Our Awesome All-Star

In January, Caiden got word that he had been invited to the 8-Man All-Star Football Game in Beloit, KS, which would take place in June. What an opportunity! We are so proud of his accomplishments this year, and this was just the icing on the cake of a successful senior year. Caiden arrived in Beloit on Tuesday morning and lived and practiced with his team until Saturday, when the game was played. Overall, this was a fantastic experience for him and a little preview of what dorm life might be like next fall.

Chelan and I went up on Friday night to participate in their "Friday Night Lights" program - basically a video of highlights from the week. It was a joy to watch and listen to all the boys interacting with each other throughout the evening and to see where he lived for a week. On Saturday morning, the game began at 10 a.m. - it was a rather steamy event due to hot and humid conditions. Unfortunately, Caiden's team (the West) fell short, but we like to say they won the 2nd half. He even recorded a few tackles on the day!

What an experience - congrats Caiden. We are so proud of you!

Comments

Surprise!

Well, I sure don't get surprised very often, but Saturday night was a huge surprise to me! I thought I was heading to Hesston for an AGCO Christmas Dinner with Chelan. He told me we needed to drop something off at Ben and Tina's house (my cousin), first. Okay, no big deal! While we were there, Ben said they were about ready to go out for dinner, did we want to come along? Surprisingly, Chelan thought about it and wanted to do it (clue #1 that something was up). I kept saying that we couldn't skip out on his dinner, but Chelan insisted that going to Wichita for dinner would be much more fun. I even said, "This seems like something you had planned!" However, I'm always up for dinner in Wichita, so I agreed, reluctantly!! We enjoyed a meal at Hangar 1 Steakhouse and I thought that was the end of it. But, on the way home, Chelan asked if we could go by the new arena since the inaugural concert was there that night -- Brad Paisley! I thought it would be f...

Spring Art

While Mrs. Schmidt was away on maternity leave during the spring, Mr. Novak (from Hesston) filled in for her. Since Cambry has her first 3 class periods in the art room, she got to know him very well and he mentioned several times how he appreciated Cambry's artistic style and way of thinking. He even let her paint a little bit on his own pieces! Cambry took several pieces to the WSL art festival in April. She came home with a first place finish in the graphic design category and an honorable mention in the computer design category. We are so thankful for the instruction she has received over the last 4 years in Goessel. Now, on to Hesston College with Professor Cross!

Choosing Trust Over Fear

I have struggled with writing about the shooting in Hesston - in fact, I wasn't going to post anything about it. However, for the sake of memories, I decided I should at least touch on it. It does deserve a place. It just hit so close to home - particularly since Doug was directly involved. Honestly, I sometimes feel guilty for struggling with this tragedy. I wasn't there, I didn't lose anyone close to me, and, although I know a few people who work there, I didn't know any of the victims. And I get to move on with my life with little disruption. I feel like I am on the outside looking in. But I guess that's okay. I didn't have to be directly involved for this to touch me. My heart is sad for the families of those who died, for those who were injured, for those who witnessed it, for my brother-in-law who will probably replay images over and over, for my sister and my niece and nephew who might sometimes wonder "what if?", for th...

Days With the Duerksens

Search This Blog