He did it! Matthew attended seminary for four years, 80% of that was before school, and completed all the requirements to graduate from seminary. He calculated his attendance down to the day to get 75%. He did all the makeup work he missed but stressed me out by not turning it in until the last day. But he did it!
I am joking around but seriously, he did complete his 4 years and he did it with very little coaxing or pushing from me. I am proud of him for making it a priority to graduate. It is no small feat for a high school student to sacrifice sleep, time, and effort everyday and keep up on all the other things they have going on as well. He had some really great teachers along the way. They had engaging lessons and new just how to encourage them to come- with food and friendship and activities.
The mission he is going to in Brazil requires a minimum of two years of formal religious training for anyone that wants to come there to be a missionary. If he hadn’t committed to doing seminary he wouldn’t be able to go to that Brazil.
We are proud of him for his accomplishment.
Sister Sawaya was one of his teachers for 1 1/2 years.
There is a hawk that hangs out around our house a lot. We love it because he is cool to watch and because he eats the animals I don’t want around my house. The girls named him Thomas a while ago. Last week when we would come home he was often perched on the peak of our roof above our back deck. He looked like a giant weather vane. It was rainy so he even had his wings open because he was all wet.
One of the mornings I woke up and looked out my bedroom window and found Thomas looking back!
Ryan and I celebrated our 23rd wedding anniversary this year. Ryan had some hotel points built up so we decided to do a quick weekend get away to Nashville. We stopped there one night on our way home from Florida a few years ago and really liked it and have wanted to go back since.
He booked an awesome hotel with a roof top pool and we planned to set by the pool all weekend and relax and soak up the sun and then check out Broadway at night and listen to amazing live music.
We left Thursday evening after work. The girls stayed with Grandma and Grandpa Terry for the weekend and Matthew went on a senior retreat for his Covenant Prep class he has been taking Sunday afternoons. We drove about half way and then finished Friday morning. The hotel was amazing. The pool was gorgeous. But it rained. The. Entire. Weekend. Ugh. That was a little disappointing. But we found other things to do. We brought some games and actually went up to the pool and played for a while on the covered patio part. It was chilly and raining but we could see the pool.😜 We found lots of great live music and food. Our hotel had a different musician each night. Broadway had tons of options. There is live music everywhere in Nashville. We walked by a Taco Bell and they had a live band playing, in the Taco Bell. Despite the rain we still had fun. We both said we would come back and stay in the same place again, just later in the Summer so there was less chance of rain. We drove home Sunday and arrived in time to see the kids for a few hours before bed Sunday night. They missed us so much and were glad we were home.😉
The weekend after we got home from Nashville was Mother’s Day. I was feeling a little more emotional and sentimental this year because it is the last one before Matthew leaves. On my way to church I was reminiscing about how when the kids were in primary they would always sign a song at church on Mother’s Day. When church started they announced that for a special surprise the youth would be doing the sacrament program. Several of them did musical numbers, and several gave talks-including Matthew- that were all really good and very thoughtful. Then, all the youth sang a song together which meant all three of my kids were singing a song on Mother’s Day just like they did when they were younger. I was bawling like a baby. The primary kids came up and sang a duet with the youth so they even sang two songs. I loved it. It is the last time that will probably ever happen and I soaked it in.
After church Ryan smoked some pulled pork and Grandma and Grandpa came over and spent the afternoon with us. It was very relaxing and I really enjoyed it. I even had some time in the hammock while everyone played catch together in the yard. I am really glad that I have been blessed to be a mom to my kids. I am not the best but I love them and I hope they know that. They are pretty special. It really is scary how fast the years go by and they grow and change.
Ryan snuck a picture of them singing together for me while I was busy crying. 💖
After Prom there were lots of events that happened and I collected many pictures from them.
