Sweltering Saturday

Jenna had a tournament today. We pretty much survived the day. Jenna had a fever and didn't feel well, and on top of that it was sweltering. The gym was so old which was fun because of all the banners from the WWII era, but no air conditioning. Jenna is trying so hard to hang in there because she knows her spot on Varsity doesn't mean she'll always play. So being sick is hard, but she's doing a respectable job at hanging in there.

Jenna's First HS Varsity Tournament

Jenna played in her first high school summer league game last week on 8/19, and today her team played in the Tustin Varsity Tournament. She did a great job setting, and we're really proud of her.

San Elijo Camping

This year's family vacation to San Elijo was special. Every year is special, but this was the last year with two "kids." Heather had turned 18, but she was still at home so-to-speak, and still a kid. When we return as a family, Heather will be an independent, adult human. While I sat on the beach I kept having flashing backs of the little people who used to run around on the beach in front of my chair and build sand castles for hours. Sniff, sniff.  Anyway, we brought Scarlet with us, and she loved the beach. We took her for walks and let her hang out around the campfire. She slept with Jenna, climbed up to give Kelly hugs and love the dog beach. We had to keep her on a leash which was a bummer because she would have galloped around forever. We took her to Besta Wan because they are dog friendly. She did great! You know, we had originally thought about saving up for a trip to Europe this past year because we were going to be celebrating Heather's graduation, her 18th birthday, my 50th birthday and our 30th wedding anniversary. But after talking about it for a bit, Heather decided she wanted to have her senior summer to be full of all the sentimental things she's loved over the years. San Elijo is one of those things, and we were so grateful to get a camping spot and to have so much fun together hanging out at the beach, playing games like Hearts, and sitting around the campfire.

Grace's Graduation Party

Heather's dear friend, Grace, had a graduation party tonight. She was celebrating her graduation as well as her decision to attend Cal Berkeley in the fall. It was nice to go as a family and hang out. Jenna started an impromptu photo shoot against the back of the house since the color looked like it would make a good back drop. I love the photos she took.  Her love for Kelly and his happiness shows in that photo. Her beauty shines in the solo photos, and the happiness showing in the faces of the sisters is priceless.  The last one was of Heather, Grace and Kenzie. Friends since elementary school, and don't they glow? Can't wait to see these girls take on the world.

Fourth of July

We made it back from Phoenix in time to have our 4th of July dinner. I neglected to purchase American Flag decor, but I had some British napkins from Heather's British party. Those worked right? We wiped up the British! Yummy hamburgers and outdoor dining is the best. We grabbed peeks at the fireworks displays in the sky and threw some popits into the street. I still miss the traditional fireworks in the driveway. Oh well. Maybe our kids will grow up and live in places where they can at least easily get to some fireworks shows.

Phoenix Volleyball Festival June 28- July 4

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1 & 2 - Made it to Phoenix and all checked in. Dinner at the local Corner Bakery. Tomorrow begins the volleyball competition, and this girl will give it her all. She always does not matter what. A fierce competition and a great team player. We are very proud of your hard work and determination Jenna! 3, 4, 5 & 6 - Who has the greatest aunt and uncle ever?  We do! Aunt Michelle, Uncle Shane and Gavin arrived at the Convention Center before the last match started on the first day, and then they came back for two more days. What a great surprise! They were in the Phoenix area at the same time for a wrestling camp. After the games one evening, we went to Cooperstown, a local burger place owned by Alice Cooper. Not my favorite singer, but the food was good, and the company was even better. 7. My favorite side of Jenna is her silly side. 8. I don't know why, but I love huddle pictures. I love the unity and focus as the team heads on to the court or back into the game after regrouping. 9 & 10. Jenna joined the team after playing outside in Vegas to be a setter. She is back playing outside because the girl she replaced rolled her ankle. During day 3, our other outside tore her ACL. It's been a tough injury season for this team. They played really well together and were sad to say good-bye.

High School Graduation for Heather

Graduation day! We drove to Orange Coast College for Heather's high school graduation ceremony. We sat in the stands and took a bazillion pictures. Jenna even got artistic with her hands making heart frames. Heather stood to be recognized for Scholar's With Distinction, and Mr. Ziebarth read her name. He is a family friend, and he asked Heather how she wanted to be announced. He read, "Heather Peterson is the best!" It was awesome. Best shot of the ceremony is Heather turning around to hold her diploma up for us to see with a thumbs up. She has suffered and endured so much to get to this finish line. We are proud of her, and we hope she is proud of her accomplishment. She is simply amazing. We took family photos and photos with friends after the ceremony. At home,Tammy shared some decorative cookies with us. Such a special day. Time for the grad night party!