6 v 6 Champions

It was 100 degrees and they only had 2 subs, but these girls managed to win all 4 games this afternoon to win the 6v6 tournament at Galway.  

 

I had fun coaching (really just timing substitutions) and Allison even got a chance to score in one of the games!  Great Job Arsenal South!

Sophomore Class President

WSB meetings start this morning and Allison looks so official in her President shirt.  She has done a lot already with registration and freshmen orientation, but looks forward to all of the Red Wave activities and responsibilities to help lead the Sophomore class!

25th HS Reunion

I flew up to Danville for the weekend to attend my 25th high school reunion...how is that even possible?  I met up with Brenda, Corey, Ashley, Jill and Marissa for a drink before the event.

 We arrived at Blackhawk Country Club and received these awesome name tags with our senior picture!

 It was a smaller turnout than I had hoped, but we had a nice dinner and enjoyed catching up with some friends I hadn't seen since 1992!

 We laughed through the slideshow and questioned our decision to be cows for Halloween

 and loved seeing that 2 couples in this photo ended up getting married (Matt and I/Chris and Kelly).

 I had the most fun catching up with Steve and Marissa.  We went to school from Kindergarten through high school and shared stories from our teddy bear visits to Miss Janie's house, to Enchanted Hills, to the Super School Shuffle and more!

 Brett, Jason and Jim

 Jen, Rachel and Michaela

 I loved meeting Todd's wife and chatting with several others I don't ever remember talking to in high school!

Also nice seeing Randy Winn, but wish Brent and the rest of the guys would have attended.  Maybe for our 30 year, but it was a fun night!

She's a Chi Omega

After  a long week of recruitment and narrowing down from 13 options to her top choice, Taylor received a bid from Chi Omega today! It was a week full of tradition, interviews, meetings, making new friends and tough decisions, but she is thrilled with the outcome!

Here is the Chi Omega house at KU!  Absolutely beautiful and centrally located on campus.  

 Taylor spent the afternoon celebrating with the other new members and 

 and cooling off in the fountain.

She will attend weekly chapter meetings in this gorgeous place and make many wonderful memories!

1st Day of School

Allison is a S-O-P-H-O-M-O-R-E!  I can't believe it and it feels weird only having her pose for the 1st day of school pics.  She is super excited about her year as Sophomore Class Co-President and seeing all of her friends again.

 Macy spent the night last night and I drove them to school for the first day.

 Teachers welcomed the kids back dressed in red as well and passing out Dunkin' Donuts!

 I just love the school spirit this school takes such pride in!

No classes today...just fun events to kick off the school year.

It's going to be a "Great Oak" year!

Touring KC

Matt loaded up his truck this morning for his road trip home and Allison and I had most of the day free before our flight home tonight.  We decided on a day at the KC Zoo to do something fun and keep us from dwelling on yesterday's goodbye.

What a cute zoo! We spent a lot of time watching the very busy young orangutan play with his mom. 

 Allison fed the goats

 and we saw several turtles, snakes and birds.

 We watched the interactive presentation with the elephants and saw kangaroos grazing in an open area of the zoo.

By early afternoon it was getting really humid.  We crossed the suspension bridge to visit the gorillas and then called it quits.  I would like to get back here sometime to see some more!

Before heading to the airport, we stopped at the Firefighter's Memorial Fountain and looked up a good place for ice cream.

We parked the car, but spotted this donut shop right across the street.  We couldn't decide between the two so sampled both!

We shared a doughnut from the Doughnut Lounge and get scoops of ice cream at Westport Ice Cream.

Now off to the airport...

Move In Day

Well move in day was finally here!  We were up early for the 7:30am check in at Ellsworth residence hall.  Taylor got her key while we unloaded the car.  We were pretty organized with everything in suitcases and all of the Target purchases stuffed into her storage containers which made the process pretty easy.

Emma doesn't move in until Wednesday so it was up to us to determine the layout of the room.  We peeked in on a few others for ideas, but eventually came up with a set up that seemed to work!  They are right across from RA and the women's bathroom and on the main level so no need for the elevator or stairs!

Matt moved all of the furniture to get Taylor's bunk to the right height  and put her desk next to it. I helped make the bed while Taylor filled her drawers and hung her California flag, lights and pictures.

She got her shower caddy and desk organized

while Allison hung everything in the closet.

 Emma will be bringing the fridge and microwave, so we filled the cabinets with dishes, silverware and cleaning supplies.  I think they will really like having the sink!  Emma will also bring an area rug and tv which will make it homier!

We took a quick walk through Daisy Hill to see the other buildings 

and made a quick stop at Mrs. E's, where Taylor will eat a lot of her meals.

 Andrew stopped by to check out the room and we had a quick lunch together at Cane's before heading to the greek life meeting.

 The meeting was held in Budig Hall...such a beautiful building on Jayhawk Blvd!

 Taylor attended the student session and the 3 of us attended the family session to learn all about recruitment week.  She is going to have so much fun this week, but she will be busy!

 Then it was off to Mass St. for one last dinner at Limestone. It was a special time for all of us that I will cherish...lots of stories and smiles.  The goodbye didn't hit me until we started driving back towards the dorm.  I cried as I drove and reached back and held Taylor's hand until we pulled in.

 We took one last family picture

and said our goodbyes inside her room.  I've had anxiety about this moment for months and can't believe I had to let me baby go.   She is so happy and so beyond ready, but it felt like I had been punched in the gut.  It literally felt like I couldn't catch my breath for a few hours.  She is off to do great things and I'm sure it will get easier with each phone call, text or update, but for now it hurts!

2 months until I see her again...one day at a time!

Clinton Lake/Rock Chalk Park

It was perfect timing to have the University of Iowa Hawkeyes in town to play Kansas in women's soccer today.  We stopped on Mass St. to get Allison a shirt and took a quick drive out to Clinton Lake before going to the game.  This is a great spot for picnics, hikes or some boating.  

 I'm hoping Taylor will have a chance to spend some time out here during the school year!

 We spotted the Iowa bus in the parking lot of Rock Chalk Park.  Tough to say who Allison will be rooting for!

 It was a beautiful day and an awesome venue for soccer.  It was great for Allison to see the pace of D1 soccer and the strength of the goalkeepers.  

 The Hawkeyes pulled out the win, but it was a close match between the 2 schools.  

This will surely get Allison thinking about her soccer/college future.  She plans on writing emails to both coaches about her experience!