Senior Sunrise

 

So here we are at the senior year, and what?  How did this happen so fast?  Is this the little girl I carried?  Billy Joel reminds us that time is relentless, and no matter how much I tried to slow down the moments that led to all this - and even everything that follows - here we are anyway.  I used to dream of a time travel back in elementary school, just so I could go back to the beginning of the summer.  That was about the height of my ambitions with time travel, but I think the point is that even back then I was hoping we could stop time.  And lo, it still moves on, decades gliding by like Indians, as Paul Simon sings.  So the best thing to do is to not mourn for the loss of the past, but instead celebrate each and every moment with as much youth and energy as you can.  Which might not be as much as you used to have, but still, you gotta' try, right?  So here we are, celebrating each day with a blog entry of our adventures, even into her Senior year.  I thought I would have stopped this by now, but it's a valuable marker of time and accomplishments, not to mention a reminder of big moments.  And today was a big moment - the start of that Senior Year.  I'm glad she had friends to take pictures with her to mark this huge moment.  The one above really came out well, and it really showed God's favor upon this day, given the overcast skies and rainy weather of late.  No, today it was bright and sunny.  It's almost like a metaphor for her school year, right?  To quote the great philosophers Timbuk3, "The future's so bright, I gotta' wear shades."  

Maddie got there at 6:30 am this morning, all part of a fun time where she could join the other seniors for breakfast, music, socializing, and of course looking at the sun as it rose on their senior year.  The rest of their day... was interesting.

For example, the frog spotted on a window.  Or the huge crowds stuck when it was time to get to the buses.  

But Maddie had a good day.  She was with friends, and she seems to be good with some of the teachers she has.  She got to see an elementary teacher today, Mrs. Nizelek, and of course there was the moment tof realization - Maddie is a senior now!

Maddie got home later on, and meanwhile Mom and I were different places today - we were at the printers place, and then the church location in Gainesville, and then the church location in Braselton.  Which was odd, because the police where there for an active shooter training course.  No joke - we were walking into our new prop room, and there was this big pool of blood there at the entrance of the room.  No, it wasn't real.  But it looked real!  Fortunately we were warned about the simulated gun shots...!

Mom and I enjoyed a meal at Cracker Barrel today, and it was a good one. We like that Braselton location.  We were at the printer so we could pick up all the book marks that I made for handouts this weekend.

They turned out well!  Tonight Maddie was at taekwondo, helping out as a teacher's assistant, and then after that working with the leadership class.  Soon, taekwondo will be picking up with the school year, and that place will be super crowded.  I love the new season we're entering.  Speaking of which, there is a big event upcoming for us, one we're planning.  More on that in a bit, I'm sure.

In the meantime, tonight we got home and of course we were watching the Olympics.  We saw the US win a few medals, including one in the pool and another one by Simone Biles.  Pretty epic night, actually.  We closed things out with a short story about the guy who found Luke Skywalker turning himself in, and then we said our prayers after that.  Time for an early night's rest, time to get into the habit of getting up for school... Mom's packed lunch and we're ready to get the school thing going one more year.  Maddie's a Senior now!