March 1st I dropped Jeremy off at the school at 4:30 am. He and the cast were off to Nationals in Lexington, Kentucky. They had earned all the money they needed to send everyone to the competition. The excitement level was high as they boarded the bus for their first time ever at Nationals.
Later that morning I got to spend some time with Sandra packing up all her mother's clothing and getting everything ready for donation. I always enjoy my time with Sandra. She is a lot like her mother. She shared a lot of memories while we worked. It was a good thing for both of us.
That night there was a HUGE thunderstorm. Naomi and I were out driving in it as there was a choir practice for the regional conference. Our ward had been chosen to provide the choir for Elder Cook's visit. Naomi and I were excited to be a part of it.
March 4th Jeremy called that night to tell us that their play had won several individual awards, including best live music and outstanding cast members for Harry, Jace and Teddy. The did not place 1st or 2nd but were just happy to be there.
March 9th was New Beginnings for Young Women. Justice Stewart worked hard to make sure the night was a success. Our new Beehives felt welcomed and the rest of the guests enjoyed themselves. I'd say that is a success.
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| Justice Stewart chose "How To Be A Foxy Lady". She put a lot of her personality into the night. |
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| Our new Beehives that will join us during the next 9 months. |
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| My current Beehives performing their skit. This was definitely one of the highlights of the night. |
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| Me and Jordan Polera, our Beehive teacher. |
March 12th we woke up to snow. It was also the day of the Regional Conference with Elder Cook. There were so many people expected to attend that the event was held at the Bojangles Coliseum. The nice thing about the snow was that everyone else that would have been on the road stayed home that morning and the highways were almost bare. We arrived early so we could run through the numbers with the organist and make sure everyone had a seat. The conference was very inspiring and it was a privilege to be on the stand with Elder Cook. Naomi was excited to get to see an apostle up close. Each speaker added their own flavor to the day and we all walked away better for having been there.
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| In the Green Room before the performance. Naomi is getting her goofiness out before the performance. |
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| Timeline of the snow. Winter at 9:30. Back to early spring by 11:30. Typical of North Carolina weather. |
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| A quick practice before the meeting begins. |
March 15th, Jeremy registered for college. We still have not received the official letter of acceptance or any information about tuition, but he was excited to get to sign up for classes. It is starting to feel real.
March 16th was the traditional pre-prom dinner with Bishop Beckworth at Ciro's. Jeremy and I went to pick up Elizabeth. She is not allowed to single date until she is 18 so I had to be there in order to honor that rule. Jeremy was really nervous about the night. Elizabeth was having an off day and had been texting Jeremy weird comments all day long. When we got to her house she did not wait for him to come to the door. She bust out the front door as soon as we pulled up and wouldn't let Jeremy get her door for her. She seemed okay on the ride to the restaurant. I dropped them off at the restaurant and then headed to the church to be with the Beehives and run the activity. Afterwards, Nick and I hurried back to the restaurant to pick up Jeremy and Elizabeth and drive her back home. I asked about the dinner and Elizabeth was short and curt with her answers. "It was okay, but I guess I was just not hungry. It didn't taste very good." Needless to say, it was an awkward ride back to her house. When finally arrived at her house she almost didn't wait for the truck to stop before she jumped out and ran to the door. Jeremy said the night was a nightmare. She was moody and no fun to be around. She was on her phone the whole time and would not engage in conversation. He was nervous about spending the whole evening with her at prom if she was still in this mood. I felt so bad for him. I wanted to drive back to Elizabeth's house and give her a piece of my mind.
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| The Laurels and Priests (and their dates) with Bishop Beckworth before dinner. |
March 17th was the 5th and 6th grade dance at school. I went back to the school at 5 to pick Naomi up and sat and laughed with Mrs. Osburn who was monitoring the bathrooms and making sure no one left without a parent. The kids were cracking us up. At one point a group of boys came running down the hall and yelled into the girls bathroom, "Hurry up! They are playing our song." At another point several kids came running out of the Cafetorium saying, "Yuck! I just can't listen to another Jacob Sartorius song." Such entertainment.
When I got back home a very solemn Jeremy pulled me aside and said Elizabeth had called and told him he was boring and not fun enough and didn't want to go to prom with him anymore. He told her he would honor her wishes but he did have her corsage if she wanted it. She told him to return it and then hung up on him. He was upset and relieved at the same time. He had done everything he could have done to make her feel welcome with the group on Thursday at dinner but she didn't want to have anything to do with him or the group. I asked him if he wanted to go to prom with the group and he said he didn't want to go at all. He said he was personally relieved and that he felt bad that he felt relieved. Such conflict. In the end he decided to stay home and spend the night doing whatever came to mind.
