Art Show

 Camille refused to go with us, but it was a pretty big deal for Claire to be in the TRHS art show. She was one of only a few middle school students to be selected for the show. Ben and I went, so he pretended to be her to show off her work.

Homecoming Parade and Game

 It was a fun week with the  homecoming parade which Claire was in for ASLHS and Camille was in for color guard, and then the game which ThunderRidge won! Woo-hoo! Camille had her own fan club cheering her on in the stands as a ton of her friends were there rooting for her. It was pretty cool.

Homecoming Dance

 Claire looked stunning for Homecoming! Her dress was perfection! She went with a large group of friends, which had it's pros and cons. Claire would have preferred a smaller group, and there was a bit of drama going into it, but they ended up having a great time. They had dinner at Texas Roadhouse, where Claire ordered her steak "well done." So, we need to teach her how to order steak, but she said it was good.

Our traditional neighbors picture:

First Day of School

 After one of the worst summers of my life, school is starting. Here is hoping that getting into a routine will settle us down and bring some calm to this stormy and terrible time.

Last Day of School

I didn't get a last day of school picture of Camille...oops! Needless to say, though, she looked very cute and was very excited. Her year started out rough as she didn't like middle school at first, but Camille turned it around and ended up happy and incredibly successful.

Claire had a fantastic year. By exactly one point in two classes, but much higher percentages in the other classes, she got straight A's again this year. She maybe needs to work on not procrastinating so much with her homework (she often waits until 8 PM to start, and then somehow gets mad at us that she is so stressed out), but she really wants to excel. She has a brilliant group of friends who are all a very good influence on her.

Both Ben and me are kind-of surprised at how self motivated all of our girls are. We have never said they need to get straight A's. We have always valued education and tried to instill in them a love of learning, but they have each decided on their own that they want to have good grades, and they are willing to work hard to make it happen. It's pretty impressive- we will see if it continues into the future!

And, I finished my third year at TBE, 8th year of teaching overall. This year I really feel like I found my groove. I'm confident in my abilities now, and I feel like I am actually really good at my job. Which is why it is a bummer that my position is going back down to .5. UGH! I fought going full-time so hard, but then it turned out it wasn't nearly as bad as I thought it would be. It didn't really take away from our family, and Ben was able to pick up my slack when needed (mostly in helping with rides for away games). My principal wanted to keep me happy and said she would give me more hours doing something different if I wanted. I thought about it and decided that being .8 would be a dream- getting off an hour early every day, and then having 1/2 a day off on Friday. And, my principal made it happen. I'll be a .5 GT Facilitator, and a .3 Literary Specialist. It sounds like I get to make up what that .3 looks like, which I think will be modeling and coaching with Depth and Complexity. I think it will be really cool, and I'm excited for it. One thing is for sure- this job is always something new! It keeps me on my toes.

And just for fun, on my walk to work today (I LOVE walking to work!), there was a wild turkey running around. Sort of feels like my life right now.

Second Prom

When she was little, I had an irrational fear that she wouldn't get asked to prom. Now she fears at college nobody will ever ask her out.

Something tells me, she will be OK. #TRHSprom2025

Her date, Nicholas. He is a very nice boy.

Camille did her hair- it turned out incredible. Absolutely perfect.