High Honors and Flashback Friday

Christian - Almost 10 - Spring 2014

Today is the last day of school before 2 WEEKS of Spring Break. Yikes! No, we're not going anywhere. Sure, I'm a little jealous of those people that can be the middle of building a house and they also take off to some tropical island or European cruise at the same time.  But I'm not bitter. I don't mind staying home. There's too much to do to get ready for this move anyway.  

Plus, I'm crossing my fingers at a HUGE "Bucket List" trip next year that I hope to take. I don't know how to make it happen, but I have to figure something out. I'm not going to say much more, however because I don't want to jinx it.

My heart is so heavy as I look at Mikelle and Christian's grades and see how awesome they are doing. Why does it make me sad? Because we're uprooting them from this wonderful school district for them to start somewhere completely new next Fall. Christian has had WONDERFUL accommodations with our current school district. It's hard as it is to find the balance between what he requires, but with the Gifted Program (ELP) and then additionally needing services for his Social, Emotional, and Sensory Issues, our district has been amazing and they have really found a wonderful balance for him here. People ask why it has taken us so long to move with Chris's 180 mile per day commute and this is your answer. We had a great thing going with the schools if we stayed put for awhile. We needed to milk that as long as we could!

But Wickenburg District isn't too far behind. I am confident it will be okay. I really am. At the same time, I know the closer we get to the actual move, the more of an emotional wreck I will become, because well, it's still a big change. And I'm a Mom. And a Woman. And as we established already, I think too much.

Christian had his Awards Assembly today and he has again made High Honors. And at his Parent Teacher Conferences yesterday, I was informed his reading level is now at a mid-7th grade level! WOW.

 His birthday is a week from Monday and a Minecraft-themed party is in the works! 

Mikelle is doing so well, she was upset that she couldn't get one of her Bs to an A in time for report cards! Looking at those grades, I told her she needed to relax. She did great! I'll try to remember those grades next time she slams her door and/or cops an attitude, which can be anytime in the next 10 minutes. ;-)

FLASHBACK FRIDAY

Okay, I want to keep the promise I made to myself with once a week doing one of those vintage and antique posts (and that is certainly true if you look at that couch!), so here are some tidbits from the "time vault". 

1995 Sometime

This is picture taken in our first apartment, so it had to be late 1994, anytime in 1995 or a month of 1996 (we moved to our "nice" apartment in February 1996). I'm pretty sure based on my hair experimentation that it's in late 1995. I was also in a phase where I didn't want to smile. Okay, that phase lasted a long time. I thought my smile was stupid. Looking back, that attitude is the one that was stupid! (:eyeroll: kids...what are you gonna do?) 

I think having children years later threw me out of that phase. 

Either that, or for this picture I was caught off guard and I just have that expression from looking up and not expecting a picture. Or I was tired. I couldn't tell you.

I realize I'm skipping around a bit with these, but I ran into this next picture and it's rare and special and I wanted to get it scanned in and recorded ASAP. 

About July 1975 - Age 3 Months

This is me at age 3 months (so about July 1975) with my Great-Grandfather and Great-Grandmother Western. On the back, the picture says: Jill 3 Months. Jill and Great Grandpa and Great Grandma Western. Be sure and keep these pictures.  Great-Grandma died October 22, 1975 of a heart attack. That was 3 months after this picture was taken. 

I could be wrong, but I believe this was taken down in Pomerene in Southern Arizona.

Moving on, here is my cousin Lori and I again (there is a photo of her and I from this entry a couple of weeks ago), but this time in March 1982. On the back of that photo, it says "Jill and Lori at Rebecca's (my sister) one year old birthday party. That would make me almost 7 years old and Lori was 6. This was taken at our Grandma's house in Sunnyslope (part of north central Phoenix). I miss family gatherings like this. :-( 

March 1982

1982? Age 6-7

And since that same entry also has me enjoying the goats at the Renaissance Faire, I was delighted when I ran into this picture. Pictured left is me with one of my Nubian goats when I was little. I think an "82" was scribbled on the back of the picture. If it was 1982, then it would make me age 6 or 7 in this photo - around the same age as the birthday party picture above.





And going a completely different direction, here is Chris at his senior prom! If this doesn't say "Flashback Friday" I don't know what does!

Chris Henrichsen and Shannon Brown - Corona Del Sol High School Prom - May 1989

Until next time!