Enebo Photography

Over spring break we asked Ellie if she wanted to go out for track.  She looked at us like horns had sprouted out of our heads.  BUT…she didn’t say no.  She tried throwing up a few road blocks (‘My best friend isn’t doing it.’ and ‘It’s too late to turn in the forms.’) but she didn’t protest too strongly.  Excellent!

Honestly I didn’t think she would stick with it.  We didn’t mean to misrepresent track, but somehow she got in her head that it was like a club and only met once a week.  She also thought she was really only going out for the high jump so she wouldn’t have to run very much.  Oops.  False on both accounts.  Track is four times a week and there are so many kids out there that she didn’t even qualify for the high jump.

Amazingly though, she has only complained once.  (Ellie is NOT a fan of fartleks.)  She is running relays, she is running laps she is trying the shot put and hibiscus.  (That is really the discus but Kate called it The Hibiscus and now the name has stuck.)  Allen and I are so proud!

Ellie is not the fastest runner, or highest jumper or farthest flinger.  But she is totally excelling at the event that I wanted her to do.  MY main motivation for encouraging her to do track was purely for the social aspect.  She has met all sorts of new girls that she didn’t know.  She has had to team up with them, work together with them, run in the rain with them.  Let’s face it…there is a whole lot of standing around in track.  With six heats (8th grade boys, 7th grade boys, 6th grade boys, 8th grade girls, 7th grade girls, 6th grade girls) of every event there is plenty of time to hang out.  It was pure joy for me to watch her at her first track meet.  The running was good, but the giggling and chatting were the BEST!

A big thank you to all of the coaches (there are at least 6) who incredibly manage to encourage, teach, organize and corral these 100 some odd kids every day.

I love the stage my girls are in.  My older two girls are now reading all sorts of books that I enjoy too.  Of course it started with Harry Potter many years ago, but lately Ellie, Jill and I have been trading books back and forth.  (Actually, we are sharing them electronically and borrowing a lot of them from Auntie Jo Jo.  Thanks Jo!)

Contrary to what you may think, not all Young Adult fiction is about Vampires or is dystopian.  I’m not a big fan of either so you can trust me there!  I thought I might share our favorites from the last few months. (If you click on the book name it will take you right to Amazon.)

The Fault in Our Stars- Don’t let the fact that this book is about cancer scare you off.  I said that wrong.  This book is actually a love story where both main characters just happen to have cancer.  Author John Greene does an amazing job of writing from the perspective of a 16 year old girl!

The Future of Us- This book was a total crack up.  It wasn’t trying to be, and my kids didn’t get the humor but anybody over 35 will understand.  The premise is that the main characters (teenagers Emma and Josh) get a new computer in 1996 and when they first log in they miraculously end up on Facebook and see what they are up to 15 years in the future.  They also see what their current actions do to their future selves.  Jill and Ellie didn’t get all of the 1996 jokes but I had a good time laughing at the AOL CD they got in the mail with free online minutes, the fact that Emma had to log off the computer every time her parents needed the phone and the Sony Diskman she used when she jogged.  Add in some teenage angst and you get a recipe for success!

Wonder- My girls haven’t read this one yet.  Joelle recommended it and she was right.  It was WONDERFUL!  (All puns intended.)  I loved it so much I think I am going to read it out loud to all three of them.  It’s absolutely appropriate for younger listeners too.  It’s about a 5th grade boy with a terrible facial anomaly.  He has been previously home schooled so he is entering middle school (5th grade is middle school in this book) knowing nobody.  The book is written from the boy’s perspective and from quite a few other characters too.  Such a great lesson in kindness and how what you think is your own cross to bear affects so many others too.  Awesome!

Divergent- I admit that I almost didn’t read this one.  I’m not a big fan of dystopian books and any book that uses the word FACTION more than once is off my list.  But my girls became obsessed with it and my sister really loved it so I caved to peer pressure and read it.  Glad I did.  It’s a very clever book about a future society where people are segregated by their overriding personality trait and each ‘faction’ is responsible for taking care of a certain part of the society.  It was interesting to think about where we would all be categorized and I enjoyed the fast paced storyline.  This one was very well written.  (I did not enjoy book two, Insurgent, though and quit half way through.)  The movie is coming out early next year and we may have to go to that midnight show!