College Signing Night
Ramey for Mid Nazerene University- BaseballCampbell for Moberly Area Community College- Softball
Matthew has lots of friends that signed to play at different schools for sports with a scholarship. Some for golf, baseball, and softball. We went to signing night to help celebrate their accomplishments.
Senior Softball Night
Campbells softball senior night. She had one for wrestling a few months ago that we went to as well but I didn’t get a picture from that one. She had a great game! She hit a home run, a double, and got lots of RBI’s. Matthew had baseball practice on the field next to hers for the first part of her game, when she hit her home run he and some of his team mates cheered for her from the baseball field.
Scholarship and Academic Assembly
This is Matthew and his friends at the scholarship recognition assembly. They area fun group of boys and very positive and supportive of each other.
Senior Baseball Night
Matthew had a Senior night for baseball too. A long story short his coach was a bit of a jerk to him this season and we are all going to be glad when it is over. It is really disappointing and frustrating and Ryan and Matt and I all wish his senior year of high school baseball could have been much better, but it is what it is. We made the most of his senior night. After the game they had each boy go up and hit a ball from someone of their choice (they all picked there dads, even though the coach suggested himself) to throw their ‘last pitch’ and then run the bases while they read a letter from their parents. Then their moms were waiting for them at first base. It was pretty cool for each of the boys. Campbell recorded it for us. Our whole family was there and Grandma and Grandpa Terry came and both of his seminary teachers came to watch him play.
This is a copy of the letter they read while he ran the bases.
Senior Sunset
Senior SunsetSenior Sunset-Nick, Si and Carter
At the beginning of the year they did a senior sunrise at the school. At the end of the year they did a senior sunset. I think Spring Hill did a great job of making the seniors feel special and recognizing them and doing things like the sunrise and sunset to make their year memorable. Another thing they do is for the graduation rehearsal, each student gets a card on their chair from their parents or a teacher. When they find their seat at rehearsal it is waiting on the seat.
Senior and Parent Breakfast
Senior Breakfast. Before graduation rehearsal they have a senior breakfast for parents and their senior. If parents want to they can make a poster to hang up in the gym for the breakfast. I dusted off my scrapbooking skills and made one for him.
Matthew’s senior year really picked up the pace once April got here. There was lots of senior activities, ceremonies, and special events. There were several things almost every week which made the last few months fly by.
Prom was the first big event. He participated in a fundraiser for the after prom party the week of prom called Buff Puff. There was about 10 volleyball teams of boys that competed against each other and the girls were their coaches. His team was called the Black Aces and they actually ended up taking second.
Prom was on a Saturday. Early afternoon they went downtown to the Nelson Atkins Museum of Art and took pictures. The weather was rainy all week but it was beautiful on Saturday and they got great pictures. Campbell has been planning on a yellow dress for her senior prom for years. Matthew decided on a gray tux to match her.
Here are their group photos.
After pictures they went to dinner at an Italian place called Buca di Beppo. Then it was off to the dance. This was the first year they had Prom at a different location than the school. Usually they rent a tent and have it somewhere around the school. This year it was at the Embassy Hotel in their ballroom.
They announced the prom King and Queen at the dance, and Matthew was prom King!! He told me by sending this picture to me. No words or explanation, just the picture. I loved that he thought to tell me instead of waiting until he got home.
After the dance Campbell and Matthew went to the after prom party with most of their group. A bus took everyone to a rented out space that had all kinds of activities for them to do and tons of food. There was a prize wheel that each of the Seniors got to spin and win different prizes that were at least worth $100. Matthew and Campbell each won a 41″ TV! He had a pretty exciting night! The party ended at 2. By the time the bus got them back to the school and Matthew dropped Campbell off and came home to go to bed it was about 3:30. He slept every spare second he could for the next two days.
He thought the TV he won fit perfectly in his window sill in his room.
Easter was really nice this year. After church we had dinner with Ross and Lauren’s family and Roger and Rhonda. We usually take a family picture at the church before we leave, we forgot this year so we did it when we got home. Someone didn’t want to but did it anyway.
