Friday Update...three is the new five :)

I always have good intentions with keeping the momentum going on these updates, but I just didn’t have five things last week nor did I have time to write too much. Another week though and a few more things to discuss, so here’s the latest update. Since we are on the verge of the first long weekend of summer, I will make my next update a preview of our top 5 (or maybe more) summer plans. In the meantime, enjoy the top five from these last two weeks…

-Mother’s Day 4 Miler – We had visitors for mother’s day weekend this year – Nana, Papa, and Aunt Annie. That meant three generations together for Mother’s Day. What better way to celebrate than with a 4 mile run? Keely has been asking to do another 5K for some time, so this seemed perfect. It was in Reston and we got tech tee shirts, a pin and all moms got a flower at the finish line. I would definitely run this race again, although the course was tough with all its hills. Most importantly, the four of us got to be together which is as it should be. We then met up with the boys at Silver Diner (where else?!?!) for breakfast. It was a fun morning!

-Quinn’s Band Concert – Quinn had his spring band concert. He, along with the rest of the Intermediate Band, played four songs including the theme from Raiders of the Lost Ark (a fun choice!) and it sounded very nice. We couldn’t see Quinn from our seats as he was in the 4^th row with the other alto saxophones but we couldn’t hear him which means he played well and was in tune with the rest of the band. He also got some very exciting news about next year…

-Symphonic Band – As a member of the intermediate band in 6^th grade, there are 3 choices for Quinn next year: Concert Band 2, Concert Band 1 and Symphonic Band. He performed last week for the two band teachers, and we found out this week that he has qualified for Symphonic Band! That is the highest level he can attain and he will have reached it in only his second year of middle school. There is only one slight snag. One other student received higher marks on the performance for alto saxophone and there is only one spot for that instrument. BUT…Quinn qualified for Symphonic Band as well – a quote from his teacher…”his tone is great, his rhythmic accuracy is spot on, and his knowledge and understanding of articulations is superb”. So in order to have Quinn participate next year, they offered him a spot on the tenor saxophone. Quinn doesn’t have to learn an entirely new instrument and the added sound will complement the band. And the school will pay for his instrument for the year since he is being asked to fill the spot. SO…Quinn is excited to try something new and has accepted their offer to play tenor saxophone in the Symphonic Band next year! We are very proud of him and his aptitude for saxophone and can’t wait to continue to watch him grow as a musician :)

Five Things Friday 5/9/14

I’m behind on my updates…not surprising, but things are busy and there were a few noteworthy items this week so I’m using that a springboard to get back on track.

-Quinn earned All-A Honor Roll for the 3^rd straight quarter. We are proud of him and the hard work he puts into school – we almost never have to nag him about homework, he just does it on his own. He takes pride in his work and has really caught on to the time management skills needed in middle school. I am very spoiled opening up progress reports (teachers send them every two weeks so there are no surprises) and seeing average grades near or sometimes even over 100%. I attended his Honor Roll ceremony on Monday, and he’s among less than 40 who earned all-As. On top of that, he is in all honors classes. Middle school is treating him quite well!

-Keely also had a great third quarter report card, earning all 3s and 4s. She also took her field trip to Jamestown last week. The weather was iffy but it turned out to be fine with no rain and warm, humid weather (typical for SE Virginia). She was so excited the night before – almost worse than Christmas Eve – and sprung out of bed that morning. I think her favorite part was the bus trip – coach buses and they watched 3 movies – but she enjoyed the ship and fort tours. She does enjoy history and often asks us to visit such places (Gunston Hall as an example). Someday I will get to Jamestown, now that my whole family has been there.

-Keely had her annual orchestra concert this week. She has been playing the viola since September. She did well in their 4 songs. She seems to like viola, and says she may stick with it for 5^th grade. It would be nice to see her progress over two years, instead of switching to band (she says she would pick the flute). We’ll see what she decides come September, but it’s been nice for her to continue her musical talents with a strings instrument this year.

-I ran my 5^th half marathon on Sunday morning, the Frederick Running Festival. I signed up back in January with a nice discount code (under $60!) and figured I’d be in good shape by May. Ha, the best laid plans…well, you know how those go. Soccer got in the way of my return to running…and the move to a new office further from home makes less time for working out during the week. So the longest runs I could get in were 6-7 miles. Yeah, not too good of a base for a half. I should have written a post called ‘How NOT to train for a half marathon’. In any event, I considered deferring but decided to do it just to cover the mileage – and hey, it was a nice t-shirt so I wanted that :) I ran with two friends, one of whom is 3 months pregnant and we did a 7/1 interval (7 minutes running, 1 minute walk). It was perfect for me, I honestly don’t think I could have done it much faster without really tearing up my body. The course was fairly flat with good scenery and excellent crowd support for a small town. Afterwards, we stopped at Cracker Barrel for a much deserved breakfast. I would definitely do this race again – I am even considering signing up now to get the best rate for next year. I think with proper training, I could PR.

-Sports continue in earnest for our house. Keely has had 4 soccer games – her team is doing well this season, 2-1-1 so far. She plays mostly midfield as she is the speediest on the team. Quinn has played 4 or 5 of his basketball games with three remaining in this spring league. He continues to enjoy it, but I think he will be ready for a break come June. I have played 4 soccer games – and my body seems to finally be adjusting to the rigors of a soccer game. I have also learned that I can’t play without warming up my quads and other leg muscles.  It’s still a lot of fun, and I enjoy playing – and my team is undefeated so far :)