AKA "The Sadie Hawkins Dance"...Starring: Amanda and Joe
I have a confession to make...I am an incurable romantic. I LOVE hearts and flowers, and stories that end in: "...and they lived happily-ever-after!" Can't help it, that's just me. HOWEVER, I have never really liked Valentine's Day. Maybe it's left-over angst from Elementary School when you sat all day by the Valentine's Box or envelope you had decorated, waiting to see how many people wanted you for their Valentine.
OR maybe it's from all the years after when you waited for that "special someone" to ask you to be HIS Valentine. Maybe it's all of those things mixed in with my neurotic insecurities. Whatever the reason, Valentine's Day hasn't ever really been my favorite holiday.
Then it happened...23 years ago, on February 6th, 1988; Kevin William Webster asked me to be his, forever. Suddenly, I had a Sweetheart of my very own! That night, almost a week before Valentine's Day, became one of my happiest memories - EVER! It was sweet and magical; and led to my "Happily-Ever-After".
I used to dream of my "Knight in Shining Armor" sweeping me off my feet and carrying me off into the sunset. Now my Knight is my Kevin and all he has to do is smile the way he does - that lets me know he gets what I'm thinking, or kiss me good-bye (or hello, or good-night, or for anything at all), or dance with me in the kitchen while Jackie gags and Mandy goes "Whoo whoo!! Go Dad and MOM!!!" ...that's all it takes, and I'm swept away.
All these years later, and I STILL can't really say I'm the biggest fan of Valentine's Day. It may sound sappy, but with Kevin every day feels like Valentine's Day to me! He's the very best man I know, and I'm SO in love with my Valentine!
At Jackie's school, they hold a science fair every year. This year, they gave us about three month's notice to come up with an idea and create an experiment. Jackie had some interesting ideas, but each of them were studies that would take YEARS to monitor and follow through. Most of her ideas involved things that effect your health and growth rate...definitely NOT things you can monitor over a couple of months.
FINALLY, about a week before the entire project was due, Jackie decided upon the idea of testing people's taste-abilities. She set up an experiment with various foods in full-fat and low-fat varieties. Then she got some victims...'er TEST SUBJECTS and the tasting began. Ultimately, Jackie's goal, at this late stage, was to have something (ANYTHING) to turn in so she could get a passing grade.
The project (hypothesis, question, research, experiment, results, charts, graphs, conclusions, etc.) was due Monday, February 7, 2011. Jackie BEGAN this project Sunday, February 6, 2011...IN THE EVENING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Needless to say, we were up until 1:30AM, completing everything.
Monday came and Jackie turned in her project. The Science Fair was TODAY (Tuesday, February 8, 2011). Imagine our surprise when Jackie brought THIS home from the Fair.
So you all know Amanda is playing basketball for her High School, right?
In case you didn't...now you do!! haha
Here are some pictures of her on the court in a game earlier in the season...
At tonight's game, there were 20 seconds on the clock and the ball was loose on the court. Mandy raced for the ball, scooped it up, and dribbled the ball for a couple of steps. Then she turned, set, and took a jump-shot that had the ball circle the rim and SWISH!!!! Into the basket it went!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Classic play, good thinking, and a great shot!!! What a girl!!!!!!
