Lydia's club volleyball season was so much fun! She managed to make the 14-1 team and solidify her position as a setter. Spunky and gritty - and gravity-defying - we love to watch her play with so much intensity.
Lydia's season started in December with two two-hour practices a week. Competition was eight weekend tournaments. They were very long days (usually 4-6 matches), but mostly within an hour of our home. During the tournaments when they weren't playing, her team would have to help officiate other matches.
Lydia's team was about average. They would always land somewhere in the middle of the placings. I think they did great, considering there is a whole nother level of elitism in volleyball that is far beyond our reach. Youth sports is can really suck you in if you're not on your guard.
The final tournament was in Rochester in April. They had a lot of fun and it was exciting to watch them place 1st in their bracket!
We have encouraged our kids to try lots of things and not be in a big hurry to "specialize" in one sport. I was surprised when Lydia decided not to do track this spring, but rather tried out for the school musical. So it appears as though she may be down to one sport (with the exception of unified football). She had her first high school volleyball camp yesterday! So I guess the means she's playing it year-round. I'm glad she's found an outlet for her competitive nature and team sport she loves.
We went to Washington, DC over spring break. Only Bryan had ever been to our nation's capital, so we were all very excited to make the trip. It was the kids' third flight (fourth for Reggie) and our first leasure flight since Covid.
We only had three full days for sight-seeing, and there was so much to see and do! On the first day, we went up in the Washington Monument. This turned out to be one of my favorite parts of the trip. It was a good way to see the lay of the land from above.
Our second stop was the International Spy Museum. It was a fun and unique experience, but considering our limited time, it would have probably been better spent visiting more of the free museums.
That night, we went to an NBA game at Capital One Arena (Wizards vs. Bucks). This was definitely the hightlight of Brett's trip.
The next day, we explored the monuments on the national mall more, and went to some museums.
Here's a selfie of Bryan and I imitating all the people taking selfies with Lincoln.
We went to three museums that day: National Archives Museum, National Museum of African American History and Culture, and National Museum of American History. The National Achives Museum was a must because we got to see the original documents of the Declaration of Independence and Constitution. It also had a temporary exhibit on the influence of sports in US History.
The kids' favorite museum turned out to be the National Museum of African American History and Culture. It had exhibits of art, sports, and music. Half of the museum was dedicated to the history of slavery and fight for freedom, which we did not have time to see. It had an amazing cafeteria-style restaurant serving soul food, which turned out to be my favorite meal of the trip.
The National Museum of American History had some interesting exhibits, including a set of china from each presidency and all the First Ladies' inaugural dresses. But the feature was the original flag that inspired The Star Spangled Banner. Also, Lydia posed in front of Prince.
There were lots of food trucks and we did lots of walking.
Bryan's highlight of the trip was eating at Ben's Chili Bowl on U-street. This is an iconic dive that has become a famous place for famous people to stop by and get a chili dog, even Obama and Brett. We got our picture with the owner.
The last day was spent focusing on the three branches of government. We only walked by the Supreme Court, as there was a large crowd of people and we didn't have time to wait. We explored the White House Visitor Center and then went on a White House tour. It was self-guided and there was a very high level of security. The spaces we had access to were odviously limited, but it was still a pretty amzing experience.
The US Capitol was our next stop. We did a guided tour. It was a valuable experience, but again, we did not see a whole lot of it.
That last day was very cold and windy, and we had a lot of ground to cover. We still had not made it to see all the monuments and Reggie wasn't feeling well. We did a lot of zig zagging and could have been more efficient in our tour of the monuments with better planning. Still we pushed through despite sore feet. We were dead tired by the time we got back to the hotel, and had an early flight the next day. So we made a meal out of appetizers at the hotel bar and called it a night.
Overall, it was a great trip, and I think our kids were at the perfect age to do it. But I do want to go back some day to explore the museums more. I'm sure we will because we still have the Nationals Ballpark on our bucket list.
No big trips, just dinner and drinks. No gift exchange, just cards.
I suppose that is a product of the season of life in which we find ourselves. All of our time and money is consumed by our children. But it is also fitting that our anniversary would be so understated. It was an ordinary day among thousands (7,300) of ordinary days. I woke up by myself, Bryan was already at work. Coffee was already made and waiting for me, along with a card propped up next to it. The next hour and a half would be spent getting kids where they needed to go. I had the day off from work, so I spent it doing errands, catching up on laundry, and in the garden. Then there was the after school frenzy before we could get cleaned up for dinner.
Reggie had a ballgame. A parent tracks the game in an app. At dinner, I resisted the temptation to check it until Bryan did. And then I got sucked in and Bryan told me to put it away. We talked about why our marriage still works after twenty years. I had a a few bullet points, already thinking about how I would weave it into conversations with our kids.
Choose wisely. (I'm pretty sure I used the word "logical".)
Have shared values.
