BYU Autumn Classic

Saturday, September 14th was the annual BYU Autumn Classic. It's a fairly tough course on the BYU campus. This year it was muddy and slippery due to the torrential downpour the night before. McKayla's time of 18:23 was not her best time but it was good enough for 4th place and a medal!

What McKayla found most exciting is that the college women ran immediately after her race using the very same course and she would've taken 9th! She would have been a scoring runner for every college there except BYU. It was good for her to see that she can run with those college women!

CNA

This semester McKayla is at the Jordan Applied Technology Center for half of every school day getting her CNA through Salt Lake Community College. She loves it! She currently has 105% in her medical terminology class and 101% in her nursing. She does 6 hours of clinicals every week meaning she goes to a nursing home and helps care for the patients. The first day she put on her scrubs and her ID badge to go to her clinical I couldn't believe how grown up she looked (it was a bit sad seeing my little girl all grown up). She even has her own stethoscope.

She loves the clinicals! She thinks the patients are so cute and sweet.

State Fair

We used to take the kids to the State Fair every year. I enjoyed it! We tried to go on a night we got to attend the rodeo for free. I really enjoyed that! The kids keep getting busier so we haven't made it the last couple of years. This year we managed to find a few hours on a Saturday that we could go. The only kids available to go with us were Chandler and Alec. We couldn't stay for the rodeo because we had other places to be but we still had a good time!

unusual sport

It is my observation that cross-country is an unusual sport. First, I can't think of any other sport where the spectators get exercise. In order to really see a cross-country meet, you usually have to run from one spot to the next. Case in point - Saturday I watched a meet that had JV frosh/soph, JV junior/senior, and varsity divisions for both boys and girls. That right there would be 6 divisions but the varsity race was a relay race so there were actually 14 races (7 boys/7 girls) that I ran back and forth on the course to watch. I had run a few miles that morning but at the meet I wondered why I had gotten up so early to run when I put in MORE miles at the meet. I don't have to watch them all but between nieces, cousin's kid, my own daughter, and RHS kids I love I really like to watch them all. So, I am not complaining, just making an observation. Second, I also can't think of any other sport where the competitors get to know each other and become friends. My kids have played soccer, basketball, and lacrosse and never gotten to know their rivals. However, in cross-country/track they get to know them, speak to them at meets, and even text each other. McKayla is friends with all of the girls in the picture below except the one in the black jacket. It doesn't matter that the other girls are from Jordan, Bingham, and Lehi. They are friends. McKayla has even double-dated with one of them a couple of times. I think that is pretty cool even if a bit unusual.

Sweet 16!

Shanley,

I can hardly believe you are 16! You have always been so easy-going.  As a baby, you would fall asleep wherever I laid you.  You are extremely generous and will share anything with anyone!  You make us all laugh!  You have a spunk and a spirit that make you fun to be around.  You are tall and pretty (and since you are now dating age, that is a scary for a mom).   You are a great dancer!  You finally got your learner's permit last Friday and you have LOVED driving - begging for opportunities.  It was hard for you to pass that test but I am proud that you kept trying.

You always get to pick your meals on your birthday.  Today you picked sticky buns and smoothies for breakfast.  For lunch you wanted homemade chicken nuggets so I delivered them to you, Brandon, and McKayla at lunchtime (along with strawberry milk, grapes, and cookies).  You picked strawberry crepes for dinner and you asked Brandon to come for that too.  Birthday treat was a chocolate/chocolate ice cream cake.

I delivered a balloon bouquet to your first class today.  It was sign language and Mrs. Emily Corfield was great - she stopped the class and had everyone sign the "happy birthday" song to you.  You were so embarrassed and refused to carry around your balloons all day.  You left them in her classroom and picked them up after school.  McKayla made sure your seminary class knew it was your birthday (are you wishing now that you hadn't requested having it together?).

Mostly today you've just wanted lots of driving practice. 

I love you and am so glad you're my daughter!

love,
Mom