Dear Summer, Please Don't End.

Some years, I'm ready for the heat and humidity to subside, but not this year.  I would take a thousand more days of hotness and sweating just to make this summer last longer.  How has it passed so quickly?  How blessed are we to get to do the things we love to do and spend time with the people that we love?  Time is such a crazy thing, and the more time that passes, the more I realize how precious it is.  We did some different things this year, but it was all time well spent.

Summer sunsets

I mentioned in the last post that Gracie left for vacation with the Rackers family and spent almost a week in the Smoky Mountains.  They had very full days and I got updates periodically from Gracie.  There were many more pictures, but I picked out a few that I liked the best.  They stayed in Nashville one night, and went to Morgan Wallen's Bar.  Then made their way to Gatlinburg for the next five nights.  They did a lot of hiking, Dollywood, helicopter ride, ziplining, and maybe an escape room.  It didn't seem like they had much down time to relax, but they got to do a lot and Gracie had a blast!

Gracie and Chase... maybe at Dollywood?

They saw so many bears

Chase's mom sent me videos of all the bear sightings.

Hiking with Chase and Aaron... through the water toward the waterfall

More hiking

Helicopter ride

They made it to a couple waterfalls

Gracie was pretty proud of herself for hiking so much and getting workouts in.  She and Chase got a week long membership at a gym pretty close to where they were staying and managed to get her regular workouts in, as well.  I'll bet they were exhausted.

Meanwhile, back home, Owen had another week of football, and we worked.  Owen had 7v7 at Moberly, St. James, and then a scrimmage back at Moberly, for the last week of summer football.  They had pictures already, then dead week during the first week of August.

Junior year is about to commence

#32

Owen with some of his football buddies

Andrew, Kai, Owen, and Kellen

Scrimmage at St. James

More at St. James

Tackle progression

Gracie's time in Tennessee was ending during this time, and this is also the night that she found out she wasn't going to live where she had planned.  It all ended up working out, but I'm sure it was pretty stressful for her for about 12 hours while we figured things out.... anyhoo... not going to go into a lot with that.  We drove an hour and half home from St. James, and Gracie got home the following evening on Friday.  She had a day at home before heading to Iowa to help out at camp in Muscatine with the DuRochers.  We spent time at the lake at my parents' while she was home.  Owen was also at the lake, but he was staying with a bunch of his friends.  They were there from Friday until Sunday morning.

Gracie got a workout in while in Muscatine...she found a YMCA.

I can't express how proud I am of her for doing what she has done this summer.  She has committed to the grind and has taken very few days completely off from working out.  She has changed her eating habits and has become more aware of how she is fueling for her workouts.  She seems to want to get better, stronger, faster.  

Gracie with Ryleigh at Camp

I think this is the 4th year that she has gone up to help out.

Gracie with her younger cousins

Tony and Morgan with the rest of them

Gracie sent me a pic of herself working out at the Y and I sent her one of me after my run.

It has been so hot and humid this summer.

Then this happened the next day.

Owen went to mow on a Tuesday morning after football, and he noticed the ground was like a swamp between the house and the lagoon, right where the water line is buried.  He called me after Nick didn't answer and finally got ahold of Nick, who showed him how to turn the water off to the house.  After calling the water company, it was confirmed that there was, indeed, something not right with amount of water that had been "used" since the night before.  Nick went home for the rest of the day, and recruited Owen as his mini-excavator operator.  They dug up the yard where they thought the leak might be, and found the broken pipe.  We had to get a plumber out to fix it, and fortunately they were able to come that evening and it only took a couple hours, before dark.  What a day.  Can't wait for that bill.

Owen running the machine.

I'm sure this is meets OSHA guidelines and standards.

May not have been an ideal situation, but Owen and Nick got to bond.

Quite the trench and full of water. 

Nick digging up the yard

Here I am the following morning...getting my run done

Then 2 days later, more football; back to Moberly.  Gracie had returned home, but it was back to work giving lessons for her.

Owen at linebacker again

Getting a tackle

Last scrimmage of the summer, then 4 days at Camp Rockies in Windy Gap, NC.

Owen's 4th trip out there.

Heading to the bus

The Bentlage crew getting ready to go.

Kind of weird without Pryce and Hudson.

All of the junior boys from Southern Boone

I secured a dresser for Gracie.

She has been searching for one for awhile.

This one was free!

First meal at camp... I spy Owen in there.