Second Chance Summer- We found this book on Good Reads.  Boy is it EVER a good read.  This is another cancer book (not going for a theme here, just happened to be what we found) but this time it is the main character’s father who has cancer.  When he is diagnosed they all go away to the summer cabin that they haven’t been to for many years to spend time as a family.  Like a lot of families all three of the teenage kids had grown busy and grown away from their parents and this summer was about reconnecting as a family.  And of course there is a long lost best friend and first boyfriend too.  This book does a great job of getting to the heart of relationships and may be my favorite of the bunch.  Keep tissues handy for the end.  Totally worth it!

Divine Intervention- We met this author, Martha Brockenbrough, at a book signing at Costco.  We’d never heard of this book but picked it up for fun.  I enjoyed the whole premise of this book.  The thought that we might have a guardian angel looking out for us (even if he is a bit misguided) is intriguing.  Martha did a great job telling a funny story about death and resurrection.  (Doesn’t sound possible, right?)  This book was a quick read and has been picked up for a movie too!

I am sorry to say that I didn’t do any of these books justice with any of these blurbs.  Just read them.  You won’t be disappointed!

This is me going so fast in my chair that Jill can't get me in focus. Just call me Lightening!

Last week I did a bad bad thing.  While playing soccer I hurt my achilles.  That wasn’t the bad thing.  The bad thing was that I went off the field, attempted to stretch it out, and then let the uber competitive side of me make the decision to get back in to help my team.  That was the fatal error because I really couldn’t run very well but when I felt a ‘pop’ on the back of my leg I knew I was done for.  NOT GOOD!  (On a positive side note, though, I ended my soccer career with a goal.  Talk about going out on a high!)

It looks like I partially tore both my Achilles tendon and my calf muscle.  That means no weight bearing for at least a week and a boot for 6-8 weeks.  Obviously life as a I know it has changed quite  a bit.  Here are some lessons I have learned so far…

1. Crutches suck.
2. Nice looking toes go a long way toward lifting your spirits.
3. It is easier to crawl to the bathroom in the middle of the night than to try to ‘sleep’ crutch.
4. My kids are old enough to cook.  (Finding a meal that they will cook and we will eat is not always easy though!)
5. My desk chair makes an awesome wheel chair.
6. The dog thinks my scooting down the stairs (on my butt) is his personal cuddle time.
7. I will not die if the bed does not get made.
8. I will not die if the counters are a mess.
9. I will not die if the floors are dirty.  (Although it will make it harder to wheel around in my chair!)
10. It is hard to cut up apples when your line of vision is even with the cutting bored.
11. Not exercising drives me crazy and is slightly scary.  Must tune into Sit and Fit stat!
12. It was a good idea to keep all the good snacks (i.e. chocolate) on a high shelf.  Now I can’t reach them.
13. If my chiropractor wasn’t already my best friend she is NOW.
14. My family rocks.  They have all stepped up to their added responsibilities (cooking, cleaning, walking the dog, etc.) and even ask ‘Do you need anything else?’ before they leave for the day.
15. Having more time to get stuff done does not necessarily mean it WILL get done.
16. I miss easily getting outside.
17. Sunshine can be enjoyed from the comfort of my wheelie chair just inside a doorway.
18. I have a new appreciation for drive thrus and wish I could find a drive thru sushi place or teriyaki place.
19. Amazon Fresh can deliver all my groceries and even some new hobby items right to my doorstep.  (They have an excellent selection of crochet hooks.)
20. The UPS man (Hi Jason!) was nice enough to come into the house to get my signature, but leaving the wine delivery in the middle of the entry way rug was a fail.  (I did consider just bringing an opener and glass to the rug and crawling over for a picnic.)
21. I’ve got amazingly caring and flexible clients. One even offered to bring dinner after I asked her to reschedule her session!

Posts may be light over the next couple of weeks because my shooting ability is being limited to what I can get to in my wheelie chair. (Which is only bad if you are sick of seeing pictures of my toes and my kitty.)  Hoping to get back to chasing babies and kids in the next couple of weeks!

Meanwhile, if anybody is in the market for a cool pair of sparkly purple soccer shoes I’ve got a pair up for grabs.  Hardly used…

Just a couple of crazy picture outtakes of my nephews that were cracking me up.  Taking pictures can be hard but it is best not to take one’s self too seriously!  ’Nicer’ pictures to come later…