May 2024

 

May has been a month of celebrations and has included lots of End-of-School-Year events!  We kicked off the month with Leah's confirmation at church.  For the past 2 years, Leah has attended weekly confirmation classes, done service projects, served on ministry teams, and completed weekly discussion guides.  Her confirmation class includes some awesome kiddos (and instructors!) and we are so proud of Peanut for her declaration of her faith:

Confirmation class and teachers

Leah's confirmation verse

Rite of confirmation

Pastor Elliott with our family.

It was extra special to celebrate with family, and we hosted a taco bar lunch (for Cinco de Mayo!) to celebrate our sweet confirmand after the service:

Playing cards with Bean & Poppy.

Luke was inducted into the National German Honor Society this month and received several awards.  The German program at NWHS is one of the largest in the state (with over 300 students) and Frau Worthington & Herr Bowden do so much to make German fun and engaging for the kids.  There are some exciting travel and cultural opportunities next year with the German Club and we can't wait!

Luke received the highest honor (Gold Award) for scoring in the top 10% of the country on the Level 2 National German Exam this spring:

2024 National German Honor Society Inductees:

Luke was also one of 4 students in the state of North Carolina to receive the National German Exam Book Award.  Way to go, Bubbie!

May brought spring band concerts and recognition for both kiddos. A friend was able to get some great shots of Leah playing her French Horn during her performance:

Leah also plays in the NWMS Jazz Band and has gone into school early 2 days/week since January for morning rehearsal.  She plays Grandpa's trumpet in the Jazz Band, and she had a solo in one of the pieces:

Leah received awards for being selected for All County and All District Band this year:

Awesome job, Leah!  We love listening to you play!

Luke was recognized at his spring band concert for his participation in All County (1st chair), All District (1st chair), and All State Band (4th chair), as well as UNC-G Honors Band (1st chair).  Our music man continues to amaze us with his talent and love of tuba.  

Luke's Spring Rowing Banquet was held in mid-May.  This is a special evening with dinner, a slideshow of photos/videos, and a tribute to the graduating seniors on the team:

 One of their favorite traditions is the Seniors' "Last Launch" in the barge, where the team takes them onto the lake for a final row:

As the parents stood on the shore and watched, the barge seemed to  lower and lower in the lake.  We realized that there was too much weight in the boat and it was taking on water with each stroke.  In a Titanic-inspired moment, the rowers playfully shouted, "I'll never let go, Jack!" and huddled together on the last section of barge that was not submerged.  They ended up treading water (wearing dress clothes and shoes) and holding their phones above their heads until the coaches were able to power up the launch boats to rescue everyone.  Many kids on the team are lifeguards and they are well trained in water safety as rowers, and all ended up safe and sound on land.  This unexpected twist ended up being one of the best/most memorable parts of the spring season and the kids had a blast.  Here's a little collage of the series of events:

What an eventful end to an epic rowing season!

We visited Grandpa for Memorial Day Weekend.  Luke started work at the pool, so he stayed home in NC while the rest of us had a beach weekend in SC.  We played mini golf and enjoyed a relaxing couple of days over the long weekend:

Leah finished her spring soccer games this month, and this was the first season that Mark didn't coach.  He thoroughly enjoyed being a fan on the sidelines and we love this special team of girls.  Many of them have been playing together since they were itty bitty, and we recreated this sweet soccer memory of Leah with 2 of her friends:

As we wrap up May, we are counting down the last few days until school's officially out. Bring on summer vacation!

Southeast Rowing Championship Weekend

We had the best time with Luke over Mother's Day weekend, when we traveled to Sarasota, Florida for the US Rowing Southeast Regional Championships.  We flew in on Thursday night and had the morning on Friday to explore and have some beach time.  This was our first visit to the gulf coast of Florida, and we wanted to check out Siesta Key, which is rated the #1 in the US for its white, soft sand and beautiful beach.  Our Shibumi Shade was able to fit into our carry-on luggage, and was a great asset for the weekend:

Luke promptly fell asleep on the beach (less than an hour after waking up for the day, as only teenagers can do), while Mark and I took a long walk:

I've never seen pelicans so close before.  They were just hanging out at the surf line, catching breakfast:

We walked to Siesta Key Village for lunch and ate fresh seafood at the highly recommended Siesta Key Oyster Bar:

Oysters Rockefeller for the Win!

After we dropped Luke off at afternoon rowing practice, Mark and I explored St. Armands, which contains the cutest boutiques, restaurants, and galleries.   John Ringling (the circus magnate) designed and planned this European-inspired, open air setting, and St. Armands circle and its surrounding shops have an Old World charm and tropical feel:

We had a team dinner on Friday night and then it was off to bed to prepare for Time Trials on Saturday:

Luke raced up a division and competed in a Men's Double race with his friend, Hagan.  A sweet story about these 2 boys is that when we moved to NC over Christmas break of Luke's kindergarten year, Hagan was the first friend that he met at his new elementary school.  I walked Luke into his classroom that January, and a tiny voice exclaimed, "You can sit beside me, Luke!".  Hagan's mom and I became friends and volunteered at school together, and the boys' social circles continued to overlap periodically even after we left Summerfield Elementary and moved into our house in Oak Ridge later that spring.  Last year, Hagan and Luke reconnected when they both joined the competitive team at NCRC and I just love this photo collage of them together:

Although the boys had a great race, they missed moving on to semifinals by 1.9 seconds.  This is amazing, considering that they were racing against rowers who are 2 years older than them!.  Since Luke & Hagan are both sophomores, they still have 2 more years in this age division, and we can't wait to see what they will do next year!

Luke also rowed a single for the first time and competed in the U17 Mens Time Trials.  He fell short of advancing by 2.5 seconds, but he raced well and this was a great opportunity for him.  Luke works so hard at rowing and we feel so grateful to have found a sport that he loves:

On Saturday evening, the team met for dinner at the cutest beachfront restaurant on Anna Maria Island:

We ate outside during sunset and it was a gorgeous setting for photos:

After dinner, the kids changed into swimsuits and went night swimming.  We love this team and families so much, and regatta weekends are always so much fun! 

On Sunday, it was back to the race venue to cheer on the 2 NCRC womens quads that made it to finals.  Meanwhile, the boys had some serious relaxed Sunday vibes:

We spent a beautiful afternoon at Lido Key Beach with teammates and their parents before catching flights home that evening:

 I told Mark that this was one of my favorite Mother's Days ever.  What a gift to spend time with our teen, watching him do what he loves, and seeing him so happy.  We are so grateful for the incredible work that Coach Scott and Katie do, pouring into these kids.  They instill values of teamwork, build strength and character, and are wonderful, positive role models and mentors for the youth.  Thank you for an awesome spring season and such treasured memories!