March 18th I met the Laurels and Priests at the front of Highland Creek for pictures. Jeremy was off shopping for new church clothes with Steve (which was exactly what he wanted to be doing). Everyone looked really nice and they were excited about the dance. They didn't ask about Jeremy because they didn't know yet. Jeremy was supposed to be going with Elizabeth's ward. That would give Jeremy some buffer time to deal with the aftermath. Once the youth, especially the boys, found out they really had Jeremy's back. That made him feel better about the whole situation.
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| Such a handsome/gorgeous crew. |
March 19th Naomi woke up with a really sore throat and the rest of us were just drained emotionally and physically after the busy schedule we had been keeping up so we played hookie from church. It turned out that we all really needed a day to enjoy some down time and recharge. Nick spent the day creating a new remote controlled car using the old body but a new engine from a remote controlled helicopter. It made the car go really fast. It was awesome. I love spending time with my family. They are the best.
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| This storm was really cool. The sunset was behind the approaching storm and it made the sky glow. The picture doesn't do it justice so you will have to take my word for it. |
On March 29th Jeremy picked up his cap and gown. It is starting to feel more real that he is really graduating from high school this year.
March 29th-31st Nick was at the Sound To Sea field trip with his fellow classmates. It was a fun three days filled with adventures and learning. The kids learned about the ecosystem on both the ocean and sound side of the island. They also got to play in the water and have fun. Nick had a blast. On the ride home the group had a great adventure when a tire on one of the buses blew. They used the second bus to transport all the kids to a nearby elementary school so they weren't standing on the side of the highway. It took a bit, but eventually they were on their way home again. They were a few hours later than expected but they all had a fun story to tell about their adventures.
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| The view from his window. |
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| Hanging on the beach with his friends. |
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| Another of his favorite views. We want to have a beach house some day. |
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| Inside the maritime forest. |
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| Coming out of the forest on to the beach. |
As if this month hadn't already dealt Jeremy a few bad hands, I FINALLY got a response from the financial department at SVU (after calling multiple times and sending even more emails). We had filled out the FAFSA form back in November and had not heard anything yet. The first payment was coming due and we did not know anything. In fact, Jeremy's acceptance letter had still not arrived although they were emphatic that it was in the mail (for over a month now). Something was not feeling right here. In the end, the financial department sent us numbers that were $10,000 more than they quoted back at the open house in October. Jeremy, Steve and I talked about it after Steve got home from work and decided that it would be better for Jeremy to stay at home and get his generals done at the community college, go on his mission and then transfer to a 4 year college at that point. Going to SVU for his generals would cost him $30,000 a year (if tuition didn't go up again while he was on his mission). At CPCC that same education would cost him $6,000 a year. We called and talked to UNC Charlotte and they told us that transfer students from the CPCC system were their favorite because these students came in focused and ready to do well...and graduate! He also realized that it would be less than 6 months from the time he started school to the time he turned 19 and would put in his mission papers. That is a lot of money for 6 months. The selling point for Jeremy was when I casually mentioned that he could live at home and we would get a third car so he could go back and forth to school and work without having to rely on us for a ride if we weren't paying $30,000 for tuition. The deal was sealed and I could see the relief on his face when the decision was made. He was still a little sad at not being able to go away to school, but he was relieved to be able to go on his mission with no school debt and do it more on his own time table. Usually I have to hound him to send an email or make a phone call that is SVU-related. This time he went right to his computer and sent the message to his counselor that plans had changed and he wouldn't be attending in the fall after all. Jeremy has been much happier and more content since we made that decision. This was definitely the answer to my fasting at the first of the month. It is the right answer for him.
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| I taught myself to knit in the round in order to make this Griffendor scarf for Haylie. She wanted it a certain way and I delivered. |
March 31st Naomi went to Haylie's Harry Potter birthday party right after school. She had a the best time playing quiddich and doing all things Harry Potter. I picked her up and the two of us headed to the Polera's for the Beehive fondue and movie night. The girls enjoyed dipping various treats in chocolate and then we all watched Moana. We also had a chance to play some ping pong during the course of the night. I love serving these girls with Jordan. We make a good team.
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