Looking Forward

Well, here we are 2023. It's been a little while since I posted anything, but not for lack of content. Every time I start an entry, it ends up being a rant on what all is going WRONG in the world. I've now decided that I am going to stop looking at all the ugly (because there's a lot) and start looking forward to the good. 

Life has returned to something resembling normal - hallelujah! Since we're heading into the second week of February, we're in our usual cycle of colds that we seem to keep passing around. Tis the season! We're hoping with enough Lysol and good hygiene habits, we'll get these germs out by Memorial Day...here's hoping ;) 

All joking aside, I've never been so happy to be back to normal sicknesses caused by the weather roulette that comes with living in the south. Last week, the girls missed two days of school due to ice. This week? Sunny and mid-60s. Just a little preview of spring that will undoubtedly be followed by some freak winter storm that will dump a few inches of snow. My mother-in-law knows all the names associated with the cold snaps that hit during late winter/early spring, but I haven't quite risen to that level of southern yet. Blackberry winter? Dogwood winter? I'm-over-it winter? Yep....

In other news, the girls are gearing up for spring musicals for school and Emma is preparing for her first year with standardized testing. In true 21st century lunacy, the school system has decided to hang the fate of every 3rd grader's ability to move on to 4th grade on the ELA (English Language Arts) section of the TCAPs. This means, their reading comprehension and their writing skills. I'm not sure if you remember how your reading comprehension and your writing skills were at 8 and 9, but coupling that with their test-taking abilities for ONE TEST to determine if they can move up to 4th grade is ridiculous. If you can't tell, I'm a little peeved about it, but we and Emma's teachers are working with her as much as possible to get her ready. I'm not worries about her reading because the kid reads books like they're going out of style, but the writing is a little rough. I'm not exactly sure what they expect 8 and 9 year old writing to look like exactly, but I've seen grown adults who write on the same level as what Emma brings home. I know we'll deal with whatever happens, but it breaks my heart that the school system is putting so much stock into this one test and ignoring the mountain of work they've done during the course of the year to show where they are academically. I get the point of it though - these are the kids that had their kindergarten year rudely interrupted by a global pandemic and then had to pivot to all remote learning while their parents juggled work (or unemployment) and trying to help them with school. It was a hot mess for a little while. I know they want to provide as much help as they can to make sure these kids succeed, but I don't think this is the answer. See....this is what I said happens when I start an entry. I'll end this rant now before I start breaking out in hives lol.

We're also gearing up for the birthday gauntlet again. Penny will be 6 on Monday (how in the WORLD did we get here so fast?!), Emma will be 9 at the end of March, and Rory will be joining me in the over-35 category in April ;) I'm having all the feels that Emma will be in her last year of single digits. I love watching her grow up, but I feel like I'm just trying to play catchup constantly. She's still growing like a weed and we have her next checkup with her endo the day before her birthday. I have a feeling that the next couple checkups will have some new conversations that will lead to some new doctors we have to start seeing. But by God's strength, we'll get through that too.

Rory's still moving forward in his shooting. He's started shooting a different gun and has done really well with it. So well, in fact, that he swapped back to pistol for a recent match and it was a hot mess. He's got some goals he wants to accomplish this year in the sponsorship arena, so we'll see how those pan out. We'll be going back to Kentucky this summer and he wants to do one more major competition either in North Carolina or Alabama. We'll see what the future holds for that. I'll also be doing my second competition later on this month. It will for sure be a sight but I'm in desperate need of releasing some stress. What better way than to shoot stuff!

Life is moving forward and we're just along for the ride. We're excited to see where God leads us in the next couple of years. We have some plans, but as all good plans go, we'll have to see what God's plans are. At this point, we've survived a global pandemic, inflation, a crazy government (aren't they always though), and the beginnings of another recession. Through all of this, I know we are being strengthened and sharpened. As bad as it can get, it can't compare to the reverse of just how amazing it will be at the end of this life! I just keep looking forward and grinning and bearing what I have to for a little while. 

God bless!