…a little cheerio love…

I got some pictures of the cheerleaders from the yearbook staff…and there are some great ones! Maybe this kinda sorta makes up for all the pictures I don’t take at games. I’m terrible.

This picture of Madi is great because I always tell her to get her tongue INSIDE her mouth where it belongs. :) PROOF!!

Sommer’s favorite move from the dance we (I mean, they) did at the first game.

 

Another cute one from Carly.

Last week, Daniel from the yearbook staff came to practice and did a photo shoot with the girls. It was really fun – a new tradition perhaps?!

 

 

 

 

 

And some fun ones…

 

 

They’ve been working so hard this week to get some new stunts – including a basket toss and a stunt routine for Homecoming next week! They are rockstars!

…crafting hiatus…

I’ve been on a little bit of a crafting hiatus lately. It might be because something small and rodent-like ran me out of my own craft room when I saw it run across the room about three weeks ago. I said *might*. :)

I don’t think I’ve shared these yet.

This first one is Mary Englebreit fabric. When I went to the Quilt Show in Kennewick with Amy, Jessica, Melissa, and my Mom in April – one of the booths had this on display and we all fell in love! I pieced this together at the lake this summer, then tried to figure out how to quilt it. I’m not great at free motion quilting (yet!) but tried it on this. It’s not too big, so it was a good one to practice on!

 

This table runner is made from leftover 2 1/2” strips from a quilt I made for last Christmas. I used this tutorial (http://www.diaryofaquilter.com/2010/08/table-runner-tutorial.html) which is a new favorite!!

It turned out quite a bit skinnier than I originally intended. When the instructions say to make the backing fabric bigger than the batting – they mean it! :)

 

This table runner was made using the same tutorial (trust me – this isn’t the last you’ll see of it, either! I have about 4 sets of strips waiting to be made into table runners like this!). It’s a wedding gift for a certain former Connell/North Franklin Jr Miss and current star BYU b-baller!

 

…Let’s Go Eagles!…

Last night, the Connell Eagles took on the Ki-Be Bears.

As Melissa and I were walking over to the home side of the field, she said, “Have you ever blogged about that?” Meaning, the “Connell” way of viewing a football game! There are only a few sets of bleachers on the home side of the field and most of the people sit on blankets on the side of the hill. Some people have sawed off the back legs of plastic chairs so that they fit on the side of the hill. Most people just bring blankets. The kids run around and roll down the hill. It’s an interesting way to watch the game – but fun too. I don’t like it that it’s hard to visit with people other than who you’re sitting by.

Our awesome choir sang the Star Spangled Banner. They were all in purple and gold – but some were in their football uniforms, cheer uniforms, and even the Eagle mascot was in the choir!

Speaking of the Eagle, a student came this week and asked about being the Eagle. It was raining on Thursday so I told him that we could take the mascot uniform in the rain so he couldn’t do it on Friday. On Friday morning, he came and said, “Ms. Koch – it looks pretty sunny outside today!” He was a great mascot and he’s excited to do it again at the next home game, which is Homecoming!

Our cheerleaders were very excited to show off their new skills this week. They were REALLY excited to do shoulder stands!

 

   

They had quite a few stunts and are starting to look more like a team. Pretty exciting!

Oh right – the football game. It was kinda boring. We won 77-20!

Rolling on to next week – we’re travelling to Burbank!  

…happy birthday Janelle!…

 

This girl in the bright green pants turns 16 today.

She is now older, by three years, than I was when she was born.

Sixteen is a pretty big milestone!

I hope she has a drama-free, wonderful 16th year filled with lots of fun and lots of friends.

…a trip to Cashmere…

So, yesterday, Melissa & I loaded up the cheerleaders and headed to Cashmere for the football game. This was the third trip in three years we’ve made to Cashmere, with a record of 1-1.

When we got there, it was just lightly sprinkling.

Not too long into the first quarter – when the score was already 20-0, Cashmere – it started raining steadily and quickly turned into a heavy downpour. The Tri-City Herald headline today says “Cashmere shocks Connell” and that’s pretty much the truth. They quickly made a touchdown in the first 2 1/2 minutes and didn’t look back. Cashmere shut down our winning streak. Hopefully our guys will pull it together this week and come out strong against KiBe on Friday.

So remember that heavy downpour? Although it was pretty miserable for all spectators, the cheerleaders used this opportunity to try out their new rain jackets! They protected them from the rain and were cute too! Success!

  Another week down – many more to come! We’re working on some pretty fun stuff to come in the next few weeks!!

Probably the best part of going to Cashmere was getting to see my friend Lyndsay and meet her two guys – Brad & Rayce! We hadn’t seen each other in years – literally – 4-5 years – so it was great to see her!! She recently moved back to Cashmere from Alaska – perfect timing!

…happy birthday to grandma!…

Happy 79th Birthday to my Grandma Marcial!

We had a family dinner to celebrate with her tonight. She said she got lots of phone calls & well wishes today. She said she felt very loved!

I took her home tonight and teased her that she had 500 messages on her answering machine – really just 40 – but wow! 40 messages! She is famous for calling everyone on their birthday – family members, community members, heck, probably even half strangers! I’m glad she felt celebrated today!

...friends...

I've been thinking a lot about friends today - especially "old" friends.

I mean, friends from childhood, although we are getting older. :)

Today, one of my oldest friends turns 30. She's one of the first of my friends that I grew up with to turn 30. Trailblazer that she is.

It's hard to believe that this milestone is upon us. I mean, it just seems like yesterday that we were all sharing in the excitement of turning 16 and driving each other downtown for lunch.

