It has been a long time – far too long, since I have taken a seat at the old Macbook and pounded out a blog post. Has life been that uneventful around here? Hardly! With two teenage kids, Chris and I barely have time to recall the day’s events, much less put them down on paper. But life is busy for everyone, really; it’s all about priorities.
We have had an incredible year so far, 2014 has brought many fun and exciting adventures! Emily has continued to fly helicopters and small airplanes every chance she gets. Our dear friend, Fred (the helicopter pilot), took her up for flying lessons whenever he could, and she made the most out of every opportunity. She’s doing quite well with the controls, taking off and landing all by herself; it all just amazes me. At 14, I would never have had the nerve to do such things! Quite frankly, I don’t have the nerve for it now either 🙂 .
She also managed to fly a twin-engine airplane with our friend Vernon over Memorial weekend. This plane was bigger and faster than any she has flown in the past, so she didn’t do the takeoff or landing by herself. However, she did get to fly her Auntie Lori & Uncle FD around.
Another amazing opportunity that presented itself was getting to fly a medical helicopter (air ambulance). While at an airshow, she was offered a ride in the brand new heli a local ambulance company was demonstrating. What she did not expect, was that the pilot already knew she could fly (I guess word gets around). Once in the air, he offered her to take over the controls, which (of course) she did. With two EMT’s in the backseat of the helicopter taking a ride, it did not take long for word to spread that a 14-year-old girl was flying it. I must admit I was quite proud when a the very next morning a patient of mine at the hospital was telling me all about this girl that flew the helicopter at the air show, and I nodded and said, “Yep, that’s my girl.”
For those of you that remember I have a fear/anxiety of flying, you might wonder how it is I can stomach all the flying she does. Sometimes I don’t have much choice, such as when I’m coming off a night shift at the hospital and I need my sleep. When that is not the case, I’m torn between being the supportive, ever-present mom who (anxiously) watches her daughter fly, OR… staying at home and praying, while I try not to think about her in this aircraft that “I” personally have no control over.
Don’t get me wrong, I love it that she is so driven, and that flying brings her so much joy. And I am proud to say she flies aircraft, and she’s good at it! I am just an ulcer-waiting-to-happen when I have to watch; and I think it’s probably kinder if I don’t exude my anxieties when she’s getting ready to fly. Fortunately for all of us, Chris is always excited to be there, and even ride along if he can. He shares her love of flying, and is a good “calm” person for her to be around 🙂 .
Our son, Sid, has made this momma quite proud (and a little more relaxed) just by doing what he loves; playing baseball. He made his way onto a select AA baseball team this year, and did very well. He can play any position he’s put in, but pitcher and catcher are two positions where he really shines. His coaches and teammates are some really awesome guys, and it didn’t take long for them all to become fast friends. I thoroughly enjoyed attending games, and even practices. It is exciting to see kids having so much fun together!
Playing baseball this year did come at an expense for Sid, however; he had to give up motocross during the season. Chris and I both agreed (a shocker in itself) that Sid shouldn’t risk injury by racing during baseball season. Of course after the ball season had ended, I felt it was too late in the year to “start” racing, and we should just drop it completely. The guys didn’t agree, however. You can’t blame a mom for trying.
Emily played softball this season as well. She primarily played pitcher, and alternated as shortstop. Her team was a mix of girls from at least five other towns; many had played together for years, and others were brand-new. These girls formed an amazing bond by the end of the season, and ended up winning their tournament just this past week. This was Emily’s last year playing for our town. Next year she will have to join a different team to play, just as Sid did this year. It makes me a little sad to wash those old familiar jerseys for the last time.
We did manage to fit a family vacation in this summer as well. Emily was nominated by her band instructor, applied and auditioned, and was chosen as a finalist to play in the Honors Performance Series at Carnegie Hall in New York! She waited three months before finally receiving the letter announcing she was one of the one-hundred band students selected from the U.S., Canada, Korea, China, and Guam. We were ecstatic, to say the least! There was no question on “if” we would go – this would be the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity that we could not miss. And to my great surprise, when I told my sister Lori about the upcoming performance (and trip), she and her husband, FD, took all of about 5 seconds to decide they too were going! For the next two and a half months, Lori and I researched NYC, and planned our first vacation together in The Big Apple (details of that trip coming soon)!
With Wild Abandon 