THE PROM. Last night was the big night, and it just so happened to fall on Jenna’s 17th birthday. Fortunately it didn’t rain.
Friday evening we were worried that Jenna would not feel like going to the prom. She started feeling sick around lunchtime. When she came home from school she went straight to bed. When I got home from work and checked on her, I found her with a fever and with a bucket beside her. She looked like death warmed over. Later that afternoon she got up to use the bathroom and was so weak on the way back to bed she laid down in the back hall and used some of the shoes there for a pillow. I had gone to bed thinking the title of this newsletter would be “Disappointment” and that I would simply write the following as the content:
Seventeenth birthdayThankfully the story turned out differently.
Prom night
Sick girl
Saving dress
A little after I went to bed Jenna was starting to feel a touch better so she had Vicki paint her toenails in hopes that she would be showing them off the next night. Vicki checked on her again at 2:00 am and she wanted to shower so her hair would be prepped for her 8:30 am hair appointment. Jenna got up to get her hair done but came home and went back to bed until it was time to get dressed.
Vicki was Jenna’s makeup artist. Ben came through to see what was going on and seemed a bit taken aback with the transformation. Vicki then told him about the old saying that every barn looks better with a little paint on it. Once he got it he really enjoyed the joke.
Jenna wasn’t feeling 100%, but we were all glad she felt well enough to go. I know my opinion is biased, but she looked stunning.
We went up to the park for pictures and met up with her friends. All four girls--Katie, Maegan, Mackenzie, and Jenna--were beautiful.
Katie and Mackenzie and their dates left the photo shoot for dinner reservations in Nashville. Jenna and Maegan and their two guy friends, who they regularly eat lunch with at school, had dinner reservations at Montana Grill in Bowling Green.
The prom was held at the Arling at Kenny Perry’s Golf Course in Franklin, Kentucky. Everyone had a great time, but by 10:00, the day was taking a toll on Jenna. They left about 15 minutes later with plans to go bowling. Jenna, not fully recovered from the bug she had, was so worn out she excused herself and was home by 11:00.
I wish Jenna hadn’t gotten sick, but I am thankful it didn’t completely ruin her evening. She had a good time in spite of still feeling puny.
NO MORE SCOUTS. I figure that when Ben decided to end his time as a Boy Scout that Nate wouldn’t be too far behind. Once Ben was out Nate never seemed interested. To be fair, both boys’ interest had waned since crossing over from Cub Scouts. I think the two big things that contributed to this was that neither one felt particularly connected to any friends in the troop and because all the extracurricular merit badge work felt too much like school homework.
Back to Nate, I knew something was up when he said he definitely did not want to go to summer camp. Both boys had enjoyed this before. After several weeks of discussing this as we drove to and from the meetings, Nate decided to cut his ties with the troop last Tuesday.
I have mixed feelings about this. Ultimately, as I told both boys, not every good opportunity life presents you is right for you. Sometimes you have to say no to good things that come along because they aren’t a good fit. Those decisions are difficult and need a lot of prayer. For now this frees up our Tuesday nights, and Nate seems happier.
A FINE SUNDAY AFTERNOON DRIVE. Last Sunday was a beautiful day. Mom and I enjoyed the afternoon with a drive down memory lane. We got in the car and headed to Orlinda. As I drove around the town she reminisced about growing up there. This wasn’t the first time I’d heard the stories she recalled, nor was it the first time I had heard them from her in Orlinda. This just happened to be the first time I recall that it was just me and her in the car doing this, making it a much more intimate conversation. Thank you, Mom, for spending that time with me.
GOT MILK? I’ve intended to write about this since the snow that closed school for two weeks back in February. One thing I’ve noticed of late is how much milk my family consumes. All three kids love milk and drink it at most meals, but with two teens in the house milk consumption has gone through the roof around here. We’re getting to where we buy three gallons at a time just so we don’t have to go to the store daily. I certainly understand why one of our friends who has seven kids bought her own cow.
Joe