How did we get here and when did that happen?!

As it happened, I also got to catch up a bit with an equally "old" friend this evening. We live hundreds (thousands?) of miles apart and our paths don't cross as much as they used to. I don't get to talk with childhood friends often, but when I do, I really realize how much I missed them in the time since our last conversation.

I guess I'm feeling nostalgic. Today I went to the funeral of Arnold Hudlow - a family friend and church family member. I don't remember ever seeing our church that full. There were many many old friends there to remember the man that Arnold was. I'm sure there was a lot of catching up and sharing stories & memories today. Maybe I'm a little jealous of all the friends that got to sit together today and share meal and conversation. Not that it was a happy event, but an opportunity to be together nonetheless.

It's days like today, when I realize that I am missing the comfortableness of a childhood friend, that I remember how lucky I am to count those friends among the nearest and dearest in my life.

…remembering September 11…

I couldn’t resist watching the History channel this afternoon with footage and survivor stories of September 11th. I remember that day so very well.

Just 13 days before was the accident at my Dad’s shop. I was back in Spokane, my parents in Seattle, and Melissa in Connell. Things were still touch and go with my Dad. I felt like I was just surviving in Spokane. I had just moved into a duplex (out of the dorm for the first time) with some roommates. I probably was not a very fun roommate during those first few weeks. I felt like I was barely getting by going to school, working, keeping up on homework, staying in close communication with my family across the state – including going to Seattle or home to Connell every weekend. I tried to keep myself busy so as not to think too much about what my parents were going through.

So, on September 11th, I was feeling quite vulnerable and fragile.

Our family had been attacked by a fire. Our nation was being attacked by terrorists.

It was too much.

I was feeling desperate to regain control of my life and sense of normalcy. In a matter of minutes, those feelings were suddenly shared by the entire nation.

In the days following the attack on America, I remember the overwhelming pride I felt when driving through Spokane and seeing flags flying outside homes. Reader boards at businesses displaying “We Will Never Forget”, “United We Stand” and “God Bless America.” Yellow ribbons around trees. It was such a unifying feeling. No matter what was happening to our country, we were in this together.

 

The next day, on September 12th, the community organized a benefit dinner for our family. It also reminded me that our family was not facing this challenge alone. We had so many friends and family supporting us. It was so overwhelming.

Those two huge events in my life are paralleled. Connected. I can’t hardly think of one without the other. This time of the year reminds me of those first weeks of September in 2001. The weather, the sky, the feeling in the air.

Today is a day of remembering. I definitely will Never Forget.

…my favorite little cheerleader…

Kamryn and I got to hang out after practice tonight. Well, she slept most of the time, but we still got our time together in for the week!

I got her dressed and ready to make her debut at her Mama’s Volleyball game. We got there a little late since she was still sleeping when it started. Her paparazzi was waiting!

Auntie Beth got this cute picture. Love it!

 

...the boys of fall...

I just heard this new (to me?!) song on the radio today - "The Boys of Fall" by Kenny Chesney. It's about being a member of the high school football team.

Here's the lyrics of the first two verses & the chorus:

When I feel that chill and smell that wet cut grass

I'm back in my helmet cleats and shoulder pads

Standin in the huddle listenin to the call

Fans going crazy for the boys of fall

They didn't let just anybody in that club

Took every ounce of heart and sweat and blood

To get to wear those game day jerseys down the hall

King of the school man we're the boys of fall

Well it's turnin' to face the stars and stripes

It's fighting back them butterflies

It's call it in the air alright, yes sir we want the ball

And it's knockin heads and talkin trash

It's slinging mud and dirt and grass

It's I got your number, I got your back

When your backs against the wall

You mess with one man you got us all

The Boys of Fall

 

I think everyone was pretty excited and a little nervous for the first football game of the season against Othello. After the successes of last season, it seemed as though everyone was holding their breath until the first ball was kicked to see what our team was made of this year. The first Friday Night Lights of the season were in Othello this year, and our team showed up with something to prove. We won easily, 31 to 14.

 

Ok, enough about football. On to the good stuff...

the cheerleaders!!

 

We were very very VERY excited to get to ride in the new...

SUBURBAN!

YAY!

It is soooo nice - it even comes with a DVD player! It definitely boosted our self-esteem to roll up in a new, nice looking Suburban, rather than the old Suburban that looked like it belonged to a traveling repairman.

 

All ready to go to their first game!

First game and we had stunts! Awesome!

Melissa & I are so proud of our squad. They looked awesome last night!

I got to sit with Kate & Kamryn for a bit - and hold Kamryn while she slept through part of half time and the entire third quarter. I love snuggling with Kamryn!

She had her mini-CHS Cheerleader outfit on last night and couldn't have been cuter!

...'tis the season of giving...

I'm finally catching up on getting gifts delivered this week! Christmas is the season of giving? Nah, wedding season!

Back in the end of May, Jessica and I had a modern day quilting bee and whipped this up for our senior cheerleader, Katelyn.

We got it finished this week and gave it to her just in time for her to take to college with her this weekend.

I don't know the name of the fabric or the pattern - but it was quilted by the talented Jessica!

This table runner was given to Julie Hawkins and Scott Bartholomew as a wedding gift.

Fabric: Botany by Lauren and Jessi

Pattern: Disappearing Nine Patch by p.s. i quilt

Quilted by: Marcie

This one was given as a wedding gift for Tiffani Brook and Kohl St. Peter.

Fabric: Santorini

Pattern: by Sandi Gervais

Quilted by: Marcie

(I loved the pieced back!)

Just a few more wedding gifts to complete in the next few weeks!