High School Freshman Orientation

Last night Korra went to her high school open house (specifically for 9th graders).  Before the parent meeting, they had an hour long block party for her grade.  There were snow cones and cotton candy and games and they tie-dyed Class of 2030 t-shirts.

I have already been so impressed by the opportunities Korra will have at this high school- they have fantastic courses and extracurricular activities, and consistent, intentional planning and leadership.  I think she's going to grow and learn and have so much fun.

And while holding all that gratitude in my mind and heart, I'm also aware of the insane inequity that exists between this (and really all) public schools.  This is a Wealthy with a capital W school.  The majority of the kids come from families with plenty of money, lots of education, and high-paying, high-status jobs.  In the same school district- just a few miles down the road- there are other public high schools that have very little of the resources, courses, and activities this school offers (most of which is sponsored by the PTA).  I'm holding it all, but unsure what to do about it.  I worked in low-income schools for years, and rarely felt like I was making any difference.

After the Open House, Korra and some friends walked across the street from the school to have dinner out together.  It hit me all at once that she's a HIGH SCHOOLER.  A real teenager.  Wow.

Helper

Korra biked to school with me this morning to help put all the books back on the new shelves and we got to enjoy a wonderful lunch together at the pizza place near the school. 

3rd place

Today’s team building activity was a scavenger hunt through Grant Park. It was really fun, but so hot and humid, everyone was pretty miserable by the end. My team won 3rd place and our prize was mustaches. 

I wore mine with pride, even though it meant my face couldn’t unlock my phone. 

Alarm Set

I’ve got my alarm set and my backpack packed. Ready to head back to school for preplanning tomorrow. 

Strawberry Oatmeal Bars

I made these for dessert tonight and they were a big hit. I halved everything except the strawberry preserves and did it in a 9x9 pan. Really delicious and really easy. 

https://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/ree-drummond/strawberry-oatmeal-bars-recipe-2040764

Brickstore Dinner

Todd and Sarah came into town tonight for dinner so we went to one of our favorite places. Korra and Todd decided to try out the new playground equipment nearby…

E-bike Family

We bought a used ebike for Nate today!  Can’t wait to see how much less we can use the car (and how much less we can suffer through traffic!)

Spamalot!

Friends invited us to go see Spamalot with them at the Fox Theater on Wednesday. It was so much fun (and extra lovely to catch up with them). 

Hamster Wheel

I bought this a few years ago for Korra’s birthday party. It continues to be a hit every summer, even as the kids have become teens. Korra has two friends over to swim this afternoon and this is keeping them laughing. 

Not a Child

We're invited to a friends' wedding next month. I just saw on their website that it's a child-free event and was like, dang!  Korra would have loved going.  But then I looked at the invitation and it included Korra, which means... Korra isn't considered a child. She's a teenager.  I nearly cried.  I'm glad she gets to go, but also feel really sad to realize, she's not considered a child anymore. She's starting high school in a week.  Wow.

Last Week

It’s my last week of summer so I’m doing a mix of relaxing (rewatching Ted Lasso, going on long walks, reading, taking naps, sewing) and trying to get ready for the school year (practice bike rides to the high school, making some extra meals to freeze, running a few errands). It’s been a good summer and I’m ready for the new school year. I really do love the rhythm the school year gives to my life. 

Shelby, NC

On Friday We drove up to Shelby, North Carolina to visit with some friends who recently moved back to the South. Since this puts us only an hour from my brother and his family, we met halfway for dinner. It was lovely to spend some time together (and we completely forgot to get a picture). 

On Saturday we went to the farmer’s market, swam in the hotel pool, and watched the World Cup match at a local brewery. 

Their almost two year old kept saying “friends, happy” and that pretty much sums it up. 

High school commute

Korra and I successfully biked to her high school today to practice. She was so excited to see her favorite fat orange cat near the high school (she saw him daily a few summers ago when she had a camp at the high school). 

She also finished her online high school PE class today!

Haircut

Last night Korra asked me to cut her hair (and then cut it even shorter). 

…

While she loves it, I’m feeling critical of my hair cutting abilities and want to improve on the cut. She’s unwilling to sit still for any more shaping/styling and it is her hair so I’ll try to defer to her. 

E-bike for Korra

We bought an e-bike off Facebook Marketplace for Korra yesterday. She’s so excited!

Another Cabin Visit

On Thursday afternoon, Nate and I went back up to the cabin.  Korra had such a great week with our cousins and grandparents, but she was ready for a some snuggles with her cat and some alone time- in fact she chose those two things over going to watch the World Cup match with us and some friends tonight.  

Back Pain

My back, around my left shoulder blade, has been hurting since February. This is a spot that flares up every few years, but I don't know what the cause was this time and this is way longer than it usually hurts. When I went to the doctor in the beginning of June, she gave me a PT referral and I've been doing weekly physical therapy for a little over 3 weeks now. I'm doing my exercises every day and even tried dry needling (really made me woozy) and cupping (those were some gross bruises) but no noticable improvement yet. Going to give PT 3 more weeks (until school starts) before heading back to the doctor (definitely a new doctor- my current one is awful) to see what else we can do. It would be really nice to be able to take deep breaths without pain. 

Lots of Sewing

While Korra's been at the cabin for Cousins' Camp, I binged all of of The Other Bennett Sister (the book was amazing and so was the show), did lots of physical therapy, and made some progress on Nate's tshirt quilt. I decided to quilt/piece the back, too, because Nate had several fun dress shirts to contribute to the project and picked out a couple of lively prints from the fabric store. It was really fun and the quilt is just so Nate. Next step is hand quilting the 3 layers together- something I've never tried before!  

I also made some progress on 2 shirts in trying to sew, but it's a lot of trial and error. Pictures to come if/when anything actually gets finished.

Needy Cat

Wherever we go away, Alex becomes extra needy and attention-seeking when we get back. Last night be began meowing, biting, licking, and climbing all over us beginning at 3:45. When I finally got up at 5:45, he still has plenty of food- he just wanted me to be up with him. Good thing I can take a nap later. 

4th of July Cabin Visit

We spent a long weekend (Wednesday through today) at the cabin with most of Nate's family. It rained almost every afternoon, but we managed to squeeze in our annual tubing trip. 

Korra is straying there with her cousins and grandparents for a few extra days. 

Driving through hail

On the way to the cabin yesterday, we hit an awful thunderstorm- complete with hail. It was a tense 20 minutes, but we made it through!  We were kind of hoping for hail damage on the car- at her age, it won’t take much for our insurance to count her as totaled and we could definitely get more money from insurance than we would if we just sell her. Alas, the Prius persists. (Though really, I’m thankful for how reliable this 15 year old car with 240,000 miles has been).