For King and Country perform a little concert.

All good things come to an end. This was the last weekend of our summer vacation since school started the following Tuesday.