Owen with a few friends

Owen's cabin

They had a full four days of activities, basically doing what they wanted during the day and scheduled events in the evenings.  Competitions, worship, games, and fellowship.  Owen has enjoyed his time there every year. He said his favorite parts of camp this year were sand volleyball and the worship/praise time in the evenings.  They also had opportunities to play basketball, zipline, swim, ropes course, among other things I'm sure.  Their phones were taken as soon as they were close to the destination, so I did not hear from Owen from Sunday morning until Wednesday evening.  Not very many pictures, but I think he wants to go back again - one more.  The only downside is that he returned a little bit sick.  The counselor on their bus called us around 4:30 or 5:00 am on Thursday morning.  We had not heard from Owen since 8:00pm the night before.  Apparently, he had not felt well on Wednesday and took some Benadryl the nurse had given him.  It knocked him out that evening, and he had a sleepwalking incident on the bus.  I'm sure this was a little disturbing for anyone who witnessed, especially those responsible for his well-being.  The counselor said that Owen was a little paranoid and they couldn't tell what he was saying.  That checks out for Owen.  It's been a while since he had this happen, but I remember all too well from when he was little.  Owen didn't feel very good when I picked him up a little after 6am in Columbia.  But he said he got about 9 hours of sleep (thanks to the Benadryl, I'm sure).  He slept for maybe another hour at home after I dropped him off and went to work.  Then, after taking some ibuprofen, he felt better and went on a shopping field trip to Target with his sister.  Since he returned, it has been up and down with him.  We had dinner on Thursday evening and he seemed ok.

Friday morning was ok and he helped us move Gracie into her new place.  I took him to the doctor in the afternoon just to check, and he was negative for strep, so most likely viral, and the sickness will just have to run its course. He was pretty proud of himself, though, as he weighed 198# when they checked his weight and vitals.  Saturday was about the same.  He didn't feel great but managed to go take a look at a couple of cars with us, then stop by Gracie's again, to take her some more stuff.  However, he was wiped out and while Nick and I were getting groceries, he slept in the car and continued to sleep for much of the afternoon.  Buying cars is tough.

Still recovering from camp and being sick

Moving Day

Gracie has been packing and organizing for about a week, trying to gather the things that she needs at her new house in Columbia.  She will be living with 2 teammates, Rylee and Tyah.  Rylee is a pitcher from New Jersey, and Tyah is a transfer from Georgia, but I think she is originally from Virginia.  They are living only a couple of minutes from the sports park, which will be very convenient.  So, after a week of making lists and planning, move-in day arrived and Gracie was the first one of the three to move in.  She also recruited Nova to help out, and Nova also spent the first night with her in Columbia.

Gracie and I loaded up our cars in the morning with everything that would fit and Nick came home around 10:30 to help get the big stuff into the truck; bed, desk, etc. 

Lunch!

Owen in the kitchen

Living area

I think someone is bringing a bigger TV

Lunch with her brother

Gracie's new room.  It's pretty big.

I don't have a picture of it after she organized and put everything together, but she did a good job.

Empty room

It's a little sad.

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Gracie,

It feels a little more permanent this time.  In January, I knew that you would be back for the summer, but I didn't know how the summer would go after having four months of "freedom."  Your bed, desk, and lots of your clothes and other belongings were still at home, waiting for your return.  I was excited to have you back in May, but a little cautious about how it would work after a semester of college and adult responsibilities.  I will say that I am so happy we had those summer months with you home again and most of the time, you bring energy and positivity to any place you're present.  Dinner conversation is definitely not the same without you.   I thought after moving you out the first time, it would be easier, but it's not. 

I am excited for you, but there is an empty room where you lived for the past 9 years.  The battered walls remind me of how you break almost everything, and the corners remind me of how you "clean."  I'm pretty sure everything you didn't want to deal with ended up under your bed, in your closet, or behind your desk.  Don't worry, I'll clean it up and you'll have your room when you come visit.  I am so thankful for the late nights you decided it was time to talk, the hot evenings you wanted to take ground balls from your dad, the family dinners that are filled with fun conversation, hearing about your vacation adventures and pickleball excursions, listening to you organize and plan your weeks with workouts, lessons, camps, and lake/pool time.

You have done some amazing things this summer and I am so proud of the discipline you have developed.  You have to keep it going, and know that there are so many people who will drop everything to support you if you need it.  Your days have been full of hard work and spending time doing the things that you love.  Don't forget where you have come from and pay your blessings forward by helping and leading others.  I feel like we've said this before, but there is so much more yet to come and this is just another beginning. 

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Like I said at the beginning of this post, I am not ready for summer to be done, but all the fall things are knocking at the door.  Owen started full football practices today, work will start getting very busy again, and I can already tell we are starting to see less daylight in the evenings.  

So, ending on a positive note and looking forward to the next season...

Owen will be 16 in two weeks, starting his junior year on his birthday.  We are in the process of getting a car for him (the Lexus is done).  More on that later.

Owen will have a scrimmage, jamboree, and first football game in the next three weeks.  he wants to work in some wrestling, but we'll see if there is time.

Gracie starts school in two weeks, turns 18 in three weeks!  She is looking forward to the rodeo with her teammates this year and will start official workouts the 2nd week of classes.

Nick finished the north end zone stadium project early - I got to go see this just over a week ago.  I requested a private tour. :)  I know a guy. 

I am starting my 10th year in Mizzou Athletics.  I get the same anxiety about the start of the fall semester as I did the first year.  It's all so much in such a short amount of time, and it doesn't stop until December.  I still love what I do and can't wait to meet all of the new students who will fill our academic center in the next couple of weeks.