I've said this before. I'm not sure where, but somewhere. Years ago...by brother thought it would be a good idea for me to start blogging. I decided he was insane because there was no way I had time for something like that. And then, somehow I got started and then I got hooked...and then technology changed and I got a little busier and couldn't keep up and I started drowning. Finally I sank into the abyss of never keeping up. Once there it is pretty hard to surface again. I'm always behind. No matter how many posts I think I can create to catch up, I'm always behind. I forever miss it. I'll forever feel like I'm living in the past of when I could find the photos, insert them to my narrative and keep up. Those were the days. I seriously grieve the loss of my ability to keep up on blogging. I feel like those days were "THE DAYS". Suffering in the trenches and recording it like a I was earning a badge of honor. I'm pretty sure I was...earning a badge...I really don't know how I did the things I did. Everything makes me tired thinking of it. And while it makes me tired, I miss it tremendously. Those days of crazy busy were also quiet and semi-controlled, and MINE. I remember feeling incredibly overwhelmed, but somehow the memory is sweet and sane. I think it is all about having everyone under one roof. Knowing that at the end of the day, no one could do anything without me making it happen for them. Oh my goodness...those days are so incredibly in the rear-view mirror. I can't get them back. I can't even recreate them if I tried. And I certainly can't redo them.
Today, I entered a conversation about what could have been... vacations and Pottery Barn decorated rooms and nannies so that I could get my nails done. The consensus was that wasn't our jam. It wasn't our lifestyle. It wasn't what we could do. It wasn't what we wanted. Ok...maybe I wanted the Pottery Barn rooms but our vacations were to Western Nebraska and I took my kids to movies and donuts and it was hard and probably not as relaxing as getting my nails done. But, I think I would probably do it the same way a second time over. (And still be envious of those who do it differently.)
I'm not sure what I want to document at the moment. It is important to be in the present, so I'll try. I cancelled my retreat at the Cloisters on the Platte last weekend to be able to be present at the State Swim meet to watch Millie swim. No regret. I'll start there and work backward:
This girl. She swam in the City Championships last summer and had a crazy good race that made her think she could be a good swimmer. She started swim just happy to be part of something and despite my secret desires for her, was content just to be part of something. Tim and I decided long ago that as competitive as we are, we need to let our kids be who they are and what they want to be. It is SOOO hard. I want very much to live vicariously through them. Each one of them. I want to be the competitor that I wanted to be 30 years ago. Better than I was. I now have the wisdom to understand what to commit to and I want to do it through them. But....I work very hard NOT to do that. No matter how you spin it though, I can't help but get really invested when anyone expresses interest in getting better! I'm your girl...I'm all in...I'm gonna work with you to get there. I can't be more proud of Mille. She said, "OK", and that was all I needed to encourage her to keep driving. To keep working. I knew she could do it. She is such a great swimmer and she got her chance. I'm not sure if we were excited to continue or disappointed that it wasn't over, but since it wasn't over, we both decided to do what we could to make things happen. We started with a post-workout drink of creatine and tart cherry...how silly...but I told her it was an experiment...let's see where it would go along with a tech suit (who would pay $600 for a swim suit? I guess we may be those people now...)Those two things combined with a whole season of practice--oh, and her dad telling her to kick faster- equated to a fantastic Conference meet and State berth. By the end of the season, she received the "most improved" award, reached a PR in the 100 back and also a PR in her split for the 200 free relay. I guess all of it was enough to convince her to try to better it all next year!
State Swim was a week after State Wrestling. I'm not sure I can say more with words than the pictures will tell...
These two have been teammates since they were little boys. The night before the State Tournament they decided to dye their hair '"blonde"...these two dark brunettes learned that it is no easy task, but they ended up with a school color I guess.
The remaining photos have no particular order. Mostly because I couldn't get them arranged properly and I gave up trying.
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| Celebrating a semi-final win to earn a championship match. |
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| 40 wins, 40 pins. |
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| Support of teammates from the seats. |
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This photo is from the championship match. The following photos are still in random order.
State is Thursday through Saturday. Joe won two matches on Thursday (green and gold singlet and then black adidas singlet) which propelled him to the medal matches on Friday. |
Joe wrestled at 182 pounds his freshman and sophomore year, 195 over the summer and this year the weight classes changed and he dropped to 175 and worked diligently to reach and maintain that weight by cutting calories without losing nutrients. He had to overcome illness and minor injury during the season. He had to wrestle the reigning class B state champion who was undefeated--twice during the regular season.
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| Exciting support and congratulations from neighborhood friends! |
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| Celebrating a great weekend with our family and wrestling family. |
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| My kids will never forget the support that they get from their grandparents. Grandpa A was glued to his TV watching from home for these matches but is also often in person through long days of wrestling tournaments. |
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| Youngest fan! |
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| These three...I'm not sure how much wrestling they watched when their brothers weren't on the mat, but they were pretty inseparable for three days (and the whole season--as well as past seasons!) |
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| One of the hardest things happened for Sam and the entire wrestling family at this tournament. After Joe had an epic semi-final win, Sam took the mat after compiling an amazing record of 40-0 and suffered a loss that shocked us all. It was so hard on so many levels and knocked the breath out of everyone. It was unexpected, heart-breaking and seemed unreal, probably very much the same for the opponent that Joe had just beat. The boys went into the tournament with Joe predicted to get third and Sam to win it. After Joe's big win, we all thought that we would have two state champs. This is where athletics produces experiences that are far beyond competing. After devastation in the moment, Sam (and his entire support system) got back up, still wounded and moved forward, recognizing that the result of one match did not and would not define him as anything less than a fierce, gifted and successful wrestler whose accomplishments were no less meaningful or impressive than they were the day before. He wrestled his next two matches to earn a bronze medal, a title of "4-time State Qualifier and 3-time State medalist" which is no small feat and cheered on his teammate with the same passion that he had the two days prior. These titles will still afford the boys bragging rights in all their years to come, but it is not the hardware or the records or titles that will remain with them as deeply as will the lessons that they reaped from being teammates, working hard, celebrating and grieving with each other and being part of a team that pushed them, believed in them and celebrated them. That their gifts and talents were amplified by their own dedication and passion but first given them from God who they recognize should receive the glory. |
This State Wrestling Tournament was certainly memorable. Wrestling is an intense sport--for the wrestler of course, but very much for the spectator as well. My muscles were tight, my heart was pounding out of my chest, my hands were shaky and my entire body was anxious. Every. Single. Match.
The environment itself is quite something. Very dramatic and exciting and structured and electric.
Lots of media documenting all the wrestlers which makes me very happy to be able to have images and videos to save. Our whole family was invested from somewhere...in the stands, via livestream, waiting for updates. It was a good weekend with a really great outcome. We are all very proud of our wrestler.
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| This picture is important to me because when we took our family photo after Joe's big win, Millie had to get back to her volleyball team for the next game. (They were playing at CHI starting on Saturday and the timing of all of it allowed her to be able to be with us and watch Joe wrestle his final match, but when she tried to come right back in to take a picture, the security people wouldn't let her because she didn't have a new ticket) GRRR! |
