NHS Banquet

Taylor has been part of NHS both her Junior and Senior year.  Tonight, we attended the banquet at the Temecula Community Center.

 Zach, Jake, Taylor, Alana, Kerstin and Devan 

We ate dinner catered by La Cocina and listened to each group present about their community service project.

A few months back, Taylor and her group made these knot blankets for human trafficking victims. 

They were delivered to Matt's office and were greatly appreciated by the task force.

Graduation Announcements

Well, I mailed these out today.  1 month until graduation and still trying to stop the clock.  I absolutely love Taylor's senior pictures and the announcement she chose.  This is really happening!

Happy 15th Allison!

The tradition of balloons and streamers continues as Allison turned 15 today!  I can't believe it!  She is so excited to be that much closer to driving!

Looking at these pictures brings me such joy!  Allison is so well-rounded, bubbly, athletic, focused, smart, spirited and sensitive.  She loves country music, playing soccer, watching videos in her bed and hanging out with her friends.

She chose Pala Buffet for birthday dinner.  We pigged out on crab legs, sushi, 

 Mongolian grill stir fry, salads, fruits, fried foods

 and an amazing dessert bar!!

She loved her gifts...a Lululemon gift card, AE clothes, new Rainbows, a foam roller, wireless speakers and new sandals.  Happy 15th my sweet girl!  I love you!

Birthday with Friends

Allison celebrated her birthday with friends tonight since her birthday falls on a school day.

She ordered this festive balloon sign all the way from England and Macy came over early to help her decorate.

 She requested Stadium Pizza, a veggie tray, fruit and chips.

    Once everyone arrived they took pictures before getting into their bathing suits.

 It was actually warm enough today to enjoy both the pool and hot tub!

 They took a break for a candy bar

 and shared some cheesecake after we finally figured out how to light the sparkler candles.

Her sweet friends spoiled her with fun gifts 

and they watched a movie downstairs and a few of the girls spent the night!

Academic Signing Day

Great Oak honored 26 students today that are receiving academic college scholarships.  We feel blessed and honored that Taylor has received a substantial scholarship from the University of Kansas!

Schools from around the country were represented...NAU, Univ of Arizona, MIT, The Citadel, ASU, Colorado State, Baylor, Univ of Washington and a few other private schools.  

Taylor and the rest of the kids all signed their letters at the same time and introduced themselves to the audience. 

She was grateful to have her group of friends cheer her on and support her on this exciting day!

 The stresses of applying and making decisions are over.  Now it is time to enjoy the rewards of the hard work!  So proud of this girl

and so proud of her fellow classmates as they embark on the next chapter!

Mr. Wolfpack

For the past few weeks, these senior boys have been practicing for Mr. Wolfpack.  It is a pageant of sorts, with a more light-hearted feel.  Lots of crazy dancing, singing, stunts and special talents displayed in hopes of being crowned Mr. Wolfpack.

The show started with a group dance number in very short jungle skirts!

 Lexi, Devan and Taylor emceed the event and looked beautiful!

Taylor also escorted Carson throughout the night (friends since elementary school).  They walked out in formal attire 

and then as Dwight and Angela from The Office.  It was hilarious!

After a talent portion as well, titles were awarded to Holland and James for People's Choice and Most Wild.

Jenner was awarded Mr. Wolfpack!! I'm sure his talent of dancing while in a handstand for several minutes might have had something to do with it.  It was great!

Jacob didn't win, but sure looked handsome too!  All of the fun senior events are now underway as the end of the year quickly approaches...

Easter

 Never too old for Easter baskets or an egg hunt!  They would actually be quite sad if it came to an end!

 We kept the tradition going again this year

 and Allison proudly counted her eggs for the win.  We laughed that she will be competing against herself next year, but she made sure to note she still wants an egg hunt with or without Taylor home!

We enjoyed a nice breakfast at home and then drove down to La Jolla for a gorgeous hike at Torrey Pines.

 A lot of people had the same idea with it being such a pretty day in SD.  The wildflowers were extra pretty this year and the weather was super warm. 

We took the beach trail down to the sand

 and spent some time enjoying the views along the coast.  

The girls walked along the beach to get us a picnic spot and Matt and I hiked back up the trail to get the car and lunch.  After lunch we drove up the coast, stopped at Better Buzz for a coffee in Encinitas and drove by the flower fields in Carlsbad before driving home.  We finished the day with our traditional Sunday BBQ dinner and a quiet evening at home.

Mammoth

Since Taylor was off to Europe for spring break, we let Allison choose a destination to get away for a few days in between State Cup weekends.  She chose skiing in Mammoth and invited Carson to join. We stopped at Erik Schat's Bakery in Bishop on the way up

 and arrived in Mammoth just before the sun went down. We stayed at the beautiful Village Lodge for easy access to the gondola, plus dining and shopping options without having to get in the car.

We took advantage of the hot tubs too and loved all of the snow Mammoth has received in this record year.  Employees think there will be skiing until August!

We walked around the village and got dinner the first night and then up early each morning for 2 days of skiing.

The weather was warm, crowds were light and the snow was ideal!  I stayed on the green runs at Schoolyard Express the whole time and was done by noon each day. I'm about ready to retire my boots and skis, but the rest of them skiied the days away!

Matt said Allison has really become quite the skier and he took her on some tougher runs each day.  She loved it!

  Carson and Allison really enjoyed their time together...skiing, shopping, building snowmen, hot tubbing...I'm glad she was able to bring a friend!

When we arrived, we learned that some of our friends from soccer were also up in Mammoth staying in a cabin.  They invited us over for drinks and games on Tuesday night.  The snow in the neighborhoods was incredible on our drive over!

I spent much of Wednesday at the lodge enjoying this great view and chatting with Jen, who wasn't skiing.  The temp said 44 degrees, but it felt like we could have been sunbathing!

Wednesday night, the adults all met for dinner in the village.  We celebrated Brandi's birthday and really enjoyed everyone's company.  Allison and Carson enjoyed going out to pizza by themselves and having some down time in the room.

We woke up to snow Thursday morning and did some quick shopping before heading home.  Grateful for the time away!