Wrestling Starts Tomorrow

 And, I guess I actually feel pretty ready.  The first year I was a hot mess, trying to do everything to organize the season weeks after it should have been done.  

Last year I was still figuring out what needed to be done and struggling, feeling buried.  

This year I feel like I have done a good job of working at things and getting it all organized so the season will start with the fan shop open, picture day set, the schedule of matches set, POs turned in for all our invitationals, hotels booked, families informed, coach meetings done, Matboss subscription started, gear checkout set up...So we'll see if I can keep the peace once we actually start rolling.

I even have a bunch of Christmas taken care of.  Boom.

One challenge we face on the team is that kids keep mixing up their backpacks.  Also when they turn them in at the end of the season they don't label them.  So I thought all off-season about a solution (I made the girls luggage tags 2 years ago--but that felt cost prohibitive for the boys).  I remembered that the district owns a button maker (like the pin kind). So, one of the most fun and SUPER SATISFYING things I did to prep for the season was make buttons for their backpacks.  

Introducing Sarah, 2026 Dive Captain!

 This year's swim and dive season was rough, because practice for both teams was at the same time for most of the season.  It was hard for Sarah to improve as a swimmer or a diver.  Then the season was cut short by her head injury.  (Just a few stitches, but you can't swim with stitches.) 

But, Sarah is super excited that she was announced as the dive captain for next year!  She's planning to go to open dives and practice in the off season (after wrestling season that is).  So next year should be a year with a lot more growth and progress! 

Another Car Accident. Don't worry, she's okay.

 Lately I've been going back and looking for things on my blog.  Super annoying when I gave things non-specific titles and I can't find what I'm looking for. So--just putting it out there.  The last week or so has been all about figuring out yet another car accident.  This time, the accident may end up being deemed her fault (even though in her story the guy backed into her).  We'll let the insurance companies sort it out.  But it's kinda tricky when you live 1,500 miles away from home and you get in an accident.  I've done some serious helping over the phone.  

It turns out there are so many things to learn about working with car insurance.  I thought we'd learned them all last time, but now we are learning more things.  Thankfully the car is registered in our name this time.  It was actually a pretty slow speed incident, but ouch.  The damage was a lot.  It's going to be totaled--again.  This time it won't be worth fixing.  Scroll down to see her replacement vehicle.  It'll be a bit tough to go from a 2015 Subaru Outback with all the bells and whistles...to an awesome 2006 Honda Civic.  But, one of our favorite people, Anne Ducey, just happened to be selling her Civic at the perfect time! So that's what the situation called for.  Then we can afford to ship it to her. 

Her team has wrestled a couple of times, but she hasn't been in the lineup.  Maybe this next weekend she'll get to wrestle again. 

I love this color--kinda champagne.  I think she should name it Bubbly.  But I guess we'll see.  We're shipping it to her, then she'll need to get it registered in her name in Iowa.  Lots of adulting!  

Luther Hill Invitational 2025

 It was kind of a last minute decision to fly to Iowa.  (For me, anything less than 6 weeks is super last minute, let's be honest.) So we bought our tickets a week and a half ago.  When your girl really wants you to come see her wrestle--and you possibly can--you go!  (Bonus that I had an unused companion fare to use before the end of Nov.) 

I'm blogging from the hotel lobby in Des Moines, so we aren't home yet.  But so far it's been a very smooth trip.  (I'm knocking on wood.)

We flew early Friday morning, so we got to go pick up Libby in Centerville and take her to a light dinner and on a Walmart run once we got in.

We drove back to Des Moines and I went to sleep while Derek streamed the SW playoff game, which they won at the last minute.  

Saturday we spent in the Blake Fieldhouse watching Libby's team in their first tournament of the season.  It went very smoothly (although the Flowrestling update texts were behind, so she ended up late to 2 of her matches...but she won both of those matches...)

She was worried about this transition to freestyle, and since they don't wrestle live in practice, she didn't really know how well she was doing.  But she's well matched for the girls that were there yesterday.  She won 2 matches pretty handily. She lost to the girl who took 2nd.  Then she lost her 4th match to a girl who punched her in the face and poked her in the eye.  But that was probably a winnable match if she hadn't been rattled (and ready to go to Olive Garden--so a little checked out.) 

