Days With the Duerksens

We took advantage of the first and second rounds of the NCAA basketball tournament being played in Wichita and went to check it out on the first night! It's definitely easier to watch at home, but it was sure fun experiencing the atmosphere that the "Big Dance" provides! We were able to watch Texas Tech and Missouri play - lots of fun and our seats were literally right next to some fellow Goessel fans. Delaney was excited to be able to sit next to Mackenzie all evening!

Here we are, almost at the end of the basketball season, and I haven't updated a thing since fall! We have enjoyed watching Delaney play this year, and it was a big surprise to see her starting the first game of the season. . . and every game after! Their season has had some ups and downs, but one highlight for sure was earning 3rd place at the mid-season Centre tournament! Keep up the good work, Delaney! During Christmas break, I took very few pictures, but we enjoyed a very low-key break at home. At the end of it, we had a giant ice/snowstorm that actually delayed us going back to school for a couple of days! It was Kenya's first snow and it was sure fun to watch her figure it all out! In January, Delaney got her first piece of actual mail from a Division 2 school, inviting her to a volleyball showcase. This felt like a pretty big deal! Cambry has been busy in the art building at Hesston College. She has created several ceramics pieces and enjoyed showing us the other d...

The Fall Semester zoomed by as usual with lots of activities - mostly volleyball. However, there were some other events we enjoyed, too. Volleyball-wise, Delaney had a great first season! The team placed first at their home tournament, at the Olpe tournament, they were regional champions and sub-state runners-up (losing to Little River...again), and they finished 2nd in the league. Individually, Delaney made it onto the all-league first team and was a state stat leader (top 25) in serving! Our community continued to celebrate the 150th anniversary of our ancestors coming to the area. We toured the site of the first immigrant houses while Delaney helped to park cars with the youth group. Delaney was a care bear with her friends for Halloween. She was also in her first musical: The Little Mermaid. She played the roles of a princess and a maid. Overall, she enjoyed it, despite lots of practices! We thoroughly enjoyed the performance and I still marvel at what can be accomplished at a ...

A month into the school year and everyone seems to be clicking along . . . at least for now! We caught up with Cambry today, now in a room of her own for the very first time! She is enjoying her esports team, particularly making the social media posts and taking pictures for the team. She gets some Rocket League time in as well! And she has access to the art building pretty much when she wants it! Caiden is doing his thing at K-State and at athletic events again. And Delaney is trying to do every possible activity available in high school. Of course, her top priority is volleyball, and right now, her team is 2nd overall in 1A-1 and recently won their home tournament for the first time since 2017! And, Kenya is growing like a weed!