Soaring with Eagles

(Sorry, I couldn't resist that title . . .)

This has been a busy, but mostly rewarding week.

Highlights included:

Watching Jake get  his Eagle Scout award (hence the title. Dan got to sit in the Eagle's Nest with the other Eagle Scouts. I got to chase Oliver down the hallways. I'll bet you can guess who had a better seat!). So I guess technically, Dan, Evelyn and Andrew watched Jake get his award. I caught glimpses in between. I do know that Robert gave an excellent talk and Jake looked great and Sarah throws a stellar party. (I might have to hire her to help me when Andrew reaches this stage). After the Court of Honor, we trooped outside the church for the nacho bar and cookies that Jake had requested. We didn't get to see as much of the cousins as we'd like to, but we were so glad we could be there to support Jake (and his parents) in a big accomplishment.

*Funny side-note, speaking of cousins: this morning at the fast and testimony meeting we attended, we got to listen to one of Aaron's cousins speak. It's still funny to me that because of marriage connections I'm now (sort of) related to a family I always admired while growing up.

The other big event for the week is still ongoing: Evelyn's play. Really, it feels like it's involved the entire family, as we've arranged our schedules around her practices. This week the performances started, so the play dominated her life. Monday and Tuesday she had dress rehearsals from 4-10 p.m. (not kidding. She was a trooper though). Wednesday and Thursday they had school matinees every morning and another performance in the evening. Friday, just a morning matinee, thank goodness, and tomorrow is the last day!

I got to watch her performances Monday  night during dress rehearsal and then again Wednesday with my parents, who got a real kick out of watching her. I think all three of us laughed until we were crying. She's a froglet, one of the smallest kids in the cast, but she throws her whole heart into her dancing and she clearly is enjoying herself so much it's hard not to enjoy watching her. My favorite moment was when she was supposed to run off stage with the other froglets, but she was enjoying her moment in the spotlight so much she nearly forgot her cue and was a little behind the rest of them. I'm honestly really impressed with the whole production, particularly how well the directors managed to coordinate 60+ kids for a production this size. I'm hoping to get a picture of Evelyn in her costume tomorrow--I don't have one yet, since we're not supposed to take photographs during the performance itself.

The Festival of Excellence. Tuesday, the university cancelled classes in order to host an all-day mini conference where students and faculty presented on a huge range of topics. Since I'm reporting on the Festival for the provost newsletter, I spent the entire day on campus. Dan was also part of the presentations--I wasn't able to go to his, but I hear it went well! It was fun to see so many different disciplines come together, and I was again impressed by the work that went into it. (Not all the presentations were created equal, but I did hear some great ones).

The only downside to the week was the news this evening that a girl I knew growing up in young women just passed away from cancer. I'm heartsick for her family (her youngest is younger than Oliver). Next week, my goal is to try and live more in the moment and just love my kids and husband more.