Anyway, it felt like a great tournament for her to see that she can do this!  It's going to be a good season.

We are so glad we could be here with her.

My bestie Jen came down (over?) from MN to be with us for the afternoon/evening.

Derek drove Libby back to Centerville and Jen and I watched the World Series and got in a lot of awesome chatting about all the things (seminary being a main topic since we are both early morning seminary teachers.) It was such an exciting game (Derek was back in time to finish the game with us.)

I got to have breakfast with Jen before she left this morning.  She has the pictures of us.  So I'll have to add them later.

Here are some pics of our Libby time.  (It was so fun to see her!)

I finally read Gretchen Rubin's Secrets of Adulthood on the flight.  Loved this first quote (didn't crop this screenshot for some reason.) We did a pretty good job of this shift this weekend.  But Derek did debrief each match with her a little bit.  So happy to cheer on my Libby.  Hopefully we'll be able to stream most of her other matches this year. (Some, like yesterday will just be a scorecast, not streaming film.) 

Halloween 2025

Halloween 2025 turned out a bit different than our previous Halloweens.  No family costume, sadly.  

Our stake had stake conference on the night we usually do Trunk or Treat. The ward moved it to the Wednesday of Ben's last football game.  Then for actual Halloween, Derek and I flew to Iowa to watch Libby wrestle in her first tournament. So we didn't even dress up at all (unless you count wrestling parent as our costume.) 

Ben wanted to be 3 peas in a pod with 2 of his friends.  I had fun making their costumes.  

We also got to go to Maren's for the traditional pumpkin carving.  (Sarah had to stay home to catch up on HW--so I was just Derek, Ben and I.) 

Ben with Ren (pea-$$$), Parker (pea-nut) and Ben (lil-pea)

 Ben also got to dress out with the Varsity football team for their playoff game in Mt. Vernon.  So no trick or treating for him.  Sarah had a Halloween murder mystery party with her friends (Chunie came and provided cool adult supervision.)   I haven't heard how it went, or seen pictures yet.  But I hope it was awesome. 

Quite possibly my fav. Halloween event.  Maybe this will become a new tradition?

A Rough Tuesday (Warning--Stitches)

 On Tuesday I left early (my students have instrumental) and drove up to Kamiak to see Sarah compete against Mariner.  She was a JV diver and swimmer.  It was a fun meet, although she felt like she didn't do her best and was looking forward to the last 2 meets of the season so she could really turn it on.

We left and I dropped her at home so she and Ben could go to Rhinos and Derek and I headed out for a date.  We had just settled into a table when we got a call from wrestling that Sarah had split her forehead (well--more precisely someone's elbow split Sarah's forehead.)

We headed back and picked them up from practice.  It was a pretty good gash.  We had a phone consult with our friendly neighborhood YW president who is a surgical PA.  She had all the necessary items to stitch it up at her house--so we did a housecall for some stitches.

The stitching went well....then when the post op instructions were given, and Sarah realized her swim/dive season was over (since you can't submerge stitches) things got a little teary.  But so proud of this brave girl.  That was a big needle delivering the numbing.

And, today she went to seminary, school, and took the PSAT.  

Sarah is hard core.

It was a pretty good gash.  Some serious elbow on the fellow that landed on her after going up for a ball in their handball warm-up.  

So adorable! 

HBD Sarah!

 Sarah got to have a bunch of fun for her birthday. 

We had a big Norton gathering on the Sunday before her birthday.

The birthday girl! 

It was so fun to have Les and Margo here!  There was some epic peek a boo happening. 

The birthday haul!  She's getting prepped for a long airplane ride to Scotland! 

On her actual b-day, she got a serenade from the SW Admin.  Hilarious! 

Then she had a friend party!  She wanted salmon and rice w/the cheesecake bar (like last year) for dessert.  She mixed her choir friends with her school friends--and they got along great! So happy about her groups of friends! There was a big haul of presents between the two parties.  This girl is rolling in the spending money for Scotland!