Allison had her wrestling banquet a few months after the season was over. They had a dessert bar and beverages with an awards ceremony. They asked all the wrestlers to dress nice. Usually we only see them in their singlets and head gear, so a few of them I almost didn’t recognize. Allison got the JV Wrestler of the year award!
March brought us a semi chilly Spring Break this year. We decided to go and see some family for part of our break. Ryan had some work and his annual man trip with his mission buddies to work around our break. Matthew had some baseball games and practices to work around.
So, Friday, the girls and Ryan left for Arkansas to see the Torgerson family. My girls really like spending time with there cousins down there so they were packed and ready to go the second they got home from school. There was a pretty bad storm passing through. Ryan joked that he was more scared of telling the girls we had to wait for the storm then driving through the storm. So he braved the weather and it ended up not being to bad and they made it Friday night. Matthew and I followed them and arrived in Arkansas early Saturday afternoon. We played games, visited, went to Top Golf, went shopping, played outside, went to church with them on Sunday, and enjoyed their company. They are a very easy family to spend time with. I enjoy getting to know them better each time we see them.
Monday morning, Ryan left for home for a few meetings he had for work before leaving for Vegas on Tuesday evening. The kids and I left Arkansas and headed to Dallas to see Sherri and her family. We played games, hit all the cookie spots, drink spots, and ice cream spots, watched movies and hung out. Tuesday morning we got up a early and went to a drive through safari. It was all enjoyable but the giraffes were a hit. They were hungry and had no problem using there giant lips and tongue to search out the food they new we had. One of them took the whole bag from Matthew and ate it with the food inside.
Matthew had baseball games Thursday morning so we left Dallas Wednesday morning and spent the day on the road. The games were pretty chilly, down right frigid, but the sun did come out so it seemed not as bad. Friday and Saturday were relax at home days and catch up on ‘all the things’ that pile up. Ryan got home Sunday and he and I both went back to work Monday, but for some reason the kids had one more day of Spring Break so they got to sleep in and be lazy an extra day. It was a nice Spring Break. Its nice to see family and have some new experiences with them.
The Senior year of high school baseball it starting! They did tryout a few weeks earlier than usual this year. Matt has been working hard practicing hitting and conditioning the past several months. He is doing great with hitting right now. Matthew is a great baseball player and a good team mate- I know I am biased as his mother but I think objectively he is those things too. There are lots of politics and other annoying parts to high school sports so no matter how prepared ‘we’ feel going into try outs it is always nerve racking. But he made it!! Only 4 seniors were kept, there were a lot of surprise cuts. We are excited for him and proud of him for making it and working hard.
They had the first Jamboree during spring break and starting this week have 2-3 games almost every week until the end of the season. Here we go!
The seniors have banners made of them each year that they hand on the fences at the baseball fields. There were only for seniors that made the team this year. Once they made it they had a little photo shoot to get there banners. Matthew doesn’t like taking pictures, I told him to suck it up because the next several months are going to be filled with picture taking.
Ryan has always worked hard and pushes himself in his career to be an amazing professional in his field provide a great life for his family. He has always wanted to be an owner in the company he is at and has been aiming for that for a long time. A few years ago, the process of what that would be started taking shape and this past year he has been making it happen. The offer and plan for ownership was presented to him and two other people at the company he work at in December. After a few tweaks and negotiations the final contract was signed and it became official a few weeks ago. He has been at this company since it started. He was the first employee and 12 years later it is still a great company and has grown and become very successful and has a great culture. Ryan has been a big part of that from the beginning.
I am proud of him and really appreciate all his hard work. I am very very grateful to have a partner that is driven and sets and make goals for himself and then achieves those goals. It is one of many great qualities Ryan has and I am super proud of him for working so hard to accomplish this. I am also glad he has such great people to work with and they all want to create something that is good and meaningful for their clients and the company. Congratulations!!