Have realistic expectations.
Be committed for the long haul.
Anticipate lots of "rainy days".
Makes you want to sign right up, huh?
Bryan interrupted me. My bullet list was incomplete. There's something that's hard to put into a bullet point, but you know if you have it or if you don't. It might start with a physical attraction but that's just part of it. It's a mutual connection that can't be forced or manufactured. We can't create it, but we can nurture it. And it's what can pull a marriage through the thousands of ordinary days and the rainy ones, too.
When I was single, I had a grandma that would ask me about the boys in my life. "Well, there's this one guy..." I'd say, and I would continue on until she would interrupt.
In Minnesota, 7th and 8th graders are allowed to wrestle on the high school team. After a summer and fall of faithful early-morning weightlifting, Reggie was invited to join the high school team. There was one other 7th grader on the team. It is typical for a 106 or 113 pound middle schooler to fill the varsity roster, but a bit more difficult for a 126 pound kid to pull it off. Reggie spent most of the season hanging out in JV, which was fine with Bryan and I but frustrating for Reggie. I kept telling him to work hard and be patient. It took until the last opportunity of the season for him to get his big shot.
Here are the 5 matches I won't forget (click the orange headings to view the full matches on YouTube):
Reggie's first high school match was short and to the point with him pinning his opponent in 36 seconds. It was a home meet and I'm glad I was there to see it!
At the beginning of the season, Reggie was named a "varsity alternate". If a varsity wrestler in his weight was unable to wrestle (ill, injury, academic probation, skin issue, etc) or didn't make weight, he would fill the spot. He got a chance in a dual against Roseville, and I happened to be there! (Because we have other kids, usually only one and sometimes neither parent could be at his meets).
It was an exciting match to the end. His opponent was leading, but not by much. At the end, he was down by 2 and only needed a take-down to tie it. He took his shot, and it looked promising (watch his teammates cheering with their 2 fingers up), but his opponent hooked his arm around and that was all that was needed to secure the win. (Loss for Reggie.)
My uneditted footage is not great. When I get excited, I'm not looking at my camera!
3. The Thousand Dollar Match
I would like to forget the thousand dollar match, but I never will. It was the match Reggie was put in an illegal choke hold (wrestlers must have an arm along with the head in a headlock). The ref was looking for the pin and didn't notice Reggie had lost consciousness. The ref called the pin, Reggie regained awareness, got up, and then staggered back, losing consciousness again. It seemed like minutes but was probably only seconds. The trainer expressed a lot of concern, so we ended up taking him to the ER for an EKG. That's how it became the thousand dollar match.
After that, Reggie kept doing his thing on JV, hoping for his big shot. They have a system. Coaches determine the lineup for duals (team competion) but wrestlers can challenge for a spot in varsity individual tournaments. Reggie didn't think he could beat the 126 varsity wrestler (Caleb), but Caleb decided to cut weight and go to 120 at the end of the season. The 120 (Moises) had been struggling to make weight all season, so he went up to 126, and Reggie thought he had a chance.
The high school season ends with sections, and then, if you qualify, state. Reggie decided to do a wrestle off for the 126 spot and won!
To advance to state, you must finish 1st or 2nd at sections. We were so sure Reggie would not make a run for state this year that we booked a flight for spring break that same weekend.
At sections, Reggie was trailing in his first match, but that never seems to phase him. He went on the attack and pinned his opponent, to get his first varsity win and pin!
After that, he wrestled the guy who ended up getting 1st and lost. He won his 3rd match, putting him in the match for 3rd place. Third place doesn't get you to state, but if you didn't lose to the guy who loses to the guy who gets first, they have what is called "wrestling for true second". So basically the two wrestlers who lost to the champion (but noone else) wrestle each other for 2nd place. If Reggie won the match for 3rd, he would "wrestle for true second".
Again, Reggie found himself points behind in the match, but hanging on. He got a bloody nose, and that's when the ref noticed his mouth was also bleeding. The ref was mad. Because Reggie has braces, he is required to wear a mouthgaurd. He had forgotten to put it in before the match, so the ref gave his opponent an extra point.
Now behind 7-1, he was mad at the refs but he took it out on his opponent, and pinned him. (My video is really bad. I wasn't at a good angle for the mat he was wrestling on and people kept walking in front of me.)
Reggie went on to "wrestle for true second" and lost. If he had won, he would have been a state entrant at 126lbs as a 7th grader! There were only two 7th graders who made it to the state tournament at or above 120lbs this year. Reggie knows both of them!
Needless to say, Bryan won't be booking any more flights during the High School State Wrestling Tournament for many years. Two Woodbury wrestlers qualified for State. Sophomore Brad finished 5th, and junior Alex won! He was the Royal's first state champ since 1979.
When the high school season was over, Reggie was allowed to compete in the youth circuits. He went on to finish 6th at MN/USA State.
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